To say that the last few weeks of our life have been a tornado of emotions and stress is probably the understatement of the year. We went down to close on our Nashville house a few weeks ago and spent a few days painting and working on the new place before heading back to Missouri to pack up our house and move back down. I was looking forward to the Nashville trip, so I was more than a little surprised when instead of feeling excited and happy on our closing day, I could barely make it though our “happy celebration brunch” without crying. Hmmm. Then, once we got to the house, I walked in, calmly snapped all my “before” photos of each room, and then immediately burst into a flood of tears in the empty kitchen. Uh oh. I just couldn’t stop crying. Not happy tears, mind you, but “what the hell am I doing here? DO I HAVE TO STAY HERE FOREVER??” kind of tears. I just wanted my real house where my real friends lived and not this dumb place that has dumb everything about it. For the rest of the week I couldn’t even bear for Todd to refer to the Nashville place as “home”, I kept correcting him by saying “you mean the house” instead. It’s just not my home yet ok. Soooo, a bit overdramatic I know, but it just all started to feel too real to handle in any sort of grown up manner. I knew that working would be the only thing that would make me stop crying, so I immediately changed clothes and started ripping out/sanding/painting anything I could get my hands on and we basically put in several 16 hour work days before heading back home. Phew. Once we got home though (to my real house) we only had a few days before we needed to have the whole place packed into a moving pod and on it’s way to Nashville, so every spare second was spent boxing, wrapping, etc until the job was done. As if the fast approaching deadline wasn’t stressful enough, the summer-long monsoon that’s been happening just made everything more difficult than it had to be (especially on the day we had to put everything into the pod). Totally one of those “what else can go wrong?!” sort of feelings, but we were so grateful for the friends that came out to help us through it. Now that the pod is finally packed and on its way, we are basically camping in our empty house with the cats until we drive down to Nashville with them later this week. While also bruised and exhausted, we are so glad to have a few days off of moving to breathe a bit, squeeze in a few more hangouts and visits to our favorite spots, and gear up for the next big push. It’s so weird to see our house empty and it reminds me of how it felt when I first moved in almost three years ago. At that time, I felt excited, but mostly sad, to leave the previous house we lived in, where Todd had been for almost ten years. Thinking about that feeling helps me now as I wrestle with where my comfort zone is and reminds me that transitions take time. Until then, I’m soaking up my last few days of feeling like I belong before we go out into a strange new world and attempt to make another “house” into a “home”. Our moving day was actually our 5th wedding anniversary, but we were so busy we forgot and didn’t even have a minute to acknowledge it until just before midnight. We made up for it with a celebration dinner the next night though. I usually wear my wedding belt (it was a part of my wedding dress) every year on my anniversary, but I’d been saving this gold gown for over a year with no place to wear it yet, so I made a last minute switch—so pretty! Although this out of state move is much harder logistically and emotionally than our last move in town, I’m so glad I don’t have to do it by myself this time and I’ve had Todd with me for all of the biggest parts. After all, what more do I need than his hand to hold since wherever he is home to me…

xo. Laura

So, in case you didn’t see on Instagram, we finally bought a house in Nashville after 3 months of intense searching. It wasn’t an easy process for us. The market in Nashville has just been exploding over the last few years and the competition for every house on the market is insane. This was actually the 5th house we tried to buy because every other time we got into major bidding wars that we didn’t win. It was totally normal to be in a 6-way bidding war for a house that wasn’t even on the market for 24 hours (and one house wasn’t even on the market yet and we still got into a bidding war!). It’s totally crazy. However, we tried to be as patient as we could, not rush into settling or overspending and just trust God, and we ended up buying a house the day after we got back from Paris. Talk about an exciting few weeks! We actually had to buy it before seeing it in person (we did a Skype walkthrough with our realtor), so we still felt pretty nervous about it until we jumped in the car and drove down to see it the day our offer was accepted. Thankfully, we both loved it in person too and are really excited to make the space our own.

Of course, moving into that house means that we have to leave this one behind. If you’ve followed the blog for a few years, you’ll know how epic of a process it was to get this house looking like it does now. I moved out of our previous rental into this one and renovated it by myself while Todd was on a 3 month tour and it was excruciating. I mean, I love the house now, but it was the most difficult 3 months of my life both mentally and physically (read more here, here, and here). I still have physical limitations from pushing myself too far during that time. Never again. So, this time, we are building the whole thing around when Todd can be home to move with me and not letting me do nearly as much of the big jobs in the next house.

So, based on all that history, putting our house on the market this week was really bittersweet. My blood, sweat, and tears (lots of tears) went into this house and it’s going to be hard to leave it behind. Even more than the house though, it’s starting to sink in how much I’ll miss all the people and places we hold dear as well. Agh, I can’t even deal with that part yet.

Anyways, the last few weeks have been filled with a lot of work, excitement and joy, and the beginning pangs of a great sadness as well. Yes sir Bob, the times, they are a changin’.

xo. Laura

Since I get questions from time to time about beauty products or makeup, I thought it would be fun to share with you a little about my skin care routine. I guess I should say that having a general skincare routine has been somewhat new for me in the last few years. I was blessed to have relatively good skin during my teenage years, so although I certainly had to coverup pimples and blemishes when they happened (usually on the worst timed days of course), I was a little spoiled to not have to think about my skin that much compared to others. As I’ve gotten older I’ve been much more militant about taking off my makeup at night no matter what (no excuses!) and now I have to fully clean my skin as well before I can give myself the all clear to go to bed. I have a little 1-2-3 system that I do now that only takes a few minutes, but really makes a big difference in how my skin feels.Step One: I wet my face and neck with warm water and use this Dudu-Osun African black soap to work up a small lather all over my skin. I have relatively sensitive skin and was trying to get away from beauty soaps and lotions with harmful additives, so I love that this is made from all natural ingredients and herbs. 
Step Two: I use a battery powered skin brush to totally clear my skin of all makeup residue and exfoliate any dead skin cells as well. I first was directed to use a skin brush by AnnaRose Kern (a Hollywood makeup artist) when she came to do some beauty posts with us at A Beautiful Mess last summer. She noticed the white bumps all over my forehead, told me it looked like Milia and that my pores were probably clogged. She quickly guessed correctly that I wasn’t cleaning my skin very well at night and suggested a skin brush to remedy the issue. I thought those white bumps were just a normal part of my skin, but it only took a few days of using a brush to notice the bumps decrease and then disappear. YES! I was using the cleanser my brush came with at first, but AnnaRose steered me towards the African soap instead and I was hooked.

Since I used it so much, I eventually upgraded my skin brush to this Ultimate Skin Care Spa System, and I love it! The first night after using this brush I couldn’t stop touching my face. Even the next day I kept running mu fingers across my cheeks and chin, they were so soft! Lucky for you, you can get the system for 70% off (so only $37.50!) if you use the code GUMMERGAL at checkout (you can also use the code on this skin care system as well). This was a total game changer for my skin and now I’m so addicted. I even took it to Paris with me since I couldn’t go a whole week without it. The best!
Step Three: Once my skin is totally clean, I use a tiny amount of this organic non-GMO coconut oil on my face as a moisturizer. I’ve always had the worst dry skin on my face and this is actually the best moisturizer I’ve found over the years. It’s also really helpful because the African soap tends to leave my skin a little tight feeling, so this remedies the feeling instantly. One jar lasts forever since you use so little, but mine goes a bit quicker since we also feed some to our cats every night. It’s their favorite thing in the world and it’s supposedly really good for them too. I can’t even go into our bathroom now without Charlie jumping on the counter because she thinks she’s going to get a taste—she loves it!

By the way, I also use this to take all my eye makeup off before I wash and use the skin brush on my face. It’s great for mascara and stubborn lipstick colors!
Overall, I’m really happy that my skincare routine is so easy but yet leaves my skin feeling so soft (especially since I was prone to such dry and rough skin before).

Obviously everyone’s skin is different and there are lots of opinions on what is “good” or “bad” for your skin, but if you don’t already have a routine that you love I would highly recommend giving some of my favorite things a try to see if they work for you. I’ve been pretty happy with how they’ve worked for me!

xo. Laura

Ok, I made it! I’m now officially into my 30’s now and so far it feels exactly the same and yet a liiiiiitle bit weird at the same time. I’m planning a birthday party this weekend that I’m SO excited about. Can’t wait to share it with you next week, but thanks for all the birthday love!

xo. Laura

My 30th birthday is this week. Woah. I’ve been kind of dreading the whole thing for the past couple of years to be honest. Big milestone. Older. Closer to wrinkle creams, arthritis, and inevitably death. Feeling cheery yet?? Ready to celebrate???? But, I have to say that at some point it hit me. Turning 30 actually feels so much better that it did when I turned 20. When I was about to turn 20, I felt so unsure of what I wanted. I had pretty low self-confidence and was heartbroken and pining after a boy who didn’t love me back. Now, I feel much more in tune with myself and know my strengths (and weaknesses too) and that reluctant love of mine eventually came around to be just as crazy about me as I was of him. When I look back at pictures of myself, all I can think is, “hang in there little guy, you’ll figure it out.” Not that I have all the answers now or anything, but there’s certainly a fog that eventually lifted for me and I feel so glad to be on the other side. In the spirit of looking back though, I was thinking about what types of things I’ve learned over the last ten years and what advice I wish I would have known then, so here’s my super cheesy list of 30 things I’d wish I’d known:

1. Being jealous is a waste of energy. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever feel jealous, but don’t let that feeling stay. It’s poison.
2. Get a couple really good friends. You don’t need a lot, a few will do.
3. Take all your makeup off before going to bed. No exceptions.
4. Strive to be a better listener than talker. This. Is. Really. Hard!
5. For every emotion felt in life, there is a song on the “Funny Girl” soundtrack that fits the moment perfectly.
6. There actually is such a thing as having too many cats, so know your limit. I don’t know if there’s a ratio-per-square-footage equation, but if there isn’t, there should be (we definitely can’t go past two!)
7. Marry your best friend.
8. Don’t worry whether or not you’re the best, worry whether or not you did your best.
9. Make brunch happen.
10. I can’t speak for Paris quite yet, but Italy is always a good idea.
11. Candy bars always taste better frozen.
12. Be generous—either with your funds, or your time, or your talents, and work your way up to giving away all three.
13. When clothing says, “hand wash only,” you should probably listen.
14. Being scared is never a reason not to go for it.
15. I can now pinpoint almost every quality of mine as coming from either my Mom or my Dad (and for some reason that makes me really happy).
16. Traveling to different countries makes the world so much bigger and so much smaller all at the same time.
17. Buy a totally impractical (but totally awesome) car while you can. There’s always time for the minivan later.
18. Exercise so you can eat more pizza.
19. Marry someone that you could both talk to forever and sit in complete silence with. Neither should feel weird.
20. Israel will change you forever.
21. Kitty hiccups are the cutest hiccups.
22. Do your best work in every task. You really never know who’s watching or taking notice.
23. Have a personal style. It doesn’t have to be the coolest or most expensive, but just don’t let it happen on accident.
24. It’s ok to be lonely sometimes. You don’t have to always fix it. Just cry if you need to and let it be until it moves on.
25. Clean up immediately after your last party guest leaves. Sleeping in and waking up to a clean house after a big night is the best feeling!
26. Don’t ever give in and look at the people promoting business while flipping signs or wearing furry costumes in 100 degree weather. You will rear-end the car in front of you because you stared too long out of pity.
27. The more knowledge you have, the more you realize you don’t know. This will probably hit you before a big exam during graduate school, but don’t worry, you got this.
28. Try and make it to the Saturday Farmer’s Market if you can, but if they close at noon and you like to sleep until 11:45…well, maybe sleep is more important for you than humanely-grown free-range tomatoes.
29. Find your best hair color (hint: it may not be the one you’re born with!)
30. Know if you’re an introvert or extrovert, what that means, and recharge your batteries accordingly.Phew, quite a list huh? Maybe I’ll get a chance to look back on this list in 10 more years (through the computer chip Apple will have installed in my eyeball no doubt) and add a few more, cross some out, or underline key words. Either way, I think the comparison has really helped me feel more confident and excited for this next decade. From what I can tell I think I’ll be pretty busy during it though, I’ve still got a lot more learning and growing to do!