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Shop Small This Season

It’s that time of the year again! Time for turkey, family and oh that’s right SHOPPING! Whether you are guilty of it or not, I am 100% a sucker for buying gifts for loved ones and for myself…So, whatever it is you are shopping for this year, I want to encourage you to shop outside of the big department stores and Amazon. They aren’t going anywhere. Rather, try shopping with local businesses, Etsy shops, and small businesses. It has been a really rough year for them with all that is happening across the nation.

To help support as many businesses as I could, I have asked for your recommendations and added in a handful of my personal favorite small shops to support this holiday season and beyond!

To shop, click on the shop links below:

Shops Based out of South Carolina

Midas Oysters: Beautifully hand painted oysters. These are the perfect gift for your friend, mother, grandmother or aunt. They make for beautiful ring dishes or to put on display.
Egan and Ella: The cutest boutique located in Bluffton, SC has everything you need from an outfit to accessories. For Black Friday, their entire store will be on sale and they do ship!
Tapestry Inc: Black Friday sale is starting on Tuesday this week! Up to 25% off the store, this shop has everything you need for your holiday outfit or gift for your bestie!
Tidal Creek Haven: Everything you need for home decor! I went a little crazy with their yummy candles and cute ornaments! Follow their IG page to shop, they ship nationwide!
The Tabby Shore: My go-to while living in Beaufort for gifts and cute accessories! They were kind enough to give you all 10% off your online orders TODAY- Sunday, November 29th with code: CK10
Tall Oaks Boutique: Looking for a cute outfit this season? Affordable and cute and you can use code: CAROLINEK20 for 20% off your purchase!

Shops Found through Instagram Connections and Recommended by YOU

Hank and Jean Jewlery: Discovered thanks to one of your recomendations! All jewlery is handmade and they even have personalized options.
Hair Candy by Han: Looking for the perfect gift for your bling lover? From custom hair accessories to cute earrings perfect for any occasion, I highly reccomend ordering from Hannah!
Chlokies: It’s the new trend! Handmade mask chains, if we have to wear it, might as well make it cute is what I always say. You can find
Quarters and Caviar: Looking for luxurious and affordable jewlery to go with every outfit or for the accessory queen in the family? Accessories are under $30 and they are currently doing a HUGE black Friday sale starting NOW!
Desert and Stone: These earrings are SO unique and cute! They are handmade with clay. You can shop through their Instagram page.
BriVanna Boutique: The cutest mother and daugher owned boutique with so many holiday looks! Get matching PJ’s for you and your sisters.
Molly Wat Shop: Unique and handmade ceramics perfect for the creative bestie or art lover in your family.

Shops I’ve Found on Etsy

Mach 1 Design: A Veteran owned business that specialized in aviation themed laser engravings. Trying to find the perfect gift for your pilot like I am? Head over to Mach 1 Designs!
Lofty Lime Designs: Hand crafted wood signs and more from a Military spouse herself. To order DM Carly @lofty_lime_designs
Lady Lightning Designs: My very own Etsy shop! Apparel made for women and children of our Military aircraft pilots. Use code: Caroline15 for 15% off your purchase begining on Black Friday.
Stealth Steel Designs: Looking for a gift for that tough to shop for military member? Loom no further, custom engraved items just for them! Made by a military family for military families. They have some awesome gift sets coming very soon! Follow their Instagram page for updates on deals coming out.
Wildflower Prints Inc: Looking for a personalized gift that is unique and you can cherish forever? The owner of this shop can hand draw any photo you send to her with such detail!
BeautyCounter: My new found love for clean beauty has lead me to one of my good friends Shannon! She runs her small business with BeautyCounter and they have so many great gift sets for your make-up enthusist!

Things to do with your Significant other of Best Friend

LowCountry Picnic: (Located in South Carolina) Kara and Parker just started this business a short while ago and man am I glad they did! It was so fun getting to picnic in the LowCountry! You can choose your picnic theme, add on a charcuterie board and fresh lemonade, they will do all of the set up and take down, you just have to show up and enjoy.
Good Life Picnics: (Located in Nebraska) My dear friend Joselyn also just started her picnic business out in Nebraska! Her charcuterie boards are darn near masterpeices. She will come and set up a romantic indoor date for you and your significant other or for you and your friends out by a lake.
Outside Together Co: (Located in Southern California) This picnic company is still on my bucket list to try! They have so many customizable options for your dream picnic in San Diego! Now that I’m back west, I think this would be the perfect way for a best friend reunion!

Something Sweet from in my opinion the BEST bakers around

South and Spoon Pudding: Want to make a fun but quick and easy dessert at home with the family this holiday? You have to try South and Spoon pudding! You can make it your way, classic, boozy or turn it into pudding pie! Buy 6 or more boxes to get Free Shipping on your order!
Bees Pops: Tasty and cute! The perfect cookies, cakes and cupcakes if you are in the San Diego area. Seriously, Beronica is an artist with the sweets!
Cute Cakes Bakery: Located in San Diego, Ca this bakery’s menu is nothing but amazing! If you are in the San Diego area and looking for a greate cake or pie to bring around for the holidays, I highly reccomend ordering from Cute Cakes. The customer service is top knotch and thier sweet treats are delicious.
Cupcakes 2 Cakes: Based out of Beaufort/Bluffton, these amazing baker’s craft the cutest cookies and cakes, perfect for the holidays or to add in a gift basket! They are also doing 40% off a dozen cupcakes now-November 28th!
Tout Sweet Macarons: My absolute FAVORITE Macarons I’ve ever had! If you know then you knew, Shannon has perfected just about every flavor macaron there ever was. Also she SHIPS, so you can bet I will be getting some sent to Yuma. 🙂
Cookies by Charlotte: I’ve ordered a few cookies from Charlotte while in Beaufort and let me tell you, cute and delicious these cookies are! She is so talented! Another wonderful idea, grab a dozen cookies to place in a gift basket for your loved ones!
Bloom Cakes: Last but NOT LEAST! My all time favorite cake baker, Jessica. I will deeply miss grabbing a cake from her for any reason possible. So talented and every flavor is delicious. Our personal favorites were Lemon Rasberry and Coconut!

I hope this guide comes in handy for you all and thank you so much for supporting these small businesses and any other small businesses out there! They need you this season. ❤

If you want to continue following along on more adventures, follow me on Instagram @carolinekaufer

Girls Weekend to St. Simons Island

Another weekend trip thanks to my husband, pilot Patrick! This weekend some girlfriends and I hoped on a private plane and zoomed down to St. Simons Island for the day. I’m serious when I say get yourself a husband, or a good friend, who is a pilot! It makes for very convenient travels. I just wanted to share some recommendations for what to do if you are ever thinking of traveling to St. Simons!

If you fly into McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport, they have either car rentals available, or an FBO car you can borrow for a couple hours to get around. We headed to the village to grab some lunch and walk around the cute shops.

Breakfast/ Lunch Recommendations

–Palm Coast *

–Sandcastle Cafe & Grille

–Palmer’s Village Cafe

–Coastal Kitchen

–Sals

We ended up going to Palm Coast due to its convenient location near the pier and right in the village, but all other restaurants listed were recommended to me by friends who have enjoyed them.

Next up, we headed to the beach to jump into the Atlantic and sun bathe. There are a lot of entries to beaches just North of the pier, but we headed up to East Beach where there was a larger parking lot. The beaches were beautiful with white sand and warm water. (Still amazes me how warm the water is-coming from someone who grew up on the Pacific) Defiantly recommend getting here earlier to grab a good spot!

And then we wrapped up our day with some Italian Ice from Sunset Slush because on a hot day, nothing can beat a refreshing cold treat! 🙂

If you ever get the opportunity to visit this cute little island I would certainly recommend going!

If you want to continue following along on more adventures, follow me on Instagram @carolinekaufer

Living the Military Wife Life

Hey everyone! It’s been almost 5 months since I made the biggest move in my life from California to South Carolina. I never in a million years would have guessed that anyone would be able to take me outta my beloved San Diego, much less across America to the Low Country! I truly did not think I would actually move all the way out here, between needing to keep my job and simply not wanting to go so far away from the only home I’ve ever known. But here I am, living the military wife life in South Carolina and I’m surviving!

Though, its true what they say about doing the unexpected when you enter into the military lifestyle. So, I’ve gone through the phase of being that wife that has finally shown up to her husbands duty station after never moving anywhere with him. If you’re a military wife, you may understand the feeling you have when you are new to an already formed group. I never thought I would have to experience trying to make new friends again after college. I have the best of friends I could ask for, only issue is, I have left them behind in San Diego. Therefore, here I was in a new state, a very unfamiliar state, no car, not even half of my belongings (thanks to COVID) and only a couple friendly faces.

Let me tell you, it is tough being the newbie in town, trying to fit into the volun-told spouses sorority group you just got thrown into. You may understand what I’m talking about or you may be a social butterfly making your way at every location. Unfortuently, I am not always that confident until I really get to know someone. I didn’t like to make the first move to invite people places or invite myself to coffee dates I wasn’t already invited to. Not to mention I’m still working so, yeah, see you after 5 ladies if its during the week.

A month or so goes by like this, but thankfully my husband set us up to have one other couple as our close besties out here and the wife is truly the sweetest friend I’ve gotten to make new friends with. We share many mutual feelings with trying to fit into the click and overall military lifestyle. It’s been an adjustment for sure, and a learning experience.

Thankfully, I’m learning my way around and making friendships one by one. Which makes it a whole lot easier to be OK this far from home. If there’s anything I’ve learned, its not to get caught up on feeling like the outsider or left out and immediately thinking you’ll have no friends because the only group you kind of know of, doesn’t make you feel included. Odds are, there are many other spouses feeling the same way, staying quiet and not attending events because they too feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, lets do each other a favor and show up to events even though we may feel uncomfortable at first and if you’re the host, reach out to the new people to let them know you want them to attend and to befriend them. You never know, you may meet someone who shares mutual feelings with you and you guys become besties! Also, if you know a new couple is coming in town, make an effort to invite them to smaller settings such as dinner, wine nights, coffee dates, and pool days. Being dropped into a community where bonds have already been made is really hard, not to mention learning your way around a new state, which anyone in the military understands is an adventure.

You never know who you’ll meet, you might meet your new pool date bestie, your GNO gals, your beach loving girlfriends, nail date friend, or photoshoot at sunset queen, all thanks to this crazy lifestyle, they call the military life.

I’m making my way, and this military wife life isn’t so bad. I’m excited for the friendships I’ve made now and the ones I am able to continue with in Yuma!

I hope this helps let you know, you’re not alone on your next PCS to a new location or if you’re not associated with the military lifestyle, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a sliver about my perspective on it!

For more posts and daily insight into life in the low country follow me!

Quarantine Style Dates

Hey Ya’ll! Welcome to another week of quarantine, social distancing, and self isolation! It is the craziest of times in our world so I wanted to share some tips to help keep you entertained while stuck at home with your significant other. Since it has been about a month, maybe even longer of no longer having the freedom of going out to dinner, meeting for happy hour or really being allowed to go anywhere, I wanted to help lighten the mood and share some simple but fun ideas to keep that spark alive in weird times!

What’s Cooking’ Good Lookin‘
- Surprise your spouse with their favorite homemade meal one night and set the table, add a candle and use your fancy glasses for your favorite drink.
You Make Me Wanna Cruise
- Can’t stay in the house any longer? Take a drive down a scenic road you enjoy, along the coast, back country roads, under moss covered trees. Maybe even hit-up a Chick-Fil-A on your way. 🙂
Fresh Air is Nice
- Leave your phones inside and go outside! Sit on your balcony or patio for a bit and enjoy each others company. Play a game together and take it outside!
Get your Running Shoes on
- Take a run around the block or pick a change of scenery in a secluded location and enjoy staying active without the gym!
New Bar Tender in Town
- The internet is a great resource to look up some awesome new cocktail recipes, or experiment and create something new! Have a weekly cocktail challenge. Cheers!

I hope these give you some fun, new ideas to stay busy during this time. I hope you all are staying safe and remember we are #inthistogether.

Life in the Low Country

Happy Friday Friends!

I know it has once again been a while since I have last posted on here to share anything, so I do apologize! But life is just so busy, and there comes a time when you have the option to hide in your room and blog vs spend time with your family. So lately, I’ve chosen to spend time with my family as I knew my move was coming up. But I’m BACK with you all today.

Rewind to just before all of the chaos with COVID-19, I jetted off (safely) to live with my husband for the first time EVER! I am still adjusting, as it still only feels like I am visiting for a couple weeks. It has been very enjoyable so far, and I’m so happy being able to live life together with my love. So stay tuned for what its like actually getting to experience married life together.

Unfortunately, now that I am finally out here there is nothing to go do! We truly are stuck together inside, and now we are being put to the test as we quarantine together. Time will tell, first time living together during this crazy time in the world, wish us luck! As “Mav” likes to say, “I’ll tell you tomorrow, but it’s looking good so far.”

Stay tuned next week for how this home grown California girl is learning to live in the Low Country of South Carolina!

Thanks for following along, and I can’t wait to start blogging so much more!

Cheers!

Big Year for Big Moves

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful end to 2019 and a fantastic start to 2020 thus far. I know I sure did! How could I complain, I’ve been able to spend Christmas, New Years and a few days thereafter with my husband. Life is not to shabby! It almost feels like we’ve gotten into the grove of living together and enjoying day to day life together like every other married couple does. What a thought!

Well, as great as this has been I do have to go back to my reality of living at home so that I can keep my job that enables me to pay my student loans, car payment and credit card bills. This so called “reality” is certainly one I actually want to change. 2020 is simply too big of a year, not to have a goal so big it scares you just a little bit when thinking about it.

Therefore, I made a resolution, I have been needing to make since September, when I got married to finally make a move. THE MOVE. A move across the country to be with my husband! After spending time in our apartment this past couple of weeks, I have realized life really is so much nicer TOGETHER and there is never going to be the perfect time to make this happen.

I have been pushing things off and off and off because I am comfortable, I am comfortable at home, I am comfortable at work, I am comfortable in my social life, with all of my friends and family that I have around me. The only area of my life that is uncomfortable is the part where I hardly get to spend time with my HUSBAND and telling people I don’t live with my husband and the fact he lives across the Untied States! Surely, some of you can relate. If you’ve done distance you know how the conversation goes, people ask when are you going to be together and you reply either, hopefully soon or you just don’t know because of the military. As much as I love and support it, the military makes distance many peoples reality.

That has been my reality for the past almost 5 years. DISTANCE. Now, even more difficult because it was supposed to end once we got married. Then, I had a career advancement and put that ahead of our marriage, as Patrick supported it. Well, in these short months of marriage, if there is anything I have learned heading out of 2019 and into 2020, it is that timing won’t ever be perfect and there won’t ever be a better time. I am watching the days turn over realizing I can either keep my job and be distant until the Marine Corps allows us to move back to San Diego (unlikely) or I can enjoy my first year of marriage learning and growing as a family and find a new path for my career.

The second option has certainly spoken to me throughout this trip to South Carolina. It is starting to feel more normal and comfortable out here, though there are no great malls, bless online shopping and express 2 day shipping. I think I may just survive making myself uncomfortable for a little while. So, If there is any big decisions you are trying to make in your life right now, know that though it may feel out of your comfort zone, it will be the best decision for you in the long run. Don’t feel rushed, take your time, pray about it and start talking about it. It may help bring you to your conclusion, your big move.

So, if you haven’t picked up what I have been putting down, I will be sorting through my life here in San Diego and preparing to pack it up for a new journey to South Carolina in just a few short months! I couldn’t share this exciting yet slightly terrifying journey without you all, so a huge THANK YOU for following along and sharing your love and support with me. ❤

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my 2020 big moves journey!

Follow me @carolinekaufer for more posts.

Amazon Gifts for Him

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! I cannot believe we are already one week away from December 1st! Therefore, I wanted to make sure this gift guide was ready before Black Friday because surely some of these will go on sale. I’ve added everything from tech to tools below, and tried to give you a variety of price ranges. Don’t sweat holiday gifts because at the end of the day, I promise your honey will be happy spending the holidays with you by their side!

To shop the items below, simply click on the item and you will be directed to Amazon to finish shopping. I hope you enjoyed my last Amazon gift guide and find this one just as useful!

Gifts for Him

Let me know in the comments below what you want to see next!I hope you all have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend!!!

Amazon Gifts For Everyone

Happy Monday Everyone!

Who else is so excited for Thanksgiving next week? I am more than ready to have a long weekend, my honey home, some turkey and mashed potatoes and I can’t forget those black Friday deals! I wanted to share a few good and affordable finds that I have gotten off of Amazon recently and love. Gift giving does not have to be expensive to be thoughtful. Amazon has millions of products at low prices for everyone in the family.

Hopefully you can enjoy these items like I have or find them as a great gift for your loved ones this holiday season. Shop gifts for the new Mr. & Mrs., cook of the house and affordable home decor for Mom, Grandma or your best friend below.

Click the products to shop them directly!

Gifts For Him and Her

Gifts For the Cook

House Decor Gifts

I hope this helps spark some ideas for great items you may want to give as a gift or purchase for your self this season. Stay tuned for more Amazon finds next week with affordable gifts for Him, Her, Mom and Dad!

Follow me @carolinekaufer for more posts and fashionable finds!

Life After the Big Day

Hi Everyone!

Happy November! Can you believe we are already in the same month as Thanksgiving? I sure can’t. I am sure you are all wondering what life has looked like for Patrick and I now that the wedding is over. Some of you assume I moved off to South Carolina because you saw Patrick moved there shortly after the wedding and I joined him on the road trip out there and helped him move in. Well, unfortunately, we are STILL not living together. 😦

So, life after the big day has been busy. After our honeymoon we went back to work for a couple weeks. I joined Patrick in Texas one last time to say good-bye to our favorite state thus far and venture off to South Carolina. I helped him move in and get situated in the new apartment and then, once again, said “see ya next time.”

The question comes about often, “how is married life?” I simply can’t fully answer that yet. To be fully transparent, I haven’t had the time of day to change my name between traveling and work, we don’t live together and it’s becoming tougher and tougher, and my parents totally redecorated my room while I was gone to turn it into their guest room. So, here I am, struggling with the heartache of not only a distant relationship, but a distant first year in marriage for what? For my parents to remind me I’m married and they want my accumulation of “stuff” to start moving it’s way out of their house? lol

It’s incredibly tough, but I’ve chose to stay here for now for my own career. Not many of us military wives make the decision to not move with our husbands or significant others as soon as or even before we are married. We never really know when we as spouses will have to do distance, not by choice, due to a detachment, deployment, or any other various trainings they are put through, so maximizing time together is important. Not so tough of a decision for me at first because well we’ve been distant for four years now, so what was one more year? Well, one more year means training is over and he is deployable, so it may turn into two more years and at that point, we might have lived together for a total of six solid months. Crazy to think about, but now the dream that was once just having our wedding day has now turned into a dream of when move-in day will be and actually starting our lives together.

I am finally in the position at work I have always wanted to be in my career, so it’s challenging for me to throw it all away after only a couple months of being in my new role. The job has presented its challenges and I take each day at a time weighing out my end result. I am still pondering the options and how we can make this whole situation work because at the end of the day, I’ve outgrown my space in California and I am ready to fulfill my role as a wife, not just be called a wife.

At the end of the day, I hope I can encourage whoever is reading this and potentially having the same struggle to follow your own path and achieve your own goals in life while also being a present member of your relationship to not lose faith in each other. Trust that when it is meant to be and timing is right, you will be together. Now, I am praying that our days apart are coming to an end.

Thanks for reading and Happy Veterans Days to all of our armed forced and their families who make sacrifices everyday!

Be sure to follow me for more posts! @CarolineKaufer

Our Wedding Video

It’s finally here! The moment you’ve been waiting for. Our full wedding video! I just want to say thank you again to everyone who made our wedding day so very special for us and a huge thank you to @yourstrulymedia for doing such an incredible job on our video and capturing all of the moments during our wedding day. If you need a videographer for your wedding day or an engagement shoot, this team is amazing!

Enjoy watching! ❤