18 Years Old

Do you Remember when you couldn't wait to turn 18? How you thought that all of life's worries were going to change! How you couldn't wait to make those "Adult decisions" on your own! Ohhhhh...... those were the days!
Well today I'm celebrating being 18 years old! I'm not talking about my age....
 I'm way over that (25,shhhh... don't tell)!
 Today I'm talking about being in LOVE for 18 years! I met Brandon Britton 18 years ago today!

 Ever heard of High Rock?

          Well, I AM a Mississippi Girl, and even I have never been to a swimming hole! I was really a little disgusted by it all!!

But, I am a girl of adventure, so why not!

Brandon came by chance, if that is what you would like to call it.( And, I thought he liked my best friend's sister!!!!)

He was kind of shy. Really nice.And kind of a sports nut. Nothing I was used to.

BUT, He was cute! And, I am a girl of adventure! LOL!

He asked me out for that night and the rest is history!

                                                                      I WAS IN LOVE!

He was the best thing that ever happened to me. And, I knew it. We didn't leave each others side.

I didn't know that love could be so strong.

If I hurt, he hurt.
If I cried, he cried.
If I smiled, it was because of him.

Now, a friend of mine once told me that I shouldn't paint such a perfect picture of marriage. I must say, ours has never been perfect. But, it has always been worked on. If we hurt each other, we try to fix it. As, with every relationship we have. It takes work. But....

                                                                  LOVE NEVER FAILS

When we said I do....... it meant FOREVER.

When I make him mad, I apologize and we work together to make it right again.

He has hurt me. And, I him. But, we never give up.

We strive to choose the right paths.We fail sometimes. But, the love is still there. It is what keeps us glued together.

When God chose Brandon Britton for me, he knew just what I needed.

   Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

The Lord knew that Brandon needed to be all of these things so that I could survive.

Because, besides Him, Brandon is my ROCK.

He is patient with me, even when I  don't deserve it.

He is always kind.

He does not boast in being the man of the house. Nor, is he arrogant or rude about it.

He lets me work with him to fix our problems.

He is not irritated  because I fail. He knows I'm  human. And, he forgives me when I do.

He strives to lead our family to greatness.

He is LOVE.

He belongs in my heart because, that is where God put him.

Now.... when I was 18 years old, I had no idea what God had in store for me. But, I did know that meeting Brandon was some kind of wonderful. I was turned around from the life I was living and I knew I needed some kind of special person to get me there.

Here he was.

Right before my eyes.

I had no idea what journey God would take me on when we married.

But, I wouldn't want to walk in anyone elses shoes.

I love you Brandon Britton.

Thank you for 18 beautiful years!
   

                                                                Of the best years of my life!

Just Me!

Now let me start by saying....

I AM a thinker!
I AM a list maker!
I AM an organizer!

 I love all of these things about me in small doses. But, sometimes I...... well, OVERDO them! The past few weeks a lot has happened in the Britton household. If you know much about me, you know I don't share much of my life with others. I mean, real stuff. Yes, I post on face book about all that we do and all that I LOVE. But, I don't speak out when I want to. I don't stand up when I need to. I second guess every word that I say and every word that I hear.

 Well, I have felt like I was going to BLOW UP this week. I would just look at Brandon and say, "I don't know what to do next?"

 I finally called a friend, which I never do, and told all. It was liberating! I told her that I had so much going on that I felt I needed a list to keep up with all of it. It wasn't a list of things to do, people to see,or places to go; that I would normally make. But, I needed a list to keep my thoughts in order. A list to concentrate and process what I was thinking about before I went on to the next thought.

 I HAD to take control of my wandering mind before it took control of me. I'm learning new things about myself these days. I feel FREE when I share my thoughts. I am learning to have faith in others when I need to talk. I am moving on. I don't need the approval of those around me that don't love me anyway. I don't have to please anyone but my Lord. He is the one that controls me and He is the one that I answer to. He is the one that loves me for being....... Just ME!
AMEN.

Hazy

I watched you sleeping quietly in my bed
You don't know this now but there's some things that need to be said
And it's all that I can hear, It's more than I can bare

What if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me
If I forgot who I am,
Would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazy

I watched you sleeping quietly in my bed
You don't know this now but there's some things that need to be said
And it's all that I can hear, It's more than I can bare

What if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me
If I forgot who I am,
Would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazy

What if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me
If I forgot who I am,
Would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazy

Creative Therapy



Last week was yucky, and Monday is normally pretty blah...... But, not yesterday!!! It was my annual "Hobby Lobby All Day Long Fest!!!!" I ran away early yesterday morning and tried to have as little contact as possible with the technology. At one point Brandon even sent a text which said, "M.I.A?" Well, I looked, touched and dreamed about what I was going to do with all the treasures I had found. I even made new friends : ) I  had a grandma follow me around for two hours. She enjoyed my adventure as much as I did. I know I must have gone down the same two aisles thirty times!! Yes, I WAS there THAT long!!!! Once I made my final decisions, I hurried home to get started. I made necklaces, earrings and braclets. I had so much fun! My LOVE for owls is definitely present in the pieces.I can't wait to get more chains (they were not half off this week) so that I can use the rest of the beads that I have. When I got ready to leave a lady asked me, "What are you doing with all of this?" I said, "Nothing, its just therapy!!!"

These Shoes Are Made For Running

Who would have EVER thought I would be running? Six months ago I hated even thinking about walking! I could not understand why in the world anyone would ever want to do that to themselves. Well, I'm hooked! If you know me, you know it's all or nothing for me. Never half done. That is just annoying and lazy! Well, I did my first 5k in June and I thought I'd die! I was embarrassed crossing the line with just a few people left behind me to cross over. But, I was also beaming because of the success of finishing.That was only the beginning of what I am doing with my life now. Everyday I wake up and I see the changes yesterday made. My confidence is growing and my level of adventure is endless. I'm now doing the half marathon. My new friends that I have met are beautiful in every way. They encourage me so much and Brandon is extremely supportive, as usual.So, now when I tie my shoes it's more than a bow I learned to make as a child. It's a start to a new ME. Cause these shoes are made for running and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these shoes are gonna run right past you! :-)He He!

The Simple Things

Brandon came home today and showed me a blog post that belonged to one of his best friends. I absolutely LOVED it. And, if you know anything about me... I LOVE a lot of things. They can be as simple as my Hydrangea blooming or a chocolate kiss from my husband. I try to focus  on little things to LOVE throughout the day. I even add them to my calendar, so they are always there for me to remember. I connected so much with her blog post. And, the simplicity of the things she found in life to satisfy her. As always, he encouraged me to start my own. I think it will be a good way to express all of these crazy feelings I have had lately. I hope you will join me in appreciating the little things in life and sometimes the big, like having a great family to support you. 


Jade