...these are a few of my favorite things!!

Favorite things Christmas list 2013:

So very excited to be linking up with some fabulous ladies to share favorite things of 2013. Cue humming Julie Andrews the rest of the day..."I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel soooo bad".... 

1) Target gift cards...because lets be real who couldn't use more of these?

2) TJ Maxx/Home Goods gift card...again refer to the above reason.

Onto the fun stuff...

3) I would love a new Michael Kors watch...I love my Target knock off but their is just something about having a fancy watch. 

4) Has anyone else become obsessed with Downton Abbey? I certainly have, I watched all three seasons on Amazon prime is like 2 weeks...woops. I would love the DVD box set to watch over and over. 

5) As much as I love the machine I'm currently typing on my 2007 Macbook is about to bite the dust. It got me through all 4 years of college and it is keeping up with me however, the beachball of death keeps appearing. We all know that can't be a good sign. I would LOVE a new Macbook Pro I'm not against a refurbished one either. Once you go Mac you never go back.

6) You know you're getting older when you want furniture for Christmas. The hubs wants a storage ottoman and I wanted a tufted one to use as a coffee table. This one is a nice mix right? Too bad it is INSANELY expensive. If I had enough patience and craft power I could probably make one. We'll see. 

Those are the 6 most favorite things on my wish list this year! How about yours? :)

Happy Friday Y'all!

It's Friday it's Friday hey hey it's Friday! Another Friday of thankfulness and some of my favorite things this week!

1) I'm thankful for our sweet nephews and niece! We're heading to Derik's parents house in Hickory this afternoon and I could not be more excited!!! We get to see our sweet niece and both nephews. I'm so thankful for those precious babies. They fill our hearts with so much love and joy!

This is our sweet nephew, Jack. He's 3 and he never.slows.down. Seriously he's on the go all the time. Sweetest boy though always concerned about others. I love this kid! 

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Jack's brother Sam, this is one sweet sweet boy. I can't get enough of his chunky cheeks! He's my snuggle buddy and we've spent many hours doing just that!

This is our sweet niece, Kinley. She is truly a miracle baby. Derik's sister had 4 miscarriages before having Kinley. She will be 5 months old next week, I can't believe how the time has just flown with her! 

2) One of our local radio stations made the switch to all Christmas music yesterday. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Definitely MADE my week. If y'all have the I Heart radio app look for 99.5 WMAG and enjoy the Christmas gloriousness.

Despite my husbands smirk I came home from work to this. He knows the deal happy wife=happy life. I also think he LOVES Christmas just like me, maybe not as much but just won't admit it. Thank you sweet husband. 

3) I'm also thankful this week for the power of prayer. A lot of changes could be possibly happening in the Walters' household in the near future, good and exciting ones, but changes nonetheless. So prayers for wisdom and peace would be greatly appreciated as we make try to make the best decision for our family. 

4) Another favorite thing this week was attending the East Carolina University vs University of North Carolina at Greensboro basketball game. I attended ECU my freshman year of college and then continued the rest of my time at UNCG. However, I've been a pirate since birth and have to say I was sporting purple and gold (ECU colors) instead of navy and gold. ECU ended up winning with 1.2 seconds to go. GOOO PIRATES! 

My dad's company has a box suite at Greensboro Coliseium, I've gotten quite spoiled sitting there for each event. Private bathroom, mini fridge, and big comfy seats. Check. 

5) Another favorite thing and also thankful thing that has happened this week has been my quiet time in the mornings. I found a devotional book at my mom's a couple of weeks ago and started it. I'll admit I had gotten out of the habit a spending time with Jesus each morning. No excuses, it just happened. I'm so glad that I've made it a habit again. Each morning this week my devotional has just really spoken to me. Especially with new and exciting things that could be happening in the near future. It's really been teaching me to ENTIRELY rely on God and to let go of things that are out of my control, not an easy task for me. But I'm really trying!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to get to those sweet babies!!!

XO, 

Sarah 

Veteran's Day

As I sit here on the couch writing this post a million and one things come to mind. I'm thankful for a day off of work, a great report from our vet visit this morning, and I'm looking forward to a day of shopping and getting my nails done with my mama. But today is much more than a Federal holiday, it has so much more meaning to me. Especially now.

My grandfather served in WWII he lost his brother during the war as well. My great uncle served, I have multiple cousins that have served, friends that have served and I am so grateful for their service. Memorial Day, July 13th, and Veteran's Day are all sentimental days for me. For different reasons.

July 13th, 2008-A day my world was changed forever and rocked off it's hinges. The memories of that day will be forever etched in my memory. July 13th, 2008 we received a phone call. I won't give you the entire play by play as I can remember every single detail as if it was yesterday. Down to the movie I was watching and the underwear I was wearing. I lost a best friend that day. A big brother. A hero. My dear friend, Pruitt Rainey was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. It was the most American lives lost in an attack in years. He was killed on that Sunday and I had last talked to him the Thursday before. July 10th was the last conversation I had with him. He was scared, it was his last mission before coming home and he was worried he wouldn't make it. I assured him that I'm sure he would. He was scheduled to arrive back on American soil in August, we had a welcome home party date set. That phone call changed my world forever. I hit my knees and my dad fell right behind me and just held me and wept with me. My dad isn't one to cry.  Then friends gathered at our house off and on throughout the night. My parents house was always the center of all our gatherings in high school. We all just ended up there. My parents were so gracious in allowing all of their adopted children to sleep on their couches, eat their food, and even hang out while my sister and I weren't even there...weird maybe? That's just how our house was. It took two weeks for his body to get back to the states. His funeral was probably one of the most emotional experiences I've ever had. Hearing taps, the 21 gun salute, and watching his flag being presented to his Nana. All so surreal. Pruitt was an essential part of our group. He was the life of the party always. He was a big teddy bear. He was my protector, defender, and now he's my hero. It was five years ago that I lost this brother and best friend. But it honestly feels like yesterday. I'm so thankful to have known and loved Pruitt Rainey. I could go on for days about what an amazing guy he was. I will never ever forget him and his memory will live in my heart always.

Summer 2004

Christmas 2006

So y'all whenever Memorial Day or Veteran's Day comes around don't look at it as just a day off. Remember the sacrifices of those that we honor on those days. Those that serve our country currently those that keep our country safe and free. Those that have served our country in previous wars and those that gave it all. Also remember the family and friends that are serving too. Those that lose sleep at night worrying about their loved ones away at war. Those moms and dads that have to play both roles because the other is fighting for our freedom. Those like me, that have lost ones that they love laying down their lives so that we could be free.

xo.
Sarah

Five On Friday

Another Friday is here and a 3 day weekend is ahead, for me at least the hubs has to work on Monday. Bummer. Here is another round of things I'm thankful for/favorite things this week. 

1) First up, I'm thankful for my sweet husband. Derik is truly my best friend. Our first 6 months of marriage hasn't exactly been what most would consider to be ideal. I've had some issues but he's been right by my side through it all. I'm so thankful. He's truly been my rock. He knows how to pull me out of my funks and snap me back into reality. His humor can lighten up any situation and always makes me laugh. I'm so grateful that the Lord decided to choose him to be my husband. Thank you sweet husband for loving me just the way I am. 

2) I'm also thankful for the first man I ever loved, my sweet daddy. His wisdom, his kind heart, and loving ways are just a few of the things I'm thankful for. My daddy always knows just the right words to say and knows how comforting a hug can be. I'm so thankful for my daddy and will ALWAYS be daddy's little girl!

3) One of my favorite things happened this week! The CMA awards. I love country music. 98% of the time except during Christmas you'll find my car radio on one of our local country stations. I grew up listening to all the greats, thanks to my daddy. My very favorite, George Strait, also won entertainer of the year. You can't get much better than George Strait, in my opinion at least. The CMA's were great this year! I was very impressed even with Taylor Swift. That takes a lot for me to say. 

4) Have I ever mentioned how much I love FaceTime? It seriously has to be one of the best inventions ever. This week we've FaceTimed with our sweet nephews twice and our sweet niece. I also FaceTimed with the BFF yesterday which always makes for a good day. I'm so thankful for the power of technology it makes missing ones we love a little easier. It has definitely been a favorite thing this week. FaceTiming with my sister and puppy niece, lame? No way Jose'!

5) Speaking of the BFF brings me to another thing I'm super thankful for. Her. My best friend, Jessica. We've been best friends from the moment we met in 6th grade. 12 or 13 years ago? Yikes. This girl and I have been through it all together. Sure we've had our ups and downs but she's always stuck by my side. We've talked a lot this week about having true friends and how thankful we are for each other.  I'm so thankful for our friendship we truly get one another. Yes we're those friends that can finish each others sentences. I swear we have ESP, twice this past week we tried calling each other at the exact same time. Even though she lives in Wilmington about two and a half ish hours away and we don't get to see each other as much as we would like, we still remain the two best friends.

Hope everyone has a fun weekend! We're heading to the first Carolina basketball game of the season tonight and to eat at one of our favorite places in Chapel Hill, Carolina Brewery. Food, good beer, and basketball = happy hubby. Then tomorrow my mother has somehow convinced me to venture out with her to the sale at Belks at 6am tomorrow morning.

xo,
Sarah

Engagement Pictures

After we got engaged I made my phone calls. First to my parents, then to my sister, and then our wedding photographer, Kellie Kano. Kellie is my cousin and dear friend. I kept her sweet boys everyday during the summer for 5 summers and after school during the school year. At some point over those years Kellie promised she would photograph my wedding--this promise was made before I met the hubsand--as long as she was one of the first to be notified of the engagement. I remained true to my word and was able to have the BEST photographer in the business. In my opinion anyways. Kellie is about capturing the moments something that is very important to me. She photograph's life as it is and not what people want to make it. I love her so much and I'm so thankful that she was able to capture us just simply being us. These photographs are so special to me and are housed in frames around our home. I get goose pimples still looking through these and I'm so thankful to be in love with this man.

He always makes me belly laugh. 

To learn more about Kellie and see more of her work: www.kelliekano.com 

xo, 

Sarah 

Engagement Story

Since the biggest event in our lives (this far) occurred this year I think it is pretty blog worthy. I'm kind of kicking myself for not entering the blog world sooner so I could document the entire wedding planning process. Where I never turned into a bridezilla, mom and hubs can attest to that I had my moments.

So we'll start with where it all began, our engagement. I like to know everything, every single detail. I don't consider myself a total type A personality like my sister but I will say I have type A tendencies. The hubs is well aware of that fact so he had to be pretty sneaky in order to pull off our engagement surprise. Friday, December 2nd, 2011 started off like any other Friday. I had my one class, hair, and nail appointment.--A lot of people speculated I knew it was coming solely because I had these appointments the same day of our engagement. Trust me folks had I known I would have not chopped all my hair off that day to begin the hair growing out process.-- We were heading to Derik's parents house for the weekend so I'm sure I was packing and running errands too. Finally Derik got off work and we waited around until it got dark as we were stopping through Tanglewood the festival of lights, it had become our tradition. After seeing all of the lights we began the last hour of our trip heading west. I sat in the front seat completely oblivious while at the time I had a boyfriend that was a nervous wreck. We finally arrived in Hickory after determining we did not need to stop at the grocery store to get garlic bread, the cue to let them know we were ten minutes away. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Greg and Kim (in-laws) and Jakey--(family dog) not out of the usual. Kim wanted us to come see the Christmas lights that they had put out by the pool. Apparently everyone was anxious except me because I was clueless. I went to the bathroom, wanted to sit down and chat with Kim, but instead was dragged outside in the cold to see Christmas lights. We walked outside a switch was flipped and I saw the fence light up with the words "marry me" in complete shock I turned around and saw my sweet husband on one knee. No speech was made--remember he's a man of few words--but he simply asked Sarah, will you marry me? Still in disbelief I almost walked backwards off the deck before tackling him with a hug! No one can really remember I verbalized a yes or not. We went inside celebrated with hot chocolate, tuxedo chocolate strawberries, cupcakes with engagement rings, phone calls, and friends! I'm so thankful to have such a thoughtful husband and in-laws who helped make our engagement so special.

My sister in law was hiding and snapped pictures, so thankful for that!! 

The proposal

In shock

Posing for a picture

Still in absolute shock and amazement

Yummy treats. 

That was one of the best weekends of my life, I don't think I stopped smiling for a minute. 

xo, 

Sarah

Next up in wedding recap...engagement session. :)

Five on Friday! Season of thanks...

Happy 1st day of November! Halloween has come and gone so can I start listening to Christmas music, um now? I'll hold of on the decorating for a few weekends but I can't promise I'll make it to Thanksgiving without putting up a few decorations. Christmas is probably my MOST favorite time of year, I am my mother's daughter after all. I don't mean to rush it or completely ignore Thanksgiving. I like to think of it more as a embracing and enjoying both holidays. In this season of thanks I have so much to be thankful for! Now onto Five on Friday. I participate in things I'm thankful for on Facebook so I think I'll take each Friday this month to share with y'all things I'm thankful for as well as favorite things.

First up this week:

My faith in Jesus Christ. At 6 years old I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I wish I could say since then I've never looked back. But, I have looked back I have had my share of tumbles and falls along the way. But my Savior is there each time to forgive me, pick me up, dust me off, and help me keep going. Their is nothing my precious to me than Jesus Christ. I am so undeserving yet He died for me and for that I will always be the most thankful. Thank you Jesus for your grace and mercy, I don't always deserve it.

Second:
My health and the health of my loved ones. This week my ear/sinus infection has just made me feel off. I tend to be a bit of a hypochondriac and google entirely too much. So that has resulted in me diagnosing myself with too many things this week, when in all reality I have an ear infection with a whole lot of fluid. I finally came to this realization while talking with my mother yesterday, the mind is a tricky thing folks. I am a healthy 24 year old woman and I take that fact for granted. A sweet friend my age began another round of chemo this week and here I am complaining about an ear infection. I know it's all relative but still kind of a slap in the face (in a good way). So here is to focusing on my health and how fortunate I am to have it. And giving up google. Seriously, not worth the anxiety. Like the quote says below I'm going to focus on allowing my body to make feel good and enjoy it.

Number 3. Speaking of my mama, I couldn't be more grateful for her listening ear and her way of bringing me back to reality. In my moments of fear and panic she's always there to lend a listening ear to reassure me that all will be ok. I'm thankful for her patience, her reassurance, her heart for her kiddos and hubby. She's got a lot going on with work right now and is quite stressed out herself yet she doesn't blink an eye when I need some motherly love. 

Number 4. I received an encouraging email from a professor this week. You know those moments where you feel like you can do nothing right? Well I was going through that with school work a few weeks ago. I got an email from my professor saying she could tell how hard I had been working and was proud of the progress I had made since our last class together. It's the little things folks. I also love having a professor ask me how they can pray for me. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Number 5. You ever have one of those moments where you all of a sudden feel old? Yes I know what does this 24 almost 25 year old know about feeling old? Well insert this kid below. Ok I really can't call him a kid since he's 18 but still he's a kid to me. I remember when he was born folks, holding him for the first time, changing his diapers, attending his first birthday party and the many that followed. Here he is now a senior in high school. He's my sweet cousin. The one that stole the baby of the family title from me, the first great grandchild, and the one my grandfather referred to as Lucifer--bless his heart he was suffering from dementia. However, in the years to come I could have agreed with him. Just kidding Jesse!!! :) We've always had a special relationship and I couldn't be more proud of the young man he has become. I get to return to my old stompin' grounds again tonight for his senior football game and last home game.

After our family cookout hosted at the hubs and I new home. :)

A couple of weeks ago after one of his football games! Love those Friday night lights. 

So there was my things I'm thankful for and my favorite things this week! Hope everyone has a great weekend. My sissy comes to me this weekend and I couldn't be more excited. :)

xo, 

Sarah