Am I Enough?

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...

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

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

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!

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?

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

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!