Coffee Talk v.8

We're on week 3 of living back stateside. I can't believe it's only week 3! Feels like we've been here much longer. I guess returning to the familiar makes it feel like you never left? Or maybe Florida is just that wonderful? I'm thinking it's a healthy mixture of both.

Being back in the same time zone as my family & friends.
Having a stateside phone number that said family & friends can now call/text me on (no more me having to call everyone!!).
American grocery stores (UNLIMITED CHOICES! HOORAY!).
Giant parking spaces (I'm talking GIANT, did they get bigger while we were gone?).
Watching TV shows as they actually air (screw you, Hulu!).
CLOSETS!!! STORAGE SPACE!!!
Air conditioning. I've never appreciated it so much.
Our American-sized oven and refrigerator. I can now bake a whole batch of cookies at one time. The Hallelujah Chorus is currently playing in my head.
Being able to go to shopping at stores after 7pm if we need to (and we've needed to, a lot).
Stores being open on Sundays (it's just convenient, I'm sorry).
Being able to read signs and talk to basically everyone. It's nice not to have the added struggle of a language barrier.
NO POOP SHELF!!! YAY!
Chick-Fil-A (duh) and frozen yogurt bars. Give me all the toppings!

Summer festivals. Fall festivals. Winter festivals. Spring festivals. All the festivals.
Lack of humidity. I'm melting here, guys. I miss dry heat!
Being able to walk everywhere. I hate buying gas every 5 days.
Delicious German Riesling. Hope our wine shipment arrives safely because we haven't found a great glass here yet.
Doner kebabs, spundekas, turkey schnitzels, and yogurt dressing. Never thought I'd being saying this.
Summer daylight lasting until 11pm. It gets dark too darn early here.
Just hopping in the car and jaunting off to Belgium, or France, or Austria, or Switzerland, or the Netherlands for the weekend. Makes me teary-eyed just a smidge.
The lack of bugs. There are so many bugs and critters here in Florida. SO MANY. Not a fan.
German drivers. HA! Just kidding, I don't miss those.

We are really, really loving our new house. I can't tell you the immense joy this place has already brought us and we've only been here 3 weeks. We can't get over all the space we have and we're so excited about all the memories we'll make here. Totally basking in the glow of new homeownership. Until something breaks, that is. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen for a long while...I wanna hold on to this feeling forever. It was a long time coming. :)

D has been tackling small house projects here and there and loves the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with making little improvements to our happy home. It's a sweet side of him I'm thrilled to see peeking out! Even after almost 7 years of marriage, I'm finding new and wonderful things to love about him!

Speaking of love and my handsome hubby, we'll be celebrating 7 years of marital bliss on the 28th of this month! In celebration, we're going on a short vacay to Disney World, complete with a stay at a Disney resort and character breakfast reservation in Animal Kingdom. Is it wrong for two grown adults to want to dine with Mickey and Minnie? If it's wrong, I guess I don't want to be right! This little getaway might not be an anniversary weekend in France, but we're stoked about it just the same.

Can we just quickly talk about the last episode of The Bachelorette? SPOILER ALERT!! (ignore this bullet point if you haven't watched just yet). Chris (farmer man) might be the kindest, most understanding man in the history of The Bachelorette series. His exit made me cry...half because I was rooting for him, half because he handled Andi sending him home like such a gentleman. She's gonna regret letting him go. A country boy with his own home, thriving business, and good-lookin' tushy...you could make almost anywhere a home with those glowing qualities in a husband! It's all good, though. I'm sure he'll be the next Bachelor. I need to get my sister signed up!

If you haven't read this story and full on ugly cried at these photos...go cry one out today. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. God bless Duke's doggy soul. I'm so happy he got the best last day ever. Grab some tissues, you'll really need 'em. I literally can't even think about this story without tearing up.

Home furniture and decor websites/stores I'm LOVING lately: Joss & Main, Wayfair, West Elm, Havertys, Home Decorators Collection, World Market, Home Goods, and of course, my beloved Pottery Barn. Did I mention how nice it is to be back in America? ;)

A little blog housekeeping: I'm trying my hardest to get back into the swing of all things blog-related. It's a slow process, to say the very least. I feel like there are some things that need to change about this space now that I'm back stateside, so a lot of brainstorming and re-evaluating is currently happening in my head. Once I iron out where I want to take this space in the next year, I'll be taking extra care to implement changes slowly and, hopefully, seamlessly. I love this space, but as much as I want to jump right back in full throttle, it's not smart...nor realistic. So, bear with me, friends! I'll screw my head on straight again...someday.

What's new in your world this week? Tell me all about it!