The one about a cap & gown.

Okay, I'm coming in real quick this Monday morning with a funny story.  

This past week was the "Grad Fair" where NC State seniors came to pick their cap & gowns and honorary sashes.  On Wednesday,  I was talking to my classmate.  

Classmate: "Do you know if we have to pay for our cap and gowns?"  
Immediately, I was like "NO!  We pay thousands of dollars to go here and we work hard to earn our degree.  Surely, they can afford to give us a slip of fabric to walk across a stage in."

Early the next morning, I went to the bookstore to pick up my graduation get up before class.  I tell them my degree, my height and GPA and they handed me the appropriate attire.  Besides the grad fair ladies, I was the only person in the bookstore, so naturally -- I didn't think I had to pay.  I placed my attire in my bookbag & walked right out.

Later that night, my roommate Sarah came in the living room with her cap & gown.  A wave of excitement came over us and we decided to try them on!  As we were waving our arms around and just being goofy, I told Sarah about the conversation I had with my classmate a couple days before.  She immediately stopped dancing and the conversation went as follows:

Sarah: "Um, Courtney, you had to pay for your cap & gown"
Courtney: "No you didn't."
Sarah: "I paid for my cap & gown"
Courtney: "Okay, Sarah... you're a good liar"
Sarah: "I'll show you the receipt."
Courtney: "What?! I didn't pay for mine"

Sarah then fell to her knees and she lost it.  "You stole your cap & gown! Hahaha!!"  We both we just started cracking up and were in disbelief of how dumb I was... 

The very next morning, I went to the bookstore to pay for my cap & gown.  I came in and this super sweet lady was loud with her "Well hi there!  What can I do for you this gorgeous morning?"  I told her all that went down & told her at least 5 times how embarrassed I was.  She got a serious look on her face & called someone on the phone.  Their conversation gave me a heart attack.  It was about how the inventory didn't add up right with cap & gowns, and they had "found" one of the faces on the surveillance video.  Y'all, I was sweating.  She got off the phone, looked at me and then with her loud, sweet voice she said "Girl, I'm just playing with ya!  I appreciate your honesty!  Thank you so much for respecting your morals and school.  But now, Im gonna have to take ya money."  So I slid that plastic card and my graduation debt was paid... officially... legally.  

The one with HAIRSPRAY.

 My roommate, Liza, is seriously one of the best YoungLife leaders ever!  She pours every single ounce of her emotion, time, money, and love into her sweet girls.  I am encouraged by the hours she puts into contact work in order to spread the gospel whenever she can, wherever she can, to whoever she can.  

One of her girls got the lead role in her high school's musical rendition of HAIRSPRAY!  I adore musicals.  Liza got everyone in our house a ticket plus one for a close friend of ours... and we decided to make a night of it.  We all decided to get all ditty-ed up and go grab some sushi in downtown Raleigh before we head to the show.

 

HAIRSPRAY was awesome.  Megan (aka Mego) killed it.  She was so spunky & fantastic

from start to finish.  I could not stop smiling the whole time I was there.

The schedule usually never works out with all 4 of my roommates: Jenn is a student teacher & YL leader,  Im planning a wedding, Sarah is knocking out interviews & job offers like nobody's business & Liza is consumed by a new major & her awesome gals.  So, nights like this, where all of us get together & devote time to one another is seriously the sweetest break we could all take from our crazy schedules.

Morning silence pondering.

This morning, I woke up to an empty house.  All of my roommates were out and about before 8 am!  I fixed me a full pot of coffee, threw some cinnamon rolls into the oven and cracked up my Bible.  After reading and praying, I just sat in silence thinking about some random things I enjoy.

1.  A quiet house.  I love waking up to a house full of friends, but between the routine of all four of us, silence is lost.  I love a quiet house.

2. A steaming cup of coffee.  Luke warm just will not do.

3.  Moleskin journals.  I am on my forth Moleskin journal & I just do not see myself ever changing.  Well, I am thinking about changing to a notebook size, but that's it.  My favorite Moleskin journal is kraft color/material with NO lines. 

4.  Short, painted fingernails.  I had this on my mind because Liza & I were about to leave to get nails done.

5.  Natural light.  There is simply nothing better.  Here at Joby's we have this gorgeous big window in our living room that allows a sea of natural light in.  It's fantastic.

6.  The Wolfpack.  I got my nails pained red in preparation for the Wolfpack.  Currently we are down by 7, but I am trusting that my boys in red are gonna pull  through.  (We are currently down 6 now..)

7.  Come Thou Font Of Every Blessing Pandora Station.  My favorite hymn is Come Thou Fount.. & the Pandora station is always, always on point.

8. The time change.  I'm pretty sure no one in their right mind would disagree with me.

So there is my random stream of consciousness.  Now to find order invitation card stock and apply for a big girl job.  Happy Saturday & GO PACK!

The one and only, Clark.

Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

So when I was fifteen my parents started talking to me about what kind of car I wanted for when I turned 16.  All I knew is that I wanted a SUV.  I kept leaning towards a Nissan Xterra -- I mentioned them every time we passed one on the road.  & honestly, I really didn't care what car I got, but for some reason, I just really loved the Xterras. 

One morning in November, my sophomore year of high school, my parents told me that were gonna meet up for lunch with one another, then run some errands and then one of them was going to come pick me up from school.  Awesome.  No big deal.

While I was waiting in the lobby of my high school, I saw this gorgeous Xterra pull up.  It was the most perfect color and it was the newer model!  I immediately called mama.   "Oh my gosh, Mom.  There is an Xterra in the car line at the high school that is the exact car I want.  It's this dark beige color.  Where are you?  Are you close so you can see it?"

Without another word spoken on the phone, the window of that Xterra rolled down & there sat my parents just waving like crazy!!  I freaked out.  I ran a dead sprint to the car screaming & clapping my hands.  I was on cloud nine.

I jumped in the back seat & just ohhed & ahhed over everything.  They pulled over at the local grocery store so I could drive it home and we stopped at Wendy's on my way home so I could show my best friend.  I was freaking out, y'all.  I got my dream car. 

When we got home, I pretty much had a photo shoot with the car.

*cue embarrassing but hilarious pictures*

 

 

My parents got me my dream car for my first car. (I am the luckiest girl in the world to have the parents that I do)  The day I got my car, I named it.  With a slight obsession with Superman at the time, I dubbed my Xterra, "Clark".  Clark has been his name from the get go.  I love Clark, like love love y'all. 

I write all this to say, that my Clark has had some trouble with his transmission.  Sam & I had already been talking about trading one of our SUVs in, so we could save on gas... and we chose Clark because we thought we could get more money out of him.  This week has been a "growing up fast" week for Sam & I.  We have learned more about insurance, loans, car payments, and budgeting than we ever have.  We are buying a new car today & saying good riddance to Clark.  I don't wanna give up Clark, I really don't.  But this new car is a smart decision and signifies an exciting new chapter of my life, my life with Sam. 

More details to come, once we have the keys in our hands and the wind in our hair! 

The one with Davy Crockett.

Here at Joby's, we only had one trick-or-treater.  But one was just enough for me.  My sweet blonde came as Davy Crockett and was in character the whole time he was in our house.  He naturally kneeled down and threw up that gun when a camera came into the room.  The kid rocked it.

 

Once Davy Crockett went on to invade other homes, my roomies and I ordered two large pizzas and spent our Halloween night piggin' out and watching Hocus Pocus.  Some say that's lame.  We say relaxing.  It was also just a great time to spend with one another.  Our schedules are CRAZY off this semester.  It is a rare occassion for all four of us to be the in the house, it's even more rare for all four of us to be in the house with no distractions (school, young life talks, projects, etc.) in front of us.  So we made a point to spend this spooky night in the comfort of each other in our home.

Hope everyone had an incredible Halloween!

The one tonight.

Tonight, is the first Friday night I've spent the night in my Raleigh house in 5 weeks!!  Whether it be my fall break, Victory Junction, weddings, Windy Gap or like last weekend... the beach.  The beach in October is my favorite time to go.  My family didn't get to take a family vacation this summer and used my little brother's fall break to take advantage of a small getaway.  I left Thursday morning, skipping a couple classes to spend a long weekend with my parents and brother.  My sister had a charity walk for work and Sam had his own family plans.  We stayed in a friend's condo, where I slept happily on the pull out couch.  Early Friday morning.. let's say around 6:20-30.. my parents woke up to their usual circadian rhythm to enjoy coffee and the sunrise.  How thankful I am for early bird parents because every morning I got to watch the sunrise.  What a blessing?!

 Also, my family are food people.  We like to try the favorite local spots and we hit jack pot (or shall I say steam pot) with Duffy Street Seafood Shack.  There my family & I engorged ourselves with calamari, oysters, clams, scallops, crab legs, and low country boils.  More specifically, my family are seafood people.  We are thankful for aquaculture.

When we weren't shoving our faces with local seafood goodness or drinking multiple cups of coffee to cheerfully bring in the sunrise we were soaking up them rays, fishing, and sleeping in our Vitamin D.

 

Yes, you are allowed to be jealous of my sweatshirt.  My sweet grandma got this youth large sweatshirt for my 6'4'' brother a couple years ago.  Thankful he was never able to fit in this comfy, shark-surfing sweatshirt.

 

Im missing the beach this Friday night.  I miss the idea of knowing a coffee cup and sunrise will be there to greet me in a couple hours.  I miss hilarious scattergories at night.  I miss the weather.  I miss being with the most laid-back people in the whole world. 

However, I am thankful for this Friday night back in Raleigh.  Thankful for sushi suppers with my roommates.  Thankful for a warm house and a TV that constantly plays FRIENDS.

Good night, Raleigh.

The one lately.

Life seems to be moving a hundred miles a minute lately.  But in the midst of the rush, I have found joy in so many things.  

I have gotten to see one of my best friend's first Young Life talks.  He did sooo good & he spoke such truth to so many high schoolers!

I have volunteered at Victory Junction and met some sweet loves.

 I have taken Sam on a surprise picnic to Jordan Lake.

I have babysat my favorite set of red-headed triplets.

 

 I have been home..where the moon delivered a view of Pilot Mountain I've never experienced and where we ate outside next to a fire.

An incredible weekend to come -- headed to Windy Gap with some of my fave gals!