Hi, everyone! These last few weeks (months?) have been a bit of a whirlwind with lots of changes and new routines to get used to. I’m here with an update on all of the newness in our lives including a new job, Invisalign, new daycares, and a new furbaby!

Beauty

I cut my hair and I started Invisalign!

You can’t even see them!

In middle school, I wore braces for two and a half years. Over these last few years I could tell that my teeth have been shifting. I was becoming increasingly unhappy with my smile and finally decided to do something about it – Invisalign! I started mid-November and wear a special set of trays for one week and then change to the next special set. Each set applies the right amount of force to move my teeth to where they need to be. I’ll be wearing them for about 9 months, which is a piece of cake compared to the years I spent in metal braces. I’m slowly acclimating to them but the best part is I’ll be done before you know it!

Work

In November, I started a new job at Duke University as a program coordinator for the Center for AIDS Research and I’m housed within the Department of Population Health Sciences. I coordinate the social and behavioral sciences program for investigators who research HIV/AIDS, so I’m still working in the field of sexual health – my passion – but in a slightly different capacity. I’ve been with this job for a little over a month now and I’m loving it so far. My team is amazing, my office is bright and happy, and I really like the work I’m doing it. It was a much needed change of pace and a great step up in my career.

My sweet digs at the new office.

Home & Family

As if a new job and new teeth (sort of) weren’t enough, we decided to move Sebastian to a new daycare and then we adopted another dog!

New School

Santa visited Sebastian at his new school. He was so excited! He told Santa he wanted cars for Christmas.

Seb’s new daycare is about 10 minutes from my new office and I like being so close by in case anything happens. It’s located farther away from our house than his previous daycare (about 20 mins vs. 7 minutes) so we’ve had to create a new morning routine to make sure we’re ready and out the door without being late. It has been worth it, though, because in the short time that he’s been at this new daycare he has flourished! He’s happier, speaking more, and singing songs. At his old daycare, he was having a bathroom “accident” almost every day but at this new daycare he hasn’t had a single one. I had had some suspicions about his former teachers not paying enough attention to the kids and this kind of confirms it. But the important thing is that he’s thriving now!

New Puppy

Meet Milo, our new puppy!

Milo Pilo

He’s a 1.5-year-old Chihuahua mix, and he’s quite the snuggle bug. We adopted him at the beginning of December and fell in love immediately. He’s such a sweet, wiggly little guy and we’re so happy to have him. We had a few early hiccups but he’s settling in quite nicely! We chose his name because we thought it sounded good with our other dog, Mia. Mia and Milo… kind of rolls off the tongue! His full name is Milo Pilo with ‘Pilo’ being a subtle nod to Nick’s and my favorite TV show in the whole world, Parks and Recreation per the clip below…

…and also because we make our dogs’ names rhyme! Chico Antonio, Mia Sophia, and Milo Pilo. It’s just what we do 🙂 I mean, look at how cute they are!

Mia & Milo

Anyway, I think that’s it for now. With the holidays coming up, we’ll be even busier but I have a few things in the works for the new year so I hope you’ll stick with me. Wishing you all the best!

Xo, Nicole

Happy Monday!

It seems a little early for a Life Lately post but I know I’ve been quiet the past few weeks, so I thought this would be a good way to check in. Life has felt both boring and hectic at the same time this whole month. Do you know what I mean? I’ve been really busy with work and family and life and once the day is over, the only energy I have left is reserved for sitting on the couch, binge watching Queer Eye and eating ice cream from the carton. Even though there was a lot going on, it still felt pretty boring because we were in a survival mode of sorts.

via GIPHY

As I write this, I’m sitting in my kitchen listening to the loud, monotonous whir of several industrial-strength fans and dehumidifiers. For four days, the fans have been pointed at bare floors that have been stripped of laminate and carpet in an attempt to dry them completely before any mold or other water damage can occur. They’ve been running day and night since Saturday and I’m starting to get used to the sound, like giant white noise machines lulling you to sleep.

fans in the dining room

If you’re like me, you love seeing how other people decorate their homes. Just like with my outfits, I often get a lot of home-decor inspiration from the internet and from visiting friends for the first (or millionth) time.  Nick and I have done a lot to our house in the 5+ years we’ve lived here, and it almost always consists of some kind of compromise. He really likes the mid-century modern look whereas I’m a mix of modern and traditional. I think we’ve done a really good job of meshing our styles in a way that doesn’t completely clash, even if it means Nick getting his way most of the time 😉

Because I know I like it so much, I figured I would start a little series where I gradually share little pieces of my home with you. I’m starting with my bedside table even though there really isn’t anything special about it; I just like the way it turned out. The table is the Terrance Side Table in Antique Brass from West Elm. It’s perfect for the bedroom, but could really be used anywhere like the living room or even an office.

Of course it’s really clean in these photos. It usually stays pretty clean with the exception of a small collection of ponytail holders, bobby pins, and jewelry that often get taken off right before bed. I keep the standard items handy: lamp, tissues, pepper spray and flash light (for safety, as you can see on the second shelf) and tons of journals and books that I’m either currently reading.

I made the storage box on the second shelf using an old shoe box, fabric, and glue. It comes in handy for catching all the random things that I’m not sure what to do with, and it’s a really pretty addition to the table. I keep tissues, old journals, and random nicknacks in this one. The two notebooks on top are journals. (More on that below.) They’re mostly full so it’s probably time to replace them with new ones. Also, I keep this little sleep mask for when I get sensitive to the streetlamp outside our house. Side note: there are only two lamps on our entire street, one in our yard and the other at the very opposite end. The middle can get really dark at night so we often have to walk Mia with a flashlight.

I’m really into journaling and tend to have the best reflections in the evening before bed, so I keep them here for easy access. I like the prompts from the Q&A a Day and This Time Next Year journals (both available on Amazon) when I’m not particularly in the journaling mood. I love the Q&A journal because I’ve been doing it for three years now (out of five) and it’s really interesting to see where my head space was the following year when being asked to answer the same question. For example, the question for October 9 is “You want a new ____” and my answers were: 2014: Career; 2016: Opportunity; and 2016: Car. I mean, who doesn’t want a new car?! Also, I need to hurry and finish the bottom one or it’ll end up being “this time two years from now!”

Confession: these are actually a bunch of books I’ve started to read but haven’t finished for one reason or another. It’s a really bad habit of mine. I keep them here so that I can grab them whenever I’m ready to pick up where I left off. Right now I’m reading Bossy Pants, but it’s slow going.

So, that’s it. My glamorous bedside table. I hope you enjoyed this little peak into my house. What does your bedside table look like?

One year ago today we moved into our house! It was love at first sight then and I can truly say that I love it even more now. I was never really sure I would become a homeowner because of finances and the commitment it took — you have to know you’ll stay in an area for a long time which is the meaning of  “settle down” — but when we got engaged, we knew the time was right. And we knew wanted a simple backyard wedding. I blogged a little about the experience, so I won’t repeat it here, but it was definitely one of the best purchases we’ve made.