13 days!

My poor blog gets no attention these days...

I finally finished my 1st semester of PA school. Wow. Hardest, most frustrating, exhausting, yet rewarding thing I have ever done. I will admit... I am proud of myself for the dedication and time I put into studying in the midst of planning a wedding and building a house. You see, we are allowed ONE [yes, 1] C for the 2.5 years we are in the program or we are kicked out. That adds a tiny bit of pressure to us, as if we need more pressure.

Anyways, now I am in full wedding mode! In just 13 days I will marry my best friend. HOLY COW how is it so soon? It feels like yesterday that we were getting engaged. I never knew how many details there were until now... make sure the people making dessert know where to have them delivered, make seating arrangements for rehearsal dinner and BM luncheon, get marriage license, make sure photographer knows where to meet us, finalize programs, pick out lip color for the wedding (who knew this would be such a task).

Because I am so excited about the wedding day it has been so easy to overlook the fact that we are going to MEXICO for a week after the wedding. I get extra happy when I remember this *small* fact. A beach, mystery novel, champagne, ridiculous amounts of food, and my HUSBAND... yes please.

I pray that we can soak in these last few days before we get hitched to enjoy Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus. What a happy time!

Xoxo,
Owen

Wedding update!

My poor blog has been kicked to the curb lately due to the fact that I haven't even come up for air. A typical day for me... wake up at 6:00am, eat breakfast and study until 7:45, class from 8:00-4:30, work out if I'm lucky, but usually straight home to study from 5:00-11:00 (with dinner in between) then wake up the next day and do it all over again. School is my life lately, and I'm ok with that because this is what I signed up for. However, time has passed by SO FAST that I haven't even been able to savor these last few months before the wedding. It's NOVEMBER already?! Holy cow. Anyways, I have accomplished wedding stuff here and there thanks to my mom. And in the midst of the craziness the first wedding disaster happened: the bridesmaid's dresses didn't fit. Yep. Mom went and picked them up out of town and I tried one on that should have fit me and it was FAR from zipping. Needless to say, I freaked out and got them to the girls immediately. 4 fit and 4 were too small. The seamstress said they could let it out about 1 inch, which worked for 2 girls. The other 2 we considered ordering fabric to add to the sides but we ended up just buying new dresses.  Yes, we had to order 2 new bridesmaid's dresses that aren't going to ship until DECEMBER 18... meaning they won't get here until probably 5 days before the wedding [insert panic attack]. On a bright note, I am OBSESSED with the dresses. They are exactly what I imagined and perfect for our Winter wedding. Also, we just sent invitations out today! Finally!! They looked BEAUTIFUL, I am so happy with how they turned out... simple, elegant, timeless. Check out AMGDesignCo on Etsy. Anne Marie is one of our friends and she is SO talented!

Set a date

Book ceremony venue

Book reception venue

Book photographer

Book DJ

Book florist

Ask bridal party to be in wedding

Book caterer & bar

Create wedding website

Register

Buy wedding dress

Book ceremony musicians

Take engagement pictures

Select bridesmaid dresses
Select and order groom & groomsmen attire

Purchase veil

Purchase wedding jewelry

Purchase garter (might borrow my sister's)

Buy wedding shoesBook cake baker

Order save the dates (not doing them)

Finalize guest list (whew... this is a task in itself)

Order guest book (doing something unique for our guest book)

Hotel room blocks

Engagement announcement local newspapers

MOB dress shopping

Book makeup artist & hair stylist

Menu tasting

Take bridal portraits (not doing them... too busy with school)

Hair trial (on Friday!)

Make up trial

1st dress fitting 
2^nd dress fitting

Create ceremony program (AMG is doing all our paper products... so excited!)

Order invitations

Mail invitations

Book rehearsal diner venue

Book rehearsal dinner music

Buy rehearsal dinner dress

Order koozies

Book transportation from ceremony to reception for bridal party

Buy bridal party gifts

Bachelorette party

Bridal shower

Purchase wedding bands

Premarital counseling

Put together picture list for photographer

Put together play list for DJ

Get marriage license

Book transportation from reception to hotel

Book honeymoon 

Rehearsal dinner invitations

Rehearsal dinner groom’s cake

Book wedding night hotel room (FIRST NIGHT IN OUR NEW HOUSE!)

Order thank you notes

Wedding announcement in local newspapers

Walk down the aisle & say I do!

I cannot believe it is just a month and a half away! We have our last wedding shower this weekend hosted by Garrett's amazing aunts. Then it's wedding time! I cannot wait to marry my best friend, better half, life mate. 53 days and counting!

My bach weekend!!

Bachelorette weekend: the weekend every girl begins anticipating immediately after she gets engaged! Well mine was 2 weekends ago, and it didn't disappoint. My amazing best friends and older sister had the entire weekend planned and didn't tell me a single thing about it. All I knew was that we were going to Charlotte. So Friday was spent waiting for all 10 of us to arrive from all over NC. We spent the afternoon at Southpark mall (most amazing mall ever) then had a delicious dinner and drinks at Cowfish. After dinner we went back to our hotel where they had completely decorated our suites with bachelorette goodies! I was so surprised! They had balloons, games, food, and champagne [my favorite]. They showered me with lingerie... I couldn't stop blushing. Then they had a Jeopardy game where they had previously asked my fiancé a bunch of questions about him, me, and us. I did pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Saturday we got up bright and early to start our day. I had no idea where we were going, but we ended up at the cutest outside shopping mall. It was such a pretty day... perfect for shopping and hanging out. We had lunch and drinks then a private shopping party! The whole store was reserved for us, with cupcakes and champagne too! It was amazing and so much fun!

Saturday night we went to the most delicious dinner... I don't remember the name of the restaurant :( Then to bars until my mommy-mature sister gathered us all up and made us go home around 2am. It was A BLAST. Needless to say, I was tired the entire next week. My girls made this weekend one I will never forget. So thankful for them all. I truly have a group of friends that will be there until the day I die.

Love my sissy

And no bachelorette weekend is complete without 2:30 am late night pizza

Riding4aReason

Tomorrow at 12:00 midnight my dad will set off on his bike from Atlantic Beach, NC to San Diego, CA. Why 12:00 am? Because he is trying to set a record of riding this distance in 10 days or less and the clock starts at 12:00. More importantly, he is trying to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club along the way. He will ride 18 hours a day, totaling about 300 miles a day, all to bring awareness to the underprivileged kids across the country that need our help the most. He rode from NC to Key West, FL and from NC to Canada and raised over $100,000. He has a passion for these kids and believes that without the Boys and Girls Clubs, they don't have a fair shot at success like the rest of us. The B&G Clubs are keeping these kids off the streets after school and helping them complete their homework. The Clubs are a support system for them when they may not have this at home.

My dad's journey can be tracked live on www.riding4areason.org and you can see where he is all throughout his trip! If you feel compelled to donate, this can also be done from the website! Also, they have created an Instagram: riding4areason.

I am asking for prayers for my dad, as this task is very dangerous. Not only is it going to be incredibly hard on his body but he will be riding right beside cars, avoiding dogs that chase him, and riding 1/3 of the time in complete darkness. Please pray for his safety and health!

"My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; He is all I ever need." -Psalm 73:26

4 years

4 years ago Garrett Winston Davis asked me to be his girlfriend. I still remember exactly what he said. He seemed so nervous while we were watching tv then he finally said, "I really like you, and I think you really like me? We have so much fun together. Would you like to officially be my girlfriend?" It was so adorable. 4 years later we are preparing to become husband and wife.

People always ask me if I knew right away that he was "the one". The truth is, I HOPED he was the one, but I felt like I didn't deserve him. He was the most good looking, respectful, thoughtful guy I had ever met. Usually these characteristics don't go together ;) After our first date I called my mom and told her how hott and amazing he was and that I was sure he would never call me again. Two minutes after hanging the phone up he asked me out on date #2. It all seemed too good to be true. Thankfully, it wasn't.

Garrett takes such good care of me, respects me, treats me like a princess, and gets excited over the smallest things with me. We truly are best friends. I could hang out with just him every day for the rest of my life and be content. I am so thankful God chose him for me. And I pray that I never take that for granted. Here's to 100+ more.

The first picture we ever took together

Visiting him in Cape Cod while he spend the summer there playing baseball

Confession

Confession: I am 100% type-A, overachiever, perfectionist. In PA school this is both good and bad. This personality is good for making sure all my work gets done, that I am on time, and that I am organized. My planner looks like a work of art, no joke. Everything is color-coded, checked off, etc. However, this is bad because with 6 tests in one week, it is physically impossible to complete everything 100%. I do NOT like leaving things incomplete. But with 6 tests, you never have enough time to completely learn all the material. I admit that I am not used to making "bad" grades. In undergrad, I would study hard and I was rewarded with good grades. Now, I study hard and get average or below-average grades. IT SUCKS. But it is teaching me to be content with not being perfect. Though I am just average here, I am happy with my small victories and I am relying on God and not myself to carry me through.

The past 2 weeks have been SO busy. Between getting into school mode and trying to pick out stuff for the house, I have been crazy busy. Garrett came to town Friday so we could get a bunch of appointments packed into one day then we headed to the beach for the last weekend of the summer (tear). This makes me super sad and super excited at the same time. Last beach weekend of the summer= fall is around the corner= wedding is SO CLOSE. Speaking of wedding, there are so many small things that pop into my head during class that I tell myself I need to do for the wedding, but there is never enough time. You see, I go to class 8-5, go straight home and give my brain a break to workout, eat dinner, then study until bed and wake up and do it alllllll over. Where is the time for wedding planning? There isn't any. However, there is a [semi] light at the end of the tunnel. Next week I have 6 exams so IF I survive that week, I will be able to do some wedding stuff the following week.

Bella's 2nd birthday was last week so we had a birthday party for her at the beach. Yes, she is a dog. But she is our furry baby and we love her so much. She loved her pup-cake and all her new toys, but didn't like the birthday hat I made her wear so I could snap her annual birthday pic.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Xoxo,
O

Our cute little house is coming along!

Happy birthday Bella boo! I love you!