Barrett - 2.5
1 year ago
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Back Where I Come From
Today's the day!!! The one I've been waiting for for months on end. Finally, when we finish loading down 2 (!!!) UHAULS and my SUV and hop in the car, we'll be headed to Tennessee with no return trip to Texas. It almost feels too good to be true. After five years living several states away from my family, my home, and everything I've always known, it feels (please note that I NEVER thought I'd say this) SO good to be coming back...back to where I come from. Back to where my precious mama has toiled for days, despite two excruciatingly painful knees, to get our new house sparkly clean. Where she and our family friend Jeanette have lined cabinets like it's their job. Where there's pumpkin bread, banana bread, avocadoes, tomatoes, and a fresh garden salad waiting in our new fridge. But most of all, where there's OPEN ARMS and LOVE waiting for us. It's such a humbling feeling, and such a blessing, to know that so many people...friends, neighbors, family...are on pins and needles waiting for the chance to love on us when we finally reach our destination. After eleven months of living you-know-what in Texas, with no support system, and being constantly berated and beat down by David's family, we are so in need of love, support, compassion...people to let us know that we're not in this alone. The good thing is, we've learned this year that, when push comes to shove, as a couple, we can go it alone, and we can survive, if not thrive. I'm reassured to know that we are able to be that emotionally, financially, physically independent. However, as a therapist-in-training, I, of all people, know that "no man is an island"...we are meant to live in community with one another, to care for each other as well as ourselves, to carry each other when it's too hard to walk. And that is exactly what our massive, incredible support network in Nashville will do for us, just as they have for my twenty-three years of life. I'm thrilled about setting up our new home. I'm so excited to start Vanderbilt. I can't wait to be back in a beautiful, sleepy, southern town, where football, church, sweet tea, pearls, rocking chairs, front porches, and relationships dominate. But most of all, I'm looking forward to knowing that the ones who are in our corner are not halfway across the country. I needed to get away. College was an amazingly powerful, formative time for me, and I'll be forever grateful to Wash. U., St. Louis, and the precious friends I made there for helping me find myself, get my legs under me, and embark upon my adult journey. It's great knowing I can make it on my own in an unfamiliar place, even through almost unbearable trials like my dad's illness and death and my own diagnosis with MS. But, it's even better knowing that I don't have to. It took a lot of growing up for me to realize that desiring to return to your roots isn't a sign of weakness or dependence. After all, when "back where I come from" is a place overflowing with love, support, laughter, joy, happiness, family, friends, opportunities, and beauty, why would a girl turn her back on it? After the year we've had, David and I need, above anything else, a clean slate. A chance to erase the mistakes of the year, to put the trials of family problems and his dad's death and a grad school we both hated behind us, to start anew, and to carve out for ourselves a simple, beautiful newly wed life that will make us smile when we look back on it at 80. I, for one, can't wait. In the words of my beloved Kenny Chesney, "Back where I come from, I'm a TENNESSEAN, I'm proud as anyone, that's where I come from!"
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Home Improvement
I feel like I'm probably jumping the gun with this post, seeing as how I haven't even introduced you all to our beloved "Little House" yet, but I'm stalling on posting pictures of the house until we get it all set up and cozy...who wants to see pictures of an empty house, anyway?! I know, I know, you guys do. Well, I refuse to show off my new spot until it's really a "home"...that's just how I am. In the meantime, though, I've loved scouring the internet for inspiration for DIY (or realistically, knowing David and me, pay-someone-to-do-it-for-you) projects to spruce up our new space! My long term list currently includes the following:
1. Gas range for the kitchen: The glass cooktop is a definite step up from the electric range I'm currently working with, but they're a pain to clean, and as much as we cook, I just feel like gas is the way to go. Plus, it's the only (well, with the exception of the small item below!) thing I want to do in the kitchen, so I'm feeling like eventually, the splurge will be justified. I'd love one of these babies:
Gas cooking, self-cleaning, six (!!!!) burners: yum. Price tag: a little less yum...but I'm confident in my ability to negotiate the heck out of H.H. Gregg!
2. Tile Backsplash for the Kitchen:
I guess in order for you to understand this one, I do have to unveil ONE small picture of the house *sigh*. Here is the kitchen in its current state (actually, this isn't our kitchen, but it's the same floorplan--only difference is that we have stainless appliances and our granite is much lighter, which I love):
See that tiny strip of wall behind the oven and counters? I can't see how having that painted makes ANY sense when you cook as much as Dave and I do...we will splatter, and it will be a mess, and avoiding staining the wall will be a constant struggle. That being the case, enter my idea: a tile backsplash! The trick is this: it's a small space, so I can't do any large-scale design (or large-scale tiles), but I HATE the tiny glass-block looking subway tile that's so en vogue these days (please don't take offense if it's your thing--it seems like EVERYONE loves it, it's just not my taste). I finally found something on Houzz that I think might be good inspiration for what we want to do, but on a much smaller scale. I've always loved harlequin patterns. What do you think?
That *may* even be our granite (or a very similar one) in the picture. These colors would be so pretty with our kitchen (dark cabinets, dark wood floors, stainless appliances, and light granite) and with the color scheme of the rest of the house...I LOVE shades of brown, taupe, cream, and other neutrals...they're so warm, classic, and timeless.
3. Beadboard display wall in my office (downstairs bedroom):
The back story on this is that wherever I've lived, I've loved for my office to look "different" from the rest of the house...girlier, lighter/brighter, more cottage-y and less Pottery Barn. I need for my office to be a soothing retreat, especially given how much time I'll be spending in there when I return to full-time student status in August! With my beloved Farmhouse daybed (albeit dressed in some new, less beachy linens...bye bye Texas, hello Tennessee!!), a new PB desk, my favorite upholstered desk chair, my trusty Container Store fold out bookcase (LOVE these), and oodles of framed pictures and candles, the look shouldn't be too hard to pull off. But, I think that adding something like the picture below to the front wall of the office (which is on the front of the house, and has two windows) would totally tie together the comfy/cozy, cottage-y feel I'm going for, while granting me tons of usable space for displaying pictures, vases, and other things that make me smile. And, at just $29 for a 4' x 8' piece of beadboard, this is one of the most affordable (albeit daunting) projects, meaning we just MIGHT tackle it before summer's end to get my office all decked out for the school year...that, however, depends on how wedding planning progresses between now and then! Anyway, without further adieu, here it is:
Feminine and cozy, yet clean, classic, and timeless. I am in LOVE!
4. Striped guest bathroom (upstairs)I've loved these stripes since I first laid my eyes on them, and all they require is some paint, painter's tape, and a little elbow grease! Cheap and easy :). My only quandry has been where to put them. I'd looooove to do them in our study/guest area (second upstairs bedroom), but I feel like that might be too large a space for this design, especially given that it's not completely in keeping with my general "style" that infiltrates the rest of the house. So, I'm thinking the second upstairs bathroom might be JUST the place...a small enough space that I won't risk making too much of a statement, but a place where these stripes can freshen things up, for sure. And, the striped towels I already happen to own for that bathroom will complete the look just perfectly.
I'd love to use these exact colors in our version. They're neutrals (my favorite!), yet warm, cozy, and inviting...just the look I'm going for.
5. Paint change-up
Since we're moving into a brand spankin' new condo that's painted a neutral taupe color throughout, painting wasn't exactly at the top of our move-in to do list. However, I happened to run across this picture of a friend's sister's house that's for sale the other day, and I could have eaten the paint color with a spoon. It is seriously the prettiest brown I've ever seen! It is SO warm and comfortable...I would love to come home to this every night, and it would be perfect with my chocolate brown sectional. I can't decide where I'd put this color, but I'm currently thinking the living area, dining room, and/or downstairs hallway? The floorplan is really open and the spaces basically flow into one another, so I think that if I take the plunge in the den, I'll have to follow suit with the rest of the downstairs, which would be just fine by me. Do you guys think this color is as delicious as I do??
Edit: now that I'm looking more closely at the color, I'm realizing there's no way it would be enough contrast against my chocolate brown sectional. Nix the downstairs idea. Plan B: use it in the master bedroom? It seems like the perfect retreat-y color, and the dark tone would be so soothing to sleep in. Or, use it in the study/second bedroom upstairs? And while I'm at it, I'm thinking the stripes from the other picture would work better in the downstairs bath than in the guest bath...they go more with the beadboard office theme than they do with this warm, rich, chocolate-y tone. Opinions? Feedback?
6. Paint, part three: master tray ceiling
One of my more favorite parts of our master bedroom (aside from the two walk-in closets, its positioning in the trees, and the to-die-for Juliette balcony off it) is the tray ceiling. This image is not "our" bedroom, but it's the same floorplan, so you get the idea:
However, that amazing ceiling is currently not done justice due to the lack of an amazing paint color in the tray. I'm thinking we should remedy that with something dark, warm, and earthy. And, if we paint the master that warm fudge color I showed above, I think a really dark chocolate would be fabulous in the tray...warm, cozy, and romantic, especially with our bright white bedding and purple, gray, gold, and brown accents. Here's a color close to what I'm thinking of:
What do y'all think?
So, that concludes my current home improvement "to do" list. I'm excited about, over the next several years, rolling up my sleeves (alongside David!) and diving into some of these projects. The house will definitely feel more homey when we put "our" touch on it. Now, I'm curious...what's on YOUR "house projects" list? Where do you go for ideas and inspiration? Houzz? HGTV? Rate My Space? Magazines? Somewhere else? Let's share ideas and inspire each other to tackle those decorating and home improvement projects...no time like the present!
1. Gas range for the kitchen: The glass cooktop is a definite step up from the electric range I'm currently working with, but they're a pain to clean, and as much as we cook, I just feel like gas is the way to go. Plus, it's the only (well, with the exception of the small item below!) thing I want to do in the kitchen, so I'm feeling like eventually, the splurge will be justified. I'd love one of these babies:
Gas cooking, self-cleaning, six (!!!!) burners: yum. Price tag: a little less yum...but I'm confident in my ability to negotiate the heck out of H.H. Gregg!2. Tile Backsplash for the Kitchen:
I guess in order for you to understand this one, I do have to unveil ONE small picture of the house *sigh*. Here is the kitchen in its current state (actually, this isn't our kitchen, but it's the same floorplan--only difference is that we have stainless appliances and our granite is much lighter, which I love):
See that tiny strip of wall behind the oven and counters? I can't see how having that painted makes ANY sense when you cook as much as Dave and I do...we will splatter, and it will be a mess, and avoiding staining the wall will be a constant struggle. That being the case, enter my idea: a tile backsplash! The trick is this: it's a small space, so I can't do any large-scale design (or large-scale tiles), but I HATE the tiny glass-block looking subway tile that's so en vogue these days (please don't take offense if it's your thing--it seems like EVERYONE loves it, it's just not my taste). I finally found something on Houzz that I think might be good inspiration for what we want to do, but on a much smaller scale. I've always loved harlequin patterns. What do you think?
mediterranean hall design by chicago interior designer DISTINCTIVE APPLICATIONS Kimberly Wohlfarth,Artist
That *may* even be our granite (or a very similar one) in the picture. These colors would be so pretty with our kitchen (dark cabinets, dark wood floors, stainless appliances, and light granite) and with the color scheme of the rest of the house...I LOVE shades of brown, taupe, cream, and other neutrals...they're so warm, classic, and timeless.
3. Beadboard display wall in my office (downstairs bedroom):
The back story on this is that wherever I've lived, I've loved for my office to look "different" from the rest of the house...girlier, lighter/brighter, more cottage-y and less Pottery Barn. I need for my office to be a soothing retreat, especially given how much time I'll be spending in there when I return to full-time student status in August! With my beloved Farmhouse daybed (albeit dressed in some new, less beachy linens...bye bye Texas, hello Tennessee!!), a new PB desk, my favorite upholstered desk chair, my trusty Container Store fold out bookcase (LOVE these), and oodles of framed pictures and candles, the look shouldn't be too hard to pull off. But, I think that adding something like the picture below to the front wall of the office (which is on the front of the house, and has two windows) would totally tie together the comfy/cozy, cottage-y feel I'm going for, while granting me tons of usable space for displaying pictures, vases, and other things that make me smile. And, at just $29 for a 4' x 8' piece of beadboard, this is one of the most affordable (albeit daunting) projects, meaning we just MIGHT tackle it before summer's end to get my office all decked out for the school year...that, however, depends on how wedding planning progresses between now and then! Anyway, without further adieu, here it is:
Feminine and cozy, yet clean, classic, and timeless. I am in LOVE!4. Striped guest bathroom (upstairs)I've loved these stripes since I first laid my eyes on them, and all they require is some paint, painter's tape, and a little elbow grease! Cheap and easy :). My only quandry has been where to put them. I'd looooove to do them in our study/guest area (second upstairs bedroom), but I feel like that might be too large a space for this design, especially given that it's not completely in keeping with my general "style" that infiltrates the rest of the house. So, I'm thinking the second upstairs bathroom might be JUST the place...a small enough space that I won't risk making too much of a statement, but a place where these stripes can freshen things up, for sure. And, the striped towels I already happen to own for that bathroom will complete the look just perfectly.
I'd love to use these exact colors in our version. They're neutrals (my favorite!), yet warm, cozy, and inviting...just the look I'm going for.5. Paint change-up
Since we're moving into a brand spankin' new condo that's painted a neutral taupe color throughout, painting wasn't exactly at the top of our move-in to do list. However, I happened to run across this picture of a friend's sister's house that's for sale the other day, and I could have eaten the paint color with a spoon. It is seriously the prettiest brown I've ever seen! It is SO warm and comfortable...I would love to come home to this every night, and it would be perfect with my chocolate brown sectional. I can't decide where I'd put this color, but I'm currently thinking the living area, dining room, and/or downstairs hallway? The floorplan is really open and the spaces basically flow into one another, so I think that if I take the plunge in the den, I'll have to follow suit with the rest of the downstairs, which would be just fine by me. Do you guys think this color is as delicious as I do??
Edit: now that I'm looking more closely at the color, I'm realizing there's no way it would be enough contrast against my chocolate brown sectional. Nix the downstairs idea. Plan B: use it in the master bedroom? It seems like the perfect retreat-y color, and the dark tone would be so soothing to sleep in. Or, use it in the study/second bedroom upstairs? And while I'm at it, I'm thinking the stripes from the other picture would work better in the downstairs bath than in the guest bath...they go more with the beadboard office theme than they do with this warm, rich, chocolate-y tone. Opinions? Feedback?
6. Paint, part three: master tray ceiling
One of my more favorite parts of our master bedroom (aside from the two walk-in closets, its positioning in the trees, and the to-die-for Juliette balcony off it) is the tray ceiling. This image is not "our" bedroom, but it's the same floorplan, so you get the idea:
However, that amazing ceiling is currently not done justice due to the lack of an amazing paint color in the tray. I'm thinking we should remedy that with something dark, warm, and earthy. And, if we paint the master that warm fudge color I showed above, I think a really dark chocolate would be fabulous in the tray...warm, cozy, and romantic, especially with our bright white bedding and purple, gray, gold, and brown accents. Here's a color close to what I'm thinking of:
What do y'all think?So, that concludes my current home improvement "to do" list. I'm excited about, over the next several years, rolling up my sleeves (alongside David!) and diving into some of these projects. The house will definitely feel more homey when we put "our" touch on it. Now, I'm curious...what's on YOUR "house projects" list? Where do you go for ideas and inspiration? Houzz? HGTV? Rate My Space? Magazines? Somewhere else? Let's share ideas and inspire each other to tackle those decorating and home improvement projects...no time like the present!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Weekend Fun
This weekend seems to have flown by! I think it's because we didn't fly in from our two week trip to Nashville until late Saturday night, so we really only got one day. Nonetheless, we made the most of it! Yesterday afternoon, we headed down to Galveston to attend a couples' wedding shower for our sweet friends Bill and Erika. They are getting married just a month before us, on July 31, and we're so excited to get to attend each others' weddings! Erika was in the Clinical Psychology program at University of Houston with me, and Dave and I became fast friends with her and her fiance, who works as an engineer at NASA. We've had so much fun going out to dinner with them, and we all celebrated Halloween together last year by attending the Montrose Pub Crawl. Their shower was a great time, complete with delicious frozen strawberry margaritas and homemade fajitas. They bought their first home just a few months ago (they're basically just like us, ha!), and they got lots of great house and yard necessities at the shower...hoses, hose reels, weedeaters, blowers, and all those goodies that you don't even realize you need until you start taking care of a yard. We will sure miss them when we move. After the shower, David and I headed back to Houston, with a stop at Restoration Hardware to pick up some bath mats (on sale!) for our new master bath. I'm really excited at how well all the decor is coming together and can't wait to post some pictures when we get all settled in. We came home, and I knocked out a bunch of packing (and finally made some progress on clearing out our kitchen cabinets) before we were exhausted and headed to Cheesecake Factory in The Galleria for a late dinner. Today, it's lots more packing for me and errand running for David, and we're visiting his grandma, Claire, this afternoon to tell her goodbye. It's finally starting to sink in for me that our new chapter life is less than a week away, and I'm SO excited. I'm feeling really blessed to get to move back to home, family, and an incredible support system.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Welcome To Our Life!
So I've noticed how many young married couples have started blogs as a way to share their lives with family and friends and to document these precious "newlywed years," and I intended to start one of our own shortly after our wedding on August 29. But since David and I hit a major milestone this week and purchased our first home, I felt like I HAD to get started now to be sure that we would never forget this exciting phase of life! Without further adieu, allow me to introduce you to our little family...
I'm Mackenzie. I'm 22, and I grew up in Franklin, TN, an adorable little historic suburb of Nashville. I was in St. Louis, MO for four years to complete my undergrad degree in Psychology at Washington University, where I was blessed to make some fabulous lifelong friends and learn so much about myself. I got engaged to David, my high school sweetheart, on March 9, 2009, and after graduation, we moved to Houston, his hometown, to start graduate school. However, after some serious changes of heart on both our parts, we've purchased a home in Franklin, TN and are moving there next weekend! I'll be starting my Master's degree in Human Development Counseling at Vanderbilt in August, which I am SO excited about. I love yoga, cooking every chance I get, gardening (especially with my mom), shopping, interior decorating, music, reading, and writing (thus the blog!).
This is David, my wonderful fiance. He's 23 and originally from Houston, TX. We met while participating in a ten day summer program in Boston the summer after our junior year in high school and have been together ever since! He proposed on March 9, 2009, just a few months before our fifth anniversary. David is one of the gentlest, kindest, funniest, most caring people you'll ever meet, and life with him is such a wonderful adventure! He got his Bachelor's in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Albany, NY, and he plans to work for an industrial chemical company in Nashville. David loves ALL animals, science, travel, movies, cooking, and sailing.
This is Alexandra Claire, better known as Allie or Allie Cat or Allielicious. She was my first baby. I adopted her from the PetSmart in Franklin, TN my junior year of college, and she made the six hour car trip to St. Louis to move into my first apartment with me. Allie was about 18 months old when I adopted her and is now three and a half! She is extremely independent, even putting herself to bed in her cat bed every night. She also can't meow, but just squeaks--so girly and cute! She's gained just a liiiiittttle weight while living the "good life" since this picture was taken, but she's every bit as adorable. David and I call her "empathy kitty" because she always knows when one of us is upset and comes right to us in an attempt to comfort us. When she and I lived alone in good old Brentwood Forest as two single ladies, she'd wait between the blinds and my patio door for me to come home each afternoon, and she'd start squeaking and run to the front door as soon as she saw my car pull up! We love her so much.
Next is Tom, better known as Tom Tom. David and I adopted him from the SPCA in St. Louis in August 2008, when David was living in St. Louis with me for the summer and doing an internship at the St. Louis Science Center. Tom is our oldest furbaby, at seven years old, and he loves to talk, eat Weight Watchers strawberry banana yogurt, be held like a baby, and play with his brother Yin Yang. Tom is bonded to David in the same way that Allie favors me, so it works that we each have "our cat!" He was our first joint baby and will always have a special place in our hearts.
Last but certainly not least is Yin Yang, an eighteen month old male tuxedo cat who was the apartment complex stray that we rescued in January 2010. He's grown quite a bit since moving in with us and now weighs a hefty 14.5 pounds! Yin Yang, or "Yin," loves talking and will even "answer" us when asked yes or no questions. He also enjoys wrestling with Tom Tom, chasing him, and washing his head while wrapping his paws around Tom's neck (too adorable for words). He is the most impartial of our three furbabies and is attached to both David and me. Yin Yang does a great job of rounding out our little family!
I hope you've enjoyed the introductions. I'll follow-up with a post soon involving another important introduction: an introduction to our first house! We are WAY too excited about it.
I'm Mackenzie. I'm 22, and I grew up in Franklin, TN, an adorable little historic suburb of Nashville. I was in St. Louis, MO for four years to complete my undergrad degree in Psychology at Washington University, where I was blessed to make some fabulous lifelong friends and learn so much about myself. I got engaged to David, my high school sweetheart, on March 9, 2009, and after graduation, we moved to Houston, his hometown, to start graduate school. However, after some serious changes of heart on both our parts, we've purchased a home in Franklin, TN and are moving there next weekend! I'll be starting my Master's degree in Human Development Counseling at Vanderbilt in August, which I am SO excited about. I love yoga, cooking every chance I get, gardening (especially with my mom), shopping, interior decorating, music, reading, and writing (thus the blog!).
This is David, my wonderful fiance. He's 23 and originally from Houston, TX. We met while participating in a ten day summer program in Boston the summer after our junior year in high school and have been together ever since! He proposed on March 9, 2009, just a few months before our fifth anniversary. David is one of the gentlest, kindest, funniest, most caring people you'll ever meet, and life with him is such a wonderful adventure! He got his Bachelor's in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Albany, NY, and he plans to work for an industrial chemical company in Nashville. David loves ALL animals, science, travel, movies, cooking, and sailing.
This is Alexandra Claire, better known as Allie or Allie Cat or Allielicious. She was my first baby. I adopted her from the PetSmart in Franklin, TN my junior year of college, and she made the six hour car trip to St. Louis to move into my first apartment with me. Allie was about 18 months old when I adopted her and is now three and a half! She is extremely independent, even putting herself to bed in her cat bed every night. She also can't meow, but just squeaks--so girly and cute! She's gained just a liiiiittttle weight while living the "good life" since this picture was taken, but she's every bit as adorable. David and I call her "empathy kitty" because she always knows when one of us is upset and comes right to us in an attempt to comfort us. When she and I lived alone in good old Brentwood Forest as two single ladies, she'd wait between the blinds and my patio door for me to come home each afternoon, and she'd start squeaking and run to the front door as soon as she saw my car pull up! We love her so much.
Next is Tom, better known as Tom Tom. David and I adopted him from the SPCA in St. Louis in August 2008, when David was living in St. Louis with me for the summer and doing an internship at the St. Louis Science Center. Tom is our oldest furbaby, at seven years old, and he loves to talk, eat Weight Watchers strawberry banana yogurt, be held like a baby, and play with his brother Yin Yang. Tom is bonded to David in the same way that Allie favors me, so it works that we each have "our cat!" He was our first joint baby and will always have a special place in our hearts.
Last but certainly not least is Yin Yang, an eighteen month old male tuxedo cat who was the apartment complex stray that we rescued in January 2010. He's grown quite a bit since moving in with us and now weighs a hefty 14.5 pounds! Yin Yang, or "Yin," loves talking and will even "answer" us when asked yes or no questions. He also enjoys wrestling with Tom Tom, chasing him, and washing his head while wrapping his paws around Tom's neck (too adorable for words). He is the most impartial of our three furbabies and is attached to both David and me. Yin Yang does a great job of rounding out our little family!I hope you've enjoyed the introductions. I'll follow-up with a post soon involving another important introduction: an introduction to our first house! We are WAY too excited about it.
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