I Left My Pillows in St. Augustine

For a while now I've been hinting {on IG} about some exciting changes and adventures in store for my little family.  Well, here's the {short} story.  *The complete story will be in my autobiography with the same name as this post*  ;)

We love the beach (who knew, right?).  It's our happy place, the place we feel most at home.  It only seemed logical that we buy a house near the beach.  

We listed our house for sale (we were the agents on that transaction), and sold it within just a few months.  I think it was almost 4 months.  Not too shabby, considering we had been under contract with it twice.  That's quite the story in itself! 

Now, while all this is going on with the house in Georgia, Hubby found the perfect property in our happy place.  We traveled so much, for signing contracts, inspections, etc!  Not that it broke my heart, I got to at least see the beach every time we went (even if I didn't get to swim).  

What broke my heart was getting the news that we couldn't get it.  We had become so attached to this house!  Well, we had one last piece of business down there, so we packed up the kids and drove on down. 

The past few months had been a whirlwind of activity.  Constant moving and packing and unpacking and cleaning, etc, so we were all exhausted to begin with.  We got there late one night, took care of business the next day, and drove back.  Now, that's a 6 hour ride each way!  Even if it's for the ocean, it makes for a long car ride. 

About an hour into our drive, Hubby asked me if I packed my pillows when we left the hotel.  I normally bring my own pillows because hotel pillows are never right.  

Already tired from the trials of the last six months, I broke down crying.  Nope.  I had left my pillows in St. Augustine.  We were already an hour out, and we were not scheduled to get home until almost ten that night.  He had work, I had work...  We decided not to go back.  I still miss those pillows (and my good flannel pillow cases).

Let me tell you, I have learned so much during this year, though.  As a person, I have learned what I'm capable of accomplishing.  As a Realtor, I've learned about the more personal side of real estate, and I know these experiences will help us in the future.  

I also know that God has a plan.  I may have been frustrated and feeling down, but I know that God has it all under control.  What he has planned, I haven't a clue, but I can't wait to find out!

See ya!

~Amanda~

The Most Fragrant Flower

Hello, friends. 

This post is simply to ask, can anyone name this flower?  It has the most delightful scent, and I must have one for myself!

See ya!

~Amanda ~

A Little Bit More...

Ginkgo Biloba is going to become my best friend, if it can deliver on its promises.  According to an article on Web MD, Ginkgo can be attributed to increasing bloodflow to the brain, possibly increasing memory, among other interesting {possible} benefits. 

I am terribly forgetful!   I mean, I forget my age!  

I compensate for my forgetfulness by leaving notes and reminders everywhere.  I'll leave lists on my desk and alerts on my phone.  Hubby has to call and remind me every so often, also. 

Frustrating!! {For all involved}

Here's the newest way I've come up with to remind myself of upcoming events:

Hanging right by the door so I pass it every day...  Until I quit looking at it, then I have to come up with something else :)

And, that's another Little Bit of how I keep my sanity (hahahahahahaha).

See ya!

~Amanda~

The Origin of 'Little Beach Bird'

Have you ever looked at a name on Instagram or Twitter (or any of those other social networking type sites about which I am completely clueless), and wondered about the story behind the name?  Some can be easy to figure out.  Others need some explaining.

I realized that my name may be a little confusing,  seeing as I live nowhere near the beach (a lot of people don't know where I live, so this is probably just a lot of chatter).  I am completely landlocked (and hate it)!  The closest thing to a body of water I get to see is the bathtub. 

So, just in case you were wondering, here's the not-so-story about my name.

It's my home, the beach.  I wasn't born near the ocean, nor have I ever lived in a seaside town, but I feel the pull of the tide, I hear the gulls calling me.

One day my husband and I were driving through our very landlocked town, and I saw a bird on a lawn.  I made the comment about the little bird not belonging in this area, that it was a little beach bird.  That's it.  It seemed to fit.  It had a ring to it that was just right. 

It doesn't sound like a reason to write up a blog post, especially since there isn't really a huge, long story behind it, but...

That's why I am Little Beach Bird.

:)

A Little Bit...

I always welcome ways to make every day life a little easier.  School-time is a particularly stressful time for me, at least in the mornings.  Most mornings I don't even get to brush my hair and teeth.  I'll throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt or my workout clothes just to get the kids to school.

I realized over the weekend that I lose a ton of time packing lunches in the mornings.  My solution seems very obvious.  I'm going to assume that most people would have thought of this sooner, but I felt like I had discovered the secrets of the universe when it dawned on me.

Why not pack lunches on Sunday?  My kids don't take a regular lunch box to school, so I buy brown bags in bulk.  I put a name on the front, throw the chips, gummies, and whatever they are taking for snack into the bag.  I store the bags in an unused cabinet until the morning they are needed. 

It seems very simple:  pack the lunches before-hand, add a sandwich that morning, and voila.  It also seems like it wouldn't save too much time, but it shaves off about 5-10 minutes of lunch packing, which can make all the difference if I oversleep (been happening more this week), or if I'm just moving kind of slow.  Perhaps it's all in my head, but it gives me a sense of having my crap together.  I feel like I'm starting out a step ahead, having most of it done ahead of time. 

How do you cut down on stresses in the mornings before school/work?  I'd love to hear more suggestions!

~Amanda~

{I'm thinking of doing a little section called "Little Bits" where I just add little blurbs about my time-saving ideas, or even just a little "Hi".  Not an all out post, but a quick stop-in.  What do you think?  I'm trying to get to a point where I'm posting at least once a week.  I have big plans, lets just hope I have the umph to follow through!!}