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 ones Im thankful for.

 I think the Holidays can be stressful.. but in the end - I am humbled and thankful for the stressful schedule.  I am thankful for family.  I am thankful to have both sets of my grandparents.  I am thankful for travel.  I am thankful love.  I did not get to spend much time with Sam this holiday as his family was headed to the beach to celebrate the big turkey.  But I am thankful for his understanding for me to be home.  I am thankful for him, completely - for his love, his heart for Jesus, for his blonde hair & baby blues.  I am thankful for family - for who they are, how they challenge me, and for loving me so well.

 

The day after Thanksgiving is usually one of my favorite days of the year.  During the Holidays I get to see a lot of family, which is great - I adore that time.  But the day after Thanksgiving is a day where us five get to spend pretty much the entire day together.  This day I adore also because it is always chock full of laughter, fun and pure joy.

As scheduled, we went to Reed Island Farm to get our Christmas tree.

 Ashley walked around with this dead gnat on her lip unknowingly for like 30 minutes.  I was dying.  

She has such a good sense of humor and can laugh at herself.. so I know she didn't care if I posted this.

 

 My parent's this year got each other a television for Christmas.  I know this because I was a part of the Thursday night hustle and bustle of "killer deals" (words of my mother).   We stood in line.  We got that Golden Ticket.  We went thru the drive-thru pick up.  & we did it on zero-gas.

Today, when we got back from getting our Christmas tree, we rearranged our living room furniture to set up for our new TV.  & then started to mount the TV -- which was definitely  bigger than a one-man job. 

 

We are excited but more than that, we are thankful.  Not exactly for the television.. but more for the day spent together.  What a joy we found in each other - in jokes, frustrations, happies, meals, fields of evergreens, or sweetly sitting next to each other in front of our new tube.  

I am thankful for those four souls.  & I can't help but think of some lyrics from the Avett Brothers:

...there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name

I am thankful to share my name with these four souls.

I am thankful.

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 ones without broken pots.

 

Last weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to some time in Weaverville, NC.  Weaverville is the home to one of the most gorgeous places in North Carolina.. Windy Gap, a Young Life Camp.  I can't tell you how majestic this place is.  It's like a little hidden valley within glorious surrounding mountains.   It has a giant willow tree.  It has a swing that makes your stomach drop.  It has triple layered bunk beds.  It is incredible.

So during my sweet weekend, I got to spend my time with these girls...

I love Fall Camp at Windy Gap.  We do crazy things like have flour bomb battles at ten o' clock in the morning, create human snakes in the damp, damp ground, and scream our lungs off to the new tunes.

 

 

 

\\

 We also get to do things that are completely perfect for the soul..  like spending time around a table, where talk is sweet and food is good.. and hearing the gospel and then spending time in circle discussing it.

 I got to catch up on old friendships and create new ones.

 I got to spend time with my own Young Life leader.

 I got to see two of my roommates completely in their element - leading high school girls to the truth.

Last weekend, I got to spend my time hearing the gospel, living the gospel, and having sweet talks with high schoolers about the gospel.  What a blessing?!

Dear Heavenly Father, 

Thank you so much for Windy Gap.  Thank you for the work crew, program and leaders that are able to make Fall Camp happen.  Thank you for Ben, who did an incredible job explaining how to find full life in You.  Thank you for replacing our broken pots with the perfect pot of Jesus.  Thank you for Surry County.  Thank you for Wake County.  Thank you for Young Life and the lives that you impact through it.

Love, Courtney 

The one for my sweet daddy.

 This past Father's Day, we gave dad tickets to see Chicago & the Doobie Brothers in Raleigh.  So on Saturday we loaded up the car & headed to my little oasis for a weekend getaway!

It was such a fun weekend of good eats, Farmer's Markets && classic music.

 

Well, yesterday my sweet daddy turned the big 50.  Like my mom, my dad is also very laid back.  He don't get worked up or anxious over much.  My dad is relaxed.  My dad loves the comfort and simplicity of his home - & we knew that is where he would want to celebrate his big day.  So we invited his parents over and had burgers on the grill.  We sang & he blew out candles.  He wore a party hat && a  big smile the whole night.

&& Ashley didn't miss out on the party.  We Face-Timed her in on all the singing and opening of gifts! :)

 

Oh happy day, daddy.  I love you so much.  I cannot explain how much you mean to me.  I am so grateful for your giving heart and your leadership.  You make your family feel so loved, so comforted, so protected in everything you do.  I love you, Douglas.  Stay golden.