Josalea Kate

i'm one proud auntie.  

my niece was born early yesterday morning 

Josalea Kate Wilkie: 6lbs 14oz & 17.5in

she is so precious and my nephew everett, her big brother, is so excited!!

their growing family is just so adorable.

brandon and lacey are incredible parents that i admire so much.

sweet baby

granna & everett

the cute wilkie family

big brother kisses

faith's bridal brunch

i love la jolla. 

duh, i got married there.  it's just so beautiful and the ocean is always so blue and the shops are so quaint and fabulous.  

one of my best friends is getting married in la jolla on saturday and for an early celebration she had a bridal brunch at the la valencia hotel in la jolla this afternoon.  it was so pretty, and classy, and perfect.  i feel so blessed to have been a part of this special occasion and even more blessed and thankful to have faith in my life.  she has been one of the greatest friends i have ever had.  at one point during the brunch a woman who has poured into faith's life for a long time gave a toast.  she said some simple words but wow.. it was incredible. she pointed out how beautiful faith's name is and all the meaning behind it.  

faith is what our foundation in Christ is built on.  faith truly emulates the full meaning of her name.  she is such a beautiful woman inside and out and loves the Lord.  the woman also said that faith is a very unique person, there aren't many like her in the world.  she is a woman of few words. she doesn't always have to speak and be in the middle of a crowd, but when she does speak, her words are so wise and meaningful and i have seen that to be true so many times in our friendship.  she has given me so much wisdom when other people didn't.  she is so loving and caring and it blows me away.  all this to say that i loved every second spent this morning honoring and celebrating faith, the beautiful bride to be!!

beautiful sisters.. faith & whitney

so delicious

mimosas are the best

faith & her two favorite blonde brittanys

such a beautiful day!!

i can't wait for saturday!

happy birthday mom!!

my mom (on the right) and her sister.. cutest little thing

 today is my mom's 30th birthday!!!! 

okay, not really 30, but she sure looks like it!

i have been blessed with the most amazing mom in the world.  anyone who knows her will agree that she lights up any room she sets her foot into.  if there is someone in need, my mom is the first lend her hand.  she has the biggest heart.. ever.  she loves my dad more than anything and has given me the greatest example of what a godly marriage looks like.  she has devoted her whole life to my sister and i making sure that we have the BEST.  she loves the unlovable and it's incredible to watch.  traveling with her is the best.  she will get you into forbidden places and you'll meet way too many celebrities.  we call this her "schmoozing" technique.. she's got it down!!  she throws the best parties and is definitely the queen of FUN.  

i swear this song by lauren alaina was written for my mom and i... watch it :)

i want to do everything just like my mother does.. so much so that we have an ongoing joke where she always tells me, "britt, you can't be me!!"  but it's true. i want to be just like her.

this next song always reminds me of my mom (and dad) because no matter what they have always stood by me.. they have given me unconditional love that has blown me away these past 22 years.

 

(i wanted to put up pictures of her and i from when i was little but my computer crashed last summer and i lost everything so those will have to do) 

Mom, I tried to write you a letter but everything I wanted to say I have already written to you {in your mother's day letter}  re-read this, and believe it..

God has blessed me with the greatest mom in the world and I am so grateful to be your daughter.  I am who I am today because of you and the influence you have had on me. You have the most incredible strength I have ever seen in any woman; you love me and encourage me in a way that makes me feel so full.  You are the life of the party and everybody wishes they had that "fun" quality that you have.  You are the hottest mid 40’s mom I have ever seen!  You light up any room you walk into and bring joy to everyone around you.  You have such a beautiful heart that cares so much about people.  You radiate the love of Christ everywhere you go.  You have been the greatest example to be of what a godly wife is and how to love and honor your husband.  These things that you have modeled to me I can now live out and that is something I am so thankful for.  I have seen from you how unique and irreplaceable a mother's love is.  You have devoted your life to Brooke and I and that has blessed me more than you know.  You want us to have the absolute best and have always made sure that we did.  Without a doubt you have always wanted the VERY best for me, even when it wasn't what I wanted to hear.  I am so thankful that you were my mom and not always my friend and I love where we are in life how I still come to you for wisdom but now, more than anything, you are my friend.. One of my very best friends!  I am so blessed to have been brought up in a healthy family who loves the Lord and loves each other.  I am so thankful to be in a family that defends each other, no matter the cost.  You have taught me so many things, and one of those things is what it looks like to love. You have proven to me that no matter what I did, you are always there and you stand by me no matter what.

The song "I'll Stand By You" always reminds me of you because that's what you do.  You always stand by me.  And especially this line you have shown me to be true: "When the night falls on you and you don't know what to do, nothing you confess could make me love you less, I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, I won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you."

Mom, you have given me the world and have provided me with so many opportunities, and it's YOU who deserves the world.  I love you more than you'll ever know and even though growing up I sometimes acted ungrateful, I am SO beyond grateful for everything you have ever done for me and the way you have always loved me.  I'm the most blessed daughter in the world just for having you as my mom!

if you know my mom, make her feel so loved today. 

text her, call her, write on her facebook.  

she is the most incredible woman.. i'm sure you know that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM.. I LOVE YOU

weekending in norcal

this weekend we made the long, awful, but so worth it drive up to northern california to see my family. on friday night we had a little early birthday celebration for my amazing mom.

he's such a nerd sometimes

saturday was brookie's PROM!! gosh, i feel like i just went to prom and now it was her turn.  that little peanut is growing up way too fast!!  i am so happy i was able to be there with her on that day and help her get ready and do her make up!!  i felt so blessed to be there and be apart of it because it has mad me so sad to miss out on every other fancy dance and fun high school things that she's done the last four years.  the other awesome part about her prom is that her date was my date's little brother!!

spencer & i at my prom

spencer's brother tucker, and brookie at their prom!

my little brookie looked so stinkin hott!! we sent her off and she had the best time dancing the night away.

on sunday we went to napa to go wine tasting!  my cousin michael put together a special day for his best friend and his new girlfriend.  since michael has his private pilot's license he flew them over san francisco and landed in napa to have lunch and go wine tasting with all our families.  so they flew in and we drove and we all met up.  unfortunately it took a little longer than planned and napa was crazy busy (memorial weekend, duh) so it was a quick little lunch but so fun nonetheless, and he had such a sweet heart and was so thoughtful planning the whole thing!! 

quickest picnic ever!

how to drink in napa on a quick picnic

the picnic was quick because they had to get back on the plane before their rental time was up.  so after they left mom, dad, nick and i went to v. sattui and bought my favorite wine, gammay rouge, and enjoyed it together.  it was a great day and a great weekend.  we got up at 5 am monday morning to head back home..

we got home last night and on our way down we stopped in LA to have lunch with one of my favorite and longest friends, kristy.  it was so great to catch up and laugh like old times.

some random girl.. i'm pretty sure she forgot her pants at home..

we made it home without hitting any memorial day traffic!! that was shocking.

my cousin travis who is fighting in iraq right now

 so thankful this memorial day for all the soldiers who put their life on the line to fight for our country.

we are the land of the free because of the brave

reminiscing

it's no surprise that i'm feeling sentimental today and loving spending quality time with my hubs this weekend.  i can't believe how quickly this first year of marriage is going by.  it's so crazy to me.  so many of my friends are getting married and starting their exciting journeys and it just brings me right back to the day we said our "i do's".  what i would do to relive that day.  looking at our pictures and watching this video (that my sweet cousin chris taped and put together for us) never gets old.  God is good and we are so blessed :)

sweet tooth

my cousin michael is down visiting us this weekend so i wanted to make him his favorite.. chocolate chip cookies.  i tried a new recipe i found and it was fantastic.  if you like thick and chewy, then you HAVE to try this recipe!!

best chocolate chip cookies

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3/4 cup of melted butter

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips

• preheat oven to 325 degrees
• sift together the flour, baking soda & salt.. set aside
• in a separate mixing bowl, cream together the belted butter, brown and white sugars until well blended.  
• bead in the vanilla, egg & egg yolk until light and creamy
• slowly incorporate the flour mixture until just blended and then add in the chocolate chips
• drop 1/4 cup onto the cookie sheet and leave some space because they get big and thick!
• bake for 15-17 minutes.. and enjoy!!

love & war

"You have been entrusted with the heart of another human being.  Whatever else your life's great mission will entail, loving and defending this heart next to you is part of your great quest.  Marriage is the privilege and the honor of living as close to the heart as two people can get.  No one else in all the world has the opportunity to know each other more intimately than do a husband and wife.  We are invited into their secret lives, their truest selves; we come to know their nuances, their particular tastes, what they think is funny, what drives them crazy.  We are entrusted with their hopes and dreams, their wounds, and their fears.  An incredible honor is bestowed on the one to whom we pledge our lives and a deep privilege is given to us as well."  {chapter two, love & war}

about a month ago  i went on a lunch date with my sweet friend michelle.  we ate sushi (i think i eat too much sushi..) and talked the afternoon away for three whole hours.  we talked a lot about marriage and our marriages and she recommended a book to me, called "love and war" by john and stasi eldredge.  i knew that they were the authors of "captivating" (which i started like 8 times and never finished) and "wild at heart" (which nick loved).  i didn't really have much of an expectation going into and had nothing to lose so i ordered two copies for nick and i to read together.  we had been talking about wanting to go through a book together and spend our time digging deeper into each other instead of posting up in front of the tv after an exhausting day.. which is too easy to get caught up in doing.
i am only three chapters in, but let me just say that this book has changed my life, the way i view marriage & nick.  after reading only the first chapter, my heart felt so full and i was so beyond encouraged.  i love when the Lord works that way and meets us right where we are, when He speaks through people to write books that speak straight to my heart.  these chapters are packed full of wisdom and john and stasi being so real and honest- no sugar coating.  since this book is so intense (and nick is one chapter behind) i thought i would take today to reflect on the first three chapters and really let them sink in to my heart. 
i want to share some of the parts that i highlighted.  (i'm a highlighter.. nick isn't. he feels too guilty to "mess" up the book :)

chapter one

in the beginning they recognize right off the bat how hard marriage is.  i went into it knowing it wasn't going to be easy, but that it, no matter how hard it gets, is worth it.  they share their early struggles and make you feel more sane for having some of the same ones.  

• "asking for your marriage to flourish without God is like asking a tree to blossom without sunshine and water."
• "because marriage is hard, sometimes painfully hard, your first Great Battle is not to lose heart"  
  chapter two
   
• "i prayed yesterday that God would come into our sexuality; I prayed that his glory would fill our marriage bed." i love this. why would we pray for this? it seemed kind of weird to me at first but, oh my gosh. God is the creator of sex and intimacy so why wouldn't or shouldn't we be praying for this?!
• "love and intimacy are the core of His being, and so He gives to each of us a heart like His.  When God does this, he reveals our deepest purpose- to love and be loved."
• "but love is more powerful than Satan thought.  God will not abandon his beloved, even though we have abandoned Him.  He comes for us.  He fights to win us back."
• "Christianity is the greatest love story the world has ever known."
• "The heart of a man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue... The heart of a woman longs for someone to fight for her, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to offer beauty... Notice how perfectly the desires of our hearts fit together.  Our souls are made for oneness in the same way our bodies fit beautifully together.  God designed us to bring one another passionate joy."  this might be my favorite.
• "I'll wager that 90 percent of the confusion, misunderstanding, struggle and disappointment in marriage is due to the fact that we do not understand what God is up to." 
• "God created marriage as a living, breathing portrait laid out before the eyes of the world so that they might see the story of the ages... It is a story of redemption, a story of healing; it is a story of love.  God gives us marriage to illustrate His heart toward us.  It is the deepest and most mythic reality in the world- that love is true, that God pursues us."
• "God uses marriage to bring us the possibility of the deepest joys in life; Satan tries to use it for destruction.  Without you, your spouse will not become the man or the woman that God intends him or her to be and the Kingdom of God will not advance as it is meant to advance... No one will have a great impact on your spouse's soul than you.  No one has greater access to your spouse's heart than you.  This is an enormous honor."
• "Of course loving costs everything- look at the Cross. But loving is always worth it... The devil hates marriage; he hates the beautiful picture of Jesus and His Bride that it represents."

chapter three

• "Marriage is the rushing stream God uses to shape us into more loving people."
• "He lures us into marriage and then uses it to transform us."
• "And what does learning to love look like?  Well, for one thing, it looks like compassion for your spouse's brokenness while choosing to turn from your own self-protective style of relating."
• "Understanding your spouse by understanding the unfolding story of their life is priceless."
• "What would happen in your relationship if you could both make the shift from 'changing you' to 'changing me'?" 
• "And we understand that there is no place on earth quite like marriage for the kind of transformation God is after."

 WOW. and that's just a little taste.

 after feeling so ministered to by words in this book i journaled..

One chapter in and the Lord is already speaking to my heart and giving me so much encouragement and hope.  I knew marriage would be hard, but I've never been married and so I didn't know what to expect.  Being married has brought out so much ugliness in my heart in the way i respond, it has surfaced my selfishness and put my immaturity on display.  as much as i try to deny it, i have fallen guilty to looking to nick for my happiness way more than i should.  nick is tangible and God is not which makes it so easy to stop trusting God sometimes.  i have always said that i will be a wife who loves the Lord more than my husband and i want so badly for that to be true...

When things get hard for us, or we get into an argument i feel so disheartened, i feel like a failure and i feel devastated.  i just want to be the best wife for nick.  i think one of the most beautiful things about marriage is that there is no hiding anything..  to nick, i am fully known and ever after all the crap is out there, i am still fully loved.  i have realized that love is messy and painful.. and refining.  God uses us to sharpen each other and the process more often than not hurts.  in order to keep Jesus at the center of our marriage we have to be intentional and it's not always easy to do but wow, when we let Him slip it's so obvious...

Nick's desires and mine are so different.  The way we both feel loved are completely different.  I want him to know me in and out, i want him to romance me, to be continually pursuing my heart, to validate my feelings and to fight for me no matter the cost.  i want to feel desired and beautiful.  i want to share every part of life and always be on the same page.  Nick needs to be validated as a man, and that he is good enough.  He needs to be encouraged and believed in, even in his wildest dreams.  He needs me to pursue and seduce him...

i feel a new season coming on, with so many unknowns, but i am really encouraged and excited about it.  i want to love nick like never before.  i want to become a better lover to him.  i want to keep learning him and everything in his heart.  i want to encourage and support him in a way that leaves no question.  i want to keep learning and growing."

as you can see, the Lord is stirring up a lot in my heart. 

people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest.  well, it isn't a cake walk but it's been the most incredible journey so far so if this is the worst then i can't wait to see what is to come.  between reading this book & spending the night at our wedding night hotel, listening to a million love songs, i have been pretty sappy and emotional the last few days.  i feel so honored to play such an 'irreplaceable role' in nick's life.  it's not something to take lightly and i have a lot to learn.  i'm so thankful for the handsome, patient, encouraging, loving, supportive, providing, and thoughtful husband i have.  the Lord has blessed me with a man with the most beautiful heart i have ever known.  i have fallen so much deeper in love with my husband and with the creator of love.