I'm a Homeowner!

Ok guys, shameless squeal of happiness. Aaaaaaiiiiieeieeeee!! This girl is officially a homeowner. After  2 and a half months of hotel living I have a place to call home.

We were so lucky that the process was fairly painless, especially with the age of the house. Learning the cost of upkeep, decoration, etc. was a bit rough but we're managing. Some things we have to get done asap, some things will be taken care of years down the road. It's all about being ok with things not being perfect. Being that our home was built in 1900 and we have a very minimal number of problems I am counting my blessings. (Another friend who is buying a home through with a VA loan has upwards of 30-something issues to fix before closing, yikes).

What have I learned in buying a home? That you can't expect everything to be perfect. At least not until you fix it. There will be leaks or rattling windows, but at the end of the day it's your home. I think the number one thing that allows me to forget about those is that we will be home for Christmas. Amazing.

Exploring Connecticut: Mystic

John and I were stressing this Saturday morning because we were waiting to hear about the status of our VA inspection. It was important for us to know since we were originally set to close on the house on Monday. The inspection went great, but unfortunately we have to wait until Thursday to close. I know, it sounds ridiculous to be bummed about a few extra days. I've reached my wits end about living out of a suitcase for 3 months. I just can't wait to be "home".
In order to let go of the home buying stress I suggested that we drive into Mystic. We live about 20 minutes away from this quaint New England town, so it is a perfect weekend activity. I've known about Mystic for a really long time because of the Julia Robert's hit "Mystic Pizza".

(Disclaimer: I don't know why I love this movie, it's actually kind of awful. The fact that I purchased the DVD for $1.50 should be a testament to that)

When you drive into Mystic you get that wonderful feel of New England Harbor towns. The sailboats everywhere, a drawbridge, seafood restaurants galore. I was in heaven.

(I couldn't help myself, I had to take the "tourist in front of the giant anchor" photo)

My impressions of Mystic are that if you are someone who loves to walk around main street type areas and shop, it's for you. There were so many cute little shops, very few of them were chains, which I love. Any opportunity to support local businesses is awesome.

John and I decided that this will be an awesome date hang out as well as family outing. You can take your family and grab a slice of Mystic Pizza (oh yes, it's a real place). Any of my friends who have lived here rave about the ice cream on the bridge. The weather wasn't exactly right for that. I will 100% be returning just to go to the spice and tea import store. Oh holy wow, they have the best tasting spices, oils, salts, sugars. I wanted to sit there and eat all of their free samples.

 As for the date outing, John and I went to this great little restaurant called Azu. We just happened to catch it at happy hour, so we were able to order small portion snack items and each have a drink. The calamari was hands down the best I have ever had and John agreed. All in all Mystic was a fun little stop and it made for a wonderful Saturday.

Svaroopa Yoga

I decided to strike out on my own this Wednesday and try a yoga class. The local studio offered a free 90 minute yoga class to new members. Based on the regular prices of classes you really can't beat free ($22 for a drop in?!?).
I gathered up my "new girl" courage and dropped in to the yoga studio. The first thing that I noticed upon entering was that the median age was about 60. I quickly realized that this would not be the kind of yoga class I was used to that focused on muscle strength and stretching.
The instructor explained that this was a Svaroopa yoga studio. She stressed the importance of aligning the spine and having support during the poses. My classmates were already laid out on blanket covered yoga mats with their legs propped over piles of blankets. The instructor gave me a quick lesson in blanket folding (If you could see my linen closet on a regular basis you would know that this is not a regular life skill that I possess). The folds all had special names and I wondered if this would just become a big game of blanket origami.
As we arranged my blankets properly she set me up to be comfortable in the first pose. My legs and bum were scooted up to a big pile of blankets under my knees. My head was rested on another blanket for even more support. The instructor explained that the blankets were there to carry the tension for me and help me relax. After this she arranged my limbs so that my spine was in alignment and I had the least amount of tension in my body.

(You can see why I had flashbacks to Kindergarten nap naptime)

She literally arranged my shoulder blade so that I could feel the difference. It was like I had been living life as a twisted pretzel lady. It was definitely a relaxing experience. We laid around under/on our blankets for about 15 minutes while she ran us through a body relaxation. Then we did about 4 poses over the course of 60 minutes which involved us rearranging our blankets for support. The end of class had us returning to the original propped up blanket pose.
Overall, I would say it was a very relaxing class. I came back to the hotel room and ate lunch and then proceeded to take a 2 hour long snooze. That is not normal for me.
I can honestly say that I don't think that I would go back to this type of yoga class regularly. I could see this being beneficial to those of older generations or those who may have back issues. Personally, I would like to push myself and do a class that features more strength and poses. If you're looking to relax it is definitely worth a shot.
Here is a handout that may better explain Svaroopa Yoga:
Svaroopa Yoga

The Big to Do List

Oh holy wow you guys! I have a big list of things that need to be accomplished sooner rather than later. This whole being an adult thing can really throw you for a loop sometimes.

1. Close on our new house!
Ok, admittedly I am very very excited about this part of the list. John and I found the perfect home for our family and we are set to close a week from today! It really only just hit me yesterday how close we are to being in our new home. The only negative, there is some stress to go along with it. We have to wait for the seller to get the house repainted. We're using a VA loan and the VA is very picky about peeling paint due to the possibility of lead paint chips. Legit reasoning being that it was built in 1900. However, it's on the seller to get it done and we have absolutely no control over how quickly it gets done. Before closing we need the VA to come out and reinspect, but it has to be after the painting is done. Fingers crossed that everything works out well.

(The Future Roeske House!)

2.Get a job!

Let's get one thing clear, I was not meant to be a stay at home mom. Don't get me wrong, parenting your child is an extremely rewarding experience. The first two years of staying home with Evie have been amazing. In the midst of diaper changes and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Health and Wellness. I am really eager to start working in the health field so I can start gaining experience. My ultimate goal is to go back to school for my Master's in Nutrition and become a Registered Dietician. 

3.Plan that Vow Renewal

I'm actually not that stressed about this one, which is odd. John and I decided when we originally got married that we would renew our vows on our 5 year anniversary. That's only 10 months away!! The nice thing is that we agree on pretty much everything. John and I were discussing it this weekend and decided that we would not have bridesmaids/groomsmen. I feel like this celebration needs to be about us and I feel like I have so many friends that are special to me that I don't want to choose who is more important at this point. I want all of our friends to have an enjoyable and relaxing experience at this celebration. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that when the venue contacts me today that they will have a date available for us next September. 

(The Mansion Inn, what I hope will be our venue!)

John and I made the decision to have the renewal in New York because that is where we met and where I grew up. The Mansion Inn is just so perfectly romantic and I have a slight obsession with Victorian buildings. This one also happens to be haunted, which if you know me you understand that this makes me even more excited about the venue.

4. Enjoy New England!

Regardless of how many important things I need to get done, I'm going to enjoy my new home. I want to be able to get out and have experiences to share with you guys! I can't wait to break out the camera and share this beautiful place. 

Welcome to My Life In New England!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my new personal blog. I've decided on a revamp because my whole life has been revamped as of late. I moved from the island of Oahu to Connecticut.

After having lived here for about a month I can say that I love it here. The salty ocean breezes, sailboats, lighthouses, and all around beauty of New England has me enchanted.
This is my personal blog where I'll be sharing my thoughts on well, anything really! If you are more interested in my artwork go here. I've decided to keep the two separate since this blog will focus on broader topics. I look forward to sharing my new adventures with you.
-Lindsey