tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76589897219576876992024-03-18T18:01:08.701-07:00Vintage Moderna lifestyle blog. Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-63651256184183880632024-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:002024-02-19T10:05:57.564-08:00GREECE | Travel Logistics <p style="text-align: justify;">I have been wanting to write some blog posts about our Summer 2023 trip to Greece but haven't been able to find the time. It was our first big trip that I posted real-time on Instagram stories so that was a fun way for friends and family to follow along but I love having these posts with more details for me to come back to and read years later. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>How did we Pick Greece?</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I actually wanted to go to Switzerland but by the time we started planning in January 2023, things were booked up already so we switched gears. Greece has always been on our list so we decided to go for it. One of Jake's colleagues has been several times and she helped us craft our itinerary which was ATHENS - CRETE (CHANIA) - SANTORINI.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT35Nly4OWn41sQ4WdYPF4x7MbZ2wod2yosVZJ03Lm0fa1neE45NYdzyFzgyuI6S3J-zu-25fBwj7lCCQayEyNiHNCUqP2ALR1jwr1JYLG3nW798AcpfsIdtYw2moNQ6VmvuhwTTaBswGaTQXLsQKcmWWx5R5JH6oyXkIQcuKFcERM6vG1qtuYtvcLgwHU" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT35Nly4OWn41sQ4WdYPF4x7MbZ2wod2yosVZJ03Lm0fa1neE45NYdzyFzgyuI6S3J-zu-25fBwj7lCCQayEyNiHNCUqP2ALR1jwr1JYLG3nW798AcpfsIdtYw2moNQ6VmvuhwTTaBswGaTQXLsQKcmWWx5R5JH6oyXkIQcuKFcERM6vG1qtuYtvcLgwHU=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GREECE!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7RVMhnVDFoNtVc139O7ItvRObJDaXAemRlV52FC6v_d3CCijwxi5mmZ7JAWNroBf80JYFy1t5jK74o0ipP8CfzYE-dvkyYcM7DBk1P_JASmrPat1lqWgOY9oWW9jmnxuOuTWshGYtzf41pAcAqZ4MyDjq-zae7Ziip1w8-e0Q_yvMLSfen-HuxdUgOaEo" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7RVMhnVDFoNtVc139O7ItvRObJDaXAemRlV52FC6v_d3CCijwxi5mmZ7JAWNroBf80JYFy1t5jK74o0ipP8CfzYE-dvkyYcM7DBk1P_JASmrPat1lqWgOY9oWW9jmnxuOuTWshGYtzf41pAcAqZ4MyDjq-zae7Ziip1w8-e0Q_yvMLSfen-HuxdUgOaEo=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LAX > IST</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><b><br />Getting There </b><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We flew to Athens on Turkish Airlines with a stopover in Istanbul and I was happy with the deal I got on our tickets (~$1,400 each). I spent a lot of time trying to find the optimal travel plan. Should we stop in NYC and do a slower approach to get there? I wrote a post in one of the Traveling with Kids FB groups I am in and many folks suggested getting as close to our destination as quickly as possible so that's how we ended up with LAX > IST > ATH since there are no direct flights. I joke that I only travel to places with direct flights from LAX so I made an exception to visit Greece! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I also didn't realize how far away it was! Like, exactly how far East in Europe. Greece is 10 hours ahead and we got in around 8 pm local time so we just went to bed. It was actually pretty easy to get up the next morning and start exploring. We also used the <a href="https://www.timeshifter.com">Timeshifter App</a> which helped us prepare ahead of time and avoid jet lag. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Flights </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first flight was 13 hours long red eye (cringe) and the second flight was a little over an hour. I really liked the mediteranian food on the transatlantic flight and how we got so many different meals! We saved the printed menu for our memory box. I can't imagine what kind of culinary specialities they had in Biz Class. Maybe one day!! West slept for about 5 hours and we rested on and off too. Then we took turns watching a movie or reading and West played on his iPad and watched a few shows too. Our flight was delayed so we were worried about missing our connection. I think they held the plane for folks that were on our flight because the 2nd flight was also delayed, but we made it! The Istanbul airport was huge, modern and very minimalist. I loved it! We only brought carryon's because I was worried about losing our luggage so we had to hoof it through the airport with a 4 year old (who may or may not ride in his travel stroller), 3 luggages, a couple tote bags and a kid's backpack. We eventually had it down to a science. One person would push two suitcases back to back with one hand and the 3rd suitcase with the other hand. The other person would push West in the stroller or "help" him push it if he preferred to walk and held the two tote bags and backpacks. Both flights had a VERY cool feature where there was a camera on the front of the plane so you could watch the flight while it was happening, you could face it forward or down to see what the pilots were seeing. I have a video of this on my Instagram story highlights. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8s1gkKTCVB3sD1JzhG-xVp5oPWATAGv1GZjbqrKPy8-KAjD-idrIUZzhx8ZC-_f41AAMCjmfNWz2xlcjNS6a7cpGZNU0WlC6lCnZygH_CxB4luRN2bpsgkn2Nm1dM81qlF_6BeN-NZ6LDw0WPv1Nc-hOtV-qHfLc3X2a9i8Oe9nDc1HU1ckCx3HT6J3W3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8s1gkKTCVB3sD1JzhG-xVp5oPWATAGv1GZjbqrKPy8-KAjD-idrIUZzhx8ZC-_f41AAMCjmfNWz2xlcjNS6a7cpGZNU0WlC6lCnZygH_CxB4luRN2bpsgkn2Nm1dM81qlF_6BeN-NZ6LDw0WPv1Nc-hOtV-qHfLc3X2a9i8Oe9nDc1HU1ckCx3HT6J3W3=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LAX, Tom Bradley Terminal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXbizZxOY-97pFLISX-bSdTVlG7_Z7HOCI3AXUbV2BuD1KmuUQ7YSVtB9WcfZpHlhqU2FBgogSU6wHGRpBmI-ApyVwJWciWuKg_EpuBfVLtbakcTeV2TAFAY7iSY_Fmr8GiKQOBVf1liL02ex7Gj_ax5mWH6SnOlGb1emYs72LN9hMSiZhyFDTWI3bn_U5" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXbizZxOY-97pFLISX-bSdTVlG7_Z7HOCI3AXUbV2BuD1KmuUQ7YSVtB9WcfZpHlhqU2FBgogSU6wHGRpBmI-ApyVwJWciWuKg_EpuBfVLtbakcTeV2TAFAY7iSY_Fmr8GiKQOBVf1liL02ex7Gj_ax5mWH6SnOlGb1emYs72LN9hMSiZhyFDTWI3bn_U5=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carry-on Luggage (17 lbs max EACH)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where Did We Stay? </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I almost booked a Costco Travel package but I realized how much I like to pick out hotels so I needed more time to research them. We almost stayed at an AirBNB in Athens but landed on <a href="https://www.pamehouse.com">Pame House</a> in the trendy Psirri neighborhood. In Chania, we initially booked Hotel Christina but changed up last minute and thank goodness because this was my favorite hotel of the trip! We splurged for <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/chqlc-domes-zeen-chania-a-luxury-collection-resort-crete/overview/?gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2Szmmn79h7rLUzC7MvHp0R4bTBtw3lZ50LhHkeHTWr1ylHljml6oPKhoCznYQAvD_BwE&ef_id=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2Szmmn79h7rLUzC7MvHp0R4bTBtw3lZ50LhHkeHTWr1ylHljml6oPKhoCznYQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!4331!3!!!!x!!&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1">Domes Zeen</a> and stayed in a standalone bungalow which came with our own private (unheated!) pool. Finally, we stayed at this <a href="https://www.vrbo.com/10851679ha?chkin=2023-07-22&chkout=2023-07-28&rm1=a2&expediaPropertyId=66240735">VRBO property</a> in Imerovigli, Santorini with a heated pool and West was able to swim like the little fish he is. I really enjoyed all of the places we stayed and it was fun to have a change of scenery every 3 days. For the last night before our flight home, we stayed at <a href="https://www.hotelavra.gr">Hotel Avra</a> in Rafina which is a seaside town near the airport. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>New (to me) Travel Hacks</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">-Using AirTags in Luggage, with passports and on West</p><p style="text-align: justify;">-Carry on Luggage was great (except no room for souvenirs!) </p><p style="text-align: justify;">-Fold up Travel stroller came in clutch. We've used this a bit around town and constantly get stopped on the street with people asking about it. One guy bought it right before our eyes on the Amazon app as soon as we told him the brand! </p>Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-59974976263252073902023-08-04T18:20:00.006-07:002023-08-04T22:21:18.565-07:003 Years Later... <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi Internet fam! It's mid-2023 and the last time I posted, West was a baby. Now he's about to start TK (transitional </span>kindergarten). Time can be so fleeting and even this year is flying by. Anyway, here's what we've been up to recently. I miss blogging! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkrJWH--W7CvVetGB1yXOgTvQZgQz8ls7KHrb1YAU-raKLOueURR5x2YaXYMEo9ewqn8OpZKf_Jh0wlxgynpuGh9o5saux4MsyBJNDOmHO3GMPpRQgjP-hCugCSPk0vgWlGTPYem7v6c1Mf_BGG9Ob2lMhCuevgUAl7pbQpEtPstWaNoyJjrexjGPJQJ_/s800/90C383C6-CD7C-4DED-A453-EAEA7555C37E_1_105_c.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkrJWH--W7CvVetGB1yXOgTvQZgQz8ls7KHrb1YAU-raKLOueURR5x2YaXYMEo9ewqn8OpZKf_Jh0wlxgynpuGh9o5saux4MsyBJNDOmHO3GMPpRQgjP-hCugCSPk0vgWlGTPYem7v6c1Mf_BGG9Ob2lMhCuevgUAl7pbQpEtPstWaNoyJjrexjGPJQJ_/s16000/90C383C6-CD7C-4DED-A453-EAEA7555C37E_1_105_c.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Santorini, June 2023</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">The latest & greatest... </p><ul><li>We've had our rescue dog Olive for almost 6 years, she is about to turn 10 and she is still my little snuggle bear. </li><li>We saw the Barbie movie today. In honor of that, here are my favorite <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG9CTFX/ref=twister_B077X9KRSQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=thevintagemod-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5aadbb99b055a9ff2e2543b7714e35ed&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Cat Eye Sunnies</a>! </li><li>Recently discovered this cute plant shop and I think I need <a href="https://www.pippiandlola.com/product/6-polka-dot-begonia-maculata/203?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=32" target="_blank">this</a> polka dotted plant. </li><li>This summer will be known as the Whirlwind Summer of 2023. We went to Greece, Seattle and just got back from Hawaii. Should I do some recap blog posts? I think the answer is yes. </li><li>I had my 20-year high school reunion last week. Again, remember time flies? Here's a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvZMo2_Nm3S/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank">fun video</a> my classmate put together. Randomly, we also started watching the After Party on Apple TV which is also about a HS reunion... such an odd coincidence! </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>xoxo,</div><div>Kim </div><p></p>
Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-87150325529102829922020-04-15T20:52:00.002-07:002020-04-19T20:02:33.081-07:00Confetti from the Sky<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i>Editor's Note: It feels a bit strange to be blogging in the midst of a pandemic, so bear with me. I hope my blog posts can provide a little sense of normalcy when everything else feels so unpredictable and unfamiliar. Writing is therapeutic for me, and I hope my blog can be a bright spot or distraction for you in the midst of everything going on. </i></div>
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For most of my childhood, I grew up near the wettest spot on earth, Kauai's Mt. Waialeale where it rains an average of 373 inches per year, with a record 683 inches in 1982. I don't remember it raining much when I was a kid, but I do remember lots of sunny days growing up in Hawaii. </div>
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After graduating from college in 2007, I did a stint in Seattle from 2008-2013 where I enjoyed my fair share of rainy days. One myth about Seattle is that it's always raining. Actually, the volume of rain wasn't problematic for me. It was more so the general cloud cover that was looming most days. I had co-workers with SAD disorder who needed bright lights to make them feel better. I managed to get by without those things and honestly, I was more worried about the constant drizzle making my already frizzy hair even worse. Ah, to be in my early twenties again... </div>
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After getting married, my husband and I moved across the country to the Southeast where my new hair problem was humidity, not rain. Although, I did love the occasional thunder storms and got used to listening to the rain in the evenings while falling asleep.</div>
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Fast forward a couple more years to 2016 and another cross country move, and we have (finally!) settled in sunny Southern California. We moved here in June and did not see a drop of rain for months. I remember we were driving home from Palm Springs on a Sunday in October and it started raining and it was like a dream. I had never seen the concrete dark from the rain and when we pulled into the driveway, we both just stared at each other. I took a video of the rain, I was like, wow, who am I and who knew I could talk about rain so much?! </div>
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If you made it this far, you will know that the point of this post is not only about rain. It's also about art! When <a href="https://www.photowall.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photowall</a> approached me about doing a collaboration, I knew it would take me hours browsing their site to pick out my favorite art piece (c/o <a href="https://www.photowall.com/" target="_blank">Photowall</a>) and that all seemed like too much work. Little did I know, I popped onto their site and within 5 minutes, I had already picked out the canvas art that I wanted. It was called "<a href="https://www.photowall.com/abstract-clouds-poster" target="_blank">abstract clouds</a>". I was drawn to it because it was so simple, but I liked the colors and felt like it would really fit well into our home. </div>
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Our son was born in Southern California and has only seen rain a handful of times in his young life. His first time seeing rain was actually in Michigan when he was six months old last summer. I want him to learn to appreciate the sun and the only way to do that is to also appreciate the rain. I was looking up rain quotes for this post and found one where someone called it "confetti from the sky". That is what I am going to start calling it! </div>
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Since living here, my relationship with the rain has changed so much. Now I get excited for it to rain! Our house didn't have gutters (1942, am I right?!) but we ended up getting a couple installed recently and the first time it rained, we watched from the window. I mean, what better things do we have to do during #covidquarantine!?</div>
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If you feel like browsing (there are a bunch of more pieces I want to order), check out <a href="https://www.photowall.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photowall</a>. Some of my favorites are <a href="https://www.photowall.com/such-beauty-1-canvas-print" target="_blank">Such Beauty</a>, <a href="https://www.photowall.com/big-sur-california-wallpaper" target="_blank">Big Sur</a> (wallpaper), and <a href="https://www.photowall.com/hedgehog-cactus-canvas-print" target="_blank">Hedgehog Cactus</a>. I am also happy to share a 25% off discount code, just use "thevintagemodern2021" at checkout. </div>
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Stay home (+safe), </div>
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-2249741984838464132020-03-30T22:15:00.000-07:002020-04-15T20:53:51.820-07:00Wild ONE<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's my first post of 2020!<br />
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Well, what a year it's been so far.<br />
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So many crazy unexpected adjustments and we are just surviving over here, folks. I remind myself that I'm taking things "one day at a time" about 49 times a day. I started going to a new mom's group last fall and one of the things we shared was our "mom mantra". Mine was "I am enough" and whenever I feel like I'm not doing a good job as a mom or just in life in general, I remind myself of my mantra and it helps me feel better. Other favorites: "This too shall pass" and "Fake it 'til you make it". Another thing I've found especially helpful over the years is making gratitude lists. I find that really helps shift my perspective and reframe things when I start feeling overwhelmed, anxious or scared (or all of the above).<br />
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To focus on some happier news during this unprecedented and stressful time, I decided to share West's cake smash photos. <a href="http://www.sykimphotography.com/" target="_blank">Sunny Kim</a>, who also took West's <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2019/07/newborn-life-alternate-title-ill-sleep.html" target="_blank">newborn photos</a> took these pictures in late February when West was almost 13 months old. Now, he's going to be 14 months old in just a couple short weeks. Jake and I finally finished up his monthly recaps for his baby book and now I just need to order a few more monthly photos to include and it'll be pretty much done. I also put all of his monthly progress photos in a chatbook and ordered a second chatbook with photos of our family that we can start reading to him on a regular basis. I am really excited about this family book especially since we won't be traveling for a bit.<br />
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I will work on a separate post about what he's doing these days now that he's ONE (if anyone is interested), I'm sure you're just watching him grow up on my daily instagram videos. Isn't technology crazy?<br />
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Ok, enough with the recap. Here are the photos you came to see.<br />
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WEST //<br />
Cake Smash<br />
February 2020 </div>
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We celebrated West's birthday in early February in Washington with friends and family and I struggled trying to find a photographer that would take photos at the actual party. So, friends and family stepped in and we got some really cute shots of West with his cousins and our friends that I shared on Instagram. I thought it would be fun to document his first birthday with a cake smash when we got home so that is exactly what we did. </div>
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Suziecakes made this mini 4" smash cake and it tasted delicious. Fun fact: I actually saved the cake after the cake smash and Jake and I ate some for dessert that night. </div>
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Maybe his hair will come in by his second birthday?!? :) I think that's what makes him look so young still. But I am not in a rush for him to grow up, so I'm okay with that... </div>
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We had to help get him started a bit...<br />
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I love this one! The biggest bite he's ever taken of anything, I'm sure!<br />
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...and now he's double fisting!<br />
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Of course, Mom and Dad had to get in the mix a little!<br />
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I can hear his little voice when I look at his facial expression in this photo. Awww, can you tell he is sleeping now and I miss him? Classic mom move!<br />
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Happy Birthday my West!<br />
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Love,<br />
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aka<br />
Mom<br />
aka<br />
Mama<br />
aka<br />
Mwham </div>
Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-25864287753168414832019-10-27T10:41:00.000-07:002019-11-23T19:39:34.460-08:00Vintage Holiday Cards with Basic Invite<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since baby West was born over eight months ago, I have discovered that all the cliches about motherhood are true. I watch him sleep. I love him so much it hurts. Time goes by too fast. You get the idea. I am not someone who likes to conform to what everyone else does and says, so this was hard for me to accept. I like to be a little bit different. This is why I held out so long to get an iPhone; I liked being different with my Blackberry. For my wedding, I had my nails painted in Essie "chinchilly" which is described as greige (gray + beige). Sidenote: I'm still obsessed with this nail color! I would argue that we traveled to Iceland (in 2014) before it was the "cool thing to do". But I digress...<br />
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Now, one of my favorite things we've done since welcoming the baby has been taking family photos (I know, I know... total cliche! But I am embracing it now!). In my last post, I shared that we took <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2019/07/newborn-life-alternate-title-ill-sleep.html" target="_blank">newborn photos</a> when West was just five weeks old. Coming from someone who has over 1,000 photos on her phone of her less-than-one-year-old baby, my rule is that you can never have too many photos (especially professional ones!). Fast forward to last month, we took some special Fall family photos with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lyndseyyo/?hl=en" target="_blank">Lyndsey Yeomans</a> that I knew would be perfect for our Holiday Card.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoV5IhX0OIF2m6p1AIc4hgIa2sKz0C9zvprlp21s8VhRfQnooWyN7CDKWFuWFOaV750CtpGnetdZsjoF4O6CGPBBAHcKCvcAFDpyYWZpqICBBnsDPbMLgq_Gk3FeQKA2e1QP7-1Li1EzR/s1600/Holiday19-148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoV5IhX0OIF2m6p1AIc4hgIa2sKz0C9zvprlp21s8VhRfQnooWyN7CDKWFuWFOaV750CtpGnetdZsjoF4O6CGPBBAHcKCvcAFDpyYWZpqICBBnsDPbMLgq_Gk3FeQKA2e1QP7-1Li1EzR/s1600/Holiday19-148.jpg" /></a><br />
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Since this is our first year sending out Holiday Cards, I was so excited when Basic Invite reached out and asked if I wanted to work with them. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me tell you about a few ways that </span><a href="https://www.basicinvite.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Basic Invite</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is different. </span><br />
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<b>Nearly Unlimited Colors</b><span style="background-color: white;"> - They allow almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the littlest detail.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">Custom Samples (my favorite offering!)</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - They </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">allow you the ability to order a printed sample of your actual </span>holiday<span style="font-family: inherit;"> card so you can see exactly how it will print as well as feel the paper quality before you ever have to place your final order.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Address Capturing Service</b><span style="background-color: white;"> - They offer an address capturing service that allows you to simply share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media to request friends and family’s addresses which will be stored in your account and can then be selected during the design process. They also offer recipient address printing at no cost on all Christmas card orders (which is a huge perk and time saver)! </span></span></div>
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I always thought it would be too overwhelming, time consuming and too expensive to order holiday cards. But, I was wrong! Basic Invite makes it so easy.<br />
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First, I filtered, sorted and browsed the holiday cards. I created an account and added my top designs to my FAVORITES. Then I looked at my FAVORITES section and compared all the ones I "favorited". I decided I would order customized samples of my top five. I customized those designs with photos from our photography session. <br />
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Below are three of the samples that I ordered (images via online proofs):<br />
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Here is what they look like IRL (Photos taken with my iPhoneX, unedited):<br />
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So, which one did we end up choosing? It's a surprise and you'll have to wait and see what comes to your mailbox! <br />
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You may also want to check out Basic Invite for <a href="https://www.basicinvite.com/events/holiday-cards/business.html" target="_blank">business holiday cards</a>, <a href="https://www.basicinvite.com/events/holiday-cards/photo-christmas-cards.html" target="_blank">vintage christmas cards</a> or <a href="https://www.basicinvite.com/events/holiday-cards.html" target="_blank">vintage inspired holiday looks</a>. Until the end of November, you can get 30% off at Basic Invite with coupon code "holi30". I can't wait to see what you end up ordering!<br />
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This is a sponsored post for <a href="https://www.basicinvite.com/" target="_blank">Basic Invite</a>. However, all opinions expressed are my own. #ad.</div>
Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-58612099087123238542019-07-01T21:25:00.001-07:002019-07-01T21:33:14.571-07:00Newborn Life (Alternate Title: I'll Sleep When I'm Dead)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now that we are starting to emerge from the new parent/newborn haze, I am finally able to start blogging again. West hasn't been napping as much during the day, so it's been hard to find time between breastfeeding + supplementing + pumping every 2-3 hours. I have such a newfound respect for moms! How in the world do you find time to do anything for yourself? Let alone work full time! We both transitioned back to work in late April and I am still not quite sure how to juggle it all. In time.<br />
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We are both very lucky in that we are able to work from home. Jake does have to go to campus to teach classes a few times a week, but the rest of the time he is home with us -- unless he is golfing, that is. We have childcare so we can actually get work done -- now that would be insane if I tried to work full time and watch him. Basically, I would not get anything done. Ever. So again, we are lucky that West can be home and we don't have to ship him off to daycare just yet. </div>
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When West was five weeks old, we had some newborn photos taken at our home and I wanted to share some of them with you all. We worked with Sunny Kim (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sykimphotography/?hl=en" target="_blank">@sykimphotography</a>) and she was one of the sweetest, most calm people I've ever met. I was rushing around trying to see where the best lighting in the house was and she was like, it's OK... let me worry about that! I don't think Olive even barked at her one time! Olive is very protective of us so you know that is a BIG deal.<br />
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I thought about doing maternity photos but decided if I was going to choose between that and newborn photos, I would pick newborn -- and then the baby could actually be in the photos! We are deciding which ones we want to frame and its so hard because we LOVE THEM ALL. In honor of West turning 5 MONTHS old next week, here are the photos from when he was 5 WEEKS old.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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And of course, Olive made a cameo. It was so cute, she was in a bunch of pictures and we didn't even realize it while we were taking them. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She is the best doggie, and best big sister to West. <3<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-54718121032556381832019-04-27T20:13:00.000-07:002019-04-27T20:18:12.307-07:00Nursery Reveal<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the first things I started thinking about after I found out I was pregnant was the nursery. Actually, thats not true. I started planning it long before I got pregnant. I knew I wanted a neutral and lighter wood theme, and I always planned it to be very gender neutral. I originally wanted to do neutral rainbows but that never panned out. I'm not exactly sure why but I ended up going in a different direction once I started actually purchasing things. </div>
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The first thing I bought was a rug which I found out was discontinued after I ordered it and my order was abruptly cancelled. After that ordeal, I decided to design the room around the wallpaper that I'd picked out. Since the wallpaper was on the more ornate side, I wanted to keep everything else very fresh, neutral and simple.<br />
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The ironic part is that West has been sleeping in the snoo in our bedroom since we brought him home from the hospital. So he probably hasn't spent more than 10-15 minutes at a time in his room yet. I did nurse him a few times in the rocking chair in there but for the most part, we hang out either in the living room or in our master bedroom. Part of me is looking forward to moving him into his room, the other part of me is not because its a bit of a hike to get from our room to his. Although, our house isn't even 1,500 square feet and it's only one story so I can't really complain. </div>
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So without further ado, here is the big reveal. I hope you like it! I know I am obsessed with how the room turned out and want to add wallpaper all over our house now! This particular wallpaper is actually removable wallpaper tiles and it was so easy to install. I highly recommend it if you are looking to wallpaper something. </div>
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These photos were taken as part of our newborn session with the lovely <a href="http://www.sykimphotography.com/" target="_blank">Sunny Kim</a> when West was 5 weeks old in mid-March. I'll share more photos from our session soon. </div>
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Sources: </div>
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<a href="https://www.hyggeandwest.com/products/daydream-sunshine-tile" target="_blank">wallpaper</a> | <a href="https://moonpicnic.com/product/make-a-face/" target="_blank">make-a-face</a> | <a href="https://www.cheerily.co/products/house-white-knitted-plushie" target="_blank">bottle rattle </a>| <a href="https://www.littlesaplingtoys.com/products/stacking-rainbow-toy-all-maple" target="_blank">wood rainbow</a> | <a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/18755/" target="_blank">crib</a> | <a href="https://www.serenaandlily.com/variationproduct?dwvar_m11344_size=Small&pid=m11344&pdp=true&source=detail&utm_source=adlucent&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adlucent&gclid=CjwKCAjw-4_mBRBuEiwA5xnFIHb9lAac1RS9PXP2t0KgxieJbhy87afy9BK0raYLgJMfNQV0f06RIBoC_I0QAvD_BwE" target="_blank">hamper</a> | <a href="https://www.cb2.com/saic-quantam-gunsmoke-rocking-chair/s403332" target="_blank">rocking chair </a>| ottoman (old) | <a href="https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-braided/Off-White/200CB01-P.html" target="_blank">rug</a> | <a href="https://thenightsky.com/" target="_blank">the night sky</a> | <a href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/keekaroo-reg-peanut-changer/3272011" target="_blank">peanut changer</a> | curtains and bookshelf were handmade by friends + family</div>
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Please let know if I missed anything! </div>
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xoxo,<br />
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<br />Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-76445452541060363302019-04-13T13:44:00.000-07:002019-04-13T13:44:17.902-07:00WEST: A Birth Story<div style="text-align: justify;">
I remember when I was younger, I would watch <i>A Baby Story</i> on TLC and I was always so fascinated by the birth stories. Every single one was different and special. Most of the time I was just genuinely terrified by watching them (kind of like watching Unsolved Mysteries as a kid, but in a different way). Can you tell I was a 90's kid who watched a lot of TV?<br />
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----- SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2019 -----<br />
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Well my birth story starts in the middle of the night in the wee hours of Saturday morning (2/9). Don't all the best birth stories start out in the middle of the night? I woke up for the 3rd or 4th time to go to the bathroom that night around 2:45 am. I had this whole elaborate system to get up where I turn onto my left side, push myself up with my right hand, sit on the bed and then stand up slowly. Good thing the bathroom is only a few steps away. I felt four or five gushes of liquid as I walked those few steps. I usually go to the bathroom in the dark but something felt different and I turned the light on. I woke up Jake and told him what I was experiencing so he turned to Dr. Google as we tried to figure out if it was worth it to call the doctor. We ended up calling the hospital. They paged the doctor on call who called us back within minutes. Jake answered and explained that I was 37w 2d and handed me the phone. I spoke with the doctor and she recommended that I come in because once your water breaks they like you to have the baby within 24 hours since the risk of infection is so high. I remember her exact words, "We invite you to come to the hospital". At this point both of us weren't sure anything was happening but we agreed it would be best to go. And worse case, it will be a funny story that we woke up in the middle of the night and raced to the hospital for no reason. The doctor suggested we come sooner than later and not wait for daybreak, so we had a bit of a sense of urgency. I had heard so many moms get turned away because they weren't dilated far enough or in fact, their water had not broken, they just peed their pants. But, that's not what happened. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-D-KapBPyPvg3cObwnMa_G_YhZOJLxr73l5Ff11tg8XfH_cJMx-otwv5ICxXpomW-c3Aq159uSx7yr8XnWk5WPuDlw1lP4KS_clBCtIXMllg28uHPRwGUA2CFnc1XE4uOA6rVVnkvcx3/s1600/IMG_3121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-D-KapBPyPvg3cObwnMa_G_YhZOJLxr73l5Ff11tg8XfH_cJMx-otwv5ICxXpomW-c3Aq159uSx7yr8XnWk5WPuDlw1lP4KS_clBCtIXMllg28uHPRwGUA2CFnc1XE4uOA6rVVnkvcx3/s1600/IMG_3121.JPG" /></a><br />
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Our hospital bag was 90% packed and we just had to throw in a few odds and ends. We had been working pretty religiously on getting it ready but there were a few things that we couldn't quite pack like our Nikes that we wear every single day and the one comb that I own (P.S. I need to buy more combs). We calmly threw the remaining items in and placed Olive in her dog pen. In case I went into labor in the middle of the night, we had arranged for a friend to pick up Olive and drop her off at her regular sitters during the hours of 8 am - 8 pm. We hid our hide-a-key and drove to the hospital. We were both joking that it was the perfect time to go because we got there in about 15 minutes when we usually allow 45 minutes to an hour with traffic. After taking a quick selfie to document the moment, we arrived around 3:30 am and got checked into the triage area where they assess if your water actually did break. The nurse and doctor did an exam and explained there were 3 tests they do. If I passed two of them, I would be admitted. Both of us didn't want to get our hopes up so we just calmly waited for the results. When we first got there, I was given a PATIENT BELONGINGS bag and I joked that it was like prison putting all my stuff in this plastic bag. The nurse was like, do you even want to have a baby?! I said yes, I just wasn't completely ready since it was still 3 weeks to my due date. In hindsight, I would rather have him come a bit early (after reaching term) than be miserable and pregnant for 41+ weeks like I've heard isn't uncommon for first time mom's (FTM).<br />
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I passed two of the tests and was admitted. We also found out that I was 1 cm dilated but 0% effaced. Jake went back to the car to grab the rest of our belongings and trucked them over from the parking garage.<br />
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WE WERE HAVNG A BABY (soonish)!<br />
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They started me on Pitocin and we got moved to our own private room and waited until 7 am to order breakfast - this would be my last real meal before I would be placed on an all liquid diet. We ordered at 7 am sharp and there was a slight mishap with the timing of the order, it took two hours and by that time, I was already placed on an all liquid diet so I was given broth and jello instead. Ummm yeah nope -- not for my last meal!!!! I eventually ended up getting my original order -- a bagel with cream cheese and fruit on the side -- and by then I was starving! I wolfed that down and I think we both napped for a bit. Contractions were getting more frequent and stronger but nothing unbearable. I had decided that I was going to get an epidural so was just waiting until I was further dilated because I heard that I shouldn't get one too early. The anesthesiologist said most people are dilated to around 5 when they get one. We didn't know where I was because they don't like to check often when your water breaks first since it can introduce an infection. So we just watched TV, talked and waited.<br />
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The nurses had to administer oxygen several times since the baby seemed too "sleepy" intermittently. At first I didn't like it because the mask felt awkward and kept falling off. But then I decided I liked it and requested that they give me some more later in the day. The nurse took one look at me and said very sternly that the oxygen was for the baby and not me. Jake and I both looked at each other and kind of chuckled. <br />
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Around noon, I decided I was getting ready to get my epidural so we told the nurses and around 12:45, I got a combined spinal epidural. It was explained to me that this would provide both immediate and then long lasting relief so it made sense to have the best of both worlds. Jake had to leave the room while they administered the epidural because that is their policy. I guess they don't want to deal with passed out husbands... which I thought was kind of funny because Jake is a bit squeamish. This was a perfect time for him to grab coffee and snacks (for middle of the night cravings, once I could eat again!) <br />
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The next time they checked me, I was dilated to a 5, 80% effaced around 5 pm and on a diet of strictly ice chips which are actually pretty tasty when it's the only thing you can eat. They kept increasing the Pitocin and I was making progress, it just wasn't as quickly as I hoped. I initially wanted a 2/9 birthday (I liked the juxtaposition of an even number and an odd number) but as the nurses kept telling us, the baby is the boss and he gets to decide...so we waited.. and texted with our family to keep them updated. There was a Gonzaga basketball game that was going to start at 7 pm so I got excited to watch that as a distraction but it turns out the hospital didn't have the channel that needed to watch it. So, we ended up napping until around 9 - 10 pm. We had a little game going with Jake's family to predict the baby's birthday, time and birth stats. We had an ultrasound earlier that week to make sure he was head down and they told us he was roughly 6.5 lbs and right around 50% percentile wise. Leaving that appointment, I was worried that I still had 3 more weeks to grow this little human and I would have an 8+ pounder! Little did I know...<br />
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At this point, I started to feel painful contractions and I was confused and had them check on my epidural. Turns out it was fine but I was having back labor. I remember the nurse saying it's going to feel like I "don't have an epidural" because he is sunny side up and his spine is pressed against my spine. Definitely not the words I was hoping to hear. As I felt each painful contraction get closer to the previous one, I had Jake massage this one particular part of my lower back -- and this lasted for several hours. Poor guy! I felt bad but then I realized I was the one in labor, not him! And around this time, we also realized that unfortunately, February 9th would not be the baby's birthdate...<br />
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----- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019 -----<br />
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A little after midnight, I was ready to start pushing so I requested that they come check to see how dilated I was and I was a 9! So close, yet so far... they checked again in another half hour. Still a 9 at 1:00 in the morning. Finally, I made them check again and I was dilated to 10 -- HALLELUJAH -- this was probably around 2 -3 am. I remember the feeling going from a 9 to 10 -- I suddenly felt very sick, like I wanted to throw up. The nurse assured me that this was all normal. Thank goodness I didn't end up getting sick because to me, throwing up is the worst feeling in the entire world.<br />
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I can't remember when exactly this part happened but I wanted to see if they could try and turn the baby from a face up position to the proper face down position to ease my labor. They agreed to try, we later found out they tried 2 or 3 times and were unsuccessful. That was probably the most painful part of my labor. I actually forgot about this until I went back and looked at my texts with our friends and family. In retrospect, I am glad that they weren't able to turn him -- I'll explain more later about that.<br />
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We decided to do some practice pushing with just the nurse, but she was worried that I wouldn't push effectively because of my epidural. She told me to stop pushing the button that gives an extra dose because she didn't want me to be too numb. The crazy thing was that I could still feel my legs, they were tingly but I just thought I would be numb from the waist down. So that was surprising to me! Anyway, we start practice pushing and we try getting into some alternate positions (I was very limited in which positions I could choose since I had the epidural) but they did let me sit up and then also try holding my upper body up by grabbing onto some material wrapped around a bar. I'm sure there is a name for this technique? It seemed to work a bit letter. Next thing I know, the nurse is telling me that we have to take a break from pushing because both of the doctors are performing an emergency c-section and we don't want to have the baby without the doctors there. This was devastating news and I remember thinking, how can I not push? It's so instinctual and really hard to stop your body from doing what it naturally wants to do.<br />
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But as we waited, the hours really flew by and the next thing I knew, the two doctors were at my side and there were 3-4 nurses too, holding my legs. I was kind of out of it at this point because I was so exhausted as it had been over 24 hours without more than a few hours of sleep at a time (I laugh about this now!) I remember asking for a c-section because I was so miserable. That's when they suggested using the vacuum. They said we only had 3 tries and if it didn't work, I would be whisked off to an emergency c-section myself. So, I said, YES - lets try the vacuum. I remember hearing one of the nurses say later that there were 5 attempts with the vacuum with 2 pop-offs. That means on our very last try, he was born! I also remember the nurses directing me to push 2-3x per contraction and then all of a sudden there were no breaks and I was pushing and pushing and pushing. As he was being born, my lips felt numb with each push and I could feel pressure down there. He was born at 5:15 am - 6 lb 8 oz and 20.5" I had taken my glasses off so I couldn't see super clearly. <br />
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Now, here's the traumatic part. Right after he was born, I also heard a nurse shout "nuchal cord -- not one, not two, but three times". I didn't really know what that meant at the time. Later, I found out that he had the cord wrapped around his neck three times and was not breathing on his own as he was born. It was so eerie not to hear the cry that I was expecting to hear. They had a NICU team setup in the corner who started working on him after we did the delayed cord clamping. Jake asked the doctor, he's going to be OK, right? The doctor didn't respond and I just told myself that he had to be okay. There was no other outcome. I heard people shouting and whooshing around. Jake went into the corner where he was and got to cut a few more pieces of the cord and we got some pictures. I think they used the CPAP machine on him to get him breathing. Finally, a nurse brought him over to me and I gave him a kiss.<br />
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With that, he was taken to the NICU for further testing. We didn't know how long he would be there. At first I was pretty upset that we didn't get to do skin to skin and breastfeeding right away but I was also very thankful that he was breathing. I was so exhausted and tired but I wanted to hold him. It was such a bittersweet feeling. Jake spent a few hours with him in the NICU and he texted me some pictures of him hooked up to all these wires. He was OK and passing every test. Thank goodness. I've never been more relieved in my life! Around 10:00 in the morning, a nurse brought him to our room and we haven't taken our eyes off him since (well, you know what I mean...)<br />
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At 6 days old:<br />
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At 10 days old:<br />
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We couldn't be more in love with our little one! Jake and I both go back to work in a week, so we are snuggling him as much as we can before we start navigating life with no sleep + working full time + caring for our little guy. We love him so much and wouldn't have it any other way! <br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-50537781347733464382019-02-23T17:41:00.001-08:002019-02-23T17:41:39.240-08:00PREGNANCY | Third Trimester Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well, if you've been following me on social media you know that we welcomed our little one nearly three weeks early on Sunday, February 10th. But, if you know me then you know I am way too OCD to not do a third trimester post to complete the series. I am also in the process of writing out West's birth story in between feedings (the struggle is real!) so hopefully I will finish before his first birthday (I'm mostly joking). </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35 weeks | @ San Juan Capistrano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HOW I FELT PHYSICALLY | |</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me try to reconstruct how I felt the past three months. I had lots of heartburn the last trimester and had to consistently take tums every single night. Jake got pretty sick about a month ago, so I started sleeping on the </span>couch so I wouldn't get whatever he had, and I found out our couch is actually pretty comfortable. It was funny because I tried to go back and sleep in our bedroom after a few nights on the couch and ended up sleeping on the couch because it felt more comfortable. I did eventually go back to sleeping in the bedroom and a few days after that, my water broke. More on that in my birth story!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@ 28 weeks | Belmont Shore</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Fatigue</i> - I started to get very tired and could barely get comfortable. I had been working some long hours in the days before he was born and my body was getting pretty sore after </span>sitting in a chair for 8-10 hours without a walk break in between. Have you ever gotten up from your chair and felt like a baby taking his first steps? Or felt like, wow, I'm sore, what workout did I do, only to realize that you haven't been to the gym in months? Yep. That was me.</span></span><br />
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<i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nausea</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - This came back with a bit of a </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">vengeance</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in the third trimester for me. Towards the end, I felt pretty nauseous and had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to eat. I drank a lot of jamba juice smoothies, and we made taco bowls and salads in the last few weeks before baby arrived. </span><br />
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<i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cravings</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - Smoothies (PB chocolate love) from jamba juice, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">yogurt covered pretzels, Trader Joe's spinach and artichoke dip, Trader Joe's wild mushroom and black truffle flatbread, milk and girl scout cookies! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Growing Pains</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - My belly definitely felt ginormous towards the end (and he was 3 weeks early, I can't </span>imagine going to full term); <span style="font-family: inherit;">it got increasingly hard to breathe and bend down to pick up something off the floor or to wipe down the shower glass. Jake gave me foot rubs on request and I think that definitely helped me feel better. I don't know if I ever felt contractions (Braxton Hicks or the real deal) until we got to the hospital and my water was broken. I felt the baby move often but I had anterior placenta which made it difficult to do kick counts so I paid more attention to feeling for movement each day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HOW I FELT EMOTIONALLY | |</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We were trying to be very present at Christmas and enjoy our last holiday before baby arrived but it was so hard because we just wanted him to be here already! We picked out our Christmas tree and decided to make a conscious decision not to get anything for baby for Christmas because he wasn't born yet! So hard, but I'm so glad we waited to start buying gifts for him. Now I need to start thinking about baby's first ornament for Christmas 2019! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking out our Christmas Tree! (I have the same pose in every picture!) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We had a little baby shower in mid-January at our home and it was so cozy and intimate. Thank you to all of my neighbors and and special shoutout to our friends Jenna and Jon who drove up from San Diego for the day! Having the baby shower made it all seem a bit more real. We weren't able to do a baby shower in Seattle where many of our friends and family are since I couldn't travel after 20 weeks due to high risk of pre-term labor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My emotions were definitely going crazy towards the end and I felt myself cry many times for no apparent reason (that I knew of that is). I read a few childbirth books and subscribed to two or three pregnancy apps but at some point each day as my due date neared, I would worry about labor and kind of freak myself out. I told myself that everyone does it and it's just a part of life. That calmed me down a bit. I had worked on a birth plan and was supposed to go over it with the doctor on Monday (at my 37 week appointm</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ent), but baby West had other plans! I still brought the birth plan to the hospital when I went into labor and we mostly followed it, but I'm not sure if it was ever officially entered into their system or not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">WEIGHT GAINED | |</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I believe I ended up gaining 26 lbs which is right on target with what I w</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">as supposed to gain. So far I am down 12 lbs, so let's hope this trend </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">continues</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> with breastfeeding. I am trying not to eat everything in sight but it's a struggle. I feel like I am always starving! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HOW I'VE BEEN SLEEPING | |</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Refer back to 'How I Felt Physically' section and also know that I woke up about 4-5x a night to pee. Basically, once I got back into bed, it felt like I had to pee again! That was one of the worst parts of pregnancy for me, feeling like I couldn't empty my bladder. Did anyone else feel that way? TMI? Well, guess what after having a baby nothing seems TMI to talk about. Baby poop? Hemorrhoids? What else should we discuss??? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">WHAT I'VE BEEN WEARING | |</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have three pairs of maternity leggings which I have been (and continue to) rotating through so we have to do laundry every few days or I don't have any clothes to wear. Could pregnancy be any more glamorous? I resisted buying too much maternity wear and I am thankful that I lean more towards the minimalist side of things since the last thing I need are more clothes. I have been wanting to purge my closet Marie Kondo style (again) but I decided that would be a bad idea when I can't fit in 80-90% of the stuff in there. I will reserve that task for after I lose the baby weight. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">EXERCISE | |</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Daily walks with the dog. That about sums up what I've been able to commit to and I'm okay with that. Once our schedule gets a little less hectic with breastfeeding then I will be able to start working out more and working on getting back into shape. I am in a wedding this summer so that should be some good motivation for me to get a head start. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last BUMP photo! | 36w6d | (4 days before he was born) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT | |</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well, since he is technically already here I can't say once baby arrives. But we are taking newborn photos (at home) in March, so I think that may be the one thing I am looking forward to the most. And having all of our guests meet baby -- we have a bunch of friends and family coming to visit next month and I am so excited for them to snuggle with my West-ie! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">xoxo,</span><br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-10925833013824072302018-12-05T21:54:00.000-08:002018-12-05T22:17:49.791-08:00PREGNANCY | Second Trimester Update<div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; text-align: justify;">
Since tomorrow marks the start of my third trimester (how?!), I thought it made sense to do a little 2nd trimester update. I feel like my second trimester went by even faster than my first and with the holidays, I have a feeling that the next three months will fly by even faster. EEK! Some days I panic and feel like I should start packing my hospital bag but other times I feel like February 28th is so far away and I would be fine even if I didn't even have a hospital bag ready. It's crazy to think that our son will be born in Southern California - which is another thing (like buying our first house) that will always tie us to this state no matter where we live.<br />
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<i>21 weeks / Over halfway there! </i></div>
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HOW I FELT PHYSICALLY | |<br />
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Generally, I have felt so much better in the second trimester than the first. Some days I didn't even feel pregnant other than noticing my ever growing belly. I haven't taken as many naps as I did in the first three months, but have been making sure I don't work too many 12 hour days and trying to just rest when I need to. We haven't been going to bed as early as we were either but hopefully on the nights Jake doesn't teach we can start going to bed earlier again so I can get my 8+hours of sleep while I still can!<br />
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<i>Nausea</i> - little to none<br />
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Fatigue - My belly is getting larger by the day and I am starting to get uncomfortable in certain positions - sitting too long, trying to shave my legs, bending down to feed the dog... you get the idea. I spilled some pasta sauce while making dinner tonight and luckily Olive was right there to lick it up. Yeah, the odds of me bending down to try and clean it up were slim to none, hah...<br />
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<i>Cravings</i> - sweets (my sweet tooth is back!) / acai bowls / sandwiches / fiber one cereal / snack lunches - apples, cheese and pretzels / iced coffee / carbs / sugar cookies! </div>
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<i>Growing Pains</i> - a few round ligament pains, but nothing super painful. Just the usual random stretching sensations and pulling. </div>
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HOW I FELT EMOTIONALLY | |</div>
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I have been WAY more emotional these past few months. I can cry at the drop of a hat - or watching a commercial, just by Jake suggest something or by looking at all our baby clothes in the closet. And even putting together the crib, I had to hold back tears. Feeling kicks has been so wild too! At first it was hard to differentiate if something was a kick or just my usual stomach sounds, around 24-25 weeks or so, it became undeniable that I was feeling a kick. I have anterior placenta so according to the doctor, the baby has to kick twice as hard for me to feel him. But, I have definitely been feeling him. He moves the most at night, just as I am trying to fall asleep. I've read that is not unusual. And exciting news, Jake has been trying to feel kicks for awhile now and he finally confirmed that he definitely felt a kick on Monday night as I was falling asleep. I am sure the kicks will only get stronger from here. Gah, I am almost tearing up just typing this. See! </div>
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<i>My brother and his wife came to visit in early October and it was so special to show them Long Beach!</i> </div>
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WEIGHT GAINED | |<br />
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I feel like I have generally been eating healthy except for a few birthday and holiday splurges occasionally. The last time I weighed myself last week, I was up 15 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. Per my discussion with the doctor, my goal is to gain 20-25 lbs so hopefully I can stay in that range. I've heard the weight packs on in the 3rd trimester so we'll see how that goes... I think just keeping a number in mind will help me not gain as much weight as if I didn't pay any attention to it ((fingers crossed))! </div>
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HOW I'VE BEEN SLEEPING | |</div>
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Ehhhh ok. I still haven't invested in a pregnancy pillow, but I still use a pillow between my legs and I have this one pillow that I use on my side to kind of keep me laying on my side and it has been working pretty well. I get up about 4-5x a night to pee and whenever I wake up on my back, I readjust so that I go back to sleep on my side. I read a lot online that you are supposed to sleep on the left side, but my doctor says either left or right side is OK. Phew! One less thing to worry about! </div>
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<i>Baby feet! At 20 week ultrasound </i></div>
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WHAT I'VE BEEN WEARING | |<br />
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I broke down and bought 8 pairs of maternity shorts (they were $3 each! I originally wanted 10 pairs so I had 5 of each size) so have been living in those. I am starting to get a bit cold, so also ordered a few pairs of maternity leggings from Kohl's randomly - the shorts are from there too. I have a couple nursing bras so I am ready when the time comes and I think thats all I've bought this trimester. I may buy another couple maternity dresses for the 3rd trimester but other than that, I don't plan on buying much more maternity. </div>
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EXERCISE | |</div>
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As I mentioned in my last update, we have been going on 1-2 walks a day with the dog. That is essentially the main way I am getting my exercise this trimester. Sometimes we go on longer 45 minute walks but during the week, its usually closer to 20-30 minutes. While I wish I felt like working out more, I don't really and I am not beating myself up about it. It is what it is. </div>
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<i>26 weeks / 11-22-18</i></div>
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WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT | |<br />
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We've actually started working on the nursery! Not too long ago, it was still in the planning stages. Now we have a rug and a crib! More on my Instagram stories if you want to see some sneak peaks. I ordered removable tile wallpaper which we will plan on hanging during Christmas break and I think that will really make it feel like a nursery! I am proud of myself for not going out and buying 89375862387 baby clothes but I did go a little crazy on Black Friday. I ordered 4 things from Old Navy and I asked Jake how much he thought they cost. He said $10... and I was like well, no... a little higher. Haha... I got 2 zipper onesies, a pair of pants and a bodysuit for $30. That is a score!<br />
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And the carseat arrived last weekend which makes it seem so much more real! We have not installed it in the car yet, we are debating if we should install it in our current car or wait until our new car arrives in late January. More to come there!<br />
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We also picked out and met our pediatrician (only 5 min from our house!) and I am going to a breastfeeding class tomorrow night. I feel like I can never learn enough about that -- and knowledge is power!<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-5217916509157870492018-09-23T11:53:00.000-07:002018-11-01T22:07:59.367-07:00PREGNANCY | First Trimester Update <div style="text-align: justify;">
Since the secret is finally out that we are expecting a baby boy in February (!) I am so excited to start blogging again. I'm not sure how often these posts will be but I figured I would do an update since it feels like crickets over here. I miss writing and it feels so good to just journal and write everything out. It's very therapeutic for me. As you can imagine, most of our house projects are on hold with the new addition on the way. One thing we did do is buy 18 bags of landscaping mexican beach pebble rock (and we still need more!) for the front of the house. I will share more photos on that later once it's finished. </div>
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(13 week ultrasound) </div>
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Back to what you came here for.... Generally the first trimester ends around week 13 although many of my apps said different things - one said it ended once you reach 12 weeks, another said 14 weeks, another said it ends once the placenta is formed. So let's just say the end of August/beginning of September is when I considered that the first trimester was over and the second was beginning. I love when things correlate to the month end/beginning. Yes, I am one of those weird people. </div>
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HOW I FELT PHYSICALLY | |</div>
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<i>Nausea</i> - I only threw up a few times (thank god because that is the worst feeling in the world to me) but I had a lot of food aversions - meat, vegetables, spices, things I normally ate like sweets didn't sound appealing which is crazy because I am normally a DESSERT QUEEN.</div>
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<i>Fatigue </i>- I was very tired in the first trimester and needed to nap almost daily. Sometimes I would take two naps in one day. I have been trying to really listen to my body and give it what it needs so that I am not overdoing it. </div>
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<i>Cravings</i> - watermelon / thai food / ramen / mexican food / Taco Bell (what?!?) / doritos / carbs /toast with butter and jam / yogurt and granola </div>
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<i>Growing Pains</i> - I only started to feel these towards the end of my first trimester and they would be this weird pulling sensation on the sides of my stomach. I've had very minor cramps every so often but nothing else has really happened other than my belly slowly swelling, so far so good! </div>
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<i>Sense of Smell </i>- This was one of my first symptoms and it was the weirdest thing! When taking a shower, I could really smell the coconut body wash very strongly (way more than I had in the past), when I traveled, the bathrooms smelled even worse than usual (uh, yuck!) and I just had a heightened sense of smell for practically everything. I would like this symptom to go away but I've heard it may stick around the entire pregnancy. </div>
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HOW I FELT EMOTIONALLY | |</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I think the biggest thing I felt was relief that we made it to the end of the first trimester (and even just another week as we were progressing). It is always a tough time worrying about what could go wrong, but I realized that when we made it to the end, we were that much closer to actually spilling the beans and telling the world (since our close friends and family already knew) our big news. So, overall a strong sense of relief was my biggest emotion this trimester. </span><br />
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WEIGHT GAINED | |</div>
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3 lbs. I did lose some weight at the beginning because of all my food aversions and the fact that I stopped drinking alcohol. So, it's been nice to feel like I have a fresh start and things aren't getting out of control (al least not yet! Ha!). </div>
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HOW I'VE BEEN SLEEPING | |</div>
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Not great but not terrible. I have always been a side sleeper but they encourage you to sleep on your left side if you can which is the best position for baby getting blood flow (I think). I have been debating getting a pregnancy pillow but many friends said they weren't very helpful and they are kind of pricey so I am thinking of skipping it unless I get really uncomfortable towards the end. For now, I have been using a pillow between my legs and that helps to relieve pressure on my hips. </div>
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WHAT I'VE BEEN WEARING | |</div>
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I bought a few maternity items a couple weeks ago so I would have them ready when I need them. I've worn them a bit here and there but I am just starting to feel like my clothes don't fit now @ 17 weeks. I bought a dress and some tops from ASOS and a few tanks from Old Navy. I am debating getting a pair of yoga pants but have been living in dresses - one of the perks of living in Southern Cal is that I don't have to worry about changing out my wardrobe for the fall/winter.<br />
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EXERCISE | |</div>
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We've been going to a Yoga class at the Y pretty religiously for about a year now. But, when I told the instructor the news, she mentioned she didn't know much about pregnancy and yoga and suggested that I try a pre-natal pregnancy class since there are certain things you should avoid like laying on your back and poses when you are twisting intensely. A new yoga studio opened up pretty close to our house, but they don't offer prenatal yoga -- yet. So, I am lacking in this area. We do take at least one (sometimes two walks a day) with the dog, so I am moving but not quite as much as I would like. Will keep working on this one! </div>
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WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT | | </div>
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Starting to really plan and design the nursery! Finding out the gender this week was a huge milestone for us. Although I am planning a pretty gender neutral nursery anyway, knowing the gender makes me want to go out and start buying ALL OF THE THINGS! I will be sharing my plans and inspiration in the coming weeks. </div>
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That's it for now! </div>
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xoxo,</div>
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-67959255243899827212018-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:002018-06-24T12:19:39.676-07:00A Fresh Exterior<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ever since we initally laid eyes on our first home, we knew it would need some exterior work to modernize it. I had big ideas of repainting it a brighter white, changing the trim from brown to black, and perhaps replacing the roof with a black or grey one. But, alas $$$$$. Then I went onto a Houzz forum asking for recommendations and surprisingly people had so many great ideas that weren't as expensive or drastic as I had initially envisioned.<br />
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From the Houzz forum, people suggested the following:<br />
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<li>We could update the door and paint it a fun color.</li>
<li>We could pull out the bushes (that were probably 40 years old) and replace them with something more modern like a century plant and succulents which are pretty popular here in Southern California. </li>
<li>We could change or remove the "fence" on the front porch. </li>
<li>We could update the hardscaping - to my surprise this was a little pricey so we held off on doing this for now.</li>
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So in honor of our one year anniversary, I wanted to share some progress updates on the exterior that we did. </div>
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First, we got a new mid-century inspired door installed. That was a HUGE update! Then we painted said door Benjamin Moore Naples blue. I think this was the update that had the biggest impact. We also got a RING doorbell and a new more sleek, modern mailbox.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6q4iMNccXG_ub1GJSFP-Ymda-kzfe2nf_VWhHh9Xg36VG18Qlcd6NQY5q5dYyVbtFG7QkK-PtlvjpVkC2LXXjXOKRRpOqatR_3e2Nc8xBWFDqahuBzpwltjAugt3IeTv-6qPr7Syhm2A/s1600/IMG_0603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6q4iMNccXG_ub1GJSFP-Ymda-kzfe2nf_VWhHh9Xg36VG18Qlcd6NQY5q5dYyVbtFG7QkK-PtlvjpVkC2LXXjXOKRRpOqatR_3e2Nc8xBWFDqahuBzpwltjAugt3IeTv-6qPr7Syhm2A/s1600/IMG_0603.JPG" /></a></div>
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Then we (read: Jake) tore out the old bushes and took our time deciding what to do next. We thought about snake plants, succulents, river rock, etc. We thought about removing (or redoing) the small hardscape wall in front of the house but decided against it for now since it looks OK. Eventually we might remove and/or redo it. We will have to wait and see.<br />
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This spring, we started researching landscaping. <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">After looking online, we quickly realized that there were typically two options:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Consult with a landscape designer to design a custom front and backyard, which typically comes at a higher cost than we were looking to spend.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">-OR-</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Visit a nursery, pick out plants, and plant them (more of a DIY route).</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Then we found Moon Valley Nurseries in Huntington Beach via a Google search. The first thing we liked about the website was you can upload a picture of your yard and add plants from the website to the picture...we had a little too </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">much</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> fun with this tool, as you can imagine. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">We went to the nursery on a Saturday to start planning our project. We then spent the first part of the design meeting talking about our style, plant and color ideas, and what areas of the yard we wanted to landscape (front, side and backyard). </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Next, we went out to the actual nursery and looked at a variety of plants. Jake and I</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> both had so much fun picking out the different plants and determining where they would be planted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">We had a good idea about what we wanted from the beginning, but our designer recommended some plants that we had never heard of which ultimately ended up being our very favorite plants of the whole project! As we selected our plants, they were tagged with our name so we </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">knew exactly which plants were ours. I'm pretty sure this was the best day of Jake's life (so far). </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">We also got four </span>bougainvillea for the back white stucco wall and decided to go for an Italian villa vibe. We still need to get uplighting for those, but I will share some backyard updates once we decide on our long term outdoor furniture and layout. I never knew how fun (!!), but also a bit stressful and draining owning our house would be. I wouldn't trade it for anything though!<br />
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<u><b>BEFORE:</b></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSDYlIM5u5SXwG29dHuHtBXlj7LW4crwy10xTWVkL2IAgJrQIpr6heClBo6G4bh8LtvPQ-RX_V4K2GJOAOXcGFYvqGqrAKxF0avbMg7Gnqsv-2hlGO-HUTLw5pWyuEqm7y1aH8aYxbJLb/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSDYlIM5u5SXwG29dHuHtBXlj7LW4crwy10xTWVkL2IAgJrQIpr6heClBo6G4bh8LtvPQ-RX_V4K2GJOAOXcGFYvqGqrAKxF0avbMg7Gnqsv-2hlGO-HUTLw5pWyuEqm7y1aH8aYxbJLb/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b><u>AFTER (1 year progress):</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGl3iBbqF6sSv0G33IxbLJaLmVs7gCa1snd7e191-_-6tpeRmJRDb8ObMPF1NEm02Y0NB-hGEZk7rwlLCqvTa3-XXq58cpfP2LcJHVErxj_ovtOvaKVrCYQyG3Y1-j6NaatHkzm1oEHLQ/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGl3iBbqF6sSv0G33IxbLJaLmVs7gCa1snd7e191-_-6tpeRmJRDb8ObMPF1NEm02Y0NB-hGEZk7rwlLCqvTa3-XXq58cpfP2LcJHVErxj_ovtOvaKVrCYQyG3Y1-j6NaatHkzm1oEHLQ/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" /></a></div>
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How long we plan to live in this house is another big consideration that we are mulling over before we start spending all of our money customizing the house even further. I had a dream last night that we were putting in a pool! That is something I am considering very strongly but we are not going to move forward with that until we know we want to stay here for awhile.<br />
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I've learned that the house to do list is endless and realistically, will probably always be a mile long. So part of the process is just embracing and realizing that the house will never be perfect. But, to be cliche, it's about the journey, not the destination, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself.<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-59065726116231530012018-03-24T17:27:00.002-07:002018-03-31T13:25:01.344-07:00MASTER BATH REVEAL<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our Master Bathroom is finally done! While 98% of the work was completed in early February within seven business days courtesy of <a href="https://www.oneweekbath.com/" target="_blank">One Week Bath</a>, there were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. As I explained in my earlier post, we had to choose a new light fixture at the last minute which really threw us for a loop. And then we thought we had to choose a new toilet (but it turns out we really didn't) but we decided that since we were redoing everything that we should just order a new toilet anyway. That is what caused most of our delays finishing up the project. First the toilet we picked was ordered (or so we thought) but then we found out that it wouldn't be available for several months since it was a brand new model and hadn't been shipped out from the manufacturer yet.<br />
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So, we decided to pick out another one but we were debating between
two different models and ended up going to a showroom to look at them in
person. I've never thought so much about a toilet in my life. But, in
the end we got the toilet (and bathroom) of our dreams (well, *almost*).
I mean if it was my dream, I would have two vanities and a tub, but
given our space and budget constraints I am absolutely loving our new
bathroom!<br />
<br />
To read more about our inspiration, click <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2018/01/flipping-flip.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And planning, click <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2018/02/a-bathroom-update.html" target="_blank">here</a>. The photos really speak for themselves, so without further ado....<br />
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Of course, I had to include a photo of everyone's favorite pup,
Olive! We are coming up on our 5 month adopt-a-versary and I truly
cannot imagine our lives without her. She is just the best! </div>
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Here are some BEFORE photos so you can see what we started with. </div>
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So, if you are thinking the BEFORE photos aren't that bad, I would definitely agree with you. The main reason we had to redo this bathroom was because the shower wasn't properly waterproofed and we had at least two, possibly three leaks. Just knowing that those leaks were damaging our house was the absolute worst. I can't believe it's really done, we spent so much time thinking about it and waiting for loose ends to be tied up, it doesn't really seem real! It's so funny I want to shower twice a day now! I have always been a night shower kinda person, but I just get so excited to shower, I want to spend hours in there! So much more spacious than the old box shower that never really sealed in the water.<br />
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If you are in Southern California and are interested in redoing a bathroom, I highly recommend using <a href="https://www.oneweekbath.com/" target="_blank">One Week Bath</a>. We are already planning to do redo our second bathroom with them and it is just a matter of time! Also <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/one-week-bath-van-nuys?hrid=9lE27B97jMPK_DIAJbqrbQ&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)" target="_blank">here</a> is my yelp review in case you are curious about the process.<br />
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A few of my favorite things:<br />
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<b>Open Shower.</b> I love the fact that we didn't add a shower door. We did have them brace the wall in case we ever wanted to add a door later.<br />
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<b>The controls</b>. How we put the shower control on the open side of the shower so that you can turn the water on without having to get wet.<br />
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<b>The Floor</b>. It's consistent throughout the entire bathroom, including the shower. I think it makes it feel bigger. Honestly, I wanted to do white flooring again but Jake vetoed it, and I do think the gray concrete-style does add more texture so I am happy with that choice. You guys know how I feel about white and that it's my favorite color. But, marriage is about compromise, right?<br />
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Overall, I have been very purposeful about choosing pops of color like plants and a pink bathmat because the bathroom is so neutral, I didn't want it to start looking like a hospital bathroom. So there you have it! Now that this project is done, we are embarking on some front and backyard landscaping. Jake will be prepping for that in a few days, so be on the lookout for more house updates coming soon (well, soon-ish)! <br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-36817641436246634272018-02-03T12:17:00.001-08:002018-02-04T11:21:35.873-08:00A Bathroom Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
Day 4 of our master bathroom remodel finished up yesterday. I have been sharing some behind the scenes on my Instastories if you want to follow along. The project was slated to be complete in 7 business days, but we've had a few minor setbacks - which project doesn't? Despite being super prepared and proactive, we had a few misses. Honestly, if these are our only two issues, I will be super happy. </div>
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The first issue is the vanity lighting. If you recall, we spent weeks and weeks picking out the lighting fixture. Only to find out that bathroom lighting has to be integrated-LED in the City of Long Beach. Ugh. So, we have been looking non-stop to find a replacement light fixture for above the vanity. I ordered a few bath bars off of amazon, so hopefully that will look good in the space. If not, I will have to spend more time figuring out what I want to do. More to come...<br />
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The second issue was that the existing (presumably new) toilet wasn't as water conserving as it should be (i.e. it was low flow, not low enough). So, we had to go on a wild goose chase to find a new toilet and we didn't plan on spending money there, but you know what, it will be really nice to get a new toilet because then the entire bathroom will all be new! So, silver lining? </div>
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But, the point of this post is that I wanted to share some parts of the drawings that the company put together for us as we planned out the remodel. Then, once the project is complete, I can show you the before and afters. Because, who doesn't love some B & A's?!<br />
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This first drawing is essentially looking in from the door (we ended up removing the window casing and it looks much better).<br />
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The middle view below is the view of the shower right after you walk into the room and then immediately turn left. The ones on the side are the shorter opposite walls.<br />
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After we had our initial design meeting, a few weeks later we received these drawings. We went back and forth on some of the details and after probably 6 or so rounds, we had the final drawings. I asked them to add the cabinet fixtures and light fixture that we picked out so I could see how all the shapes played off each other. So much fun, right?<br />
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Things I am super excited about:<br />
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<li>A waterproofed shower (I mean....)</li>
<li>The X-shaped sink controls </li>
<li>The half moon shaped drawer pull (it's the little things)</li>
<li>Picking out a rug and piece of art</li>
<li>Maybe adding a plant in the shower niche?</li>
<li>Adding a teak bench somewhere in the shower </li>
<li>Photographing the finished product! </li>
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You can read more about the finishes and hardware we chose <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2018/01/flipping-flip.html" target="_blank">here</a> if you are curious. We have never been involved with any remodeling projects before, so this is all new territory for us. This post is definitely not sponsored, but if you are interested in working with the company we are, please reach out to me and I can tell you about our experience once everything is all done. Before making our final decision to work with this company, I called one of their referrals and the customer only had positive things to say about them. And so far, that is what I am experiencing.<br />
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Before we decided to redo the bathroom, I remember saying to Jake, will you ever be able to shower in the master and not think about the water leaks? And he's like yeah, it will all be fine. For me, I was always paranoid showering in there even after they told us the leaks were fixed (hint: they weren't). Needless to say, this new shower is going to be amazing. I'll report back once everything is all finished.<br />
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Over halfway there!<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-80606108471626359632018-01-23T22:29:00.002-08:002018-01-23T22:29:43.762-08:00Meet Olive<div style="text-align: justify;">
We are now the proud parents of a rescue dog which we named Olive! We adopted her in early November and atm she is laying on a blanket between Jake and I on the couch, sleeping. Her favorite pastimes are: sleeping, walking and eating (in that order). </div>
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So many people have asked me how I convinced Jake to finally get a dog and I think it's a combination of a few things. Actually let me back up. As an adult, I have wanted a dog for as long as I can remember. Of course I love to travel, go to happy hour after work and go on spontaneous random adventures without having to worry about when I would get home. So, a dog didn't exactly fit into my life. But I still wanted one, and I was probably more fascinated with the idea of a dog than having an actual dog. Jake never shared the same obsession that I had with dogs and once we moved in together all of the places we had lived did not allow dogs so it was kind of a moot point. Over the years, I have been pretty vocal about wanting a dog and it was kind of a little joke that we had. When we moved to Charlotte, we did live in an apartment (for three years!) that allowed dogs and it seemed like we were the only ones that didn't have a dog. Looking back, I am glad that we waited to get a dog because we did travel a lot over those 3 years and it would have been too hard to have a dog in a small 1-bedroom apartment. </div>
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Fast foward to 2016 when we moved to California. The house we rented didn't allow dogs and that was that. Even though the owner had two dogs, he decided not to allow dogs which I totally understand. The flooring in the house was made of bamboo (which I love!) but it really showed scratch marks and wear and tear. Heck, we have a rental property too and don't allow pets. So I get it. When we bought <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2017/09/home-noun-place-where-one-lives.html" target="_blank">the house</a> this summer, one of the first things I brought up was getting a dog. I joked about doing a powerpoint presentation titled WHY WE SHOULD GET A DOG - I think I saw that on a commercial where a kid is giving his parents a presentation about getting a dog. </div>
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The last straw was last Fall when I visited my family in Hawaii and spent a lot of time with my brother's dog. Just having a little furry animal to cuddle with and take on walks was THE BEST and I was so sad to leave the dog (Hi Randy! and Aaron and Lydia, too!). My sister in law joked that she would have to check my luggage to make sure I didn't take their dog home with me! Haha... I got home from my trip and was basically non-stop talking about getting a dog. I asked Jake if I could start looking up adoptable dogs online. I think he just told me to go ahead and do it since he knew I would do it anyway. Ha! So, naturally I did and bookmarked 15 dogs on adoptapet.com. Jake and I went through the dogs and he literally crossed at least 13 off the list. So, there were a few left. We met one in person and decided that it wouldn't be a great fit - we didn't feel that connection that we thought we should/would feel. A lot of the rescue organizations had like 10+ page applications with questions like, where will the dog sleep? Do you have a vet picked out?, etc I knew we would figure out all of that eventually but I didn't want to spend 2 hours filling out each adoption application. </div>
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One of the other dogs that caught my eye was "Blossom" -- she was going to be at an adoption event at PetSmart in Costa Mesa the following weekend, so it was no pressure and we didn't have to fill out an application to meet her. I vividly remember hugging Jake before we left to meet her and saying, "Thanks for letting us do this. I know there is a .001% chance we are getting a dog today, but the first step is looking. Kind of like when we bought the house. We had to get the ball rolling by going to an open house." We got to Petsmart and Jake pointed her out. She was wearing a pink collar and she was in a larger kennel with a few other Chihuahua's. The other dogs were barking their heads off and "Blossom" was in the corner sunbathing, totally ignoring the other dogs barking -- she couldn't care less. That is when I knew she would be our dog. </div>
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We took her out for a walk around the grassy area and we both agreed that she was super mellow and seemed to have a great temperament. She is 4 years old too and we knew we didn't want to get a puppy. A few hours later and after signing our life away, she was ours. We didn't have anything. The rest of the afternoon was spent procuring doggie supplies. We promptly renamed her "Olive". We spent $978757 (not really, but you know what I mean) buying a kennel, bed, dog food, leash, poop bags, etc. We made an appointment for her to get all checked out at the vet (which was another $357876). At this point, I realized dogs are expensive. But, it was Day 3 and I just signed my life away so I sucked it up and went back to cuddling her. I could do a whole 'nuther post about the vet and how many times we have gone in the past two months (at least 5 vet visits) and one emergency vet visit (corneal abrasion). But, I wouldn't change it for anything.</div>
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In the past (almost) three months, she has brought us so much joy and happiness and love. Sure, sometimes she turns into "crazy woman" -- I literally call her that but it is happening less and less. She does have a few quirks that we will need to work through with a trainer, but once we do that I am confident to say that she will be the perfect dog. We don't know a lot about her history other than she was at SEAACA which is a notoriously high kill shelter. She was slated to be euthanized when the Rescue Organization came in and adopted her the day before she was going to be put down. You're crying, I'm not crying... They rehabbed her for about six weeks and got her in tip top shape. She got microchipped and spayed a few days before we adopted her. </div>
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The newest thing she does is, when we leave the back sliding glass door open, she will go out there and sit on a patio chair and bark for us to come out there and play/relax/hang with her. The first time she did it, I thought she could hear a neighbor or something, but no, she was just sunbathing -- wanting Jake and I to come out from our offices and hang out with her. UGH. JUST THE CUTEST. (Can you tell I'm a proud doggie mom)? </div>
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To sum up things, I leave you with this actual conversation that happened a few minutes ago: </div>
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Jake: "Sometimes I can't tell if Olive likes to be pet or not"</div>
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Me: "Well, I just pet her anyway" </div>
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-2792644656760142312018-01-18T21:16:00.002-08:002018-01-18T21:17:40.210-08:00Flipping a Flip<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello Blogland! It's been a minute. </div>
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We're only just over two weeks in and 2018 is already getting off to a very exciting start for us. As you know if you read <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2017/09/home-noun-place-where-one-lives.html" target="_blank">this</a> post, we bought a house a little over six months ago. We have had so much fun making it our own and even though it's only been a short amount of time, it is finally starting to feel like it's "ours". Although honestly, it will probably take a few years for the whole concept to sink in when we don't have to look at rent increases or lease renewals down the line. </div>
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You also probably know that the house we bought was a flip. Basically, anything in our budget in this market is either going to be really old, like 1940's old, or a flip. A flip is defined as a home that is bought and sold again within a 12 month period. And many flips are done within four to six weeks. So just like the shows on TV, there is no way that they can update the home that quickly and not take a few shortcuts. It's just how it goes. A lot of the homes we looked at while we were house hunting were flips and we knew they had a complicated/bad reputation but we didn't fully know what to expect. When we came to look at the house again after we put in our offer (and it was accepted), I think it set in that the house we were buying was 75 years old. To us, it looked brand new inside. We were never 100% fully sold on the exterior but we told ourselves that is something we could work on later. Since, you know, we sort of have all the time in the world since the inside was already updated. Plus, wouldn't you rather have everything look nice on the inside (where you spend 95%+ of your time)? That was my logic. While we don't hate the exterior, we do have a million ideas for how we can modernize it and make it more our style. But, that is a topic for another day. </div>
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Today I want to bring you guys up to speed on our Master Bathroom or "MBA" as we abbreviate it. Due to a few water leak issues we discovered soon after moving in, we decided to spend our money redoing this bathroom instead of spending it on repairs. Despite this little setback, we are still so excited about the house and actually it's been so fun picking out all of the finishes and fixtures.<br />
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Here is my "vision board/collage" that I created which includes all of the actual pieces we will be utilizing for the remodel. To say I am excited is the understatement of the year. This has been in the making for a LONG time!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpay2W1r7YdZE9b6Ng355vJbpT9C9T6RvR1FoJQTKBKt1_BrMG0x15NHva3d0v3lFEALJCZB1WLXuoJkit6fiUXy2EClWkZGSRRmKtG7CxMr1AjXVqWLZgm9lAvIYM85ZSqkCgY0boTLuE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-01-18+at+8.33.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpay2W1r7YdZE9b6Ng355vJbpT9C9T6RvR1FoJQTKBKt1_BrMG0x15NHva3d0v3lFEALJCZB1WLXuoJkit6fiUXy2EClWkZGSRRmKtG7CxMr1AjXVqWLZgm9lAvIYM85ZSqkCgY0boTLuE/s640/Screen+Shot+2018-01-18+at+8.33.08+PM.png" width="639" /></a></div>
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(1) <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/George-Kovacs-Grid-II-1-Light-Chrome-Wall-Sconce-P962-077/204406040?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CTHD%7CG%7C0%7CG-BASE-PLA-D27L-InteriorLighting%7C&gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJw4CroZ-Xm2k8GcP2hRzpK_OXAMmeqeCyA9NPZIpJ0Z4LzK4NHzGUVBoCQ4UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIqk7vKT49gCFcyTZAodpFMAvg" target="_blank">Wall Sconce</a> / (2) <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Rittenhouse-Square-White-3-in-x-6-in-Modular-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-12-5-sq-ft-case-010036MODHD1P4/202328969" target="_blank">White Subway Tile</a> / (3) <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod10810124&categoryId=search" target="_blank">Towel Hooks</a> / (4) <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2701464" target="_blank">Mirror</a> / (5) <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod10810123&categoryId=search" target="_blank">Knobs and Pull</a> / (6) <a href="https://www.us.kohler.com/us/Contemporary-Round-8-rainhead-with-Katalyst-air-induction-spray,-2.0-gpm/productDetail/rainheads/962059.htm?skuId=997814&brandId=784538" target="_blank">Showerhead</a> / (7) <a href="https://www.us.kohler.com/us/Purist-widespread-bathroom-sink-faucet-with-low-cross-handles-and-low-gooseneck-spout/productDetail/sink-faucets/421470.htm?skuId=373088&brandId=1152540" target="_blank">Faucet</a> / (8) <a href="https://www.us.kohler.com/us/purist-rite-temp-shower-valve-trim-with-cross-handle-and-2.5-gpm-showerhead/productDetail/shower-trim/1270616.htm?skuId=1270424&brandId=1165232" target="_blank">Shower Control Valve</a> / (9) <a href="https://www.us.kohler.com/us/Purist-vertical-toilet-tissue-holder/productDetail/tissue-holders/421805.htm" target="_blank">Toilet Paper Holder</a> / (10) <a href="http://www.caesarstone.com.au/colour/6600-nougat" target="_blank">Quartz Countertop</a> (11) <a href="http://www.floorbros.com/tile/daltile/volume-10-12-x-24/electric-moss/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJw1gQ9L5r3TaXe-ZvGh7R-POcjA_8V9CFfmHebQIK4eGir_oJccv83hoClEQQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Tile Flooring</a><br />
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My initial vision for the bathroom was black and white - totally minimalist with graphic bold cement floor tile. Once we learned more about finishes and costs, we decided to go in a slightly different direction. #youknowhowthatgoes The above is what we came up with after working with our contractor / designer and I couldn't be more excited. We ordered a few of the specialty things but our contractor is dealing with everything else - from permits to shower glass. The project is starting in a couple weeks and I cannot contain myself. I will do another post with some more sneak peeks including our drawings and what our design appointment was like (hint: it took 6 hours to pick out EVERYTHING).<br />
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Overall I feel like we are doing a really good job putting our "stamp" on the house and transforming it to a perfect urban oasis. As you know, I work from home 100% of the time. Jake does about 60-75% of the time, so our home has to feel cozy and warm and be cheery and bright. That sounded like a Christmas reference, but I think you know what I mean. </div>
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So far, in the past six months we have:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Updated some minor electrical </li>
<li>Had TV mounted above fireplace</li>
<li>Installed roller blinds on windows</li>
<li>Replaced Front Door</li>
<li>Replaced Kitchen Door</li>
<li>Updated plumbing connections </li>
<li>Repaired/replaced sprinklers</li>
<li>Cleaned out attic (sort of)</li>
<li>Added attic air vent covers </li>
<li>Had gas leak fixed by utility company</li>
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SPRING 2018:</div>
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<li>MBA Remodel - early February </li>
<li>Front Door to be painted - mid-late March</li>
<li>Kitchen Door to be painted - mid-late March</li>
<li>Planning front/backyard Landscaping - early Summer </li>
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Have you ever worked on a remodeling project? Did you do it yourself? or hire out? What was your experience? I am so curious to hear how everything went as this will be our first rodeo dealing with, really, anything like this. Wish us luck!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 576px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 576px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-68020887509747908302017-12-31T22:45:00.001-08:002017-12-31T22:46:14.892-08:002017 >>> 2018<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here we are, sitting at home on New Year's Eve. Starting Ozark (3rd episode in). There is not much I would rather be doing on NYE, to be honest. We are snuggling with Olive (our new pup who I need to write a blog post about ASAP), Jake is grading papers and I am picking out the last few fixtures for our impending bathroom remodel (more on that to follow soon). </div>
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My #2017bestnine:</div>
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I have a lot to update the blog-o-sphere on, and I will in due time. Just wanted to pop on here and say that 2017 was one for the books. </div>
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It was filled with so many FIRSTS: </div>
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We celebrated our FIRST year in California. </div>
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We traveled to Phoenix to watch Gonzaga play in my alma mater's FIRST Final Four NCAA Basketball Game. </div>
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We visited Joshua Tree for the FIRST (& definitely not last) time. </div>
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We saw the wildflowers bloom for the FIRST time in years in Southern California. </div>
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We bought our FIRST home. </div>
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We went to Catalina Island for the FIRST time. </div>
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We visited the Rose Bowl Flea for the FIRST time. </div>
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We rescued our FIRST dog.</div>
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So that about sums up the year in a few firsts. Onto more adventures and even more firsts in 2018. </div>
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Happy New Year!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 144px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 144px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-72569585253887379042017-09-09T14:49:00.002-07:002017-09-09T14:49:41.495-07:00home (noun): the place where one lives permanently<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, it happened. Over three months went by without a new blog post from me. There are a lot of reasons for my hiatus, but one of them being... WE BOUGHT A HOUSE. Whoa, that still feels very foreign to <strike>say</strike> type. It all happened so fast but it was a few weeks after my last blog post that we were writing up an offer. Where do I start? I guess at the beginning.</div>
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From the moment we arrived in SoCal, I knew this was the place for us. We had a bit of a rocky start getting adjusted to how things work here. But, it's California, you say and everything is so laid back and easy, right? Actually, not really. But, after a little over a year, I feel like we have figured things out at least a little. We are still rookies, but not the newest kids on the block by any means. </div>
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We started thinking seriously about buying a house towards the end of last year and even though we weren't ready (I am not sure anyone is ever 100% ready), I was subscribed to daily emails from a local real estate company. Each morning I would anxiously await the daily digest email and get kind of depressed looking at how expensive everything was. </div>
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One day in early Spring I suggested to Jake, "let's go to this open house". And he looked at me like he saw a ghost. I said, we aren't signing a contract that we are buying this house, we are just going to look and see what it's like. So, he agreed and we went. The house was a 'flip' and we were not impressed. We did get free subway sandwiches so they made it worth our while. That is when we realized that pictures online are not to be trusted. We went to a few more open houses on our own and then decided to get an agent. We had a meeting with her in April and decided to start going to open houses with her and start seriously looking for something. Our lease was ending in June so being the planner I am, I wanted to time it perfectly so we didn't have to end our lease early or have to figure out temporary housing. I was trying to make this as seamless as possible, but you know how that often turns out... </div>
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We went to open houses a few times with her, but little did we know that on our first day of looking we would find our home. She brought us to an open house for a property that was already under contract so she could get a feel for what we like. We loved the inside but didn't love the outside as much (it wasn't modern enough), I think we rated it 8/10 so in our minds we really liked it, but we knew it wasn't available so we didn't even think twice about it. A few weeks later it fell out of escrow (which is fairly common, I am told). It was still out of our price range so we waited (some days patiently, others not so patiently). We kept looking at other houses but nothing ever came close to this house. Nearly a month later, they lowered the price into our price range (we put in an offer that day -- we were also traveling to Seattle the same day so it was kind of hectic and we didn't have time to write a love letter). We knew it was a flip owned by investors, so we didn't think they would care too much about a love letter anyway...or at least that is what we hoped. The next day, we found out that there were two other offers higher than ours, so the owners did a multiple counter offer back to all three parties. We agreed on their price and signed the papers and waited to hear back. We were not prepared to get into a bidding war so we decided that we had reached our max and would drop out if the price went up again.<br />
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The day we found out was a Sunday a few days before Jake's birthday and we were in downtown Seattle, walking right past the Four Seasons, oddly enough. Our finance guy texted me "Congratulations" out of the blue and I was like "Whaaat? Did we get the house?" And he was like, "I think so!" A few minutes later our agent called with the good news. We were kind of in shock because we didn't really expect that they would accept our offer. We had heard how competitive things were and the SoCal market has been and still is on fire. Seattle is probably one of the only other places in the country that is this crazy to buy real estate in.<br />
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We went through all the usual steps, and had a super fast < 30 day close since Jake had a trip pre-planned that he couldn't reschedule, we wanted to (1) move out of our rental, (2) close on the new house and (3) move into the new house by June 17th. Keep in mind our offer was accepted on May 21st. Somehow everything fell exactly into place. We did have to give notice on the rental by June 1st which was before our financing contingency was removed, but I just knew that everything would all come together. It was scary and nerve-wracking to say the least, but nothing could have prepared us for (how do I say this delicately)... some water issues that arose three days after we moved in. I will save that story for another day (if I ever tell it), but let's just say we made it to the "other side", got to know some of our neighbors really well, and are stronger now after going through it.<br />
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Here are a few sneak peeks of the house. I have been sharing a lot on Instagram (including Instastories) @thevintagemodern -- be sure to follow me in you aren't already.<br />
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I've always wanted to have an entryway! ... This was so simple but so fun to style.<br />
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So I bought Jake a house for his birthday. And we celebrated signing our lives away with IN-N-OUT because, duh. #typical #californian<br />
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..Expect more updates on the house in the coming months including more pictures of our updates and changes we've made so far. We worked with Laurel & Wolf on redesigning and decorating our main living area and we are currently in the process of getting a new front door. So be on the lookout!<br />
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P.S. Gosh, I've missed blogging!<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-1390285422359438962017-05-02T18:34:00.002-07:002017-05-16T21:14:14.341-07:00#offline<div style="text-align: justify;">
YOU GUYS... How is it already May?! And I haven't blogged in a minute. Well, life has been busy offline. We have been exploring this new state of ours and keeping busy despite not really having much of a social life here in Long Beach. But, we are having fun in the meantime! I can't believe Jake is only weeks away from finishing his first year teaching. This year is truly flying by.<br />
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I am definitely in a groove in my work-from-home life but could improve my eating and workout habits (always room for improvement there). I find that the older I get, the more I want to focus on goals, improving my daily life and just being happy. Because -- to me, that is what life is all about.<br />
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So, what have we been up to?</h3>
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In the first four months of 2017, we (I):<br />
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<ul>
<li>Explored Downtown Pasadena</li>
<li>Finally went to The Grove (fave shopping center in LA so far!)</li>
<li>Went to the Getty Villas</li>
<li>Purchased a wifi extender and now the internet works in our bedroom and outside. Best purchase of 2017 so far. </li>
<li>Dropped a bookend on my foot from the 2nd highest shelf and possibly crushed a few bones. NBD. I am currently on ~2 weeks of R&R and I have been instructed to avoid unnecessary walking. And I just got back from a 4-day work trip to Nashville where we walked all over and also ziplined... oops. </li>
<li>Got to see Gonzaga play at Pepperdine (reminded me of the OLD KENNEL!)</li>
<li>Went to Malibu Farm and ran into some Instagram models. </li>
<li>Discovered Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar (The houses there are insane! Does anyone have a couple mil I can borrow?) </li>
<li>Stumbled upon Lido Marina Village. Went back 3x since. </li>
<li>Went to Palm Springs. Again. You know I love that place!</li>
<li>Got to experience Modernism Week in Palm Springs. Incredible! </li>
<li>Discovered my favorite lunch spot - LEMONADE! Think: healthy foods, cafeteria style + a bunch of different kinds of lemonade </li>
<li>Walked along Huntington Beach for 3 miles </li>
<li>Had lunch and walked around the Promenade in Downtown Long Beach -- for the first time!</li>
<li>Headed down to San Diego for a conference over a long weekend </li>
<li>Saw the Superbloom in Lake Elsinore </li>
<li>Made a spontaneous trip to Phoenix to see the ZAGS in the Final Four. Didn't get to see the Championship game since Jake had to get back to teach a class. Educating the future generation is important, too. And it was for the best anyway since we all know how that turned out. </li>
<li>Shopped at the Rose Bowl Flea -- you can bet we will be back! </li>
<li>Had drinks at the wine bar in my new favorite grocery store -- Gelsons -- where have you been all my life? </li>
<li>Flew out of LAX during rush hour traffic -- it took me 1.5 hours to get to the airport and I live 20 miles away. So I can officially consider myself a Californian now... I think. </li>
<li>Ate In-N-Out too much -- we had set a new rule, only once a month from now on. Wish us luck! </li>
<li>Have a few other exciting things up our sleeves which will reveal themselves in time... (#notpregnant though). </li>
</ul>
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Still on our list for 2017:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Go to Disneyland (Jake will probably veto this until someone comes to visit us) COME VISIT US! We only live 20 minutes away. </li>
<li>Visit Catalina Island for my birthday weekend </li>
<li>Try almond charcoal ice cream from Little Damage in LA </li>
<li>Make a trip to Hawaii to see the fam (this is now an annual requirement in my book) </li>
<li>Take a Pacific Coast Highway Roadtrip (if that bridge near Big Sur will ever open again?!)</li>
<li>Drive up to Santa Barbara -- in the books for this summer! </li>
<li>Try Open Sesame (Lebanese restaurant in Long Beach (LB)) </li>
<li>Find a good nail salon (ongoing)</li>
<li>Find my favorite coffee shop in LB </li>
<li>Explore Temecula -- in the books for this summer! </li>
<li>More celeb sightings! I now keep a list in my iPhone notes to keep track of who we run into! Ha! And the funny part is that most of the sightings took place outside of LA (or Cali, for that matter). I do love flying in/out of LAX though cause two of my celeb sightings have been on a plane in First Class (one day I will be sitting up in First Class with them... one day)</li>
<li>This list could be never-ending... but I will stop now. </li>
</ul>
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As you can see, I have an ongoing list, so if you have any rec's, send them my way! And as you also know, I am always planning my next trip.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-82419807601985482402017-03-12T21:39:00.000-07:002017-03-12T21:39:56.653-07:00NEWport Beach<div style="text-align: justify;">
As you may know, one of my favorite things is discovering new places. Sort of on accident, Jake and I stumbled upon a new outdoor shopping area in Newport Beach (it's still under construction) that I am totally obsessed with. Let me backup: In January, I had a bad eye infection and needed to take a break from wearing my contacts. I decided to get new glasses from Warby Parker. I did a home try on but you might know how difficult those are -- it is so hard to tell what will look good in person and I ended up not liking any of the ones that I had tried on.<br />
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Then I remembered there are a few b&m Warby Parker locations in Socal. I noticed they had a location in Orange County which meant that we didn't have to drive to L.A. Cue our first trip to Lido Marina Village.<br />
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It started out as a surprisingly chilly and rainy day. I bundled up in this super cozy <a href="http://www.tobi.com/outerwear/coats#color_id=83458" target="_blank">Tobi coat </a>and then the sun peaked out. We got coffee from a little coffee shop called Honor Coffee and got lost in a few shops for a couple hours.<br />
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We've been back three times in the last few months, so you can tell how much we truly love it. It's still under construction, so it's not completely filled up yet, but I can't wait to see what other stores pop up here. Some of my faves so far: aesop, Warby Parker, Clare V, Faherty (Jake's fave).<br />
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Get the Look: </div>
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Coat | c/o <a href="http://www.tobi.com/outerwear/coats#color_id=83458" target="_blank">Tobi</a></div>
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Denim | <a href="https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=484053134&pid=uid8384-31784628-64" target="_blank">Levis 711</a></div>
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Sandals | Old Navy (sold out), <a href="https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=484053134&pid=uid8384-31784628-64" target="_blank">similar</a></div>
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I ended up picking out Warby Parker | <a href="https://www.warbyparker.com/eyeglasses/women/keene/beach-glass" target="_blank">Keene</a> in Beach Glass in case you were wondering.<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-31360157567022792582017-02-24T19:00:00.000-08:002017-02-27T17:24:04.590-08:00Desert Style<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jake and I just got back home from a week in Palm Springs and let me tell you, it is just what I needed. Things have been crazy busy on the homefront as well as work so it was nice to just get my heart rate down and relax a bit. This was my third trip to Palm Springs in less than a year -- can you tell I like that place a little? I'll be sharing a City Guide soon -- so keep your eyes peeled. </div>
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We spent a lot of time at our rental house and also visited a few new-to-us spots. Below are a few photos from the Ace Hotel restaurant called King's Highway where we took a bunch of pictures. I love a good mid-century modern rock wall -- and Palm Springs is filled with them! I wanted to share some photos of a few looks that I have been really living in lately. Both of these <a href="http://www.tobi.com/" target="_blank">Tobi dresses</a> are perfect for "dressing up" or down (pun intended) and relaxing at home or going out. </div>
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Golden hour in Palm Springs is THE BEST. </div>
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These photos below were taken at our rental house in Racquet Club Estates (I'll share more photos soon). I've stayed in this neighborhood twice now and really love it the best. Hoping we can get a house around here someday... Stay tuned, folks! (Also, say hello to Craig photobombing me during my sunset photo shoot ;)) </div>
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<3 Cactus love </div>
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... On our last day in Palm Springs, we headed out for pre-dinner drinks at Escena Golf Club... Of course, I found another rock wall... Imagine that?! </div>
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Outfit Details: </div>
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Dresses: c/o Tobi <a href="http://www.tobi.com/dresses/short-dresses#color_id=89012" target="_blank">Gray</a> | <a href="http://www.tobi.com/dresses/blue-dresses#color_id=92856" target="_blank">Blue</a></div>
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Sandals: jcrew (no longer available), <a href="https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=449759653&pid=uid8384-31784628-64" target="_blank">similar</a></div>
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Sunglasses: <a href="http://www.etniabarcelona.com/en/collections/verdi-brgy/?tip=sun" target="_blank">Etnia Barcelona</a><br />
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Purse: <a href="https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=532997672&pid=uid8384-31784628-64" target="_blank">jcrew</a></div>
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xoxo,<br />
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So we've lived in the L.A. area for just over seven months (time flies, right?) but I thought I would put together a list of a few of our favorite things to do in the city, just in case you are ever in the area. This will be my first city guide and hopefully not my last -- so here goes!<br />
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L.A. is similar to New York City in that each time I go, I can create my own unique experience. Each time we visited NYC, we stayed in a different area -- and each area has such a different vibe. I feel the exact same way about L.A. It is so versatile and you can go from people watching on Venice Beach to watching a Red Carpet event in Hollywood. Celeb spotting is fun too. It can be a crazy place, but you can really customtize your experience -- the possibilities are endless!<br />
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Shall we begin?</div>
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We like to go to L.A. on Sundays because traffic is almost non-existent and everything is so much less crowded.<br />
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<u>Coffee</u>: my favorite coffee shop is Alfred Coffee on Melrose Pl. It is Instagram Gold, trust me. And my favorite drink is not even coffee - it's an iced chai tea. So good! They also have a Tea spot really close. It is also a must try! </h3>
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Others to try: Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Verve Coffee, RUBIES + DIAMONDS<br />
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<u>Healthy Spot</u>: Sweetgreen. I wish we had this place closer to home, because it's so good. Have you ever had Chopt? - it's on the East Coast but sadly has not made it's way to the West coast yet. This is one way to get me to eat salads and I will definitely take what I can get.<br />
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Others to try: Simply O Juice Bar, Lemonade </div>
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<u>District</u>: The Flower District. We picked up a bunch of fresh flowers here that lasted over 3 weeks! The prices are insanely cheap and the flowers are so good and fresh. Not quite Pike Place Market, but I'll take it. Beware, the areas around it are sketchy at best. We decided to get some steps in and walked here from the Broad near the Financial District which I do not recommend, so much so that we had to uber back to the car. Let's just say I was clutching onto my purse for dear life ...which brings me to...<br />
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<u>Museum</u>: (so far) The Broad. The architecture of the museum is spectacular and one of my favorite things is that you can even see how they store items they are not currently showing -- a behind the scenes look, if you will. Jake and I got to spend 45 seconds in the Infinity Mirrored Room below and it was amazing. Highly recommend! It's hard to get into, but if you can get tickets right when the museum opens (they're free), you should be able to get a time to see this room. In other exciting news, the museum is getting 6 more rooms like this in October 2017. </h3>
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Others to try: LACMA, Griffith Observatory </div>
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<u>Fast Food</u>: In-n-out (duh). Except there is a Shake Shack in Hollywood now, so... Shake Shack.<br />
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<u>Beach</u>: Santa Monica. The mountains in the background (not pictured in the photo below) are so picturesque. Must see!</h3>
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Others to try: Huntington Beach (for surfing), Venice Beach (for people watching), Hermosa Beach (shopping / outdoor cafe vibe)<br />
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<u>Restaurant</u>: Gracias Madre. Makes me want to seriously become a vegetarian. Everything here is good, the drinks + the food + the atmosphere. You get the idea. </h3>
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Others to try: Fig + Olive, By Chloe, Urth Caffe, Bottega Louie, Eggslut, Mendocino Farms (I have so many!)<br />
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<u>Drive</u>: Pacific Coast Highway. Believe me, what they say is true. We are dying to go on a road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco. Hopefully we can make that happen this year. We are still working on our travel plans this year. So far the list is shaping up quite nicely: Palm Springs, San Diego, Nashville, Seattle, Austin, Catalina Island, Hawaii ... and hopefully an international location if we can squeeze it in! </div>
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<u>Hike</u>: Runyon Canyon<br />
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<u>Viewpoint</u>: Griffith Observatory<br />
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<u>Roadtrip</u>: Palm Springs! We're going again next month and I cannot wait! </h3>
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Others to try: San Fran, Napa/Sonoma, Newport Beach, Pasadena<br />
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Still on my to do list: Getty Villa, LACMA, Laguna Beach, The Grove. Basically the list of things to explore in this area is endless. I have never lived in a place with so much to do before. At times it can be overwhelming, but it's important to decide what your priorities are first. Then it helps you to narrow down what kind of experience you want to have. </div>
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xoxo,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-56430545595053235792017-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:002017-01-04T22:48:44.530-08:00#BROWSONPOINT<div style="text-align: justify;">
I first heard about eyebrow microblading (semi permanent eyebrow tattooing) this summer and was immediately intrigued. If you know me in person, then you know that when I start researching something, I quickly become obsessed. Jake says, just wait until we have kids and they take on that trait... I am in for a real treat, ha.<br />
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When I was in college, I started wearing makeup for the first time and began wearing eyeliner every day. It was a rare sight to see me without eyeliner on. Then, a few years after college I started really paying attention to my eyebrow shape. I quickly realized that in order to achieve the angular shape I was looking for, I would need to get my brows waxed and tweezing alone was not going to cut it anymore. So, I visited the Benefit Brow Bar at Macys and got my brows waxed for the first time when I was 26. I was hooked and to this day, I have been getting them waxed religiously! I have been trying to grow fuller brows ever since. I've tried all kinds of things such as LiBrow, coconut oil, and pre-natal vitamins (no, I'm not pregnant). Within the past few years, I also started tinting my brows which is another good option if you are looking for fuller brows. So, I would encourage you to get your brows tinted before you opt for microblading. And if the tinted brows aren't enough (it's OK - they weren't enough for me either), then, by all means, proceed. Just a note - I am not wearing any eyebrow makeup in any of these photos.<br />
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My Before + After</h3>
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Microblading 101 </h3>
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Fast forward to 5+ years later, I am sill growing out my eyebrows. So when I read about microblading, I decided it was the perfect solution. I would get fuller eyebrows with minimal work. Have you googled microblading yet? If not, it's a semi-permanent tattoo, but instead of using a single needle, the artist uses a manual tool to freehand tiny hairlike strokes onto the skin, which mimic the look of real hairs. This type of tattooing is softer, more subtle and is meant to be a natural-looking enhancement. Body tattoos use ink while cosmetic tattoo procedures involve pigments. These pigments are designed to gently fade over time. The tattoo should last 1-3 years with touch ups needed every 12-16 months.<br />
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I got my brows waxed about a week before my microblading appointment. My aesthetician drew on these lovely arches so I could envision what my brow shape could look like, with thicker brows. No, it is not a Halloween costume, Jake! My microblading artist did a similar exercise at the beginning my appointment, but I don't have any photos of that, so these will have to do.<br />
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Choosing an Artist </h3>
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I spent hours researching microblading artists online and finally decided on <a href="http://pariselyse.com/" target="_blank">Paris Elyse</a>. Her instagram page @paris.elyse is full of gorgeous brows, so I knew right away that she would do amazing work -- which she did! If you are considering microblading, choosing your artist is probably the most important part of the entire process. Typically, they are booked out for months (which is a good sign and means they are popular). Other things to consider: ensure they are using sterile tools, make sure you study tons of photos of their work to get a feel for how they do things, the shapes they create, etc. It is all based on science, face shape etc, but each person does things slightly different. Read reviews online and make sure you are 100% sure that you want this person to tattoo your face. I mean...<br />
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The Initial Visit </h3>
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I booked my appointment and patiently waited several months. The day was finally here! I went in for my first appointment which takes several hours. Paris and I spent about 30 minutes discussing how I wanted my brows to look while she carefully drew them on and measured them to make sure they were the perfect size, shape and thickness for my face. I actually had a pretty good base shape already, we just needed to make them a little thicker and fuller. After we were both satisfied with the shape, she put on numbing cream, sealed my brows with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20-25 minutes. Then, it was time to work her magic. She instructed me to lay down in the chair and I felt like I was at the dentist's office (but this visit was much more pleasant). She took off the plastic wrap and we started discussing colors. She put a little circle on my forehead of the color she wanted to use, which was a custom mix she whipped up of several colors including latte and sandalwood. I didn't want to go too dark because I didn't want my brows to look too harsh and she was totally on the same page. Then, she started with the actual microblading process and it took about an hour or so. It felt like someone was scratching my eyebrows and I felt some strokes more than others. Personally for me, I bled a bit (my skin is very sensitive) and it was slightly painful at times. Keep in mind that everyone is different and some people don't feel any pain at all. So, it really depends on a lot of different factors, if you will feel it or not. Either way, it's worth it! Beauty is pain, #amiright<br />
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At the end of the microblading process, she handed me a mirror and it was time for the big reveal. This was one of my favorite parts! She wiped off the pigment and bam! I got to see my brand new sparkling brows for the first time. I was speechless and so happy with the results!<br />
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The Healing Process</h3>
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If you go to Paris' website (linked above), you can read about the specific aftercare instructions. I will say the hardest part of aftercare for me was not getting my brows wet for at least a week. We stayed at a hotel after I got them done and it didn't have a bathtub, so I took a VERY CAREFUL shower and attempted to wash my hair. Not an easy task, but I made it! Also, on days 2 and 3, my brows were really dark to the point I was VERY self conscious to go out in public... it almost looked like they were tattooed on (like a real tattoo), so once you get through the first couple days, it gets better, I promise.</div>
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As you can see in the photos below, most of the pigment falls out after about two weeks and the eyebrows lighten up considerably.</div>
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[Brows on Day 2]</div>
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[Brows on Day 9] </div>
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<h3>
The Touch Up</h3>
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Four weeks after my initial appointment, I went in for a touch up which was super quick and relatively painless. Basically, it's an opportunity to review how your skin took the pigment and to touch up any areas that are looking too sparse. Many people don't even need to do a touch up, so again, it depends on how your skin reacted and healed from the initial appointment. You should follow the same aftercare instructions as the initial appointment. Again, your brows will be significantly darker than normal for a few days after, so be prepared and avoid any important things directly after.<br />
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<h3>
My Final Thoughts </h3>
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Overall, I am very happy with the results! I am so glad I finally decided to go through with the process. I used to fill in my eyebrows every single day, but I rarely use brow makeup now and my brows are always "on"! While I did experience some pain during the appointment, it wasn't the worst pain in the world and it was totally worth it.<br />
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Questions? Comments? I'd love to share more of my experience and answer your questions, please reach out if there is anything else you want to know. As you know, I am an open book!<br />
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xoxo,<br />
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and all that jazz... Guess what? We made it to a new year! Despite both of us being sick for the past few days, I am optomistic for what is to come in 2017. We are just finishing up spending nearly two weeks visiting friends and family in Seattle and Portland (#welovethePNW) and are looking ahead to several more weekend-type trips this coming year. If you know me, then you know one of my favorite parts of starting a new year is trip planning! I am hopeful that we can maybe do an international trip (Tulum? ) in 2017, since we skipped doing one in 2016 due to our <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2016/04/the-b-e-s-t-coast.html" target="_blank">second cross country move</a>. But, more to come on our travel schedule once we get that ironed out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-W1dnIsly-ssSsYAah3zmGiEY_znvmilB4SAVflUrX8X-qdMXvuZkouO-0A1nbH3fh7xM30KcJ7spFVuo9AHJmEgUO2Ax8ANU7T4PUoGcFgixHAFzBlKgx_HgInhXidtcVBfYnQut_AV/s1600/37C06103-FCC8-4CA9-BFEA-038DD3C0FACF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-W1dnIsly-ssSsYAah3zmGiEY_znvmilB4SAVflUrX8X-qdMXvuZkouO-0A1nbH3fh7xM30KcJ7spFVuo9AHJmEgUO2Ax8ANU7T4PUoGcFgixHAFzBlKgx_HgInhXidtcVBfYnQut_AV/s1600/37C06103-FCC8-4CA9-BFEA-038DD3C0FACF.JPG" /></a></div>
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Other recent highlights: </h3>
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I will be starting another round of 21 day fix tomorrow. Read about my prior results <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2016/03/21-day-fix-my-results.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Jake and I celebrated a BIG milestone - 10 years (a whole decade) since we met on 12/31/06. Time flies when <a href="http://www.thevintagemodern.com/2012/12/merry-christmas-eve.html" target="_blank">you're having fun</a>! xo </div>
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I recently got my eyebrows <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblading" target="_blank">micro-bladed</a> (yes, it did hurt a tiny bit but it was totally worth it!) and will be sharing more about my experience on the blog coming soon. <a href="http://pariselyse.com/" target="_blank">Paris Elyse</a> worked her magic and I cannot wait to tell you all about it! </div>
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This <a href="https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Steamer-MINI-Mangano/dp/B01N8TCC1O/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1483420818&sr=1-1&keywords=my+little+steamer" target="_blank">mini travel steamer</a> I got for Christmas has changed my life. Seriously. How did I survive so long without this thing? </div>
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That's it! Just wanted to share a little bit of what I/we've been up to lately. How are you starting 2017 off? </div>
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HNY,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwAYcfcKovqnAAvGiySEmG-yFxMrlDX_N5EuSi2he0dWpMqw80zsqd2skhtB4QCK3dk-gUmx750BfKAAa2UTVlUqLiNwqQD2Ycl7okNjO5sIWZ6RPd4TxnzHu-kKTXAF6dFOzhhyNzxA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-04+at+8.07.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwAYcfcKovqnAAvGiySEmG-yFxMrlDX_N5EuSi2he0dWpMqw80zsqd2skhtB4QCK3dk-gUmx750BfKAAa2UTVlUqLiNwqQD2Ycl7okNjO5sIWZ6RPd4TxnzHu-kKTXAF6dFOzhhyNzxA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-04+at+8.07.08+PM.png" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 180px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 180px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658989721957687699.post-14071719562211905392016-11-16T20:39:00.002-08:002016-11-16T20:39:45.199-08:00Fall Things<div style="text-align: justify;">
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So, somehow it's mid-November and tomorrow is my birthday. 32nd, if anyone was counting. As usual, life has been crazy. Last month, I was lucky enough to spend almost 2 weeks in Hawaii for a dear friend's wedding and a weeklong visit with the family, including spending an evening in Kona with my brother and his wife. Believe it or not, I flew direct from LAX to Lihue for the wedding, but ended up flying through Seattle on my way home. You read that right. KOA > SEA > LAX. I feel like a crazy person just typing that. Alas, that is the price you pay for cashing in airline miles. I honestly shouldn't complain. </div>
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The last 6 weeks of the year brings five more trips for me. A few are for work, and some are for play. But, I really wouldn't have it any other way. (I rhymed)! If I could work full time and be constantly traveling, I probably would. Although working from home is so nice. Except when I have to leave during the day and I haven't showered or brushed my teeth or changed out of my pajama's. There could be worse problems. I like to call these #champagneproblems, actually.<br />
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Life is actually really good. I am starting to feel a little more at home in Cali and it just feels like the right place for us. After we moved to Charlotte, it took about a year for that to feel like "home" to me and I am anxiously awaiting that feeling to happen again. Flying "home" into LAX was interesting, I am not quite used to saying we live in Long Beach or that California is our home state. But, I think it will happen in time.<br />
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What else is new? Oh, I changed my hair -- I am going blonder, what can I say? California just does that to you. It was almost 90 degrees earlier this week... and I could get used to that.<br />
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Alright, that's all I have for this life update, today. I am hoping to start working on some city travel guides or at least travel recaps, but you know how that goes. More coming soon.<br />
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Love,<br />
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Kim Olsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00382213168413491602noreply@blogger.com0