Heidi's Southwest-Inspired Nursery

I really should stop saying I'm going to do so and so on the blog on a certain date because that date always ends up passing by without my promise coming to fruition. I am the blog procrastination Q-U-E-E-N these days. Lucky (or unlucky) for me, little miss is now 4 days past her due date (KILL ME NOW) and I'm frantically trying to fill my free time with anything but thoughts of why this little babe is so darn stubborn! With all this waiting time, I finally have a moment to share Heidi's nursery with you all (silver lining?). Maybe she's been waiting for this post and NOW she'll make her grand entrance to the world? Wishful thinking, I know. This girl has a mind of her own and seems perfectly comfy with her current set up. She really should read this post and see what goodness is waiting for her on the outside...am I right?

Friends, this nursery was a true labor of love. One that I toiled over via Pinterest and Instagram while on our 3,000 mile road trip...making pin boards and trying to envision something stylish, yet girly, for a room I'd never stepped foot in. I knew what sort of nursery I wanted in our Florida house, but this rental in Cali, my mind jumped from theme to theme. I was all over the place (both literally and figuratively). Thankfully, a dear friend created a private pin board of fun things for Heidi's nursery and it was full of Southwest-inspired touches from Aztec-patterned blankets to cactus prints and boho rugs. I wasn't sold on the idea until the moment I saw THE room and found THE rug. It all fell into place from there. 

Crib: DaVinci Jenny Lind 3-Way Convertible Crib | Crib Sheet: LittleMoose by Liza  | Rug: Suzani Rug via Rugs USA | "Greatest Adventure" Wood Wall Sign: WilliamRae Designs | Cactus Pillow: Pottery Barn Teen | Red Fox & Fuzzy Ostrich Stuffed Animals: JellyCat | Faux Fiddle Fig Leaf Tree: Hayneedle | White Faux Fur Rug: Hobby Lobby

A sweet, feminine take on Southwest style for a new start out West. Seemed super appropriate for this new chapter of life and now this nursery has easily become our favorite room in the house! Not hard to see why, it's the only room with new everything...and everything all in its perfect place. I love to sit in the glider, morning light streaming in, and think about the sweet sounds that will someday fill the room. It's where I come to pray for Heidi and the kind of person she'll be, the kind of life she'll lead. It'll be the place where lots of beautiful memories will be made. Gives me chills just thinking about it all. But on to the details!

The crib and crib mattress were the only two pieces of the nursery we brought with us from Florida (thanks, Mama B!). The rest, well, I had 7 weeks to scramble and shop for once I'd landed on a theme. Needless to say, most of my third trimester meltdowns were nursery-related. Amidst unpacking boxes and trying to get the rest of the house functional, all my heart wanted to focus on was this tiny 12'x13' room. I ended up hating almost every decor option at stores like Babies R Us and BuyBuy Baby, so most everything I ordered from places like Etsy, Target, and Amazon. Because of that, we spent a good amount of time waiting for nursery mail to arrive week after week. Talk about frustrating! I got to be REAL good friends with the UPS, USPS, and FedEx men. They probably thought I was a hoarder with all the packages they were delivering. As we rounded the corner into week 39, all pieces were delivered and tiny details hung and polished. Nursery complete!

**the Moses Basket is a family hand-me-down...my mom used it for me and my sister, my Aunt with her daughter...and now our little Heidi. :)

Moroccan Pouf: Maison Marrakech | Glider: Wayfair | Pillow & Throw: Target| End Table: Nate Berkus for Target | Heidi Book: Amazon 

I'm not sure why I felt the need to get this room 100% finished before Heidi's arrival. Part of me thinks it's because I had a beautiful home ripped out from underneath me (dramatic, much?) and I wanted this one room to be PERFECT. She deserves it...heck, I deserve it. The other half of me was nesting so hard I couldn't see straight. Either way, I'm so happy it's done and that it all fell into place so much more seamlessly than how I typically decorate a room. Totally a God thing. Probably ridiculous to say out loud, but He's been in the details of every aspect of our move and this pregnancy...nursery was no exception.

Changing Pad Cover: Grace and Cruz | Herringbone Gray Lamp: Target | Dresser: IKEA Hemnes | Hexagon Wall Shelves: West Pine Company | Pink Candle: Paddywax Heirloom Candles | Gold Filament Dresser Knobs: World Market | Tiny faux succulents: World Market | "No Whining" Print: Hammerpress | Ceiling Light Fixture: Target (now discontinued)

And now we wait. Wait for girlfriend to drop it low and make her grand debut into this crazy, crazy world. I'm BEYOND ready to see her face and snuggle the crap out of her. And ready to be done being pregnant. Am I allowed to say that? Who knows...but I am. We've tried ALL the old wives tales and "labor-inducing" foods ever suggested and big fat GOOSE EGG to it all (for my next trick, I'll stick my thumb up my rear and whistle Yankee Doodle from a mountaintop--that should do it!)...so save your comments. Sorry, that's sounds harsh, but the sheer quantity of unsolicited labor advice I've gotten these last couple weeks has me wanting to murder well-meaning humans. Baby rage is still alive and well in me...save yourself! I've decided all those who've gone into labor after eating eggplant parmesan or spicy food or getting pedicures have done so out of pure coincidence. Their bodies were already ready for baby and mine's just...not. Not yet, at least. She's gotta come out by 42 weeks, so come hell or high water I'll be birthing a babe before long. I just need to not psych myself out during the agonizing wait. Easier said than done, right, mamas?

Custom Book Ledge Shelves: Dunn Rustic Designs | Hanging Wall Planters: Amazon | Yarn Wall Hanging: NW Urban Cottage Shop | Ivory Striped Swaddle Basket: Pottery Barn Kids | Woven Rattan Book Basket: Target

Oh, and I should mention, that ADORABLE Aztec Alphabet Print was designed just for Heidi by my amazingly talented graphic designer of a cousin. I found something similar on some website wanting a bagillion dollars for a wrong color print, so I asked and she worked her designer magic. Couldn't be more in love with the result! Don't worry, we won't teach Heidi from that alphabet, but it's one of my favorite fun details of her nursery. Had to shout it to the world. Thanks, Linds! Another BIG shout out to the husband for putting all the furniture together and hanging everything on the walls. There's a special seat for you in heaven, I just know it. ;) D also hung the pendant light after a heck of a fight with it. He's come a lonnggg way, folks. Proud wife right here.

Longest (and most rambling) nursery reveal ever? Likely so. But I want to remember every tiny detail until the day I die, so blog it all, I said! And I finally did. You're welcome, you've made it to the end, and thanks for reading. ;)

Side note: if you've got some good baby vibes, prayers, positive juju, and/or love to send our way, we could use it! I need this baby girl in my arms, like, yesterday. COME ON, HEIDI! We are SO ready to meet you!

Florida to California PCS: The Road Trip

3,100 miles, 11 days, 8 different stops, and 7 hotel stays. 

#FLtoCaliRoadTrip 

T-10 days till go time! 

So, there it is...that's the route we'll take on our 11-day journey across the good 'ol US of A. This Northern route approach will have us logging almost 50 hours of driving. FIFTY. I know, kill me now. But, we've got enough stops planned to break it up quite a bit. Here's a better breakdown of our plan:

STOP #1: Atlanta, Georgia - Here we'll be logging in another sure to be FABULOUS stay at Towneplace Suites (this hotel chain is perfect for road trip stays for couples AND families alike) and hopefully enjoying some iconic burgers & shakes at The Varsity. We've been to Atlanta before so we're not gonna go too crazy exploring, especially since we've only got maybe 13-16 hours in the city. Plus, the drive from our starting point in Florida to Hotlanta will be the second longest leg of our trip (clocking in at an annoying 7 hours). I'm sure by the time I get to the hotel, I'll want to kick my feet up and chill.

STOP #2: Nashville, Tennessee - Even though we've also been to Nashville before, we were young (hello, 11th grade!), so we're excited to get to explore a little more. We'll have a good chunk of time here in Nashvegas...roughly 24 hours, but who's counting (me, I am--we've got a schedule to keep, unfortunately!). We're still undecided on whether we just wander the city or if we should hit up a backstage tour at the Grand Ole Opry or a couple hours at the Country Music Hall of Fame (thoughts?). We know FOR SURE that we want some good southern food (biscuits, preferably) and to buy Heidi some baby cowgirl boots. Because when in Tennessee, am I right?

STOP #3: St. Louis, Missouri - Another city I've visited once at a young age, so we're not spending a whole heck of a lot of time here either. But, I do want to show D the Gateway Arch (not that you could miss it) and we'll probably hit up Delmar Loop for some shopping/eating. I would LOVE to do the City Museum, but thanks to being pregnant, it wouldn't be nearly as fun. Next time!

STOP #4: Kansas City, Kansas- This may be the stop I'm most excited about. Not because I've never been here (hint: I have...like 5 times), but because we get to spend 3 days staying with my Kansas cousins! After a few days cooped up in a car, we'll be SO thrilled to have some quality time with some super familiar faces. Plus, KC is a really fun city and D has never been! Hoping to share the goodness of KC BBQ and Boulevard Brewery Beer with him. We've also got a date with a swimming pool. Can. Not. Wait.

STOP #5: Denver, Colorado - This will be our longest, most boring drive of the whole trip (8.5 whopping hours of midwest nothingness, yay!). So once we get to Denver...a city I HAVEN'T been to before (but D has, whomp whomp), I have a feeling we'll grab a bite to eat and pass the heck out. Not much time for sightseeing, but we did get a hotel with a view of the Rockies, so at least we're looking forward to that.

STOP #6: Moab, Utah - I'm super excited to make a stop here in Moab. We'll be staying at an fun motel just outside of Arches National Park and will get to spend a decent amount of time exploring the gorgeous rock formations inside the park. No hiking for us (thank you, Heidi), but we'll still drive through & stop at all the scenic pull-offs for a good taste of one of Utah's most treasured natural attractions.

STOP #7: Salt Lake City, Utah - Salt Lake will be another fairly quick stop, but that's alright with us. Aside from eating at some cute local eateries, the only thing I really want to do is explore Temple Square. Our hotel is just around the corner from it to make visiting super easy on my sure to be exhausted body. I wish we did have a little bit more time here just so I could meet up with some fun bloggers I've gotten to know. Hopefully this won't be our only time in town!

STOP #8: Reno, Nevada - the "Biggest Little City in the World"...if you would have told me we'd be making a pit stop here, I would have laughed at you (Vegas AND Reno in one pregnancy? You gotta be kidding me!). But we had an extra day and instead of facing a third 8-9 hour drive straight from SLC to Cali, I decided we'd stop and see how Reno compares to Vegas. We're staying right on the Reno "strip" at a casino/spa resort, so while D tries his luck with the roulette wheel, I might cash in on a prenatal massage. I'll have earned it by then, right? ;)

FINAL DESTINATION: Sacramento/Roseville, California area - At this point, I'll calmly get out of the car and kiss the ground. We aren't 100% sure yet where we'll be laying our heads when we FINALLY arrive to the Golden State, but I do know I'll be so darn thankful...and ready to hit the ground running on the house-hunting front (UPDATE: staying at another fabulous Towneplace Suites for the next 8 days!! HELLO, FREE HOT BREAKFAST AND COFFEE!). We aren't buying a house in Cali (I wish I had that kind of cash flow, plus we'll only be here 2 years), so a rental it will be. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed we find something perfect for our little family of 3.

As much as I want to hit this road trip hard and make the most out of our first big move cross-country, being preggo comes with more restrictions and less fun. My sole goal is to make it across without giving birth, ya know? My doc has been on top of that and so far, baby girl and I are healthy as can be. Even so, we're going to try to make this trip one to remember. How many times does one get to road trip across America? If you're military, often...but we like to think this will be our only chance. I hope I don't eat those words later.

Because the travel blogger in me can't let this opportunity go to waste, I'll be documenting the whole crazy adventure via Instagram and Snapchat (username: Caseadilla1016), so feel free to follow along! There will be exciting sights to see along the way and likely a whole lot of delirious car chat (and singing--consider yourselves warned), so help keep us entertained! Also, if you have any suggestions for great restaurants for us to try in any of the cities above, shout 'em out! We're always down for recommendations from past travelers. It's how the travel world goes 'round.

And as always, if you've got some spare good vibes and prayers hanging around...we could still use them! We're getting closer to that light at the end of the tunnel feeling, but we've still got 3,100 miles and a few questionable hurdles jump before we can breathe again. It ain't over until I'm surrounded by my belongings in a nice home in California, amen? AMEN! Oh, and baby girl...stay nice and comfy in there for at least 10 more weeks, mmmkay? Peace out, East Coast!

**Cool road trip map itinerary planner via Roadtrippers**

From One Sunshine State to the Other...

West Coast is the best coast, they say. Well, I guess we'll find out if that's true because S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!! Team Cote just got orders to move to the great state of CALIFORNIA!

No, you don't need to adjust your eyes. You read that last paragraph correctly. We're moving. To California. THIS JUNE. Cue panic and shock and all of the freak outs.

Have we been keeping a secret? Nope. Was this in our plan for 2016? Not a chance. Were we supposed to move this year? Negative. Are we excited? Welllll...yes and no. Is this the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? YES, DEFINITELY. Here's the skinny on life as of two weeks ago:

Back in January, D got word that he had been selected for a very prestigious list of 60-some top-vectored officers in his career field. Big deal, super proud, he's a rockstar (for real). From this list, a board of important higher-up, big wig-types had the task of placing select officers into spots for 26 different jobs around the world. Long story short, we thought it was a long shot that D was get chosen for a spot. I should stop thinking anything is too crazy for the Air Force because lo and behold, D was selected for a job at a base in Cali and now here we are! Preparing to move to the West Coast for the first time in either of our lives.

To say all of this is blowing my mind would be a serious understatement. In fact, I did lose my marbles the morning D broke the news to me (as one would expect from a hormonal pregnant woman). I'd really washed my hands of the idea that we might even have the slightest chance to be selected for a new job. I know that seems like I don't think much of D and his stellar Air Force performance as an officer, but there were so many other factors involved in selection that I didn't give it a second thought. Probably why I feel so blind-sighted by it all! For the record, D is a bit shocked, too. Also for the record, even though this was totally not in our plan, I'm so darn proud of that man o' mine! He's really the cream of the crop in more ways than one.

Where does that leave us now? Well, for one thing, we've got a house to sell in less than 3 months time. So, that's fun. I'll be 7 months pregnant traveling 3,000 miles cross-country...also SUPER fun. And we get to do all the other typical "moving with the military" appointments and paperwork and pack-outs as with any other move (plus a slurry of doc appointments for yours truly). Needless to say, I'm pooped just thinking of all that we have to do in such a short amount of time. BUT we've done it before and we'll hike up our bootstraps and do it again! If I can move to Europe for 3 years, I can surely handle moving to California, right? RIGHT, YOU GUYS?!

If I could drink wine right now, I'd need ALL of it.

Having an extra layer of stress because our pending bundle of joy isn't ideal, but it's also not the end of the world. I have to keep reminding myself that hundreds of women/families do this each year, so it's not like I'm reinventing the wheel here. It is, however, more than I wanted to handle during this special time in our lives. I'm slowly trying to let go of the romantic ideas of a perfect nursery, seaside delivery, and spending the next year sharing mornings by the ocean with our little beach baby. I hate the abyss of unknown that will be the last few months of my pregnancy. There's only so much we can do from here in Florida, so some important baby-related details will have to wait until we finally make it to Cali. Feeling a bit out of control (and me no likey), but onward we march. 

From the research I've been feverishly doing these last few days, I think I'm really going to like the medical facilities/hospitals in our soon-to-be new home city. I'm thankful that I'll be able to stay with off-base OB care since the base doesn't have that (much like our current base here in Florida). So, that's a bright spot in all of this. Not to mention, the base we'll be moving to is a hop, skip, and jump away from insanely gorgeous destinations like Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe (yay!). We've always wanted to venture out west and explore, so the travel opportunities that are about to be afforded us are endless and so exciting! Even with a little babe in tow! Can you tell I'm clinging to all the little silver-linings I can find? I am. And rightly so. This is a major life change among some already major life changes happening for us this year, so we need all the little bright spots we can get. Is Tuck going with us? That's an issue still to be determined. He's an old fart that doesn't do well with change and I'm a pregnant fart that is slightly neurotic and we're worried how those two will mesh so far from our lifelines (re: my parents). So, we have some pros and cons to weigh out, but it's likely he'll be back with his grandma and grandpa. That KILLS me, but he'll be a much happier (and less neglected) pup living with them.

Truth be told, we are excited. I'll be even more excited once we start making big check marks on our "to-do" list, but excited just the same. If you have any California or moving cross-country tips for us, please, we're all ears! And if you have any prayers or words of encouragement to spare, we could use a few (or a lot) of those as well. While our world seems totally upside down at the moment, we continue to trust in God's plan for our growing family. His plan is always much more wonderful than ours, I just need to get outta my head and get onboard! 

Cali, here we come!

In Case You Missed The Exciting News...

We've been keeping a little secret...

Baby Cote on board! Our greatest adventure begins late-August!

(Also, hi friends! Now that the cat's out of the bag...and the morning sickness has finally left me the heck alone...I'll be back to blogging a little more regularly. Not all baby stuff, promise! Missed you all!)

Blending Traditions: Christmas at Home

Steeped in tradition, the Christmas season is one we all look forward to rolling around each year. In our family, as I'm sure it is with most, there are dozens of traditions that make the holidays feel like the holidays to us. Some we've passed down from generation to generation, others we've recently acquired as our family trees branch off into newer branches. When D and I moved to Germany in 2011, we couldn't go home that December, so we spent our very first Christmas alone as a couple. Even though we couldn't be with family, we still kept with our Christmas traditions from home...so family never felt that far from our hearts. As the years passed by, we also began to adopt holiday traditions from our gracious host country. These days, we've got a good blend of family customs and adopted traditions that make our Christmas just that much more special.

 Christmas traditions may vary from country to country, family to family, person to person...but one thing we all can agree on is that they bring us all together during a magical time of year. Here are just a few of the ways holiday tradition has influenced Christmas at Haus Cote...

When I graduated college and D were in our first year of marriage, I decorated the WHOLE DARN HOUSE. I loved going to Garden Ridge (my Greensboro peeps know this) and buying all the Christmas decor I could stuff in one shopping cart. Obsessed, just like my momma (who has a Santa Claus shower curtain, not kidding). With all the moving we do thanks to Uncle Sam, I've slowly opted for simplicity in my holiday decor. Because lugging around 15 tubs of Christmas decor is a bit much, no? These days, we do a tree, preferably real...but I've got love for the fake ones, too. This year, thanks to the Florida heat, we're going fake...and I'm cool with it. Less pine needles to micro-manage all month, that's for sure! With the tree comes our extensive collection of ornaments we've collected on all our travels. Next year, I'm afraid I might have to be one of those people who has two trees, because we're bursting at the seams with ornaments I can't bear not to hang (thank you, Lord, for your abundant travel blessings!). My favorite ornament? I love all the ones we acquired at the German Christmas markets we frequented. Especially the pickle. While not exactly something the Germans claim as their own tradition, the fun of "hiding the pickle" continues to spread joy to tourists and locals alike.

Another fun piece of holiday decor I brought home from Europe is a wooden sled we found at a Polish antique shop in Bolesalwaic. It adds just the right amount of rustic kitsch to our living room and reminds me of the fabulous antiques stores I used to wander through during our travels. We also have a few German smokers and authentic nutcrackers scattered around the house. I couldn't leave Germany without snatching up such famous Christmas handicrafts! They'll be pieces I pass down to generations to come.

This is a tradition we haven't quite started yet in our family just yet, but it's waiting in the wings for when we have children. Families all over Germany participate in Sankt Nikolaus Day at the beginning of the advent season. Children leave out their shoes the night of December 5th, and wake up on the morning of December 6th to find all sorts of treats left in them from jolly ol' Saint Nicolas! It's such a sweet and meaningful tradition for countries all over Europe, but experiencing it firsthand while living in Germany made it all the more exciting. We loved hearing the church bells ringing in our town as Sankt Nikolaus (or der Weihachtsmann) wandered through, signifying the start of the Christmas season. I like to think of this holiday tradition as a sort of "Elf on the Shelf" for Europe. If the kiddos are bad, twigs and coal are left in the shoes instead of treats. In some areas of Germany and Austria, these bad gifts are given by Sankt Nikolaus's evil counterpart, Krampus!

I happily adopted many traditions from our time living in Germany, but none more tasty than the mug of piping hot gluhwein. Oh, the many mugs of gluhwein I've consumed the last 4 years. I bet you could wring me out and it would all be gluhwein, no joke. When the holiday season rolls around, it doesn't take me long to dust off the 53 Christmas market mugs I collected abroad (yes, you read that right) and make my first batch. In fact, I love the stuff so much, I spent quite a few hours in the kitchen perfecting my own mulled wine recipe. Don't worry, you can find it here. As long as I am living, this spiced holiday libation will be a part of our Christmas season.

Since the year D put a ring on my finger, I've mailed out a Team Cote holiday card. It's a tradition most celebrate, but one I credit to my mom, who has faithfuly sent out a holiday card from our family since I was a little girl. I used to watch her spend hours flipping through catalogs, choosing the card that reflected the perfect sentiment for the year. Once they were delivered to the house, she would sit on the couch with her address book and blank envelopes and hand-address each card, allowing me to place a stamp on the finished ones. There are years I think, ehhh, maybe I won't send any out (I'm too busy, too tired, too cheap)...but then I remember how much joy they bring me when I receive sweet cards from my friends & family. So, I continue the tradition. Even hand-addressing them just like mom. :)

The holidays are largely driven by food...good food. And rightly so. Food and tradition go hand in hand so well! There are SO many incredible treats that have become Christmas staples in our family. Every year, my mom makes a large batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes to Northerners, as I've been told) and gives them out to the mailman, friends at church, and family across the country. We're always lucky enough to snag a few morsels before they're divvied up, thank goodness! We also make sugar cookies from scratch in fun Christmas shapes and decorate them with colorful icings and gobs of sprinkles. This is a food tradition we've been a part of as far as my memory will go. I remember many Christmases at MeeMaw's house, all the grandbabies around her tiny kitchen table, rolling out dough, covered in flour. A tradition I most definitely will be keeping around for years and years to come (you can read more about this family tradition here). OH, and that yummy, caramel-colored doughy ring on the right there...that's our Christmas Day Monkey Bread. It isn't Christmas Day until those and Granny's Sausage Balls arrive on the breakfast table!

Sometimes they match, sometimes they don't. Sometimes I wear them after Christmas, sometimes I hide them in my pajama drawer until, well, forever. No matter the year, we open our Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve...a tradition my mom started when we were a bit older and had an appreciation for such a quirky pre-Christmas gift. Truth be told, it a gift I always look forward to, mostly because I'm curious to see whether we'll all get silly Santa onesies or something more fashionable. Even while we lived abroad, D and I continued the tradition between the two of us when we celebrated Christmas far from home. I mean, who doesn't love new jammies?!

The culmination of all traditions through the holiday season come to a head this day. It's the Big Kahuna, so we send it out with a bang! The kids (even now that we're not quite kids anymore) are the last to wake...we always find mom and dad in the kitchen sipping coffee and waiting patiently for us to come barreling down the hall. Now that we're older, we have enough restraint (although not much more than before) to be able to eat breakfast as family rather than diving straight into the presents. A smorgasbord of monkey bread, coffee cake, bacon, and sausage balls are the typical fare. Calories don't count on Christmas morning. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Once breakfast is done, we all grab a spot on the couch and the gifts are distributed. Stockings are opened first...then on to the good stuff! Instead of diving in all at once, we each take turns opening a gift...and round and round it goes until all gifts are opened. Takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R (especially when all family is in town), but that's just how we like it. Christmas lasts longer this way (in our minds, at least). 

After the living room is turned into a wrapping paper war-zone, we usually call or Skype with our Kansas family...then spend the rest of the day Christmas movie watching and snacking on holiday treats until Christmas dinner is served. Again, calories don't count and a holiday ham is always in attendance. My dad's face in this last photo...the most accurate portrayal of his disdain for photos ever captured. God love 'em. ;)

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into our holiday traditions!

What are some favorite traditions you hope to pass down to your family someday?

**Be sure to check out all the holiday tradition and cheer found across the globe over on the Expat Holidays landing page on MontgomeryFest! Happy holidays to all!**

Coffee Talk v.13

• Things I'm loving lately: this salsa, the 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix workout, the Try Guys (the labor simulation and extreme swimsuits are too much), this book, this dress (and it's on SALE!), this song, Taylor Swift's music video for Wildest Dreams (giraffes!), this nail color, this beach towel, this print and color palate, and this 3-ingredient cookie recipe (cheat day necessity...also, sneak a few chocolate chips inside the middle...NOMS).

• Being a travel agent is just the cat's pajamas. I just won a 3-day cruise on the Oasis of the Seas from my agency. A FREE CRUISE, GUYS. Just for booking fabulous vacations for other people. I never thought in a million years I'd find a job that I love AND that it would be one that rewards me for hard work with travel. 

• D and I are running Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k at Animal Kingdom this November and I've been seriously slacking on the run training. 3.1 miles isn't a suuuper long way...but in the Florida heat/humidity, it's rough. Have I been training in the heat? Nope. This should be fun.

• I had the best meal of my life at GEMMA at the Bowery Hotel in NYC a couple weeks ago. Still swooning over the food, the wine, and the rustic, yet modern Italian ambiance. If there was ever such thing as a restaurant spirit animal, this place would be mine. I'll do a complete review at some point, but just in case any of you are heading to the Big Apple soon...EAT HERE and thank me later.

• We're in the throws of hurricane season here in Florida. Erika allllmost made her way here to induct D and I into the Florida hurricane hall-of-fame. Thankfully, she died out over the Dominican Republic this past weekend, but I was having myself a major little meltdown over flooding and wind damage and power outages (oh my!). The season's still young, but we're much more prepared now that Erika put the fear o' God in us. Thanks, Erika?

• These photos...ALL of the feels. Tuck turns 9 this fall and some days I can't help but be heartbroken by the little white hairs slowly appearing on his face. He's as spunky as a two year old, but time marches on.

• I had a hot dinner double date with this chica and her hubby last night! The stars aligned and our meet cute finally took place. It was glorious, as expected (Annie is total gem!). Our expat statuses brought us together via the blog world years ago, now margaritas, girl talk, and Downtown Disney sealed our friendship for life. What a Tuesday. Ain't blog world, grand?

• Do NOT watch he movie Aloha unless you want to be totally confused for an entire hour and 45 minutes. I love Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Emma Stone, and Bradly Cooper, but I feel like they all bit off more weird than they could chew with this one. Anyone else see it? Thoughts?

• I watched the VMAs. Correction...I cringed through the VMAs. I knew better. I knew if I watched I'd hate every darn second because Miley Cyrus was hosting...and because I'm old and have no clue who half these artists are. But it was worse than bad. The production value, the music, the people...even Taylor Swift couldn't save it. Tori Kelly had the best performance (she killed it), but I was already checked out at that point. Thank goodness I turned the channel before Kanye got up there. President??? I hope the good Lord comes before I ever have to see what a country he'd govern would look like. MTV has really gone downhill these last few years. Or am I turning into a prude? Either way...the VMAs are dead to me.

• Instagram's new landscape update. Can I get an AMEN and HALLELUJAH?  'Bout time! Now if we could just get clickable links added, we'd have the app to end all apps. If you've been living under a rock and have idea what I'm talking about...catch up here.

• October is National Cruise Month, guys! You know how much I LOVE cruising, so next month I'll be posting quite a few things about cruise travel. Everything from tips & tricks to making the most out of your cruise vacation and dispelling all those cruise misconceptions, all the way to fun cruise recaps (because I've still got lots of those!) and cruise deals from all the major cruise lines so you can get sailing, too! There might even been a chance to win a free booking credit coming to those cruise-lovers who book a sailing with me during October...so stay tuned for more details (sign up for my monthly eNewsletter to be first in the know for travel deals & promos!).

Tell me something good...what's new in your world lately?

Just Passing Through...and a Starbucks Giveaway!

Hello! I'm Casey...the writer behind this blog, who hasn't typed a single sentence here in almost a month. I'm definitely not apologizing for being absent because apparently, according to some invisible blog world rule book, it's frowned upon to do that (sorry, not sorry then?). However, I will tell you I've been off doing life and enjoying the crap out of it. That's usually how it goes, when you're busy and filled to the brim with good stuff around you...blogging leaps to the back burner. Things settle down and then you remember, "OH! I have this place I used to like to write in...maybe I should get back to that." Me, in a nutshell.

Long story short, here's my month (and a few days) in review:

-Spent 4th of July back in NC with family (seriously lovely).

-Stayed in NC for the following 3 weeks while D had another AF training in Ohio. Why? Because why the heck not? Lots of mommy and me time logged.

-Came back to FL for 4, maybe 5 days, celebrate 8 years of wedded bliss with my handsome stud muffin of a husband, and then jaunted off to NYC to spend a 8 days with my little sis. Felt incredible to do that whole unpack/repack thing. It had been a while!

-Walked basically 800 miles around Manhattan, Jersey, & Baltimore during my trip (ate a lot and didn't gain a single ounce, thank you!). I should have told you guys that I'm on Snapchat prior to this trip because my Snap game was on point that week. Been on this thing for almost a year and only ever snapped my family--lame, I know. You can find me at Caseadilla1016.

And now I'm back home and sad panda about it all being over.

I'll elaborate more on all the fun I got into later, but today (and this rest of this sure to be hellacious week) is devoted to slowly reducing the length of my never-ending to do list. I basically ignored the non-urgent stuff during my NYC trip, so now I'm heavy eye-rolling at crap I should've done. Story of my life. Anywho, I'm drinking all the coffee, embracing the carpal tunnel, and pretending I don't have piles of dirty laundry burning a hole in my floor today as I'm slapped back to the reality of a post-vacation Monday. Worst kind of Monday, innit?

To help YOU make it thought whatever kind of week you're bracing yourself for, here's a chance to win $45 worth of Green Tea Lattes or Birthday Cake Pops at Starbee's (my new annoying name for Starbucks, thanks Wendy!). Enter the Rafflecopter below and I'll have my fingers crossed for ya! Oh, and big thanks to Rebecca of Caravan Sonnet for hosting and the fab gals below for co-hosting! 

As for you guys, we'll talk later this week, ok? Adding you to my list. ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway