Category Archives: life

An Unexpected and Very Sad Break

George and my grandma

George and my grandma

Well, I had a little unexpected and very sad break from ya’ll. On Saturday, my grandmother passed away at the age of 95. She was one of my most favorite people in the whole world. She had the kindest heart. I never heard her complain. Not once. She was incredibly thrifty and raised six children. She had unbelievably bad things happen to her during the course of her life, but she didn’t let it get her down. We can all learn a thing or two from her life.

I will forever miss her courage and spirit.

love,
melanie

 

Post-Vacation Blues

sunset in nags headI have a terrible case of post-vacation blues. I literally shed a couple of tears on the way to work this morning. I was in a weird, weepy mood. I enjoy my job, but I did not want to get back to the overload of emails, the ringing phone and the (sometimes) grumpy patrons.

selfiesWhat’s more fun than fun? Funnest?! Funna-fun-fun-fun! Well, whatever it is, I had more fun than that! We lounged in an 8 person float in the ocean while partaking in adult beverages. I really didn’t need a better time than that, but we also took afternoon naps in hammocks and ate until our tummies hurt. I need a detox.

puppy loveWe also hung out with this crazy dog. She’s is the dog version of Lil Bub. And although she had kibble breath, she made me want a little lap dog so, so much!

But now we’re back to the emailing, the traffic, the giant laundry pile. I need another vacation just to catch up.

How do you recover from the post-vacation blues? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

Vacation time! Vacation time!

labor day weather forecastI am super pumped to be taking a mini vacation this weekend with George and some friends. We’re heading out to the beautiful Outer Banks of NC. Ā I haven’t been on a trip all summer. Actually, I don’t think we’ve even gone anywhere since our honeymoon. Life has been so nuts. We’re not taking the Airstream this time because our friend’s mom rented a house on the OBX. OBX is Outer Banks for the non-North Carolinans. šŸ™‚ Learning something new everyday huh, folks? The weather is supposed to be perfect and I cannot wait to get a little time to relax.

Do you have plans for the labor day weekend?

Here’s hoping to a relaxing and refreshing weekend,
love,
melanie

 

Unconventional Lifestyle Blogs

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

I get periodically obsessed with things. I’ll only want to eat mushrooms for two weeks or I’ll want to obsessively learn about making soap. Anyone else the same way? No? Ok. Just me, eating mushrooms and making soap for two weeks until I’m on the the next fascination.

Anyway, this past week or so, I’ve been doing a lot of personal research into alternative or unconventional ways of living. I hope it’s not just a passing phase because unconventional ways of living are fascinating– especially since I live pretty unconventionally, myself. It’s got me dreaming of becoming a full-time traveler or homesteader or a traveling homesteader. Can you be both?!

Here’s a few of my favorite resources I’ve found so far:

The Art of Nonconformity
On the Art of Nonconformity, Chris writes aboutĀ aboutĀ personal developmentĀ andĀ life planning, with the conviction that you donā€™t have to live your life the way other people expect you to;Ā Ā entrepreneurshipĀ and other kinds ofĀ unconventional work, with the belief that the work we do should be both fun and meaningful; andĀ Ā international travel, travel hacking in general, and his journeys to more than 25 countries every year.

The Modern Nomad
Gustav Andersson worked a 9-5 job for five years and realized that he was slowly stagnating into a comfortable routine ā€” a personal nightmare of his. So he quit his job, sold his flat and walked away from the well-trodden streets of London to begin life as a modern-day nomad.

Nomadic Matt
Matt’s story is similar to most of our stories. We have the 9-5 with the 2 weeks of vacation per year. But a trip to Thailand on his measly 9-5 vacation changed him. HeĀ met five backpackers who showed him that he didn’t have to be tied down to a job and that he didn’t need to be rich to travel.Ā After that trip, Matt went home, finished his MBA, quit his job, and set out on an adventure around the world. Matt is one of the foremost experts on travel hacking.

The Prairie Homestead
Jill ‘s journey with homesteading started with a compost pile. She currently lives on Ā 67 acres of Wyoming prairie and blogs aboutĀ returning to your roots of self-sufficiency and simple living, whether you live on a sprawling ranch or in a high-rise apartment.

Wayward Spark
Camille lives in Oregon with her husband and two little kids in an off-the-grid,Ā tiny cabin. On her blog, she shares her honest experiences of modern day homesteading.

I’ll share some of my favorite Airstream travel blogs soon. I want to hear about your favorite unconventional lifestyle blogs in the comments!

Obsessively researching until then.
love,
melanie

 

Happy Birthday to me!

baby girl

This baby girl turns 27 today!

Today is my birthday! I have one every year!!! Anyone else singing that No Doubt song? No? Don’t get me started about how much I love Gwen and No Doubt.

In honor of my birthday, I’m taking the day off from the blog.

later gaters.

love,
melanie

27 Before 28: Birthday Goals List

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280001As promised, here is my birthday goals list. I was going to rewrite it, but hoping to turn over my “worry less” new leaf, I just scanned it in, straight from my journal. Keep me accountable, ya’ll!

love the (almost) birthday girl,

melanie

27 before 27: Birthday Goals Update

Last year, I posted my 26 27Ā before 27 goals. And it’s almost my birthday, ya’ll. Ā I thought it’d be fun to see how well I did. Admittedly, I lost the original paper these goals were written on, so I haven’t looked at them in a while. Luckily, I saved it here and shared it with you lovely folks! Here’s the update:

26 27 before 27

  1. Travel to a new city: New Orleans and Philadelphia
  2. Try a new cuisine: Israeli
  3. Read a ā€œclassicā€ novel: I re-read the Great Gatsby. It counts!
  4. Make a new friend: Amber
  5. Learn to make a vintage cocktail: Tom Collinsā€¦ gross
  6. Implement ā€œdo nothingā€ Sundays: I donā€™t think this will ever happen.
  7. Sleep under the stars: At Drew & Jordanā€™s wedding
  8. Print out old pictures: Noooope.
  9. Buy a new pair of jeans: I hate jean shopping.
  10. Go on an unplanned adventure: My whole life is an unplanned adventure at this point!
  11. Send a letter: Sent it with a package. It counts, right?
  12. Connect with an old friend: Lauren
  13. Throw a party: Doing this (again) on Monday!
  14. Take a night-time stroll: Do this all the time with George, of course!
  15. Live without regret: Done.
  16. Forgive often: Working on it, always.
  17. Visit the farmersā€™ market: I visited the one in Raleigh. It counts.
  18. Bake for a friend: Easter
  19. Play in the ocean: I touched the ocean last time I was at the beach. The water is still super cold here!
  20. Visit the antique store in Williamston: Never open.
  21. See a movie alone: Not at the theatre, but I have watched a few alone.
  22. Speak up for myself: On many occasions, still needs work.
  23. Learn to shoot a handgun: Just need to take the class now.
  24. Get a massage: Bah, I never make time to schedule these!
  25. Hug George daily: My welcome home hugs are the best!
  26. Laugh often
  27. Worry less!: Work in progress!!!

Tomorrow I’ll share my new birthday goals.

Do you make birthday goals? What do they include?

love,
melanie

Our Wedding is on Photobug today!

Photo by Richard Israel

Photo by Richard Israel

Our wedding is over onĀ Junebug Wedding’s photoblog, Photobug today. Check it out!

love,
melanie

Bed and Breakfast

DSC_1034 DSC_1036 DSC_1037 DSC_1040Can you see me?!
DSC_1047Old fireplaces are so gorgeous. The tile alone has me dreaming of owning a historic home.
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DSC_1055This weekend my parents came to visit. It was my mom’s birthday, so it was extra special. My parents stayed at a local bed and breakfast, The Packhouse Inn—Ā both Ronald Reagan and Dolly Parton stayed there! My dad complained about how cold the house was, but it was a truly beautiful home.

On Sunday morning, we were able to eat breakfast with my parents and tour the home. I adore old houses. I’d love to own an old home, one day. New houses just don’t seem to have the details of old homes.

What did you all do this weekend?

love,
melanie

 

New Orleans Honeymoon

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One of my favorite parts of the graveyards in New Orleans were the painted tombs. Colorful in life, colorful in death, right?!nola60001 nola60002 nola70001 nola80002Standing beside Voodoo Priestess,Ā Marie Laveau‘s (disputed) tomb.

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nola30001For our honeymoon, George and I decided to forgo the traditional, all-inclusive beach trip for a darker, and dare I say, more exciting vacation to New Orleans. Ā And we didn’t regret a minute of it. The food was amazing, the history was rich and the beer was flowing!

As you can tell from the pictures, we visited several graveyards and we brought along cheapo, disposable cameras. I kind of love the way the pictures turned out. They are a little creepy, over-saturated, and look much older than digital photos. We also forgot to charge the digital camera– happy mistake! I brought the disposable cameras on our ghost tour too, but none of the pictures turned out. I think a ghost ruined the rest of our film!

If you are thinking about doing something a little off the beaten path for your honeymoon, I would highly recommend it. Get out there and see something new!

Did you go anywhere “different” for your honeymoon? Are you planning to go somewhere “different?” Let me know in the comments.

love,
melanie