6 fingers for 6 months

That's right...6 fingers for 6 months...! Saturday was our 6 month anniversary.! Already? I can't believe that it's gone by this fast. It seems like we've been through a lot in the last 6 months: getting married, living together, a new place, new jobs, a new dog, and most recently a new car... all in the past half of 2009. There's been so many good days, and a good bit of bad ones to go along with those good ones. But the thing I love most about being married so far is that he is with me through all of those days, good and bad. I thought he was an amazing boyfriend, fiance, so I had high hopes for the husband role, and he has exceeded them ten fold. He is an amazing, godly husband....and I am so blessed to be his wife. 

Well we couldn't pass up the day without making a bigger deal than normal about our "6 month anniversary." So, we thought about going to the zoo, but the huge storm that hit Friday night nixed that idea, so we decided to go see "UP" the movie at the real theaters (usually we go to the dollar theater:) and they gave us these really cool 3-D glasses to wear during the movie. 

It was actually a great movie with a sweet story line of a couple that met when they were little pretending to be explorers, got married with every intention of exploring, but ended up just living a normal life. And to Elle, the girl, that was her great "adventure." They were in love though, to the very end....and it made me think...no matter what adventure the Lord takes us on, my hope is that we will be like Elle and Carl...together in every way until the end.

On a lighter note, Sam took me to dinner at this really nice restaurant down the street from us (he caught on to my little comment about wanting to go there earlier in the week, he's so good!). And we had a great dinner and time to talk and toast to the first 6 months. I just had to include these pictures because I made the mistake of tasting his dessert liquor! YUCK! It smelt like fingernail polish remover!  He somehow persuaded me to take a sip!

My faces say it all here! (FYI: it's very hard to type when your hubby wants to use one of your arms as pillow...) Back to the faces! There I am in all my glory! Those have to be two of the worst faces I've ever made. 

So...over all we had a great half year anniversary day....I'm so thankful for the past 6 months, and we both are looking forward to the next!

you just never know...

You just never know what kind of impact you have someone's life sometimes until later. I got this package in the mail a few days from one of the students I taught English to in Chengdu, China two summers ago. Her name is Alyssa, and she's probably about 16 now. She is such a sweet girl, and I remember our talks in her broken english so well.  She wrote me the sweetest letter on the box. 

this is what it said

the package slip above.....with all the manderin writing....

the beautiful handmade cross-stitched pillow of a bride and groom...

 with the inscription: "Happy Wedding Forever love." How neat it was to open a gift from so far away from someone I knew for only 5 weeks. What a neat thing it is to think that God must have used me somehow in the life of this little girl to make a difference. My prayer is that it will be an eternal one....

     

do dah day...in pictures!

I have been a terribly inconsistent blogger lately, I must sadly admit. However, I at least have a valid excuse: I HAVE A JOB! Yes finally, a purposeful, challenging occupation. I work with Moxii, a small Interior Design company that specializes in student interiors, i.e. dorms. So the 9-5 hours have been keeping me very busy, and spending time with the husband after work has taken priority, not to forget our big baby Samson, who begs for attention all the time. 

We did have an exciting weekend about two weeks when the annual "Do dah day" came to Caldwell park, the park closest to us. For those of you who aren't familiar with this crazy day, it consists of basically a few key things: a couple parks, some bands, hundreds of people, and even more dogs, of all shapes and sizes. It is a sight to see. (I must also add that I'm very proud of Sam, who gets very nervous around just a few dogs with Samson, braved the park full of dogs with no outward signs of a panic attack and no need for medication. haha) 

We had a great time....here's some pictures:

     the dog park

    

Samson and Sam

Me with Blue, a HUGE 180 lbs Great Dane

Blue and Six, the GREAT Great Danes

    Samson with his friend Isaiah, who was also huge

Fun times for all...can't wait for next year!

Dogs and Parks

Looking at this picture, you would think that it was the end of a perfect day, just relaxing on the couch, my 153 lbs Great Dane resting so sweetly in my lap. However, it was quite the opposite. 

I took Samson to the dog park near our place Wednesday afternoon like I've done several times before, just to get out and socialize with the other dogs. He seems to like it, as he's learning to play with other dogs quite smaller than him. So, he was playing with his friends for a good twenty minutes, and then all of the sudden I hear these loud growls and a squeal from another dog. I turned around to see Samson biting this other dog!! I was frantic and immediately ran over there with about 8 or 9 other people to get the dogs lose, and I tied Samson up. I couldn't believe that had just happened?!? Samson is NOT an aggressive dog. I wouldn't have him if he was like that; he could take ME down. So, as my head was spinning, I ran over to see the other dog, Buddy, and assess the damage, and it was bad. Samson had left 2 large puncture wounds in Buddy's neck, and they were both bleeding pretty bad. Buddy's owner took him to the emergency vet clinic, and after he left, I just stood there shell-shocked. I started crying, and the other pet owners tried to console me. "It is a dog-park," they said, "it happens every now and then, don't worry about it." They actually told me that Buddy tried to hump Samson and that that may have been what set him off. I was a relieved to hear that, but still so frazzled that Samson bit that other dog!

I had offered to pay the vet bill, which fortunately, isn't going to be but about $150 thanks to a vet friend who stapled Buddy up almost for free. I just don't want people thinking that Samson is a bad dog, because he's NOT! So...I say all this to explain the real emotions that are behind this sweet little picture. I think Samson knew that I was not happy with him after we got home from the park, and for the first time since we've had him, he got his entire body up on the couch with me and put his head in my lap.....after that it was kind of hard to be mad at him anymore! Fortunately, the other dog is doing fine, although with a few extra staples,  and was already back at the dog park the day after the incident. 

Hopefully we won't run into another problem with humping dogs! 

The New Addition: Samson!

                                             Before our walk in Auburn.
     He's got such a sweet face!

This is the newest addition to the Brown house/apartment in Birmingham. You might say he looks kind of like a small horse, but he's not! His name is Samson, and he is a 2 yr old Great Dane that we adopted from one of my Interior Design professor from Auburn. Her and her husband found this sweet dog at his previous owner's house, emaciated, and malnourished because he was not being fed anymore. How sad! 

We are picking up Samson this Sunday on my birthday, wa-hoo! I'm so excited! I've been getting the apartment "dog-ified" as Sam likes to call it, making sure that Samson won't knock off any vases or crystal sitting out in our place.  

I almost don't know what to think, i've never gotten my/our own dog before! I know that a Great Dane is kind of a big one to start off with, but I love big dogs. He's already 160 lbs and should fill out a little bit more, but hopefully he won't get much better. I took him for a walk yesterday when I passed through Auburn, and he did amazing! It was almost effortless to walk him on a leash, and when other dogs barked at him, he didn't make a sound!! 

So, with all this said, I think Samson is going to be a great addition to our lives, and can't wait to get him to B'ham! 

Lessons

So....God just really taught me some good lessons tonight. 

Lesson #1: Go to my small group even when I don't want to. Like tonight. I was really feeling down about Sam being away, and I was getting really creative about why I shouldn't go...and then at the last minute Sam called a friend of ours and got them to pick me up. So I guess that meant I was going.... 

Even though I was the only one there without a hubby present, it was still such a blessing to be around a such a godly group of women and men. I mean, I feel so much more refreshed now and just comforted from knowing that I there are people out there investing in my life and that I can do the same in theirs. 

I feel like the table has turned again in a way. For a little while there, ever since I graduated from college, I've been thinking, wow, I'm kind of getting old...because all the kids that I saw in elementary school are know somehow in college?? But, I'm the youngest one in my small group, and Sam and I have been married a really short amount of time compared to the average 2-5 years of couples in the small group (not to mention that 4 of them are pregnant). But, I'm glad that we can learn from them. I've been praying for something like that for a very long time. 

Lesson #2: Still Expect Blessings in tough situations. I love how the earlier part of my day was a little drab, and after visiting with other people tonight, God used that to really lift my heart. 

Lesson #3: If at all possible, go to bed early whenever you can:) 

That's all the lessons I have for today!

-wb 

Out with the boys, and on to the Men!

So between continually setting up this apartment, looking for a job, a car, keeping up with my husband, and free lancing to help pay some bills, blogging has been a low priority on the list. Which is unfortunate, because I do like to get my thoughts out there somehow.

Lately I've been thinking about about a friend of mine whose going through a really tough time. Boy trouble, however crazy that might sound...haha. But this particular story is one that hits home for me. I've been through the same heartache that she is right in the middle of, and it, quite frankly, sucks. A break up, the kind that knocks you off your feet, and leaves your head spinning...thinking, as your mouth can't quite close, "what the heck just happened?" And then reality sets in, and you find your world a little upside down.  Wow, I know that feeling. And I hate that a close friend is going through a time like that, and I can't even physically be there to give her a hug...( I did send her a "phone hug" if that counts, but i'm pretty skeptical about that.) 

While we were talking about the "situation" last night, I was taken back to those same thoughts I had, that she voiced. The biggest one being, "Why does God let stuff like this happen?" Especially when we think we are trusting Him to lead us. I think that was one of the toughest things for me work through. I know my friend will have many of those days ahead. 

But as a hard as it was to go through a trial like that, I wouldn't have changed it for anything. I am better for it. And I believe that God doesn't just let anyone go through hard times. I believe He lets those He wants to use most go through times of heartache, sorrow, and pain.......to really know what its like to set up house in the valley of the shadow. Why? I might not know the full reason until I see Him. But I do know that because of what I went through, I was able to encourage my friend that she is not alone, and that although it is hard now, God's promises remain, and He will set her back on higher ground. Because He has done that for me...time and time again. I would never have imagined two and half years ago that I would be married to Sam Brown right now. But praise God that He had those plans for me, because they were a whole lot better than what I was thinking....I look forward to seeing what the Lord has down the road for her. Like me, I hope she'll realize that the Lord never wastes our pain, and holds us even tighter during those times. 

As for the boy, I like her Mom's advice, "You're done with the boys, now on to the men!"