weekend recap // our cozy game night

I’m sitting here on Sunday evening while Outlander is playing on the TV, Andrew is cooking brisket in the smoker and rain is drizzling continuously outside. It’s been a perfect, cozy weekend, and I thought I’d fill you in!

From time to time, I love writing what I call “Coffee Date” posts… where I take a few paragraphs (ok, we all know it’s much more than that) to update you on my personal life. To this day, they’re my very favorite posts to put together.

Ever since Andrew proposed last fall, the prospect of sitting down to unpack everything going on felt so daunting. A wedding, a honeymoon, and a move to a new city later, it’s safe to say things haven’t slowed down since! And each time I’ve tried to write about it all, I haven’t even known where to begin.

So while I won’t be unpacking my thoughts on the past few months (more like year) just yet, I hope today serves as a smaller, more condensed update on a tidbit of life since moving to Gainesville, namely, this weekend! So let’s get started, shall we?

 

Wednesday Night

 

Let’s take things back to last Wednesday. It had been a particularly rainy, drizzly day, and I had been working from home by myself. (Which, of course, I’ve been doing for a few years now and love.) When Andrew got home, we decided to make spaghetti and watch a movie on the couch. Sounds cozy and perfect, right? A few bites in, and I burst into tears.

I said over and over again “I’m not sad, I swear I’m not sad!” and I wasn’t! In fact, I have no idea what brought that on. But if I had to guess, it was that the adrenaline of so much change, so fast, had finally settled in. I was finally “moved” into a brand new town and a brand new home.

After a few minutes (and a bewildered Andrew, poor guy! ;) I felt so much better. And I realized a few things. First – that too much alone time in this new place may not be the best strategy. Second – that a good cry is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Third – it was time to invite friends into our home! While I absolutely love our home, it’s made for a lot, a LOT of “me” time since I live and work from it. It’s always been my dream to host and have a busy, welcoming house… and I think we both realized it was time to start making that happen!

Andrew’s co-residents were planning on a game night, so we offered up our home and spent Saturday getting everything ready! Here’s a rundown of what turned out to be the best, rainy weekend ever.

 

Saturday Morning

 

Saturday morning, we woke up with a game plan. Find a new coffee table. Grab brunch. Clean up for game night.

As y’all know, I’ve basically moved all of my furniture from my first two apartments living as a single girl into our new home here in Gainesville. The good news is that it’s made for an almost-furnished home without having to spend a lot of money. The bad news (for Andrew) is that much of it is white, pink and gold. :) Oops!

We’ve been living with two acrylic side tables pushed together as our coffee table, and decided we needed something a bit bigger and sturdier to accompany board games, pizza plates and drinks. So off to HomeGoods we went! Womp womp, no luck.

The next place we checked out was Pier1, which I’ve actually never shopped at before! Since we didn’t have the luxury of ordering online and waiting for a piece to come in, we decided to make a game-time decision with this coffee table.

 

The Purchase

 

This, I’ll admit, was a departure for me (since it wasn’t pink, gold or white) but ever since bringing it into our living room, even I have to admit it’s perfect! Andrew and I can’t stop talking about how much we love this piece, y’all. It’s a wonderful neutral grey tone, and adds some depth and a level of comfort to our very peppy, white and blue space. Plus, we got it on sale!

 

TABLE // CANDLE // VASE (HomeGoods find) // RUG // COUCH // COFFEE TABLE BOOK // FAUX FLOWERS (HomeGoods find)

 

The Food

 

After grabbing lunch at a delicious taco spot we stumbled across, Cilantro Taco, Andrew and I headed home to whip things into shape! We cleaned, rearranged, and most importantly, figured out the food for the evening!

We landed on pizza delivery (we ordered from Five Star and LOVED it) for simplicity’s sake, and I made a few easy add-ons to accompany. Cesar salad with my favorite dressing, Cardini, and the yummiest homemade brownies you’ll ever eat!

 

The Games

 

Confession: Andrew and I don’t own a single board game. Terrible, I know! So we asked everyone to bring their favorite. After dinner, we got cozy in the living room and started What Do You Meme. So funny.

Then, we switched things up and played a few rounds of Telestrations. Oh my gosh, y’all. If you don’t own this, take my word for it and get it now! We were cracking up over this game and had too much fun with it. Random fact I learned about Andrew – he’s a pretty talented doodler! Haha!

We didn’t get to it at this game night, but a few weeks ago we were introduced to One Night Ultimate Werewolf. Another one I highly recommend!

 

Sunday

 

After sleeping in from a late game night, I woke up with the happiest heart. Even though He’s done it time and time again, it always surprises me in the best way when the Lord provides in ways I don’t even realize I need.

Take this weekend for example. After feeling a bit isolated in this new city, He brought a night of friends and fun right into our new home. What a wonderful reminder to me that there is no detail in our lives too small for the Lord to care about, and no gift too small for Him to give!

“If you, then, though you are [human], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11

It also made me realize the blessing of inviting people in, regardless of whether or not you feel your home is “put together” enough. We have boxes in the office, random furniture sitting in our dining room and for a moment, I wondered if we should wait until everything was “done” before inviting anyone in. But man, would we have missed out. And guess what… no one cared! Such a reminder to let go of the pressure to appear “perfectly put together.” We have enough of the seemingly “picture perfect” standard in our lives thanks to social media, don’t you think? The real, regardless of what that looks like, is so much better.

Andrew and I have spent the day cleaning up from the party, laughing about all the fun we had and getting a few household things done before the week starts back up. In ever way, it’s been a perfect, normal, cozy, non-flashy weekend, and I’m rounding it out so thankful for this new adventure and new life we have here in Florida!

Currently, Andrew is breaking in his wedding gift, this smoker, with a brisket and I’m finishing up this post before heading to Dallas for work tomorrow. I am so excited to be heading to market with The Impeccable Pig team to round out our fall collection, and would love to hear if there’s anything specific you’re looking for this season!

It’s going to be a busy few days in Dallas before heading to The Hilton San Destin this coming weekend, and I can’t wait to take you along for it all! As always, thank you for following along. Having y’all to process and unpack life with is one of the things I’m most grateful. Hugs!!!

Love from the Sunshine State,

Kate

P.S. I just had to mention that my baby sister is starting her first day of school as a first-grade teacher today, and I am SO proud of her! Sending hugs to all of you who are starting up school today, whether as a teacher, a parent or a student yourself!

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13 Comments

  1. Annaliese said:

    What a fun weekend! I’ve moved out of state several times (I went to college 16 hours from home, and then have lived in two different states since for my day job) and it’s always so tough to start making friends after getting settled! Sounds like this weekend was a great start to that! I’ve found most of my friends after moves from church communities- so I hope y’all able to find a great one in Florida! :)

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  2. Sydney said:

    I loved this post that gave us a look inside your life! I also really appreciate the transparency you share with your audience. It’s so hard to find such authenticity in social media these days. And I of course love the faith you share with us!

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  3. Kristin said:

    My husband and I moved to Dallas just after we got married earlier this year. It’s SO hard to leave people you love and make a new life, new friends, new church, all of it!

    Your post was such a great reminder that 1) I’m not alone – big changes can be hard, and it’s ok… so they say. Haha, and 2) Even if it feels like we’re unseen, God sees us and hears us and is always working the seemingly minute details into such great things. ☺️

    Anyhow – I needed your post today, and I’m excited to follow along as your Gainesville story unfolds! Happy Monday!

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  4. Caroline said:

    Hey girly,
    Just wanted to let you know that I’m right there with you. My husband and I actually got married the day before y’all did, we then hurried up and moved from Baton Rouge to Birmingham where he just started his residency and we know no one. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in the feelings of loneliness amid all the excitement I should be feeling. I figured I would return the favor by telling you that you’re not alone where you’re at. 😊

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  5. I moved a lot when I was younger and it is so hard! Finding a good church is always so important. I hope you find a great one in Gainesville girl. Glad you had such a wonderful weekend with friends (:

    xoxo,
    Juliana Grace | http://www.julianagraceblogspace.com

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  6. Liz said:

    Loved this “coffee date” post, a Monday morning treat for easing into the start of the work week for me. I truly enjoy reading your thoughtful blogs / “column” as an uplifting alternative to so much of what else is out there on the internet. You have a real gift for first-person expository writing and I hope you will continue writing your “column” although I am sure it takes more time than the usual blog posts.

    PS, I also cried every now and then from “good stress”, when I finally got a great, permanent job after years of temping, consulting, doing contract work, and going on many, many, many interviews. Then when the absolutely right job finally fell into place for me (through the grace of God) I would feel like crying and sometimes did. Some of it was from a sense of relief and probably also tears of joy. The process during the preceeding years deepend my faith and reliance on God, that’s for sure, and I constantly give thanks to Him now, including for all of the small wonderful things. It is amazing to comprehend (and see) how each person is uniquely cherished by God.

    Published 8.19.19 · Reply
  7. Thank you for linking the brownies, Kate. I’m so excited to try them some time this fall. I’m trying to behave myself and hold off on the sweets till cooler weather hits and I need them for “comfort”.

    It is truly amazing how Yahweh provides! I can’t count the number of times He’s opened doors unexpectedly and I just have to stop and thank Him for His blessings.

    Published 8.20.19 · Reply
  8. Brittany said:

    In terms of something new to do after moving, I’d recommend pure barre if you have a studio near by! I just moved and started going and my classes have been filled with girls my age (college and a little older) and everyone is so friendly! I’ve made several friends and they offer events and game/wine nights! It’s a chain so I know there are some all over the country :)

    Published 8.20.19 · Reply
  9. Abby said:

    I’m so glad you shared this post! I just moved from SC to DC after graduating from college and I can completely relate to feeling overwhelmed when adjusting to a new place and new life (so to speak)!

    Published 8.22.19 · Reply
  10. God sees us and hears us and is always working the seemingly minute details into such great things. I’m so excited to try them sometime this fall. I’m trying to behave myself. I’ve found most of my friends after moves from church communities. I’m not alone in the feelings of loneliness amid all the excitement.

    Published 10.28.20 · Reply
  11. Really interesting photo and content. The decoration is really beautiful and the dishes are seem delicious.

    Published 2.25.21 · Reply
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    Published 3.20.24 · Reply
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      Published 3.20.24 · Reply