Southern Happiness {photos of the day: Feb 29- March 5, 2012}

This past week I spent 4 and 1/2 days in the south. South Carolina, to be precise. The state in which I spent roughly fourteen years of my life, to be personal. :) South Carolina will most likely always feel like 'home' to me. The sunshine, trees, flip flops, hugs, culture, accent, etc. It's just a lovely, 'homey' place to be. Those 4 and 1/2 days were wonderful, happy, 'homey' filled days, and in my opinion the trip was over way too soon.

{for the record, these are not my glasses. I was merely trying them on cause they were so fun.}

a happy, grace-filled week to you and yours!!

-Brittany

YAY for card readers!! {photos of the day Feb 22-Feb 28}

I bought a new card reader so we are back in business. It was way overdue, my new one can read over 3x's as many cards and is a third of the size of my last one. Anyway, enough on that.

Here are my blessings from this week (well partially)--in pictures of course.

It may seem odd to consider this word a blessing. But it was. Very much so. On this day my Mom became incredibly suspicious I was/am depressed (it runs in our family), by depressed I mean diagnosed with Depression not the depressed feeling that everyone gets at one point or another. It gave me incredible hope because it meant the deep, unshakeable sadness, the inability to think rationally, the anxiety, the feeling of losing my mind, and the headaches could/would go away. Up to that point I was afraid it wouldn't go away for a very, very long time (if ever). So yes, this word was a blessing. 

I made it to a doctor (which was a bit of a miracle in itself) and was diagnosed with depression. Now I have happy pills and they have been a blessing already. :)

May His grace fill you this week!

-Brittany

Kennell Family {family portrait shoot}

This family is incredibly sweet. They care about people very much and somehow manage to always have time for you. You can definitely see Jesus in their lives. I am honored to call them my friends. 

(note: These photos were taken last fall. I thought a post was slightly overdue.)

finally. . . {an explanation and photos}

My blog has been neglected for close to 4-5 months. The last month and a half was intentional.

The New Year found me incredibly beaten and breaking apart. Because of that I decided that the month of January would be a time of quietness in which I did not touch my camera or my blog. I had every intention of posting last week but again I was experiencing a breaking of my heart and I needed one more week to spend in quietness. In many ways, I am still a broken and beaten heart. But in many other ways, I am a heart completely whole.

Last fall, my world began to spin much faster than I liked for it to spin. So many things happened. I was hurt many times. A lot of changes were being experienced. Add that to the beginning of the holiday season and the spinning just got worse. Because of all the busy-ness and the craziness I lost track of God and because of that I lost track of who I am and who He is. This all reached a climax during the week between Christmas and New Years. As I said before I came home from my travels beaten and bleeding.

The last month and one half has been incredibly confusing and, if I am very honest, awful. It seemed like every time I got my feet under me, I would slip and fall right back into the mud. The more I would fall, the more my heart ached, the more confused I became, and the more helpless I felt. I think that was the point. I am nothing. HE is everything. I can do nothing on my own. It is His dwelling in me, living through me that will move me forward. I must become less and less, He must become more and more. All is God. All is His grace. EVEN the hard times.

It has been so awful. But so good. I stand on trembling legs. But that's ok, because instead of blazing ahead on my own strength, it causes me to throw my hands up, grip His fingers oh so tightly, and then take a step. I am so incredibly weak. I suppose thats what living in your own strength shows you-- I can do nothing without His strength filling me.

an apology

Dear Friends,

Today (Feb 13)  I had every intention of starting to blog on a schedule again. I was going to update with some pictures, an explanation, and begin again this whole thing of blogging. But. . .  my plans fell through. I do have pictures and an explanation but I am not feeling up to it this week. I have actually decided to stay away from the internet this week (except for this one little update) so I must apologize and ask for one more week of grace. And then (hopefully) my blog will be updated on a regular basis again. Thank you for your patience.

-Brittany