Chicago and Japan

I'm gonna try to make this quick because I'm supposed to be packing right now...but I just wanted to get some thoughts out (ok-procrastinate, call it what you will).

First things first, our trip to Chicago was so fun! Our recruiters flew us up there for the second round of interviews....75 down to 25 people...so we're very hopeful!  We bought CityPasses and were able to have 3 full days of adventure! :)

We got to see a Planetarium, Aquarium, 2 Museums, and the SkyDeck! This is the 8th tallest standing structure in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere....we're talking higher than the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower....MADNESS! They have this glass box that sticks out of the building and its pretty stinkin' scary at first, but once you get used to it...its super fun to stand in and look out over the city!

Our interviews went really well and we felt blessed just to even be considered for the teaching positions. Britt and I both interviewed separately and then came together briefly with everyone at the end of the 2 hrs. It was one of the most exciting/nerve-racking/intimidating things I've ever done, but I really hope it will bring us closer to ministering to the people of Japan! :)

Please keep us in your prayers! If we get the job in November, we will head out for Japan on February 1st!

I am now working as an office assistant for a Mortgage Company in Dallas, which is very different from teaching, but I am learning a lot about Refinancing and Purchasing homes! lol

Britt will be graduating December 7th and is learning so much in his classes. Its fun to hear him talk eagerly about all the new things he's learning about the Bible and Theology/Philosophy. I'm glad I have a husband who loves the Lord and pursues Him wholeheartedly!

Lastly, we are moving into a 2-bedroom apartment right downstairs in our complex! I'm SOOO excited about this because they have just put in a dishwasher, have re-painted the entire place, and are putting in brand new carpet this week! Honestly-I'm just ready to have a dishwasher!! BOOOO hand washing dishes!! BOOOO standing at the sink for an hour!! YAAAAYYY dish-washer....we are ready to love you!! :) haha....oh man, two years of hand-washing dishes is HISTORY!!! (Can you tell this is the chore I hate the most??)

Ok- I know I was trying to make this short, but oh well! Glad we could meet again and catch up! :)


Brittany

New Seasons

Have you ever met someone who you just genuinely enjoyed being around? (Other than a spouse, relative, etc.)
Me too....and when you're married, its not always easy to find other couples that both the husband and wife enjoy being around.

Well a few years ago I met Zoe Bell at SAGU and our mutual hatred for a specific class we were in AND the fact that we were both getting married soon  joined us in a new friendship that I'm sure neither one of us were expecting!

Zoe and I both went to each others bridal shower, which lead to exchanging numbers, which lead to her asking about our apartments, which then lead to her and her Micah moving into our complex literally right down the hall.

Eventually one thing lead to another, and after an EPIC game night with a few of our other close buddies, Britt and I both knew that Zoe and Micah were two awesome people.

After a whole year of pranks, adventures, gaming, REALLY REALLY late night talks, dinners, movies, and lots of other great quality time together.....sadly, it is all coming to an end. Our sweet friends are moving back to San Antonio to be with their families and to follow in the direction that God is leading them to in this new season of their life.

It will be so sad to see them go, but I feel so blessed to have had such a unique friendship with such great people. I know we'll all stay in touch and be lifelong friends-but there will still be a little void in Waxahachie now.

Zo- don't worry, I'll always let you know if it still smells like fajitas/weed/The Collector on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and if the new lady moving into your apartment likes it when we leave old junk on her doorstep. (Something tells me she's not gonna like it very much, but who knows....maybe she'll be a good sport! lol)

We love you guys and will definitely miss you! Thanks for being so incredible! :) 
  

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." 
-Elisabeth Foley



Time for a RECAP:

Bad Dreams

This morning I woke up at 6:15 on the dot.
I woke up because I was hit in the head (in my dreams-not in real life!) and it freaked me out! I jolted really hard and woke up with chills all over!

So here's a brief version of the dream:
My sister was visiting me and Britt at our apartment.
We were all sitting on different parts of the bed just talking and it was getting later and later.
The way I was sitting made my legs "fall asleep" and they were getting all tingly.
All of the sudden I heard this loud bang on the front door.
Britt and Amy think its the neighbors slamming their door, but I get a really bad feeling and I think its something worse.
I try to get off the bed to go see whats going on, but because my legs have fallen asleep I fall face-first into the ground as my legs collapse like jello beneath me.
The banging thrashes again and I feel the vibration on the ground as I try to fumble my way towards the living room.
Right before I am able to make it to the door, it is flung wide open by 2-3 men who look like the police.
However, they are not the police. They are robbers.
I try to yell to warn Britt and Amy but its too late because our apartment is tiny, so the men have already made it to the bedroom.
Fear rushes over me, and I cannot defend myself.
I try to get up but one of the men hits me in the head with the same metal instrument that he used to knock down our door.
A stream of blood runs down my face, I black out.

END OF DREAM.
I jolt wide awake at 6:15am with chills covering my whole self.
I am terrified and I go check the locks on our door.
Then I pray...hard. I pray for God to wash me of this dream and of the fear it brought with it.
I pray that God would protect me and my family.
Then I think about buying a baseball bat. (Should there be any real-life intruders.)

Do you ever find yourself in situations like this?

"God please help me to trust you. God please protect my family/finances/etc."
But then we go and find the answer ourselves?

I trust You, but I'm buying a bat just in-case you don't exist or don't come through for me.

I trust You, but I trust myself more.

(If you're still reading at this point, thank you...I know this feels a bit lengthy.)

I'll try to wrap up by saying this:
God does exist. He is faithful to his promises, and we need to be able to fully put our trust in him.

His word says in Isaiah 12:2, " 2  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” 

I must trust without my guard up and know that God is in control.

I long to trust without any hindrances and any doubts. I pray that you would too.

Grace and Peace,
Brittany

Everlasting

Hello friends,
It's been awhile. I hope this post finds you well, and that you'd forgive me for taking so long to start writing again. On we go...

I've been thinking about the Fruits of the Spirit lately.
(Nicole's mom's tune, aka "Where Is Thumbkin")
..."Love joy peace, love joy peace,
 patience, kindness goodness,
 patience, kindness goodness,
 faithfulness, and gentleness,
 faithfulness and gentleness...self-con-trol.

I know I probably haven't developed these characteristics in their fullness at this point in my life, but I genuinely try to remind myself of them often. This week in particular has been a bit tiring for me, and I've just felt like BLAH. I'm apathetic, a bit sad, a bit worried, and just a hint of edgy.

I know my anxiety kicks in in times like this....a new season, frantically looking for a new job before the school year starts, new bills, new stress, and Britt having to work longer hours at his job. All of this just weighs on me, and its very hard for me to handle.

OK-back to the Fruits of the Spirit. One of them in particular stuck out to me today. Faithfulness.
To me, that entails being faithful in all aspects of my life. Being a faithful wife, friend, family member, employee, and most importantly being faithful to God.

In Greek, this word faithfulness is synonymous with trustworthiness.

I'll let that sink in.

The anxieties that I have and the burdens that I face are not simply mine to handle. I need to be faithful and trust that God will help me in every second of every day.

God has given me this life, these abilities, and my surroundings......does He not know what I face? Has he not promised His restoration for my soul? Indeed He has and will continue to. Indeed, he does not let the storm rage over me, but instead leads me beside still waters. Neither anxiety or fear are promised to follow me, but goodness and mercy will follow and cover me all the days of my life.

Even as I write this I know that God's love for us pours through His Word, and reassures me that my faithfulness is something of great importance in my walk with Christ.

What's even greater is that even when I lack in my faithfulness, God never lacks in His.

Faithfulness everlasting....

incredible.

Rest

Hello any and all people who are still reading this sad little blog!

You may or may not be wondering why I haven't blogged since Christmas.

Well, allow me to explain.

This semester has been NON-STOP! Seriously, it's crazy!

I started my student teaching and I'm also still working so my days start at 6am and go all the way til about 7:30pm. Luckily I can rest a bit when I'm nannying because the kids are older, but it's still a process that I'm getting used to. My nights are spent eating, and finishing my online classwork, and then I'm usually in bed by 9pm. (That's right-I'm home for an hour and a half and then I'm in bed! What have I turned into??? My parents???)

So Saturdays are my days to catch up on groceries and housework and time spent with my husband. He helps with everything throughout the week, so I just kind of tidy up here and there. It's so wonderful that his schedule allows a little extra down time during the day so he can start meals in the Crock Pot and grab random groceries that we are low on! Thank God for a great husband! :)

So that's really it.....my excuse for not keeping up the blog is that there is just literally no time. I almost feel bad that I'm writing this now instead of cleaning up around the house! lol....I know I will be able to catch everyone up on stuff that I missed once I graduate, but until then....I probably won't get another chance to blog! I have great pictures of exciting events I want to show you-and Crock Pot cooking that I adore!! So be prepared for the next blog!! :)

(Student teaching is going great, by the way! This kids are awesome and I totally feel right at home! My teachers that I'm interning with are pro's and both have been teaching for over 25 years! Such an incredible experience for me...but I can't wait to graduate!! On April 27, there will be a huge grin on my face all day, I'm sure!!) :D

Love you all! Pray for me!

Grace and Peace,
Brittany

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!