Life is...

There's a new song that just speaks to my heart. It's one of Bethel's Loft Session songs, Come to Me. Everytime I hear it, I'm filled with such awe in the God that we serve. I'm hit with such admiration. With such wonder. How can God love me when I continually screw up? How can he show forgiveness and grace after I make mistake after mistake? All he asks is that we come to him with humility and ask for forgiveness. Wow. Really? You mean I don't need to go out and do this or this or that and earn your forgiveness? You mean you give it freely? Because you love me?

Wow. Speechless. 

How can we not give a God like this a chance? 

How can we not take a moment each day to thank him for loving me JUSTAS I AM. 

How can we not desire to make a change in our attitudes, in our temp tantrums?

How can we continue on a path towards destruction, if that's what we've decided....

I remember reaching a point in my life where I finally understood that our God is a God of love. He doesn't sit up in heaven waiting for us to make a mistake, then hit us with that painful lightning bolt. He's a God of love. Just like you may be a parent of love. You desire for your children to make good decisions, because you love them. You don't want anything to harm them. Neither does our God. 

Recently I've been feeling a bit bogged down with the stresses of life, the pressures, the frustrations. I'm not really a person that focuses too much on that stuff, but there are times where I do have something heavy on my heart. And I'm reminded of how incredible my God is. How he is full of such incredible grace and forgiveness. And goodness does he know how to bless his children! 

Sometimes taking that moment to reflect on those things about us we desire to work on, is a good thing. It's refreshing once the frustration is replaced with "...the peace of God that goes beyond our understanding..." Phil 4:... 

Listen to this song. It's incredible. It's a reminder that the God we pray to each night, and sing to each Sunday, is listening. Thank you God! 

Come to me, I'm all you need. I'm everything. 

I am your anger in the wind and the waves

I am your steadfast, so don't be afraid. 

Though your heart and flesh my fail you, I'm your FAITHFUL STRENGTH

I am with you, wherever you go. 

Come to me, I'm all you need. 

Wow, how cool is our God:)

I love him.

B

In The Meantime...

Life sure feels beautiful right now.
I mean, we are living the dream...
We have now moved back to the states and both have great jobs. We live in a cute little condo, in just about the best location for us right now. What can beat having The Woods Coffee shop around the corner and my work across the street. And don't forget Fred Meyer that way, and Costco this way, and Target--right over there. Basically, it's the best. We have the freedom to go out to eat once a week, wherever we would like. Then curl up on the couch together each evening to watch our latest favs. We are plugged into an amazing church and get to experience a journey that we weren't sure would come for a while.

I mean seriously, life is so good.

Yet the question still lingers....

When are they going to have a baby?

The question lingers for every married couple that has been married a few years and are without wee ones.

But why?

Don't get me wrong, I adore little kids. Actually, I have my moments daily where I think I'm ready to have one of my own. People that know me, know that I can't wait to hold a baby, or chat with a 2 year old. They are just precious and full of joy. And I want some of that.

But not quite yet.

Because, in the meantime...

-I want to get to know my husband better. I want to be able to come home each evening and sit at the dinner table and hear about his day without any interruptions.
-I want to sleep in till however long Saturday mornings and wake up to my sweet husband, knowing we don't have to get up just quite yet.
-I want to be able to go out for dessert randomly, or run over to our friends how to watch some random tv show.
-I want to continue these weekly date nights just because we can.
-I want to hold on to these "smaller" loads of laundry just a bit longer.
-And soak up  the tidy or some what tidy home.
-I enjoy being able to stay out later some nights, or settle down real early others.
-I want to buy a home first, and make it our own.

But you know, even as I write this, I look forward to the day where everything changes and we are hopefully blessed with a beautiful little miracle. Everything in my wants to be a Mommy. Everything.

Yet, the time has not come just yet. And we are going to soak this up a little bit longer, this time known as "Just the Two of Us".

So in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my sweet husband. And even talk about our future Jason Jr's here and there....

And for those of you that are not ready to start that adorable family just yet, it's ok. It's ok to enjoy your time together. It's ok to look forward to the future of having kids and knowing that you aren't quite ready. It's ok.

 God has a plan remember?

I would much rather stick to his plan rather than mine...

And for now, I think his plan is to be content in the meantime...to soak up each and every moment.

Yep, I like this whole meantime thing.

A Bittersweet Goodbye

Today I had to say goodbye to my friend Jacob. Jacob is a 99 year old gentleman that lives on the bottom floor of my building, the building I will be leaving very soon. I first met this man walking home from class last year. He has walked in front of our building every single day for 3 years now, rain or shine. Did I mention he is 99 years old? As I began to see him almost everyday, a friendship formed and I got to know a little more about this man. One day I brought some cookies down to his apartment, no need to have too many of those lying around my house, that's for sure. He began to tell me about himself and offered to lend me a book he had written, his own memoir.

Now for any of you that know me well, know how much I love elderly people. From the time I was a little girl, my Grandmother would take me on Saturday's to visit my great-aunt and her pals at the nursing home, as well as my Great-Grandmother in the later years. A passion to get to know elderly people started at a very young age. In the 5th grade, I volunteered once a week at that same nursing home by painting nails for the older women, and baking cookies galore. Those are memories that I cherish, for because I became comfortable with the elderly people at a young age, I was led to take the time to stop and talk to Jacob that first day walking home from school.

Jacob is one of the wisest, dearest, soft hearted gentleman I have ever met. In reading through his life story I learned that he spent years living out in the middle of nowhere ministering to the native culture. When he moved on from that, he spent many years teaching English, and I mean many many years....until he was at least 80. It's just incredible to see the life this man lives. He is even still driving! One of his funniest jokes comes from talking about how the DMV renewed his license until 2014....he's 99 years old guys!

Anyway, for the last few weeks I've been thinking about how I needed to go downstairs and say goodbye. Yet I just couldn't bring myself to make the time, and now I know why. It was bittersweet to see him, for I'm not sure if I will ever see this wonderful gentleman again. He's had quite a few falls over the last few months, which means he just might need to move into a rest home sooner than he would like. It just breaks my heart to think about all the people who have had to move into homes like that even though they desire to have their independence. But, his spirits are still so high. He really messed up his shoulder from his last big fall about 8 months ago. Yet he still does his exercises every single day because he thinks that while he is still here, why not take care of the body I do have and live life to the fullest. Now of course he moves slowly, but he's still moving!

As we were sitting and talking about how much longer he will be living in this building because of the amount of falls he had, I asked him how come he has such a positive attitude. These were his words, "I often think of life like a weave. You've got strings going up, and strings going in and out sideways. Without these strings going sideways, the weave would be nothing but a plain old mop. Life is the same way. You have the regularity, comfort, and all things good in the strings that are going up and down. The unfamiliar, challenging, and disheartening are those going in and out of those other strings. Looking at them as an entire weave, you see life in itself. It's about taking the good and walking strongly through the bad."

Wow. Thank you Jacob for the reminder that life has its ups and downs. This man lost his wife over 20 years ago, and yet he has continued to live with hope and pure joy. A while back I asked him if he ever had a longing to go to heaven. And his response was that he looks forward to the day when he does get to go home, yet he enjoys life here on earth. Talk about living in the meantime. He knows that there will come a day when he gets to leave his old body and see his beautiful wife again. Yet he doesn't find the point in moping about how he's got an achy back, or a sore shoulder. He finds joy in TODAY. RIGHT NOW.

I just had to blog about this man because there is such truth in his life. There is such beauty in God's life through Jacob. I look forward to seeing him again in heaven someday, but for now I will be thankful for his letters. It's bittersweet to say goodbye to someone when you know they may not be around for much longer. Yet, at the rate Jacob is going, he could very well outlive me!

Maybe you should stop and say hello to that older woman you see in church every Sunday bringing out the hanky because Jesus touches her heart so deeply. Or stop and talk to the man that sits in the back row every single Sunday. There is a gift that you can receive from them that you can't get from anyone else. There is wisdom that can be shared, experiences that can be learned from, and joy that can be contagious. I thank God for the elderly, for they demonstrate just another part of Jesus that we often overlook. The meek, mild, soft hearted, weathered, and beautiful.

Britt

Falling in Love with the Season

Tonight I came home from work and officially made my first rich fall dinner. Mom's Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green salad, warm garlic bread. Goodness! I even ended the night enjoying a personal choc chip cookie pie. Such a cool recipe that I found on Pinterest! After those pumpkin spice latte's came out at work a few weeks ago, I've been smelling and tasting the glorious flavors of fall for a while now. Yet, until yesterday, the weather wasn't complimenting those flavors as much as I had hoped. Last week we were laying in our bed at night with three fans going, and still complaining about the heat. This week, it's a whole different story and to be honest I love it! I took a nice long nap on the couch yesterday, soaking in the sounds of the wind and rain hitting our building. Autumn leaves, acorn and fig candles, boots and jackets....ahh these are all coming back into season and I am enjoying every single moment! All of this "fall" talk gets me to thinking  about my family....ok, let's be honest here, everything gets me thinking about my family! But bare with me, I'm feeling the need to reminisce.

Fall meant a few wonderful things in the Larson household. Halloween was just around the corner, and we new this because the pumpkins started popping up in grocery stores, and signs for pumpkin patches started showing up everywhere. It almost feels like yesterday my big brother Alex and I were raking the leaves with Dad, putting them into a pile to jump into, and realize that it actually doesn't feel as good as it looks in our story books. Plus, once you jump in those piles of leaves, you've got to rake them back up again! Looks like I've always had a bit of OCD in my bones....

Sometimes Dad would burn the leaves, which meant the smells of autumn were in full force in our backyard. I remember seeing Mom through the kitchen window cooking up a creamy cheesy soup for us to enjoy after we were done helping Dad. Of course we would be watching Funniest Home Video's while enjoying that amazing soup. My precious little Joshy, my baby brother was always hanging out with us, sharing his adorable little presence every where he went. And Jazz...oh Jazz...or gorgeous white dog that looked like a Blonde Golden Retriever, yet was actually called a Brittany dog. It was meant to be!

Halloween was always a fun time for us, for we would make leave stuffed scare crows, and carve pumpkins with Dad in the garage. I don't remember too many years where we didn't go to some pumpkin patch to pick out our very own pumpkins. Anytime we carved these orange things, my Dad would get a brilliant idea to use all sorts of little electric saws to get as clean a cut as he could. I don't remember too much of a mess that's for sure. And that almost warms my heart! I'm a Daddy's girl that's for sure....obsessively clean at times.

Each time Alex and I came back from Trick-or-treating with Mom, Dad, Joshy, Grandma, and Grandpa, we would dump out all of our candy in the living room floor, so that we could swap candies. Joshy of course was too little to have that much freedom with sugar, so we definitely had to wait until the little pooper was out in his toddler bed.

I realize that none of these memories will have a whole lot of significance for you, and that's ok. As I sat in my bubble bath tonight I was reminded of so many wonderful memories I've shared with my beautiful family. I was reminded of the realty that laughter has always been a part of our lives, and it continues today whenever we are together. It's one of the most refreshing things about being with my family. I was reminded of the many special holidays we've shared together, and it made me excited to share those same holidays in the future when my Mom and Dad are also known as Grandpa and Nana.

I hope this sparks some of your most treasured memories of fall with your family or other loved ones. Just taking the time to reminisce brings a renewed joy to my heart.

Love you so much Mom, you are my best friend. I loved that each day I become more like you!
Love you so much Dad! Your laughter, wisdom, and humility never cease to amaze me!
Love you so much Alex! I'm praying for you EVERY SINGLE DAY and can't wait to reminisce with you as soon as you are home. I'm so proud of you soldier!
Love you so much Joshy Squashy! You're my buddy, and I love looking back and seeing how much fun I've had being your big sister!
Last but definitely not least, to my sweet little Charlie Barley...my mini wiener dog puppers that is probably curled up in bed as I type...I miss your sloppy little kisses and warm cuddles every night! Yes. I JUST wrote a message to our mini wiener dog. It's therapeutic for this homesick girl:)

Content Yet Ansy

Right now, I'm sitting in the most perfect atmosphere there is for me to write. A fresh new fall candle called Autumn from Bath & Body Works is filling my home with a warm and cozy scent. I've got my new favorite musician playing in the background, Joy Williams. Her stuff with The Civil Wars got me hooked, and I recommend you checking her new stuff out. Anyway, because I'm a little ahead of the seasons, I've got all the windows open, and fans a blowing so that this warm 4th floor place can chill out a wee bit.
 I love it.
And I'm so thankful for this home.
I'm so thankful for a husband that enjoys spending time with his buddies, so I can enjoy so me time at home. Which means, cleaning, doodling around, cooking a light and healthy meal, enjoying some chocolate, not getting out of my pj's until I shower at 10:00 pm and head to be, in a fresh new pair of pj's. Funny part, there are no lights on in my house. As I sat down to write, the sun was going down. So as I sit here continuing to write, the sun has definately made its way to the other side of the world to brighten up their day.

Speaking of the other side of the world, be praying for our soldiers. My brother is literally battling every single day in Kandahar, Afghanistan with the US Army. There's so many miracle stories my Dad has shared with me, things that my brother has told him, that sometimes I wish I never heard. I wish I could share them on here, yet obviously there is confidentiality that comes along with being a military family. All I can say, there have been many moments where their lives were so closely on the line, and God's provision took over and saved them. It almost leads me to tears to think my precious big brother is experiencing this himself, and that it's not someone else I am talking about. Yet, the truth is, it is my big brother. It is millions of other big brothers. So pray. Every morning as you are waking up, pray that our soldiers can fall asleep soundly and peacefully, as peaceful as it can be knowing what you are going to do in a few hours. Pray for their protection every second of their day. Alex has said he is really seeing the prayers, for there have been too many close calls. Pray that they don't get sick, that they can shower. Pray that the food they are given will nourish their bodies. The frontline guys aren't getting too many fresh meals. I'm not sure about the others, but the infantry are eating to keep going. Just pray. That's all we can do right now. Pray. For our leaders, our president, for that country so when we leave, the Taliban doesn't just take over completely and ruin everything we've gone there to do. And pray for my Mom. For my Dad and little brother. Pray for all brothers, sisters, Mom's and Dad's, wives, son's, and daughters. Pray that they can sleep each night in peace knowing that God has his hand over their soldier. Pray that they don't allow fear, worry, and sadness to take over to the point of taking the joy out of every moment. Just pray.

That's all I've got for you guys, blessings.

Brit

TMI?

I have an issue...

I like to talk to anyone and everyone about anything and everything.
Some people would say that's a good personality trait, being able to have a conversation with just about anyone. Yet, I would call it an issue. Why? I will tell people the most random things! Today is a very good example. First of all, let me tell you, I've been up since 3:10 am being that Starbucks partners need to get there early to get the place up and running so we can hand out the most legal drug there is! Or else, there would be some very unfortunate things happening on the roads, in every workplace, and goodness golly in the homes of many many many stay at home Mommy's. Ok, back to the odd point of this blog. Certain customers will ask how I am doing after I ask them when they come to the drive thru window. Often my response with be, oh I'm good, just trying to wake up...and the conversation will continue and somewhere in there I might even say I'm from.....about 25 mins away.

WHY DO I NEED TO SAY THAT? I mean, I never really think much about it being that ..... is a bigger city and tons of people live there. It's not like I say oh I live off this street, this is our apartment number, and if you really want to know, this is my birth date, social security number, and bank number. I promise, I don't do that!

But last night, Jason and I were talking and somehow I brought up the fact that someone was complaining about having to drive ALL THE WAY OUT TO ......, and I said I lived there, it's not that far. Jason's response was, why do you tell them you live in Abbotsford?

I have absolutely no idea to be honest. I mean, I love chatting with people, and I guess I'm the kinda person that likes to make everyone feel like they are important. Which means taking a second to chat and saying more than the usual, "Isn't the weather so nice today?" I mean come on, of course it's nice, and of course we all know it! Sunny days aren't a regular thing here in BC this summer.

Anyway, I've just come to the realization that I just might tell people a little more info than needed. I mean, almost everyone I know clearly knows I'm allergic to dairy, and they also know what happens if I have it! I used to blame my openness about farting on having two brothers, but I don't think my older brother would talk about that one with anyone, and I sure don't think my little brother would either unless it's his buddies, or me of course.

Sometimes I just wonder....is it ok to live your life like an open book? I mean I do keep secrets, and of course I use discretion when talking to people. Like I said, they don't know my important info! And alot of the time I just say hi, enjoy your coffee, have a great day!

I do have the conclusion though, I like people. I love making friends. I love making people feel comfortable, important, and worth someone's time. I love putting a smile on someone's face, except there is someone the comes through our drive-thru every single morning and I'm def not gonna get a smile outa her!

Funny story though, I promise I'm almost done with this random rant.
A while back I was in the grocery store trying to figure out if the pot roasts were a good price. Meat is much more expensive in Canada, so without Jason there to help me figure out whether it's a good price for the size we need, which I'm still unsure about being that we're on a total different measuring system up here. So I asked the gentleman standing next to me about the price. For some reason I said I was from the states and didn't understand the prices and the weight measurements, which led him to ask where I was from. I said Oregon, and he said where. I started to use my brain after that and said Portland....which is CLOSE to where I'm from. He then said, why are you up here? Oh, I went to school up here and then got married. Well crap, the guy kept asking questions, and then I started to get weirded out. I could see my name coming up on the missing person list on channel 2 news...So that's when the creativity began. I said my husband was a musician so we actually travel alot. We don't actually have a home here. Kinda the truth, but kinda a stretch. We DO have a home lol. He then asked about my husband, and what we do. I said, I'm a traveling speaker, and he's in a band so we're always on the road. Wow, I was enjoying telling this story. It's only our DREAMS! The guy BELIEVED it all and said, "well good for you guys" and that was that. I made my way home, making sure there wasn't a weirdo stalking behind me.

That's when I realized, I can be too friendly sometimes, especially after a cup of my favorite coffee. Yes, being friendly makes a good barista, which means I've found the right occupation! But, it also brings on the weirdo's. The moral of the story, continue working on who gets to know what info Brit. This blog was obviously for me.

Now, it's time for a nap. Getting up so early only leads a person to write a blog on a subject such as this.

Blessings my friends,

Britt

Life as a Starbucks Barista

I have recently embarked on a new journey which consists of coffee, coffee beans, coffee grounds, and a whole bunch more coffee! It's been a funny transition going from school, to working at Starbucks. Last month, I was able to sleep in until 9, relax at the house, keep it clean, cook dinner, and then just spend time with my hubby. Now, I may be up at 3:00 am to get to work by 4:00, and then be in bed by 8:00 pm to do it all over again the next morning. Sometimes I'm even lucky enough to sleep in until 5:15am to be at work by 6:00 am. For some reason, I really don't mind this type of schedule. Either it's the fact that I get to smell the incredible aroma of coffee beans all day, or I'm just weird like that!

So let me tell you, I have learned so much about barista's, starbucks, coffee, and CUSTOMERS let me tell ya. This blog is for every one of you wonderful people that like to enjoy your local Starbucks or any other coffee shop. Just a little bit of an overview for you, if you are wondering why your coffee might not be done in exactly one minute, or why the foam is a little less dense than normal.

Training takes A LOT of work! There are so many little things to learn, that seem so simple from the outside, yet as you are learning, you are also WORKING, like most other jobs I would assume.

Here are just a few suggestions for you....

Be nice. Please. It's really only a cup of coffee, or tea, or lemonade. It's not your new mac book, or the meds you've been waiting for to curb your anxiety. It's COFFEE. It's supposed to be ENJOYABLE. What an interesting mix there might I add. If you've got anxiety, should you really be downing a cut of caffeine to add to your already nervous system? Oh well, I do!

Be friendly, even if you don't feel like talking. Just say hi maybe?

Be understanding when the person taking your order has to ask you a few questions after you have spewed out your most complicated drink in under 2 seconds. It's quite difficult to pick up what you are layin down when mumbling occurs.

Be patient. Those headphones barista's wear actually have voices coming thru, letting them know if there is a sandwich that needs to be thrown into the oven, or a million other things that I won't even begin to get into for your sake.

When you are going through the drive thru, please oh please be friendly. I know you are typically in a hurry, but I promise you, we aren't sitting on stools sipping coffee inside. We are actually running around like crazy making sure every drink is getting done correctly and efficiantly. Your drink is a comin! You would be surprised how often the case is that the person that ordered before you, actually ordered 6 complicated drinks, which takes the one or two people on the bar a little longer to make.

Finally, just breathe...

Starbucks, and every other coffee shop is about enjoying the culture. It's about enjoying that wonderful cup of coffee, and taking a moment out of your day to breathe and treat yourself. I totally understand what it's like when you are running late but you HAVE to have that cup of joe. But maybe, just maybe, you should spend a little less time bumming around on facebook when you should have been leaving the house. I can listen to my own advice, I am ashamed to say...

You know what is funny about this quirky little post? I love my job at Starbucks. I actually do! I really enjoy working fast and doing a million different things at once. When I have a few minutes to breathe, I'm actually a little unsure of what I should do if the cleaning is done. Time flies when you are going, going, going, getting a break, and then going again until your shift is over. Really, I love my job, and I enjoy the people I work with, and the friendly customers that come into our busy...700 customers a day....Starbucks.

So tomorrow when you run in before work to get that cup of coffee, remember, IT'S ONLY COFFEE!