Big girl

Yesterday, one of my best firends in the entire world, Aubrey, bought herself the cutest little blue house in Corpus Christi. Seriously, this picture doesn't do it justice! It has a brick walkway, white trim, a rocking chair on the front porch, a pink rose bush, and a hot tub in the backyard. What up! This has been a 2 month process for Aubs and definitely more stressful for her than any of us thought it would be (thanks to realtors/mortage offices/other goofballs who will remain unnamed), but it's finally over. She's now a homeowner and I'm SO excited for her! Let the Pinterest projects begin!!

Congrats Aubrey!

Confession: I've been a bad blogger (but a good unpacker!)

I have severely ignored my blog over the last month or so, and I feel pretty bad about it. Yes, I've posted maybe once or twice a week, but it's just been little updates here and there. I haven't written my sponsor highlights yet and I haven't gotten back to a couple of people that have contacted me about guest posting. For this, I'm sincerely sorry. Life has just been nuts! But I'm back and ready to make it up to everyone. Be looking for sponsor highlights THIS WEEK and for me to be posting more regularly!! Ok, now that I have gotten that off my chest, I'm going to give you all a glimpse into what has been going on around here. :)

As my last blog post told you, we've moved! This is my first full weekend in the house and I have spent the entire day unpacking boxes, doing laundry, and hanging up wall decor. I must say, I'm pretty proud of my progress!

 {Our bedroom. Not much on the walls yet, but I'll get there!}

{Our HUGE closet! This "room" alone makes living at camp worth it!}

{Our new Ikea kitchen table and chairs}

{Living room #1}

{Living room #2. Sorry for the bright sun coming through the window}

I'm still adjusting to life out at the camp. Although I spent multiple summers working out here during college, living out here as a wife is a whole new ball game. Brooklyn and I have watched three movies on Netflix today (The American President, Father of the Bride, and some Hillary Duff movie that was never popular) because there isn't really much else going on. We also went for a walk and I went for an evening run. I'm sure I'll get used to this slower pace on the weekends, but today was definitely an adjustment.

Work, oh work. I wish I could just write and write about all of the madness that my job has been for me the last couple of weeks. Here is the short version: I was offered a new job. I wasn't looking and had no intention of leaving my current job. But I learned more about this new position and things just started moving. The new job really wanted me to come work for them; my current job really wanted me to stay. I had so many variables to weigh and in the long run had to make the decision that best moved me toward my long-term professional goals. And I decided to stay at my current job. :) This past week I was challenged to make some tough decisions, learn some big lessons, and set new (higher!) professional goals for myself. I really believe this situation/experience was God preparing me for something greater in the future and I'm excited to see where He takes me on this journey!

Luke has also been seeing some cool advancements at work. After one of the directors at the camp moved to take a new job, some re-organizing went down and Luke has taken on some new responsibility at work. Yay for promotions! Also, a group of men that travel and build buildings/office furniture/etc. for Christian organizations built a new desk that has been put in Luke's office, which is a pretty cool upgrade for him. God's blessings are just overwhelming us right now!

(This guy is one of the hardest workers I know!}

So you see, life has been pretty hectic. But beautiful, none the less. I can't wait for the upcoming 3-day week, Thanksgiving with both mine and Luke's families, a weekend of Christmas shopping in Houston, and buying our first Christmas tree as a married couple (all things that will be happening before next Sunday)!

Hope you all are having a blessed weekend. :)

Dear Vista House,

Did you know that's your name? You were named for the street you are on. It's a pretty cool name I guess. I didn't name you, but hope you like it. :)

Tomorrow begins the third consecutive weekend I have spent painting your walls. Confession: I'm a tad bit OVER it. I mean, can you blame me? I still can't get some of last weekend's paint off my left leg (despite my scrubbing efforts in the shower) and painting a house alone can become extremely monotonous and boring. But this weekend is hopefully our final weekend of painting. Soon, your walls will have fresh coats of paint and you will be cleaner than you've been in months. Have you been lonely without anyone living in you? Do you miss the sound of little feet running around? Well no worries, in about 2-3 weeks you'll gain a new family and a sweet little puppy that loves the sound of her own paws running around on your floors!

After you are all cleaned up and painted, Luke and I are going to Ikea. We're going to buy you a brand new kitchen table and chairs, a bed frame for the master bedroom, and some fun organizational items. Luke has never been to an Ikea before (yes, I am embarrassed for him too) and once I take him there, I just know he will be thrilled out of his mind to buy you some fun prizes!

Vista, I don't care that your floor creaks. It's part of your personality. And the built in shelving in the corner of the "master bathroom" (quotations because let's be honest, it's not very master) is too cute for words. I'm absolutely in LOVE with the color we have chosen for your kitchen walls and you better believe I already have a plan as to where I am hanging our wedding pictures, mirrors, and other wall decor. You're going to be pretty cute once I'm finished with you! :)

But until then, I'll just continue to daydream about what cooking my first dinner on your stove will be like. Or envision Luke walking through your backdoor after a long day at work and kissing the cook. Because no matter your imperfections, you're our first big adventure as husband and wife, and I know we'll forever look back on these days with fond memories. You're a cozy little house in the country and I cannot wait to make you our first home.

I've got to go to bed now so that I can be rested and ready to paint in the morning! I'm looking forward to our next two days together. And don't worry, I won't forget my iPhone. I mean, what would we do without Pandora while painting?

Love,
Sara

Miscellany Monday

This past Saturday, I participated in the Making Strides For Breast Cancer 5K/Walk in Corpus Christi with a team from work. We wore gray shirts with our stations logos on them in pink and we also wore pink and purple leis. There was so much pink EVERYWHERE and I loved seeing our community get together for such a great cause! My cousin died at a very young age of breast cancer, so it is always very important for me to participate in such events that raise awareness and support early detection. This event was the perfect way to kick off my weekend!

{Walking and raising awareness with Jessie, Nicole, and myself}

Would you like to guess what else I did this weekend? Yes, I PAINTED! This seems to have become my weekend norm, huh? We're definitely over half way through painting the new house and I'm going to start packing boxes in the apartment this week. After spending two consecutive weekends in the new house and realizing how close we are to the move, I have found new motivation to get to packin'!

{A few of our paint colors. I'm a blues and greens kind of gal.}

And I'm getting really excited because in 11 days, I will be reunited with these lovey ladies and I can't wait!! We will certainly be drinking Common Grounds coffee, cheering on our Baylor Bears at the homecoming game, watching Pigskin, and, knowing us, doing a little shopping! I can't wait to be these sisters again soon!!

 {College roomies, sisters, friends}

Tape, paint, and outlet covers...oh my!

I just got a very fun call from my husband. It went a little something like this...

Luke: Hey wife.
Me: Hey babe. What's up?
Luke: BJ and I have been walking through the house for the last hour and a half. I'm making a list of all the things we need to get taken care of before the house is ready for move in.
Me: Oh really? What's on the list?
Luke: Paint tape, caulk, foam, cabinet hinges, outlet covers, paint...
Me: Whoa, cool!
Luke: Yeah. Do you know what color paint you want for the different rooms?
Me: Umm...

The answer to that last question sort of turned into an entirely seperate conversation, but the important thing is that we're down to the last little details before move-in begins!!! Paint will be purchased soon, which means painting will begin soon. I will probably be looking at some paint samples by this evening. :)

{Where does one begin??}

I must say, it was a little weird having that conversation with my husband. Weird in a cool way. I mean, we've only ever lived in an apartment where we weren't given the option of paint colors and have never needed to worry about details such as outlet covers. There is definintely something sexy about a man making sure a house is ready for his wife to move into! Luke has made such a sweet effort to make sure I'm happy about moving out to camp since he knows the sacrifice I'll be making to travel an hour to and from work every day. When he started listing all the little details he was taking care of, I giggled outloud to myself just a bit. He sounds so husband-like! But I guess that's the way it should sound, right? He's a cutie.

I'm getting excited!!