Blonde Ambition

Maybe you saw me on TV?

2011-11-20T20:56:00.005-06:00

We were those people yesterday. The ones crashing College Game Day, not wearing the school colors. But, we couldn't help ourselves when Game Day came to Houston for the UH game. We spent Friday night working on our masterpieces - signs - and I must admit, they were pretty impressive. We got lots of attention carrying our LSU signs, dressed in purple and gold in a sea of red. It was a blast!

Check us out! Our friend Jacques is holding my sign (my arms were getting so tired...)

Geaux Tigers,

OK, okay, I'm back...

2011-11-15T21:39:00.003-06:00

After weeks, no months of virtually disappearing, I'm going to give blogging another whirl. So many of you, okay, ONE of you, demanded my comeback. So, here we go!

Since I've been gone, here is what I've been up to:

1. Attending as many LSU games as possible! Geaux Tigers! #1 team in the nation!

2. Obsessing over Pinterest. But, who isn't?

3. Spending every Friday night for the past 11 weeks with the SBS Varsity cheerleaders. Love my girls!

4. Baking, baking and more baking.

5. Reading. Most recent favorite book - The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. LOVED!

6. Starting a diet, stopping a diet, starting a diet.

7. Jazzercising. Don't judge. It's four minutes from my house.

8. I don't miss an episode of Modern Family!

9. Celebrating with friends in the joy of their new babies! Sara, Brooke, Misty, Amy!

10. Celebrating 30th birthdays with my sweet friends - Joy in October and Kim in November.

11. Shopping, but not nearly enough!

12. J and I took a Birkman Couples Workshop at church and leaned so much about ourselves and each other. It was incredible. If you ever have the chance to take this test, do it. Totally worth the money!

13. Not blogging (obviously). Sorry...

14. Still spoiling Charley rotten! Of course!

15. Work, work, work! Blessed to work at such a great place!

I know this was short, and contained no pictures, but hey - gotta start somewhere!

Have a great week,
B

Three year anniversary

2011-07-12T21:35:00.003-05:00

Today we are celebrating three years of marriage! Time sure has flown since our wedding day. Now that we have hit the three year mark, and in the year leading up to it, we have been getting THE question a lot more. You know, "When are you going to have babies?" All I can say is that the discussion of starting a family no longer leaves J looking for the closest window to jump out of. People, this is progress.

And to answer your burning question.....NO I am not pregnant. I'm just putting on my usual summer 15.

Until next time,
B

Hunger Games..

2011-06-29T21:51:00.002-05:00

...has consumed me. Have you read it? I've spent the better part of the last two weeks with my nose in the book, quickly reading about the adventures of Katniss, Peeta and Gale in Panem. This isn't typically a genre I would read, but after several recommendations from friends, colleagues and cheerleaders, I was eager to read it. I loved it. Totally a fan, and can't wait to see the movies.

By the way, if you've read it, I am Team Peeta!

Diaper Cake, Anyone?

2011-06-09T18:08:00.008-05:00

Confession: Until about a year ago, I had no idea what a diaper cake was. I just wasn't in the diaper cake/baby shower stage of my life. But now, I'm getting there. I'm starting to attend more baby showers than wedding showers! Which brings me to my point...my friend Kim makes the cutest diaper cakes. I mean, seriously! I don't think she even understands how cute they are because she underestimates her creativity.

See?

She's helping me make one for a sip and see in a couple of weeks. I'm excited to learn to make it!

Here's to being crafty!
B

10 Reasons I Have Not Blogged

2011-05-26T19:04:00.006-05:00

1. My 27th birthday was last week, which made me a busy girl spending time with my wonderful family and friends.
2. We hosted some our favorite couple friends in town a few weekends ago! My sweet friend Sara is newly preggers, so we had fun shopping and talking baby!
3. We went to Baton Rouge one weekend in May to cheer on the Tigers at the new Alex Box Stadium, and visit with the in-laws. We had a great time with the family. It was fun being there on a non-holiday or football game weekend!
4. I've been uber-busy at work with fun new projects: graduation, decorating our new showcase and ordering new signage for next school year. Love my job!
5. I got an iPad from Jeremy and I'm obsessed with it! I carry it everywhere, and I especially love the Kate Spade cover my girls got me for my birthday! Thanks Linds, Kim and JS!
6. House projects! I'm loving working in the yard and continuing to decorate the house. Next project: redo our master bathroom!
7. Family time! We are heading to Shreveport this weekend to see my brother and sis-in-law and their new precious baby, Elizabeth! I can't wait to meet my new niece!
8. Season finales of my shows! Most underwhelming award goes to: Grey's Anatomy and Best Finale: glee (how about the Wicked scene...made me think of you, JOY!)
9. I saw Something Borrowed - really liked it! Read the book twice and loved it both times. Pick up an Emily Giffin book if you haven't read anything from her. She's great!
10. Did I mention the iPad?

Here's to a great 27!
B

What I've Been Reading

2011-05-07T22:09:00.004-05:00

I've read some interesting books recently on my Kindle - which I'm obsessed with, BTW. Generally I stay in the chick-lit genre of books, but in April I expanded my library to include other types of fiction novels. No regrets, here. These are the books I read:

Room by Emma DonoghueIf Oprah were to read this book, she would book the mom and her son on the show immediately. But, since it's not based on a true story, that would just be a hypothetical scenario. This story is told from the perspective of Jack, a 5-year-old boy living in a single room his entire life. To his Ma, its a prison cell, but to Jack, it's all he's ever known. Very compelling and heart breaking story as you discover why they live in Room. It's our book club book for May, so I can't wait to discuss it next week.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

A laugh out loud funny book, that is as equally moving as it is awkward. When Judd's father passes away, his dying request was that his family (including mom and three siblings - and their families) sit shiva after his death. Putting the family together under one roof again brings out the good, bad, and unexpected in all of them. I loved it! Great up and coming author!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

In another attempt to get on the Jodi Picoult bandwagon, I read this novel about a school shooting, told from the perspective of the many characters involved in the massacre. I did like the book, actually, it was an insightful look into the ramifications of bullying, in what I would call an extreme case. She really likes to put her characters through the ringer. For example, one couple never got to see their children graduate high school - both of their boys were taken away from them too soon (a little tragic, no?). Anyway, liked the book until the TERRIBLE ending. No more Picoult for me.

Happy Reading!
B

Our Italian Vacation!

2011-04-27T20:23:00.005-05:00

J and I just took a dream vacation to Italy. We started in Rome, then went to Florence, and our last stop was Venice. It was absolutely amazing - beautiful weather, museums, churches, and fabulous food (we especially loved the pizza)! We had a great time. It's so nice to get away together and just be together, uninterrupted and not distracted. We don't get enough time like that! Anyway...here are a few photos from our trip! Enjoy!

The Vatican - see the top right hand corner of the building - that's where the pope comes out and waves to his people weekly. Not when we were there, though...

On our 3 hour tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum - so fascinating to think about how long these buildings have been around!

Here we are in Florence, enjoying happy hour (at 3 in the afternoon, no less)

After a delicious dinner in Florence

We loved eating pizza for lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Sunset at Michelangelo's Piazza with my hubby :)

Our swanky hotel room in Venice - we had to climb 75 steps to get to it! Holy moly!

The Rialta Bridge - the most famous bridge in Venice! Venice was amazing - its just a big labyrinth. No cars, you can only get around by boat. It's incredible.

St. Mark's Square - where all the action happens at day and night. It was fun hanging around here at night when orchestras were playing and people were just calmly wandering around. So peaceful!

I know....how cute are we, kissing in our Gondola?

Ciao...

2011-03-31T19:50:00.002-05:00

That's right, blogging friends, we are heading off to Italy in less than 24 hours. It's a dream vacay for J and I and we are really excited. We'll spend the first few days in Rome, then a few days in Florence and then end the trip in Venice.

Can't wait to share pictures when we get back!

And I can't wait to use the phrase "when in Rome..." excessively over the next several days. Sorry, J.

Ciao -
Brittney

Spring Break 2K11

2011-03-21T19:40:00.007-05:00

I spent my Spring Break in Scottsdale, Arizona, with two of my best friends - Hannah and Leah. We work together at SBS - Hannah is the technology whiz of the school, and Leah teaches 2nd grade and coaches cheerleading with me.

Why Scottsdale, you ask? Because we wanted somewhere hot, and not packed with crazy, college Spring Break-ers! It turned out to be the perfect destination!

We spent the week laying out, getting massages, eating at fabulous restaurants, shopping, reading, watching the Bachelor finale (yay, Emily!) and doing some drinking! It was so much fun and we met some really nice people there - including some minor league baseball players!

Here are a few fun & crazy pics from the week!

Great trip with two of my absolute favorite people!

Brittney

Me from A to Z

2011-03-20T21:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks, Sara for this fun blog idea! I'm trying to save my brainpower for heading back to work this week, so this random post is perfect!

A. Age: 26
B. Bed size: king (and loving it!)
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the leftover queso out of the dish - makes me want to gag!
D. Dogs: Charley, the cutest cocker mix ever!
E. Essential start to your day: breakfast - usually brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts (low-fat)
F. Favorite color: PINK!
G. Gold or silver: silver
H. Height: 5'4"
I. Instruments you play(ed): piano
J. Job title: Communications Coordinator & Varsity Cheer Coach at SBS
K. Kids: someday...
L. Live: in Houston, Texas
M. Mom’s name: Lynnette
N. Nicknames: Britt, BFord
O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 nights for appendix in 1997
P. Pet peeves: when people spell my name wrong
Q. Quote from a movie: "Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks"
R. Righty or lefty: Right
S. Siblings: 3 older brothers
T. Time you wake up: as late as possible
U. Underwear: mostly all from Gap Body
V. Vegetables you don’t like: spinach, asparagus, beets
W.What makes you run late: see "T" - sleeping
X. X-rays you’ve had: teeth, back, wrist, stomach, ankle, foot....probably more.....
Y. Yummy food you make: cookies!
Z. Zoo animal favorites: monkey? cannot tell you the last time I went to the zoo!

I'll post about my Spring Break trip soon!
B

It's Almost Spring!

2011-03-13T20:48:00.005-05:00

10 Things I'm Excited About this Spring:

1. Spring Break girls trip with these two! We are headed to Scottsdale to max and relax at a resort! I hope to come back without bags under my eyes and very tan!

2. Wearing my white jeans! (after Easter, of course)
3. Italy with Jeremy - our dream vacation! We are headed to Rome, Florence and Venice!
4. Taking long bike rides...hint, hint, Jeremy...
5. Nice afternoon jogs at Memorial Park.
6. Spring shoes! And pedi's!
7. Maybe seeing these people....8. Beginning and ending our bathroom remodel project!
9. A scrapbooking weekend with Jenna Fones!
10. My birthday!

Until after Spring Break -
B

Does everything have a "Day"?

2011-03-01T18:20:00.005-06:00

Happy Pancake Day!
(seriously...there's a day for this? let's just have consecutive "margarita" days)

To celebrate at the Ford house, we'll be having.....chicken parmesan? Yea, hubs didn't get the "pancake day" memo. Nevermind pancakes are one of my favorite foods....shouldn't he know this about me? Probably not - I love almost all breakfast foods. Poor thing, I probably confuse the heck out of him.

Until next time...
B

Vote!

2011-02-23T21:57:00.005-06:00

I'm trying to decide which curtain looks best for my kitchen window - so please vote by leaving a comment and let me know which one is your favorite!

Please ignore the sinkful of dishes and the cluttered countertops...deal?
Thanks for your input!
B

One of My Favorite Recipes

2011-02-22T20:43:00.009-06:00

This dish is served at the Ford house at least twice a month. I got it from my friend Kim at my kitchen shower before we got married and we love it!

A little background: my precious hubs is a very picky eater...and that is an understatement. He doesn't eat anything green, no fruits, veggies, nothing remotely healthy. His fave veggie: salsa; favorite fruit: red starburst. This is not a joke (unfortunately).

But, we both agree on this dish and both love it. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Balsamic Pasta (serves 2)
9 oz. store bought ravioli (or your favorite pasta) (we use the Buitoni brand)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
S&P to taste
Chopped, toasted walnuts, if desired (hubs does NOT desire)
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Instructions: Boil water. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain pasta and put back in pot. While pasta is boiling, combine butter and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Once foam subsides and butter turns brown, turn heat off and let it cool. Stir in the balsamic butter mix with the pasta. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and walnuts, if desired.

This is what the final product looks like (for us, anyway).

Hope you like this super easy, weeknight dish!
B

The Corner

2011-02-19T18:57:00.003-06:00

Decorating large spaces overwhelms me, so I tend to focus on mastering the smaller ones, first. Hence, the large wall in my living room is still empty. But today, after a great shopping trip with Mom, I finished decorating this corner of my living room. I'm pleased with the way it turned out!

Chair: from J's grandmother
Recovered: Upholstery Shop, Houston
Pillow: Stein Mart
Lamp: Lowe's
Photo: Marshall's Home Goods
Side table: Harwin
Flower arrangement: Harwin

How do you think it turned out? I think its the perfect place to curl up with a good book and a Coke Zero.

Happy Saturday -
B

End of an Era

2011-02-17T22:26:00.005-06:00

Well, I grew up a little tonight. I got rid of something that I've had almost 10 years. Deep breath - I no longer have a belly button ring. Exhale.

The ring, after I removed it

You're probably thinking - I didn't even know she had one. Exactly. Why did I still have one? I'm so rarely in a bathing suit that no one sees it, anyway. I doubt the hubs even realized I had one. I think my cheerleaders are some of the only people in on this secret, only because I have a bad habit of rolling up the bottom of my shirt when I'm thinking out loud (read: fidgeting). So, why did I have my belly button pierced? Read on.

April, 2002
Tried out for HBU cheerleader and made the squad (the only freshman among the scary upperclassmen!)! Had a deal with Mom that if I made it, we'd go get my belly button pierced. I was pretty against a piercing, it was more of a joke between me and mom. Almost all of the cheerleaders on my high school squad had theirs pierced, and I wasn't about to follow suit. Plus, I'm petrified of needles. But, it just sort of happened. After I made it, we were on our way home and mom said, "I guess we are going to get your belly button pierced, then." Cool mom, huh? Several hours later (but several hours before the intoxicated folks frequent the piercing parlor) me, mom, my high school boyfriend, best friend and my Aunt Dana (and Uncle Rick, too, I think) piled into mom's car, cameras and all, and went to the piercing parlor, Sacred Heart. Yes, they thought we were crazy! Getting my belly button pierced actually hurt less than when I got my ears done! I got a blue and orange belly button ring (had to show my HBU spirit, after all). Here I am with Aunt Dana showing off our rings (she already had hers done....my inspiration)! Side note: Aunt Dana is not my actual aunt, she's mom's BFF that I've known since I was 8 years old and therefore gets the loving title of "Aunt".

Wardrobe sponsored by Abercrombie & Fitch

Early, 2006
Took the belly button ring out, felt like I'd gotten to chubby for it. How's that for transparency?

June, 2008
BFF takes me to Vegas before I get married, and I am a sucker for famous sayings, such as "When in Vegas..." so I got my belly button re-piereced. Again, it didn't hurt. It was a fun thing to do while in Vegas! No regrets!

TODAY
Took belly button ring out. I'm 26 years old after all. Probably don't need any jewelry shoved through my body unnaturally any more. And, besides, I'll have to take it out when I get preggo one day. And, no, that day is not today.

So, there you go. Way more than you ever wanted to know about my belly button. I'll kindly spare you the picture of it, sans ring. You're welcome!

B

Half Marathon - Check!

2011-02-13T21:14:00.007-06:00

Two weeks ago I ran my very first half marathon! That's 13.1 miles and I did it in 2 hours and 31 minutes. My family and friends stood on the sidelines and cheered me on at various points of the run, which was amazing (especially since it was cold and raining). I am quite proud of myself, and would love to run another one again someday. It was a lot of fun and such an accomplishment to know that I'm capable of running for that length of time. Honestly, I still can't believe I did it!

If you would have asked me a year ago if I could run 13 .1 miles, I would have said something to the tune of "Do you KNOW me?! The only athletic bones in my body were likely injured during my 14 years of cheerleading." When I began this journey nine months ago, I didn't even like running. I could hardly run one mile without being extremely exhausted. What a difference a great training regimen makes.

I ran a 5K yesterday, and it was my first time running again since the half, and it felt great! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to get back on the track and do more long distance runs!

A visitor in our Sunday School class last week heard that I ran the half and asked if I was a runner. Having never been asked that question in my entire life, I paused, thought for a moment and said...."Well, I guess I am."

Thanks for your support, friends!
B

The Race is (Almost) On

2011-01-16T15:22:00.004-06:00

These are the shoes that will take me across the finish line of my very first Half Marathon. I'm feeling a mix of emotions about the big day, but above all I'm ready for it to get here (Memorial Park: I will NOT miss seeing you at 5 A.M.) I have no doubts that I'll be able to finish the 13.1 miles, and I'm praying for no injuries or illness over the next two weeks. This has been such a challenging and rewarding experience so far, and I've learned that you can truly do ANYTHING you put your mind and body to! No task is too big for me and God to tackle together!

I'm looking forward to crossing that finish line in 14 days!
Brittney

The Art of Racing in the Rain

2011-01-03T17:30:00.001-06:00

My book club just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. And while I honestly haven't loved every book that the Chapter Chicks has read, I can honestly say I LOVED this one! I also loved the rich discussion about the book!

The story is told through the perspective of the family dog, Enzo, as he reflects on his life with his human family. Enzo lives with Denny, who is single for awhile, then marries and has a daughter. Enzo's perspective is insightful, and it truly makes you wonder, "Hmmm...does my dog think this way, too?" If you have a dog, had a dog, or just love dogs, its a must read! Prepare to laugh, cry, fume, and smile - you won't be able to put this one down!

Happy Reading!

How about a resolution?

2011-01-01T23:09:00.003-06:00

I always feel compelled to make a few resolutions, you know, get into the New Year's Spirit. Heck, I even kept a few of the ones I made last year, and broke a few as well. There's a lot to be said for ambition, right?

This year, I hope to run a half marathon (which I'll cross off on January 30), have more date nights with J, and take more time for myself. And, ok, I'll throw in the "lose 10 pounds" one, too.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Pictures from December Festivities

2010-12-30T22:37:00.013-06:00

Sorry for the picture overload....these are some of the pictures from our Christmas festivities this year! As you can see, I was one busy girl!

Me and Hannah at the Chapter Chicks Book Club Christmas Tea!

Our first annual girls Christmas Party! The theme was scarves! We did a "white elephant" style exchange and then learned new ways to tie our scarves!!

Jeremy and I hosted our first big Christmas Party - here I am with the "Fab 4" - Kim, Carl & Josh

Some of my work BFF's - Kim, Leah and Hannah

My BFF's - Jenna and Jessica! We were reunited for the party!

I had a blast performing in the Really, Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church! I was a towns-person (dancer) and it was so much fun! Especially loved meeting new friends and spending lots of time with one of my favorite friends - Joy (front row, far right)!

Me and Leah! So glad we did the show together!

J and I's attempt at a family photo! Eh...not so much.

The same weekend of the show, we hosted my Louisiana side of the family for Adams Family Christmas. Here I am with my dad, and brothers, Jack and Hall!

The couples posed by the tree! Meet my beautiful sister-in-laws, Katherine and Misti (Katherine is due with the first baby for the Adams family in April - and it's a GIRL)!
I set the table all fancy for our Adams Christmas Dinner! So much fun!
A close-up of the place settings
Ahhh.....let's all take a moment and drool over my Christmas present from J! He totally outdid himself this year and completely surprised me with this Tory Burch purse! I wanted it, but never in a million years did I think he would get it for me... I teared up when I opened it. I'm in love...Me and my FIL at the Ford Family Christmas Eve Party!
Jeremy and his brother Kevin (they got matching paintings from Collin & Melanie for Christmas...we later found out it was a "joke" gift from their wine and painting night...whew!)

Me and Brayden (our nephew and godchild) hanging out with Pops :)

Brayden loves for you to read to him! And he loves his Uncle Jeremy!

And, I'll leave you with pictures of our house all decorated for Christmas! J did a great job with the lights outside!

Love our Christmas tree!

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!
B

Well, hello there....

2010-12-26T21:54:00.004-06:00

I know you don't want to hear any lame excuses about my lack of blogging lately, so I won't bore you with them. I will give you a run down, however, of what I've been up to lately, and just some of my random thoughts! Then, I'll follow up with some pics over the next few days!

- Christmas with the Adams' family (hosted here at our house) last weekend; lots of cooking, catching up and laughs!
- Christmas with J's family in Baton Rouge this week; lots of fun, gifts, parties, people and great memories! A little exhausting....
- Performed in the Really, Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church and had a blast! I'll post pictures of it, it was such a moving experience and I got to hangout with/meet really great people!
- Hosted our first Christmas Party at the house and it was SO fun! Lots of fun stories from that night, and got to show off our new casa to our friends and family!
- Training for the 1/2 marathon still (absolutely NO pictures will be posted of it) - farthest run so far is 8 miles....less than 40 days to go! Boy, is it a lot of work and time!
- Obsessed with reading on my new Kindle (I think I'll actually have my book club book read before our meeting this month!)
- Studying to get my CDL....don't laugh! Someone has to drive my cheerleaders to away games, people. I'll be spending the better part of my week, unfortunately, at the DPS.
- Also obsessed with scarves....my answer to the daily dilemma of "what necklace should I wear"
- Also majorly obsessed with the Tory Burch purse J surprised me with for Christmas! L-O-V-E it! He got lots of brownie points for that one!
- Loving the color gray this season - it just seems to go with everything!

....more to come, later.

Continued to be blessed beyond measure.
B

So, I've been MIA

2010-10-23T18:54:00.002-05:00

I really do want to keep up blogging, not that you can tell from my absence here lately! Let me tell you where I've been, though if you know me at all, you can probably guess the first two!

1. SBS Cheer! Football season is in full swing, so that means Friday night football games, pep rallies, volleyball games and daily practices! It's been a great year so far! I'm obsessed with my 15 girls and truly feel honored to coach them daily!

2. LSU - it's been a wild ride so far (except for tonight's Auburn loss...boo)! We've had fun traveling to BR for games!

3. I'm applying for provisional membership to the Houston Junior League. Apps are due Monday and I'm finalizing my signatures today. It's quite a process!

4. Training for the 1/2 marathon! It's really changed my life & schedule. I go to bed pretty early now so that I can be up for my 5 a.m. weekday runs. It has really changed my life more than I expected - my eating schedule is different, I peak in energy earlier in the day - its been fun!! I ran a 5K this morning, which was great!

5. And, I've been sparsely keeping up with our lovely house and seeing friends and family! Excited for another 2 weekends to be in town to do more of this!

Happy Fall!
B

Where did August go??

2010-08-30T21:06:00.007-05:00

Is it really the end of August? Sheesh! That means its practically Christmas (at least according to Hobby Lobby it is!). Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to this month:

Hanging out with family and friends at White Linen Nights!

We went to Denver for Jeremy's friend, Quinn's wedding!
It was beautiful! Another pic from the fun wedding weekend!

Other miscellaneous August activities:

I GOT INTO THE HALF MARATHON! Yes, you read that correctly! I'll be running 13.1 miles in January! I'm so nervous/excited! I've been training since May, and ran my first 3 miles this past weekend and it went great. I seriously felt like I could've kept going (but I was happy to stop!). I'll keep you posted on my progress!
Football season has begun! SBS started last Friday and LSU begins this weekend! We'll be heading to Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game (LSU vs. North Carolina). I'm SOOOO excited!!! Geaux Tigers!!!
I got great news last night - my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby!! Soo excited to be another Aunt! Come April 2011, I'll have 5 nieces/nephews! Holy Moly!
We had the chance to spend QT with our Compass friends this past weekend and had such a great time out at Cedar Creek! We love our St. Luke's friends!! They are such a blessing to both of us!!
Work has been CRAZY busy - but I love it! I have the opportunity to work on major SBS events this year, and though its been stressful, I really enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you planned something thoroughly and it all goes well! I like it :)
What am I reading? I read several books in July (The Alchemist, Bitter is the New Black, Heart of the Matter, and Perfect on Paper). My favorite was Perfect on Paper - a great chic lit book with a lot of heart! Loved it! Book Club is reading a book about the Salem Witch Trials...not sure about this one yet, TBD!
What am I watching? Drop Dead Diva! Tell me you are watching it!! Best show ever - the lead actress has this uber confidence that is so compelling! I love it! Too bad the season finale is sitting on my DVR from last night....
What am I not doing because I'm blogging? WORKING!! Gotta go people, duty calls!

Love, love!
Brittney

Where I've Been...

2010-08-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't posted in awhile, and that's because it's Back to School (and Cheer) time! It's super busy around SBS right now and I'm loving being back in the swing of things!

Last week, I took the girls to cheer camp at A&M (along with the JV and MS coaches who are fabulous) where they racked up loads of awards, as always! Between the three squads, we had 8 all-americans, 2 staff nominees, the TOP BANANA (which in the UCA Camp world is considered the top prize), multiple first, second and third place trophies and 12 spirit sticks! Whew! It was a great week for SBS Cheerleading!

Here's a pic of the JV and Varsity girls for this year - aren't they beautiful?!? I so didn't look that good in high school. I'm just saying...

Our Mexican Siesta

2010-07-30T23:15:00.003-05:00

We took a break from settling into the house - read: unpacking boxes, moving heavy things up and down the stairs, doing major yard work in the heat of July, etc., etc., etc., and went on vacation to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We went to an all-inclusive resort for 6 days and had a great time! By the end, we were ready to get back and pick up where we left off on the house! I never knew settling in could be so busy (or expensive - seems like I'm at Target, Lowes, Pier One, BB&B, or Container Store at least once a day)! Shopping is such a drag....er, wait, who am I kidding?!? It's a blast "having" to spend money to "get settled in the house!"

Back to the point of my post. We had a great time on the trip. The resort was really nice (except for the food - we are pretty spoiled with yummy Houston food). We had lots of pool time to get super brown (or red), did a bike tour, took dance lessons, went to the beach, sailed a Hobi sailboat, drank fruity frozen drinks, slept an insane amount of hours, explored Playa del Carmen, played bingo (and yours truly won in a three-way tie; to determine the winner of the tie, we had to do a dance off, and drum-roll....I won that, too; I think the move that sent the audience over the edge was when I danced and rapped the words to Ice, Ice Baby....oh, yes I did!). Anyway, here are a few pics from the vacay!

I love the Caribbean!!! One of the (many) things Kenny Chesney and I have in common :)

After dinner one night - curse you man behind me for ruining my cute picture (and he's copying my pose - how rude)!

Jeremy out in the water!

After playing in the pool all day!! The resort had a fabulous pool the size of umm...I don't really know measurements, but the size of a really large pool!! It had two swim up bars, a bridge to get from one side to the other, a massive waterfall, fountains, two hot tubs and plenty of lounge chairs and cabanas. Amazing!

We went into the city of Playa del Carmen one day to explore the town - wasn't too much to see, but I posed by this "authentic" Mayan ruin just to feel like we were seeing something historic! What-ev-er!!

I made some time for water aerobics while we were there!! I'm the big girl in front doing a terrible high touchdown (and I call myself a cheer coach?!?) But, hey, isn't the pool pretty??

Here's my mention to you (again) that the food at our resort was TERRIBLE! We even ordered room service once to see if it was better, and it was...TERRIBLE! Here's evidence that they even messed up a pizza! Yuck! So, my worries of gaining lots of weight on vacation were over when we realized the food wasn't worth gorging on (except for the cinnamon sugar french toast at breakfast...mmm...now we're talking....)

The view outside our room! Ahhh....the peacefulness of vacation!

That's about it! We had a great time, but now its back to reality for the Ford's.
Hasta la vista!
Brittney

PS: I forgot to mention to you that I left one important item at home - my strapless bra! 85% of the clothes I took to Mexico were strapless, or required a strapless bra! UGH!!! I had to be creative with safety pins - a la Dallas Cowboy cheerleader style - until I found my strap perfect (yes, they work) at the bottom of my makeup bag. But, seriously, I forgot the most important undergarment a girl needs in the summer, and I was unable to wear a few outfits. I even tried to wear my bathing suit top as a substitute, but that didn't work. Major fail, Brittney. Major.

Settling In...

2010-07-13T23:06:00.004-05:00

We have officially moved into our new home, and we love it! We are busy, busy trying to get settled. It's exhausting, but really fun. We absolutely love our new house! It's right where we need to be!

Can't wait for all the memories that will come while we are living here - we've already celebrated an anniversary here (our second one was on Monday, the 12th). We feel so blessed!

My Life in (iPhone) Photos

2010-06-25T17:01:00.008-05:00

I got this post idea from my friend Rachel! So, here is my life through the camera lens of my iPhone. Out of my 220 photos on my Camera Roll, seriously over 100 are of Charley (our sweet dog). But, I'll spare you all of those adorable moments and try to show you that I've got a diverse collection of photos! Here we go!

My niece Alex before her cheerleading practice (my 'lil legacy) - isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen? Thought so!

I do this alot - take pics of myself in an outfit. I try it on and send it to Mom - she approved of the romper, but fashion consultant Shari did not. For $19.99 from Target, I bought it anyway. It's a comfy, around the house outfit!

Here are some of my rah-rah's at an SBS volleyball game! We were trying to twit-pic this photo - not sure it worked though!

I made this festive dessert for Memorial Day!

Well, hello there....this is Les Miles (LSU football coach, yes, I'm obsessed) posing with my boy Kenny Chesney (also obsessed) before his concert in Tiger Stadium! I got this off Twitter, I actually wasn't that close to my idols, because you know you would've already heard about that!

Pre-game before we got spanked by Florida. Good picture on my iPhone, right?

Naptime for my boys!

My new lamps for my guest room! Aren't they pretty?!?

I took a cake decorating class last summer. I'm your girl if you need a clown cake. Hey - you never know...

I made Pioneer Woman's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls one Saturday afternoon (...they took a long time to make) - but they were incredible!

Charley laid on my blanket, so I wrapped him up like a kolache! Hehe...sucker!

Our new Apple computers at work. Is the screen big enough for ya? Oh yea, that's how we do it at SBS! I'm officially a Mac snob!

This was a fun post to do! Have a great weekend everyone - we'll be busy packing! We move in SEVEN DAYS!

Now Introducing....

2010-06-07T21:22:00.001-05:00

...our new house! Isn't is lovely? I'll post more pictures later!

Art Cars, House Update, and Birthday

2010-05-29T16:31:00.005-05:00

Here's a (hopefully) brief recap of what we've been up to!

1. A few weeks ago, while we had a showing at the house, we walked down to Allen Parkway to watch the annual art car parade. We'd never been before, but it was a lot of fun. We will definitely go back again. It was fun seeing how creative all of the entries were. Here's a pic!

2. Our house is currently "Option Pending" which means that we've signed a contract to sell it and we are in the time period of inspection, appraisal, and basically a 10-day period where the buyer can back out for a minimal fee. Our option period ends in 4 days, so everything will become "official" then! We've found a great house that we love.....so we're triple crossing our fingers and praying that everything works out with it!

3. For my birthday this year, I really wanted it to be low-key. And it was! I just didn't want to make a big deal out of turning 26, so it was a really nice weekend. My birthday was a Friday, so that evening, J and I went out to a nice dinner at Taste of Texas, and then Saturday I went shopping with my BF and got a pedi, and then that night had dinner with two girlfriends. Sunday night we had my family birthday dinner, which was really fun. It was a relaxing weekend celebrating my descent into my 30's....

One of the major highlights of my weekend was my trip to Tory Burch. One pair of flats and a pair of sandals later, I am a very happy girl!

A Weekend In the Keys!

2010-05-19T20:03:00.008-05:00

Last weekend, Mom took me to Key West, Florida, as an early birthday present/mom-daughter getaway! We had a great time, like we always do! Key West is beautiful. It was a mix of Cape Cod meets the Caribbean (two of my fave places). We stayed on Duval Street (which was like Bourbon St. meets the Bahamas), in a beautiful hotel that is the tallest building on the island! We had Key Lime Pie (I had mine in the form of a chocolate-covered ice cream bar), did some sight-seeing and had a great time! Here's a run down of our unforgettable weekend!

Friday Night - well, it didn't start off as a weekend in paradise; due to the outrageous storms in Houston, we were delayed for 5.5 hours! Luckily, Mom's a member of the President's Club, so we weren't absolutely miserable! Needless to say, we departed IAH a little after 1 a.m. We were crawling into bed at our Miami hotel at 5:30 AM. Take a moment and let that nugget sink in!

Saturday Morning - Left Miami at 10:00 AM (do the math, I woke up at 9, that's 3.5 hours of sleep) and made the beautiful, albiet L-O-N-G drive to Key West. Seeing the beautiful ocean was breathtaking! Great conversation kept us going the whole way!

A shot of the Atlantic Ocean from my passenger seat!

Saturday Afternoon - Arrived in Key West and immediately went to tour Ernest Hemmingway's home, which was so interesting. And, we saw one of the six-toed cats! Left there, and did some exploring of Duval Steet (i.e. shopping and happy hour)!

Hemingway House

Saturday Night - The big thing to do in Key West is go to the dock and watch the sunset...so, when in the Keys...Anyway, it was really fun, the whole environment at the "Sunset Celebration" was upbeat and family friendly - vendors, food, music, jugglers, dancers, etc. After the sun went down, we headed to dinner at a fun place and heard a band playing (side note - they were totally crude, but a tad funny, too)

Just before sunset at Mallory Square!

Sunday Morning - Went to breakfast at Blue Heaven (Kenny Chesney's fave restaurant in Key West) and it was sooo yummy and such a cool place! After breakfast, we took the trolley tour around the island, which was really interesting! After that, we headed to our rent car so we could go to Miami and do a little exploring before my flight home. However, OUR CAR WOULDN'T START! So, the traveling woes continued and we were delayed 2 hours.

Blue Heaven! I've now eaten somewhere that Kenny has eaten! Woo Hoo!

Sunday Afternoon - Lunch in Miami at a restaurant (er, bar) that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Though the food was delish, it was surely a dive; sorry Mom!

It was a great trip, and such a memorable weekend with my precious Mom! I only wish it could have lasted longer!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T22:00:00.003-05:00

We had a great Mother's Day! With a mom as great as mine, how could we not?!? I procrastinated on getting my mom's gift and on Sunday morning found myself in front of the computer buying our tickets to see Wicked (yes, we skipped church)! Jeremy and I saw Wicked last spring in NYC and LOVED it! Mom will love it, too!

Usually for holidays, we all cook and eat lunch together, but since my brother and his family had Astros tickets we waited until after that and had dinner. We went to Cyclone Anayas and then came back to our house for dessert. It was really fun!! Love my family!!!

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

B

Best PJ's EVER!

2010-05-04T20:25:00.003-05:00

I'm always looking for comfy PJ's! I love nothing more than snuggling up under the covers wearing super soft and comfy pajamas. Not the kind that twist and turn and slide up your legs - but really soft, down right amazing pajamas.

You get the picture. I'm a new fan of Gap Body. I bought this one-piece romper this weekend and LOVE it! I actually think about it during the day, and that I can't wait to put it on when I get ready for bed. Silly, right? But I don't care. I'm blissfully happy in my new romper! Check it out!

I'm off to bed now, where I'll put on my cozy romper and cuddle up with my new book club book!

Goodnight all!
B

Family Update

2010-04-29T20:41:00.005-05:00

Well, here's an update of what we've been up to this week:

1. I made this yummy dessert last night - its like half brownie/half chocolate chip cookie. I figured since I'd survived another kickboxing class, I might as well reward myself :) I'm ashamed to tell you that despite the baking goddess I think I am, its from a box. Hey, its the weeknight!
2. WE GOT AN OFFER ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!! And then right before signing the contract, they decided to put an offer on a different house. Yea, I'm still not really over it. Selling your house sucks - there's just no prettier way to say it.

3. I got this in the mail today! Ahhh...I love J.Crew and their overpriced sandals - I just can't buy $80 flip-flops, no matter how great they look on my feet! They have such a cute line out this spring!
4. I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but cheerleading tryouts (ie. cheer tryout drama) is finally OVER! In case you were wondering, tryouts were on April 1. Check your calendar, today is April 29. Enough said.

5. I cried this week during Biggest Loser. I love the show, but I have never cried during it. It just really hit me this week. And, I wasn't the only one in the house tearing up, if you know what I mean....

That's about all - time to catch up on some TV shows while Sparky is at the Astros game.

Have a great weekend!
B

Book Review - The Help

2010-04-23T19:39:00.003-05:00

One of the top 5 books I've read in my life is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I was reluctant to read it because its a thick book - over 400 pages in length. And, that in itself can be intimidating! But once I started, I wanted it to keep going - to be much more than 400 pages. I yearned to know more about what happened to Skeeter, or how things are with Minny. I love books that allow you to dive in and really explore the characters, so much in fact, that you feel as if they are your friends.

The Help is about three women - Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny - who live in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. Skeeter is a recent college graduate and Aibileen and Minny are maids for wealthy white folks in town. During the peak of the Civil Rights movement, they each go through transitions in their lives that make them stronger women. They help each other in unexpected ways and unite together through the creation of a surprising project.

Without giving much away, it's an incredibly moving story that really makes you think. What would you do? Would you stand up for your beliefs even if it means losing your closest friends? Would you be accepting of unlikely friends? How far would you go?

A must-read!

Brittney

Playing Catch Up!

2010-04-14T19:49:00.003-05:00

Its been awhile since my last post - so here's what we've been up to!

1. We spent the weekend in Boston (Woburn, actually) for J's cousins wedding. We had a really great time with our family and friends!! I love my new cousin-in-law, Erin! She's just the sweetest person, and we get along really great! I love when fabulous people become part of your family!

2. No updates on the house - we had another open house this weekend and received great feedback, so hopefully soon! We are READY TO SELL!!!

3. Charley got kicked out of day care while we were away this past weekend. Aggressive behavior. Yep, our precious dog, who is as friendly as can be was kicked out. Grammy picked him up on Saturday morning and he was an angel for her - wouldn't you know?!? Oh, well.....hopefully our 2-legged kids are better behaved!

4. GLEE IS BACK!!! Thank you Jesus!

5. And SPRING IS BACK!! Hooray for being able to wear dresses and sandals again!

6. Today is my mom's birthday! And for her birthday, she is taking me on a trip to the Florida Keys! Great mom, right? I love my mom so much!! She's the world to me!

Have a great week bloggers!

My First Time at TJ Maxx

2010-04-02T17:44:00.002-05:00

For the first time today, I went to TJ Maxx. One of my friends, Lindsay, loves this store, and since I was exiled from my house for a showing, I wandered down the street to the one on West Gray. I really liked the selection of clothes - in fact, I bought a bathing suit (yikes) and a shirt. The kitchen and home section wasn't up to par with Marshalls Home Goods, but it wasn't terrible. I looked for Jeremy a shirt, and wasn't impressed with their men's department, but that's not a deal breaker for me.

I'm really glad I went there and I'll definitely go back! Great selections for clothes and accessories for women!

Happy Easter!
brittney

My March Madness

2010-03-29T19:04:00.012-05:00

I seriously feel like March has lasted soooo long - anyone else feel that way? Here are some updates about what we've been up to lately:

1. No updates on the house; its been on the market 34 days, and we average about one showing every other day, so that's positive. The house I was in love with is about to become option pending, which is a little sad, but its ok. God knows our new address, and obviously that's not it!

2. We've spent lots of time with our Sunday School friends recently. We have such a great Sunday School class - Compass. It's all young marrieds like us, some with babies, and some without. I love the girls in there and the new friendships I've made. I hope I become closer friends with them!!

3. I took an interior decorating class through Leisure Learning with my mom last week - it was awesome! I learned a lot about how to decorate our home!

4. My BFF Kim got married on March 20! Here are a few pics from her wedding festivities! It was fun to do lots of the planning and preparation with my BFF Lindsay! It was such a blessing to be a part of the celebration! Kim's also a blogger now - check out her newlywed blog!

Me and Lindsay before the Bachelorette's Night Out!The Bachelorette Party weekend also involved some serious shopping!
Posing at the rehearsal with Bridesmaid Jessica (the wedding was supposed to be outside on this beautiful golf course, but it got rained out)
Having fun at the reception with the beautiful bride and her new groom!
We just had to do this - making fun of the traditional wedding pic! Haha!!
Me and my groom of 20 months :)

5. Please pray for our cheerleading tryouts this week - on April 1. We have lots of girls trying out, so just pray for all of these girls hearts as they go through this emotional week!

6. Its been fun this month to go to the Rodeo! It's one of my favorite things to do in Houston. I went to see Kenny Chesney (of course) with my BFF Jenna!! So fun! And also saw Lady Antebellum with Kim, Jessica (pictured above) and JS (other Jessica). I also saw Keith Urban - probably my favorite performer this year - with my friend Kim from SBS! So fun!! I love country music!

Have a great week!
Brittney

New Designer Shoes - Friday

2010-03-19T16:12:00.004-05:00

Today I wore my first pair of designer sandals. I paid way too much money for this pair of Coach sandals a few weeks back, and have been too nervous to wear them! I broke them out today for Kim's bridal luncheon, and I must say, they looked adorable. The downside of the shoes is that they have zero traction on the bottom of them, which is why I ended up falling down the stairs this morning on my way out the door (and managed to spill a glass of water on me in the process). Although me and my shoes didn't have a good start, all's well that ends well!

Aren't they cute?

Updating this week has been fun - its fun to try something new every day! Now, I'll go back to my regular postings - once or so a week! Have a great weekend!

'Bow'quet Thursday

2010-03-18T19:02:00.006-05:00

As the proud MOH in my friend Kim's wedding this weekend, I did my duty of making her rehearsal bouquet. I finally got my act together and made it today. It was so easy and really fun! That much pink in one small area makes me really happy!

Here are some photos of the adorable bouquet. I hope she likes it!
And, no, I've never made one of these before! Another Spring Break first!

Almost finished!

One view!

Another view!

I'll do my last Spring Break post tomorrow - have no idea what my "new" project will be though...
Brittney

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Wednesday's Project

2010-03-17T19:57:00.005-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the national green holiday, I baked green cupcakes. I've never made green cupcakes, or any St. Paddy's Day dessert, so its my something new for today! I tried a new recipe for the icing - its white chocolate! I can't wait to try it, but I'm going to wait for hubby to get home before diving in! Hope you all had a great day!

Tie Knot Blanket Tuesday

2010-03-16T23:51:00.008-05:00

For today's Spring Break Project, I made a blanket! I made a cute tie knot fleece blanket. The lady at Joann's said it would only take me 30 minutes. Well, it took about 3 hours, but I'll chalk that up to the fact that I'm an amateur and that I was watching last night's episode of Gossip Girl (OMG - Dan and Vanessa?!? LOVE IT!). Anyway, I had fun making the blanket and I can't wait to snuggle up and use it, since I'm always cold! Here are a few pics from each step of the way!

First, I cut 4 inch squares in each of the corners of the blanket.

Then I cut 4 inch strips on all sides of the blanket (lesson learned: do this project on a large table, and not on the living room floor)

Next, I tied the strips together. Do you like the polka dot fabric? It's called Skittles - cute, right?

Ta-da - its finished! Charley likes it, of course, he barely stayed off of it long enough for me to finish!

I had fun with the blanket!! Jenna - are you proud?!?
Not sure what I'll be taking on tomorrow yet!
XOXO-
Brittney

Chocolate Cake Monday

2010-03-15T23:41:00.009-05:00

To celebrate Spring Break, I'm doing something new every day! I love to bake, so I figured I'd make a new dessert today - not to mention I LOVE SWEETS!

Today I made a Chocolate Sheet Cake! I've never made one before, but I love to eat them, so I gave it a go with Pioneer Woman's Recipe. It only called for 3 3/4 sticks of butter (yep, you read that right!). It was fairly easy to make, but next time I'll use a deeper baking sheet. The mess took a long time to clean up! Live and learn! That's my cooking motto :)

This is the icing starting to boil; after I made the icing, I poured it onto the cake just as it came out of the oven...this was pure bliss!

This is what the cake looked like in the oven!

It was all fun and games until I realized the big mess I made pouring the icing on top of the cake - oh well, part of the fun!

The only downside to this cake is that making it uses a ton of dishes!

This is what Charley did while I was a baking! Usually he's right on my heels, so this is serious progress!

Happy Spring Break!!
Brittney

30 Things About US

2010-03-08T17:19:00.003-06:00

I borrowed this idea from my friend, Sara - enjoy!

1. What are your middle names? Mine is Leigh and his is Charles

2. How long have you been together? We dated for 9 months, were engaged for a year, and we've been married for almost 20 months.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? about a month

4. Who asked who out? Funny story - he says I asked him out, but that date was planned far out, and he asked me to do something before then; so we say we had a "first" first date and then a "second" first date.

5. How old are each of you? I'm 25 and he is 34

6. Did you go to the same school? Nope, he went to LSU and I went to HBU

7. Are you from the same home town? Nope, he's from Baton Rouge and I mostly grew up in Deer Park

8. Who is the smartest? He is, for sure.

9. Who majored in what? I double majored in Business and Communications, and he majored in Chemical Engineering; and now I'll admit that I have NO CLUE what his minor was....hmmm....

10. Who is the most sensitive? Me, definitely.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We went to London and to Paris together!

12. Who has the worst temper? I don't know - we're both pretty mild mannered.

13. How many children do you want? At least two, but if neither of those is a girl, we'll keep going...right, honey?

14. Who does the cooking? As much as we try to share, he does most of it, and I do the baking :)

15. Who is more social? Me! But he's pretty social, too; but I do manage our social calendar!

16. Who is the neat freak? Neither of us are "neat freaks" but I'm definitely neater than he is.

17. Who is the most stubborn? He is; but I've learned how to talk him out of his stubborn state!

18. Who wakes up earlier? He always does; I actually think he likes to wake up early. I could sleep all day....and that's the truth!

19. Where was your first date? We went to see a terrible chick flick (my choice) and then got ice cream at Coldstone (his choice). I was so excited towards then end of my movie when he reached over to hold my hand!! I can still feel the butterflies!

20. Who has the bigger family? Umm...well, we both have pretty big families, immediate and extended; this is a complicated question!

21. Do you get flowers often? I used to, but I asked him to save the money and cut back on sending them (when I saw how much they cost!); but I love getting them!

22. How do you spend the holidays? We alternate between his side and both of my sides of the fam.

23. Who is more jealous? I am, but I really never have a reason to be; he's a champ for putting up with all of my ridiculous crushes - Kenny Chesney, Chuck Bass, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, etc...

24. How long did it take to get serious? A couple of months; he told me "I love you too" on November 29, 2006 (after we had been dating almost 2 months); I had never said "I love you" so it was cute that he just said "I love you too"

25. Who eats more? That's easy - Jeremy

26. What do you do for a living? He is in sales (business development) and I work in communications and coach cheerleading

27. Who does the laundry? We split it, and have a good routine of how we do it!

28. Who's better with the computer? He is, hands down

29. Who drives when you are together? Usually he does, not sure why; I'm sure my driving scares him :)

30. What is your song? "At Last" by Etta James

Wishful Wednesday

2010-02-24T20:59:00.002-06:00

Today, I wish I could be a personal shopper. I want to have clients that pay me to dress them, decorate their home, and pick things out for them (with their money, of course). Wouldn't that be a fun job to go to each day? I think so! Is anyone out there doing their dream job? What is it?

Let the Games Begin...

2010-02-22T20:58:00.002-06:00

Tuesday's Top Ten

2010-02-16T21:06:00.005-06:00

Since I'm likely wearing all of you out talking about houses, I thought I would do a "Top Ten" list of the things that have been going on lately! And a few random thoughts thrown in there for good measure. Here you go:

1. I'll get the house one over with - our house goes on the market on Monday (the 22nd) and we're going to look at houses for the first time with our Realtor on Saturday! So excited!

2. Call me a teenager - but when are Gossip Girl and 90210 coming back on?

3. I really want a pair of Tory Burch flats. Maybe for my St. Patrick's Day present? Surely, I need a gift to celebrate everyone's favorite Irish holiday. Jeremy...are you listening? I'll be happy with these, or these. Sigh...

4. Many of you don't know this, but our wedding photographer never gave us our wedding book. Yes, you read that right - we payed her for it and she never gave it to us. Classy, right? Well, we found a great photography company that is going to make us a book for a great price! Woo hoo!

5. I was invited to join a book club last week at work - The Chapter Chicks. Cute name, yes? I'm really excited about being a part of this group of really sweet SBS ladies. We are currently reading "Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt." I'll start it this weekend!

6. As I get older, I think my body is falling apart. Last week in kickboxing, I strained my back and could hardly get out of bed and walk the next day. After a trip to the doctor and several great medications later, I'm feeling better. I should also mention that I was walking and texting two weeks ago and ran straight into a metal basketball pole. I had a bump on my head for 6 days to show for that one. Brilliant, Brittney.

7. Only 16 days until I am going to the rodeo to see Kenny Chesney with Jenna! As many of you know, I am absolutely in love with Kenny! Can. Not. Wait.

8. The Bachelor this season totally disgusts me. Vienna is a horrible, awful, trashy choice. Seriously? Vienna? Not Alli or Tenley? Ummm....ok.

9. I can't wait for spring - bright colors, flowing dresses and sandals! Swing wide o doors of J. Crew. I'll see you soon!

10. My new favorite song is Josh Turner's "Why Don't We Just Dance" - love the song and really love the video! In case any of you were wondering!

That's all for tonight - Idol is on :)
Brittney

I Can't Stop Thinking About...

2010-02-10T20:27:00.005-06:00

This chest she put in her dining room! The color is fabulous and I love the touch of color it adds to the room. I don't think I would've ever thought about doing this, but I love it! I like how she incorporates white and yellow and I think it would look good with dark wood.

It's from hookedonhouses.net - one of my new favorite websites!

Any guesses on what my current obsession is? Haha!

The Winner Is...

2010-01-31T20:57:00.003-06:00

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that we've spent the last two weeks interviewing real estate agents. We were very lucky in that all of the agents we interviewed were outstanding, and I'm sure they would all do a great job. But, we could only pick one, so drumroll please.......

Nancy Jane Otto is our realtor! Our good friend Jacques used her, and we loved her! She works for Greenwood King in Houston, is extremely familiar with the Heights and super smart! And, get this, she worked at HBU while I was a student there AND she worked in their advancement office doing grant writing (which is part of what I do at Second Baptist School). Small world, right?

Anyway, we meet with her again Wednesday to go through our house very carefully so she can tell us what we need to spruce up and get ready before listing. I've never been so excited about cleaning and organizing in my entire life!

So, that's our update!
Have a great week, everyone!

Brittney

Real Estate Agent Update

2010-01-25T21:05:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow we meet with Agent #3 - (Agent #2 was on Saturday). We didn't love #2, so our top pick right now is #1. That being said, if real estate agent #3 is a disappointment, then we'll immediately go with #1. Honestly, I'm ready to get the show on the road! Met with agents, check, now let's pick one and get it done!

Can I get an "AMEN?"

B

Dreaming of a New House...

2010-01-21T19:05:00.003-06:00

The #1 thing on my mind these days is my new, neverbeforeseenbyme, house! I constantly think about what the rooms will look like, the colors we'll paint the walls, what the yard will look like and countless other details. That being said, I scour the internet and magazines now for ideas! I'm obsessed!

Look what I found yesterday from Insipired Rooms. Isn't this a neat way to hang and place the mirrors in a fitness room? I think on the adjacent wall, I'd hang a flat screen TV so I could do my Jillian Michael's Shred Workout and have plenty of room. It's fun to think about these new things!

Have a great Friday!
Brittney

Step One in the New House Journey

2010-01-19T20:59:00.003-06:00

Hello bloggers! I'm excited to tell you that we are in the early stages of looking for a new house! Holla! We're looking for a house in Houston - preferably inside the loop if we can find one we love!

We met with our first Realtor on Saturday. We are meeting with two more and then we'll decide which one to go with for the buying of our new house and selling of our current house. Diego is the Realtor we met, and we really liked him. We were excited to hear that we don't have to do too much to improve our home before putting it on the market. Here are the things we need to do:

1. Buy a couch cover for the couch in our bedroom that Charley used as a chew toy last year - CHECK! PS: Did you know these babies are expensive? We went to Target and I seriously thought the cover was going to be $20-$30; ummm....upwards of $70 people! Holy cow!

2. Buy a "magic eraser" and get the black marks/stains off our walls. Side note: Have any of you ever used this tool? Oh my gosh - its amazing! Seriously, I should post before and after pics! A pack of 4 cost about $4 and get pretty much all of your marks off your wall! It's amazing - hubs and I love them. Here's a photo of them!
3. Steam clean our carpets (this we knew)

And, that's all! Obviously, we need to do a few other things like clean really well, replace light bulbs, take down items that we don't want the future buyers to fall in love with, and of course organize our closets so we can really show off how "spacious" everything is!

Wish us luck on the home buying journey! We're so excited!

B

Blogging from the Big Game...

2010-01-07T21:26:00.003-06:00

Well, not technically blogging from the game...more from my comfy couch in my J.Crew jogging pants cuddled underneath my snuggie. But, the game is on! I'll admit that we are cheering for Alabama over here because they are in the SEC (with LSU). Gotta cheer for your conference to keep winning! If they win, it'll be the 4th year in a row the SEC has won!

I do like Texas though because my sweet cheerleader Callie cheers there and was the only freshman picked to cheer at the big game tonight! She's awesome!! And I feel sorry for Colt McCoy, how sad to get hurt on the first drive....I'm sad for him. Anyway, enjoying the last college football game of the season!

That's about it! The second half is starting. Yay college football!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Brittney

A Few More...

2010-01-05T10:17:00.004-06:00

As I thought more about the recent post of my 2010 goals, I've decided I overlooked a few important things. So, here is the remainder of the list....

11. Purchase my very first pair of Tory Burch flats
12. Spend more quality time with Jeremy (date nights, etc.)
13. Cook dinner at least once a week
14. Not hit any cars, or any object, actually....
15. Read more, twitter less...
16. Spend time with my favorite friends
17. Take Charley on more long walks - he really likes them
18. Have a more positive attitude in certain situations I'm in....(sorry for the vagueness, going to leave it at that!)
19. Stay in touch with relatives that I don't see very often
20. Did I mention buy a house?

That's a wrap!
B

Happy 2010

2010-01-03T20:43:00.002-06:00

Here are ten goals (okay, we can call them resolutions) for 2010:

1. Get a new house!
2. Do a good job decorating my new house
3. Host parties at the house
4. Lose weight and maintain it :)
5. Get into a good workout routine again
6. Begin and complete a Bible study
7. Get up to date on my scrapbook
8. Regularly tithe to our church
9. Find a new creative hobby
10. Excel in my professional life

Happy New Year!

2009: A Year In Review

2009-12-31T15:52:00.004-06:00

I got this blog idea from my friend Sara - enjoy!

January: Got my first new car, which 4 days later I managed to ding up by hitting the air conditioning unit outside our garage. It's getting fixed this week!

February: Had a romantic Valentine's Day seeing Legally Blonde! Went to Dallas with junior and senior cheerleaders for playoff game and had fun! Took Dog Training 101 with Charley and he graduated with honors!

March: Traveled to NYC - had a blast with our cousins Brian and Erin, shopped, drooled over a Coach bag I thought I needed (but alas did not get, and that's okay), saw Wicked, went on fun movie and TV tour of NYC. Didn't see any celebrities, but maybe next time! My beloved blind Pomeranian I got in college, Bruiser, passed away unexpectedly. First devestating animal loss for me.

April: Went to Boston for the first time for a marketing conference with fabulous co-worker Shari and we had a blast! Loved the city!! Started scrapbooking again! Joined Twitter!

May: Turned 25! Went to Sedona with our friends Sara and Cliff and had a wonderful time! Such a beautiful part of the country! Went to see my boy Kenny Chesney in concert! Joined a Sunday School class at our church and started making new couple friends!

June: Went to float the Frio River with a group of friends and had a great time and minimal sunburns. Our nephew and godson Brayden was born a month early! Just before Father's Day!

July: Had our first anniversary! Celebrated Jeremy's birthday on vacation in Boston! Went to Red Sox game, Cape Cod, Plymouth, Duck Tour of Boston and much more. Had a great time! Went to Scrapbook Village with my BFF Jenna and was blown away by all of her new scrapbooking tools. She became my scrapbooking hero! Took my first cake decorating class!

August: The girls dominated cheer camp once again, started my 3rd year of working at SBS, went to George Strait concert with my BFF, my Mom.

September: Started traveling for LSU football; had fun tailgating and winning games again! Brayden was baptized and I attended my first Catholic baptism ceremony.

October: Fell more madly in love with my husband! Struggled with decision to go back to school (specifically Law School), realized that's not where God wants me now, so I'm sitting patiently and obeying his plans! Dressed Charley up for Halloween as a bumble bee - I loved it, Jeremy rolled his eyes, the dog was indifferent, he just liked the excessive attention! Hired a fabulous assistant cheerleading coach!

November: Experienced my first cheerleading drama - and hope to never go through any again! Glad I survived! Thanksgiving in Houston, then headed to BR with my parents in tow to watch LSU beat Arkansas :) Finally!

December: Took cheerleaders to first competition and they won 1st and 2nd place! Enjoyed a busy Christmas with our families, had a nice break off of work (which I'm still enjoying), stepsister Heidi got married, Charley ate his first chocolate candy and got a Cherry Eye in the same week, and got to play in the snow in Houston!

Had a blessed 2009 and I am looking forward to a great new year!

A Very Merry Christmas!

2009-12-30T17:45:00.011-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year - it was SO busy! But we were blessed to be around all of our families this year, and that was perfect for us! Instead of detailing out our Christmas, I'll show it to you in pictures! Clever, right?

We headed to Shreveport first to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. We had a blast staying with Jack and Katherine and visiting with the Adams' side of the family!

Yes...I got a snuggie!
Jeremy with Katherine and Misti - my awesome sister-in-laws!

Then we headed back to Houston and hosted our very first Christmas Eve Party for my family. It was really fun! We did presents, played Christmas Bingo (and had gift cards as prizes), had tons of yummy food and of course played Rock Band. Some of Jeremy's family stopped by the party, too! It was definitely a fun tradition that we started!

Alex and Drake had a blast at our party - check out my hat - it makes me a "pro" chef!

Me and my girl, Bailey (my 10-year old niece)Playing Rock Band!

After the big party, we had our own Christmas, just me, Jeremy and Charley. Here are two of our favorite gifts! The scrapbooking machine is mine and the framed newspaper front page is his.

The next morning, we headed to the Bull house for Christmas with my brother's family. It's so fun to have Christmas with the kids - their excitement is truly what this season is about! It's so exciting! After we did presents, we had Christmas lunch with lots of the family. It was great seeing everyone!

Just showing off my wrapping job on Mom's present (I got her several kitchen things for her newly redecorated kitchen)!Bailey got a new Bible cover (and she's wearing her new Abercrombie jacket we got her)!

I got this amazing new cookbook - The Pioneer Woman - I seriously feel like me and this lady are friends! I'm excited to cook some of this yummy food!

The morning of the 26th, we went to Baton Rouge to have the Ford's Christmas. It was really fun - Jeremy has a really fun family! We opened gifts, ate dinner and played games! We had a great time!

Mr. Charlie (my FIL) got an outdoor heater! He's holding our new nephew Brayden!With my Christmas money from Mimi, I bought this fabulous new purse! I'm in love!

Whew...Christmas was fun, but a little exhausting! In the middle of it all, Charley ate M&M's, spent one night throwing up all night (now we have a taste of what its like to have a baby...we'll still hold off on that one for awhile, thanks Charley), and then to top it off, he got a Cherry Eye. I'll spare you the photo of his eye - it was disgusting! We thankfully avoided $500 eye surgery, and now we put drops in his eyes everyday. Sweet dog...

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!
Love,
B

Christmas at the Ford's

2009-12-13T20:12:00.008-06:00

I'm so proud of our Christmas decorations! Jeremy is a great helper, and we are really excited about Christmas this year! It'll be our first married Christmas to be at home together.

To celebrate, we will attend church on Christmas Eve, and then we are hosting a Christmas Eve party for my famliy which we are super pumped about. Once they leave, we will open our gifts (except our stockings). On the morning of the 25th, we will head to Deer Park for more celebrating and Santa with my family! We will open our stockings when we get home that day! It should be a really fun time! We will also squeeze in heading to North Louisiana to see my dad's side of the family before Christmas, and to BR to celebrate with Jeremy's family afterwards.

Here are our decorations that we are so proud of! Humor me and comment on them :)

My Christmas dishes! I'm in love with them!

Our beautiful tree!

My Southern Living decorative stocking and the greenery I added to it!A close up of our tree and some of my favorite ornaments!Our banister wrapped in garland, poinsettas and lights - J helped alot with this project!

Our stockings hung by the fireplace :)

Merry Christmas! 11 days until Jesus' birthday!

She's Back...

2009-12-09T20:46:00.002-06:00

Hey Friends!

First, I'd like to give a shout out to my girl Jenna for having such a cute blog background that I was inspired to steal it and make one of my own. She's too creative for her own good :)! Thanks my BFFEAEAE!

Sorry I have neglected to blog at all lately - even during National Blog Month I didn't post one time. That's simply embarrassing people.

I've seriously been a "worry wart" lately - so much so that I cannot even sleep well at night! It's been a stressful last month or two with work and cheerleading. My precious girls are competing at their very first competition on Saturday. Please pray that all goes well. We have two days left of practice and I'm not 100% confident we will pull it together. But, they always manage to surprise me, so hopefully that's the case on Saturday!

I hate being a worrier. I read this quote the other day that said "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere." Simply said, yet profound. It spoke to me.

I also read another quote that said "More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them." Wow, right?

I get my quotes from @iheartquotes on Twitter. They update multiple times a day and I really like a lot of theirs.

Anyway, hopefully the next time I post it won't be with such a worried and heavy heart. It is the "most wonderful time of the year" after all, and I know that it will be!

Love,
B

Shopping for Christmas Cards

2009-10-29T21:06:00.004-05:00

I'm on the hunt for our Christmas card! What websites do you use for your cards? I'm always looking for something really cute, pretty or clever. I'm a little obsessed and love nothing more than receiving all of your adorable cards in the mail!

This was our 2008 card (sample from the website, obviously).
Any suggestions?

Sincere Apologies...

2009-10-27T22:12:00.002-05:00

Have I really resorted to only posting new blog entries twice a month? Seriously? That's a little embarrassing, if I do say so myself. I'm so sorry that I'm depriving all of you of the incredibly fascinating things going on in my mind and in my life....wait, never mind, nothing fascinating is actually going on. My bad.

In all seriousness, there have been a lot of things going on that have been so super heavy on my heart. I'm contemplating going back to school, so my life lately has comprised of studying and college visits. I'm not entirely sure I want to become a full-time student again. Not to sound lazy, but I'm not sure I'm up for going to school all day and then studying all night. When would I have any kind of life? I would have no balance at all. And when I don't have balance, I kind of lose it. I'm just praying that the Lord shows me the path He wants me to take and that I'm wise enough to listen to what He's saying.

I'll keep you all posted on my big decision...and by the way, I hate decisions.

XOXO-
Brittney

Where Have I Been?

2009-10-12T18:37:00.002-05:00

I know you're puzzled - where has Brittney's Blog been lately? I'm here people, calm down...I've just been busy and reluctant to get on the computer in the evenings, what with my 7 TV shows I've got going on! Instead of giving you the boring details of the last few weeks, I'll just bullet point some highlights of my life right now!

I'm dying to dress Charley up for Halloween as something so ridiculous that it just mortifies Jeremy - this is true love people, in its finest form! This is what I want him to be!

My new favorite show is Glee! Has anyone else seen it? It's so awkward and absolutely hysterical! It's one of the only shows I actually watch on the night it comes on! Crazy, right?

I cured my shopping itch last weekend by spending way too much money at the Galleria - its dangerous territory I tell you! And I plan to go back this week! Ha! But, seriously, I have NO work clothes! All my clothes are from when I graduated college and I was 30+ pounds heavier. So, I stocked up on a few new pieces, and a ridiculously expensive headband. But I needed it - I'm obsessed with girly headbands!

I'm really excited about this weekend - no traveling for football and a weekend of fun with friends I don't get to see very often. It all starts Friday when I have lunch with my BFFE Jenna, and then Saturday night I'll be livin it up with Kim, Josh and Carl (otherwise known as the fab 4). I have really great friends!

That's about all I've got for you. I'm off to make my infamous pasta for dinner tonight. It's yummy and the easiest thing EVER!

XOXO (yes, I'll be watching Gossip Girl tonight; love me some Chuck Bass)
Brittney

Blah, Blah, Blah...

2009-09-07T15:35:00.002-05:00

Sadly, I really have nothing exciting to post about. Life is pretty much same ole, same ole. Which is fine, I guess.

We are going on our first LSU football road trip next weekend and its a full weekend with the nephew's baptism, baptism dinner and then tailgating the next day. I'm sure it'll be a whirlwind.

My cheerleaders are doing great - of course! The football team hasn't been winning, but my girls always out cheer the opponents cheerleaders. And, that's really what's important, right? :)

I had a really fun Labor Day swimming with my nieces and nephew. I'm pretty much obsessed with them. It was fun to have handstand contests in the pool again. I haven't done that in forever! Sadly, I never want to ruin my makeup or get my hair wet. Its days like this I'll always remember, not the ones where I didn't just dive in and play...something to think about I guess.

Maybe my next post will be more exciting, or at least include pictures :)

Love,
B

Loving Lady Antebellum

2009-08-20T19:26:00.004-05:00

No worries, people - I'm still in love with Kenny Chesney (XOXO Kenny!). But, right now I'm digging Lady Antebellum. I didn't fall for them at first - I'm not much for trios, and I thought they were a little corny. But, I saw them at the Kenny concert in the spring and liked them, and I'm in love with their new singles on the radio. Last night, I bought "Need You Now" on iTunes and have jammed it tons today! I have no idea why I'm obsessed with this song - its not really applicable in my life, the lead singer just has a beautiful voice :)

When I listen to the chorus though, I do think of situations I've been in, and one that my sweet friend is going through right now. Its so hard to say no sometimes, even though, as Christian women, we have strong morals and values. Sometimes, there's just something about the opposite sex that can make a woman unbelievably weak.

So, here are the lyrics to the song:

Picture perfect memories,
Scattered all around the floor.
Reaching for the phone cause, I can’t fight it any more.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now.
Said I wouldn’t come but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don’t know how I can do without, I just need you now.

Another shot of whiskey, can’t stop looking at the door.
Wishing you’d come sweeping in the way you did before.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk,
And I need you now.
Said I wouldn’t call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don’t know how I can do without, I just need you now.

Yes I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.
It’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now.
And I said I wouldn’t call but I’m a little drunk and I need you now.
And I don’t know how I can do without, I just need you now.
I just need you now.
Oh baby I need you now.

Winning is FUN!

2009-08-16T12:47:00.001-05:00

Just got back from cheer camp this week and I'm such a proud coach. The SBS Varsity cheerleaders won EVERYTHING! Seriously, everything! They won the awards for talent, dance, spirit, and leadership! Other squads were so tired of hearing "Second Baptist Varsity" being called, but not us! I was crying like a proud Mom :) I'm so proud of them and I know it'll be an amazing year with the strength of the seniors leadership and the immense talent of these 20 girls! Go Eagles!

Back in the Swing...

2009-08-04T21:48:00.003-05:00

Here we go, people. August is upon us. For me, that means: SBS football and volleyball season, LSU football season, 8 hours a weekend in a car for home LSU games, a TON of events at work (Homecoming, New Parent Events, DSL, PA Events, Booster Club dinners, etc, etc, etc), lots of cheerleading (including camp next week!!) and so much more!!! Ahhh - I feel like I cannot catch my breath till Thanksgiving!

But, its also pretty exciting to be back in my routine again. I love seeing my cheerleaders every day, and my co-workers are just the greatest! And, not to mention that all my TV shows are coming back on! Woo Hoo!!!

Do you guys like a routine? Or would you rather have endless amounts of time off without a routine?

Have a happy week!

Am I Enough?

2009-07-27T22:59:00.003-05:00

Lately, I've been reflecting on how its just not that easy to be a woman in today's world. I'm in a ladies bible study at church, and we are reading the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World." The bottom line is I'm such a Martha, when all I really desire is to stop and sit at the feet of Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42).

As women today, we are beyond distracted with so many tasks, self-consuming thoughts, and just flat out struggles. I feel God telling me that I just need to stop and strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman - not a perfect woman of this world.

Does anyone ever feel these things?
- When will these extra 10 pounds go away? I've been working out like a maniac lately, eating more fruits and veggies, and my clothes aren't hanging off me like I want them to...
- I wish my house was cuter and allowed for us to entertain more; but the thought of having more areas to decorate is terrifying - what if I make mistakes, or worse, get the decorations in and settled, then realize I don't like it (like I've done with our bedding - its so dark and dreary - why didn't I shop around more?)
- Just when I think I've got enough clothes, something new and fabulous comes out that I've just got to have; probably because I still have those struggles of wanting to wear the next best thing; honestly, do I need more clothes? NO! (BTW - I feel the same way about purses and jewelry)
- Why did I get the short end of the stick on great hair? I can't decide if I like it short, long or medium - honestly, sometimes it sucks all three ways! Haircuts are so defining, yet, I can never seem to stay happy with one style
- Back to my body - ughhhh!!!!! Just to lose the impossible inches on my arms! And the love handles - come on, I do so many oblique exercises - what gives???
- And finally, am I doing enough? Do I clean or cook enough to be considered a great wife? Do I call and visit enough to be a great family member? Do I ask the right questions and listen enough to be the best friend I can be? Do I work hard enough at work to make sure I'm not going anywhere - do I do enough?

Lord, am I enough?

Proverbs 31:28-30

Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised

Praising the Lord today, for making me a woman wise enough to realize that the only set of standards that matter are those of Jesus.

Spending Less...

2009-07-19T20:52:00.003-05:00

As Jeremy and I are saving our money for a house house (as opposed to the town house we live in now), I've made a few promises to myself, and okay, him too, about ways I'll save money from now until the end of 2009. I'll have to come up with new promises for 2010 :)

So, I thought I would share them with you guys, as an accountability! That way, if I start blogging about something I just bought that I shouldn't have, you guys can comment and say, "BRITTNEY - what were you thinking? You weren't supposed to buy that!!!"

So, here we go.
My spending vows...

I vow to not spend any money on holiday decoration items this year. Seriously - do I actually need another Christmas ornament or Halloween candy bowl? I think not!
I vow to not spend any money on scrapbooking any more this year. UNLESS - it's absolutely necessary (e.g. buying new letter stickers because I can only spell out Vaca instead of Vacation)
Deep breath, ladies - I vow not to spend any money on a mani or pedi - YIKES!!! This is a big one, because I love to unwind with a nice pedi after a long week. But, I am perfectly capable of doing an "at home spa pedi."

So, please help me stay faithful to these vows. I know it'll be worth it in the end, because we will be living in a fabulous home and I'll invite you all over for a housewarming party (or maybe we'll just all go get pedicures)!

Here we go....wish me luck!

Thoughts on ONE Year of Marriage

2009-07-13T15:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Jeremy & I celebrated our one year anniversary! It was a perfect day - we went to church, lunch with my family, saw Phantom of the Opera (and LOVED it), cooked our favorite meal for dinner, exchanged presents and of course, ate the top of our wedding cake. FYI - our cake lady made us a new cake, we didn't freeze ours! We decided our anniversary tradition would be to dance to our song, from our first dance as husband and wife, which is "At Last." Of course, Charley wanted to join in on the dance, too, which was pretty funny!

To commemorate one year, I decided to do a "Top 10 Things I've Learned As A Newlywed" list. Enjoy!

1. You can't change him - no matter how hard you try, how faithfully you pray, how exciting you think your pep talks are - there's no changing someone else.

2. Boys are stinky - there's just no way around it!

3. Husbands don't like it when you get the tweezers out and go after their eyebrows!

4. If you really want to make your first year adventurous - get a cocker spaniel! Although Charley is a complete handful and total mess sometimes, we have had a blast with him!

5. Put each other first - don't give him whatever is leftover at the end of the day. He deserves more than that.

6. Trust his decisions - God made him the head of your marriage for a reason! Even though I don't always agree with his choices at first, in the end, I usually can look back and see that he was right!

7. Take lots of pictures - I'm never too shy to ask strangers to take our pictures on vacation - I want to treasure all of our memories right now & I'm excited we have SO many pictures together!

8. Have secrets and inside jokes - it only strengthens the connection that the two of you share!

9. Continue to surprise each other, and date each other. We didn't get a grip on this until a few months into the marriage, but it keeps things exciting when you go on dates and try new things together!

10. Talk to him - he's still a guy and cannot possibly guess what is wrong with you (even though you are his wife)!

Here's a picture from yesterday - he's holding our Phantom playbill and I'm holding our cake (I know, its cheesy, I just had to take this picture...see #7).

Our Latest Vacay

2009-07-08T18:34:00.006-05:00

J and I just got back from a great trip to Boston and Cape Cod! We had a great time and the weather was just about perfect (unlike in Houston where it gets in the 100's everyday)! It was amazing to celebrate the 4th in a historic city like Boston and we had lots of fun celebrating Jeremy's 34th birthday there, too! We went to a Red Sox game, walked the Freedom Trail, did a Duck Boat Tour, went to the 4th fireworks celebration (with the Boston Pops and Neil Diamond) and lots more. We did LOTS of walking (I think I'm due for some new shoes now :) ). After a few days in Boston, we went to Cape Cod and stayed in Hyannis (and also made a short stop in Plymouth, Mass.). It was so beautiful there. We loved it, and wished we would've stayed longer! It was everything you see on TV - quaint, gorgeous homes, amazing beaches, cute little main streets with cuter shops! We had a great trip!

Captions for the pictures (I'm having computer issues tonight): A view from our favorite boardwalk in Cape Cod, us at the Cape Cod Summer League Baseball Game, us on the 4th in our 4th of July outfits, us at the Red Sox game, and then a picture of us at the Boston Public Gardens (my fave place in Boston)!

Nieces and Nephews and Charley...Oh My!

2009-06-21T19:46:00.003-05:00

This has been a great weekend for the Ford family - Jeremy & I have a new nephew. Brayden Paul Ford was born at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday morning to Collin (Jeremy's brother) and his wife Melanie! We are so excited for them! He is precious and adorable and we can't wait to hold him. We are (hopefully) going to visit them this coming up weekend in BR and I promise to post pics when we return!

We recently celebrated the nephew on my side of the family, Drake's birthday. He just turned 8 and had a swim party! He's so cute - he's getting to a stage where he is comfortable showing affection without being forced to "go hug your Aunt Brittney." After he opened the gifts, he came up and gave me a side hug and said "Thank you." It was really heartfelt and genuine! We also celebrated our niece, Alex's "5th birthday" even though her real birthday isn't until December! She's always adorable and had the cutest squeal every time she opened a gift! It was hilarious!

And Charley....he's just, well, Charley! Into everything and so nosy! I've been working out with Jillian's Shred DVD at home, and everytime I do it, he has to be right beside me. When I am running in place, he's trying to sit on each foot as it hits the ground; when I'm doing push ups, he's laying on my leg! CRAZY DOG! The most recent thing he's chewed is the cord of our iron, so now its out of commission - just when I was starting to actually like ironing! He is starting to calm down somewhat, so we can possibly start having guests over without having to distract Charley! Yahoo!!

Just wanted to share some blessings with everyone - hoping you have found blessings in your weekends, too!

First Year Anniversary Traditions?

2009-06-15T19:22:00.002-05:00

Dear Blogger Friends,

As Jeremy and I quickly approach our first anniversary, I'm wondering if any of you married gals have special anniversary traditions that you do each year. I'm hoping to start one this year so that in 50 years we can say, "We've been doing such and such since our first anniversary!"

Let me know your creative ideas or traditions in the comments section (if you don't mind me copying them, that is :) )

Frio Trip '09

2009-06-14T15:54:00.001-05:00

We had a great time floating the Frio River last weekend! We went with Jeff & Lindsay and Matt & Kim and a few of their friends! We had a great time floating, cooking dinner, playing Rock Band (Jeremy), taking long naps (Me) and just hanging out! Luckily, we didn't get too sunburned! We can't wait to go back next summer!

Posing after dinner at a restaurant I can't remember the name of!

Me and Lindsay - I love this girl!

The boys playing Rock Band!

What I'm Reading

2009-06-11T16:19:00.003-05:00

I LOVE to read, and right now the book I'm loving is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I'm sure most of you have heard his story - the Carnegie Mellon professor who passed away recently of pancreatic cancer. It's the story of his last lecture given that was basically written for his kids to read and watch. His children are 1, 3 and 5. It's a great book and an easy read, that really puts life in perspective for you. Here are some of my favorite snippets from the book:

"Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over."
"Never make a decision until you have to."
"When there's an elephant in the room, introduce it."
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

Happy Thursday everyone!

Are you Following?

2009-06-10T22:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends - Be one of my followers on my blog, because I only have 5 and it makes me a lil sad! Haha! Yay for new followers (hopefully)!

I'll update later this week about our trip to float the Frio this last weekend - it was a blast and we didn't get too sunburned (which is a miracle, considering everyone gets burnt floating the river)!

Love - Brittney

Sedona Trip

2009-06-02T17:49:00.003-05:00

Jeremy and I just got back from a long weekend in Sedona, Arizona with our friends Cliff and Sara. Jeremy and Cliff have been friends since Kindergarten....isn't that amazing? I don't know a single person I went to Kindergarten with!

We had a great time together! They got married just 5 weeks after we did, so its fun having other newlywed friends! This was hopefully the first of many traveling adventures together!

I'm 25!!!

2009-05-26T22:37:00.002-05:00

I celebrated the big 2-5 last Thursday, and it was a week full of fabulous celebrations! I love that being a girl automatically guarantees you at least a week of parties! We had a birthday dinner in Baton Rouge that was really fun, one in Houston with Ali & Pete, my family party, went out with some of my friends another night, birthday lunch at work with my co-workers, birthday lunch with my sweet cheer captains, birthday lunch with Mom, birthday lunch with friends, birthday dinner with Husband...whew! Gotta love birthdays!

I will say that J did a great job on my birthday - even though I had already figured out my gifts. He woke me up with breakfast in bed (cinnamon toast - my favorite) and then we had an amazing dinner that evening. He gave me my gifts - a new Bible that I LOVE and a pearl ring that I'm also loving - before dinner, and I figured that was it - which was totally fine! Well, at the end of dinner, he pulls out a card with "Surprise" written on it. He'd picked up a gift card that morning for me to go shopping!! He had to wait until the morning of my birthday because he didn't want me to figure it out! I'm just that good, people! No snooping, I promise...just have my ways :)

Anyway, if I get around to uploading pictures, I'll post some from the big day. I got some really cute gifts from co-workers and the sweetest and funniest cards from friends! I am so blessed!!

That's the birthday recap :)

The week is almost over!

2009-05-07T21:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a pretty good week so far, just incredibly busy! I've been in the redocorating mood, so I've changed around our bedroom, bathroom and living room. Yesterday before J got home, I went ahead and rearranged some of the TV boxes to make room for decorative candles. I was so proud of myself that I rewired everything correctly and the TV actually turned back on (and more importantly, that I didn't lose any of my shows on the DVR). Am I a champ, people, or what?!?

So, I'm excited to do some more bargain shopping this weekend to look for new yellow additions to our navy bedroom! And I'm looking forward to celebrating the best Mom in the whole world on Sunday! Shout out here to Lynnette! Love you!

And BTW - my blogger friend Sara is doing a fun giveaway on her blog, so go check it out! She updates her blog daily and she's a really cute, fun newlywed! Click here to see her blog!

Love you guys!

Feeling Creative....

2009-05-04T18:20:00.004-05:00

I love being creative - doing scrapbooks, making things, purusing Hobby Lobby and more! So, on Tuesday when school got rained out (woo hoo!), I set to scrapbooking and did 12 pages! It was so awesome and I feel like I may actually catch up and finish my pre-married book, then my wedding scrapbook and then my married life book! Sounds like a lot!

I also made some notecards last week for a sweet senior that is graduating from SBS in a couple of weeks. She's heading to A&M in the fall. So, I made her a dozen notecards, and personalized all of them with her name and nicknames on them. It was so fun and I was proud of my creativity, so I had to take pictures!

Maybe I'll post some scrapbook pictures soon, too! I really like some of my pages! And I want to be able to show them to Jenna :)

I hope everyone is having a great week and gets the chance to be creative, too!

A Very Proud Cheer Coach!

2009-04-22T19:28:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was an incredible day because I found out that one of my cheerleading captains made cheerleader at UT! Callie is the newest member of the Coed Squad, (Orange Squad). This is such a huge accomplishment and I am so proud of her!

The coach at UT called me yesterday and told me the big news and said that I would be the first to tell her she made it! So, here are some pictures from the fun! As you can tell, we were all crying! I'm so proud of her she's an incredible girl!!! Go Callie!

I just told her the news!!!So happy for Callie!!

This is a VERY proud Mom! Look at Callie's shirt!! Yay!

Love this girl SO much!!

My Trip to Boston

2009-04-18T11:52:00.002-05:00

I had the amazing opportunity to spend my week in Boston - thanks to SBS! I was there for a marketing/communications conference, which was great and beneficial. But, I wouldn't blog about the ins and outs of the conference.

I LOVED BOSTON!!!

The city was not only beautiful, but obviously historical as well. We stayed in the oldest hotel in the US (Omni Parker House) across the street from the first public school, the Old City Hall and one night we ate dinner at the oldest restaurant in the country (Union Oyster House). How incredible is that? I'm definitely not a history buff, but there's something pretty breathtaking about walking the streets where so many historical folks have stepped foot. Boston was such a friendly city, with beautiful buildings, easy access to everything - which I loved the ability to walk everywhere - and of course, great shopping!! I bought some really cute, original things to add to my closet - which Jeremy wasn't totally excited about :) Ha!

I also got to experience all of this with one of my favorite people - Shari, who I work with. We had a blast together and became even closer. Which if you know us, you would think that's impossible!

I love traveling!!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T11:13:00.002-05:00

For some reason I can't explain, Easter had a deeper meaning for me this year. I don't think its that I've experienced a significant spiritual maturity recently, but I think Jesus has definitely been more actively on my heart lately.

I think one reason for this was that Thursday night when I got home from the gym, Jeremy was watching the Passion of Christ. So, I watched it with him - it was only the second time I've seen it. It was such a deep reminder of the intense sacrifice that Jesus made for us and seeing all of it weighed so deeply on my heart throughout the weekend. I dug into the Book of John just to read more about what I'd just seen. It was a really moving experience for me to be so vividly reminded this weekend about the pain and suffering Jesus went through. All to Him I owe!

Easter is the most important time of year for Christians, and I hate that it gets overshadowed with bunnies, chocolate and eggs. Don't get me wrong, one of my favorite things I did this weekend was watch my precious nieces and nephew hunt their eggs! Even church is crazy on Easter. We are herded in and out of the shortened services to make room for the masses of people that attend on Easter Sunday. It's so crazy. Of all times of year, I want to be in church, soaking up a message about the ultimate sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, and all of the hope and validity that Easter means for Christians.

I hope all of you had meaningful Easter weekends!
Much love,
Britt

Spring Break Fun!

2009-03-22T19:08:00.005-05:00

Obviously, I'm sad Spring Break is over...does anyone actually like setting their alarms and getting up to go to work each day? Not so much...But, I've had a really relaxing and exciting break, so I'll happily go back to work tomorrow with a smile!

This week has been fabulous! The first weekend of Spring Break, I spent at home in Deer Park with my family - especially with Mom doing some serious shopping! I also threw an engagement party for my friend Kim, which was super fun! We had it at this swanky wine bar across town and it was beautiful! Monday and Tuesday were super relaxing - had lunch with one of my fave professors from HBU, got pedis with Whitney, went to Swirll (my fave dessert place right now) with Whit and Paul, got my hair cut (if only I could figure out how to fix it like my stylist did...) napped, played with Charley, and went to the rodeo (to see Keith Urban!).

Jeremy & I went to NYC this week, which was so fun! It was my first time to see the City, and I loved it. From the cute corner bakeries and shopping on 5th Avenue, to seeing the Manhattan skyline and being on top of the Rockefeller Center - it was amazing! NYC was everything I hoped it would be - except it was too cold! OMG - I don't think I've ever been so cold in my entire life! Aside from that, it was great. We went to see Wicked and loved it! Absolutely one of the greatest shows either of us has seen - WOW! We also got to spend a lot of time with Brian & Erin (Jeremy's cousin and his gf) which was so much fun - they are so great & I can't wait for them to get married :)! Another of my favorite things in NYC was the food - we ate like champs this week (and I probably gained the lbs to show it!). Every meal was delicious! We also made three stops at Magnolia Bakery, which was incredible. I highly recommend their Vanilla Cupcakes, so yummy! I had three this week - YIKES! I'm pretty sure I didn't eat anything healthy in NYC and I loved every moment of it!

So, now that Spring Break is over, its time to get back in the swing of things again. I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite work friends, and seeing my girls again! We have a pep rally on Friday to get ready for, then tryouts the following week. Busy, busy!!

Here are some pics from our trip!

Recognize this apartment building? We're posing in front of Monica's building from Friends during our New York TV & Movie Tour!Here we are in the Houston airport - our plane was delayed FOUR long hours. I was miserable!Brian & Erin during our yummy dinner at Sarabeth's!Here we are in Central Park - my favorite place in NYC! I can't wait to go back and see it during the spring or summer seasons!

Randomness...

2009-03-16T14:21:00.003-05:00

I feel like I update so infrequently that I never know exactly where to start when I begin my next entry! I'll have to get better at this!

Jeremy & I leave on Wednesday for our trip to NYC! We are so excited!! I've never been, and just cannot wait to see the City! And maybe a few celebrities...you never know :) We're going to see Wicked, go to Times Square, Ground Zero, Central Park, Top of the Rock, and much more! It's going to be so great!

I'm so excited the rodeo is in town! It's one of my favorite things about living in Houston - everyone loves country music (or at least pretends to) this time of year. I've had fun going with my girlfriends. Thursday was Brad Paisley and tomorrow is Keith Urban. So much fun!! If I remember my camera tomorrow, I'll post pictures!

Well, that's all for now - it's back to reruns of Golden Girls, a cold Coke Zero, reading Glamour and playing with Charley!! Love Spring Break!

Sunday Evening Excitement...

2009-02-22T21:44:00.002-06:00

It's been quite a week! This week started off with me in bed with the flu (made for a very exciting Valentine's Day, let me tell you)! After a busy week at work, I spent the weekend in Dallas with my junior & senior cheerleaders as they cheered on the boys and girls basketball teams in the regional playoffs. Unfortunately, SBS lost both games, but my girls cheered their hearts out! We had a really fun time on our trip! I love those girls!

Today, has been very relaxing! We did some shopping at the Galleria, watched Wall E, made plans for our NYC vacation and lunched at CPK! It's crazy, but I'm actually not dreading going to work tomorrow - not sure why, since I pretty much "worked" all weekend! I guess that's a good thing!

After doing some Spring shopping this weekend at J Crew, I'm so ready for Spring to be here! Bright colors, pretty pastels and whites here I come! I can't wait!

Have a happy week :)
Brittney

25 Random Things

2009-02-04T19:33:00.002-06:00

Right now on Facebook, everyone is making a list of "25 Random Things About Me." So, I thought I'd make my list for my blog, instead. Enjoy!

1. My 10 year anniversary of my baptism was over this past summer. So often, I reflect back on that sweet time in my life where I was discovering who Jesus is and what it meant to have a relationship with Him. I love to think about that special day when I gave my life to Jesus and the journey we've been on ever since.

2. I wish I could sing! I would audition for American Idol and make it to the finale where I'd sing some cheesy song I'm forced to sing while my mom cries from the front row because she's so proud of me!

3. Coaching cheerleading is my favorite thing I get to do during the day. The relationships I've made with my girls are incredible! I adore each of them - what a blessing that I get to build relationships with them while doing something so fun! After cheering from 4th grade through my senior year in college, I have a strong urge to cheer, tumble, stunt or dance most days when we are at practice- and I doubt that will ever go away!

4. Speaking of cheerleading, I wish I would've tried harder my last two years of college. I could have excelled more in tumbling, and wish I wouldn't have taken those years for granted.

5. I love cinnamon! Cinnamon toast, ice cream, rolls, pop tarts, bread, butter, candy, anything! I love it!!

6. I'm still not over the Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston breakup. I can't stand Brangelina!

7. Chuck Bass is my boyfriend.

8. My other boyfriends include: Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), McSteamy (Eric Dane), Chace Crawford and Kenny Chesney.

9. But my husband is Jeremy and I love him so much!

10. I'm addicted to Soft Lips chap stick! Vanilla is my favorite.

11. In my dream world I would own a scrapbooking store and write a book in my spare time! Scrapbooking and reading books are some of my favorite things!

12. Someday I will own a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.

13. I love LSU football, and I still can't handle the disappointment when they lose.

14. I'm ridiculously afraid of heights.

15. I wish I was closer to my older brothers - they are SO cool!

16. I love the color pink - I want everyone to wear pink to my funeral.

17. I'm almost always cold, so I love really soft, big blankets. I could never have enough of them!

18. I'm sadly obsessed with playing Tetris on my iPhone right now. But, I'm really good at it!

19. I'm looking forward to one day being a Mom, but I'm terrified that I'll never lose that "baby/pregnancy weight" that comes along with it.

20. I love to read great quotes - I always walk slower through the sections at stores that have pictures with sayings or quotes on them

21. I don't like the sound of my voice - I think I sound manly!

22. When I turned 16, I spent the next year hitting 6 parked cars....the seventh car I hit was at least moving...

23. When I was in college, I wanted to get a teeny tiny nose ring, but my mom said she'd stop paying for college if I got one. I got over it pretty fast.

24. I love being 24! And I'm NOT sassy! :)

25. I wasn't a dog person until I got Bruiser - and the rest is history...

A Great Weekend

2009-01-18T17:38:00.002-06:00

I always hope that Sunday evenings will go by so slowly so that Monday morning doesn't come quickly! We've had a relaxing weekend - I slept in until 11 yesterday, which was wonderful! Then, we went and saw a matinee of Marley and Me. We had just finished reading the book last week, and we both loved it! It was neat to read a book together, and then see the movie together.

We truly feel like our dog Charley is part "Marley." He just does all of these crazy, off the wall, bad behavior things. Like, last night at our friends house, he broke their dogs squeaky toy. In under two minutes, it was destroyed. It's like we have the "bad kid." Ha!

So, now, I'll go enjoy the remainder of my weekend by cooking dinner, playing with the crazy dog and watching TV!

The end of an era...

2009-01-11T20:20:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, was the end of the Black Escape for me. Or as I like to call it, the Es-cape (with a french accent)! We traded it in and I got my very first "new car." It's exactly what I wanted, too. It's a Mazda CX-9, so it's larger than my Escape, but not as big as a suburban. The first time we test drove it, I looked in the backseat, where 5 passengers can ride, and said, "Look, Jeremy, we can have 5 kids!" He was not amused!

Anyway, the color is white diamond pearl, and its so beautiful! Maybe I'll post pictures of it, but not anytime soon! I'm still figuring out how to drive it and use all of the features in it. It's totally pimped out with navigation, DVD player, backup camera, heated seats (my fave) and more. It's pretty awesome, and the deal we got on it was even better! Shout out to Ahmed for selling us the car in only 4.5 hours. Yes, people, it took an eternity! There goes my Saturday!

I'm looking forward to several things this week, but most importantly, AMERICAN IDOL premieres! Season 8 is finally here and I couldn't be more excited!! I wonder which contestants I'll be voting for this season - I can hardly wait! Also looking forward to more Bachelor drama (bring it Shannon) and of course, Gossip Girl!

That about does it - have a great week!

Just Another Day...

2009-01-07T17:25:00.002-06:00

Today was just another day, nothing incredibly exciting happened. There's really nothing wrong with that, it beats a fully dramatic, busy or emotional day!

I'm going to have to say that the most exciting thing that happened this week was definitely Gossip Girl on Monday! OMG! I love Blair and Chuck - and I am a big fan of his acting right now. I think the writers have done an excellent job portraying his grief - its not like he would get over Bart's death in a week or two (like Lily has). He's really going through a hard situation. It was sweet when he hugged B and all he could say was, "Sorry..." Pass the Kleenex - I love Chuck Bass!

Tonight, we are going car shopping again, so I may need to take a quick nap before we go. Why is it exhausting to car shop? Oh, that's right...because a bunch of people talk your ear off and judge you like crazy! That's why. I want to say, "Hey, I like this car. So, you give me the keys, I'll drive around and let you know what I think. Then tell me how much it is with the options I'd like. Thanks." As you know, this isn't the case...

That's all for now - Happy Wednesday!

A Few of My Favortie Things...

2009-01-04T20:24:00.002-06:00

These are my amazing Varsity cheerleaders - aren't they adorable?
I love them so much!

Here is our new dog, Charley, with my nieces Bailey, 9, Alex, 4, and Drake, 7.
I love my nieces and nephew - they're the best and they make life so fun!

Ah - our honeymoon, we had the time of our lives!
Here we are on one of our snorkeling trips while staying on Peter Island, BVI.

Here are some of my favorite friends - Kim, Jenna and Jessica.
They are the best and I love them so much!

Why Brittney's Blog?

2009-01-03T23:02:00.001-06:00

For months, I've wanted to start a blog. I'm not sure where the desire started - actually, I think it came from reading the Bachelor blog, and I decided, "Hey, I've got lots of fabulously random thoughts, too, I should start a blog." Besides random thoughts, I've also got opinions (who doesn't) on everything from my favorite TV shows and college football to current events and fashion. With a blog, I've got a place to collect all of the thoughts and then persuade my sweet friends to read them.

Besides, I've always loved to write. Since I can remember, I've enjoyed writing. Not all kinds of writing, though - I don't love to write about things I'm not passionate about. But, hey, when you want a career in communications, you've got to start somewhere. Hence, the stories about LNG and GTL projects, coal gasification, and technologies being developed that are beyond me. My dream is to be a writer, and actually get paid for it. Oh, the stories I would write - mostly fiction, of course.

But for now, I'll just write in my blog, and see how that goes. And I'll post about the exciting (and non-exciting) things I have going on.

Happy Reading (hopefully)!

Brittney