Doin' Work

Finally, a moment to blog! I've been so caught up in the madness of the end of the semester, and exams, and final projects, and additional jobs! That's right, a new job. I'm now a TCA (Test Center Administrator) on campus in the administration building (The JET building for all you Appsters). It's pretty serious. There's no funny business in administering tests for grad school. I have such pity for these examinees. They all come in so nervous. I mean, these tests dictate where they head in life. I'd be losing my mind in anxiety too. We get a lot of students (and adults) coming in to take the GRE and Praxis tests. Along with the CLEPT, MAT, and MCAT tests, among others. So anyway, my job is to pretty much be security, but I also check examinees in and out for testing, and book appointments over the phone. The job is a grad school position but they needed help so badly they're allowing me to work as an older undergrad. Which is great because this little gig sure is going to help pay the bills over the summer.

Other than that, I just recently finished a 20 page research paper and I'm wrapping up production on a 15 minute audio documentary. So it'll be good to finish up the semester and prepare myself for MARRIAGE!

T-minus 30 days. Aw yeah.

-Todd

Just lovely

I awoke early this morning to view the royal wedding festivities. I thought it was exciting to see all the friends and family arrive into the beautiful Westminster Abbey. That cathedral is breathtaking! Not sure what is up with me these days but I cry at anything sweet or sentimental. Last night, I cried with the departure of Michael Scott from The Office and today when Kate was getting in the car from her hotel to drive to the Abbey, I teared up. What a sweet moment! I can't even imagine how she felt. Being a commoner, her dreams really were coming true. If you missed it, don't worry the media is replaying everything all day but there was something special about being up so early watching it live. I must admit I fell asleep after they said their vows (the church choir was beautiful and put me into a heavenly slumber). I randomly awoke right when they walked unto the balcony and had their kisses. Watching the wedding made me super eager to have mine!

And that dress! Lovely. I did feel she played it a little safe but I guess you have to with all the "rules" and such. However, she looks stunning as always! Did anyone see her sisters dress? Super sleek and stylish. Big fan. Well enough of my opinions and tears....time for me to pack! I'm going to Raleigh this weekend to celebrate my upcoming wedding with all the girls that worked at camp with me plus my bridesmaids. Lots of girls, food and shopping. Woo hoo, can't wait! I have not been to a slumber party in a long time! I'll be back later this weekend and will share the details!

-S

ps: maybe I'll find some shorts. Thanks for all the tips!

Uno!

Well folks we are just one month away from the wedding! I remember getting engaged back in July and thought waiting ten months would take forever. Wrong! Time has gone by so fast but yet it has been such a beautiful time in our relationship.There is a new sense of protection we have for each other and a new bond that is forming. Not to get all sappy here but I do feel we fall more and more in love with each other each day. Also the love that our friends and family have expressed is something we will never forget. The advice is being stored in our hearts and will be treasured for years to come. I think the most fun about being engaged is dreaming. Just about every conversation we have somehow ventures into us talking about our hopes, dreams and the future. From our decorating style to what kind of dog we would want to how big is too big for a TV to where we want to live or travel and yes even parenting style (...many years from now unless God has other plans). All those discussions have been really fun to talk about and I value this engagement period.

Am I sad there is only one month to go? Nah.

It has been a wonderful journey but the time is coming to move on. We can't stay here forever. I imagine this last month will be different than the last nine. Now it's time to move our belongings in together, finish the last few wedding details, spend some quality time with our families, bridal portraits, getting our marriage license, wedding planner meetings and finding earrings & shoes (yes, I know...you probably think I'm crazy but I haven't done so yet. I think prom season has snatched all the good stuff!). As fast as this month will probably go by, I do hope I can soak it all in somehow. A new journey is right around the corner...


-S

Thanks, Grandpa!

Saturday Todd and I had a date day out at Grandfather Mountain. In the month of April, admission is $1 for Watauga residents and surrounding counties. We arrived early to beat the crowd and were immediately impressed with a free audio tour given at the gate that we listened to as we made our way up the mountain.

We did everything a tourist could possibly do such as visit the swinging bridge and animal habitats. The weather was perfect! Here are some highlights:

The aduio tour was a huge help!

It was so windy!

 A mountain trip is only complete with rock candy and a postcard (we get a postcard at each place we visit, write about the day as we drive home and keep them in a glass vase).

Todd posted more pictures on facebook including himself running the Forrest Gump curve. In fact, traffic stopped to let him run the curve. I guess they respected his effort, ha. He is one of a kind for sure and that is why I love him!

On a completely sidenote that has nothing to do with this post: Today I went to buy me some new shorts at TJ Maxx. For the first time ever I had to ask myself "are these cool?" Sounds so lame but finding jean shorts for people in their twenties is a challenge. This booty is not wearing daisy dukes so I left the junior section and headed to the misses. Eeeeekkk suddenly the thought "are these cool?" rang in my head over and over but the sad part is I don't even know anymore. Ahhhh, I'm getting old. Please someone help me, where do you find affordable tasteful shorts?!?

-S

THE news!

Well........


my sister and her husband are expecting their first child this November!!! This will be the first grand baby in my immediate family and as you can imagine, we are all very excited! I have known how badly they have wanted a child so to see this desire come true is such a blessing from God. Babies really are miracles of life! I've known about the baby for a few weeks because my sister asked me to meet her in Hickory for dinner but really she wanted to give me this:

The two will decide to find out the gender in a few weeks but until then I'm calling the baby Turkey since she is technically due November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. I'm already preparing myself that we all may be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital but I'm okay with that! That is how memories are made. Oh and I must confess, if you see me in a store these days I'm most likely browsing the baby section so I can spoil this baby rotten! Here is a picture of Ronna with her niece from her husbands side of the family looking so natural. She is going to be a great mom!

Please join me in prayer for Ronna, Andrew and the little babe!

-S

Pump up the Jams

I apologize for our lack of blogging. Todd is super busy with his final three weeks of school and I just have not been inspired. It's been one of those weeks if you know what I mean. I'm in a funk. It was a quick week but in the midst of it I kept thinking, "will May 28 ever get here?!"

When I dwell on that I tend to daydream and forget all the stuff that needs to be done before then. I move into our townhome in 22 days so cleaning out my room needs to start now and I have lots of thank you notes to write because I'm determined to stay on top of them so to speak. Thankfully, I'm finished with school and just have my assistantship to continue until the first week in May. Where did this school year go? Not sure but that is okay with me.

With my free time these days, I promise I am doing some productive things. I've started going to the gym on regular basis. I want to be healthier, I want to fit into my wedding dress and look & feel good on the cruise of course! Basically, me and the elliptical are best friends these days. I call this "me" time because I take a mag and catch up on all the latest celeb gossip and listen to my hot jams. So for fun I'm sharing my playlist with you today. I have probably the most random playlist of all time but it gets me moving!

I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Gangsta Nation

Island in the Sun

You Belong with Me

Wannabe

Bounce

Hello Seattle (Remix)

Party in the USA

Give up Slow

Shackles

Just Dance

American Honey

Heartless

Cheap and Cheerful

Let it Rock

Love Lockdown

Salvation is Here

Desert Song

Low

Spin me Round

Fergalicious

Say my Name

Piece of Me

Womanizer

Circus

I Gotta Feeling

Crazy in Love

Autobiography

Carolina Jubliee

The Time (Dirty Bit)

Told you that the list is super random. Yes there are Spice Girls (love throwbacks). Yes there are slow songs (gotta cooldown). In fact now I'm a little ashamed I shared the list but I've already typed it all so I'll just throw it out there with no shame. To redeem myself I would like to say....its Good Friday! I'm grateful for Jesus carrying all my sin and shame on the cross and dying so that I may live. What a terrible day as he was beaten, mocked and ridiculed but thank God for the good news that came three days later. May you all find time to soak that in this Easter and rejoice!


More to come soon. In fact we have BIG news headed your way :)

-S

Busy Bees

We had another busy weekend but we wouldn't have it any other way. We left Thursday and went to my parents house for the night. It was nice to spend an evening with them and open some gifts that have come in the mail. We have also started to get rsvp cards back and so that was fun to see who will be coming to the wedding.

Friday, Todd and I hung out uptown most of the day and spent some time with Heather and Josiah (former bandmate). We love hanging out with those two and are hoping to plan a beach trip in the near future. Heather and I had a little photo shoot...please excuse us, we don't get to hang out and be silly together very often.

 Saturday we woke early for a couples bridal brunch hosted by some ladies (who practically raised him) of Todd's home church. It was wonderful and we loved spending time with all the men and women that have watched him grow up. Such a special day!

Drew, a great friend that grew up with Todd and the gang, is living in Korea as a teacher right now. Unfortunately he is missing out on all the wedding festivities but since the shower was at his parents house we were able to include him in a group photo. We miss you Drew!!

Later in the day I had a bridal shower with my bridesmaids and special friends. My sisters hosted the party and it was such a sweet time with my girls. I am set for the honeymoon...if you know what I mean. Anyways, this last picture is a "you had to be there moment." I wanted to get a group photo and this is all my self timer would do. Then my camera died of course!  

What a day! In between showers, Todd and I along with my parents went and picked up a dining room table/chairs that I found on craigslist. Then after the girls shower it was time for me and Todd to head back to Boone since Todd was playing drums super early at our church. Busy busy but a great type of busy! 

Favorite part of the weekend: reading advice cards with Todd that people wrote from the couples shower we had on Saturday. The scriptures and wise words are beautiful. I cried of course. A good cry. A cry of thankfulness and blessing. I'm an emotional roller coaster these days anyways so it was no shocker. This is such a fun time and I'm trying really hard to soak it all in...and breathe every now and then...

Until next time,

-S

As Promised...

This clip was a segment from a news show my group produced called "The Week Ender", for my TV Studio course.

Here's CURRENT NEWS TODAY w/ Todd Davis:

Sealed and Delievered

You will certainly hear more from Todd the rest of this week as he has some great updates to share. But for now I wanted to quickly document a picture of our invites for you all to see. I posted a few days ago this post (click to read) about our invites and now that they have been sent I can finally post a picture!

Like I have said before we decided to go for a classy and simple look because it suits us best and the traditional format of our wedding. In case you are curious, we did not make them. Making that many invitations would have been a nightmare for us plus I personally love the way the writing is engraved (raised). Instead we have had fun making and personalizing all the other invites for pre-wedding festivities. If you want to know where we got them for your own use or to see what else the company has just email or shoot me a comment! Seeing the invitation gives me real butterflies...no turning back! Ha, don't worry no cold feet here just this is all so surreal!

I'll be back next week with more updates of yet another fun bridal weekend plus I plan to give a shout out to a few of our vendors so you can see who will be making our big day special! Talk to you soon! Have a great week!

-Sara

Bridal Shower #1

Yesterday (Saturday) I had my first bridal shower. The shower was hosted by my aunts and great aunts plus the help of my mom. They did an amazing job with the food, decorations and making everyone feel welcomed. For some reason I was a little nervous but I guess that is because all the attention was on me. Todd and my dad showed up towards the end so it was great that people got to meet Todd. It felt really good to have him there and I'm looking forward to next weekend as we have a couples shower so he will be right by my side.

We got many of the things we registered for which was super exciting. Now we are eager to get into our townhouse and put everything to good use!

 So much food and so good!

 Saylor, my cousin's daughter helped me open all my gifts. She is also one of the flower girls for the big day.

My sisters got me this platter that matches my everyday china.

 Kings Mountain friends...Granny (far right) kept me when I was a child along with Allison's (middle) two boys. We aren't related but they truly feel like family! 

 Aunts and Great Aunts

 Happy & Blessed

 When I was little and stayed with granny we each had our own cup. After all these years she kept those cups! What a sweet surprise to be reunited with that cup after all these years. This was really special to me because some of my best memories came from being at granny's and the highlight of my day would be her pouring fresh cold Pepsi with no ice in this cup. For some reason Pepsi was better at granny's due to this cup! ;)

As you can tell, it was such a wonderful day and I'm very thankful for all the love that was shown to us. Later that day we went to the Avett Brothers concert but I'll let Todd tell you all about that! 48 days to go!!!!

-Sara

It Ain't Easy

So Sara has requested that I upload my latest Audio project. This assignment was a foley project where all we started with was the video footage of these silly cats with no sound. We were to add music, voice overs, and SFX. This was the end result.



If you were wondering, I made an A. Also, Sara made a few voice-over cameos as all the kittens.

This project has made appreciate all the work that goes into film work and sound production. It is a lot of meticulous work. Most people don't realize that in film and television most of the sound you're hearing is reproduced and not the original sound recorded. In fact, in most movies (especially action movies) it takes nearly two weeks just to produce 10-20 seconds of the sound within the scene. The production work isn't just done by one sound engineer either. It takes numerous engineers to work on the same task. Just try to listen to all the different sounds incorporated within the scenes of the TV shows and movies you watch. Hopefully you'll realize how much work goes into sound production too.

-Todd

Invites

Anyone else hyped about the royal wedding? I can't lie, I'm a little intrigued. Maybe its the fact that Todd and I are sharing a wedding year with Prince William and Kate (one month apart). A few weeks ago I was annoyed at how much the media talked about the royal invites. The hot topic was that Kanye West was invited but Obama was not. Interesting I guess but I have my own invites to think about.

This past weekend mom and I tackled the list and addressed the invites. We even got the stamps from the post office and boy was that an ordeal. Did you know to order 300 stamps (for invites and response cards) they have to open a special safe and get permission? Yup, true story. Anyways it was a great feeling to see my friends and families names on the envelopes. Made me really anxious, excited and nervous! This is really happening!!

Speaking of invites, I love love love them. I was pretty picky because I knew exactly what I wanted which were really simple and traditional but finding them took awhile. Mom saved the day, as she was the one to find them online. I realize that invites always end up in the trash but the invite sets the stage for the wedding and I wish I could see the smile on my guests faces when they arrive. I also plan to frame one myself for our house so if you don't get a chance to see one I'll post a picture soon.

We put much thought into our guest list. Our reception venue only holds 200 so we had to carefully alter the list to our closest friends and family. During this process I have realized how blessed we are with all the people in our lives. We absolutely cannot wait to celebrate with the greatest people we know! I'm most nervous that the mail system will mess up and people won't get their invitation or something. Anyways, we really wish everyone could join us but that is just impossible....sorry Kanye and Obama, you didn't make the cut!

-Sara