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I have not been very attentive to recording our projects around the house over the last couple of months, but I am excited to share our kitchen reorganization project.  I did not bother to take any “before” pictures for this one, because I figure everyone knows what a cluttered kitchen looks like!

When I moved into the house last fall, I didn’t spend much time finding meaningful places for my dishes, glassware, cooking tools, etc.  Compared to my last apartment, I had plenty of space so I didn’t worry too much about using the space efficiently. Once Daniel’s belongings and wedding gifts arrived this summer, it was quickly a cluttered mess!  Without a pantry, we had food items spread over several cabinets, and kitchen items jammed in every corner. We also multiple versions of several items- the mugs I liked to use vs. Daniel; three different partially complete sets of pots and pans; various kitchen applications rarely used (e.g. partially broken crockpot, a George Foreman grill that always seemed impossible to clean).  So, it was time to start fresh.

Daniel kicked off the project last weekend by building shelves in the broom closet so that we could finally have a dedicated pantry.  This allowed us to sort our food goods and neatly contain them in their own separate area of the kitchen.

This weekend, we loosely followed the Mari Kondo method to tackle the rest of the kitchen goods.  Section by section, we emptied the cabinets and only returned the items we truly love and actually use.  We parted ways with miss-matched mugs, the set of dishes I bought when I first lived on my own, and baking pans I never actually used.  By the end of the afternoon, we had compiled quite the haul for goodwill. Even better, now it’s easy to access the things we use day to day and my nicer set of dishes and entertaining platters are all tucked away in the dining room cabinet.

For the first time in months, I came downstairs this morning to clean, empty cabinets!  It was wonderful! I enjoyed my moment of zen, only to hear Daniel say “But doesn’t it look too empty, like a rental unit or something?”  Oh, Lord how he tests me!

This year I set the New Year’s resolution to write more, which is partially why I started this blog.  Now that 2018 is nearing its end, I’m starting to realize that while I have written a lot this year, most of it was not what I envisioned.  Instead of sitting at my laptop collecting my thoughts à la Carrie Bradshaw style, I spent a lot of time writing progress notes at work, writing emails to wedding vendors, writing thank you notes to thoughtful friends and family, and writing job applications.  Not exactly the “fun” writing I imagined.

The last couple of months I have fallen into this trap of feeling “not good enough”– as a WRITER, as a wife, as a homeowner, as a new employee, and as a friend.  Seeing the trap for what it is (what Brene Brown calls a “shame spiral”) is half the battle.  To that end, I am trying to be patient with myself and be more discerning of my time.  Inspired by the Konmari method, I am trying to keep the things in my life that bring joy, and part with some of the things that do not.  Lately, that has looked like skipping the gym to make time for a walk outside or saying no to social plans to make time to unwind.

I am also trying to give myself a little credit- the big year of change is almost over, and I made it!  Never again will I get engaged, buy a house, get married, quit my job, and change work specialties within one year!  Good thing I love Daniel and our house very much, and I am finally building some traction with my new job– these seem to make the growing pains feel worthwhile.  I can only hope that 2019 will be blissfully boring.

With that quite long introduction, I would like to share pictures of our guest bedroom!  This room has been “done” for a while, but I just never got around to sharing it here.

The guest bedroom came together fairly easily soon after we moved.  In a happy accident, we discovered one of my old bedding sets matched the paint we used in the dining room, so we settled on a teal and white color scheme with pops of coral and yellow.  Since Daniel veto’ed my white furniture for our bedroom, I used my old dresser and nightstand here.  I rounded out the room with a chair that used to be in the living room and some Nextdoor furniture finds (another table and carpet).  My parents gifted us with a bed frame and mirror they no longer needed after downsizing.  Easy as that!

Since I reference Sex and the City, I can’t resist the opportunity to share this oldy, but goody!

Cheers!

Kari

I have thought about blog posts a lot lately (in between client sessions, in the shower, driving to work), but as you may have noticed I have been quiet on here.  Married life is busy! I find I have less time to myself than before, and when opportunities present themselves I am often working in the garden, reading (I really enjoyed  Crazy Rich Asians), or watching my “girl shows” as Daniel likes to say (after the wedding I binge-watched all four seasons of Amazon’s series  Mozart in the Jungle”). 

However, despite the radio silence on here, Daniel and I have been getting stuff done around the house.  We made the goal to have our house “picture ready” for the wedding since I took my bridal “getting ready” pictures at home.  It was stressful, but before the wedding we finished two guest bedrooms and the entire first floor.  I will post those rooms when I have better lighting for pictures.  There’s definitely some dramatic “before & after pictures to come!

Yesterday, I was in Nelson County celebrating my friend Melissa’s bridal shower and got to squeeze in a visit with my brother’s family (side note: when do you switch from saying “couple” vs. “family”?  I think “family” is fair game once there’s at least a pet in the mix, therefore now that Brett and Emily have a dog they can be the “Evans Family.”  All and all, it was a lovely day.

I got home a little after ten, used the restroom and realized the master bath was BRIGHT. Unusually bright, and sure enough it was because Daniel replaced the light fixtures in both the master and guest bathroom upstairs.

Previously, the master bath had an updated light fixture that simply was not our taste (and clashed with the still 1965 original bath) and the guest bath had the original florescent fixture that was just all-around awful. I suppose eight-months into our adventures in home ownership, Daniel has found a way to merge the vibe of our 1960s tri-level with my farmhouse/ french country style.

However, with updated light fixtures, the flaws of both bathrooms are all the more visible.  We will continue to debate how much we want to accomplish short-term vs. long-term.  How much we will DIY vs. utilize contractors… I am skeptical that Daniel and I have the tools and time to demo. and re-tile both bathrooms.

I suppose I better not leave for a long weekend anytime soon, Daniel might go rogue and start demo without me!

XOXO,

Kari

We received our wedding pictures from Caiti Garter Photography last week, and we have had so much fun reminiscing about our wedding day.  Just like everyone says, the whole thing went by in a blur!  I’m just glad I remembered to eat my FULL slice of wedding cake.  As the bride AND wedding planner, I want to walk you through the inspiration and details that made our wedding our BEST DAY EVER.  If that’s not your thing, just scroll for the beautiful pictures taken by Caiti Garter Photography.

The Church:

For Daniel and I it was easy to pick Sacred Heart Church in Richmond as our wedding ceremony site as it is our current church home.  We started going to church there as a couple approximately 1.5 years ago and received great support from the congregation during our engagement.  With the church’s population being 70+ percent Latino, we had the honor of being the first English-speaking wedding in 10 + years!  What an honor (and interesting challenge at times!).  Our pastor made our nuptial mass so special, highlighting words we each wrote about the other person and our Catholic faiths.

The Reception Site:

You might remember that Daniel and I purchased the first home we toured with a realtor.  Well, we also booked the first wedding venue we toured!  We fell in love with the setting of Pocahontas State Park, just south of the city, nestled among tall trees and winding gravel paths.  It prompted memories of driving up my grandparent’s long country driveway in Upstate New York and family camping trips as a kid.  The architecture of the Swift Creek Banquet Hall truly sealed our enthusiasm—it had that rustic chic vibe that I love about the Farmhouse movement.  We also loved the idea of picking a wedding reception site that we can visit in the future—I imagine many trips to park when we have a family of our own.

The Reception Vibe:

We were truly blessed that my parents wanted to host a reception, while still allowing us a lot of freedom to plan our ultimate party.  For me, it was important to a reception that felt like a true representation of us as a couple—casually elegant, with excellent food and drinks and non-pretentious music.  I loved the juxtaposition of the exposed wood beams and gold china plates.  We wanted to include nods to some of our favorite dates: listening to live bluegrass music, eating delicious food at Comfort, and exploring the outdoors.  Let’s go into some of the details that helped this vision come to life.

The Food:

If you ask me the food is usually one of my favorite parts of a wedding.  We loved working with Louis of Garnish Catering to create a menu of classic Southern comfort dishes.  We stumbled upon the menu by thinking of giving our out-of-town families a taste of our city.  I think I will always long for the beef short ribs at our wedding—they were amazing! If I could eat our wedding dinner once a week for the rest of my life, I would happily do so!

The Flowers:

I worked with Victoria Zachary of Flowers by Victoria out of Flowerama to create romantic bouquets for the myself and my bridesmaids.  Victoria executed my vision of white roses, heavy greenery, and accents of soft pinks and blues.  When I asked to find a way to include touches of gold, she had the brilliant idea to spray paint magnolia leaves and eucalypts.  She carried these themes into a delicate basket of flowers for the church and beautiful pew floral arrangements.

Due to the distance between the church and reception site, and my personal belief that most wedding expenses are totally unnecessary, I decided to order flowers from Trader Joe’s and create my own table centerpieces.  The day before the wedding, my mom picked up the flowers and friend Melissa and sister-in-law Emily created lovely arrangements for the table centerpieces.  They did a great job! We got about 15 arrangements for the cost of 2 traditional arrangements.

The Cake:

People who know me, know that I LOVE cake.  My criteria for the wedding cake were simple: must taste fantastic and be decorated with fun whimsical touches.  We decided to play up the outdoor setting and choose a birch tree cake design.  I absolutely love the love bird cake toppers I purchased off Etsy. I asked to repeat several roses from my bouquet to tie the theme together.

The Band:

Early in the planning process my parents insisted we HAD to have a live band, as opposed to a DJ.  I am so glad they insisted.  It was so fun having live music—of course people who enjoy dancing danced and the people who don’t got to enjoy watching the musicians.  We booked Gallatin Canyon through Sam Hill Entertainment and they did not disappoint!  They learned a Head and Heart Song for our first dance (Let’s be Still) and Tom Petty’s Wildflowers for the Father-Daughter dance.  We loved jamming to bluegrass and classic rock covers.

There you have it.  Our summer wedding- a tribute to our love of God, each other, and sweet Virginia.

Black days of winter all were through
The blossoms came and they brought you
Clouds left the sky
And I knew the reason why
They made way for you and the blossom

-Nick Drake, Blossom

June 11, 2016 was my last first date with Daniel and it was totally an accident.  The night before Daniel and I were both at a friend’s apartment and found ourselves making small talk about cheese-making and the Richmond Kickers.  It was random, not-flirty, and comfortable.  When Daniel offered me an extra ticket to the Kicker’s game the next day, I said yes (probably after first calling my brother and best friend Melissa).

At the game, Daniel was totally in his element– drinking a beer,  singing random Red Army chants, and commenting on the game.  For the first time maybe ever, I really saw Daniel.  I saw him for the handsome, kind, passionate man that he is.  I started imagining what it would be like to give dating another go, and I realized I liked that image!

When the game ended, we walked to get pizza at Mary Angela’s.  Once we sat down, I awkwardly realized a past boyfriend was at the table next to us.  Soon after ordering food, I realized this guy was awkwardly being dumped by the woman he was with–it seemed like a nice reminder that the past was in the past.

While walking back to our cars, I realized I wanted to reach to hold Daniel’s hand.  It just seemed right, especially since we had already gone through the first date motions the previous two summers.  When we  got back to our cars, we continued to talk with no urgency to go home.  Finally, I just said something like “I can’t remember why I broke up with you.  Tonight was so fun.”  Daniel kindly said he also had a nice time.

With nothing to lose, I asked Daniel if he was interested in dating again.  He responded by asking “Do you think we should discern this?”  To which I laughed and said “No, I know I want to date you” and just like that we decided to hang out the next day.  Now, two years later so much has passed.

In the last two years, we crossed milestones together and apart.  Obviously pursuing marriage and homeownership were big leaps we took together.  Individually, we each had several career advancements (a big job change for Daniel; licensure for me) and made solid progress in the world of adulting (getting excited about investment accounts, becoming NPR listeners, and learning to deal with car problems without our parents!).

The last two years have flown by and I can confidently say my life is better because we are together.

XOXO, Kari 

With the wedding quickly approaching, I have been on the receiving end of quite the shower of love from friends and family.  My mom and sister hosted a lovely bridal shower, filled with many of my closest Richmond friends (and fabulous bridesmaids who made the journey).  The house still features the after effects of this outpour of love– between lovely cards with more beautiful sentiments and flowers that still beckon the joy of the day.

In my work life, my coworkers continue to cheer me on, especially after several wedding planning snafus earlier this year.  Many of my long-term clients, who have known me since my days as a young, social work intern, keep prying, “So when is the wedding? Are you getting nervous?” As much as I dislike being the center of attention, it feels good to have the support and enthusiasm of our friends and family as Daniel and I approach our wedding date.

I am reminded of several versions of a sermon given by Father Mike Renninger, which posits “How wonderful it is to see and celebrate love as it manifests on a wedding day.”   How easy it is to love love when it is mutual, joyous, exciting and new.  For now, my love for Daniel is that easy (most days).

Even while we slog through the boring tasks of homeownership, like picking dandelions, I relish having a life partner to share these tedious tasks and the small victories.  The new responsibilities of caring for the house (and yard)  leave me feeling exhausted most Sunday nights, and yet even in my tiredness my heart reminds me of the loneliness I felt during many parts of my early twenties as a single girl.   I am grateful for Daniel, and I am excited for the future vision we are creating together.

Within this gratitude and excitement also lives the fear of the unknown– the unknown challenges which will inevitably fall upon our marriage.  Because sometimes love is hard– it can call us to sacrifice our needs for our spouse/ family, it can feel more like a burden than a gift.  Sometimes love ends.  This reality especially rings true, as dear friends of ours had to face the unfortunate reality of moving into hospice after a failed cancer treatment.  How could it be that the joyous friends I saw be married six short years ago now face death and despair?

I suppose Alred Lord Tennyson said it best,  “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Love guides us become our more perfect selves– it just does not always feel good.   As Daniel and I finish our marriage preparation, I want to make an effort to be more attuned the joy of this moment in our relationship, while also honoring the suffering of our friends and family who are living in one of the harder seasons of love.

XOXO,

Kari

One of my requests of a home, was a separate dining space from the kitchen– I love the idea of having a more formal place to enjoy a nicely prepared meal (out of view from the dishes or kitchen mess!).  This was one of the first projects we tackled after closing on the house.

When we purchased the house, the walls were wall-papered, then coated with a splotchy layer of white paint.  The floors had recently been refinished with modern grey ceramic tile, which I disliked since they tiled over the original hardwood floors.  On principle, I simply couldn’t support that.

This room was one of the easier projects to come together.  Before closing on the house, we purchased a dining room table and eight chairs from a lady on “Nextdoor.” She shared the table had been her grandmother’s and been in her family for years.  I loved the history of the set and its simple lines.  Although I had planned to recover the chair seats, they ended up perfectly matching the sea-foam blue we picked out for the walls.  The dining room set matched my secretary desk and we decided that could store our coffee maker and table linens.  A few months later, we got lucky again with “Nextdoor” and purchased a corner cabinet to store China, serving pieces, and whatever else didn’t quite have a home in the kitchen.

We finished the room with some of my favorite pieces– my prints of Florence and Venice that I purchased while studying abroad, a mix-media map of Virginia, and Daniel’s first love letter to me (ironically a copy of Vermeer’s love letter with a little note).

Since updating the dining room, I’m proud to share that I’m working on establishing the tradition of actually DINING in the dining room.  We tend to eat fast-casual meals in the kitchen, but sit in the dining room after preparing a more involved meal.  To me, there’s few things better than enjoying a  meal with friends and family in a beautiful space.

Cheers!

Kari