Thoughts for Thursday: flash mob!

While planning my wedding, my best friends and I wanted to do something fun at the reception to give it a little "flair". So, we decided on a surprise "flash mob". We got together a few times to make up the dance and practice and we sent a video of us practicing to the out-of-town girls so that they could practice too. And, it went off without a hitch! My dj was the ONLY person who knew… I didn't even tell my mom! Everyone was so surprised, especially my groom. It was such a fun touch that I will never forget!

His face was priceless! I think he was impressed by his new bride's dance moves ;)

Best. night. ever.

Jessica from The Newly: Marriage guest series!

I am thrilled to have Jessica from The Newly guest posting today for part 3 of the marriage series! I fell in love with her blog a long time ago and just LOVE watching her family grow! Have you ever seen a more gorgeous pregnant lady? I mean, absolutely flawless! And her sweet son, I die. [he is going to be a heartbreaker one day] I loved reading her words of wisdom about marriage and I know you will too!

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Hi there, Davis Duo readers! My name is Jessica, and I blog about everything from marriage to motherhood over on my little slice of the internet at The Newly. 

I'm so thrilled to be guest posting for Owen's marriage series today. My husband and I were college sweethearts, and have been happily married for almost 4 years now. We have a son who is almost 2, and a baby girl due in May. I guess you could say that, at this point, we've learned a bit about marriage. And today, I'm happy to share what I know:)

Compromise
If I had learned this one a little earlier on, I think the first year of our marriage would have gone even more smoothly than it did. Looking back on it now, I can honestly say that most of our battles then (and even now) are a result of one of us being hard-headed, and refusing to concede a point. Or compromise. In marriage, compromising is key. Be willing to sacrifice at times for the good of your spouse, and in return, he or she will more than likely return the favor.

Always Speak Good
I've seen far too many couples go down the path of speaking ill of their spouse in front of others. This is never a good idea. It's one thing to express your frustration to friends, get advice, vent, etc. But it's never wise to tear down your spouse or belittle him or her in front of others. Try to always speak well of your partner. This will fortify your relationship and show others how dedicated you are to one another.

Pick Your Battles
Just like compromising, this is one that I wish I would have learned a bit sooner. And I am still learning when it comes to this one. I tend to be very particular about little nit-picky things. Like the way towels are folded. The way food is put away in the pantry. The way the bed is made. That's just me. My husband is not like that, and when he attempts to help me by completing these tasks, I have learned that it is NOT helpful for me to rag on the way he does them. He feels like I am nagging, thinks I am never satisfied, and feels like his work isn't good enough. Which is not my goal at all. These kinds of battles are not worth a fight. So, swallow your pride over the little things - refold those towels when he's not looking, straighten the pantry when you can, and remake the bed if you need to - but save the disagreements for something of importance. Which leads me to...

Speak Up
If you're really upset about something, talk about it. Don't keep it in. Communication is key to a healthy relationship. When it breaks down, so does the marriage. So, if something is really bothering you, tell your husband/wife. It doesn't do either of you any good to keep feelings and emotions bottled up.

Be Your Spouse's Number One Fan
There's one person you should always support. Your spouse. He or she should always know that they have someone in their corner. Someone to rely on. Someone to do life with. Sometimes, it may feel like it's just you two against the world. Life can be hard. We all have our challenges. But, it's pretty sweet to know that you always have someone at home cheering you on, right?

There are lots of other little lessons I'm sure I could share about marriage. And definitely about motherhood:) But I'll stop here before this turns into a book. If you're interested in seeing a bit more about the things I like to chat about every day, be sure to pop over and visit me on my blog. And Owen, thank you so much for having me! I'm so honored to be part of your marriage series!

Weekending: spring weather finally!

This weekend was amazing!! My sister-in-law visiting + warm weather= happiness all around! The weekend was filled with food, basketball, tennis, parks, doggies, shopping, and lots of outside time.

My "velcro dog" aka she is stuck to me at all times and I don't mind it one bit

Fresh flowers all around! Wish my house could be filled with these

Moscow mules were a hit!

 A little sibling rivalry tennis match… their "game faces"

Sadly, our heels lost to duke again. We still love them though!

Hope everyone has a great Monday! Linking up with Meghan!

Five on Friday

O N E

My first week in orthopedics has been great!! I shadowed at this office for 4 years in undergrad before PA school so it feels like home being back with all the surgeons and PA's that I've known forever! We've seen tons of broken bones, ACL tears, hip and knee replacements, but the coolest thing we did this week was take out a screw in the office. This guy had a gunshot wound that broke his femur [thigh bone] which required a plate and screws to fix it. Well one of the screws started to work its way out and was right under the skin, making him uncomfortable. We gave him the option of putting some numbing medicine in and taking it out right there OR going to the operating room to rack up a huge bill for a 30 second procedure. Option #1 was the winner. SO, we numbed him up with a shot, found the screw, and basically yanked that sucker out. It was pretty awesome [easy for me to say because I wasn't the one screaming at the top of my lungs].

T W O

We got sushi for dinner one night this week with my dad and it was a.ma.zing. as always. I could literally eat sushi for every meal.

T H R E E

As I said in an earlier post, my sister is due with my NEPHEW in June [so. flipping. excited.] and they have decided to name him Jack Owens. I am beyond honored/blessed to share my name with this little blessing. I cannot wait to meet him and cover him in kisses!

F O U R

I chopped my hair off! I wear it up to "work" [clinicals] almost every day because I don't want to have to worry about it while seeing patients so honestly I wasn't doing it for "looks" but more because the ends were dead and I was tired of dealing with it. Side note: my sister is my awesome stylist, so convenient!

F I V E

The weather in NC has been totally WACK this week. Temps were in the 30's on Monday and Tuesday, 70's on Wednesday and Thursday, then sleet last night. Like, what?!? It has me itching for summer. I am dreaming of TB sandals [specifically these] and maxi dresses. I might have to pull the trigger on these babies soon. 

Linking up with April and Christina!

Thoughts for Thursday: bar cart!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had been wanting a bar cart for a while. Well, Santa [read: mom] has great taste and brought us one for Christmas!! I played around with styling it and am thrilled with how it turned out. It looks perfect in our dining room. I love that it has 3 levels… perfect for all the gifts we received at our "Stock the Bar" wedding shower! Also, it freed up SO much space in our kitchen cabinets. Now I just need a piece of art to put on the wall above it.

Before:

After:

I think Bella wants a drink...

[Bar cart] [Kate Spade "his" and "hers" glasses] [Kate Spade "ours" decanter] [Moscow Mule copper mugs] [monogrammed decanter] [martini glasses]

Linking up with Annie!

Lisa from Lisa loves John: Marriage guest series!

I am honored to have Lisa from Lisa loves John guest posting today about her marriage! Lisa's blog was one of the first that I started following and I adore her cute personality, living vicariously through all her traveling adventures, her DIY's, and all her yummy recipes. I wish she didn't live across the country so we could be real-life friends! I am positive we would be instant friends due to our love for our pups, the outdoors, and food! I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did!

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Hi there! I’m Lisa, and I blog over at Lisa loves John where I share about my life redeemed by Grace, adventures with my hubby, favorite recipes, and simple DIYs. 

Stop by and say hello, I’d love to get to know you!! 

 John and I will be celebrating our 4^th wedding anniversary in about 3 months (which is crazy to think about considering I feel like our wedding was just yesterday)!  It’s fun to look back at our first year of marriage and see all of the ways that we have grown as a couple.  John and I are both highly motivated people, and with that can come the occasional fireworks when we don’t see eye-to-eye, but we have worked on slowing down, thinking things through, and responding in love. 

Here are 5 tips that have helped us grow closer as a couple.



1.  Intentions before feelings

It is important to communicate to your spouse about things that are bothering you, but if you’re anything like me, this can come out in a terrible amount of un-thought-through word vomit (someone please tell me that I’m not alone?). 

Instead of immediately blurting out what is bothering you, perhaps begin your conversation by detailing your intentions (before detailing your feelings).  For example, “my intention of this is…”.  Framing the conversation this way will help you figure out why what you are communicating matters to you… and who knows, maybe once you think it through, you will determine that it really doesn’t matter to you after all!

2.  The third “person”

I can be a fairly stubborn (I prefer determined…) person, and although that attribute is helpful in many areas of life, relationships aren’t always one of them.  One thing that has helped me keep perspective when John and I are working through something is thinking of the third “person.”  

Instead of thinking of what is best for me (or thinking of what is best for John), we try to think about what is best for our marriage.  It really helps reframe the discussion in terms that aren’t you vs. me… since it is ultimately about our marriage.

3.  Daily relationship maintenance

Since John and I both work (and frequently long hours), we often come home from work exhausted from the day, and the truth is that we don’t have much energy left to give to each other.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes it is just easier to come home and do something mindless (watch a show, read blogs, etc.).  

To prevent this from getting the best of us, John and I instituted daily “relationship maintenance” for at least 20 minutes every night.  It’s a time that we spend together completely engaged (no Instagram or television), and catch up on what’s going on.  Setting a daily time (even though it’s short) has really helped us to recharge with one another.

4.  Listen (and that’s it)

I’m a solutions kinda girl.  If someone comes to me with a problem, my instinct is to listen, come up with a plan, solve the issue, and then move on.  But sometimes, my husband isn’t coming to me for my (albeit uber fabulous) advice. He’s just looking to talk and be listened to.  

Although my instinct is to “solve”, I’ve learned that it is incredibly important for our emotional intimacy to not try to solve John’s problems… and instead, just listen and empathize.  And stop there.

5.  Pray together

Without a doubt, this has been the best thing for John and me and our marriage.  Praying together out loud can be uncomfortable at first, but it is a great way to grow in your marriage while keeping Christ at the center.  When I hear John’s heart before the Lord, it really softens the feelings that I am having, and helps reframe my priorities.  

John and I also read "Jesus Calling" together in the mornings… the devotionals are super short (maybe 1 minute to read), and that one minute together is a great way to start our day aligned.

These are just a few things that have helped John and I over the past few years; obviously all personalities and marriages are different, but these are the things that have helped us grow closer together. 

Weekending!

Happy Monday pretty ladies! Let's jump right into my weekend recap:

Friday afternoon was spent taking my OBGYN end-of-rotation exam and a CPR re-certification class, both of which I am super glad to be DONE with! Then I met my hubs and family at a local pizza place. Due to the fact that we were all starving and devoured the pizza immediately, I have no pictures of that deliciousness :( I may or may not have been in bed asleep at 9:30 Friday night [grandma status]. 

Saturday morning we made egg whites, turkey bacon, and oatmeal pancakes. Such a yummy and healthy breakfast! Then it was our usual gym date. 

I would be totally lying if I said I enjoyed going to the gym. The only parts I like are my Lululemon and the way I feel afterwards!

Saturday night the plan was to go bowling with a group of friends but we got there and there was an HOUR wait. We were so surprised and sad! We thought no one ever bowled. So plan B: we went to a local downtown bar, Sup Dogs, for drinks. They have the most delicious drink called a Sup Crush: fresh squeezed oranges, flavored vodka, and sprite. Basically a "grown-up" orangeade.

Me, my BFF Molly, my older sister, Molly's older sister

 Sunday was the usual… church, lunch, gym, grocery. Sunday night I had dinner with 2 of my best friends which was such a treat! Girl time is just plain good for the soul.

Today I start my 3rd rotation: orthopedics! I am super excited and hope there are lots of broken bones and torn ligaments to be fixed!