Lip Syncing Kid

Happy Friday!!!!!!!!

So today I have to go to the dentist.... AAAHHHHH!

But I thought I'd leave you with this happy little video of Emily singing her heart out to the awesome new Rascal Flatts song "Easy" feat. Natasha Bedingfield. 

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Love you friends!
-Bridgette

Emily's Best Friend

We are currently living in Phoenix, Arizona. We have lived here before (around 5 years ago) and we made friends with a few other couples. None of us had children then and now we all have children that are about 6-8 months apart. It's funny how the timing all worked out. 

Emily has grown very close to one little girl. She will jump for a minute straight if I say we are going to visit her. It's really very sweet. 

Just last week this sweet family welcomed another baby girl into their family, so we went to visit and give them a little break by taking the big girls to the pool! Here's a couple pics of best-friend-ness. The cuteness is too much to handle. 

Best Friends

 Oh and on a separate note.... I've framed the little art project that Emily and I worked on this month. You can check it out here if you didn't already see it.

 I bought 2 frames from IKEA and hung them in my hallway... I'm happy with them! And The whole project only cost me $3.00! (that's the cost of the frames. I already had all of the other supplies!!!) Awesome!

I'm a Horse with Blinders

What I mean by that is this:

When things get frustrating, tough, or I feel stuck,
this is what I do...

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Instead of doing this...

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Neither one is better than the other, both options avoid or ignore the issues bothering them.
I've realized that I'm the horse with blinders... I just keep plowing ahead, pretending that the stuff I can't see isn't there. Much like burring my head in the sand... except then I wouldn't be able to move.... and I'd much rather have my baggage on wheels, at least then I have the illusion of freedom.

I'm having one of those seasons. One where I am sucking it up and carrying on. I do realize that life isn't always what you want or expect. And how you deal with that is the true test of your character.

{source} also on my board at {Pinterest}

So here's my situation now:
I wish, wish, wish, I could work from home, then I could be with my daughter again. Since we moved to Arizona I haven't been able to work from home. And I really miss it. At the same time I really am so thankful for my job and the opportunity that God has brought me! But it doesn't change the fact that my heart longs to be at home, with my daughter, on my own time, and free to be creative and also provide for my family.

So this is where I become an adult. I do the things that I need to in order to raise a family, because it's better for the good of others. That's called being responsible. At least to me anyway.

I do think it's possible to make the choice to be responsible and NOT wear the blinders. I know I haven't found this balance yet and all to often I find my self without peripheral vision, bull-dozing down the street with fancy wheeled baggage. I guess I just plow along until the scenery changes. But that can't be good either.

{source} also on my board at {Pinterest}

So in light of the question above. I decided to have fun with my daughter and my husband, and to find the good in this season of tough. I'm keeping my chin up, and choosing to keep my peripheral vision intact. I'm thankful for the provision the Lord has brought my way and I'm going to learn to be content. I still have a drive and passion for all things creative, but I will do the responsible parts with a happy heart. That's the difference!!!!

And I seriously love this picture. Chin up and Dance!

{source} also on my board at {Pinterest}

So you say it's your Birthday!!! Well it's my birthdy too!

I'm 31 yrs old today!!!! And so is my husband!

Yes it's true. My husband and I have the same birthday! We were both born on August 11, 1980. He was born in West Palm Beach Florida, and I was born at Luke Air force Base in Arizona (near Phoenix). He is a whole 8 hours older than I am... thank the Lord, cause I couldn't have married a younger man! Pshaw!

Today is also cool cause now I've known my husband for more years than I haven't known him! I meet the man of my dreams when he was a boy, we were 15 yrs old! 

I think we are around 16 or 17 here!

He fell madly in love with me! ;) I had a huge crush on him, but I lived in California and he lived in Texas.... How would it EVER work!!??!!?

Well little did we know that I would move to Texas with my family only a year later! We were inseparable from that point on. Both of us just wanting to stay friends. (We never spoke to each other about how we felt until we were 19 yrs old!)

Probably around 19 or 20 here!

We were buddies and we built a very strong foundation of friendship. It was that friendship that grew into love and then marriage! We married at the young age of 22, but I wouldn't of had it any other way!

May 10, 2003

 And then in 2009 we welcomed our daughter  into the world.

January 29, 2009

Our life has been a journey! One that gratefully joined early on in our little lives! Thank you Lord for my husband and our births and the life that has now come from that! Happy Birthday Love, oh and Happy Birthday me!

Cute Toddler - Future awesome husband!

That's Me!

That's Us! Our first Bday as a couple!!! 20 yrs old

Happy 31st Bday! Love you!

And we made her! The joy of our life! 

And this was the birthday wish from my little munchkin!
Happy Birthday! 
(click the "Happy Birthday" for a cute video)

Love ya!
Bri

What! You don't have my memories???

This is my and my bro, Nick. I think I'm almost 3, and he's a few months old. Anyway, can't you tell I'm obsessed with him! Loved him then and I still do!

I was talking on the phone with my brother Nick a while ago and he said a comment, that he meant no harm by, but it still struck me as odd. When reminiscing about our childhood together he told me "Yeah, but we NEVER got along, we fought like cats and dogs."

At first I was stunned and hurt because I have so, so, so many memories of my brother and I playing, laughing, and building forts. We would sneak around the house looking for christmas presents and try our hardest to convince the other to share what they found. "I know what you're geeeettting!!"

I'm sure he just told me what I was getting... 

 Memories of finding money around the house and running to the PX to buy candy (that was the military bases version of 7-11 or connivence store). Thoughts of teaching him his ABC's or 123's. I remember doting over him when he was a baby and loving on him like he was my very own living doll.

Of course being brother and sister we did fight, especially when he crafted a bow and arrow out of a stick and a rusty ol' nail he found in the yard and then he proceeded to shoot it at me from the top of the stairs. (He just grazed my arm, but it stuck right in the wall behind me!). Or when I got all the underwear from his drawer wet and put them in the freezer, leaving him no underwear for school the next day. (Little did I know how unconcerned 7 year old little boys were about their underwear; whether it was wearing them, or washing them.) Then I did it again at one of his birthday parties (I also got all his friends underwear that time!)

You can't see me but I'm positive that he's aiming that gun at me. Okay, maybe not...

But overall I remember growing up with love between us and having so much fun together as well. We weren't just siblings in my eyes we were companions and friends, who occasionally squabbled... but mostly rough housed and played together.

Here we are exploring

Here we are posing with our pumpkin. (On a side note: I have really matured)

Here are our tiny heads in a little log house. 

Can you feel the LOVE! (Elmyra Duff)

But he doesn't necessarily remember it that way.

Then it struck me. Most of my vivid memories are from when I was older... around 11 or 12... (I have earlier memories, but I'm talking about the most prevalent and quickly recalled memories), and when my brother was 11 or 12, that meant I was 13 and a half or 14 and a half. And of course at that time I didn't want my little brother around me as much. I still loved him, but I wanted my own space to grow, and hang out with my friends, listen to music or talk about all the boys I liked at school. I didn't want my little brother having that knowledge, who would??? The fear that he'd use against me later, or even worse, that he might run up to that boy at school and tell him of my undying love for "insert random boy's name here"! Knowing my mischievous brother, either of these were always an option!



One more story.... Last one I promise!

He once hung a pair of my underwear at the front door, after having colored them brown WITH A MARKER and posting a sign below that read "Bri's Panteees". He did this as soon as we got home from school, then the door bell started ringing, it was all our friends wanting to play. Little did I know I was chatting it up with them while a pair of MY UNDERWEAR was right by my face, on the outside of my house!!! I didn't find out until later when my dad came home from work and asked, "Bridgie, why are your underwear outside by the door?". I was mortified, Nick was elated. And the cutest boy ON-THE-BLOCK came to my house that day! The universe is cruel. (And we obviously thought underwear were hilarious!)

So as hard as it is to realize that my memories don't coincide with his memories... I know that we did love each other very much, and still do. And all I can do is hope that my actions today (nearly 17 years later) can overshadow those adolescent memories he might have.  I know wasn't mean to him at all, my family really instilled in us, a love and care for family. Always saying "In the end all you'll have is family", and "Be good to your family, they are with you forever".

Here I am patiently waiting to hold my baby sister... they are twins.... so why aren't I holding a baby too!!!! That's obviously what I was thinking. 

I'm all for apologizing for past hurts, and admitting when I'm wrong, but in this case I really think it was just a difference in ages and seasons of life.  I don't feel guilt over acting the way I did when I was 13 or 14, I was a growing girl, in many ways (unfortunately none of them vertically. I'm only 5' tall!). Nor do I hold it against him for not remembering all the stuff I do.

Like this winner. I'm the one on the right. Yes I'm a girl. This is when my mom was cutting my hair to look like Dorothy Hamilton... I guess she was cutting Nick's  hair like hers too. I don't know which one to laugh at harder. 

It's natural and healthy to have space between siblings as they grow, change, and mature. I guess this is just another one of life lessons, my actions of love and caring weren't remembered because he was too young, but they did happen and still have a strong hold in my memory. And his memories will not change mine. Although I hope someday that we can build new memories, ones built on who we are today. So now I'll focus my energy in that direction!

Seriously. Love.

Pretty Peacock

So remember when I gave you that little teaser last week????

So after I helped my munchkin make some beautiful art,

I let her go to town on her own art!

I love those little hands, with the little dimples... they slay me.

So after all this fun, I saw something in her artwork:

This is what I saw... 

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So after it dried I grabbed my permanent markers, puffy paint and turned her pretty little art into this:

This is what I could muster up.... Now i know it's no Picasso, but I like it! Now I just need to get it framed! 

Oh and while my back was turned here is what my daughter was doing....

A little war paint never hurt anyone! ;)

I'm just glad that a little internet picture from Project Balancing Act could inspire so much fun with my baby girl! Thanks for watching! 

Love ya,

Bridgette

On the way to a Dream

 

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This is making me smile.

My husband and I had HUGE dreams. We still do!
Our journey to sunny AZ has been a fast, turbulent, weird and blessed one! We thought we were on our way to Australia for a school in film, we had spent the last two years getting our biblical perspective and we thought we were on our way to making culturally relevant evangelical films for different cultures that have yet to be reached with the Good News!! And had we been in Australia, we would have had quick access to the rest of Asia to make this happen!

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Instead our funds dried up. We didn't make much to begin with, but after I lost my side job, we were defiantly NOT making ANYTHING. Let me just say when you can't afford to pay your rent of $550 (which included meals) your in a financial crisis!

So we did the only thing that made any sense. We left our dreams to find jobs. I mean HELLO!!! We have a child to care for! We had to do this!  And since our Bible School was in Los Angeles, we figured we'd go to the closest city that had family and friend connections, and we also happened to love, PHOENIX!

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So we've been here ONE YEAR!!!! And we are working and doing well in a rough economy! We have a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear and we are debt free. God has been good to us. And although we aren't where we thought we'd be at this time, I'm dreaming again about the possibilities.

So If I try to locate myself in this saying,

 

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I think I'm still getting lost from my old dream. I still haven't found the new one. But I am an object in motion, thank the Lord for that!


Love ya!
Bridgette