a bathroom remodel and a move

After a long, drawn out month of tedious home repairs, underscored by a painstaking bathroom remodel, cleaning up to my eyeballs, playing general contractor, and countless trips to the city dump, we finally moved (upstairs). We don't own a home yet, but boy it sure feels like we do. Here is a small part of what we have to show for it:

The stress of picking out the tile and paint was overwhelming and I hadn't a clue how it would all look in the end. Thankfully it turned out pretty nifty.

We are now settled in a mere ten feet above our previous humble abode. It was a grueling move, considering the absurdly short distance. But that was the problem. When you really move, you pack everything up into neatly organized boxes, which then sit in your new place for some time while you carefully ponder where you want to permanently keep things. Instead, this was a marathon of lugging each and every household item we own up the stairs and hastily finding a new home for them. Packing and unpacking all at the same time. It was exhausting. And, what's more, is that it is going to take me another month at least to get the upstairs all tidied-up and make it feel like home, but we'll get it there eventually.

The renting part went unexpectedly smooth (thank heavens) and we never really hear a peep from the lovely new couple living in the basement. All in all, we're just happy to be done. Here's to hoping we don't move again for a long, long time.

happy valentine's day to my main squeeze

to my valentine:

thank you for loving me unconditionally, even when I leave cupboards wide open and blankets unfolded
thank you for your insatiable drive and for going after what you want with everything you have
thank you for listening to my long-winded stories and pipe dreams
thank you for buying me roses, just to make me feel loved
thank you for always being level-headed and infinitely patient
thank you for doing all the little things; especially when I don't notice
thank you for letting me be my complete self, and making me want to be my best self

you are my favorite person
you are the best part of my life
you give me purpose

I love you babe
xo xo

a change in the weather at a cozy cabin

This little trip was low-key and lovely. We spent all weekend cooped up with Parker + Alex in their cozy cabin, watching it snow. Really, really snow. Great big puffy flakes. It felt perfect because I was so fed up with the week that I had had, that all I want to do was sit there, endlessly chatting, watching the snow pile up. With a cup of cocoa in hand and a fire roaring constantly, I quickly settled in and forgot all about it.

The joy of getting away, even if just for the weekend, is that you get to break out of your regular old routine. No rules necessary. You can stay in your jammies all day, and watch not one, but two movies with dear friends by your side. No endless to-do-list of the things that were left by the wayside during the work week. They'll just have to wait.

Highlights:
+ meatloaf + mashed potatoes = delectable comfort food. thank you diner.
+ hushed side conversations between wife + wife = sincere heart-to-hearts; silly, emotionally-charged conversations to which our husbands would roll their eyes. Swapping stories of how clumsy our husbands have made us and reminiscing about the past. Laughing until my sides hurt. I felt fifteen again.
+ the two-and-a-half hours it took to get our car out of the snow and onto the highway { a mere 100 yards distance }. Dig, dig, dig. Push, push, push. Gun it. Lunge three feet and repeat. Thank heavens for a 2x4 and Parker using his much superior, snow-ready Subaru to lay tracks down up ahead of us. A day to remember and a stuck-in-the-snow experience we will surely laugh about for years to come.