Coming up...

I am going to start this blog off by telling everyone why I blog. Well, there are a few different reasons. One, is for memories sake. If someone asks me on Monday what I did that past weekend, I will usually reply "what did I do this past weekend??" and it will take me a couple of minutes to remember. Well, if that happens on Monday, you can imagine if someone asked me any later than that. The weekend is just getting hazier. So, I was told that you can get your blog turned into a book. Sounded fun to me! Then, maybe, my kids and grandkids and so forth can read the memories when we are no longer here to share in the joy with them. Second, is for our out-of-town friends and family to get a glimpse of what we are doing. And most importantly, to tell all how our sweet Jesus is sovereign over it all and how we strive to bring glory to his name as we walk in His story.

Now, I can tell you what's coming up! There is a lot of party planning going on! Jason turns 30 on July 21. Jack turns 1 on August 2nd and my ten year high school reunion is at the end of September. I am involved in planning all of these parties. Though I have a PR degree and event planning experience, I somehow manage to to stress myself out anyway. Here is a glimpse of what I have done so far....

Jack's birthday banner


A shirt to match!


I love the colors navy and chartruese together. Those were the colors that I used in our wedding and it looks like Jack's party is heading in that direction as well. We shall see!

I have some things up my sleeve for Jason's 30th too. I can't post them yet. He reads this. As far the high school reunion goes, I know that some people could care less about theirs, but I am looking forward to mine. High school was not a bad experience for me. I mean ofcourse if I could go back in time and do some things over I most certainly would. But, I suppose those were the things that were molding me and and teaching me. Plus, what do most teenagers think about? Themselves. But, I do wish my heart would have been less selfish and that I would have cared for others more. With that being said, I can't wait to see the people that I grew up with for 18 years. We will have so many stories to share about the last 10 years and how our lives have changed so dramatically.

Nashville

May has been a busy month. Parents in town, Wedding, Beach, and we ended it with a trip to Nashville to see Jason's brother and sister-in-law. They are expecting their first child in November. They will not be finding out the sex, so we can't wait to meet this baby and shower it with blue or pink!

On Saturday morning, we went to the botanical gardens where they had this amazing train station set up for children (my pictures will not do it justice.)

Hey Thomas!



Jason and Jack took a stroll around the neighborhood in not a red wagon, but a green garden wagon!




Last, we ended it with a trip to Devlin Farms for a picnic. Devin Farms is a beautiful farm with organic fruits and vegtables. It is just south of Nashville. I didn't get to take many pictures because this is where the dreaded double ear infection reared its ugly head. Look at this face....

So now we are on antibiotics and keeping it real in our diaper all day long.

With the exception of a little playtime with Daddy when the fever is down.

first beach trip

On my 28th birthday, we packed up our curious crawler and headed to the beach. Jack loved it! We had such a great time and we were so thankful for a little getaway and some relaxation. Well, as much relaxation as you can have with a 9 1/2 month old. Here are some pics from Jack's first beach trip....












Does anyone know of a potion I can give this kid to stop growing?? He will be a year old in two months! :(

Good Reads

Like most women, I love a good book! I was thrilled when some girls in my life group at church decided to create a book club. I mean, who doesn't love discussing a good book? I decided to make a list of some of the books I have read lately so that I can remember. Also, if anybody who may read this blog wants a list of some good reads here you go. Side note- some of them have adult content/language and viewer discretion is advised ;).

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Suggestions of good books are always welcome!

I am about to start reading another book that has not been published. It was written by my great grandfather who was blind. He tuned pianos and owned a little country store. I was told that he tuned Jerry Lee Lewis's piano (claim to fame). He could never get robbed, not just because he had a shotgun right beside him, but because he could tell the difference between the bills that you handed him. His family were poor farmers, and he was hand picked by Martha Berry (founder of Berry College in Rome, Ga.) to get a great education at the Georgia School for the Blind. I can't wait to read about his life and learn a little about my heritage at the same time.

Practice makes Perfect

For our two year anniversary, Jason bought me four photography classes at The Birmingham School of Photography. I have to say that this was a dream come true. I first fell in love with photography when I went to Thailand for two months in 2005. I wanted so badly to capture every detail of the culture around me so that I could remember it forever. Well six years later, I have this professional camera and know nothing about it. So, I have been so thankful for this class and thankful for my husband who listens to me when I go on and on about all of the different goals I have for myself. I am usually pretty good with the composition of a picture (which really has to do with taste). However, when it comes to lighting and manual mode (programming everything yourself) I am clueless. Today, we went to the botanical gardens and practiced a few things I have been learning...


How to freeze stuff...








How to make stuff look like it was painted...





How to take a picture with a large depth of field and maintain good lighting...


And here are some pics of that cute kid of mine...



He learned how to clap this week!



We love him.




I have a long way to go, but atleast I am learning something about all of those buttons on my camera.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you fabulous moms out there!

Cherish your Vows

I Jason, take you Brandie, to be my wedded wife. I promise in the presence of God my Savior and Lord and these witnesses to love you as Christ loves the Church. I promise to cherish, protect, honor, defend, and support you in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity and through every change of condition.
I am accepting the command given to me by our Lord to be the spiritual leader of our household, and I will constantly strive to seek first His kingdom. I promise that I will lead our lives in strength and hope in Christ Jesus - ever honoring God's guidance by His spirit through His word. Brandie, I am from this day forward choosing to love you as an act of my will, with or without the presence of romantic feelings. I promise to forsake all others and commit myself fully to you, to be faithful to you and no other, cleaving only to you as long as we both shall live.

I Brandie, take you Jason, to be my wedded husband. I promise in the presence of God my Savior and Lord and these witnesses to love, cherish, respect and obey you in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity, and through every change of condition.
I am accepting the command given to me by our Lord to trust your leadership in our household, and I will constantly strive to seek first His kingdom. I pledge to strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you. Jason, I am from this day forward choosing to love you as an act of my will, with or without the presence of romantic feelings. I promise to forsake all others and commit myself to you, to be faithful to you and no other, cleaving only to you as long as we both shall live.

Although they are long, I wanted to type these out to be reminded of what a commitment marriage is. Not only to each other, but to the Lord who saved us. I love the part of our vows that say "I am choosing to love you as an act of my will, with or without the presence of romantic feelings." Marriage is not always easy, but we choose everyday to love that person whether or not we "feel" like it. It is also such a picture of the gospel. Everyday in our sin nature, we sin against God. However, if your are truly His child, he never stops pursuing you. Our marriages should be a reflection of such great love. I will end by saying that after 2 years of marriage, I have nothing figured out. But, I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me Jason. My love for him grows stronger with each day. God alone is the only one who knows how many years we will have together, and I pray that even in the hard times, I will never take a single moment for granted.

DIY

I have been staring at this boring wall for quite sometime, trying to think of a way to decorate it. I was "stalking" some blogs one day when I came across a very cute idea- fabric inside of wooden needlecraft hoops!

First, I picked out some coordinating fabrics (that I have now changed my mind about...oops).


Then, I stuck some fabric inside of the hoops and cut the excess fabric off.


Last, I just used some fabric glue and glued the excess fabric to the hoop.



And now there is a little more color and livelihood to our wall....(our wall that will one day get a new paint color :/ )


When we are not inside crafting it up, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, washing bottles, constantly wiping snot from Jack's nose, the list goes on and on, we are outside enjoying a little fun in the sun!