Separate Ways

The move down to Nashville happened last weekend, and although we still have a bit more adjusting to do, we've started to settle in quite nicely to our new home in Belle Meade. The move itself happened rather quickly and I am beyond grateful for my parents for helping us load up our things and drive a U-Haul from Michigan to Tennessee. 

Now that we're more than 500 miles from home, we figured it was time to make some decisions that we knew would be difficult.

I'll start by letting Katelyn introduce her big news:

Alex and I had talked and prayed about moving for awhile, and when we sold our house we thought it was time to get serious about this. Alex was offered a job in Denver, a place that holds a special spot in our hearts, so we decided to make the move!
That's right-Alex and I are moving to Denver! 
We are thrilled, but will obviously miss our friends and family a ton. It's going to be a pretty quick transition since they want Alex to start asap-so we're leaving in less than two weeks. It's scary to think about starting over in a new place, but we're ready for the challenge and adventure. Looking at mountains on the daily won't be so bad either :)


Now for the other news:
Since we'll both be living in to different cities, we figured trying to maintain a co-written blog would be rather difficult. We still want our friends and families to see what we've been up to, so we've decided to go our separate ways and start our own individual blogs.
You can find Laura at www.breezyandbrazen.com
You can find Katelyn at www.thesuitcaseblonde.com
Go ahead and give us a follow. 

Relatively Offbeat has meant so much to us and we're sad to be moving on, but look forward to sharing our new adventures in our new cities. The two of us will always remain the closest of friends and we support each other 100%.

Thanks for being a part of our journey together.

Goodbyes

One of my first thoughts when Laura told me she and Steve were moving to Nashville was "CRAP!" Who's going to take our photos now? Every time we try to let our husbands take the photos there's weird shadows or a arm cut off our body. That being said, Laura & Steve officially left the mitten state this morning. I stopped by her place to give her a quick gift and say a quick goodbye. I hate goodbyes, so usually the quicker the better, like pulling off a bandaid. I tear up every time I think about my best friend moving & being so far away, but I think this will be a great experience for the two of them and a good learning experience for us & the blog.
I can't wait to visit you both in Tenessee and re-live our childhood adventures <3
Thanks for always being my 'Brother'

Travel Tuesday: Plane Ready

One of the most important elements in traveling (in my opinion) is what you wear/bring on the plane! I have a usual go-to outfit now that I'm always jet setting different places. I almost always wear leggings or comfortable jeans because they're practical and still look decent in case you run into someone you might know. A loose shirt is a must paired with a nice quality scarf. I can't tell you how many times I've used my scarf as a pillow or blanket on flights to make them a little more bearable. I personally like wearing boots with wool socks because I know my feet will get cold, but it's more convenient to wear ballet flats to slip on and off at security checkpoints. I like to wear a real watch so I can keep track of how long we've been in the air for. Some electronics make it difficult to track since you're usually changing timezones. And last but not least, a good bag that can fit my Mac, snacks, headphones  and a good book to keep me occupied on the flight. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sweater / Leggings / Boots / FOSSIL Bag / Kate Spade watch / Banana Republic scarf

I want to hear what your go-to airport outfit is! Any tricks of the trade?

Modest Beach Style

Springs and summers in west Michigan are truly beyond compare. We are extremely lucky to have been raised minutes away from Pere Marquette Beach where we can take a dip in Lake Michigan whenever we please. Well, at least between the months of June and August. 

Although we still love the white sandy beaches of Muskegon, our taste in swimwear has certainly changed over the years. With age comes modesty. We absolutely adore our swimwear from Lime Ricki and can confidently stroll around the beach feeling comfortable in our own skin. Their swimsuits are flattering, versatile, and timeless. Click here to see how we styled our Lime Ricki swimwear last year.
Use discount code OFFBEAT to receive 15% off your Lime Ricki purchases until 5/25!

Laura's wearing: Convertible Strap Umbrella Tankini Top 
& High-Waist Navy Bottom c/o Lime Ricki 
Wedges- Kohl's // Hat- Target

 

 There's nothing quite like that first silent moment in the sun where you can feel the sun on your skin, the sand between your toes, and hear the waves crashing on the shore. We are so fortunate to have all of this so close to home.

Katelyn's wearing: Peplum Umbrellas One-Piece c/o Lime Ricki

Enjoy that brilliant sunshine, everyone!

Cinnamon Applesauce Banana Muffins

Now that I'm a certified work-from-home lady for the next few weeks, I've brought up my homemaker skills to the next level. My brain is on Central time and my body is on Eastern time while I work my Nashville job from west Michigan, but I am finding more time to get things done around the house now that I'm not commuting to and from work and traveling to client meetings.

Yesterday I kicked ass in the kitchen. Slow-cooked pulled BBQ pork, chocolate cake with buttercream icing, and these delicious cinnamon applesauce banana muffins. I found a pretty generic muffin recipe online and decided to add my own spin on it. I love adding applesauce to muffins for extra moisture and flavor. You can see similar mini-muffins I made last year by clicking here. 

Ingredients:
+ 3 bananas, mashed
+ ½ tsp. salt
+ ¾ sugar
+ 1 egg
+  ⅓ butter, melted
 + ⅓ C. applesauce
+ 1 tsp. cinnamon 
+ 1½ C. all-purpose flour
+ 1 tsp. baking powder
+ 1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray if you don't have liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 

2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, applesauce, cinnamon and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from tray once cooled. 

Makes approximately 6 large muffins or 14-18 mini muffins.

 I'll be eating these bad boys for breakfast all week. 

Enjoy!  

 

Time for a Change

This is certainly a week of change. It was my (Laura's) last day of work at Mlive this past Friday. After more than three years of working there as an account associate, campaign coordinator, and content marketing specialist, I never really pictured the day that I'd be walking out the door for the last time. I loved my job. I loved my coworkers. It was by far one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make so far, and it still feels bittersweet. Some hard choices just have to be made if you're willing to follow your dreams. I'm grateful for the opportunities I was given here in Grand Rapids.

Before we move down to Nashville on May 22nd, there is much to be done. I have quickly transitioned into a work-from-home role while my company awaits my arrival in-office. I started my new position as Content Marketing Associate for a fun startup with a promising future. I'm excited to see where things will go from here.

Katelyn's wearing: Sweater- Modcloth // Dress & Leggings- Target // Shoes- Minnetonka // Watch- Fossil

Alex and I (Katelyn) are officially closing on our house today. We've learned so much from being homeowners, but we are so excited for what's in store for us. We will be out of the house by Thursday and Friday we're taking off to Denver for a few days!

 Laura's wearing: Jeans- Abercrombie & Fitch // Sweater- H&M // Booties- Nordstrom Rack

Necklace- Forever 21 // Belt- Marshalls

Travel Tuesday: Southern Florida

It makes so much sense to me why people in Michigan get seasonal depression. I feel so relaxed, happy and rejuvenated after spending a little under a week in the sunny state of Florida! Since Alex couldn't get the week off for vacation, I invited my mom and step dad to join me on yet another adventure. We flew out of Detroit into Miami & boy was there a difference in temperature! On our first night we decided to get checked into the hotel and venture out for some fresh fish in Key Largo at The Buzzards Roost. We picked this restaurant at random, but it ended up being our favorite! Great atmosphere, great fish & the coconut cake was so freaking good.

My parent's bought a selfie stick while at the Grand Canyon, and I had way too much fun with it! We ventured out to Key West for a day where we ate Conch Fritters, BBQ & more fish. We had to walk to the southern most point in the US and try our selfie stick for the first time & it was a huge success! We waited all day for an epic sunset (even found the perfect bench) and storm clouds rolled out 10 minutes before it was suppose to set. Huge bummer, but we were just so happy to be somewhere with no snow we didn't really care :)

We decided to do a beach day & the front desk at our hotel suggested going to Biscayne National Park. We had to pay a small fee, but the beach was absolutely beautiful. After that we took it easy with a pool day, & our last day we visited the Everglades which was SO awesome!

It was a perfect getaway from our Michigan winter weather full of delicious seafood, sunshine & relaxation. I'm so thankful to work for companies that make it easy for me to live our my passion to travel. There's nothing quite like watching a sunrise in an airplane embarking on a new adventure. Here's to all you wanderers out there, may you never stop.