Baby Season

Nope, not me BUT many of my friends that I went to college with and lived with are starting their families. In the past year, I have had more and more phone calls that go something like this...

Friend - "Hey..How's life...yadda yadda yadda, Well, I have something to tell you..."

Me - "your PREGNANT!"

What a fun season to be in. I love watching some of the best women I know become mothers, including my own sisters. With the arrival of babies comes lots of baby showers and I even had the honor to help host one. This is Courtney and we lived together in a house with 4 other girls in college....

Isn't she so cute!?!

A few of us college girls hosted and it was so fun to plan. We actually planned the entire thing using a google video chat session and I think it turned out just perfect! We went with a very classic shabby chic  theme.

I just love these ladies! They have seen me at my best and worst...yet they still love me and genuinely care about my life. I can't wait to walk through the next seasons of our lives together especially meeting these new kiddos!!!

-Sara

Behind the Scenes

Wow, it is so crazy to me to look back and see that my last post was a long time ago. It feels like I just wrote that yesterday but at the same time, I usually feel like time drags. Guess not.

We have been busy but it's a good kind of busy. When we are not busy we have certainly learned to value resting which is something I'm constantly learning to do. My brain tends to think even on days with no agenda that I should be doing something or else I feel guilty. I'm weird but thankful for such a chilled out husband that teaches me that it is okay to rest.

With Instagram these days, I almost feel like posting pictures on the blog is just redundant since most people have already seen them but here are a few things pictures can't really detail about our life:

• We are still house hunting in a very non aggressive way. We are really praying about our futures and exactly what part of Charlotte or close by we want to be in before we make such a large investment.
• Maggie got fleas a few weeks ago...and it was so annoying. On the bright side, our house has never been cleaner.
• My grandmother is battling some cancer. She has been in and out of the hospital with surgery as well but goes back this week for more. Pray that the doctors can pin point what is wrong and give us accurate diagnosis. 
• We are going to NEW YORK soon. I say that in all caps because we are so excited. It's a bucket item list of ours to go around the holiday season and we are thrilled.
• Random but we do have an address change this year from last so if you were planning on sending Christmas cards, message me to get the correct addy.
• Speaking of Christmas....I can't wait. This season is the best with the sights and smells. I'm looking forward to some time off so that I can practice more of that "resting" thing I mentioned above. Most of all, this time means so much to me to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Without his birth, I would just a be a sinner with no hope. Thank goodness for his promises!

I believe that's a wrap folks. Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving!!!

House Tour: the Loft

Weeks have passed and I have realized that I yet to even give you any updates or a glimpse of our new town house. We love our new place so much more than the last. The best news is that it is still in the same neighborhood but yet it is much larger. The layout feels more like an actual house and less like living in a box. We are still in the house hunt process and just waiting for the right one but in the meantime...

Welcome to our current place! This is where I would show you a picture but considering it is such a gloomy day and leaves are everywhere...I'll just give you an official I.O.U.

Today I want to show you our loft area. Random room to show first, right? Well, this past weekend while Todd was away, I worked extra hard to finally complete this room. I created a cozy reading nook, decorated our desk area and hung some artwork. 

This chair was hard to photograph. It is a vintage red leather whiskey barrel poker chair that belonged to Todd's grandfather. Since his passing, it has been in storage so I was most excited about Todd seeing this chair now in our house. I love the rustic decor of it and plus it holds so many memories for Todd. Win-Win.

btw: he was so SO happy to see the chair again :)

I randomly found the floor lamp at Goodwill for $14.99 and after pricing floor lamps around town that averaged $70, I was super giddy to find this one. I may change the lampshade but for now it works. The window may just be my favorite piece of the entire room.

I already had this window that I snagged off the side of the road years ago. The fabric was also something I bought over two years ago that I fell in love with but was never sure how to incorporate into our home...until now. I used small nails to tack it to the back so it can easily be removed if needed. The red details in the fabric pair well with the red leather on the chair.

This area looks over into our living room. I really love sitting down below and looking up to see the detail of the whisky barrel. Everything flows so well now. 

This room also serves as our office area. This photograph above the desk was taken by our dear friend Eric Hiestand and it is of Todd's favorite camping spot. Todd's mom surprised him with this blown up matted photo a few years ago for Christmas. Don't you just love thoughtful gifts like that?

I found the small white pitcher and stationary box at Goodwill. The box is holding all our pens which we seem to have too many of. The loft also is home to Todd's drums so I tossed his sticks into this glass vase so that Maggie won't grab them off the floor. Noticed she photobombed my picture of the record player area. Oh, but I love her so much!

Well folks, that's just about it for the loft. It will always be a work in progress and I'm sure we will move before it is ever completely finished but for now it works!

Hope you friends can come by sometime and visit! 

We would love to see you and show you around our favorite parts of Charlotte.

-Sara

Polished

I'm a little off topic today. Not much of a Davis update over here but if you like painted nails, stick around. So with that said, I like my nails painted. Like serious like. As in, I'm guessing that about 394 days of the year, I'm wearing some sort of nail polish. Since middle school, I can remember painting my nails for fun and it has turned into a constant of mine. Of course I love getting real mani/pedi's at a salon but I just can't afford that especially as fast as I change my mind over colors. But over the years I have discovered that my nails always chip and it drives me crazy. So with years of practice, I feel confident enough to say that I have finally perfected my home nail solutions the best that I believe is possible. It will cost you a little money up front but it totally pays for itself if you paint your nails a lot.

1. I just paint the color I want on. I've used cheap brands and expensive brands. My favorite cheap brand is NYC which runs about $.85-$1.00 at drugstores. They have an assortment of great colors and it goes on really well.

2. The crucial part. I buy Essie's No Chips Ahead for about $7-8. Paint a top coat and let it air dry.

3. Finish it all off with Essie's Good to Go (about the same price as No Chips Ahead). This leaves your nails super shiny and they dry super fast. I've even had students comment about how shiny my nails are. Good observation kiddos!

So far this has been working for me but I'm always open to hear your ways too as I'm sure there are many other ways to go about getting perfectly polished nails. And if you could care less to paint your nails...call me, I'll do it. I find strange satisfaction in a good nail color job. Oh and by the way, I think it drives Todd crazy. The whole painting process he says "stinks" and won't come near me. Sure, that is true but secretly he likes them when they are finished. Right babe?!

Happy Monday! 

-Sara

Story of My Life...Shawshack

Well world, I have decided by my choice to finally show you this video. Some family and friends have already seen the video but I have had many requests by others that have heard about it and want to see it.

Let me set the scene. I had never before this moment seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Towards the end of the movie I began to get crazy emotional. I tried to hide my emotions from Todd but in the end he caught me. Being the videographer he is, he instantly decided to film it using his iPhone.

All I can say at this point is view for yourself then let me explain.... 





Those are real tears. Real ugly raw tears. Seriously the movie was amazing. Not sure why I say such non sense about feeling air on my skin (I did walk outside after this) but it was just pure emotions. Even after the video I continued to cry and had a hard time getting myself together. I did this same very thing one other time in my life and that was after Toy Story 3. I feel really silly for having such feelings then and now.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the laugh. I also look at this and can't help but to laugh. It is what it is and if you have not yet seen the movie, let my emotions be enough to convince you.

WATCH IT TONIGHT! I guarantee you will be choking back some good tears too.

Happy Tuesday!
-S

Story of My Life...The Gnat

Here I am. Finally back in the blog world after some silence. Starting school has been super busy. I work all day and either come home to do more work or I crash on the couch. Blogging is a creative outlet of mine and I hope I can do better than I did last year at writing.

With all that said, I have another story of my life for you today. Basically these stories are so bizarre or crazy that I feel they would happen to me.

A few weeks ago we left Maggie at my mother-in-laws while we moved to a new town home. When we went to pick her up it was super late and we were exhausted. We only chatted for a few minutes before heading out the door to come home. As we walked out of the door, I felt something buzz. I've had that happen before but usually it's just a bug stuck in my hair that I shoo away.

So I shooed. Shoo Shoo Shoo bug.

Nope, didn't happen. A few seconds later I felt the buzz again. When I say felt, I mean literally felt my ear tingle with a loud buzz. I jiggled at my ear but again the buzz occured. By the second time I freaked out and told Todd. The buzz continued and I was about to have a panic attack. The only relief I got was to jiggle my ear constantly to keep it from buzzing. Such a nightmare.

We ran back inside to get help from my mother-in-law. Todd quickly googled what to do but during this time I'm still buzzing. Each buzz is making me go crazier and crazier. Head shakin', palms sweatin' and the tears a slowly flowin'. Todd used a flashlight and confirmed he saw little wings. Ew.

Todd found some solutions from dear Google. I laid on the floor and he poured olive oil in my ear. The buzzing stop so I'm assuming we killed the gnat but he never found it. Since the buzzing stop, I decided we should just go home.

On the way home I Googled myself the circumstance (for support ya know) and I regret doing that. I read some crazy stories and convinced myself we should go to the hospital. But we didn't. I was nervous that the buzzing would start back like in the middle of the night but thankfully it didn't. I never did go to the doctor or anything like that. I'm going to pretend it fell out.

So the moral of the story...hide yo ears.

-S

We Moved

We have spent the past few days moving. Even though we moved in our same neighborhood, this move has been way harder. Not sure if it's because the clock is ticking for me with work about to start or the fact that we are focusing so much attention on cleaning the old place. I realized I've never lived in a place where they require so much out of you when you depart such as paying to have the carpets cleaned, filling in all the holes, painting, etc. Not that I've ever left a place dirty but I certainly have never made it perfect. I will be so thrilled to turn the keys over to the rental agency of our old place and be completely done with it.

Last night Todd and I cleaned at the old place until 2:30 AM. We came home and jumped in the bed completely exhausted. At 2:45 AM our fire alarm began to chirp. We took out the batteries but it continued to chirp as it is wired into the wall. We were about to beat our heads on the wall but Todd finally got it disconnected. Well...it still chirped! My sweet patient husband was losing his cool slowly. He ended up placing the alarm in the downstairs bathroom in a drawer, far far away from us. Such a nightmare of a night.

We are still unpacking but I hope to post a few pictures soon. I go back to work Wednesday so I'm sure things will get crazy busy after that too. We do have an awesome guest suite that is actually already unpacked. Anybody want to come over?!

Message me privately if you want our new address :)

-Sara

Story of My Life

As promised, I told you we would update you with our "living" situation. Not sure where I left off but we have now found a townhome in our same neighborhood and we move this weekend! The new place is a different floor plan and bigger so we are excited about that. However, a move is a move which for us is never fun. I hate all the packing, loading, and cleaning. But at least the decorating is always fun.

In other news, I thought I'd start sharing some "stories of my life" since crazy things always seem to happen to me. Warning: this story is a little gross.

A few weeks ago I was shopping and went to the dressing room to try some clothes on. Now let me just set this story up in four words.

The room had carpet.

I was wearing flip flips so naturally I took my shoes off to try on clothes. Now, maybe this is where I went all wrong. Maybe keeping your shoes on is an understood concept while trying on clothes and I missed that memo growing up. 

Anyways, as I took my shoes off, I became more aware of a bad odor. At the same time, I realized my feet were wet. I wish someone could have recorded my face. I froze in shock. I was standing in pee. I quickly grabbed my things and jumped to another dressing room. Still in shock, I sat on the bench and instantly got mad that some child or adult would do such a thing. 

Thankfully, I carry Lysol wipes in my purse so I wiped down my feet and carried on. I'm sure most people would have left but I can't let one sour apple in this world ruin my shopping trip. What I did think the rest of the day was..."did that really just happen...to ME?"

It would. Crazy stuff like that happens to me all the time. I'm not going to say which store I was in because it could happen anywhere but learn from me folks...

keep your shoes on!!!

Be back soon with pics of our new place :) Hoping for a smooth move!

-Sara

Simple Art

Growing up, Dad measured my height in our basement on a gray pole. At the age of 14 we moved and one of things I was most sad about was leaving the pole behind. When I saw this video, instant memories came back as well as thinking how beautiful this installation of art is.




I'm sure "my" pole has been painted over by now just as this art can't last forever. I guess it's the memories and impact that means the most. I love the way art moves us, molds us and makes us who we are.

Happy Sunday,
-Sara

Super Fast Week

We have had the busiest yet BEST week with one exception but I'll get to that later. It all started with our very first staff advance with Elevation. It was an incredibly powerful day full of teachings from Pastor Steven. I love that we are involved with a church that invests so much in their staff and volunteers. The second day we all met at a park which felt like one big family reunion full of food and games. I'm just in complete awe of the talent, energy and compassion that is composed of the staff. We will not take this for granted.

Right after staff advance, I packed up and headed east with my college roommates and friends to celebrate the upcoming wedding of our sweet Rachael. I haven't had a girls weekend like that in a long time. We had so much fun being chatty and of course dressing up for a night on the town.

Her wedding is next weekend and I couldn't be more thrilled for her! I feel like one chapter of our lives is closing (marriage) and a new one is just beginning. Courtney, Ash and Hien are all moms-to-be. I feel like we were just in college...time flies!

On Sunday, just before leaving the beach, mom called and told me Jamie was in early labor. Such a whirlwind of a week, let me tell ya! As soon as I got home, Todd and I got back in the car and headed to the hospital. Things were progressing very slow so Todd went home and I stayed along with my sister Ronna, making the decision to spend the night at Jamie and Chris' house since they were at the hospital. We were told that Ella would arrive in the middle of the night. Well, the night came and went and no Ella. The next morning we went back to the hospital and waited...and waited.....and waited.

Mom spent the night at the hospital so she was super tired by Monday morning!

Finally at 3:36 (and after much complications with Jamie), Ella arrived healthy and happy. I'm in love!

In the midst of all this was LOVE week, an outreach ministry event by Elevation church where over 10,000 volunteers love on our communities. I was more than thrilled to serve Tuesday-Saturday and learned about so many different organizations including one that I can't wait to get my students involved in called Promising Pages.

Do you feel like you are on a roller coaster yet with me? Well here is the ultimate low. Remember when I said there was a possibility the owner of our town home would want to move back? Yup, it's official. We have 45 days (less than that now) to vacate. Very bad timing with school starting right around the corner. We will most likely have to rent somewhere else again which is a bummer because we are house hunting. We don't want to rush the house hunting process but moving multiple times is never fun. I'll keep you posted...in the meantime throw some prayers up for us. It's stressful but I'm believing it will be an experience we can learn and grow from.

I think more has happened this past week than in our entire year. I think I will go relax now....

cheers,

Sara

Summer Life

We have been traveling a lot the past few weeks. From Lake Lure to Emerald Isle and then on to one of my personal favorites, Oak Island. You may remember me talking about how special OKI is for me if you read my Beach Bums post. For a refresher, click here.

This year my sister, brother-in-law and their little gal was there too. We had so much fun eating lots of and lots of good food, enjoying DQ every night (not ashamed) and chasing around a toddler everywhere. This was also our first time taking Maggie on a long car ride and she did fantastic.

Life is good and we are oh so blessed!

Me and my sister, Ronna. We look somewhat alike ;)

Maggie did awesome at traveling! 

Our travels are mostly over and we are looking forward to spending time with friends in Charlotte including my college roommate Rachael's wedding, volunteering in our community with LOVE week and waiting anxiously to welcome my sister, Jamie and brother-in-law, Chris' babe Ella Grace to the world!

Oh and how can I forget...my most favorite holiday is right around the corner. AMERICA! Which also means my birthday tags right behind. Thank you Lord for the goodness you let us experience while on earth!

Follow me on Instagram @saradavis528 for more photos and updates!

-Sara

Property Virgins

We have been house shopping the past couple of weeks. If only it was as easy as choosing one and placing it in a cart at Wal-Mart. Instead I feel like I'm on an episode of House Hunters that never ends. This process has certainly been an interesting experience and while I'm no expert on this subject, we have already learned so much. Here are a few things we have discovered so far...

Get Approved
This was the first step we made. We were really nervous about this because it just feels so surreal when you start thinking of the potential to own a home. Plus having someone evaluate your incomes, credit, etc. is scary. Our biggest fear was that they were going to tell us we couldn't buy a home. Not that we have anything against us, we I tend to worry about the worst case scenario. Turns out we got approved within one business day and for much more than we ever imagined which leads me to my second tip for new homebuyers.

Stay Low
Even though we got approved for a large amount, we know that unless we want to eat beans and rice for the rest of our lives, we have to pretend that number is much lower. I'd love to go way low but realistically we are going to have to find a comfort amount to spend because honestly the location we need doesn't have super cheap houses unless we found a short sale or foreclosure.

Seek Wisdom
This one is tricky. I love gaining wisdom from people who have "been there, done that." We want to make the decisions we can in this process and learn from others mistakes. We have to remind ourselves that not everyones circumstances will work for us so we still ultimately have to make the best decision for us. Everyone will have an opinion on some part of the process so we have to choose what to receive. The best place for some advice is from your realtor and we are thankful to have an awesome one. Parents are great too and close friends. I also put a status up on Facebook asking for advice and within minutes had so many great responses. There were a few things we had not put too much thought on and decided to reevaluate our decisions thus far.

Keep your Chin Up

My realtor has told me this several times. Especially when we lost in a bidding war on a house we really really liked. That was tough. But ultimately we place our trust in the Lord and know that it will all work out in the right time. I find comfort in that. Also having great family and friends to remind you that most people deal with the same ups and downs is encouraging. My friend Ash has always been my "one step ahead of me friend" and I value that so much. She got married first, bought a house first and has a babe on the way. All that to say, she doesn't mind to answer questions and give great encouragement. Make sure you have a friend like that.

Other stuff we have had to think hard about is...

buy or build?

starter home or forever home?

NC or SC?

School Districts?

and much more!

In all this process hasn't been horrific (yet). I haven't cried once so that's a good sign for me. I almost panicked today when my landlord told me that the owner of our townhouse may be moving back which means as soon as she makes up her mind, we would have 45 days to be out. I haven't felt pressure to find a house yet and wasn't expecting that but now that may change. However, I'm working on the whole let go and let God thing so whatever happens, happens. 

I'll keep you all updated as the house hunting journey continues. No happy ending just yet. I'm sure we will learn so much more as time moves forward. In the meantime, if you yourself have any great advice, let us know! 

-Sara

2 Years

Life has been busy. I could write pages but I'm not. The good news is that there are only 4 days of school left (woohoooo). Even though I'm looking forward to a break from the daily grind, I will certainly miss all my students and teacher friends over the summer. I'm SO blessed to be at such an amazing school.

But the reason I wrote this post was to just throw up a few pics of our 2 year anniversary trip. We went over Memorial Day weekend since our anniversary was really Tuesday, May 28th. This year we went to Lake Lure and stayed at Rumbling Bald Resort. It is certainly a trip worth taking and very affordable. We spent most of the weekend outdoors exploring the area nearby.

First up...Chimney Rock

Our resort had many activities to keep you busy and even fed us all smores on the beach one night. If you know me at all, you know I love love LOVE smores so this was an awesome surprise. We felt like we were at summer camp considering we played putt-putt right before smores. 

Kayaking...

We also enjoyed going on a boat tour, visiting the shops of downtown Chimney Rock and visiting Asheville where we splurged on a big dinner. It was a nice weekend getaway and the weather was perfect. I can't believe it has been 2 years already! Marriage is certainly full of ups and downs but it's a journey worth taking. More on our trip (traditions) and life news to come soon!

Just for fun...May 28, 2011

For more info on our wedding and vendors, check out these blog posts by clicking here and here.

-Sara

Day 13

Never thought I'd even make it this far on the FitFat40 challenge. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, then read my last post and it will catch you up. A few things have kept me going like the community that has been established. Doing a challenge like this with a bunch of people keeps the momentum up. I probably would have failed otherwise. We are all in this together and I even think it has allowed me to get to know more people because FitFat40 is certainly something to chat about. My partner for the challenge is Brittany, another staff spouse and it's been fun to encourage one another. Not going to lie, we also share our struggles which for me goes something like this..."IF I HAVE TO EAT ANOTHER SALAD..." or "I WANT SWEEEEEETS."

But I don't say or tell you those things for pity. I don't want this to be treated like a diet. Diets are temporary. I want to do this so that I can ultimately change my mindset about what I put in my body. I'm realizing my life has been all about convenience. If I'm hungry, I go get whatever can feel that void fast. So when I'm blurting the salad remarks, it's mostly because I don't feel like preparing food myself. Finding quality "fast" food is tough other than salads but I'm learning to really search over menus and ask ingredient questions to find the best option.

This challenge has forced me to get creative with cooking. My favorite meal so far has been the Philly cheesesteaks I made. Everyone needs to try this recipe...so good!

Photo Credit

I've also been educating myself on nutrition. In the midst of all this, I have discovered that I think I have a gluten intolerance. You see, before this challenge, my stomach ached 80% of the time. So painful that most of those times I would just have to go to bed and sleep it off. I'm 13 days into this challenge and I've been pain free. For years I thought it was a dairy intolerance but I've had a ton of dairy the past 13 days and no pain. Therefore, since I've cut grains completely, I'm thinking it has something to do with the grains. When I do bring grains back into my diet, I'm going to make every effort to go gluten free. I'd much rather do that then deal with being "sick" all the time again.

My next adventure is to start juicing. My cousin does it all the time and talks about all the benefits. I'm feeling like I need even more veggies in me and that will be the fastest way to get them. Any suggestions on juicers or recipes?

This saying is so true....

Have any of you cut out certain foods or are eating more naturally? I'd love to hear the benefits you have experienced and get encouragement/support. I challenge all my friends to try eating more naturally for a week and see how you feel. I never thought I would say this but I feel SO great. One of my favorite blogs is 100 Days of Real Food because she does such a great job educating you on reading labels and such. 

So what do you think...can you go a day without sugar? Grains? Try it ;)

-Sara

#fitFAT40

Hey friends! Life is good and time seems to be moving in turbo speed. The good news is that I only have 7 weeks of school left until summer vacation. Things are crazy this time of year at a school with all sorts of activities which makes the weeks go by even faster. I'm looking forward to wrapping up the school year so I can relax and mentally processing my first year of teaching.

In personal news, Elevation staff & spouses started a fitness challenge this past week. Basically you can get up to 4 points a day. Here is the breakdown:

• no sugar of any kind (except fruit)
• no grains
• exercise for at least 30 min.
• journal

We started this past week and I'm off to a great start. Todd had a few days of traveling so it was difficult for him but I think he will get back on track. I'm mostly eager to do this just because I've heard so many people talk about how much sweeter fruit and other real food will taste once your body detoxes from all the other junk. I'm not so much in it to lose weight but rather just get in better routines. I love that our church set up a website for all of the staff to hold us accountable to documenting our points. The challenge has already forced me in a good way to get more creative with dinners. Did I mention the challenge is for 40 days???? Bring it on!

Anybody else LOVING spring? Last weekend we went to Lowes and bought a few goodies to spruce up our yard. I love looking out our living room window to this view...

Plus springtime means lots of dinner dates outside and live music on the weekends! Charlotte is way more dog friendly than I actually imagined so we try to take Maggie wherever we go. We meet so many people this way because she is certainly a conversation starter.

 

And maybe my most favorite thing this time of year is fresh strawberries! YUM!

Have a great weekend!