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!

The Waiting Place

Ok, I'm sold! A few weeks ago I ordered this book because the title was so intriguing. Yet, once I opened the first page and began my journey through another perspective, I knew what was so attractive to the book. Eileen Button takes the time to explain to each of us how we are always waiting for something to happen. We are waiting to graduate from college, instead of enjoying that fast paced, energetic, learning environment. We are waiting to find the one we are to marry, instead of enjoying the freedom we have while we are single. We are waiting to have a baby, instead of soaking in that time with our spouse. We are waiting for that screaming child to grow up so we can enjoy the quietness of home while they are at school.

This hit me so close to home, let me tell ya! I have been in a place of waiting for quite some time now. Let's just say almost the entire time I've been married which is two years in July. I've been waiting to "start our next adventure together wherever that may be". You see, Jason was going through his final year of school last year, and then I completed mine this year. Now, our lives are supposed to begin right? We're supposed to find that church to make our own NOW. We're supposed to move into the states like we have been planning, NOW. We are supposed to be moving out of our first little home, into our second little home. NOW.

But that's not exactly what we're supposed to do NOW, or else it would be happening NOW. Many close friends have reminded us to enjoy this time of transition, because there is a reason for it. Yet it seems to have taken me a while to figure that out. This book made the light bulb come on full force! I get it! In these times of "mundane normalcy" or "absolute uncertainty", we are to find the simple things to appreciate. This book is more of memoir of Eileen's life and how she came to see purpose and beauty in the times of waiting.

 Now that's a book you should read!

Britt

I'm a Giver

The last two days have been incredibly beautiful outside. The sun has been shining, filling my soul with some amazing joy and refreshment let me tell you. It's interesting how I see sunny days now that I'm older. It's been a long wet winter, a winter I have become so accustomed to being that I was born a West Coast girl and have fallen in love with cold winter nights bundled up in bed listening to the rain hitting the roof. Yet when spring actually makes its entrance, more than just an official day on our calendar, I get filled with excitement. Excitement for BBQ's with new friends and old friends, camping trips with my family, and walks under the stars. But those walks under the stars are so much different living deep within the heart of a city. Not a huge city like New York, but a large enough city to light up the sky so much the stars seem further away. I miss the stars in my blessed little home town Sublimity. I miss going for walks at night, once the sun has actually gone down, and only hearing a few cars drive by, somewhere in the distance. Here, cars drive by constantly and only lessen around 3 in the morning. 

What does this have to do with my being a giver, you might be asking? 

Today I was talking about life with a good friend of mine. A friend that has experienced a similar time of transition and the difficulty that comes from that. We were talking about how I've been feeling lately, how I'm more irritable, stressed, anxious, and just not Me. We were talking about how I am even in the midst of a time when some people would be feeling more free than a bird. 

I'm currently looking for a job, which is more stressful than it is relaxing. 

I'm currently a college graduate. 

I'm currently in my second year of marriage, still working out those newlywed quirks.

I'm currently a sister of a strong soldier fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan.

I'm currently on a journey with my husband trying to figure out where I next chapter will begin, Canada or the US?

I'm currently STILL getting used to living 6 hours away from my incredible family and trying to see that as a blessing, to see it as I'm ONLY 6 hours away.

I'm currently a beholder of an incredibly large dream. A dream to fill each and every woman I can with the truth that they are beautiful JUST THE WAY THEY ARE.

I'm currently trying to embrace that truth every single day. 

I'm currently overwhelmed. anxious. nervous. and feeling like I've given our more than I should have.

How did I get to that? You might be reading the different things I am "currently" experiencing, and wondered, what's the big deal? That's life? 

Totally agree. Yet, being that I am the type of person that gives and gives and gives and wants to give more, I can often give so much that when I come home, close the door, all I want to do is BE. Sometimes I forget to take care of me. Now, I do take care of my body by exercising and eating well. I also can't live without my time with God each day in some way, shape, or form. But sometimes I don't allow myself to JUST BE. I don't allow myself to have a bad day, because when I do I put the pressure on myself to stop being this, or that, and then the anxiety begins to roll. Sometimes, people like that, can give so much of themselves, that they hit a point where they cannot give anymore. 

And I can see that point in the distance. 

And if I don't stop, and take care of me, take care of my heart....something else will have to stop me. 

I love the friendships I have in my life. Lately I've been realizing that God has truly blessed me with amazing friends, with a Mom who is my best friend, with a Dad who never lets me forget that I'm his only little girl, with brothers who just love me for me, with a GrandMother who is just my buddy, with a husband who loves me for me, who cherishes me for me, who challenges me, yet protects my precious heart. I feel SO blessed. 

And I don't want to take advantage of that. I want to continue to be able to bless those friends, encourage those friends, and hold their hand when they feel that they can't give anymore. 

But in order to do that, I need to take care of me. I need to stop for a moment each day to remember that I don't need to be "super wife". That Jason is blessed by everything I do already. I need to remember that if I'm having a bad day, I can have a bad day. I don't need to be perfect. I need to remember that I'm not always going to have the right words to say to a friend in need. I'm not always going to make every single woman know that they are beautiful. That's not a burden I need to carry. I'm not going to conquer the world and I sure don't need to! I need to remember that the right job will come, I just need to keep trying. I need to remember that what I am focusing on entirely, is going to change the way I am thinking. So if I'm focusing on health and fitness, to the point of obsession, I'm definitely going to get let down. If I'm focusing on miscommunication and hurts from others, I'm going to really feel the pain that comes from that. 

Where I am going with this is this...

I, or even YOU, sometimes really need to get our focus back on where it should be.

Sometimes that's what's wrong. Sometimes I'm just really needing to let go of my fears, imperfections, hopes, desires for others, and remember that God is in control of my life. That he made me the way that I am and wants me to take care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

I know I'm not the only one that goes through rough patches? Can I get an amen from anyone out there!?

God is the one that fills me when I've given all that I can give. 

Brit

What's He REALLY Thinking?

A few months ago I started to read this book thinking there might be a few good tips in there for this kinda sorta newlywed, and boy was I wrong! Ever single chapter was full of insight on things I had been aware of, yet needed to be reminded of. Being married is a beautiful journey, yet it can be full of fights that aren't really needed. Some arguments are important and are needing to be worked through. While other's are full of miscommunication and can be avoided. As I read through this book, I was reminded of how incredible my husband truly is. I was challenged to think about his point of view and the way he sees things rather than being consumed with my own perception. I was filled with a sense of joy as I read this and would challenge you to pick it up at your local bookstore. Such a good read! 

Love is Patient...why aren't I?

The other night I was laying there, trying to fall asleep and was thinking about life. Imagine that? I was thinking about some of the conversations I'd had with Jason earlier that day and was reminded of my favorite, most convicting verse. I call it the "Love is..." verse.

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres."

So as I lay there going over each one of those reminders of TRUE love, these were my silent comments...

Boy do I love my Husband, but do I REALLY show that all that time?

Love is patient- oops, I'm not very patient. I mean seriously, that's not one of my strengths...
Love is kind- on good days, when things go well, I'm very kind! Dang it...
Love does not envy- well, the only thing I envy is the fact that Jase can eat a quesadilla at 11:00 at night and not have that last a lifetime on the hips...
Love does not boast- I'm not a boaster...unless it's boasting when you loudly state that you did ALL the dishes
Love is not proud- I'm sure God could tell me a few times I've been a bit proud...
Love is not rude- oops...
Love is not self-seeking- ever? Really? Are you sure?
Love is not easily angered- Crap.
Love does not keep record of wrongs- None? Ever? I mean they give a good case during an argument though...ok, I get it...it NEVER keeps record of wrongs....
Love does not delight in evil- yesss, I sure don't either!
Love rejoices with the truth- dang it, the devil sure knows how to bug me with lies, and more often than not I believe them!
I think you are getting the picture....aren't you?

You know what's interesting about this little conversation I was having as I lay there in bed, next to the man I truly do love? I was humbled. And boy was I humbled. I'm still being humbled as I sit here and type this blog. Over the last two years I've gotten together with many good girlfriends who are young marrieds as well, and we've talked about these things many times...

We've wondered why we could love someone so much, yet treat them with such, well, UNlove.
That's right. UNlove. I mean, we're def not showing them LOVE.

I didn't lay there feeling extremely angry with myself, distraught over the fact that I can fail at showing love to my husband. I was actually reminded of how much I REALLY need God in my life, showing me where I am not treating others right. Without Him, I continue to think I'm actually doing pretty well, even though I may be hurting some of the closest people to me.

There are many days that I do show love, just like this verse demonstrates it. There are weeks where I'm not self-seeking, rude, impatient...and those are wonderful weeks. There is something to the saying, "A happy wife is a happy house"Or whatever it may be, you know what I'm getting at.

So where am I going with this? What's the point of this blog anyway?

I just wanted to be honest with you and share the reality that NONE of us are perfect. We all make our mistakes, and we all have our bad days. Yet, there's something beautiful in the way God whispers in our hearts, like he did the other night. He whispered this precious verse, at just the perfect time. He reminded me that there are always things I need to work on....constantly...yet He is there to guide me. This verse reminds me of what TRUE love is and how I can TRULY LIVE IT OUT.

Yep.
You aren't the only one that can be snotty. grumpy. impatient.
I can too.
But we can read this verse and remember that there's a much better road to take.

Love is patient- I can be patient...I just need to try.
Love is kind- I am kind to everyone else, so why not remember this with my true love?
It does not envy- Amen!
It does not boast- I can hold me tongue and be reminded of ALL the incredible things Jason does for me everyday.
It is not proud- Just humble yourself girl, that's the best way to go!
It is not rude- I wasn't rude until we lived together, so why not be mature;)
It is not self-seeking- we are a team, why not think/act/live that out?
It is not easily angered- patience, remember? PATIENCE
It keeps no record of wrongs- this really only escalates any argument so why pull that card?

You get where I'm going...

Take a moment to go over these things. How are you NOT showing love?

Love to you all,

Britt