The Story of Us.

To get started, there is a little backround you need to know behind this story. I grew up in Daphne, Alabama and moved to Texas in May 2007 to work at Camp Tejas for the summer. I wound up falling in love with camp ministry and so decided to stay and intern for the year. Best year of my life. In Summer of 2008, Ryan joined the summer staff. I had never had a boyfriend before. I had never been kissed. I prayed for Ryan for about 4 months before I met him. I just had a feeling. Okay, here we go. 

Ryan came onto summer staff in May 2008. My best friend Meredith had just driven in from San Antonio for our last weekend off before summer started. As soon as we drove in, the first people we met were Ryan and a few of his friends from back home in Pasadena. As soon as I saw him, I looked at Mer and told her I thought he as so cute! Then we introduced ourselves, I realized he was RYAN FLETCHER, the RYAN I had been thinking about for 4 months, and I loved his name. I pretty much made a fool out of myself right there by being overly loud and excited, but oh well. 

This is that boy that I met:

Isn't he so HOT? haha

And, this is the girl He met. I know, go ahead and say it, I should be a model, I know. 

I thought it would be awesome to model some cool clothes we found at a clothes closet we were working at. 

 The first 2 weeks of summer camp are training weeks, and after the training weeks we had a day off. I should go ahead and let you know that the camp we were working at is a Christian camp. One of the many rules that we were asked to follow as summer staff was a no dating policy. Basically, there should be no one on one girl/guy hang time, no  off campus dates, no phone conversations, etc. The point in being at camp is to strengthen your walk with the Lord and serve others. Not to date. After 2 weeks of training, I knew already I liked Ryan. He was such an amazing man, the way he served, the way he made me people laugh, his intensity, I mean, the man was amazing. 

So, our day off came and a bunch of us planned a trip to the river to go tubing. The girls all piled into one car and the guys piled into the other. The whole way there to the river all I could think about was that I was about to spend the next 8 hours floating down the river with my best friends and the guy I like. I was basically on cloud 9. 

Once we got on the river, Ryan had forgotten his sunglasses and so I let him wear my Costas while I would wear a pair of my giant sunglasses. As soon as we got in the water, he lost my Costas. Those are like $200 sunglasses. You know what? I was kind of sad that they were gone, but because Ryan was the one to lose them, I didn't even care. haha! 

As we floated down the river, we all got to laugh and chill and just enjoy each others company. It was such an awesome day. We all got to one part in the river where there was a shoot and we all kind of got seperated, except for Ryan and I. We hooked on to eachothers tubes and floated together for about 20 mintues and got lsot in conversation. I will never forget that first real deep conversation with him. 

After tubing all day, we all went to Olive Garden and then headed home to the camp. 

Then the summer officially started. 

The night after we went tubing I got an email from Ryan. It was about 2 pages long and changed my life. 

He poured encouragement into me like no one had ever done for me before. He challenged me to be the woman that Christ called to be. It was such an amazing thing to be friends with a man who valued me, who didn't take advantage of me, who didn't walk all over me, who was thankful to be friends with me as well. After I read that frist letter my heart was forever changed. I knew right then and there that Ryan Fletcher would be in my life forever. 

The summer went by with a letter every day from him. I resonded and he would write back. We would almost NEVER talk in public though. Our bosses knew what was going on, they were some of my closest friends. All summer we tried our hardest to follow rules. 

Toward the end of July, Ryan left the camp to go to Germany for 2 weeks. It would be the first time all summer that we wouldnt talk at all. When he left, I acutally cried. Alone, of course. I was so sad to see him go. I felt like He was my best friend. 

This is the only picture I have of us from the summer. :(

2 weeks later, he was back. I didnt get a letter or a hello or anything for the first few days he was back. I thought while he was gone all his feelings had changed. Then, my accountability partner, who was his team leader, reminded me of the camp policies and told me not to worry, that Ryan was just trying to be safe. Then, I started to get letters again. 

Summer ended. 

Ryan didn't ask for my number. 

We said goodbye. 

I was so sad. 

I thought it was real, and then he didn't even ask for my number. 

I got home to my grandparents in Brenham. 

I was home for about 3 hours and then I got a phone call. 

It was Ryan. 

He got my number off the camp directory list. 

He asked me to come to College Station for dinner with everyone. 

I couldn't.

I was flying out to Alabama the next morning and needed to pack. 

That was it. 

The next week was spent with me in Bama with my family and friends and him here. We talked on the the phone every night for at least 2 hours. It was such a great time of getting to know each other more. 

I got home the next week and moved to College Station on a Monday. 

On Tuesday I got a phone call from R to see if I would like to grab coffee. 

We went to Sweet Eugene's and had coffee and talked for 3 hours! Then, we headed to Breakaway.

Ryan held my hand for the first time. 

Pitter Patter. 

A week later Ryan came over for breakfast, asked me on our first official "big date".

He was supposed to pick me up at 4pm. Ryan used to ALWAYS be late. He didn't get there until 5:30. So, an hour and a half late, he shows up. I'm a little flustered. I open the door to the most handsome man I had ever seen, holding a dozen white roses. He took my breath away. 

I put them in a vase and we rushed off. 

I had NO CLUE where we were going. 

It was sunset. 

We drove and drove and drove. 

Frank Sinatra was our soundtrack. 

We wound up in Austin on 6th street at a little restaurant called "Z-Tejas".

Perfection. 

After dinner, we went to Zilker Park and Ryan turned up some Frank and we danced under the stars in the park. It was so super romantic. 

Then as we are dancing Ryan whispers in my ear that he is falling in love with me. 

I say I love you back. 

We kiss for the first time. 

My first one ever. 

Perfection.

College Station, a little obsessed with my Mac at that point. 

 After that date, I was pretty much done for. I loved harder than I could of imagined and felt like Ryan was a gift straight from God. 

Ryan took me to meet his parents the next weekend. 

I feel like we look like babies. 

 Then I got invited to his sisters wedding. 

This is one of my favorite pictures ever of us. . 

The next few months were very interesting. 

I moved away from College Station, I hated it. 

I got an internship at a mega church in Houston and moved here in November 2008. 

Ryan and I were finally in the same city. 

Ryan joined the same internship I did in January. 

He moved into the same complex I lived in. 

We saw each other every single day.

I thought it would be great. He thought it would be great. 

It wasn't. 

We had moved way to fast. 

Things started to scare me. 

I started to care more about what other people thought about us. 

I cared less about what I was feeling. 

So, I broke it off in May 2009. 

It was one of the hardest things I had ever done. 

I didn't do it right either. 

I played with Ryan's heart. 

Back and forth.

Back and forth. 

Bless his heart. 

He was persistent. 

He would still pursue me and love me through the entire year we were broken up. 

I went through some rebellion. 

I didn't date any one else. 

I just went through a very different season of growth. 

I graduated from Cosmetology School. 

I went back to work at Camp Tejas for the summer of 2010.

So did Ryan. 

We weren't exactly speaking any more. 

I hurt him pretty bad and he was healing and so he really didn't want to be my friend. 

Then, one day he came up to me at camp and told me he liked another girl, was thinking of pursuing her and wanted me to know before I found out from someone else. 

Lets just say, I didn't like that to much. 

 

This is the day after he told me he liked another girl. ;)

I thought and prayed and talked to some of my mentors for a while and Ryan and I realized that we were still very much in love. 

3 weeks later, summer ended. 

We skipped the last day party and headed to Houston to see and Astros game. 

First date back together. :)

Playing in one of the museams. 

We were back. I was really nervous to let any one know that we had gotten back together, but this time it felt so different. We had both grown up so much. We knew what we wanted. So, I let those who needed to know, know. He, the same. We chose to live our lives with our intent on Christ and no one else. I'm not saying we perfected it, and we messed up a lot. It was/is hard to be in a relationship. But, the 9 months after that first date were perfect. I fell more in love with Ryan and was constantly reminded of the gift Christ had given me. 

May 23, 2011

Ryan proposed. 

Camp Tejas Meadows Campfire

Proposal spot. 

I naturally said, Yes! :)

Photo credit to Paige Meyer. 

 The next few months were filled with lots of pre-marital counseling, wedding date changes, dress shopping, me changing my mind on the vision of our wedding 100 times, bridal showers, brunches, my best friend back home getting engaged and married in 8 weeks, going home 2 weeks before our wedding for her wedding, gaining weight, losing weight, hating my old job, getting a new job, moving out of my apartment, moving in with my in-laws, Ryan going through the fire academy only to be released for medical reasons a week before graduation, being jobless, having no clue what we were doing and getting married. 

All that stress, all that work, all that love, was all worth it.

Every single minute. 

Every single check I had to write. 

Every 2nd, 3rd, 4th job I had to work. 

Every long week of not seeing Ryan. 

It was all worth it. 

On December 10, 2011, I married the greatest man I could ever hand pick for myself. Jesus picked Him for me. 

The feelings then and now are so overwhelming as I think about God's grace on us. How he redeemed us. He brought us out of darkness into light. 

Happiest day of my life. 

 All praise, honor and glory to our Father, Jesus Christ for our lives and our marriage. 

On our honeymoon at The Tower of Americas

.love. 

Brittany

When you have nothing to do...or nothing to write about.

You Pin. 

And then you daydream about making your pins a reality. 

And then you tell your husband about all the amazing projects he you are going to do. 

And he laughs. 

And says, 

"I'll get right on that, sweetheart."

And then I swoon. :)

We are moving into our apartment at the end of April and I can't contain the excitement that wells up inside of me when I think about decorating. Do you have any tips on decorating in a small space? I really want a white slip covered couch and 2 chairs on the sides. Wouldn't that be a lovely seating area? Ryan IS going to make me my tufted ottoman. We already have to table, we just need the other materials. No biggie, right? I'm madly in love with the above pottery barn living room. Its so soothing and warm. I lurve it, and I don't lurve much. :)

I'm going to attempt at making that barn like doors. I seriously think I know how to get 'er done. I'll keep you posted on that asap. 

Any ideas?

I'm thinking about doing a Q&A. Okay, I thought about it, all for 5 minutes, do you wanna ask me some questions? Pretty please, I'm getting kind of lonely here people. Talk to me, oooooooo ooooooooooo, talk to me. 

I was singing. 

Do you know what song that is?

Okay, enough random for one day. 

Tonight I am baby sitting some little munchkins like I do every Wednesday. I love these kids so much!

Happy Wednesday to you! 

Enjoy this hump day and do something fun! I'm thinking about making Thursdays a special date night. Like, Mexican food and Margaritas. Doesn't every one deserve a night like that?

Alright. 

Love you peeps. 

Don't be a stranger. 

Britt

Nothing to say

I have been in such a writing funk lately, I feel like I just haven't had anything interesting to say.

So, I am doing a post of randoms today. Here ya go:

1. The dresser project did not happen as we said it would. The Mr. and I could not decided on what color to do. I really want to be able to accent with pillows and stuff, and so I'm afraid to do any color that will be to loud. I need a neutral that will go with our bedding as well, any suggestions?

2. I started Weight Watchers. Its going pretty well. Its a little difficult to figure out the points value in a homemade meal that I didn't make. Do you know how to do this? 

3. I miss my wedding rings. Did you know that when you go to get your rings sized and re-dipped in white gold that they have to send it away for 2 WEEKS!?!?!?!?! I miss my rings so much! I haven't taken those babies off since that day(s) I got them. I sleep and shower in them and NEVER take them off. Seriously. So, I am counting down the days until February 21st to get them back. 

4. I'm putting together a pretty awesome Valentines gift for my huney. :) I have gone back and forth for several weeks on what to do for him, and I think I may have found exactly what I want to do for him. YAY!

5. I'm longing for friends. Ryan and I have gone to a mega church in Houston for about 3 years. Now that we are in Pasadena, a good 30-45 minutes away from our mega church, we decided we would start trying out churches closer to home so that we could be more involved. This journey is a hard one. I miss the new friendships we were beginning to develop at First and am longing to go back. Ryan wants to be at a smaller church that is closer to home so that we will actually be able to be involved, but we aren't really finding what we want. We just really want to be around other couples who are around our age so that we can grow and learn and be in community with them. Its so tiring and frustrating. Please pray for us. 

6. Spring is a comin. I can not wait for spring/summer. I am not one for cold weather and I can not wait to put on my sandals and shorts all the time. Praise the Lord for winter being mostly 70 degree days. :)

7. Today I miss being a florist. I really miss using the creative side of my brain all the time. It was such rewarding thing to be able to do whatever I pleased design wise in my job. I truly loved the times I could spend on flower arrangements and gift baskets. I day dream consistently about opening my own shop. How much fun would it be to open a studio where I could create everything I've dreamed up for people!?!? Oh, the day. 

8. I love my husband more today than ever. Life is short and we take it for granted. I am a nag. Not all the time, but enough to get on my nerves so I know it gets on his. But guess what? He is so wonderful to not hold it against me. That man loves me and I know it. I am so grateful for him. 

9. Michale Kors. I'm currently obsessed with most things MK. He is a genius.

10. THESE DARN BREAKOUTS ON MY FACE ARE KILLING ME!!! (Side note: Before I got on birth control, I never had breakouts except for 2 days during my monthly cycle.) I have been on 2 different kinds of BC in the past 9 months. The ENTIRE time, I have had some MAJOR breakouts on my chin. They hurt and I look crazy. I started using a different cleansing system on my face, every morning and night, like a good girl, and still, I look like a 12 year old girl going through the change for the first time. It blows. 

That's it. My randomness for the day. 

Maybe tomorrow I will have something more productive to say. 

Thanks for being here. Seriously, you are loved. 

<3

Britt

I did it and I feel good!

Today, I joined Weight Watchers!

I am super EXCITED/NERVOUS!

I can't wait to attend my first meeting, I can't wait to drop my first 5 pounds. 

I am so glad that I finally am to my breaking point. 

I deserve a better life than this, my husband deserves a better life than this. 

So, I officially weigh in on Monday. 

I will keep you all posted. 

Im dying for the accountability. My husband is great and all but his whole frame is 145lbs and he has 2% body fat and he eats ICE CREAM all the time! 

So, I need a different kind of accountability!

YAY! 

Sorry I have been MIA this week! We have been SUPER BUSY at work this week!

Love!

B

Happy Monday!

Does any one else feel like Mondays come the day after Friday? I feel like Saturday and Sunday go by WAY to fast. It makes me so sad when Sunday nights roll around, just knowing I have to set those alarms and wake  up at 6am. What a bummer!

That's okay though, because this weekend was fabulous!

Ryan and I had very specific plans of re-finishing our dresser, but once we got to Home Depot on Saturday morning, we could not agree on the color of the dresser. I really wanted to use Krylon spray paint, but did you know that neither Home Depot or Lowes had very much to choose from? It was such a let down. So we put that project on hold until we could agree and find the right color and spray paint. I am going for a robins egg blue, like super soft and appealing. Do you know where I can find a can of spray paint that's the brand KRYLON in this soft color blue? HELP! Please. :)

So, on Friday night when I got home from work, Ryan and I ventured out to the land of large people (Kelly's Home Cookin) and had breakfast for dinner. I felt so out of place there, even though I'm not a size two, It was just sad to see all the incredibly overweight/unhealthy families in there, chowing down on some monstrously large plates of food. It was kind of gross. 

While we were eating our not even good food, the little man sitting behind us, he was 3, came over to our table with his mom and mom said to me, "My son would like to say hello to you mam" and I said, "HI!" Then his mom looked at him and said, "Go ahead" and the little 3 year old boy in his Levi jeans and cowboy boots, leaned over and WINKED AT ME! It was hilarious! Ryan and I were dying with laughter! I told Ryan he better watch out, that little man was spittin some game. 

After the grossness that was dinner, we went to Home Depot to get the stuff for our project, which they did not have, and we wanted to price some lumber to make our headboard. Fun night, right?

Saturday morning came and Ryan and I had to run a few errands, to the alterations place to hem my new 4$ jeans from GAP, and then to LOWES to get our supplies. Since that didn't work out either, we headed into Marshall's to pick up a gift for Ryan's cousin, Haley. She turned the big 2-1 last week and we had a big family celebration Saturday afternoon. It was AWESOME! We got to her parents house at about 1:30 and it was such a beautiful day that we sat outside until almost 5pm. It was so great! :)

That night consisted of resting until about 8:30 and then we decided to go on our date. The plan was to go to dinner and then a movie at 9:30 or 10pm. We wound up eating at a really nice restaurant, called Cullin's, and didn't even get our food until 10pm! It was NUTS! So, movie was out, especially after our $130 dinner. (Seriously, no steak or crap is worth that amount of money!) 

Sunday we got to sleep in, and I actually slept in until 10am, which is a record for me since I am usually an early riser. We got up, had breakfast, I cleaned, did laundry and got ready for the day. We went a saw a movie, "Man on a Ledge", which was AMAZING! Seriously, go see it, like yesterday! :) Then we just enjoyed each other and went to try out a new church on Sunday evening, it was all older people, like a nursing home, so we quietly exited, then I made banana pudding for Ryan. It was quite the day. 

This week I am praying for patience, self control, discipline and for us to be able to find a new church home and peace in driving home in traffic every day. Please pray for my grandpa who is having surgery on his knee tomorrow, he fell last Thursday and broke something in his knee and will have to have some pins put in. 

Thanks for reading all this. I really appreciate each and every one of you. 

Much love!

Britt

It has been...

One of those weeks. 

I have been a crank all durn week and am so happy its Friday because that means that I can come out of my funk tonight. 

This week was full of junk. 

1.Monday, I woke up late and made the hour long trek into work and then it rained all stinkin day and made me wish for my bed. 

2. Tuesday, I had to wake up and spend my morning in the DPS office to change my name, since I got to marry the Mr.

3. In leaving the DPS office, I got pulled over by a "make me so mad I want to cuss" cop. He called me sweet heart several times, told me he wasn't trying to ruin my day and then preceded to write me a ticket for $260. 

4. I ate TERRIBLY this week. Seriously, self control out the window. 

5. My face decided to break out so bad that it actually is hurting. 

6. I had to start a new birth control. Which is making me VERY emotional, (and break out.)

7. I had the privilege of babysitting for my favorite family on Wednesday, which I love, and then drove home for an hour in bad traffic. Awesome. 

8. Thursday morning, I spent a little bit of my morning in the Social Security office, to change that name. 

9. Thursday afternoon, I left work at 5:30. I didn't get home until almost 7:30. Talk about peeved. I was ticked. 

10. Husband and I had an off week. I was super emotional and needy all week and expected way to much out of my awesome husband, and He could not fulfill all my needs, which is okay, I just didn't appreciate him this week. Sometimes I wonder why God gave me such a wonderful man. I do not deserve his goodness. 

Its Friday and I am praising Jesus for that. 

Ryan and I are going to start on refinishing our dresser tonight, I am super excited about that! Its going to be beautiful! I just know it is!

Tomorrow, we are going to sleep in and I am going to wake up and cook an amazing breakfast in bed for my man and we are going to frolic outside most of the day and celebrate Ryan's cousins birthday. Then guess what tomorrow night is??????

DATE NIGHT! 

People, if you are married, please make sure you go on a date with your man at least once a week. Weather that is to Which Which or The Cheesecake Factory, make it a night just the two of you and get out of the house. Heck, you could even do a picnic. It doesn't have to be fancy. You need intentional time alone together. 

I am so ready for 5:30 I can hardly contain myself. 

Praise the Lord for Fridays. 

Sorry I spent 90% of this post complaining about my "H" of a week, but sometimes, a girls just gotta vent. 

Thanks for "listening".

Much <3

B

What "WE" are gonna do this weekend...

Hey Friends!

I am SO excited to call all 29  of you "friends". What an exciting number! I have been so adament lately about blogging, and let me tell you, I love it! Hopefull we can get to the big 3-0 by the end of February. Fangers Crossed! ;)

On with what I set out to write about today...

Ryan and I are a little different on the decorating side. Well, frankly, we are different on just about every single side. So, in planning for our "May 1st Move Out of the In-Laws", I have begun 'pinning' away lots of ideas on pinterest for our new humble abode. Let me tell ya, I am SO EXCITED!!!! I can barely contain myself when I think of all the little projects I am going to do. 

With that said, Ryans idea of style is basic and brown. Mine is, well, NOT. 

My sweet sister, Julie and her husband, Simeon, gifted us with this not so pretty awesome 6 drawer long dresser when they moved up to Portland last fall. We were thrilled to be given such an awesome piece of furntiture but I must say that I have wanted to paint that sucker since the second we got our hands on it. Its screaming at me every morning for a little TLC, and so this weekend our not so beautiful dresser will get a complete makeover. Here is what I am going for:

Our dresser is shorter and longer...but you get the idea. 

Isn't she a beauty? 

Our bed room is currently in a state of finding her/his identity, since we are in my husbands childhood bedroom, clad with all his hand painted surfer dude labels. (He is still a surfer, but out of that "I gotta let everyone know Im a surfer" stage-PTL!) SO, we are slowly but surely going to find our identity. 

I told Ryan that since He gets to make all the decisions in our life, Im making all the decorating/cooking decisions in our life. He can and will let me have this one. :) This is why I love him.

This is the comforter that we ended up buying after the wedding. We love it, but we haven't completed the look yet. I am struggling with what color to do the accent with and what color to do our curtains. I am doing the robbins egg blue for the dresser, what do you think for the accent on the bed and curtains? I dont want to go TOO crazy here, since it is a room that should be relaxing, so any help at all would be awesome! 

Ryan is going to make me a cool headboard one of these days, but for now we have a giant clock that was a gift from a wedding shower. 

AHHHH.....Im rambling. Sorry guys. 

Please feel free to give me any imformation/help you can in the color area. 

Much love people!

B