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)