Brandon and Brittany's Blog

I'm so in love

2012-01-13T14:54:00.001-08:00

ENOUGH SAID :)

Great Gord!!

2011-12-03T14:50:00.001-08:00

How my life has changed (for the better)!! Having a child has brought me so much joy and happiness. I could have never imagined how much love I would feel for this little critter. The stretch marks and the cellulite were so worth it (and I feel dumb for even worrying about it now). As I'm typing this Colton is making all the coos he can and when I look at him he just gets this big old smile on his little face. His smile makes me smile.

It is so neat watching him grow and develop. Just last week he rolled over for his first time (10 weeks old) and boy was the expression on his face priceless when he realized what he could do.

He cracks me up. I find my self laughing out loud all the time because of him. Here are some more pics of the little guy. I am so in love.

A week from tomorrow I go back to work. I cant' tell you how hard that is going to be for me. I have already cried some tears just thinking about it. It will only be a couple days a week but they are 12 hour shifts and I just don't know if I can go that long without seeing him. I also have to work Christmas Day :( I'm stressing over how the whole breastfeeding thing is going to work out. Sometimes I get so busy at work that I barely have time to take a 10 minute lunch break. How am I going to fit in pumping at least 3 times during the day? I've been praying for strength through this whole thing. I know everything will work out as it should. It will be hard at first but I know it will get easier.

Other updates...Brandon is working two jobs. He has been soooo busy. He put in a 72 hour work week a couple weeks ago!! CRAZY MAN. He also just started his Masters degree program through NAU. I am so proud of him! His great work ethic, brains, and ambition make me fall even more in love with him. He is lovin being a daddy and is so good at it. He has already asked me when he can take Colton hunting. Gosh...gotta love men.

12 more weeks and I will be graduated from school!! I can't wait to be done with school. It has been a challenge trying to write papers while taking care of a fuss bucket but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm also training for a 1/2 marathon. My friend Jackie and I are doing it together in January. I'll let you know the outcome. I did it a few years ago and couldn't even walk the next day. Maybe it was because I thought I didn't need to train for it, gosh was I dumb.

I hope every one had a nice Thanksgiving! God Bless!!!!

UPDATES...

2011-11-22T22:50:00.000-08:00

to come shortly!

An Inspiration

2011-07-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

My Grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago! What an extraordinary accomplishment that very few reach. I'm so proud and hope one day Bran and I will be there too!

Congrats Gram and Gramps!

Being pregnant ain't no walk in the park

2011-06-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

So for those of you that don't know, we are having a baby boy!! We will name him Colton! As of Monday, I am 24 weeks pregnant. I am huge and people aren't afraid to let me know :) I have to admit that being pregnant is not so fun. Between the frequent flatulence, the emotions, the rude comments, and trying to balance working full time/school full time on top of pregnancy, it's HARD!!!! My poor husband has been a trooper through it all and I just know the end product will be all so worth it.

Here I think I'm around 19 weeks or so

So I just got to tell you the rude things people have told me while I've been pregnant. At first I was a little taken aback that people could be so rotten but now it's all kind of comical.

The first comment was, "Wow Brittany, your cheeks look fatter from the last time I've seen you, don't worry though, it'll go away when you have the baby!".

Second comment, " My nose got big when I was pregnant, it looks like yours is too!"

Third comment (the worst one), " Brittany are you having a boy?", "Yes, I am, how did you guess (I now regret asking how she knew)?", "Because you're really ugly and people that have boys are generally ugly during their pregnancy while people that are having girls are usually beautiful during pregnancy." (I could feel my cheeks start to turn bright red at this point, and I just remember laughing and saying, wow that was really mean!) Then she proceeded to tell me that my face looked fat!!!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW MEAN THAT WAS????? My nurses aid was standing right there when she said it and I just remember her jaw dropping when she heard what I heard. Can you believe I didn't burst out crying right then and there?

I can assure you I lived through these comments and even though they hurt my feelings (yes I am human and have feelings), I can now laugh about them (I hope you can too)! Below is a picture of me at 24 weeks, I'm not ashamed to show you how big I've become.

O GARSH...Just kidding!!!!! Shame on all of you who believed that was really me in the pic and God Bless the poor lady who actually is!

By the way, church on Sunday had such a great message...be "pro-people". I just want to tell all of my friends out there that I love each and every one of you. We all go through icky times in life and the important thing is to remember that you don't have to carry the burdens on your own. I'll always be here for you guys no matter what and I'm not afraid to share your burdens too if it means it will help you with whatever you're going through. Love you! xoxoxoxo

Holy Smuckers!

2011-03-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it!!!! My time has finally come! If you haven't noticed the little baby floating around on my blog then I must tell you... I AM PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY HOOOO!!!!!!! I am so excited! As of today I am 11 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I have been very nauseous and up until a few days ago, very exhausted. Brandon is very happy about the little person growing inside me and has finally accepted that we don't need to have ALL our bills paid off before we have a kid. Shoot if that were the case, I'd probably be dead before we even tried to conceive! I know he's trying to be financially smart but hey, I want to have babies!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a U/S of our baby at 9 weeks! He/she has got Brandon's head....awwww. J/K Bran! xoxo

Even though life has been exciting with the news of becoming pregnant, I have also been feeling so sad. Work has been terrible and friends have been so distant. Sometimes I feel so alone. The only person I have to talk to is my husband. My mom is always busy with work and I don't want to burden her with my problems. I know God will help me get through what I'm feeling, I just need to be positive, be patient, and thrive on the blessings I do have ( like the little person growing inside me!).

What's New in Berts World?

2011-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting...

I'm back to the books. I started school in January to obtain my BSN. I can't say I love it. I don't really know why I'm doing it...job security I guess. Research paper after research paper...by the time I am done I will have written a whole book! It's overwhelming but I know in the end I will look back and be glad I did it.

It's hard to believe it's already the end of January! It's crazy to me how fast time flys by. With what happened in Tucson a few weeks ago and a recent death of a coworker, the start of 2011 hasn't been the happiest. It's so important to cherish life and all its little blessings. It's way too short not to.

Christmas was good, lots of happy memories were made with family! I worked Christmas Eve though which was a bummer because its the first time I missed celebrating Christmas Eve at my Grandparents house...it's always been tradition to go there.

Brandon has been doing good. His work hours have been cut so it is a little scary. God is in control though, He'll take care of us!

I hope everyone has an amazing 2011. Let's make it a goal to cherish this year like no other, put God in the center of our hearts, make peace with ourselves and our enemies, and love like there's no tomorrow!

Proud to be an American!

2010-11-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

The day before Veterans Day I got invited to take part in a event with the Cowgirls Historical Foundation http://www.cowgirlshistoricalfoundation.com/ . It was a neat experience to say the least. We put on a show for the veterans and even taught them how to line dance. I felt pretty stupid trying to teach people how to dance when I myself don't really know how, but hey, we had a blast. I met a lot of neat people and it made me even more grateful for the men and women serving our country to keep us free. This picture is of us with Cindy McCain.

While on the subject of being grateful...Thanksgiving is coming!!!!! My most favorite Holiday. Because I feel it is always necessary to thank God for the Blessings he has given me I would like to make a list of things I am thankful for.

Thank you God for...

1. Jesus Christ (thank you for your ultimate sacrifice on dying on that cross to save our sins, without you...what is hope?)

2. My husband ( thank you Brandon for making me a better person, you are such an amazing Man.)

3. My family and friends (thanks for all your support and love, you help me through those tough times.)

4. My dog (I'm scared of most dogs but not you Blue, thanks for making me laugh from the ridiculous things you do.)

5. My job (what a love-hate relationship I have with my job... even though I despise my job most days, I love how it pays the bills.)

6. My home (Thanks for keeping me cool in the summer and warm in the winter, home is truly where the heart is!)

7. Mac Makeup (Thanks for covering my flaws and helping me feel decent, I know they say natural is better but hey, I wasn't born with porcelain skin.)

8. My freedom (Thanks God for letting me be raised in a Country where I can go to church without being shot.)

9. My country roots ( I wouldn't want to be any other way, I love that I hunt and fish and get a little dirty sometimes. You can still be girly and shoot deer. Did you know they make camo just for girls with pink emblems and stitching....can you say hott!)

10. Music (o how i love music! Songs that take you back to yesterday are the best! There ain't nothing like a good ol' country song or a bluegrass gospel. The way music moves people is so spiritual to me. I remember playing "How Great Thou Art" on my violin with my friend Brooke and her sisters at her church and I remember looking out at the church and it looked like everyone was crying. It was such an amazing experience to create something so moving!)

With so much to be happy about there is a sad reality that there are a lot of people that won't have a Thanksgiving dinner simply because they can't afford it or they don't have family to share it with. My heart goes out to these people. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ and they deserve a warm dinner too. Don't forget to think of these people and say a prayer for them. Canned food is always needed.

Hope everyone has a safe, fun, and memorable Thanksgiving. With all my love,

Britt

Want a Challenge?

2010-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Then try this...

This is so flippin hard (maybe it's because I'm challenged in the flexibility/balance department), I bought the DVD from target and tried it and it was crazy difficult. Jillian makes you do these weird, awkward poses and it's embarrassing! I will say though, I really think it works! The few times I have tried it I have been so sore I couldn't even barely walk the next day. Try it!

Has it been a year already?

2010-07-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time sure does fly. I can't beleive it has been a year since my last blog post. So much has happened since my last post. It cracks me up to re-read some of my previous entries. Man I am a huge dork!

Since my last post I have gotten hitched, bought a house, finished my quilt, got a freak dog named blue (he's insane), switched to the day shift, voluteer weekly at a christian based crisis pregnancy center, made a new best friend that I am so happy to have in my life, and the list keeps going (I won't bore you though). These are all pretty happy things but I've also had my share of unhappy things too since my last post. That's life though and most the time life has treated us very good, we are blessed.

We are just enjoying our life being married. Marriage has been great so far! I was lucky to have married my best friend. I keep pressuring Bran to try for kids but he just isn't quite ready...yet. He told me early next year we can start trying for them. I have been so anxious to have kids but I need to realize that this time I have with Brandon (with just us two) is something I need to cherish and not rush. I know things will change once we have little ones, there won't be anymore just me and Bran time. It is very hard though not to be anxious about it. Pretty much all my good friends are mommies and seeing how much joy their little one's bring them gets me excited to have them. Children are such precious little miracles....I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures. I'll try to not go a year again without updating this blog. I don't have very many readers but it is fun to look back on some of the stuff I have written about in the past. Enjoy, and as always, GOD BLESS:)

Our dog BlueOur First Christmas Tree

Bachelorette Party

Wedding

Blog Bum

2009-07-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

So I have decided that I desperately need to blog. I haven't done it in quite a while and I have to apologize for the lack of ambition in doing so. Thanks for all of you who gave me some good advice on my last blog post, it's always comforting to know that other's (not just me) have gone through the same trials and have overcome them. Just as an update, things are going better between my grandma and I, she even let me buy her lunch the other day!

Anyways part of the reason why I haven't blogged in so long is the fact that I have been insanely busy. From planning a wedding, to starting a new career, to even trying to purchase a house; life has been crazy! It's all happening at once!

Brandon graduated from Nuclear Medicine school in May. He actually got an award for "Top Nuclear Medicine Student", I'm proud to say he had the highest GPA in his class...what a stud! He got hired at both Banner Desert and Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center as a on-call tech. We are praying for a full time position opening soon!

Below is a couple pictures...

Here is a pic of the house we have a contract on.

It's very clean/cute inside. The only thing that has to go is the mint green countertops! Not really my style!

Here is a picture of the quilt I'm making for Brandon. It's a hunting quilt. This is what I do on the night's I have to stay up late for work. It keeps me sane. It's a very tedious process. I'm finished with the "cutting" part and now it's ready for the "sewing" part. I'm excited for the outcome.

Sorry that this blog is so boring. You'd think that with everything going on in our life there would be something other than boring to blog over, but really there ain't. I'm ready to get outdoors and go fishing or something. Usually this time of year Bran and I are up north catching trout or sitting a water hole watching a herd of elk come in to it. We've just been way too busy to enjoy these things. I miss it :( In the end, it just makes the simple things in life that much more special.

God Bless

Why does religion gotta be so complicated?

2009-05-19T00:45:00.001-07:00

So I'm in need of some advice and comfort. Here's the deal, some of you may know the story and some of you may not. I was raised a Catholic girl. Went to church every sunday, went to sunday school every week, went on church retreats regularly, and even got confirmed as a Catholic. Up until a couple years ago I did everything a good Catholic does, but, I never felt right about the religion.
I started going to a non-denominational church. It was this church that changed my life. I felt a freedom I've never felt. I felt like I was closer to God than ever. This church didn't place judgements on people, anybody that entered its doors could get the body of christ (not just the members), I didn't have to confess my sins to a priest in order for them to "go away", I no longer felt guilty for my mistakes, but finally forgiven. There were no man made rules telling me what I could and couldn't do but rather it encouraged me to do what God wants me to do in life. A weight had lifted off my shoulders, and finally I felt like I was in the right place to finally grow in Christ.

So here's the problem. My Grandma on my mom's side is all about Catholicism. She doesn't know anything else but that religion. When Brandon asked me to marry him I had to make a very very hard decision, do I get married in the Catholic Church, or do I get married in the place I want to get married? With lots of prayers and lots of time, I decided that I needed to follow my heart and not get married in the Catholic Church. Telling my Grandma this was like putting a knife in her heart. She wouldn't talk to me for days, she wouldn't even tell me she loved me. This killed me because I was the closest granddaughter to her, and I am the first grand kid getting married.

Last weekend my family got together for my cousin's graduation. My grandma was there. She never asked about how Brandon was doing ( I think she thinks it is him who encouraged me to switch religion's). She has never once asked about the wedding. I would catch her staring at me throughout dinner (and it wasn't a nice stare). I'm just so depressed because I feel like an awful person to be putting my grandma through this, to let her down in such a way. My relationship with her is never going to be the same and that is what hurts me the most. I do know though that I would always regret my decision to get married in a Catholic Church. It would be hypocritical and wrong. I need some encouragement through this because it really gets me down. Sorry this is so long. I needed to get this out though.

Momma's Day

2009-05-10T01:26:00.000-07:00

This blog is for my mom. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful role model in my life. This woman is one of the most beautiful, hardworking, dedicated, and selfless people I have ever met. Her personality is contagious and any one who meets her falls in love. She is the prime example of love and I could never ask for more in a mother. I wanted to take the time to thank her for everything she does. Thanks mom for all the great advice you have given me throughout the years, thanks for having the ears to listen when I'm feeling down and the wise words to speak to lift me up, thanks for the discipline when I needed it, thanks for the humor that made me laugh until I cried, thanks for not only keeping your marriage but also making marriage look easy, thanks for all the great memories you have given me, thanks for always being yourself, thanks for putting Christ in my life, but most of all, thank you for your friendship. You are very loved, and very very special to me. Happy Mother's Day!

Gobble Gobble

2009-04-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday after work I headed up North for some good ol' turkey hunting. I went with Brandon, his brother, and his dad. Even though we had fifty mile per hour winds, the hunting trip turned out to be pretty fun. I decided I like turkey hunting. It is totally a girls perfect hunt. All we did was drive around in a truck and about every mile or so, Brandon and his dad would get out of the truck and use the turkey call to try and get one to gobble. If one would gobble we would have to get out of the truck, hike a little ways, and keep using the call until we got the turkey to come in. Because of the wind though, this proved impossible. The turkey's couldn't hear the call! So we just drove around and around, and I got to sleep! We actually ended up coming home early because the wind was so bad. The season opens again in mid May so we will probably try it again then. Clint's uncle (Brandon's best friend's uncle) is supposed to go with us on that one and I guess he's a turkey callin' son of a gun. We are sure to come home with gobbler's!

On our trip we saw tons of Elk, a porcupine, and a badger. I've never seen a badger and a porcupine in the wild so that was pretty neat!

Some other exciting news happened to me on Thursday (please don't interpret this as me tooting my own horn). On Wednesday I took my boards to get my RN and on Thursday I found out that I passed them. I am very excited about this, but at the same time very stressed. I start working nights tomorrow.

Sorry I don't have any pictures. I took my camera hunting but totally forgot I had it until I got home.

Fun at the Zoo!

2009-04-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

I like animals, Brandon likes animals. We both had the weekend off so we decided to go to Wildlife World Zoo clear over in Litchfield Park. We are both big ol' kids at heart so we were excited with this plan. It was a neat place. I thought it was way cooler than the Phoenix Zoo. We got to get really close to the animals. Of course Brandon always finds a way to embarrass me. He decided to wear his camo hat to the zoo. He kept doing varmint calls at the animals and people were looking at us like we were killers and evil people. I kept hitting him the whole time to stop but he just couldn't handle himself. He threatened to pretend to draw back an imaginary bow and arrow like he was going to kill the wild deer. I was extremely scared at this threat, I promised to buy him cotton candy if he didn't do that. Of course he took my offer. I knew nothing would get past the cotton candy.

We went to the petting zoo and I think we were the only adults in there. Brandon drug me into the petting zoo by my shirt because I didn't want to go. I particularly don't care for goats trying to eat my jeans and my purse. Brandon was excited to feed the deer. He would show the goats and the deer that he had food in his hand and fifty of them would swarm to him like children swarm to the ice cream man in mid-summer. I would run away from them when they tried to swarm me and they would follow me like piranhas, it was scary. I was glad when Brandon ran out of food to feed them, that meant we could leave.

Overall our Zoo trip was pretty dang fun. I can't wait to have little one's one day and see how they react to all the little critters at the zoo, that will make for some good memories. Here are some pictures. Sorry I only took two. I like turtles so I just had to take one of the turtle.

I guess Brandon had the sun in his eyes, poor little feller.

Am I too turtley for the turtle club?

With Spring, Comes Breaks!

2009-03-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I went to Pinetop during spring break. I've got to say, it was pretty darn nice to get away for part of the week. We didn't do much. Just sat around the cabin, watched movies, ate, and enjoyed our time together. We did try our luck at some fishing, but we didn't catch anything. Oh well...maybe next time. I just love being up north!

I love it when Brandon actually smiles for the camera.

My Besty is in Town!!!

2009-03-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am so excited because my bestest friend ever is in town! She moved to Texas about a year ago with her husband Nich so he could finish up school. I have missed her like crazy! You can imagine how happy I was when I finally got to see her again. This time she brought back with her someone very special. His name is Weston! What a cutey pie he is. Brooke gave birth to this handsome man all natural, not even pain meds! What a tough cookie!!!

My Dream Came True

2009-03-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday the 12th of March 2009 was one of the most memorable nights of my life. I graduated from school! I can't believe the journey is now coming to an end. What a trek it has been! I have dreamt of becoming a nurse ever since I was a little girl. It's amazing how perserverence and dedication pay off. I couldn't have achieved this goal without the support of Brandon, my parent's, my grandparent's, my inlaws, my brother, my cousin Garrett, and of course God.

I have always said that God gave me health so I could serve the sick. I am so excited to live out God's will in serving other's by doing it everyday in my career. How could that get any more rewarding? Here are some pictures of my big day. Brandon graduate's in May from Nuclear Medicine School!

Heather Me Nikki

Cyndie Howard Me Brandon My Family!
Me