The Key

Hey All!

I have so much stuff to share I'm not even sure where to start. So let's start with something many of you may already know...my current whereabouts. It aches me to even say it, but I'm currently back in COLD ol' Iowa (Indianola, IA to be exact.) My hometown, which also means my childhood bedroom...yes my husband and I are currently staying at my Mama's house. And I'll be the first to say it's actually been AWESOME! I mean no mortgage payment, rent free, meals cooked, laundry is always done...why didn't I move back home sooner?! LoL

However, this was not the plan. In December I quit my job, sold my house, sold my car, sold a ton of belongings, and shipped our life over to Curacao where my Husband was working and we would be living for the next year or two. However the night before I was to actually move out of my home and a couple of days before I was to fly out of the country with my little dog and start a new life, we got some cruddy news. My husband's job was no longer going to work out, which was the whole reason we were transferring our life out there. Our entire plan had just shattered. All the time, money, and effort we had put into beginning our new life in Curacao had just went down the hole. It was very heart wrenching at first and we really weren't sure what to do next. It was a rough next couple of days trying to swallow everything that was going on and wondering why this had to happen to us, but I knew we would figure it out. So on the night before my original departure date, I was having dinner with my parents discussing different options and realized my airline ticket that I had already purchased was non refundable. DUH. Mom & Dad I'm flying out tomorrow morning who's taking me to the airport? Why wouldn't I go? I didn't have a job I had to attend, we already had paid rent in Curacao for the whole month of December, and honestly my husband and I needed each other. So I rearranged some clothes in a suitcase and took off. I was a bit of a trainwreck of emotions, okay a lot of bit, but I hopped on that plane and was ready to get some things figured out.

Long story short (for now) we spent a few weeks in Curacao and Aruba before heading back "home" to Iowa. (I'll post another blog later on about our travel experience to both of those.)

We arrived in Des Moines New Years Eve night, exhausted and no where near ready to bring in the New Year lol. My lovely Mother and her husband picked us up from the airport with open arms and took us out for some real fine dining at Applebee's. LoL After some food and beer we were more than ready for showers and bed. I'm pretty sure the whole household was asleep by 9:30. There was no chance of making it to midnight for us! The first day of the new year would be spent looking for jobs, a new home, and figure out our plan.

It's only been a few weeks, and since then I have started a new job at a property management company, we've purchased a car, and just recently we figured out our new plan. I'm so excited to share the new plan!

We're moving to the keys! The Florida Keys!

YAY! We are still going to get to live our "Island Life" and be state side at the same time!

Why the Keys you ask? Well my husband has been trying to get all of his certifications for Scuba Diving done while working at the same time for the last couple years, which is why we had to live near the coast or on an island. He did some research and the first school he found was Halls in Marathon Key, FL. It seemed like the perfect fit for what he wanted, so he made some calls and found out the next class begins in February! Greg is now enrolled and we are ready to go!

WOW we are moving so fast...but the next thing on the list was to find us a place to live. If you have ever been to the Keys (we haven't) but you'll find out fast that it is very EXPENSIVE! Depending on where you looked, most studio or one bedroom places were going for a minimum of $2,000 a month, and unfortunately they don't come with a Mother who cooks and cleans for you. LoL YIKES. We are still up in the air on a few things but I am pretty sure we found a great place to start off living at, that will even allow me to bring my baby (dog.)

So in the beginning of February, which is just a couple short weeks away, we begin our first road trip ever as husband and wife (and little dog too) to start a new life in the Florida Keys. We will pack up everything we can into our Chrysler Concord and hit the open road. 

I still plan on making and selling my art like I was going to do in Curacao, but I had also been doing some research for jobs and what not in the area, and came across an amazing Yoga teacher training school. As many of you also know I enjoy practicing yoga and have considered becoming an instructor myself for a while now. I feel like this is the perfect time to finally take action and pursue some of my personal goals, and what better place than in the Keys? So if all goes well I will be training to be a certified Yoga instructor in May!

NAMASTE.

I really didn't understand it at first, and it took a lot for me to believe that it happened for a reason...but I finally believe that us losing our "dream life" in Curacao was a blessing in disguise. Both my husband and I are now going to be pursuing our dreams and furthering our education in Florida, together. I am so thankful for our friends and family for supporting us while we've adjusted and I can't wait to see what the next speed bump brings. Nothing can hold us back. I'd say for our first three months of marriage we've had quite whirl wind of tests and we can handle anything at this point.

The life we live is anything but ordinary....

Danki

"Danki" means "Thank You" in the local island language, also known as Papiamentu. 

As we approach the "thankful" holiday this year, I couldn't be more thankful for my life and the way things have been going. I hope things are going well for every reading this too, if not keep your head up and things will turn around. 

As many of you know a couple weeks ago, (I can't believe it's only been a couple of weeks) we found out my husband got a new job on the island of Curacao and that his wife and dog could move there with him. Basically our dream come true, to finally be together and not in a long distance relationship somewhere tropical where Greg could pursue his scuba diving and I could pursue my art. Well as you can imagine ever since then life has been CRAZY trying to prepare. A house to sell, car to sell, husband and belongings to move, dog to fly, paperwork to do, so much stuff! I literally think I've gone a bit mad...and pretty sure my husband will vouch for that. 

Greg had to finish his contract on the island he was working on then (Roi-Namur,) ship all his stuff on a barge to his new island, and fly 6,300 miles Iowa for 2 days to get his physical and see his (amazing) wife! Two days isn't long at all but still exciting for us because we hadn't really been together much since we got married since he had to go right back overseas for work practically right after the wedding. So we took full advantage of the little bit of time we had together and did what any normal couple would do....BOW CHICA BOW WOW. Ha ha and by that I of course mean we went to our favorite restaurant Ohana Steakhouse, a Japanese steakhouse where they cook it all in front of you. And sure enough, per usual, before I knew it I was dropping Greg off at the airport for another teary eyed goodbye. I hated those. I could hardly wait for them to be over, as the last time it was 7 months before I saw him again. Wait a minute...they are over! Next time I see him, he will be in a coconut bra drinking a pina colata, wait, or will that be me? lol  Either way it will be in our new home on the island where we will start our new life as husband and wife, and not have to do those awful goodbyes anymore! 

Ever since I found out the good news I was on the internet all day trying to find us a place to live on the island. Unlike the job Greg previously had, living was not provided at his new job. So I found some Caribbean real estate sites that also showed rental homes/apartments available and started sending out emails galore. So many I couldn't even keep track of the responses and remember which ones were which. Not only that but the language barrier didn't help, a lot of responses were in broken English. Also with a new culture the homes were very different than the home I live in. For instance central air wasn't really a thing, you mainly had air in your bedroom and that was it. There isn't hot water except for in the shower and that was only from a tiny water heater that would last enough for one person to take a quick shower. No oven's in the kitchen and lucky if there was a stove top. Seriously how do you bake cookies or bake anything without an oven. I know they are a dutch island, and I have definitely heard of the term "Dutch Oven" before but the only thing I ever knew that to be was when you farted under the covers and trapped some poor soul under them to suffer. LoL I guess I had some research to do that wouldn't involve any flatulence. None of the homes had dryers, and I was having a hard time finding one that had a washer. It was also difficult since I had no idea about any of the areas/neighborhoods and there is a bit of a high crime rate there so I didn't want us to choose a place that would be in a bad part, considering I'd be home alone alot. At last though, I came across an email from an agent that had a link to a rental that was in a nicer gated community. It was a big home that the owner rebuilt into 4 different apartments. The pictures were terrible and really did no justice, it was very tiny. The only things that really caught my eye on this place was the HUGE patio and view of the Spanish Waters, and the safety of the location. Oh AND they let me have my dog, that was difficult finding a place that would allow a small dog. I looked at the photos for hours thinking of how I could make the place work, and finally decided it would be perfect. It's weird and different just like us. We would call this place our home. It doesn't have a washer, but it DOES have a butt washer in the bathroom! LoL 
Alexander our real estate agent was so awesome and helpful, he didn't even make us wire money over to hold it like all the other place required. So we took this stranger's word that he would hold this place and he took ours that once Greg flew in Alexander would pick him up take him to the new house, sign the lease, pay the deposit/rent, and get the keys! I was really nervous that it was all too good to be true. Lucky for us he was an honest man and picked up Greg, got him in the house and even offered to take us out boating/wake boarding once we got all settled in. It was nice to get a little insight from a local, he showed Greg the areas and places to go around our house too. We now had a tiny little home and i can't wait to make it OURS and decorate.

Once I got Greg off to the airport I realized how much shit I had to do yet, selling my house was number one on the list as that would really determine when I would get to move to island and join my husband. If the house didn't sell I didn't move. I certainly didn't want to rent it, and it was a little hard for me to list it to because I absolutely adore my home. Plus I just finished redecorating the whole place. But it was so worth it to make our dreams come true, so I contacted my realtor and we got that baby listed. One day on the market and we had an offer! Seriously...could it be that easy and done? Of course we did some counter offering and finally I accepted an offer. Literally that took two days! Obviously there is a long process of closing after that, and thankfully for me my realtor advised me I can sign the paperwork from the island on the final closing documents. Greg was going to have to sign off the papers from over there anyway so this meant I would get to join him very soon! I now have my flight date scheduled for December 9th. 

I've been working my ass off every night and all day on the weekends getting stuff ready, sorting, selling, packing. I was literally selling everything I've worked hard for the last 26 years. I worked hard to get where I am, buy the nice things and home I had and now I was selling it all, for pretty practically nothing (aside from the house.) A lot of people have been asking me if it's hard and honestly it hasn't been yet but I think its just because I've been so busy I hadn't realized that fact yet.. I did get a little emotional when I looked around my home the other day and there wasn't anything hanging on the walls, nothing in cupboards, closets nearly empty, and it was really kind of sad and lonely. But so totally worth it all in the end.

Then there is the issue of getting my dog to the island with me. If you know me you know my dog is my BABY, and Greg just had to accept us as a package. Believe it or not it's actually pretty hard to get pets into other countries, so I had to do some research on what all was required to get Reesie to her new island home. I am SO thankful that she does not have to be quarantined for months like a lot of places make you do with your pets. That would seriously kill me. Basically she had to be microchipped, Rabies shot 30 days to a year prior, vet check/health certificate 2 weeks prior to entrance, and 48 hours prior has to be treated with a pesticide. I also ordered her a travel bag that she will have to be inside underneath the seat in front of me on the airplane, of which she hates. I have been trying to practice putting her in it and leaving her for a little bit. (I can only last like 5 minutes.) It's going to be a traumatic day for her and Mommy flying and a 13 hour travel day, but we will make it. I even got some tranquilizer pills from my vet he said I could give her the day of, but I can't do it...I just don't want to make her feel loopy and see her all half alive. I'd rather her be scared shitless and feel normal than scared shitless and feel all funny. Speaking of shit I just KNOW she is gunna poop in the airport or something. I can't imagine the chaos of this day that is ahead of us. LOL I just hope we make it okay and have no problem with customs and getting her or myself in. 

The final thing I really had to take care of was my car, which was recently paid off. I needed to sell my G6. I looked up the value on KBB and decided on an asking price, assuming people would try to counter offer me down. I had posted a few ads here and there, on Craigslist and on Facebook, got a few messages but nobody was really jumping on it. I then got a call from a couple wanting to test drive it last Saturday, I wasn't sure how the whole selling your car privately thing worked but I let them come over to see the car, swapped them keys, and let them take it for a spin. Once they got back they were saying they liked it and it drove well, kept standing there looking at it and then told me they wanted it! Just like that, for my full asking price and everything! Seriously, could things be going ANY smoother?! I couldn't believe it.

I think some things in life are really meant to be. This being one of them. All signs from day one have been pointing straight to Curacao. I truly believe this is where we belong for the time being. For me it's quite the adventure, I am a little nervous but it really helps having a husband who has no fear. He has traveled the world visiting and living in many countries, he knows how to get things done and how to adapt. I know he will make sure his little family is able to do the same. 

I hope sharing some of my positive vibes will send good vibes your way as well. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! <3

Some Photos For The Way Out

Mean Mommy testing our new bag....

I think she's ready for the island?!

Our new home from the outside...

 And our gorgeous patio view......

Dutch?

Truth is I don't know where to start on this blog.....

I will start with this. About a month and half ago I got a random phone call from my realtor. He had asked me if I had any interest in selling my house because the 2 townhouses next to mine he sold very fast and he had a buyer interested in them still. Keep in mind my house wasn't for sale but my realtor knew mine had relatively the same layout and he just wanted to check with me. The amount that it could potentially sell for was far more than I paid for it, so it was hard to say no....but I didn't have any plans on moving anytime SOON so I just kind of put that call on the back burner. I saw the two houses next to mine had the SOLD signs in the lawn and watched the owners move out over the next couple weeks. That's the end of that story.

Wall Collage Week

This Weeks Events...
(a little behind on posting)

I bought my house about 3 years ago and completely changed the look of it by painting the god awful flat tan colored walls red, yellow, and green. And WHY anyone would paint the whole house in that color...is beyond me! But even years later, I still don't feel like I have decorated it to the best of my ability.

So yesterday I got a sudden whim (after I saw a photo of a collage on a wall going up a stair hallway, thank you Pinterest) and instantly decided I wanted to make this whole wall collage thing happen in my house. It's pathetic really, it's literally all I could think about the entire day while I was at work. I pictured things in my head, thought of things I had thrifted that were laying around in the garage I could use, and was thinking of some things I wanted to pick up to make it work. I could hardly wait until 5 o'clock hit to attack this brilliant idea that was seriously taking over my head. I really didn't know what I wanted to put in the collage or where I was going to put it. As soon as I got home I started rummaging through my garage (aka my studio.) I have all sorts of "junk" and DIY creations in there, so I knew I'd find something.

So here is my wall before I did the collage..

 

 

Nothing crazy awesome, also nothing crazy boring. But it never really did it for me. So....here was my attempt at the wall collage idea...

 

 

Have no fear folks....the "S" (wedding gift) art is no longer crooked! LoL But aside from that what do you think?! It definitely changed my entry way "feel" and gave it more of a rustic feel. I think I still may change it a little bit, but I really do like it!

I also had a little bit of a problem hanging stuff...pun intended. I am a little bit short, 5'3" doesn't always get the job done. And with a husband who works overseas and a 5 lb. Chihuahua as my sidekick,I didn't have a whole lot of options. So a short ladder and a "time out" stool  I crafted to sell had to make do. No I do not recommend trying this at home!

Here are a few more photos of the wall décor pieces close up...

Soon after I finished this project I had yet another random though at updating the look of my home. I had a left over PVC pipe that had a hole in it from a previous project that I never used. Here is what it looked like before....

I know what you're thinking. (That is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, where can you get such a stunning PVC pipe for yourself...the answer is home depot lol.) I promise I'm not crazy, I put it to good use since it was just hanging in my garage. I also had in my garage a bunch of fake vase filler grass and sticks. I actually found these when I was out on a job one day. Someone must have moved from the house and left a bunch of stuff on the curb, which included this perfectly awesome decorating sticks still in the bag. So my girlfriend though I was crazy when I told her we were coming back with her truck to pick up this junk, but we did it anyway! And now I have a corner stairway filler "vase"...I think it's lovely. All it need was a little paint, ribbon, and some TLC!

I finished off my crazy week by enjoying the gorgeous fall weather Iowa had to offer. It was 70 degrees and sunny Friday so I randomly decided to grab my pup and my camera after work and head to Saylorville Lake. It's only about 15 minutes from my house and I've been there 100's of times, however only to go boating...I've never really explored the areas around it. So I jumped in the car and drove around. I ended up at the visitor's center just in time to catch a beautiful sunset! Here are some photos I got of the gorgeous evening and my little furball.

 

It ended up being a beautiful weekend! I did however capture one shot that shows my hearts not quite complete with my husband away....

I hope you've enjoyed this extra long blog! Until next time....

Sunday Thriftin

My old "Sunday Funday" used to consist of day drinking and a ton of alcohol. My new "Sunday Funday" consists of thrift shopping and turning other peoples junk into my own treasure! So let me share today finds and recreations....

I was super stoked about my first find of the day at Goodwill.  A big wood fork and spoon, .99 cents each, score.

Honestly these were pretty cool by themselves, without any tweaking....but they didn't really match my kitchen so I decided I'd take the sander to them and toss on some ebony stain.

 I still wasn't feeling like they'd fit the look I was gong for in my kitchen so I gave in and decided on my go to......painted them black.

 I think they turned out pretty awesome for a total of $2.00. I haven't exactly figured out placement yet as I am still decorating my kitchen, but I will keep you posted!


My next find might make you wonder what the hell I was thinking, but I see things different than most. You are going to look at this and see a creepy bear with balloons picture, I mean I saw that too at first...but then I saw a nice wood frame that I could stain and turn into my own picture to fit my wine theme kitchen.

So I took the creepy bear picture apart, stained the frame with my favorite ebony stain, painted the glass black and wrote a little "Wine Bar" action on it. After I got done with it here what it looked like...

Not too bad of a find for $1.99!

And last but not least, my wooden horse find. This one has no place in my home as it would look perfect in a nursery and my husband and I won't be having babies any time soon! So here it is before...

Please don't look close at my man feet! I'll give you a guess at the first two things I did to that horse....if you guessed sanded and stained, you were correct! (Oh and I ripped off the creepy hair attached on the back for the tail.) After that I painted it pink (the color in the photo is off) and ran the sander across it to give it a distressed look and let the stain peek through. Here is the final outcome, I tossed a letter on there as an idea for customers but really there are so many options we could add to her to make her perfect and customized for a little girls room!

Oh one last find for me, not my house! A super cute peace sign purple scarf that I washed and rocked tonight!



I hope you enjoyed my random Sunday Funday finds! And if you're looking for bedroom decor for a little girl, let me know! The horse still needs a home....

<3Chelsey 





Saturday Creativeness

All week I told myself I was going to devote my entire weekend to crafting and revamping the house. It's only Saturday night and I have already accomplished a TON.

As I sit here typing this blog (trying to stay awake at 11...I'm pathetic,) I realize I haven't showered since my 9:30 A.M. workout class...and in fact I do smell pretty rank. I have paint all over my hands and also just realized I haven't even ate dinner (unless a glass of wine and an entire bag of lindor chocolate truffles throughout the night counts?) But I am loving my busy day and progress. Unfortunately the house has paid for my success, it looks like a hobby lobby semi truck crashed into my kitchen!

My morning started at 9:00 A.M. I woke up and went to Zumba, after that I was supposed to meet a lady who I was buying a little table from. (I found the item on a buy/sell facebook page, those are my favorite thing lately!) So I drive to Woodward, IA to pick up this table and was a little hesitant going to the boonies for this random item from someone I don't know. I sent a text to my best friend and told her who and where I was going in case the sellers were murderers and I never came home!
Boy was I wrong, the lady who posted it was actually the daughter of the woman selling it and she was so darn sweet. I got there and it was a little old lady who had quite a houseful of stuff, she said her daughter had been selling stuff for her, and she was trying to pack and get rid of stuff since her husband passed away. Her eyes filled up with tears as she said those words to me...I couldn't help but hug her, I could see her heart aching. We small talked about him and his Marine background for quite some time and then talked crafts. She actually made the table with the mosaic tiles herself. She was selling it to me for $5. What a steal! It was a cool table but pretty dirty and had some stickers all over it so I took it home and got out the hose and scrubber! Here is what it looked like before....

I scrubbed, scraped, washed, and started painting it black. I was hesitant at first on what to do with it, I wasn't sure if I should cover up the tiles and mosaic pieces she put in it. I also didn't know if I should try to sand and stain, paint cream, or just go black. I ended up choosing black. I used spray paint, because it's easiest...and I'm lazy and messy. I was literally done in probably 10 minutes with this treasure.

Here is how she turned out, I decided on putting it in my entryway of my town house. Right when you go upstairs from the front door is where this is.

A picture showing the difference from before and after...really a little TLC made a huge difference, doesn't even look like the same table!

Once I realized what a difference just adding the table in my entryway made, I wanted to revamp the area a little bit. It's funny how the smallest changes can make a world of difference, in decorating and really any situation in life. So here is what the area looked like before, with no table...

So I did some scroungin' around the house/garage (I'll be honest I am a bit of a hoarder of cheap junk/thrift finds) and found some things to try to spruce up the area. The first thing I grabbed was a .79 cent treasure I found at Goodwill...

Lame huh? Well I took the price tag off, grabbed my sander, put it to the wood for about 20 seconds, brought it inside and glued a black "S" on it that I had leftover from our Wedding Décor....

Looks a little different now huh? So I hammered a nail in the wall and stuck it above my new table....

I'm still not sure if I like the composition and/or what should be on the table but for now I like it...what do you think? I tell ya one thing that drives me crazy, no actually three. The vent, thermostat, and light switches messing up my decorating game! LoL

I forgot to mention my other Goodwill finds, the picture frame and the thing on the left side of table...

I found it for $2.00 today and love it. It says "Be The Change You Want To See In The World." And at the top there I a little slit to drop your change in it...which meant I could throw away the red solo cup in my kitchen collecting change. Perfect....great quote that also serves a purpose!

So my day was far from over after all this, I also started some Christmas crafts and since it's too cold to work in the garage, my kitchen became the crafting spot.

Here's what I came up with today...

Big snowman, and a failed attempt at Rudolph! Haha



A Christmas countdown sign!



I can't even believe I am sharing my disaster of a kitchen with you guys! I am also I the process of changing my theme in the kitchen from coffee to wine...

Anyways today was a very successful day in my book, but I desperately need to take a shower and get to bed so I can get back at it tomorrow! <3 Goodnight All!