projects.

Well, the month of April flew by thanks to weekends of travel and our never-ending home project to-do list. I have no doubt that May will do the same. Between holidays and birthday parties, there is a lot of travel and a lot of fun in our near future.

Let me start with some of the projects we have done around the house lately...

This past weekend we bought a porch swing, painted it, and hung it on the front porch. We had some Pottery Barn Rewards so on Sunday we snagged a couple of outdoor pillows to complete the look.

This spot has become a fast favorite. I love swinging with my little buddy during the day and my big buddy in the evenings. 

We also said goodbye to our old piece-of-junk mailbox (that had been hit by a truck and barely survived) and built and painted a new one. John built, I painted. All that it needs now is our house number. There are two stores in town that I want to hit up to find the perfect ones. Maybe, just maybe, I can accomplish that this week. 

We also planted some flowers to brighten up the house a bit and prepare for summer! The hand rails lining the front porch steps are also new. John built them a few weekends ago, but I never posted about it. Our front porch is just about complete! Once I find a cute little bench or stool to use as a coffee table and we get the doorbell up and running we can check the porch off of our list.

We sure are enjoying our front yard now! 

In other news, John scored six free box tickets and VIP passes to Eric Clapton on Friday night. We went with Lea, Bradley, a co-worker and his girlfriend. It was a fun, random date night!

Today marks 26 weeks of pregnancy with Baby No-Name (who yes, still does not have a name). I am feeling much more large and in charge lately, which could be due to 20 pound weight gain. Yikes. Other than that, I am feeling great. I'm not sure if I mentioned that at my 20 week ultrasound I was diagnosed with a hematoma (fancy word for a blood clot/hemorrhage), but at my last appointment it had shrunk significantly. Therefore, I am back to my regular programming. Really, I never rested much or avoided the heavy lifting. That's kind of hard to do with a 16 month old running around. We are praising God for this good news and believing that it will fully absorb back into my body. 

I am also in full nesting mode, which, because I don't have a nursery to channel all of that energy, has led me to scrub the house from top to bottom. I even bleached the shower curtain the other day.

John thinks I'm losing my mind. 

We should be getting the permit for the addition today or tomorrow and are hoping to start construction by the end of the week! I am so anxious/excited to get the ball rolling! Only three more months until the baby arrives...

blog humbug.

Anyone out there in the blogosphere who has had issues with memory space? I keep getting this message when I try to upload a photo: "Whoops! You're out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos. Upgrade storage." When I attempt to "upgrade storage" it keeps bouncing back telling me that Google Wallet couldn't complete my purchase because of a technical issue and to try again later. Well, I tried again later and still no luck. 

I want to get this resolved as soon as possible, because, well...WE'RE HAVING A BABY THIS WEEK! 

Day 6: 4 days until DD-Day. We are close—super close. The weather today is wretched. It took me approximately 50 minutes to get to my appointment at the hospital this morning. The good news is, I had 50 minutes of quiet time, prayer, and worship. My biggest prayer request was for some encouraging news from my doctor; some progress, if you will.

After being hooked up to the monitor for my non-stress test, Dr. Stradtman came in and told me that my contractions were about 7 minutes apart. HUH? I'm having contractions? Can. not. feel. them. Is this a good sign? Bad sign? I'll tell you what it is...BIZARRE, but definitely an answered prayer. I then followed her into the exam room where she performed a cervical exam. I am still a little over a centimeter dilated, but about 90% effaced! More progress! She felt around his little head, which was a bit uncomfortable, but just by doing so, I went from 1 centimeter to 2 centimeters. When she told me that she thinks baby will be here today and asked if I wanted to go ahead and head over to the hospital, my stomach dropped. Now? Really? This is the moment I have been waiting for all week (all 10 months, really). But, I'm not ready today. No, definitely not today. Lucky for me, labor and delivery is booked. It's actually booked all week, but Dr. Stradtman has scheduled me to go in Thursday morning at 6:00 a.m. to get this party started. That is, if Brooks hasn't come yet. So, I am about to make myself a PBJ and wait. It's what I do best.

I didn't have time yesterday to give any input on Day 5. Day 5 was a much better day than Day 4, that's for sure. John went hunting and I slept in. When he got home, we went for a long walk around a little pond near our house. We then went and got smoothies, drove downtown to see if my new car had arrived, attempted to save a pitbull who was wanting to play in traffic on the expressway, visited one of John's job sites, came home, ate homemade potato soup and cornbread for lunch, and watched Duck Dynasty for approximately 2 hours. Last night we went to WorkPlay to watch John's cousins, Roman Street, perform. It was a great show. If you are in the Christmas spirit and looking for some new tunes to jam out to this holiday season, check out their Christmas CD on iTunes. It's pretty awesome.

I want to give a big thank you to all of my sweet friends who have been checking in on me daily and encouraging me this week. You are such blessings and have made both me and baby boy feel so loved. I will keep y'all posted!

XOXO.

sixty strong.

Nana and Papa are going sixty years strong! Sunday afternoon we celebrated John's grandparent's anniversary at the Bryants. We ate the most delicious lunch thanks to Shug and Aunt Patty and topped it off with a to-die-for cake. It was so nice spending the afternoon with family honoring Nana and Papa. I know they appreciated the get-together and we sure do appreciate them!

Nothing quite like a family game of bocce ball...

The entire crew.

Children.

Grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Sunday evening Lea, Bradley, John and I went to Avondale Park to watch John's cousins (Roman Street) play at the Jazz in the Park festival. It was a surprisingly cooler evening--perfect weather for a concert. We had a great time. Roman Street's song, Caravan, has reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. We could not be more proud! They will be playing tonight at the Master's House Ministries, on Thursday night at Rucker Place, and on Friday at the Moonlight Music Cafe in Birmingham, so if you are interested go check them out! 

lady a.o.k.

John and I had a really great time at the Lady Antebellum concert on Thursday night. How can you not have fun at a summer concert? Especially one where Thompson Square, Darius Rucker, and Lady Antebellum took the stage. Shall I add that the weather was perfect?! And, of course, the company.

The only downside of the entire night was the timing of events. We knew that Lady Antebellum wouldn't take the stage until about 9:00 p.m., but we didn't realize how tired we would be at this hour. Talk about feeling like an old fogie. By 9:30 I was yawning. By 10:00, I was ready for bed. Can't keep up with the Thoroughbreds anymore. Sad day. Sad revelation. We still sang and danced and loved every minute. 

Darius Rucker! He was awesome.

Lady A getting ready to take the stage. 

Thank you so much, John, for an amazing anniversary present! Not to mention...what a great first concert for baby Bryant! Can't wait until the next one!

at last.

Unfortunately, this post bears bad news: after a battle with leukemia, the legendary Etta James passed away this morning at the age of 73. If you are woman...of any age...you are most likely a fan of Etta James and her irresistible voice, but specifically her song, "At Last." It gives me chills every time I listen to it. She is a soul legend. This past fall, John and I watched were hooked on the TV show, X Factor. This may be so wrong posting Josh Krajcik's performance of "At Last" in memory of the diva, but at the same time it feels so right. Take it away, Josh...

RIP MS. JAMES. RIP.

like an avalanche.

Happy Friday. XO.

sanctuary.

I am so happy to not be working today. Thankful for this day of rest. I have suffered from a few sleepless nights this week leaving me both emotionally and physically exhausted. Do you ever have those days that you feel like you can burst into tears at the drop of a pin? Days where all you want to do is curl up in bed and drift into a careless abyss? As much as we would like to cross the threshold into this hidey-hole, we have responsibilities, accountabilities, evanescent and lifelong commitments that we must remain loyal to. Insert: the other refuge. Stillness, surrender, praise, lifted hands, worship, rest, prayer. Oh how I love this place of rejuvenation and healing of my body, soul, and Spirit where God's grace and peace are overflowing. The throne of God is our Sanctuary. It is a place where we are raised up above all our worldly trials, anxieties, and afflictions. No matter the obstacles that we face, no matter the load of our sin, no matter the sorrows of our hearts, we can find perfect peace and rest in His Presence. My prayer today is that in the midst of whatever is pulling your heart away from God, you find time to go to the Sanctuary and experience the peace of worshipping our Heavenly Father.

I want to share a song that inspired this post. It is a song that I have listened to countless times—especially during the times that I feel distant from God, times when I want to forget about my current circumstance. It never fails to ignite the longing in my heart to meet God in the Most Holy Place. Have a blessed weekend. XOXO.

Psalm 134:2 "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord."

itune-up.

Usually, I’m the type to keep up with the latest and greatest tunes. Unfortunately, the busyness of married life has taken a toll on me and my poor iPod has been a bit neglected. Last week I decided to take off one night to update it so John and I would have some new music to listen to at work, at they gym, and at home.

Here are a few jams on my current “recent” playlist right now:

1. With One Word, Shane & Shane

And oldie, but a goodie. I was first introduced to this song at Church of the Highlands’ Women’s Conference last October. Shane & Shane lead worship the entire weekend and were amazing!

2. You and I, Ingrid Michaelson

Again, not a new song, but definitely a keeper on the recent playlist. It’s spunky.

3. We Owned the Night, Lady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum. End of story.

4. Take a Back Road, Rodney Atkins

This song makes me want to do exactly what it says…One of John’s personal favs at the time right now, too.

Don’t judge me on this next one…

5. How to Love, Lil’ Wayne

What can I say? He’s having a comeback.  

6. Waiting Here for You, Christy Nockels

Hands down, favorite worship song right now.

7. Not Over You, Gavin DeGraw

I’m feeling the piano in this one. It’s good to hear a new tune from Gavin.

8. God Gave Me You, Blake Shelton

He’s no Dave Barnes, but I do like his interpretation of the song.

9. Drunk on You, Luke Bryan

This is a good windows down song in Hubby’s truck.

10. Faster, Matt Nathanson

This song just makes me happy.

11. I Will Be Waiting, Daphne Willis

Love. Her. Voice. Just another reminder that I can’t sing, and how I badly wish that I could. She’s up there with Ingrid.

Another don’t judge me moment…

12. Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes (Ft.  Adam Levine)

It’s catchy, okay?

13. Cheers (Drink to That), Rihanna     

A fun weekend jam.

14. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Coldplay        

I’m not a huge Coldplay fun, but am digging this ditty.

And last but not least…not just one song, but an entire CD.

15. God is Able, Hillsong Live

Check it out…it’s a life-changer. Here’s a little preview of my personal favorite, Rise:

Any suggestions of songs to add to the iPod?