Friday, February 21, 2014

Making the Most of It


One of the things that comes with the territory of dating a man in the service is that you have to learn to be ok with being by yourself- A LOT! Sometimes this means spending holidays all by your lonesome, which I am slowly getting used to. I'm not gonna to lie- it's pretty tough when you're a self proclaimed social butterfly and Momma's girl (and all of your friends and family are 2,000 miles away). My first taste of being solo was spending Christmas Eve alone (Chris had a 24 hour watch on base, which meant that even when he got home at 9am on Christmas morning that he slept most of the day). 

Well, Valentines this year was no exception! Chris had another all day watch and I was left trying to find something to do that would keep me preoccupied. Since we have only lived in our house for a little over 3 months and my Pinterest boards are overflowing with design ideas for it, I decided to dust off the old sewing machine and finish decorating our bedroom! Being that I am on an EXTREMELY tight budget, I had to get creative and think outside the box a little. 

I found 2 of the cutest fabrics at Walmart that had my favorite color and knew they'd make the perfect pillows! Not to mention- together it was a steal at $15!


BEFORE

(Please excuse sleeping beauty :)

AFTER


Next, it was time to tackle the curtains... The house came with these awful black curtains that just made the room feel like a dungeon. Not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on new curtains or all those yards of fabric, I decided to try something a little different! I had seen on Pinterest how to turn a plain 'ol flat sheet into curtains and we just so happened to have a bunch of extra sets of white sheets. They turned out great! I even had some fabric left over from the pillows and made a little border on the bottom!

BEFORE



AFTER



I even had some fabric left over to make little mats for the dresser and night stand. We bought our bedroom furniture on Craigslist, so there were a few scratches and scuffs and these were the perfect way to cover them up!




I eventually want to make a headboard (can't decide if I want to do one out of pallets or plywood and fabric...) but that is for another post at later time.

The next morning, Chris came home from his 24 hour shift to a new & relaxing bedroom that was perfect for him to sleep half the day away in. Meanwhile, I headed out for my new favorite Saturday tradition- the Old Town Temecula Farmer's Market! I promise to take pictures next time I am there! My favorite purchase of that day were these peonies hybrids. Aren't they just divine? There is just something about fresh flowers that just makes ya so happy- doncha think? 


After Chris woke up, we decided to venture the hour long drive west to Dana Point. My only request for our Valentine's make-up day was to see the ocean. After growing up on the beach, I was dying to see the water, smell the salt air and get my toes sandy! It was exactly the mini getaway that we needed! With all of the stress of Chris's job as a helicopter pilot and my crazy roller coaster ride in trying to get my California nursing license (4 months of waiting!!!), it was the perfect way for both of us to recharge and refocus on each other.







Let's Catch Ya Up to Speed

I figure before we go any further, I should really catch you up on just how this girl from a small beach town in Florida somehow found herself on the other side of the country! Oh Lordy, well I guess this means that we will go back to the very beginning of "us"... 

After graduating from the University of Florida in 2011 and taking a year off to figure out what the heck I wanted to do with my life, I started a one year, accelerated bachelors of nursing program at the University of South Alabama in July of 2012. I'm not gonna lie, I really needed that year off. How many other times in your life do you have a moment to breathe and take a step back to look at your life and figure out what direction you want to take, right?! After a crazy year of ups and downs, I was finally starting a new chapter in the rest of my life by taking the steps towards a career and passion for nursing. I was so excited and was very adamantly telling everyone that I was going to stay single and focus solely on school! NO BOYS! Well.... that lasted for a week. (Hehehe) I was studying for my first test in the local Starbucks in Gulf Breeze, when this cute guy sat down at the table next to me and asked me for a pen. Little did I know that after a few study dates (Chris was studying for flight school for the Marines) which led to a date which led to dating, falling in love, moving in together, getting a puppy, graduating from nursing school, getting his wings and getting stationed at Camp Pendleton, California! Whew- all that happened in a little over a year! Talk about a whirlwind! 

One of our first dates :) Sept, 2012
Getting to see the "mighty" T-6 trainer jet
Marine Corps Ball, Nov. 2012
5 day hike on Appalachian Trail, Feb 2013
Nursing School Graduation, July 2013
Chris's Winging Ceremony, Sept. 2013
Officially with his wings! (Ain't he handsome ;)
We got our German Shorthaired Pointer puppy, Red! Aug. 2013
Ninja Turtles, Halloween 2013
Heading to Cali! Nov 2013
Red the co-pilot
The mountains in New Mexico
Finally in San Diego! Childrens' Pool in La Jolla, Nov 2013
Red enjoying the dog beach in Del Mar
Finally in our new house in Temecula! Thanksgiving, 2013
Made a quick trip back to Pensacola to be the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding :) Dec 2013
Hiking Palomar Mountain (Red is getting bigger by the day)
Christmas Puppy, Dec 2013
Day hike & camping the Pacific Crest Trail (Red's first overnight hike!) Jan 2014
25th Birthday! Took a trip to LA to get Georgetown Cupcakes and see the Hollywood Walk of Fame Jan., 2014
Found Marilyn Monroe's prints!


Whew! Are we all caught up?! What a wild ride! Well now that we have all of that covered, we can focus on the new adventures that we are having while exploring our new home! 

 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Welcome y'all!




Welcome to Southern Gal in SoCal! My name is Molly and I'm a girl who was born and raised on the beautiful beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Almost three months ago, I left my family, friends and the only home that I'd ever known to venture out to sunny Southern California to start a life together with my boyfriend, Chris (and our pup, Red)! Let me tell you, it has been quite an eye-opening adventure (and a culture shock) for this girl! Many of our friends and family have been curious about what our life has been like out here and a blog seemed like the perfect way to keep everyone updated (and a way to channel some creativity)! I have always loved other people's blogs and what a better time to start one than when you are starting a new year in a new place and starting a new career?! So I hope you enjoy the blog and it gives you a little window into our new lives on the West Coast!