Two

Two years ago today I made the best decision of my life and said I Do to the most wonderful man.  I am still amazed that I get to be married to Brandon and that God chose him to be my partner in life.  God created marriage so that we can have someone to share life's joys, pains, changes, and excitement with and that we would be drawn closer to Him through it.  I am so thankful that my marriage is based on Christ's love for us and that I can continue to grow personally and spiritually through it.  I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us through our marriage.  You can see the video highlights of our special day here.  Happy anniversary Brandon, I love you so much!

Spending Time

This weekend the hubs and I headed off for a weekend for just the two of us.  Being married you see each other all of the time, yet you don't always spend quality time with one another.  The daily routine, work, cooking dinner, meeting obligations, and keeping up a home quickly interfere with the puppydog love, honeymoon phase of a marriage.  It is crucial that you invest in your spouse, take time to just be with one another and to enjoy life together.  It's often difficult to carve out this special time for one another and you get entranced in the rhythm of life that you don't take time each day to grow your relationships.  I was definitely starting to feel this way and it was time to get out of town for some QT, so we headed down to the ATL. 

We have always wanted to take a weekend trip to Hotlanta, but have never planned one.  Being that my school is on Spring Break, we took the opportunity to pack up our bags and head out for a weekend of fun.  I can tell you, it was so refreshing!  Just being in a new city was invigorating.  I love spending time with Brandon.  I mean really spending time together.  This probably resulted in me being a bad blogger because I didn't take pictures of every moment, but hey there are a few.  We ate candy, cuddled in a king size bed, and visited the many attractions that Atlanta has to offer. 

First we stuffed our faces at the original Chick-fil-a.  It was a Dwarf House, so they serve not only traditional Chick-fil-a dishes, but also other foods like mac n' cheese and cornbread.  It was so delicious!  

Then we checked into our wonderful hotel in midtown, which we booked off Priceline.  A 4-star hotel for cheap!  We changed clothes, and headed to Stone Mountain for some hiking and to enjoy the laser show.  Stone Mountain is a beautiful park with lots of activities.  We hiked to the top of the mountain and let me tell you, it was not an easy hike, but Brandon is an awesome motivator.  It was a really cool experience.  Once you make it to the top it is a 360 view of Atlanta and surrounding areas.   Then we checked out the laser show, which they project onto the side of the mountain while cuddling on a picnic blanket.
  

After a full day we were exhausted and headed back to rest up for a fun filled Sunday.  On Sunday, we headed to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.  The aquarium was amazing!  We saw the dolphin show where we got to sit on the second row of the auditorium.  Those creatures are incredible.  The aquarium is huge and it took us almost 4 hours to get through it all.  They have whale sharks, beluga whales, penguins, otters, and all kinds of sea animals.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  The World of Coke was also fun and we got a bottle of coke that was bottled right before our eyes.  We also got to try different coke products from around the world.  They even had Inca Cola from Peru, which took me back to the summer I studied there.  It was a great day!

It was a wonderful weekend, but my favorite part was spending it with my love.  Finding those moments to experience new things together and to nurture your marriage are so important and uplifting.  Even if you can't go on a mini vacay, find small ways to spend time together.  It will do wonders for you!

Love Week 2012

Every year my church hosts a city-wide event called Love Week.  The goal is to spread out all over and serve our city through a variety of service opportunities.  Love week started in 2010 with a goal of serving 5,000 volunteer hours and we busted that goal by serving over 10,000.  Last year the goal was 30,000 hours and this year the goal was 50,000 hours.  Our church partnered with 93 churches to serve those 50,000 hours.  This year the mayor of Charlotte declared this week officially as Love Week for the city of Charlotte, totally awesome!  Brandon and I had the opportunity to serve in 4 projects over the last week.  Love week is an amazing opportunity to serve others and demonstrate Christ's love through our actions.  It is one of my favorite events that the church hosts. 

Our small group met to make snack packs for A Child's Place.  They support homeless children and give them a snack bag every nigh because they don't know if they will get dinner that night. 

My mom, Brandon, and I also served at Bright Blessings.  They provide birthday parties and birthday presents for homeless students.  They serve students in my school, so it was a great way to serve them who serve us.  They are one of my favorite organizations.  

We also helped process new shoes for Samaritan's Feet and donated clothing items and books for local crisis outreach partners.  Love week is always so fun.  I just hope that I can continue the spirit of generosity every week.

True Love is...

Happy Valentine's Day friends.  I hope it is a day filled with true love.  True love is not a puppy dog kind of love, it's a beautiful mess and the journey is full of twists and turns.  Ultimately true love is unconditional and bears the good and the bad.  

True love is not getting upset when my mascara ruins your t-shirt when I cry.  It's not hesitating to take care of me when I am terribly sick (including the snot and everything else gross that comes with it).  True love is telling me I'm beautiful when I don't feel it in the slightest.  It's praying for each other in times of need.  It's arguing and then him making me smile when I'm trying my hardest to be mad.  It's laying in bed at night and just talking in the dark.  True love is realizing your partner's faults and loving him anyways.  It's pulling out your partner's potential in everything they do.  

It's encouragement.  It's joy.  It's frustration.  It's laughter.  It's loving so hard it hurts.  No, it's not perfect, but it's beautiful all the same.  Happy Valentine's Day.

    

Our Love Story

Let's be honest, I've been having some major writer's block lately.  What better way to cure it and still keep this little blog going than a link-up!!  Today I am linking up with Becky at From Mrs. to Mama for a super adorable link-up called What's Your Love Story.  So appropriate since it is almost Valentine's Day!!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Brandon and I went to middle school together, but didn't start to actually know one another until high school.  We became friends our sophomore year and started dating our senior year, which means we have been a couple for 7 years.

Senior Prom

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
Brandon and I actually went to middle school together, but we did not start becoming friends until high school.  We sat together in Spanish class and developed a friendship.  During our senior year our two groups of friends started to merge and things took off.  We started flirting and finally he asked me out while sitting in my parent's den.  We went to senior prom together and ended up enrolling in the same college.  Throughout college we continued to date and fell in love.  We knew we wanted to get married and were just waiting to graduate college and become financially stable.  Brandon landed a job as an Engineer  and I got a fellowship to get my Master's in School Counseling.  Brandon proposed to me on September 14, 2009.

 

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We got married August 14, 2010.  It will be a year and a half on Valentine's Day!

 

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? 
We got married in the church that I grew up in in our hometown.  It was an average size wedding, not too big, not too small.  It was perfect.  You can see details and a video HERE

 

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
I call Brandon "Brando" and he calls me "Wienerschnitzel"

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

     1. I love his sense of humor.  He make me laugh even when I am in the worst of moods.

     2. I love how giving and caring he is.  He can make friends with anyone he meets.

     3. I love how patient he is.  This is one area that we are complete opposites in, but he           definitely balances my lack of patience.

7. Tell us how he proposed?

Brandon asked me to dinner, so we went to McAlister's to pick up some sandwiches. We then went to the nearby lake and ate. After eating, Brandon said he had some gifts for me. He pulled out a series of small boxes. Each one had a letter on top, which made no sense to me at the time. Inside every box was a slip of paper with a word or phrase of something we had done together over the years. With each box he gave me a small gift that was a reminder of that time.  The final box had an "A" on it and said "Prom" inside. He then asked me what my favorite part of prom was and after a few wrong answers I said "How you asked me", which was that he got down on one knee on Valentine's Day. He asked me to stand up and began proposing. I still didn't know what the letter on the boxes meant. We had a running joke that everything I want to do, include get engaged and married, Brandon always says "One Day". I respond "well that will be one great day!". He was proposing and said "You know how I always tell you one day we will get engaged? It's today!" I looked over and the boxes spelled out "It's Today". He asked me to marry him and I said YES!, of course. It was the perfect, sweetest proposal!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Valentine's Day is usually pretty low key for us.  We usually just do flowers and a nice dinner, so I guess he is a combination of the two.
 

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
Most of the time I am a couch kind of girl, but I do like the occasional romantic evening out.  Either sounds like fun to me!  

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
We have a whole list of things we want to do, but traveling is definitely a dream of ours.  One thing we would love to do is go on a mission trip together.  Hopefully, next summer we will be able to plan one somewhere overseas like Haiti or somewhere in South America.  We love serving together and are growing every day in our faith.  

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
This Valentine's Day we are going to a nice dinner and relaxing.  Nothing too fancy shmancy.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
We typically don't do gifts on Valentine's Day, so I am not asking for anything.  I do know that he got me a small gift, so I guess I should probably get him something small too.  I usually just bake him some sort of treat.  You know food is the way to a man's heart ;)

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Always hold on to each other.  All around you there may be other people or fast-paced action, but when it is just the two of you the world seems to stand still.  I love this picture because the people in the background are all active but we are embracing the moment. 

Be a Bucket Filler

 This morning we had a staff meeting.  I mostly dread staff meetings because they long, drawn out, and mostly flub, so I sloughed into ours this morning with similar expectations.  Most of the meeting met those expectations, but at the end of the meeting our principal hesitantly pulled out a children's book to read to us with the intent of boosting morale.  With the expectation of being laughed out of the room, he carefully opened the book and prefaced it by acknowledging the potential of humiliation.  The little book was titled Have You Filled a Bucket Today?.  It talks about how we each walk around with an invisible bucket.  Now, this bucket starts out each day being empty.  The day calls for it to be filled or depleted again.  As we walk around each day we have the opportunity to fill someone's bucket or to be a "bucket dipper".  With love, acts of compassion, kindness, and respect we carefully fill one another's buckets.  With every mean word, dismissal, and careless or unknown act of coldness we become bucket dippers.  As you fill someone else's bucket, you fill your own as well.  

As he finished reading through the book I could feel myself becoming happier.  He concluded the meeting by passing out slips of paper that we can fill out and let someone know how they have filled our bucket.  He also gave us a solo cup to symbolize our buckets.  I am not one for cheesy gimmicks, but this one made my day.  I love the idea of being a bucket filler.  What an elementary concept that adults still do not understand.  With one small action you can add a little bit of happiness to that person's life.  I don't do this nearly as often as I should.  We all become caught up in the spiral of negativity and I find myself complaining more often than showing gratefulness.  I want to be a bucket filler at my job and in my life in general.  So what are you?  Are you a bucket filler or a bucket dipper?  Go be a bucket filler!!

My Awkward Love Story

Hey everyone!  I'm over HERE today at Basil sharing my awkward, but amazing love story.  You should go check it out.  K, thanks. 

Moving Towards Normalcy

Can I just say again how amazingly supportive my husband has been through this past week.  I don't know what I would have done without him.  This weekend, after the memorial service on Friday, he made it his mission that we would have a fun weekend.  Saturday was the unc vs. NCSU football game.  It's a game I look forward to watching every year.  After a week full of meaningless, ignorant trash talk, needless to say, the Wolfpack beat the tarholes for the fifth straight year!!  It was so exciting and I look forward to rubbing it in at Brandon's uncle's house on Thanksgiving.   

After the game we relaxed for a while and then we headed out for a night of fun and relaxation.  We first set out to go to Taco Mac, a local sports grill, to watch the LSU/Alabama game, but the wait was an hour and a half.  That being said, we headed out in search of another viewing location.  We hooked up the GPS to search for local restaurants and randomly decided to go to Hickory Tavern.  When we got to the supposed location of Hickory Tavern, there was no Hickory Tavern in sight; however, in its place was another sports bar.  We set out for a good time.  We ordered an appetizer, which we never do.  We each got a drink, which we rarely do.  We shared dinner and then ordered dessert to split.  While waiting for our dessert to come out I was thinking to myself what is the name of this restaurant again?  I look over and see the name of the restaurant  CB 7.  I was astonished.  My Popaw's name was C.B.  How is it that we randomly ended up at this restaurant out of every sports bar in the city of Charlotte?  We didn't set out to go there, no the road led us there.  It was like the Lord was speaking to me....He's still with you.

Today in church Pastor Steven preached on the breaking of the bread. He spoke about how even when you are in the breaking stage, you never leave God's hand.  Last night I truly believe the Lord was speaking to me.  Thinking about it gives me chills.  Even though the road has been weary these past few days, I am still in the Lord's hands.  Even if he has to remind me through a restaurant over chocolate cake.  
  

Popaw

I've been thinking about this post for the past few days.  This post that I don't want to write, that I wish wasn't needed, and that makes me hurt.  This past Tuesday night my Popaw passed away.  There, I said it, as hard as it is, but writing is cathartic and so here it is.  My heart hurts, my soul hurts, my body hurts...everything hurts.  

Today at the memorial service the pastor talked about how Popaw knew something about everything.  I could always count on him for those weird tidbits of information, the random facts that make you wonder where they came from.  He was known as "Tourguide Popaw" because everywhere we went there was a story and he didn't hesitate to share it.  He was so smart.

He was a family man and was so proud of me.  He never hesitated to brag about his family.  He loved his friends and made it a daily effort to invest in them.  I always loved when the phone rang and the caller ID said restricted number.  I always knew it was him.  I think the thing I will miss the most are the breakfast dates.  My mom, sister, Brandon, and I would meet Popaw for breakfast at one of his favorite restaurants, The Greystone.  He knew exactly what my order was, a gravy biscuit and hashbrowns.  If we were running late he would order for me.  

The memories came flooding back this week.  Grief has a funny way of grabbing hold of you at the strangest moments.  One minute you are smiling, the next crying.  Even though my grief is still very much present, my sweet husband has been such a calming force.  The night I got the phone call, in the middle of sleep, he instantly wrapped me up and didn't try to say anything.  He just was there.  I think death makes you cherish life  so much more.  I cherish my past and I will certainly cherish the present.  

This post is in no way eloquently written or even an expression of healing, but it is a start.  I had the chance to create a slideshow for the memorial service and some of the pictures warmed my soul.  Yes, God is working on my heart to bring me peace.  It is coming slowly.  The memories are being woven into my life's story and slowly, yes slowly, life will go on.

My Granny and Popaw pregnant with my uncle

Popaw and baby me

Popaw and Granny at their favorite place

5 generations: me, my mom, Popaw, my great grandfather, and great-great grandmother

dying Easter eggs with the cousins

  

My high school graduation

Our rehearsal dinner

Before our wedding

  

so glad he was at my wedding

 We will miss you Popaw.  Thank you for loving us.
  

 

One Year Ago

One year ago I made the best decision of my life.  I said "I Do" to the man of my dreams, my best friend.  There was aqua and red, lots of laughter, guitars playing, dancing, eating, and pure joy.  Every day we are growing closer in our marriage and I am so thankful to have him as my partner in life.  Happy anniversary Brandon, I love you with all of my heart and I can't wait for the years to come.  Here is a look back at the best day of my life.

 

New Series: Guest Bloggers Wanted

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts.  And we are never, ever the same.  

Hey all you lovely people.  So, I've really been wanting to host a new series where I open up my blog to guest posting.  What is the blogosphere if not for sharing?  That being said, I've decided to start a new series called Love and Marriage.  I know a lot of the people who read this blog are married, engaged, in love, or want to be married.  Even if you aren't in a romantic relationship there are relationships that change you and make you who you are, whether they end up good or bad.  Love, marriage, and relationships are a gift from God and they change people who enter into them.  I really want to hear from you all about how the Lord has worked on you through your relationships.  What relationships are most impacting in your life?  What relationships have shaped who you are as a person? If you are married, how has the Lord worked in your marriage?  You get the picture.  So, come on people send me those posts.  If you are interested in being a part of this series, please send me your post to cfbrown814@gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you all and can't wait to get this series started.  

Project 31 Day 5: You Make My Heart Come Alive

Day 5: Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.

 Dear Husband,

You are the person that makes my heart come alive.  What a beautiful sentiment to know that my heart is alive, my soul is treasured, and I am loved whole-heartedly.  When I was just a teenager in high school Spanish class you had a way of making me laugh every day with your silly "Christina gum calls" and your unceasingly ability to make me smile.  Even though we did not start dating until two years later, I remember those small moments of joy.  They stick out in my mind and I cannot believe how lucky I am to be married to you.  

I am totally and completely myself and have never had to hide that from you.  I can reveal my heart to you and you take it and make it shine.  Even as my insecurities grip my confidence you have a way of making my heart flutter and feel secure.  You tell me daily that I'm beautiful and I love it when you look at me and say "you're so cute" or "I love it when you do that" even if it is some small nuance that I would never think twice about.  You accept my flaws and love me all the same.  When other couples look at us they can see our love for one another and I hope they see the love in your eyes when you look at me, I always do.  

I never thought I would marry my first boyfriend, first kiss, first love.  God has a funny way of sparing us from things we cannot handle and I know that heartbreak may be one of those things for me.  I know that God placed you into my life knowing that it would be one and done, as they say.  You are in my life to make me feel alive, to experience the joys of life with and to walk beside through the struggles.  I am so thankful for a husband that challenges me daily to grow deeper in faith, that I can walk hand-in-hand to church with, discuss faith with, and build our lives together on the Rock of Jesus.  It is difficult to explain the feelings I have for you and the way you make me feel, but know that you make my heart come alive and I would not imagine anyone more perfect for that job.  I love you with all of my heart and soul.  

Love, 

Your Wifey

Wedding photos courtesy of JT Photography

Natural Beauty

The other night while celebrating Brandon's birthday at dinner we somehow got on the subject of makeup.  My foundation has run out and I really don't want to spend the $20 on another bottle, but Clinique is the best and does well for my skin.  Anyways, Brandon looks at me and says (totally genuinely) "do you really need it?  I think you are beautiful when you go all natural."  Okay, all at once "awwwwwwwww".  Honestly, I hate going out without makeup.  I know it sounds superficial and self-conscious, but I really feel "unpretty" without it.  Not that I wear a lot of makeup, I actually prefer the natural makeup look and didn't start wearing makeup until I was a junior in high school, but something about makeup makes me feel prettier than when I wear my bare face.  Isn't it amazing how someone else can look at you and see a completely beautiful person that we can't even see ourselves?  I know I have found the right man because he sees and loves the real me.  He doesn't need me to be all dolled up or to cover the flaws that I see in the mirror.  He loves me just the way I am, even if I don't.  He makes me feel pretty when I feel grungy and question my beauty.  What a blessing and a great illustration of how Christ views each of us!  I know that I will still go out and buy that bottle of foundation for my own sanity and self-esteem, but it is a nice reminder to know that my husband sees me just the way the Lord created me and he loves me all the same.

  

Brighten Someone's Day

One important concept I have learned through my training as a counselor is that everyone has issues.  You never know what is going on in someone's life.  People you think are perfectly fine are walking around with a mask every single day.  As the old adage goes, "you can't judge a book by its cover".  I really believe this is true and it calls us to take action.  We have the power to brighten someone's day instantly.  It may be a smile as you walk by someone, a "hi, how are you" to a store employee, or a wave to a neighbor.  Making someone feel special is easier than it seems.  It does not take going out of your way or some elaborate plan.  I am guilty of putting my head down as I pass someone or just going through the motions in the checkout line, but I want to be more intentional in my interactions with people.  If one smile can change the course of someone's day then I am not beyond trying.  We are all fragile and vulnerable to bad days.  Why not take the initiative to truly show Christ's love through our interactions with strangers?  You never know what impact you can have on someone's life and they may never tell you, but know you can plant a seed of happiness and care that can transform a person's day and in turn have lasting effects in their life.  So smile friends and know you are making a difference. 

For my Mom

A little music to set the mood

How do you say thank you to the woman who gave you life?  Who cleaned up your messes, wiped your boogers, took you shopping just to make you feel better, got up in the middle of the night because you were scared, listened to your teenage drama, and helped you become a Godly woman.  Well the truth is there are no words to express how much I love my mom.  I can only continue to make her proud through my actions and to live my life the way she taught me to.  My mom is a rock, my biggest supporter, a selfless giver, and a wonderful example for me as a woman.  So, here's to you mom!  Happy Mother's Day!  I love you!