Just in time for Christmas!

So I was reading through my list of blogs I follow and found a friend that was sharing about this neat opportunity! Shutterfly is giving us bloggers the chance to blog about them, and get 50 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS! How incredible is that? If you want to find out more, check it out here.

Jason and I have been wanting to make a book from Shutterfly with our wedding photo's, but just haven't found the time to do it yet. A good friend of ours has made a ton of photo books for her and her family over the last few years and they have always turned out amazing.

I checked out their collection of Christmas cards and everything else that they provide on their website and you definately need to check it out. Isn't this just the cutest this. There are tons of pages full of adorable cards you can choose from, whether you want just one picture or five! 

Being that I was already on the site, I thought I would check out some of the other things that Shutterfly does, so check out some of my favs! 

Photo Books Still can't wait to have one of these myself...

Notepads I don't know about you, but I love writing little notes, this would make it fun to give to others

Photo Gifts I got my Grandparent's coffee mugs one Christmas and they still have them:)

Address Labels Too many cute ones to choose from!

Canvas Wall Art How many times do we find that one picture we took that we would love on the wall? 

I hope you guys take a chance to look at Shutterfly, and maybe even take advantage of this offer! 

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas season:)

Britt

It Has Only Begun

Friday night was incredible.

Why? I mean it was only a sweet little hymn sing in this cute coffee shop here in Abbotsford that only about 10 people showed up to.

It was incredible because I was able to experience support for The Beautiful Truth, from more than just my close friends and family that of course are obligated to believe in all that I do(wink wink)

As Friday night came near I was worried, for I knew that not too many people knew what The Beautiful Truth was, nor were able to make it out for the Hymn Sing Fundraiser.  Yet, I didn't allow this to bring me down, for it's only the beginning! This is the first time I was given the opportunity to tell people about this ministry, which is such an exciting thing! I look forward to looking back on this night, and remembering how neat it was to be able to tell those 10 people about the passion that the Lord has put on my heart. I was able to share a bit of my own personal journey in finding God's truth about how beautiful I am.

And I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Being able to speak about what has been burning so deep within my heart for a long time now, gave me hope for whatever is to come in the future!

I mean everyone has to start somewhere right?

So, here's what I took from this night.

-I will write down the amount of money that was raised, and keep it somewhere that I will forever be able to look back on.
-I felt God's hand holding me
-I was reminded that God brings the right people at the right time.
-Having my husband by my side, believing in me and supporting me was such a comforting thing.
-I knew that if this coffee shop was just a bit closer, my family would have been there, smiling from ear to ear, reminding me of their support
-I experienced a taste of what it is like being able to hear someone else's personal story, and being able to encourage them even though they filled me with more encouragement and hope than they could even imagine.
-I even bought my own Apple Cider to support The Beautiful Truth and had to laugh a little bit in that moment...
-I was filled with such energy just being able to speak about the incredible things that God has done in my life.
-I may have come away from this night having been impacted by it more than any other person in the room and I am thankful for that.

God has filled me with hope for the future, and joy for what is going on right now. I am just so thankful for all that is to come in January when The Beautiful Truth is officially launched on the CBC campus!

Praise God!

That's absolutely ALL I can say...

Praise God!

Britt:)

Organized Little Wife...

Tonight as I was getting things ready so I can feel like it's ok to have Monday show up tomorrow morning, I stepped back and looked at myself for a sec. So I thought I would share with you some of the ways I try and keep organized, because...well, we all know how busy life can be. If you are anything like me, I can get stressed out easily and then, well, it's just not a good thing. So here's some tips!

My top 10 ways to stay organized...
      in absolutly no order

1. Lists lists and more lists. I'm a list girl. So I take the time to write down the things I need to get done, and the things I want to get done. If you don't get to that one thing on your list, just cross it off and put it on tomorrow's list....works for me!

2. Adding to the world of lists, I actually mentally go through what's going on each evening of this week so that I know which nights I am making dinner for Jason and I both. Then, I jot down what I will make so I don't have to get home and fret at 5:00pm wondering what I am going to feed my poor hard working starving husband! It works out that I typically make three good dinners, and then the rest of the nights we are either gone or left overs are to be enjoyed.

3. Planner. If I don't have my cute little planner, I will miss coffee dates, homework assignments, and every other thing I am supposed to be at. When I was younger, I used to see my Mom write on her wrists those "MUST do's" or leave sticky notes on the cabinets in the kitchen. Until now, I never understood.

4. Before I get all tired out at the end of the day, I go around the house and tidy it up quick. I put things away and just straighten things up so that I don't wake up in the morning feeling annoyed by a messy house. Now, I'm not the average Joe, and at times I enjoy the house being a little more clean than it probably needs  to be. But, I've learned to do it in a way that's not obsessive so I can actually enjoy my home! Tidying here and there is the trick!

5. This goes for Sunday nights, so you can start off the week on a good note. Rather than spending that extra hour looking at endless pictures on facebook, I go through and write those lists of dinners for the week, groceries/errands needing to be run, and get the homework to do's all in order. This helps me feel like I'm actually ready to start a fresh week.

6. Choose one day a week that you will do the house cleaning. For me, this works. Yet, some weeks, I have to choose one chore to do a day if I don't have any days where I'm not working. This just helps you feel more relaxed at home knowing that the house will get all cleaned, let's say, Friday. Then by next Friday, or the Friday after that (depending on how messy you are:)

7. Well, I don't think I have anything else for you right now, but I could come up with more;)

Enjoy being organized!

Fall How I Love Thee

The last few weeks have been beautiful! Here's a little update straight to the point...

We've had some windy and rainy weather, but it makes me want to curl up inside with a book
There's been some extremely sunny weather that has reminded me of how much I love the West Coast
I have had many wonderful coffee dates with some friends that I truly cherish
Pumpkin spice candles, latte's, and bread has entered the scene once again, and it brings joy to my senses
The gorgeous sweaters have made an entrance and the boots just complete each outfit to a tee...
Our heavy winter blanket has covered out duvet, which makes going to sleep all the more wonderful
My robe is no longer annoying and space hog in my closet, it's a MUST HAVE this time of year
Apple juice turns to hot spiced cider with a touch of cinnamon and cloves
This semester is just a little more than half way over, which means I'm that much closer to graduation
The Beautiful Truth is becoming more of a reality! I've had to kick into gear getting the planning going
Christmas is on it's way, and according to Starbucks, I should be enjoying everything RED...oh well:)
Quality family time is heading this way very quickly...
Soups and stews and pot roasts are something my husband hopefully gets to come home to


Life is beautiful.

Thank you God for the simple things that make me smile.

Britt

Not Perfect. But Beautiful.

No marriage is perfect.

We all have times where we are struggling. Often we have different levels of struggles. Some face extremely obvious hardship, while others are battle a little more quietly. Some struggle after 30 years of marriage, while others are pushing through things in their earlier years.

What I am getting at here is this....
Don't read into every other couple you know thinking that they don't know what it means to struggle. Thinking they just have a perfect relationship and nothing hard ever comes their way.

That's pure judgement right there.

I know for myself personally I bet there are some people that look as Jason and I and think, "Oh they have it good. They never fight or have bad days. They don't know what it's like to experience hardship in life."

And they are 100% wrong.

When I am talking about struggles here, I'm not just talking about the arguments or dissention that can be felt within your marriage. I'm also talking about the difficult things that can happen in life.

And we get it, even after only being married one year.

We know what it's like to argue.
We know what it's like to have a hard day.
We know what it's like to wonder where the money will come from and to wonder when things will get easier.
We know what it's like to just want to hold on to each other and ignore the difficult things happening around us.

Now don't get me wrong here, I do look back on my new life with Jason and see such beauty, such joy, such love that has grown deeper and more authentic. Most of all, I see God holding our hands together along the way. Honestly, besides the normal differences every young couple works through, Jason and I are wonderful. I feel that my love for him grows stronger as each day passes, and being able to see him every day of my life fills me with such joy.

 It's the difficult challenges that life brings that can make everything else harder.

But it's how you act in that time that matters. It's how you respond that is important.

Take our wedding day for instance. It POURED and THUNDERED which changed every single plan that he been there from the beginning. Seriously, I'm not kidding her. We were having an outdoor wedding and reception in the middle of July. But God had different plans. So we went with it and INVITED the rain to be just another "accent" to our wedding day.

Just like the storms that come into our lives, we need to respond in a way we won't be embarrassed to look back upon. Yes, we make mistakes, but if we hold our heads up, I believe God will guide us down the right path.

So have hope today. Know that EVERY couple has difficult days, weeks, or months. Some couples experience hard times within their marriage, while others experience hardship in many other areas.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Push through this difficult time. Make sure to spend time with those that refresh you, and build you up. Ask others' for prayer. Spend time in prayer yourself.

God knows.
He will bring you out of that storm.
He brought Jason through the storm, and we were still holding hands tightly, full of love for each other.
He CAN do the same for you.

I enjoy Big Train Chai

Now that is what I call beautiful. Spiced Big Train Chai.

                                                    What is something you enjoy today?

As I was thinking about what to write today, and I thought it was the perfect day for something simple. Something that wasn't in depth or profound, even though in my opinion Big Train is just that....But really, I was thinking about how we desire to feel enjoyment. There's a reason why coffee shops have spread like wildfire. It's a place were we like to take some time in our day to stop and grab something we enjoy drinking. Some of us meet at coffee shops to chat and catch up with a good friend. Some of us need a little perk to push us through the day, but this by all means adds a little joy into our lives, whether we will acknowledge that or not.

Sidenote...
I really get a whole lot of homework, cleaning, and checking off my to do list when I have a little cup of yummy joe. Even if it's decaf might I add....talk about mind games!!

Anyway, the point of all of this is my desire to remind you to take a moment to stop and enjoy something that you love. Enjoy that cup of coffee. Enjoy that piece of chocolate, or that pumpkin spice bread. Take some time reading those blogs that you enjoy, or if you are a book worm, read some of your favorite book before you go to sleep.

Do something today that you enjoy.

There are so many things that you could to do that you enjoy. Life is stressful, crazy, busy, and often scary at times. Things change. Stress pours in. Responsibilities pile on top of each other. Yet, take a moment to ENJOY your day. Take a moment to say hi to God and thank him for your day, for this beautiful fall weather. Unless you aren't in BC or on the West Coast....then I am really not sure if you are experiencing such gorgeous weather.

So today, I'm going to enjoy my chai latte (of course I'll disregard the fact that my milk tastes a little off;)
I'm going to get in a good exercise becuase I enjoy it.
I'm going to go see a movie with my love, but I enjoy being with him (And it's Monday and neither of us have things to do on this day;)


Do you get my point?


Do something today that makes you happy, that makes you feel good.

God loves you and wants you to enjoy today.

Britt



Walk on that Water...

Do you have a dream? 

Do you have something so heavy on your heart, that you lay there dreaming about it as you fall asleep each night?

Do you ever wonder if that "one thing" you have always wanted to do just might ever becoming a reality? 

I sure did. 

And my dream is slowly coming true. 

For the last few months, this song has resonated with me every time I hear it. The first time I heard it, was actually on The Biggest Loser as funny as that may sound. But honestly, it made sense right then as I heard the lyrics for the first time. 

Walk on the water. 

Just like Jesus told Peter to do. Just as Peter knew in his heart he very well could do, should do. The story is unique, and it is utterly beautiful now that I look at it.

 ²⁹"Come," he said.

   Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

 ³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Right now, I have only taken that first step of walking on the water. I have only begun my journey, of creating a group, a program, just something for every beautiful young girl, young women, mature women seeking to find the truth. 

It's beautiful really. God has given me a dream. And I intend to pursue it until I feel that I have lived up to what I feel called to do.

But it hasn't been easy, and I am battling those doubts daily. "What if no one shows up? What if girls don't want any help? What if I get too overwhelmed that I can't speak anymore, that I can't even think? What if...?"

I've had a few plans already fall through, I've already felt the water start moving up my legs as I started to sink, but I've gotten back up and took that next step. And I am continuing to walk. Each time I start to feel the water creep up, I am going to remember that this is the dream that I believe God has put on my heart. It is as though I was the one hearing, "Come". And I am getting out of that boat and taking those steps towards the Lord, towards the calling I believe I have. 

And I believe. 
Do you?
Do you believe that what God has put on your heart, can and will come true? 
Do you believe that you can do this? 
Because I sure do. 
I believe in you, and I need you to believe in me to. 


Britt