The one to start 2013.

 2013 has arrived & I am already feeling the changes and challenges that will sweetly saturate this year.  2013 is a big one for me.  I stand firm in knowing the next 5 months will be the most eventful, stressing, glorious, hardworking, loving months I have ever experienced. 

I am sitting in my bed in Raleigh, coming down from a pink lemonade birthday cake high & preparing for the start of the sweet chaos... my final semester at NC State starts in approximately 10 hours.  My last first day of undergrad.  Bittersweet to say the least.  I love school.  I can thoroughly say that I have even enjoyed the academic aspect of my college career, which has given me confidence that I am in the right major.  I will go super sappy on ya when we really hit the realization that graduation is in 5 months.

Change is gonna come this year.  All good things.  It's gonna be great.  It's gonna be so great.

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There are not many more wedding updates since we talked last... a couple small decoration details, DIY projects galore, but nothing major.  My sister took some engagement pictures this weekend & she will post them soon! Im excited to see them all!

(She did, however, give me permission to show you guys one!)

Cheers to 2013 - my favorite year yet.

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 blondes.

 So there are these two little dudes that completely stolen my heart. I have mentioned my love for them here, here & here... oh & here & here.  Im sure there are others.. but you get the point - I adore my blondes.  They have become such a huge part of my life here in Raleigh.  Both ways the door swings, in that we all have invested so much time and emotion into getting to know each other.  I know their hearts and what a joy I find in that.  These hearts that are honest, vulnerable, loving, caring yet carefree.  These hearts that also know my own.  We pray together, play ninja and football together, sing together, eat together, eat unheard of amounts of ice cream together.  I really can't explain the fullness of my heart when I am with these boys.  

Okay, my throat has a knot in it.. let's move on.

For Christmas, I wanted to order a canvas of the boys for their mama. (PS I don't know how big/small the blogosphere is.. know if you know these fine people, don't tell Kelly her Christmas gift from the boys!)  So today, my roomie, Liza - who also keeps Will once a week, and I had a mini-photoshoot with John & Will.  Here is a sneak peek of the goodness we captured today.

Merry Christmas, Kelly.

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 who isn't slow.

 My family has this game that we play in the car.  We call it the "Artist Game".  When we ride in the car, the radio is guaranteed to be on and the first person to get the artist singing the song gets the point.  I think we started out with the titles of the songs but it wasn't a big enough challenge for the music junkies we are.  There is no reward other than the self gratification of knowing more artists than the rest of your family for a day.  Not to brag, but me and my dad own that game.  Mom, Ashley and Ryan really don't stand a chance when Dad and I are in the car.  Again... not to brag. :)  However, when a certain season comes around, Dad and I are quickly dethroned by Mom.  She owns the Artist Game - Christmas edition.  Which I believe is a true testament to her love for music.  Because a lot of times, you hear a song that is familiar and you just remember who sings it... where as with Christmas music, ALL musicians sing the same song, so you have to have a talent for figuring out who is singing that version O Holy Night or that version of The Little Drummer Boy

My mom loves the holidays.  Every single aspect of it.  And I have happily inherited her passion for home, cozy things, and all things red and green.  But this year, I have seriously caught a disease.. and it all started with this sucker. 

 

My roommate brought some pine cones from home to decorate for the Thanksgiving season.  I started playing around with them but wasn't satisfied with a bowl of pine cones. So I found some green burlap and really liked the touch.  Then I found a red candle.  Loved the colors together.  Found some twine.  Loved the rustic touch.  I happily slid this little beaut to the center of the table and before I knew it Michael Buble's "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" was playing on my Pandora station.  That was October 29th.  Halloween was still on deck.  But I still cannot seem to change stations. 

 

I told mom about my holiday felony and that following weekend she bought me a Christmas candle.  (P.S. Chestnut and Clove from Bath & Body Works smells exactly like Christmas.  Smells so dang good)  She gave me the go ahead to start celebrating Christmas.. I just have to start out slow.  

Last night, I went to Target and somehow Christmas lights ended up in my bag.

  

And when I got home, somehow my Christmas mantle piece came out of the closet.

 And then somehow Christmas colored peanut M&M's filled a glass jar.

 And then somehow stocking holders found their way out of the closet.

 

And now.. I am about to go paint my nails a "Berry Naughty" color that somehow came home with me from Target.

 _______________________________

Whoops.  Slow is obviously out of the question.