Creativity

Apartment Therapy had an interesting article the other day about how to cultivate creativity in your everyday life. I liked the article itself but one of the comments is what really stuck out for me. I often find myself staring at tax forms or at the greige walls of my cube wishing I had a 'creative' job where I was immersed in colors, fabric swatches, and light fixtures all day. I never really thought about the opposite - someone living my dream life wishing they were an accountant.

I know there are other ways to find creativity in a job that's otherwise pretty black and white, but in my case, "creative accounting" has a whole different meaning (and not necessarily a good one). There is the obvious suggestion of developing your passion on the side or as a hobby, but the all-or-nothing in me thinks I would be better served by focusing on one or the other. For instance, as far as career development, I should be spending my nights and weekends studying for my CPA exams but instead I opted to spend the last three weekends on the kitchen cabinets.

Mike lucked out with a career that has components of each embedded in his job description, but for those of us on the extremes of either side, how do you make it work for you?

Putting our Wedding First

Now that our wedding is less than nine months away, there has been a very big shift in our home. Our list of house 'to-dos' has not just stopped in its tracks, but it turned around and ran the other way. Mike and I knew that buying a house and getting married in the same year was kind of a crazy idea. One I really don't recommend but we knew we wanted to get our foot in the door as housing prices, interest rates, and our rent was skyrocketing. So we made the decision to go for it knowing that we can live frugally if needed and that we are lucky enough to have families that always have our backs.

As much as I love design and interiors, weddings are a whole different ball game. I feel like they get lumped into the same pile sometimes as they both require planning & a good eye but, for me at least, they are vastly different. The interior of your home is always a work in progress which means you don't have to get it 'right' every time. Weddings are a one-day, seriously important and expensive event that will be forever memorialized. Hence, the difference in stress level.

I definitely am excited to have our friends and family there to celebrate our special day and admittedly have gotten more into the planning aspect as things have fallen into place but having a new house and no budget to do anything to it at the moment has been a little crushing for me. I actually sat down and made a comprehensive spread sheet the other day that encompassed all our vendors, contracts, who is paying for what and when, and compared it to our income. Including what we feel comfortable pulling from our savings and the generosity of our parents, we have about $600 to spend every month after mandatory expenses (mortgage, HOA, utilities, student loan, etc.). For two people, it's doable but it's going to be crazy tight.

I feel like I'm complaining but please know I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I met the love of my life who is going to be my husband and have a wonderful home in my favorite neighborhood. Our home will still be there next year and no one is going to judge us for not making it perfect right off the bat.

Anyone else putting plans on hold to save money for the Big Day? Want to join me at Costco as I stock up on a 9 month supply of Top Ramen?

Quick Trip to Tahoe

As a break from the house and all the things that have been stressing us out lately, last weekend we stepped away and headed up to Tahoe with my dad. I had never been to Tahoe during the fall but absolutely loved it. You wouldn't even notice all the Aspen's in the summer but their beautiful yellow leaves were hard to miss! The smooth waters, fresh air, and lack of people had Mike and I almost giddy.

We both worked from home Friday morning and got on the road around 1:00 - just in time to hit Sacramento traffic around 3:30 - but once we got past Auburn there was almost no one heading up the mountain. We stopped in and grabbed groceries to make dinner for us and my dad on our way through Tahoe City and finally made it into Chinquapin just as it was getting dark.

Chinquapin is small community on the Lake a few miles North of Tahoe City made up of .... townhomes! I didn't get a proper picture of our family's unit, but there are a few different models ranging from 1-5 bedrooms. I've been coming here for a week almost every summer since I can remember and have some of my best memories of staying up late with all my cousins or just spending time out on the lake with my parents and sister.

It's also the future sight of our wedding!

The small cottage behind us is the Dollar House (named for Dollar Point) and was built in the 1920s. The house itself has been redone over the years to include a modern kitchen and has an amazing flagstone patio and private dock where our ceremony and reception will be held. I wanted to get married someplace where we visit often so we can stand in the very spot we said 'I Do' and remember the wonderful day we had.

Other highlights of the trip included meeting our caterers (and deciding they were the one!), strolling along the Lake with my dad, and checking out possible restaurants for our rehearsal dinner. I haven't quite gotten in the habit of taking pictures often, but here are a few other good ones from the trip.

It surprises me how all it takes is a day away from my everyday life to 'reset' my mood and outlook on life. Anyone else been able to sneak away lately?