The Scotts and Vanderbilts

Some of my favorite wedding gifts were the ones that we didn't register for.  Random but so cute casserole dishes, home decor items and even trips.  One of my best friends from high school gave Colby and I two tickets to the Biltmore House.  

Oh my word.  She is a genius!!  Yesterday, Colby and I headed to Asheville for a quick visit to the Vanderbilt's humble abode.  We had some much fun exploring this little treasure in Asheville and we are so thankful for such a creative wedding gift.  This gift allowed for a really fun day date that turned into a night a hotel and shopping the following day.  Mary Grace, thank you so much for always thinking outside of the box!!

This morning, we woke up, grabbed a couple of bagels and then toured downtown Asheville despite the soggy morning it was.

.... and then we went here.  And Colby Scott bought his belated 25th birthday gift, a fly rod.

This proceeded to car ride home with a giddy, blonde boy.

And when we got home, we were greeted at the door with an Amazon package.  I received my first birthday gift (my birthday is tomorrow) from my parents!  Sintra Duets vinyl for my new record player I received from Colby for Christmas.  I am so stinkin' excited.

We are so thankful for a quick little getaway before we start the new year of work and school!  Thanks again, Mary Grace, for loving us so well and thinking of a perfect wedding gift!

A Year in Review | 2013

Oh my my.  What a year 2013 was!  Is it hard to imagine that a single year could be this eventful.  How did we get here?  Oh, well let's just have a little review of our past year.

But first, go grab yourself a cup of coffee!

Remember, Colby & I started 2013 like this:

A recently engaged couple of wanted to get married in just a couple of months.

_________________________________________________________

2013 consisted of this... (in chronological order, I might add).

 - We bought a brand new car // March

- Colby quit his job in Raleigh to pursue the family business back at home // March

- Colby moved back in with his parents and started his new job // April

- I graduated from North Carolina State University // May

- I moved back in with my parents // May

- WE GOT MARRIED! // May

- Colby & I spent a week in the Dominican Republic // May

- Colby & I moved into our first home // June

- Colby & I moved into our 2nd home... the one we were gonna buy // August

 

- My sister got engaged! //August

- Colby decided to quit the family business to pursue a different career back in Raleigh // October

- I got in PA school!  Go DEACS! // October

- My sister-in-law got engaged! // October

 

- My other sister-in-law announced she had another human growing inside of her! //December

- We celebrated our first Christmas together // December

- We moved out of 2nd home into our third // December

Whew!  Don't that make ya'll wanna take a nap?!

It is truly amazing all that can happen in a single year.  We are so incredibly blessed to have life and life to the full through Jesus.  After all he is the one that is guiding us in the crazy life.  Life to the full for us, for this season of our lives, has consisted of late nights, early mornings, cardboard boxes, tissue paper, pots and pots of coffee, family, laughing, food and pure joy.  

Oh, 2014, you have incredibly big shoes to fill.

A New Plan

Oh, hi there.  My name is Courtney, writer of this blog.  You probably don't recognize me because I haven't posted in my little corner of the web in almost two months.  I'm sorry, friends. 

Well, Colby and I were about to sign the papers to buy Colby's grandpa's house.  We adore this sweet little house.  It is where Colby's dad and his siblings were raised and it has a ball field literally in the back yard (be still MY heart!).  For several reasons, we adore this house.  And this house fell perfectly into the plan, the master plan of staying in Surry County forever.

But then the government shut down.  During this shut down when our loan to buy this house was at a standstill, Colby got a job offer.. not in Surry County but back in Raleigh.  I didn't take Colby seriously when he told me over the phone.  I believe the actual conversation that went on in my head was like this:  "Hm, interesting. Doesn't matter, Colby Scott ain't going anywhere".  So, when Colby came home and said, "So I think we need to talk about this job opportunity", I WAS FLOORED.  Through several days of very specific praying and beating a dead horse with the exact same conversation with every member of our family... we decided that we were gonna take it.  This meant picking up our Surry County lives and moving them back to Raleigh... in less than 2 months.

So that's the first thing.  Colby got a job offer back in Raleigh.  And he is taking it.

Second thing, I can officially say that I am going to be a Physician Assistant.  I got accepted into my dream school, Wake Forest School of Medicine, about 2 weeks ago.  I am still on cloud nine.  When the representative told me I literally screamed on the phone.  I was over the moon, y'all.  I can't wait to write a post about the crazy process it took to get that glorious phone call.  Halloween was a good day for this future Demon Deacon.

So second thing,  I am going to be a Demon Deacon AND a Physician Assistant.

So, here we are.  Colby and I are moving in less than 2 months to Burlington, the sweet little city that we will call home for now.  Colby starts a brand new job at the beginning of the year and I start a rigorous curriculum in June.   Life is insane and beautiful and intense and scary.  But we have Jesus, so faint not.

And as excited as I am for the changes in our little family, I don't want to be blinded by all them all.  There are still pumpkin pies to eaten, boots to be worn, twinkling lights to be hung and evergreens to be inhaled all before we hit the road.  Cheers to the best time of year, right where we are.

Honeymooning in the Dominican Republic

When Colby & I were trying to figure out where we were going to go for our honeymoon, we were more focused on the history behind the term "honeymoon" than we were on where we actually going to go on it.  St. Lucia, Hawaii, Dominican, Ireland, Greece.  All the thoughts came to mind.  The place I most wanted to go was Scottland.  I told Colby, "Dude, we will be the Scott's.  Let's go to the land of the them!"  He finally convinced me that it was completely out of the price range and that we could save up for it, maybe for our 5 year anniversary.  

In our wedding program we did fun facts about Colby & I.  One of them said, "Colby has never flown before.  Courtney plans on filling up his passport".  And I plan on sticking to that.  When Colby got on that plane at RDU, he was secretly excited.  He didn't want me to see his little kid self getting jacked up about getting on a plane.  But I saw it.  He asked a million questions and he just couldn't believe how big planes were.  When we actually got on the plane, Colby kept saying (honestly, 10-15 times), "I can't image the power/torque this thing has/takes."  He was so happy.  I was so happy.

We landed in Punta Cana airport -- aka a giant tiki hut.  It was quite different from RDU and ATL airports.  We got off, found our resort van and headed on.

The resort was gorgeous, giant and modern.  Lots of options to eat and the most gorgeous plot of sand and water to lay and view.  We literally laid out ALL day for days.  We did go snorkeling and riding in a speed boat one day.  But it was so nice, to relax and be lazy with my favorite person in the world & feel no guilt.  It was fantastic. 

Seriously, fantastic.  I could not have asked for a more gorgeous place to spend the first week of marriage.  We are so thankful to have the chance experience another part of the world.  A very luxurious but peaceful part of the world.  

Plus, we got Colby's first stamp in his passport!!  Success.