Christmas!!!

That's right folks, we're only 25 days away from Christmas!

The tree is up and it looks quite lovely! We were able to get a real tree this year and it smells so good :)

We were able to get ornaments and lights from Ms. Manley (one of my education professors) and that saved us some money, but Christmas stuff is still a little pricey!! We figured its ok though, because you really only have to buy ornaments, stocking, etc., once and then you're pretty much covered for....well, forever. :)

I haven't taken real pictures yet because I keep adding things, but here's what it looked like a few days ago (from my phone)!

Its so fun to get ready for Christmas with Britt! We've fallen asleep to The Grinch the past two nights and I'm headed to the library today to go pick up all the other Christmas movies I can find! :)

We also started to come up with some possible "Christmas Traditions" for our very first Christmas together. In my family, we used to make Ritz peanut butter crackers dipped in chocolate, so that's a definite tradition that we'll keep! Britt wants to watch a Christmas movie every day (or as much as possible) leading up to Christmas, so that's added to the "new-tradition" list too! We watched Polar Express a few days ago (my first time watching it all the way through) and I really liked it!

We just have a few weeks of school left and then Christmas will be here before I know it!

What traditions will you have this year??

Grace and Peace

I don't know what's going on this month. It's seriously been a whirlwind! Other than a few brief nights of visiting with friends, most days/nights are filled with lots and LOTS of homework. (I'm paying for this to be my life right now???)

The highlight of my week is definitely going to church. Britt and I have been so blessed to be a part of The Village Church...and at the end of a very hard week, it's so refreshing to walk into a loving community and just worship in the presence of Christ together. However, the past 2 weeks we've been SLAMMED with homework and haven't been able to attend. I really hate that this has happened. Maybe its the combination of both Britt and I working 25-30 hours each week, taking 15-18 hours of school, and getting home for the first time anywhere between 7:30-9pm, or maybe it's poor time management (blogging, face-booking, and Pintrest are my worst enemies!). Either way, it makes me sad that we've had to miss church.

Missing church for 2 weeks makes my heart feel distant from Christ. I play worship music, I listen to the previous week's podcast, pray, and read my Bible...but there's just something so special and intimate of being in a room full of believers, affirming our faith in Christ, being reminding of redemption, salvation, and grace that covers a multitude of sin. (Wow- I'm tearing up just thinking about how incredible our Creator really is!)

I guess there's no real topic/reason for this blog other than to let you know that I'm a real person who deals with real things. I know you guys know what I mean. There's a closeness with Christ that disappears when you are out of church for a while. If you have a home church, I would encourage you to go as often as possible and get plugged in with serving somewhere. If you don't have a home church, or aren't a believer (and you live near me) please come with us to church! I KNOW you will love it. Who doesn't like hearing that they were intentionally created, that they are loved unconditionally, and that the very same God who created us, would give his son so that we may be saved through Him, and be able to live a full, abundant life with Christ here and for eternity.

Love you friends....

Grace and Peace,
Brittany

You sneaky little lady!!!

First and foremost, IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!! (Thanksgiving is just an eating holiday, so although I am grateful we get off school/work for it, it doesn't count for anything in my book. Also, you don't usually hear stores/radios/walkman's playing "Thanksgiving tunes" throughout the months of November-Jan like you do with Christmas songs!! Am I right?)

Let's get back on track folks,
It's almost Christmas and decorations are already lining the aisles of my sweet, filthy Wal*Mart. Beautiful ornaments, Santa hats, and poinsettias are staring me in the face, begging to be bought. BUT! Alas, I am waiting patiently for them to go on sale, and for Thanksgiving to come and go so I don't feel weird about buying Christmas stuff so early! Ahh......this is going to be a great Christmas! :) (First one as a married couple..holla!!!)

So yesterday I saw a "Bag Sale" sign out at the thrift store across the street from me...It read "BAG SALE: Wed-Sat". Then and there, the wheels in my mind began to turn just thinking of all the AWESOME stuff I could potentially find! I had missed the last bag sale they had and some very cool, vintage-y candlesticks were picked up before I could get there. I had been eyeing them all week and was waiting for the bag sale so it would be a little cheaper to buy them, but someone got to them before me....such a bummer!

  BUT! I was prepared today! Britt gave me some extra cash he had and I headed over to the store...I was determined to get the most out of my money! I walk in, and the lady at the counter says, "Grab a bag, you can fill it with anything you'd like!". (Thank you, kind greeter.) I found the coolest stuff! LOTS AND LOTS of Christmas gift-bags. TONS of cool yarn, some cute glass napkin holders (that could definitely make a pretty Christmas present), some pants for Britt, a Christmas snow-man mug, and a cute sweater for me. As I walk up to the counter I see a little hand-written sign that says, "BAG SALE: Clothes Only!". 


YEAH!!! I KNOW RIGHT!!!

In my mind, I'm going crazy. WHAT??? I JUST SPENT 30 MINUTES DIGGING THROUGH OLD DONATED STINKY STUFF AND YOU SAID ANYTHING I'D LIKE CAN GO IN THE BAG!!!


I looked down at my bag of treasure junk, and was filled with disappointment. I asked one last time (in my saddest voice) if it was really clothes only, and after seeing a sweet head-nod that only 80 year old women can do in a way that would calm any person down, I set the bag next to the counter and told her I had yarn, mugs, and another things too. 

I didn't need any of that stuff, but I still walked out of that stinky old thrift shop with my tail between my legs and my head hung low. 


What a sneaky little lady, right?! Moral of the story, know the fine print of a bag sale before you go rummaging through a store! :)

"Welcome to the 90's, Mr. Banks"

If you know where I got the name of my title from, then mad props...if not, it's at the end of this blog!  :)

In honor of being inspired by my friend, Nicole McKenzie, I have decided to post a quick blog, even though it's not really about anything! :)

The reason for my title is because I just signed up for a twitter account. I know it wasn't made in the 90's, but I feel like I'm just now joining after people have been using it forever...plus, I don't even have a smart phone! The main reason I got it is because my church sends out alot of links and info via twitter and because alot of the musicians I follow post new tour dates............ but since I never remember to check on their sites, I figured twitter would be benificial.

I know, I know....I totally chose the grandma reason to get twitter, but I think eventually I'll get into the swing of things and use it just for funsies! :)

It's a little discouraging to only have 2 followers, so if you want to follow me my username is cc_holmes, and my password....oh wait, I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that part!! ;)

Leave your twitter name and I'll follow you too!!

Fast forward to 3:30 and enjoy!

SNEAK PEEK!!!

Sneak peek of the wedding pictures!!
They are still somewhat being edited and sorted through...but here they are!! They should on facebook in a little while, but you get the first look!

Become a follower and comment on posts so that my self-esteem doens't vanish along with this blog!!!  K thanks bye  :D


Check Out The Pics HERE!

Wild Waxahachie!

It's Thursday night in Waxahachie,TX. Zoe, Micah, Britt, and me have just finished our delicious 60cent wings from Bdubs. I whip up a batch of Pumpkin Bread and instead of having a game night, our friends decide they want to work on the puzzle that Britt and I started the day before.  The border is completed on this 550 piece puzzle, and we all dig in to finish the rest. Little did we realize how quickly the hours have passed. It's now 1am and we've finally finished this incredibly ridiculous puzzle..... Britt got to put the last piece in because he went into Beast-Mode and finished a huge (and very difficult) section in no time!! The following events are just as epic as they seem.......

(props to Micah Bell for making the video)




Since we were all exhausted the next morning, I don't think any of us made it to class. (WORTH IT!)
I got off work around 1pm (Britt was off work too-yay!!) and we met up with Zoe and Micah again to go watch the Homecoming parade. It came down the street we live on, so we just walked outside (holding plastic Wal-Mart bags in hopes of catching any candy being thrown from the massive floats, of course). Here's a quick video of what we saw....although, not as epic as the puzzle video ;)

After the parade we all decided to walk downtown in search of an ice-cold soda. Most places were packed, but then we found a neat little coffee house that sold old-school sodas in glass bottles-SCORE! The coffee house was in the old Roger's Hotel, and since we had time to kill....we went exploring. We found an abandoned, emptied out billiard room/bar....and a haunted (maybe not haunted-but it was definitely spooky) elevator...it was the old school kind where they look like a cage inside.

We were feeling VERY adventurous so we started making our way to the top of the building....wondering if there was access to the roof. We climbed the 4 flights of steps and before we knew it, we were looking at an old rickety door that DEFINITELY led outside. I opened it and was greeted by the wonderful breeze that can only be felt from 4 stories high. We had found our way to the roof and it was WAY easier than we thought it would be! It was awesome...check it out! (That's the city courthouse behind us)

 Great day. Great friends. Great memories. :)

Psalm 63:3

Thoughts:

1) I love my husband so much and I can't believe how powerfully our marriage speaks of Christ's love. We are best friends, we know our biblical roles and we live them out daily. I am so thankful for Britt and everything that he is/does for us. More importantly, I am grateful for the God-given friendship that blossomed into a beautiful love for one another. (Thank you God for your love and goodness.)

2) We live simply. Thank you Lord for your provision.

3) Someday I would like to have a cute, cuddly dog. Britt wants a Boxer, so let's hope they can be cute and cuddly.   :-)

4) In all the craziness that exists in the World, somehow we managed to get some pretty great friends, role models, and family that truly love us.  Thank you Lord for meaningful relationships.

5) Three years ago I moved to Texas with little money, no friends, and no clue what God had brought me here for. Here I am with a good job, and incredible husband, and a beautiful church. Three things that I had no clue I would be a part of. Thank you God for allowing me to trust you.

There's been alot on my mind. School is coming to an end. Life is moving forward, and time is precious. Much has happened in the past few years, but looking back is such a testimony to my life. God is so great and even though there may be times when doubt or fear creeps in, He is still constant and faithful to us...more faithful than we ever are to Him. 

Psalm 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

PRANK WARS

As you may have read earlier in my posts, our lovely neighbors in Apt. 7 have been trying their best to prank us. Actually, it took a turn for the "nice" side and they surprised us with a thoughtful bottle of Sparkling Grape juice and a cute note-card that said "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" (they did that on Sep. 5th, our 1 month anniversary, which shows how long its been since I blogged last! lol)
Then Britt left them a bag of Anniversary Blend Coffee from Starbucks....it was just coincidence that both were "Anniversary" gifts :)   .....and by leaving each other stuff, I mean we set it down at the door, knock, and run! :) Its more fun that way!
Annnyyyywwway.....we ended up staying over at Micah and Zoe's til about 5am the other night, and just when Britt and I thought they would be too tired to do any sort of prank, we woke up the next morning to find our entire door covered in over 250 post-it notes!! :) It stayed up for about 3 days because I was too lazy to take them down....but needless to say, our door is back to normal.....and we have something lined up that is WAY better! :) hehe

On a side note...Britt and I, along with a few other friends, are headed to New Mexico this Thursday-Saturday! Our worship team is playing at a Women's Conference there, and it's gonna be a blast! I seriously can't wait....I'll be sure to post tons of pictures too! (Not that anyone really reads or comments on my blogs anymore, but at least I'll have the memories of it!! lol)

Last thing I wanted to mention how sweet my husband is...I've been talking about making a CD of all these artists' songs that I've been listening to on YouTube, and he went and bought their music on iTunes and totally made a mixed CD of all the songs I love! Such a wonderful surprise! :) Love that boy!

Life is great! Praise the Lord for great friends and a wonderful hubby! :)

Garage Sales & Bowling Alleys

This past Saturday I went garage saleing in a final attempt to find night tables for our bedroom.....)WHY ARE THERE NO REASONABLY PRICED NIGHTSTANDS ANYWHERE?) We've literally been searching every Ross, Big Lots, Ikea, Target, Walmart, etc.... and trying to find one with a little drawer on it for under $30 is nearly impossible! Anyway, I didn't have any luck, but I WAS able to score some sweet deals! Check out the top part of the collage for my finds!

1) Pop 5 (a Cranium game that I've never played, but it had all the pieces and was never used!) Price: $1.50
2) An adorable skirt, Price: $1.50
3) A HUGE box of tea lights (over 100 of those things!...I use 'em all the time!) Price: $1.00
For a total of: $4.00  (I just Googled the Pop 5 game and its about $40.00!)


Saturday night we were able to go bowling with Zoe & Micah and then grab some ice-cream at Braum's afterwards....'twas delightful! I think my score was 35...yikes!

Randoms: In the past few days the weather has gone from 114 degress to 85 almost overnight! I don't know how it changed so quickly, but I'm seriously lovin it! AAANNDD:

Happy One Month Marriage Anniversary!! Best decision of my life! :)

Let's Catch Up! :)

Hi friends! Its been so long since I've had time to post anything! Let's recap! In the past month I:

GOT HITCHED!

WENT TO JAMAICA!

UPDATED OUR APARTMENT (another blog will be done just for those!)

WENT TO A REAL LIVE TEXAS RODEO

LEARNED HOW TO PLAY THE BASS FROM BRITT (just the basics)

AND STARTED BACK TO SCHOOL!

It's been a whirlwind of a month, and it's only getting better! Tonight we have band practice for our team that's going to New Mexico to lead worship at a Women's Conference. Then next weekend Britt and I are officially becoming members of The Village Church which we've been attending for about a year now, and is the church we just got married at. The following weekend is when we'll actually head out to New Mexico, and I'm SO excited. It's just so fun being married and being able to stay in the same room together when we go smoewhere! We'll be traveling with some of our close friends and I absolutely cannot wait to explore the beautifulness that is New Mexico! (Shout out to Meredith and Nathan Jones!) I'll be sure to post tons of pictures for those of you who have yet to explore the lovely state of NM :)

  "Imperfect Mates, Perfect Marriage" & Cowboy Round Up Napkins

Also! Our apartment got a little bit friendlier when our newlywed friends moved in downstairs! Zoe and I met in class last semester and became buds....now she and Micah (her hubby) live in my apartment complex just a few doors down and we've been able to hang out with them and laugh alot! :) The other day someone left some random "gifts" by our door and I SWEAR its Zoe and Micah  but they deny it....either way, the prank wars has already begun and I'm pretty sure Britt and I are gonna be the winners. Here's what they left (as you can see...its not a big deal, but you gotta start somewhere! lol)

Have you ever done any pranks? I need some good ideas!! ;)

You Bring Restoration...

This past week has been a bit of a blur. At first it seemed to fly by, and then Friday draggggggeeeddd ooonnn fffoorrreeevvveerrr!! It probably just felt like that because it was my last day of work until after I get back from my honeymoon! 

On Friday, I picked up my wedding dress from my last fitting/cleaning and tried on veils in a 360 degree mirror circle thing. I was doing fine, but then I started thinking about my mom. I hadn't brought anyone with me to pick up the dress. I needed help zipping it up and fluffing it in the back....and maybe someone to tell me that I didn't look like a giant white marshmallow peep.  It wasn't just that I was missing my mom, but I was just wondering what it would be like this week if she were still alive. Would she be here early to help? Would she be crying because her baby girl was growing up and getting married? What types of conversation would we be having? Sex? Marriage? How to throw a meal together in a hurry? Who knows! ....All I knew was that I was feeling a little down. 

Driving home, I just began to pray and thank God for what he has given me. I am about to start a new life and  new family with Britt. Britt is incredible, and such a Godly servant-leader. The line of one of my favorite songs came to mind...."You bring restoration...." This song seriously sings my life story. Check it out here. 

All I could do was sing the words to this song while I was driving home. It's so true how God can restore us from such traumatic things that happen in our lives. That song says "You've taken my pain, and called me by a new name. You've taken my shame, and in its place You give me joy." Its so true. Its like, in the midst of a crazy storm, all you can think about is that very moment in time. Hurt, obstacles, guilt, etc....But God sees our future and holds us in His hands. 

I do believe God has given me a special portion of grace to overcome many trials in my life....and I embraced that gift. God has given me joy. He has brought restoration. 

Side note....6 days until I marry my best friend, and the love of my life. So happy :)

So close!

I don't know why I hate school so much....I LOVE teaching, but I hate being the student. Well, that's not true. I just hate homework and tests.
Today and tomorrow are the last days of summer school and I feel more stressed out than ever. Word of advice...if you work 40-50 hours a week, and you're taking 3 (or more) summer classes, AND your planning a wedding at the same time....prepare to just be in a constant state of stress and business. It's been insane!!
However! There are some really great perks! Britt and I have been able to almost completely makeover our quaint little apartment so our down time has been comfy and relaxing! This weekend we're gonna head to Sleep Experts to look at beds. So far, I think they're the only place that has a 1-year guarantee on the bed or get an exchange for free...if you guys know of any other good mattress places, please let me know!! :)

Also, since Britt and I have almost completed all the Harry Potter Movies, we are right on schedule to watch Deathly Hallows Part 2 on Friday. I am SO SO excited. This is definitely the most creative series of movies that I've ever seen! She has such an incredible imagination!

Once all this stress settles down, I'll be able to concentrate more on the wedding and honeymoon....I love that I get to marry my best friend in 22 days!! I also love that I won't have to concentrate on school or work AT ALL while I'm in Jamaica with the love of my life! Until then, all I can do is dream about where we'll be....here's a sneak peak!! :)

4 weeks!

I am so excited about this month!
There is 1 week left of summer classes...THANK GOD!! (I hate school)

Once summer school is over, there is only 3 weeks left until I get to marry my best friend! I'm so excited about seeing all my friends and family who are traveling across the country to support us and celebrate our special day! Thanks everyone!

So far...
This week has been really fun. Britt and I are enjoying alot of time at the pool with the family. We take advantage of our days off (weekends) to the fullest! Family lunches and Box Office hits have been our favorite hangouts so far! We usually don't see movies much during the school year, but for some reason this summer we've loved going to the movies! Thor, Pirates of the Carribean, Green Latern, Super 8, Transformers (we saw it in 3D!! so cool!) , Kung Fu Panda, and soon will be Larry Crown and Harry Potter! (Since we LOVE the previews for this upcoming Harry Potter movie, but haven't seen any of the other ones...we decided to start a Harry Potter marathon!) We watched the first one yesterday! :)

I know people think HP is bad, but I like the creativity and imagination that goes into making the films, and you just have to remember its fictional of course! :)

Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying your summer too!
Embrace each day with love and grace! :)
-Brittany

Extreme Apartment Makeover!!!

These are the before! The after will have to be tomorrow when I can get some pics up!

Spray painted all our old frames black! Check out the new lamp too! ^^

Star wars!! 

This weekend was FULL OF ADVENTURE!!! 

It started out with a fun day at the pool with Britt's family, followed by cake and presents!

Britt got great gifts! Aunt Radonna, Shane, and Grandma got him Wii Resort, Mad Gab, and his favorite black V-neck shirts!

On Saturday we went to church to talk with the pastor that's going to marry us. We're getting married in 38 days!!! I can't wait to marry my very best friend!! Also, if you ever get a chance, please listen to The Village Church's podcasts...seriously the most biblically sound church that I've ever been a part of!

Saturday and Sunday were Extreme Apartment Makeover days!! Britt and I were totally surprised with a very nice gift from his mom. She took us to Target and we were able to pick out some black-and-white decorations for the apartment. We also chose red as an accent color, which turned out great! 

We would never have been able to add all these homey touches to our apartment until after the wedding, but I'm glad we were able to now! It was so fun finding all little pieces that all finally came together to make our apartment what it is now! We also got new bathroom decorations (VERY much needed), but I still need to take pics.

On Monday (Britt's birthday) we went to the Air Force/Naval Base in Fort Worth and we all had a blast! 

This weekend was a bit of a blur, but it was nice to hang out with everyone! 

Oh! And Britt got to add the "icing on the cake" that pulled our living room together! See if you can tell what it is!! :)

(Thanks to Britt, Amanda, and Ronnie for helping us with all the new changes! And ultimate thanks to God for His provision through all of this!)

Black and White!

Britt and I are making some major changes to my (almost our) quaint little apartment. I wish I had taken some pictures before hand but I really didn't think of it until after things were done. Oh well!
Anyway, it had alot of Japanese-style decorations because Britt's family lived in Japan for awhile, so when his mom was getting rid of stuff, she gave it to me! We also hit up some big garage sales so I could get a kitchen table, chairs, barstools, and a coffee table.

Did everything match when we first got it? Nope. But it really helped when I had absolutely nothing when I moved in! So now that we have a little money to spend on some furniture, we're gonna get more of a contemporary theme going on.

Black and white.

We pretty much spray painted everything black that wasn't....Candle sticks, DVD Holder, Picture Frames, and a side table. They all came out great! (Thanks Britt!!)
We can only make purchases little by little, but it sure makes things look more homey and tied-together in the apartment!

I'll post pictures soon!

If you have any ideas for black and white easy decorations let me know!

For Memories' Sake

So after much inspiration from friends and family who have been doing blogs, I figured I'd jump on the blog-wagon too. I really like to journal but sometimes it takes a long time to write everything down by hand. I like to look back at pictures/entries/memories just to read and reminisce. 

Right now I am on an adventure....

I am getting married to my best friend, Mr. Britt Holmes. 

This guy has my heart.

He is a man of God.

He is incredibly patient.

He is incredibly handsome.

He's stinkin hilarious.

He loves the Lord and pursues Him daily.

He leads me and loves me in a way that can only be God-given.

I absolutely cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

46 days until we tie the knot!! ((Check It Out!))

Adventure is out there!!! :) 

(Name that movie)