Life Update, we moved!
Hey friends! First things first, a big welcome to my blog. If you're following me on Instagram, you already know that my life has taken an exciting turn – we've just moved to the place of our dreams — Wrightsville Beach, NC. It's been a wild ride in our first year of marriage…building our first home, dealing with supply shortages and delays, Sean getting hurt while training, turning that house into a home, and then uprooting ourselves just a year later.
So, what's the scoop on the past year and why this blog, you ask? Well, most of you know me as the Olympic swimmer, and yeah, that's a big part of me and always will be. But there's so much more I'm all about, and I am so excited to be able to share that with you. Right now, I’m switching gears from being a full-time pro swimmer turned pharma sales corporate girly, to full-time content creation. I'll be sharing my coastal life, fashion, interior design, and everything that floats my boat about water and swimming. As I make that switch, I would love to see what you all want to see more of!
SO PROUD! Documenting last few times in uniform
Now, let's circle back to the life update. Sean and I are loving married life and boy have we leaned on each other a bunch this year. Sean is finishing up 7 years in the Marine Corps as an Infantry and Raider Officer — his service and story are incredible, and I am so thankful that we got to experience that journey together! This thrilling time in our lives also comes with the flexibility and peace of mind of no more deployments, or scrolling my WSJ and CNN apps in apprehensive terror of where my husband might be sent next haha. This transitional phase brings with it an exciting sense of adventure, as we are now able to make decisions as a couple without swimming, or the US Marine Corps dictating the geography and events of our life. Our shared passion for the water and the allure of the ocean led us to contemplate: if we could choose to live anywhere, where would it be?
The answer was clear: Wrightsville Beach, NC. So, come May, we began a house hunt with an amazing realtor that became a great friend. For those familiar with coastal towns, you know you have to be quick on the draw when you like a place. We learned this lesson quickly when the first two houses we liked disappeared off the market before we even had a chance to make an offer on them. When we laid eyes on an adorable 3-bed, 3-bath townhome just about 50 yards from the beach, we knew this was the place for us. The immediate connection we felt with the location convinced us that this was our home, and our offer was accepted. While the townhome is a little bit “vintage” and will require some updates/renovation it was wonderfully looked after, and the ocean view never loses its magic.
Fast-forward to August, we sold our old (pretty much brand new) home and drove a whopping 30 minutes down the road to the beach. The house came “furnished” by the previous owners, an elderly couple who'd been vacationing here for 30 YEARS!! The “furnished” part was a butt kicker. We packed our first house, moved out of that house, moved everything out of our new house, moved into our new house, loaded the furniture from our new house into a U-Haul, loaded that into a storage unit, then FINALLY got to unpacking. We were totally wiped out by the time unpacking began, and we had to recharge for several days before truly getting our house liveable. But after the sweaty unloading and unpacking, we've been soaking up the goodness of our new home for the past couple of weeks. Sean and I are on cloud nine, sharing this beach life chapter together.
We are jumping straight into the renovations, starting with the kitchen and floor by the end of next week. We are planning on doing as much ourselves as we can, and leaning on the awesome industry here in Wilmington, NC when we can't. I’m excited to show you all how it goes, and how we turn this beach house into a beach home.
