The one leaving Raleigh.

Right before I went to college, my parents got me a credit card.  Don't freak out.. it was a credit card that was meant only for emergencies such as gas and groceries & I had to promise them I would call them every single time I used it.  But anways, they got me a credit card & the design on the card was a city skyline at night.  It was gorgeous.  My parents picked out that specific card because I love cities & they thought if a child of theirs was ever to go away from home, it would be me.  I love the hustle and bustle of cities, the lights at nighttime, the life of unlimited amount of coffee shops, non-chain restaurants, and hidden treasures within the concrete walls.  I love cities.  Moreover, I love Raleigh.  I adore this sweet little college town.

Well Sam is moving home... TODAY.  He is picking up his life in Raleigh and moving back home.  He is starting a new job & looking for us a place to live.. because we will reside back in our precious small town after May 25th.  Put bluntly, Sam is done with Raleigh.  He has had a good time... but he is ready for the big move.  I asked him why he was so done with Raleigh & his reply was simply this:

"Court, where can I hunt?  Whose land can I do that on AND ride four wheelers?  And babe, I am not about to pay to go fishing."






He is a country boy, through and through.  I am so thankful for man that is content with a life full of woods, guns, knives, game, four wheelers, fishing poles and home cooked meals.

I believe I am half & half.  I love cities, but I also love the country.  I love how slow the morning seems to be.  I love being more aware of natural beauty.  I love being outdoors.  I love the community and all the little "finger waves" everyone gives when they are driving down the road.  Everybody knows everybody.  I love it.  Oh, and the sunsets in this place are ridiculous.

On behalf on Sam's last night in our beloved Raleigh.  We tried a new restaurant in downtown called Cafe Luna.  It was delicious.  I had some type of black pasta with grouper, shrimp and tomatoes & Sam got grilled chicken, roasted potatoes & a cute little salad.  It was so good.  The sun was setting perfectly, so we just drove around.  We blared Pandora, opened the sunroof, and heated the seats.  We ran an errand or two.  Then went back to driving around.  The moon became full & gorgeous, creating the perfect send off for Sam.

 

  

  

 

 

Raleigh has been so good to us.. too good.  But life is changing and its for the better, which makes breaking my Raleigh ties a little bit easier.

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! 

We will seek Him & LIVE!

I always thought being engaged would feel just like dating... um, dead wrong.  Over the past 3 months I have grown & matured, Sam has grown & matured, we have grown and matured as a couple.  We are not on a wedding-high, where everything is blissfully perfect.  Um, no.  This is such a sweet season, but it can get stressful as it is woven in with the season of ending the college chapter of my life & in with the season of figuring out what life looks like postgrad.  The growing up - oh let's start a life together- let's share our money - where are we gonna live - whats our next career moves - learning how to be a spouse rather than a boy/girlfriend- stuff is stressful at times but it is so much fun!!  My heart has been twisted, turned, and stretched in ways I have never experienced over the past three months & I am so excited to feel my heart experience new things.  Sam & I are leaning FULLY on the Lord and trusting that He is doing big things in our hearts to prepare us for this life as one flesh. 

Sam & I are currently out of limbo.  For a couple of months we had no clue what life looked like after May 25th.  We didn't know what city we were gonna live in, we didn't know what he was going to do job wise, we didn't know if graduate school was going to work out for me & if so, where?  We were in serious limbo & it was weighing heavily on both of our hearts.  However, the Lord is good.. just so good.  No, it is not the plan we had for ourselves, it is slightly different.  But we love the new plan. 

"This is what the Lord said to the house of Israel:  SEEK HIM & LIVE!"

Amos 5:4

In lighter news, Sam & I have booked the honeymoon.  The Scott newlyweds will be spending their week together in the Dominican Republic!  I am so excited & already trying to plan out my outfits!  Sam & I are also taking a financial class to help up budget our money as we are still just two kids in love with different views of the value of a dollar.  We have found the outfits for our wedding party, finally.  We are currently working on designing our invitations with my sister & her talented boyfriend.  Spring break is next week for NCSU, so my mama & I will be working of flowers and decorations.  

85 days to go, people.  85 sweet days to go.

The Hitchin' Post - Registering

Colby & I had our first registering experience this past weekend.  We grabbed a last minute supper with his family beforehand so we ended up rolling into Bed, Bath & Beyond an hour before it closed.  The consultant was helpful & informative.  He told us to take each room at a time, so with about 30 minutes to spare, Colby & I went to the kitchen area.

We had no idea what we were doing.   This was part of the conversation::

Courtney - "Ohh! I like these, Colby."

[SCAN]

Colby - "Nah, these over here look good.  But whatever you want, you'll be using them the most. :)"

Courtney - "Nevermind, I like those pretty good actually."

[SCAN]

Colby - "Babe, look at these over here."

Courtney - "Ahh, I like those too!"

[SCAN]

With at least 3 different sets of cookware.. we decided we needed to do some research and then delete all the sets that we didn't want from the registry online.  As we continued to go through kitchen basics, such as knives and coffee makers, I felt like such a snob.  I kept telling Colby to scan the cheaper items because I didn't want our friends and family to pay for the price of the things that we really wanted.  Colby kept assuring me that this is our only time ever to register, to ask for the things we really want.  He told me that some of friends and family will not want to spend that kind of money on a coffee maker or a pairing knife, which we totally get, but some of them will see this as an opportunity to serve us in this marriage.

Regardless of what our family & friends buy.. whether it be that precious cow creamer pourer thing or that red dutch oven... they are making an investment in our future & therefore we are thankful.

We are planning to finish up our registering adventures this weekend.  We'll finish up at BB&B, head over to Pottery Barn and maybe one other place... suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I never thought registering would be a tricky thing for my heart, but it is.  It plays on the fine line of greed & humility.  Registering helps me see my greed & selfishness of wanting more, wanting the best.  With that little scanner so readily available, it is easy to look past of the basic & necessities. Registering is humbling experience in that we we don't have all these material things to be content.  We have Jesus.  My favorite scripture is Psalm 55:22 -- "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will SUSTAIN you..." SUSTAIN - He will meet requirements necessary for living, we need nothing else.  That's amazing to me.  So when Colby & I register, we hope that if we are gifted with these material gifts that we will in return serve the Lord & serve our neighbors with those gifts. 

The Hitchin' Post - Wedding Dress

Let's kick off this series y'all with a story about a little white dress.  Okay, so going into this process I knew I wanted one thing, lace.  I was WIDE open about trying any dress on that any consultant or my mama & sister pulled.  There have been several occasions where Ashley or Mama have made me try on a dress, shirt, pants, what have you, that I absolutely hated & then leaving the store with them because I couldn't do without 'em!  So again, I was wide open.  

One Sunday night, Mama, Ashley & I were running errands in Winston & we thought we could tackle our first round of trying on dresses.  (During my Christmas break I wanted to knock out A TON of the bigger things for the wedding, but the wedding dress was the top priority for checking off).  We went into David's Bridal & was greeted with plenty of loud, cheesy congratulations.  They were so sweet & we jumped right into it.  I met with my consultant, who I still don't know her name... Im thinking her name was Ashley, but Mama & I thought she looked like Kate Winslet, so we kept referring to her as Kate.  I told Kate a couple style options and she brought me three dresses.

Side note:  Plenty of former brides kept telling me.  "You'll know it when you put it on"  "You will have no doubts"  "There's only THE one"  "Courtney, seriously, you'll know first thing"

I'm just going to say that I don't totally agree with that.  Every. Single. Dress I tried on was beautiful & there were several that I absolutely LOVED.  What it came down to.. what am I most comfortable in? what did I want the whole day to look like?  now did this dress match that?  could I get my groove thing on in this dress? would I feel beautiful in this dress even if my hair & make up looked like crap?  I tried on plenty of dramatic dresses, that were seriously gorgeous, but they really did not match the theme or look of the day I was going for.  If I was going for a more extravagant wedding, I wouldn't have picked the dress I did.  Simple, southern charm is what I was going for.. & that is exactly what I got.

Okay, so we try on about 8-10 dresses at David's.. including the one.  The next day, Mama & I tried two other places in Burlington & Greenboro.  Long story short - it just was not the greatest experience, so let's move on.

 

Later that week or maybe that next weekend... my days are running together... Mom & I went to another place in Lexington & I found two dresses I really loved.  Also, this place was on Courtney Street, so naturally I thought "Yep, it's gonna be here".  On the way home from Lexington, Mom & I were chatting about the two dresses & I pretty much decided I wanted one of those two.  I guess Mom saw me still debating my decision & mentioned that we should try David's one more time to at least rule out all of those first dresses we tried on.  I was exhausted already but I knew she was right.  So once we got to David's, they pulled the three dresses I asked to keep in my "wishlist" & I tried them all on again.  I tried on the one last.  I was exhausted & I was like "Mom, do I even like this dress?  Is it too much this?  Does it not enough that?  Blah Blah Blah".  Mom told me that I was too tired to be trying on dresses and making this kind of decision without my full force energy.  I rebutted with "Nope.  I don't think so, I don't think I want this dress.  Ma'am, do you mind putting this dress back on the racks & off my wishlist?  I don't think that is the one".  Mom immediately told the consultant to keep everything on the wishlist & that we would come back tomorrow, after a full night's rest & full pot of coffee.

Praise the Lord for giving me a mama that knows when to say "that's enough" when I can't.

Praise Him for giving me a mama that knows me better than I know my self some days. 
  
The next day Mom, Ashley & Colby's mom, Sandra went with me to try my 4 favorite dresses one last time before I made my decision.  The first one I tried on was the one.  I had a completely different perspective than I did 20 hours before.   I felt at ease.  I looked and felt incredibly comfortable.  I even brought my shoes I was planning to wear to get a feel for the whole look I was going for.  I loved it.  I tried on all three other dresses from both David's & the small place in Lexington & decided I was going to sleep on it one last time.  

As I was laying in bed that night, looking through the pictures on my phone of the dresses I had tried on that day...  I looked at my facial expressions.  I saw that I looked most excited & thoroughly happy in the one.  

Made my decision.  Tried it on one more time for good measure.  Rang the wedding bell at David's.  They clapped.  I smiled.  Ordered it.  Picked it up.  Now it is eagerly waiting for a couple of minor alterations in my Mama's closet.

I am so so happy with my decision.  I cannot wait to wear it.  I cannot wait to show Sam.  

Yay for love
& gorgeous white dresses.

The one post engagement.

It is exactly 3 weeks post engagement & I am still in shock.  Catching a glimpse of my shiny new ring is a humbling experience.  When I look back at the concept of the proposal, I fall in love with Colby Scott even more.  This man got on his knee to ask me if it was okay to spend forever together.  

Good gracious, be still my heart.

Since the December 1st, a couple things have gone down.. 

Sam & I have picked out a couple wedding details, such as our wedding party, venue & color scheme.

Sam & I have checked another thing off his wonderful Winter Bucket List.

Sam & I have taken a couple pictures with his sister, Jenny, at RDU.  We will take some more with my sister, back at home soon!  Here are some of my favorites Jenny took.

But for now, I am taking a break from wedding planning.  For the next few days, I want my focus to be on Jesus and my family.  Merry Christmas, y'all! 

The one.

Currently, I am sitting on the couch with my feet propped up on three magazines that are filled with patterns, swatches, dress styles, theme ideas, planning aids and pretty pictures of glowing women and their dapper men.  Currently, I am straight jamming out to Beyonce's Love on Top.  Currently, I sit here exhausted with the overwhelming feeling of pure joy.

Ya'll, I'm ENGAGED!

 

I will never be able to look at airplanes the same again.

Sam.. aka my future HUSBAND... told me he wanted to take me on a surprise trip Saturday afternoon.  With a very nonchalant attitude, we headed west and ended up at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.  I have been wanting to go to the observation deck at RDU, for at least 3 years.  I've hinted, nudged, hinted again and nudged again for Sam to take me on a date, so I was thrilled he finally picked up on it.

We watched airplanes take off and land.  We talked about where we would fly to if we hopped on a plane today.  We talked about field mice.  We talked about the future.  We talked about nothing.  

Well, I really want to tell you the whole proposal, I do, but I do not think I can do it full justice with it written down.  I want to tell you our emotions, what was going through our heads, I want to describe the weather, and how easy that day was.  Writing it down just will not give you the full joy of the story like my high energy voice, super detailed description of everything, and my trying to find reasons to use my left hand during the whole story could.  So how about I give you a great outline.. and if you want more details, you can totally ask me.  I will never get tired of telling this story.

So anyways, we are plane watching when Sam hands me another surprise - a folded piece of a paper with a winter bucket list.  I slowly went down the bucket list, wanting to talk about every single one.  Eventually, I got down to the bottom and as I read the last item on the bucket list, I saw Sam take a knee.

In complete shock, all I could think to say is things like "Oh my word, are you serious?  Colby, is this real?  Colby Scott, this better be real."  After his sweet assurance of yes, this is real life, I lost complete control of my tear ducts.  Eventually came to & said "Oh by the way, YES, I'll marry you!". 

Then Colby continued to completely melt my heart by telling me of his intentions of what this life will look like together.  He even brought up the heavy heart I had just the day before where on social media I posted this:

 Lord Jesus, I have NO clue what my life looks after May 

but I'm trusting in you that I will be where I need to be. 

Sweet, sweet Sam ultimately told me that he didn't care that 

I didn't know where I was going after May but he wanted to go with me.

I said yes to the man that stole my heart at the young age of 15.  I said yes to the man that has continued to fearlessly pursue my heart for over 6 years.  I am so enthralled by the good, good heart of this man & I am filled with complete joy with knowing I am praising the Lord by saying yes to a life with him.

I will never, ever look at airplanes the same again.

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!