Hello Spring! Update on life...

Half way through the Spring semester already. Time goes by way too quickly! I guess that happens when your schedule is jammed pack with craziness... and when you're having fun. ;) It has taken me all three months into this year to finally get used to my schedule, but now I'm able to deal with it and enjoy it! Josh is much more easy going (that goes without being said, I know). He is at work from 5:30 am - 7:30 pm, and working on his thesis! This would probably send me to the nut house, but he is loving it as always (well he doesn't love writing his thesis :/)! As long as he has enough meals to make it through the day, then he is a happy camper.

 

We have been consistently having a date night once a week, and I look forward to that night each week. Sometimes we go out to eat or to a movie, other times we'll rent a movie, cook, and stay home. Either way it's great quality time and we really enjoy hiding from the world for a night! :) We also workout together 1-2 times per week. I LOVE this time together - it's always fun. He motivates me and takes me out of my comfort zone, so I usually work much harder. Not to mention, he's so dang good lookin'! ;) 

 

Jaxjax is his typical self. Either so sleepy or so playful, but always very happy to see you when you come home. He's such a great dog. There are many more dog park days in his near future (thanks to this wonderful Spring weather), and he is excited about that!

 

A few things we are looking forward to:

College Bible Community. We are starting the College Bible Community the second week of April. It will be a place for college students to come after Church for food and Bible study. We're very excited about this and think that the Lord has great plans for it!

The Black's Baby. Hannah is due in April - ahh! Jenee and I will be driving up to Memphis whenever she is having the baby. I can't wait! I'm excited for a road trip with Jenee, to see sweet Hannah, and to meet the newest member of our "friendship family"! :) Boy or girl?!   Josh won't be able to come because of Spring football, but hopefully we'll make a trip up together in May.

TJ in the Navy. TJ is shipping out June 21st for Basic Training! He will be gone for 9 weeks, and then we will go up there (around the Great Lakes) for his graduation. Go TJ! :)

Summer Vacation. We don't have a summer vacation planned, but we hope to visit the Dickermans wherever they move! We're sad to see them leave Beaumont, but hoping that they get to move to a good vacation spot! :)

Josh's Graduation. He will probably finish his thesis this summer, so graduation in August! I know that he is so excited about this, and I can't wait for him to have one less thing to worry about. He will be done with his schooling - forever!

Mud Race. Josh finally wants to do a mud race with me! Yeah! Now we just have to pick one out! That will be So.Much.Fun!!

1st Anniversary

I can't believe we've finished the first year as husband and wife.  Josh is such a wonderful husband and friend - I am very blessed!  We celebrated with sushi to go, our wedding video, cake topper, and mimosas!  Here's to another year! :) 

SLU Graduation

It's true, college has come to an end.  I can't help but think back on the past 4 years... and when I do, I get chill bumps and tears in my eyes.  What an amazing season of life.  That first year, God called me into a relationship with Him - I will never be the same! He has redeemed my life and is continuing to transform me each day.  I'm so thankful for His perfect plan and timing.  I serve an awesome God!  I met my very best friends in college, and many other people who have impacted my life in such a huge way.  It was truly a blessing to have so many girls/women in my life to speak truth and to challenge me.  Campus Outreach brought so much to my life through Summer Beach Project, New Years Conference, and CCP to Thailand.  I know that the Biblical training that I got through CO was priceless and I'm so thankful for that.  Then, that third year, I met that stud that you see in the picture below.  Josh pursued me at a time that I thought I was called to singleness. :) I never saw it coming!  He loves the Lord and he loves me.  It doesn't get any better than that.  I've spent the last year of college married to this amazing man and loved every second of it.  I'd have to say that these past 4 years were the best of my life.  It was a fun day to celebrate those memories!

The Sweetest Day :)

Our wedding was so great... so much better that I would have ever imagined. It was so great to spend Friday and Saturday with our best friends.. after the rehearsal we did bachelor/bachelorette parites. The boys played flag football in the mud, and then went to Buffalo Wild Wings, to chow down. The girls went to Kirin for sushi, and then stayed at Heather's house after. Fun Night! :)

Saturday was absolutely perfect. The ceremony was so special to us, although it felt like it went by so fast! Then the reception... We had a blast! It was hard to get around and talk to everyone, there were some people that we never got to speak to at all! The reception also went by so fast! Before we knew it we were walking to our car and headed to Baton Rouge! As soon as we drove away, I started crying... and I don't think I stopped until we made it to the hotel! Poor Josh, had no idea what was going on! It just hit me as we were leaving that we were really leaving. We weren't going to Baton Rouge, and then coming back next week for our normal lives... but we were going to be living in Beaumont! I was very excited about that, but for some reason it just hadn't hit me that we were really going to be away from our friends and family and everything that we were used to in Hammond!

On the way home, Sunday morning, we were talking about the wedding and about everyone involved. We both agree that we have some of the most amazing people in our lives and we are so very thankful for that! Everyone from our families who planned the wedding...to each one of our awesome friends in the bridal party... to all of our family and friends who have supported us! We love you all!

Check out the rest of our pictures under the "Josh and Brittany" album:

www.laurencarroll.smugmug.com

Our photographer was great! Awesome pictures and wonderful to work with!

Lauren Carroll

Hammond, LA

www.laurencarrollphotograpy.com

The Proposal: February 24, 2010

It all began on Tuesday night! I came home from my AOII meeting, and there was a red rose and a card sitting on the counter. The card said that we would be going on a date the following night and that he had gotten me off of work. He gave me a few instructions. 1. We couldn't talk at all until he picked me up from the date. 2. I had to be in bed for 11, because I had to be awake and downsairs for 7am!

So, Wednesday morning I came downstairs at exactly 7 am, and two of my very best friends (Hannah and Jenee) were waiting in the kitchen for me, each with a rose. They had prepared breakfast for us, and also had my 2nd card from Josh! This card said a bunch of sweet things, but my only instructions were to not skip class. So I enjoyed the quality time with the 2 awesome girls until my 10:00 class.

In my psych class, one of our friends, Brett, walked in with another rose and card! This card had super sweet stuff :) and told me to go immediately after class to the Reeves' for lunch with Tomara. This was so exciting because I had been dying for time with her! So, she had a great lunch ready for us, and we had a few hours of awesome conversation. And, of course, I got to hang out with my friends, Landon and Daxton (her 2 boys). When it was time for me to leave, Daxton brought me a rose with a huge smile and 2 precious dimples!

Every day I pick up Clayton from school at 3:00. His mom, Mrs. Cassie, had called me earlier in the day to see if I would just walk Clayton inside and make sure he was confortable because the door had been unlocked all day. When I did this, Clayton took off to the counter, and turned around with a rose and card! He was so excited to tell me that Josh had dropped that off for me! This card sent me to the top of our parking garage on campus where I would meet two special people. Josh also told me to try and wear a purple shirt (because that is what I wore on our first date).

As I drive to the top of the parking garage, I am so nervous and have no idea what to expect. When I get up there, there is noone! But, when I drive a little farther, Esther and Hannah pop out from behind a door each with a rose! These are two more of my favorite people that I never get to spend good time with! So, we had from 3:30 to 7 together! We went to TJ Maxx for a purple sweater, and then they stayed with me while I got ready.

Josh picked me up at 7, and I was so excited to finally get to talk to him! We could have sat on the couch all night and it wouldn't have mattered! But, we had reservations at Kirin (which is where we had our first date), so we had to leave! He had reserved the exact same table that we sat at on our 1st date! We had so much fun eating sushi and just talking. He asked if I wanted to go walk and swing at the park before we headed back, and of course I did! We always do that when we are downtown. So, as we are walking towards the swingset he stops me and says that he has one more thing to give me, so we sit on the bench. He told me that he finally finished my Valentine (which was funny because on Valentine's Day he said that he was trying to make me one but didn't finish). He gives me a card made out of 2 red hearts cut out of construction paper. On the front it says, "To: My Brittany" which is what all of the cards said. At the bottom it said, "1 more question.." When I opened it, I read, "WILL YOU?" in big letters! Then, he got on one knee and opened his little black box and said, "Brittany Kae, I love you, Will you marry me?"!! ahhh! I was so excited that I forgot to get the ring or say yes! I just hugged him as hard as I could! But, of course, both things were accomplished within minutes. After we finally left the park, we called our families, and then some of our friends came over to celebrate with us!

It was the most amazing proposal. Perfect Day and Perfect Night!