Kitchen Reno Inspiration

If you follow over on Pinterest, you've probably noticed an uptick in decor-related pins.  Moving into a new space always coincides with a search for new inspiration.  I loved our house, but I also had rearranged and decorated it so many different ways already, it will be refreshing (and a fun new challenge) to re-do a whole new space.

The biggest room I'm looking forward to freshening up is our new kitchen.  It has new wood laminate flooring, but the rest of the kitchen is sorely in need of an update.  Old, dated oak cabinets, off-white formica counters, and an ivory fridge that was probably born in the 80's.  It's nice and perfectly functional, but with a few updates I feel like the kitchen could be amazing.  We've got an open layout, so the living area and kitchen are all essentially one big space, so updating the kitchen will make a huge impact on the feel of the space.  

Overall I feel like it's got a nice layout and plenty of space.  My vision is white cabinets (I'd love to remove some of the uppers and replace with open shelving, but logistically I don't think that's do-able), maybe a new countertop (I love a wood butcher block counter, but also maybe something like a light white/grey marble look?), white walls with white subway tile backsplash, cover the fridge in some cool removeable wallpaper, and possibly give the island a colorful base (I'm loving the yellow island in my inspiration below!).  There's also some dead space next to the fridge which I'd love to utilize as either pantry open shelving, or maybe a place for organizing/admin stuff: a little desk, a calendar, cubbies for mail, etc. 

I've also learned that plants can completely transform the feel of a space, so I'd love to add lots of greenery, though definitely something low-light friendly and hardy to make it through the dark Alaskan winters!

Check out some of my favorite inspiration images below, or if you need more inspiration, head over to my Pinterest!

photo sources (in order): The Brauns | Hannah Blackmore | Nine + Sixteen | The Brauns | Mariloubiz | Planete Deco | Lingered Upon | Sycamore Street Press | Design*Sponge | Jas Design Build | Design*Sponge

Maternity Style | Week 8 + 9

Part of me feels a little silly sharing these super early on "maternity" outfits because I most certainly was not showing, but I was pregnant, so I suppose it counts? Either way, it was nice enjoying the last few weeks of having a waist and being able to wear high-waisted things.  All of my clothes that are tight and un-stretchy around the waist are now in storage waiting to be retrieved some time next year.

Dress : Forever 21 | Sheer top : c/o Modcloth | Necklace : Free People
Ring : c/o Moorea Seal | Shoes : c/o Seychelles

During week 9 I was up in Sitka, AK for my cousin's wedding, so I had my mom grab a couple shots of my wedding attire.  I always feel a bit like a wizard in this dress with its crazy bell sleeves.

Dress : Free People | Necklaces : c/o Tribe Jewelry | Shoes : c/o Seychelles

Our Home Tour

As we roll into our new town and start the process of moving into our new apartment, I wanted to take a look back at our little Tacoma home.  We spent 3.5 years in this house transforming it into something super special and completely loved.  Driving away was tough, but since we decided to rent it for now, there is the possibility that some day we'll come back to this lovely little house.  I've done room tours before, but I've never done a single post with a tour of the whole house, and what better time to do that than now!

Goodbye little house!

The Best RV + Van Instagrammers In My Feed

I've lived in the Brave for long stretches of time, 3 months on my first cross-country trip, a couple months while I worked at a summer camp in 2011, and then 6 weeks earlier this year.  During this last trip I decided to follow some fellow traveling souls on instagram, and let me tell you, there is no shortage of amazing people with amazing feeds who are doing the full time rv/van/trailer life thing.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite ones!  Get ready to start clicking "follow" because these traveling souls are inspiring and follow-worthy!

@thewandering_eye

This photographer and her man are traveling around the US in the most stunning Winnebago ever.  If my Brave was bigger and more modern, she'd definitely be channeling these decor vibes.  It's super inspiring to see someone showing that you can totally make an RV look just as gorgeous as those jaw-dropping pinterest apartments.  These two actually just ended up settling down in a house, but if you go back through their feed you'll see all their travels.  Still, her feed is beautiful, definitely worth a follow.

@birchandpineairstream

Kate + Ellen renovated an Airstream to be a fresh, modern and airy home on wheels.  And then they sold it and they're doing it again.  So if you're looking to get inspired by a full renovation, this feed is following along with the entire process.  Get inspired!

@freshoffthegrid

First off, I'm most impressed that these two are doing the mobile living thing in a car.  And not like an SUV or anything, a tiny little car.  Impressive.  They write a camp cooking and lifestyle blog, and so their instagram feed is full of adventure and tasty things.  And who doesn't like that?  Go follow along and your appetite for food and wanderlust will be satisfied.

@poseidonsbeard

The cutest family traveling and adventuring in a van.  While Dan + I don't yet have kids, I've always been super inspired by families doing family-hood in different and unique ways.  Seeing these guys living life on the road makes me really excited for the day when Dan + I are parents, showing our kids around the world.

@tinyhousetinyfootprint

To be honest, one of the things I love most about this account is that their trailer has a similar layout to my Brave.  It's fun seeing a familiar looking space to be inspired by, even if it's not a Brave.  They have a blog as well, and, as their name suggests, they're all about inspiring people to live small with a small impact, sharing stories from other people who are living small.  

@therollinghome

These two cute humans built out their VW, and share their life and travels through their instagram, blog and in a gorgeous book with the same title.  They're traveling around Europe, which is definitely a change from the mobile dwellers I usually follow traveling the US.  They have incredible taste and each photo they share is beautiful and inspiring.

@idletheorybus

This hippie pair in their bright orange bus are adorable.  They're creatives, an illustrator and a photographer, and they just launched a kickstarter for their book "Orange is Optimism."  In addition to beautiful photos of their adventures, they always post lovely prose in the description of their images to encourage and empower their followers.

@outsidefound

These two built out the most incredible bus home I've ever seen.  I most definitely read back through their entire blog archives to see the whole build out process. I'd be lying if, after scrolling through their blog, Ididn't' want to trade out my Brave for a bus like that!  If you want to build out a bus of your own, they give tons of info on how they did it for anyone who want their resources.

@ladyadventures

We actually ran across Lady Adventure IRL while we were in Joshua Tree!  Her little Toyota RV is so cute and she goes all over in it on outdoorsy adventures.  If you want some lady power in your mobile living feed, Lady Adventures is a great account to follow!

@s_artuso

This gal converted a bus into a fresh, simple space.  Her floor paint job alone is worth the follow.  And if you like dogs, she's got the cutest pups in her feed.  She's not really a traveler, her bus usually stays put, so it's not a feed for getting inspired to travel, but if you love her space and want to see more of it, go follow her feed!

Entering the Cocoon

I'll be honest.  Moving to Alaska was not an easy decision and even though we are here now, it still doesn't feel quite "right" in a way.  After going back and forth for months about whether to stay in Tacoma or move up to Alaska, it ultimately made the most sense to move up here, primarily for medical care financial reasons, but leaving Tacoma felt really bad for a lot of other reasons.  

In almost every other decision I've made, I've been the sole person involved.  It's easy that way, because the decision affects me and no one else, so it really simplifies the decision making process and how I feel after making the decision is very straightforward.  This was one decision that really makes me feel like I made the right decision logically, but I know that it affects Dan much more negatively than me.  My job is mobile, Anchorage is my hometown, my family lives here, my medical care is affordable here.  For Dan, he's leaving a place he grew up, all his friends, his job, the house we bought and cared for.  So my confidence that I made the right decision for my medical care and pregnancy/newborn support is twinged with a lot of guilt and heartache surrounding what feels like tearing my husband away from a place he very much loves.  And while I know that it was a decision we made together, I feel a lot of responsibility for causing the move.

And, to be frank, it doesn't feel like a move "up," if you will.  We are living with my parents, which, at 30 years old, isn't #lifegoals, if you know what I mean.  We are living in an apartment above their garage, so we have our own separate living space, but there's still that feeling of, well, failure I suppose, in a way.  Going from being independent homeowners to moving back to the house I lived in growing up, it's not easy.  

I want to feel independent and grown up.  I know that this time is in many ways a cocoon for me, and maybe both of us.  And I feel so so so grateful to have a family that can provide a cocoon for us as we make this transition to parenthood.  I'm trying to choose to be positive and seeing this time as a true cocoon time, where we will inevitably emerge stronger that we were before, more independent, and more equipped and able to be the best parents we can, in a financial situation that allows us to move "up."  Ideally a cocoon isn't somewhere to stay forever, and it's also not a place where you revert back to your caterpillar self.  I'm trying to keep that in mind as we enter this somewhat uncomfortable space of being cocooned.  I imagine a caterpillar feels a bit uncomfortable, going from being able to scrunch around freely to being all wrapped up and stuck in a cocoon for who knows how long.  And not knowing what he'll look like, what life will be like when he emerges.  I feel that way very much.  The uncomfortability of not knowing what life will look like as a parent, how we'll cope with it, how I'll be able to be a businesswoman, wife, and mom all at once (even though I know it's more than possible based on how many amazing ladies I see doing it).  

People's lives on the internet can seem all insta-perfect and wonderful, but that's never the whole story.  While I feel a plethora of mixed emotions about moving, pregnancy, parenthood, and more, I'm doing my best to focus my attention on staying positive and having a great attitude through all the change that we're dealing with, because really it's one of the few things I do have control over.  Doing my best to take this in stride and take each day as it comes.