Marriage!

I am such a newbie at being "married". It has only been 4 months but holy cow, it's amazing. I want to share my 3 favorite things about marriage thus far!

1. Friendship. I haven't quite yet figured out why people say "the first year is the hardest". Nothing has been hard, or even slightly hard, except him traveling and us missing each other like crazy. Maybe we are just blessed that we haven't had any arguments or hardships yet, but I'd like to think that it is because we are best friends. I know married people say this a lot, but I have seen marriages where they truly are best friend versus some that they are just a husband and a wife in love without the friendship. Garrett is the 1 person I would choose to bring with me if I had to be stranded on an island without electricity, food, entertainment, etc :) We could spend a million hours together and never get tired of each other. We have fun together. We enjoy doing the same things. Our friendship is the foundation of our marriage.

2. A lifelong sleepover. It has been 4 months and every day I still get super excited when I remember we get to go to bed together! We went to the beach this past weekend with my family for the first time since being married, and I was so happy when I remembered we were MARRIED and that we got to share a bed, finally! We were super traditional before getting married, which makes sharing a bed/room/house/closet even more fun.

3. Wedding bands. I will never get tired of people seeing my wedding rings and asking about my husband/marriage. A lot of people see them and tell me I look too young to be married ;) It makes my heart giddy when I see my hubs with his wedding band on... it reminds me that he is MINE forever and ever!

Easter!

Happy Easter!! 

This weekend was literally Heaven. I had no class on Friday and hubs didn't have work so we headed to the beach Thursday night for our annual Ross Easter weekend. It was a weekend full of family time, shopping, eating, drinking, and sleeping! It was freezing cold and rainy all weekend [huge bummer] but nothing could have soured my mood. The first weekend in a few months that I wasn't sitting at home studying. I feel so refreshed and ready to tackle final exams in the next 2 weeks!

I hope everyone spent time today celebrating the true meaning of Easter... our savior is alive! Jesus died on a cross for ME and YOU. He wore a crown of thorns, nails in his hands and feet, and was publicly humiliated for us. He was put in the tomb but death couldn't hold him! He rose from the dead to give us eternal life. That is what Easter is all about! 

My Easter bunny did GOOD... how amazing is that GSP print?? And our first Christmas stockings :)

Bella helping Ella James open her Easter "basket"

The cutest bunny I've ever seen :) 

Hayden Olivia

So excited to be featured on Hayden Olivia's blog today! Ladies... if you are engaged or know someone that is, SEND THEM TO HAYDEN OLIVIA for their wedding gown! They had THE BEST service, most adorable boutique, and the greatest overall experience. I was one-on-one with the owner, Heather, for my first appointment and I absolutely fell in love with her. She made me feel like a princess, the way every bride should feel when wedding dress shopping. Needless to say, I am so sad that I don't get to travel back to Charlotte for fittings anymore :( Vow renewal in a few years?! I think so!

http://haydenolivia.com/2014/04/real-bride-feature-congrats-owen/

Xoxo

My fur baby

Hubs and I are both huge animal lovers. We both grew up with dogs so we always knew we would eventually get one. We started to really consider it after we had been dating 2 years and knew we were in it for the long haul. I wanted a golden doodle and he wanted a German short-haired pointer. "What the heck is a GSP and why would we get a spotted hunting dog???" -Me. I totally ate my words. One of his best friends had a GSP and Garrett fell in love with it. So we started looking for breeders.

We were on a college budget but we also wanted to make sure she was purebred and healthy. The closest breeder we found was in Sparta, NC... a tiny town in the mountains. The litter was born on August 29, 2011. A week later we drove 4 long hours and picked her out. They "marked" her with a stripe of pink glittered fingernail polish on her back so that we would know which one she was.

5 weeks later we drove back, with the car packed full of toys, food, and brand new collar with her name tag (that was entirely too big and didn't fit). We felt like proud parents! We picked her up and took turns driving home so that we could each hold her.

I won't lie... the next few months were pretty miserable with sleepless nights and potty training. He was still playing baseball so I had to drive to his apartment every day after class to let her out/play with her. Having a dog is NOT easy in college! But how can you not fall in love with that sweet, furry face??? We fell in love with her and since then she has been my best girl, keeps me company when Garrett travels, provides unconditional love, and makes me feel so happy every day when she welcomes me at the front door.

She just might be the most spoiled dog in the world. People always ask if we hunt with her... if hunting means sleeping under the covers then yes. She is the most diva, NON-hunting GSP ever.

Our family will have a dog for the rest of our lives!

Tuesday's "toast"

One day closer to the weekend! Happy Tuesday! Today I am "toasting" to the fact that I made a 92 on my ridiculous pharmacology exam this morning. And that's what makes staying home alone all weekend to study so worth it. Hard work pays off (most of the time)! And I will leave you guys with a hilarious mental image... We are learning how to do rectal/prostate/male genitalia physical exams this week. And on Thursday we have to actually do them on real "patients"... I am basically dreading this for obvious reasons. I even had a nightmare about it 2 nights ago. So, on Thursday as you are enjoying your afternoon, I will be sticking my finger in some rando man's hiney to feel his prostate. (Is this inappropriate to talk about? If so, sorry, but it's saving lives y'all!)

On a "lighter" note, some awesome, motivational words to help boost you through this week!

 Xoxox

Five on Friday: home edition!

Happy Friday loves! I am not one to wish time away, but man am I glad this week is over. I am counting days until May 6 [end of this awful semester]. Since we are decorating our new house little by little, I decided to pick 5 new things that I am loving about our house!

[1]

This gorgeous tray from Pottery Barn! I have been searching high and low for a tray for our coffee table and this gem arrived this week. I was worried because basically all of our decorations are blue, but I love it! Still looking for the perfect things to put on it. The pink flower will stay, but looking for a neutral candle and maybe a book!

I love the way PB styled it [below]. 

[2]

We just got this neutral rug for our foyer [from PB, surprise surprise]. The style name was 'Owen' so I couldn't pass it up ;) I am a big fan of neutrals and I love the way this makes our house feels more "homey" right when you walk in the front door.

Below is the picture from the PB website.

[3]

I found this steal at Home Goods, only my favorite store EVER! A neat/fancy bench that will probably never be sat on but makes our living room feel more complete.

[4]

This blue rug now lives in our dining room [also from PB]. I can't wait to show y'all the before and after pictures of our dining room. We have my grandmother's old wooden dining room table that we are having re-finished and the chairs re-covered with amazing fabric. It is going to look awesome when it's all complete!

[5]

 Am I the only one that hates having dirty keys laying all around the house, on the counters, etc?? Problem solved! Hubs had this personally made for us! And I LOVE IT. It was made at a local antique/vintage store and it looks great on the wall beside our front door.

We still have so much decorating to do, but we have come a loooong way since we moved in! And the best part is the process of making our house a home together <3 Xoxo