Crazy To Think.

Last night, we were driving home from Jonathan's parents house where we celebrated Father's Day.  We were riding in the car--our new family of five--and were listening to the latest Train cd.  There is a song on there that Jonathan and I both love called "Marry Me."  It's so sweet!

As we were riding along, Jonathan says to me:

"Did you ever think all those years ago when I proposed to you on the front steps of Nelson Hall that you would be sitting here with me, in Tennessee, riding along in a minivan with three kids in the back seat?"

"Nope.  I definitely wasn't thinking about that,"  I said.

"Is it better than you imagined?"  he asked.

"Way better.  Definitely even better."

Not only is my marriage even better than I could have imagined, not only is being a momma of three children even better (and crazier and more exhausting) than I could have imagined.  But, I realize that the man that God gave me is WAY better than I could have ever imagined him to be.  God has done amazing things in Jonathan's life since we first met, since we got engaged, and since we said I do.  Being a father has challenged and transformed him even more.  I am so blessed.

For your enjoyment, here are the words and a video of "Marry Me."





Forever can never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will


Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will


Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will
Marry me

Babymoon.

Last weekend (not Memorial Day, but the one prior to that), Jonathan surprised me with an anniversary/babymoon getway to Chattanooga.  Just the two of us.  On May 22nd, we celebrated 7 amazing years of marriage, and he arranged with his parents that we would have a two night rendezvous just a bit south of Knoxville without the kiddos.  Just us.

It was wonderful!  I have driven through Chatty several times going in and out of town.  However, I've only visited there one other time during a Woman's conference put on by our church. After Jonathan and I's trip last weekend, I have a new love for Chattanooga.  We had such a great time just walking around, and there is really so much to do.  There are also TONS of things for kids to do, and we often found ourselves saying, "Oh, the kids would love to do that!"  I can't wait to take them there once we get settled down with life after Stella.  Plus, the best part is that it's only 1.5 hours away.

We left K-town after Jonathan got home from work Thursday evening.  We took our time driving down, got checked in, and then watched a movie until WAY too late! But, we got to sleep in the next morning, and we just barely made it to breakfast in the hotel lobby!  After breakfast, we just started walking.  The weather was amazing while we were there and was just perfect for being outside!  AAHH!!

Stella Marie @ 36 weeks

The Pedestrian Bridge from a distance.

About to cross the Pedestrian Bridge

Once we walked across the bridge, we took our time exploring several shops and even got to enjoy a snow cone!  (Not quite as divine as a snowball down in New Orleans, but it was delicious!  I wish we had a snow cone place in Knoxville).  For lunch, we were still full from breakfast and our snow cone, but knew we needed to eat something.  We didn't want to go too big because we had dinner plans, so we stopped for slice of pizza.  I enjoyed my favorite: pepperoni and green olives!

Preggo Woman's pleasure!  Plus, JB got his favorite too: mushrooms!

For dinner on Friday night, we went to an Italian restaurant some friends recommended!  It was really good, and then we walked down to the waterfront and treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream.  Pizza.  More Italian food.  Ice cream.  Being with  my best friend.  It was such a wonderful day! Oh, and I forgot to mention that we even squeezed in a viewing of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. 

On our way out of town Saturday morning, we stopped for breakfast at this joint.  Aretha Frankensteins was recommended to us by some friends for some amazing breakfast, so we found it and enjoyed some delicious eggs and bacon and biscuits as big as the state of TN.  So much fun.  Of course, we were more than ready to see our two precious kiddos, so we left town and headed straight to the grandparents' house to fetch them!

We had a fabulous getaway.  I am so thankful for a husband that plans little times like these.  I am even more grateful to my in-laws who always so graciously and abundantly care for our children so that we can have moments like these.  We have had seven wonderful and blessed years of marriage!  I look forward to all that the Lord has in store for us in the coming years. 

BabyMoon

Before time gets away from me and I eternally forget to blog about it, I wanted to write about Jonathan and I's getaway last weekend.  His parents were so gracious to watch the kids for us for two nights so that we could go to Atlanta for a last hoo-rah before Stella arrives.  Jonathan had planned to attend the Hinman Dental Conference that is every year in Atlanta, and we decided to make a trip together without the kids for a break and special time away.

I dropped the kids off on Thursday afternoon, and when Jonathan got home from work we loaded up the car and made the three hour drive to Atlanta.  Can you believe that I have NEVER been there before?  I can't believe that I haven't!  I mean, I have probably been there in the airport, but I've never BEEN been there.  We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton (never done that before either), just down the street from the large convention center where Jonathan would be.  We got in late the first night, so we basically just crashed once we got in and settled.

The next morning, I slept until 9:00 am.  I cannot tell you the last time I did that!  It felt amazing!  Then, I ordered breakfast room service---which is officially my new favorite thing---and felt like a princess.  After taking my time enjoying a quiet breakfast and cup of coffee, I got dressed and started out on my adventure alone in Atlanta.  Let me just say, I am seriously thankful for our navigation system thingy.  If not for that, Casey would STILL be lost in downtown Atlanta!  I must include what Jonathan was doing during this time: we was at the Hinman conference taking a CE course all day.  Proud of him!  Working hard for our family business and learning ways to grow and make it better!  He was in dental heaven!

Ok, back to my adventure.

My first stop was IKEA.  I have been a fan of IKEA for years now, but I have never been to one.   When I heard we were going to Atlanta, I quickly worked that into my plans.  I spent about 2.5 hours roaming around the showroom and marketplace, getting a few surprises for the kiddos and even scoring on a few essentials that we had been needing around the house: new wash cloths and 12 new drinking glasses that I got for $.59 each.  I walked out of there having only spent $20!  It was awesome!

After that, I found the Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead, ATL, where I spent a few hours browsing through the mall.  Without a stroller.  Without a diaper bag.  Without two sidekicks.  It was bittersweet, but I did enjoy the alone time and being able to browse through stores.  I visited Crate & Barrel (another big fave), and got both kids some great deals on a few Spring/Summer clothes.  I also grabbed a few maternity tees for me from GAP maternity that were on clearance!  It was my kinda shopping day!

After I got lost and took over an hour to get back to the hotel, I was able to meet up with Jonathan just in time for our dinner reservation.  I seriously valeted the car, ran upstairs to change my clothes and spray some perfume, came down, and off we went to make our reservation by the hair of our chinny chin chins.  We went to a restaurant called Two Urban Licks.  (And yes, that is the actual name).  It was very urban, very trendy, and very delicious.  The best thing on the menu and that we ate that night was our appetitzer called Salmon Chips.  If you ever go there, try that!  It's smoked salmon, chipotle cream cheese, and some other things on top of homemade chips.  UGH!  I could eat it every day.  Definitely a fun, funky place to go!

When we finished eating, Stella said she wanted dessert so we headed back to the hotel and decided to walk around and find a dessert place since the evening was so nice and it wasn't dark yet.  We ended up at a diner where I got a piece of Strawberry Cheesecake!  Jonathan got something decadent and chocolate with like three different layers of rich, chocolately goodness.  We are so opposites!  I just can't do really rich chocolate desserts, but he just loves them!  Then, we went back to our room and watched The King's Speech (the movie that one lots of Academy Awards).  It was amazing! SUCH a great movie which really made me want to read Prince Albert's biography (in all of my spare time).

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early, showered and packed, and then headed to the convention center.  There is a HUGE set-up for vendors and business and supply reps and companies that Jonathan wanted to walk through, and a few things he needed to look up and price for the business.  It was seriously more fun than I thought!  I really enjoyed watching him in his arena, running into different doctors and reps that he works with or has worked with.  He liked showing me all the different things and pieces of equipment.  It was a lot of fun, especially because all of the people thought I was a hygienist or something, until they noticed my bulging belly and then realized I was probably his wife.  We walked out of of there with tons of free samples and new toothbrushes for everyone in our family, including Stella.

We made our way back to the hotel, got the van, and headed HOME to see our two kiddos!  We missed them so much, but we were so glad to have a few days away together to relax and spend some time just us.  One of my favorite moments of the entire weekend was on our drive down to Atlanta.  It has really been a long time since I've been on a long car ride without the kids, and one of our favorite things to do in the car is just sit quietly, listening to good music.  While driving down, we put on an Andrew Peterson CD that we both enjoy, and I just loved being to sit in the dark, music turned loud, just meditating on the words of his songs.  Ugh.  Good times.

I'm weird, I know.

Anyway, I am so thankful for a husband who plans weekends like that so that we can have some moments alone together for good conversation, fun, and relaxation.  Who knows when that will happen again, but it just makes the times we do have together that much more special.

Flashback

Jonathan and I have been doing some cleaning and organizing around our house this past weekend, and yesterday while going through some things in our bedroom, Jonathan came across a very old, but very special picture.

This is a picture of me the night of my Candlelight.  For those of you who went to college with us, you are probably very familiar with what a Candlelight or Stringing is, but in case you didn't, let me explain.  At Mississippi College, we didn't have true Greek life with Fraternities and Sororities.  It is a Baptist College, so instead of the more traditional social life, we had what were called Ladie's Social Tribes and Men's Service Clubs.  I was a member of Swannanoa Social Tribe all four years of college, and I loved it!  It was a great way to get involved on campus, meet tons of people, and have a blast.

Anyway, whenever a girl in a tribe got engaged, she was to contact a particular person in the social tribe---the President, perhaps? I can't quite remember--so that a Candlelight could be set up.  What would happen next is that the President would then send out a massive voicemail or email to everyone in the tribe and flyers would be hung up around campus that a Candlelight was scheduled.  Everyone would then know that SOMEONE in the tribe had gotten engaged, but they wouldn't find out WHO until the unveiling at the Candlelight ceremony. 

So, late in the evening on the night of the designated Candlelight, everyone would meet in the quad (the huge, green field in the center of campus).  We would gather in a circle, a candle would be lit, and as the whole group of girls began to sing "Going to the Chapel," a lit candle would be passed around from girl to girl.  The candle would make the swoop at least once, and once the new bride-to-be received the candle for the second time, she would blow out the candle!  That's how everyone knew that SHE was the one engaged!

Then, as you can imagine, everyone would shriek and squeal and hug and rush up to see the beautiful ring.  After it all settled down, the bride-to-be would get to tell the story of how her man proposed!  It was such a special time of sharing such exciting news with friends.  And, the bride got to keep the special candle as a keepsake of the night.  The picture above is of me sharing the story of how Jonathan proposed.  I have no idea who took the picture, but I am so glad that I have it as a keepsake to remember such a fun night!

Wuv....Twue Wuv

Some men send flowers.

Some men write love letters.

Some men buy jewelry.

My man...


He draws me pictures with sidewalk chalk!

Now THAT'S true love.

Pop Quiz:  What movie is the title of this blog post from?  Anyone? Anyone?

The Kitchen Saga

We love our house.  If we could add one bedroom/bonus room and increase the size of our living room a bit, I think we would stay in this house forever.  We love the neighborhood.  We love our neighbors.  We have a pool just down the street.  A playground just next to the pool.  It's great for walks.  It's safe.  It's in a very central location.  We love it!  However, since we won't be able to add another bedroom and increase the square footage of this house, we know that eventually we will have to move on.  (But we are taking our next door neighbors with us.  We are now a package deal!).

Anyway, since we moved in three years ago, we really haven't done much maintenance or made many changes.  We did paint the garage shortly after we moved in.  And last year, Jonathan painted Nora's room when she moved out of the nursery into where she is now.  The previous owners had painted the house just a few months before we bought it, and we were really pleased with their color selections, so we decided we didn't need to change anything.  Plus, Jonathan didn't really want to paint if we would be moving on in just a matter of time.

Well, due to work situations and a desire to save some money, we have decided not to move anytime soon.  We fit really well in our house, and so we are staying put until a later date.  However, I decided a few weeks ago that I was ready to make a few changes that we had been wanting to make but just hadn't done.  For example: our kitchen.  Our kitchen was a very bright red.  I would have to say that it's probably not my top pick for a kitchen color, but it was really cute with matching curtains, and so we've kept it since we moved in.  I decided, however, that I was ready for a change.  I wanted to choose something that was more our style and taste, and I think that if/when we sell, a more neutral color in the kitchen would be more appealing to potential buyers.  They will either LOVE the red or really hate it.

So, Monday, after our REALLY long and busy and tiring day celebrating July 4th, we decided to paint the kitchen.  Jonathan worked really hard all day taping off all of the nooks and crannies of the kitchen, and primed two coats with the yellow color I picked out.  As we were working, I started having doubts about the color choice.  It was bright.  I am so wishy-washy about making decorating decisions and just don't have a lot of confidence in myself, so I just kept saying:  It'll work out.  It'll look good.  Just wait till it's all done.  The yellow was just so different from the red, so I was having trouble adjusting and imagining something different from the bright red we were so accustomed to.  I didn't say anything to Jonathan about my doubts.  And he didn't say anything to me.

Around 5:00 in the evening, we had pretty much primed everything twice.  It was REALLY bright yellow.  Not schoolbus yellow, not mustard, just cheery.  Bright.  (The name of the paint color we chose was Cheerful Hue....do you get me!?).  We had dinner plans, so I was thinking, "When we get home, the sun will have set, the paint will have dried, it'll chill out some and not look so bright.  It'll be fine."

Well, at about 8:45 when we got home and walked into the kitchen, it was AWFUL!  AWFUL!  TOTALLY BRIGHT.  Where are my sunglasses?  Ugh, I had that terrible empty pit in the bottom of my stomach feeling.  How was I going to break the news to Jonathan!?

I started off by asking him if he liked it.  "I like it if that's what you like," he said. 

Such a cop-out answer!

Then, I told him the truth.  I don't like it.  At all.  We HAVE to do something.

He was so gracious.  I was so upset.  I told him I was never going to make a home decorating decision ever again.  Apparently, I am completely inept at this and should never be trusted to purchase or make decisions about our home again.  He had worked so hard and look what I had done!  Not to mention that I was a little frustrated that everything from inside my kitchen was spread out throughout the rest of the house while we painted.  It was chaos.  I couldn't cook, I couldn't use the stove.  I had gates up and appliances everywhere.

I just wanted the nightmare to be over!

But here we were stuck in the middle of no man's land!

UGH!  To make a long story short, Tuesday Jonathan took the paint that we had already purchased and tried to have it lightened to see if that would help DULL IT DOWN.  It didn't work.  SOOOO..... On Wednesday, I did what I should have done from the very beginning.  You see, I got the idea and inspiration for my yellow kitchen from a picture out of a Pottery Barn magazine.  (This whole saga is PB's fault, I tell you!).  Pottery Barn sells their paint colors through Benjamin Moore, and you can access their paint samples and stuff through them.  Wednesday morning the kids and I headed over to Benjamin Moore and picked up the original color I wanted called Hawthorne Yellow.  I also picked out another color in case the Hawthorne Yellow ALSO turned out to be a disaster.  I came home and painted the two new sample colors on nearly every wall in the kitchen, trying to see how it looked with every shade of light coming in.  I got the opinion of my neighbor, my mother-in-law, and Jonathan, and we all agreed that the Hawthorne Yellow was the way to go.

I was nervous.  I didn't want to make the same mistake again!  But, we went with it.  AND.....it turned out so much better!  I am really liking it!  I have to admit that I am still adjusting to the difference between the darkness of the red kitchen with the lightness of the yellow one, but I think it looks really good.  Jonathan did such a fabulous job, and so lovingly painted until 1:00 am on Wednesday evening.  I think he was just as ready, if not more, for this project to be behind us.  Yesterday I spent most of the day putting our kitchen back together and deep cleaning.  It was a much needed task, and I'm glad it's all over.

So, we WON'T be painting again for a long time.  I had hoped to also paint our bedroom, but I'm not going to mention that one anytime soon.

Pics to come!

5 Years Ago Today....

Needless to say, this has been quite a busy month. Thankfully, we get to celebrate another wonderful occasion: our 5 year anniversary. It has been a wonderful and adventuresome five years together. Just for the fun of it, here are a few things that we've experienced together since being married:

*Finished up dental school (Jonathan)
*Had first teaching job (Casey)
*Lost our home due to Hurricane Katrina
*Moved to Baton Rouge for two years
*Had more jobs than I care to recall (Casey)
*Lived in a motor home for 7 months
*Lived in our first apartment
*Found out we were expecting our first daughter
*Moved to Knoxville, TN, 9 hours away from home
*Bought our first house
*Gave birth to our first daughter
*Welcomed our first son

We have made amazing memories and have grown so much as a couple thanks to all that the Lord has allowed to happen in our lives. We are so blessed. I end this post by sharing a poem that I gave to Jonathan one Valentine's Day while we were dating. He later used this poem in his proposal. I think it is so beautiful. So much of what this poem says is true of my love for Jonathan and how I feel for him because of the work of God in our lives and marriage. (I did not write this....and I believe the author is anonymous).



I Love You

I love you not only for what you are
but for what I am when I'm with you.
I love you not only for what you have
made of yourself but what you are making
of me;
I love you for putting your hand into my
heaped up heart and passing over all the
foolish weak things you can't help dimly
seeing there, and drawing out in the light
all the beautiful belongings that no one
else had looked quite far enough to find;
I love you because you are helping me to
make of the lumber of my life not a tavern
but a temple, out of the work of my every day
life not a reproach but a song.
I love you because you have done more than
any creed could have done to make me good
and more than any fate could have done to
make me happy;
You have done it without a touch, without
a word, without a sigh;
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what being a friend means,
after all.

Braggin' on My Man

I just had to brag on my sweet hubby for a minute.

He has been so kind to me lately. Not that he's not a sweetheart most of the time, but lately it seems that he's been going out of the way to care for me. Perhaps it's because I am now waddling, but I think it's because he loves me.

Tonight for instance: He came home from work to leftovers and ate supper like it was gourmet. (It wasn't). After supper, he changed a dirty diaper, then loaded Nora and I up in the car for some ice cream from Bruster's. On the way home, he stopped to wash and vacuum my car and stopped to fill the car with gas. While I bathed Nora, he mowed our grass. What a servant!

I love you, babe, and so appreciate how you care for your girls.

For Valentine's Day: 14 Things I Love About My Husband

**This is a day late! However, every word is true.

1. I love that he is truly a kid at heart. There is a five-year-old running around inside of him that comes out sometimes.
2. I love that he is different than me in so many ways, but that at the same time we have so much in common and enjoy the same things.
3. I love that he has the ability to confront me in my sin in a loving and caring and encouraging way when I am wrong. I don't always LIKE that he does this, but I know what a gift it is that he leads me in this way and that he does it because he loves me.
4. I love that he loves being a daddy and is so excited to grow our family together.
5. I love that he loves to read....fiction, nonfiction, theological stuff.
6. I love that he just HAS to go check on Nora at night before we go to bed to make sure she's "okay." I also love that when he gets back in bed after checking on her that he has to tell me exactly how she looked in her sleep. He loves his little girl!
7. I love that he loves his family. He is such a caring son and brother to his parents and sister. He is committed to serving them and keeping up with them consistently.
8. I love that he loves my family. He genuinely enjoys being around them and hanging out with them, and I have never felt that my family is second-rate in his opinion.
9. I love that he knows all of my faults and still loves me passionately.
10. I love that he tries all the time to embarrass me. He typically succeeds.
11. I love that he is such a hard worker and that he has a Godly desire to do well in all he does for the glory of God.
12. I love that he loves what he does for a living. I am totally aware that there are so many people who go to work and do what they do without enjoyment. My husband lives his life knowing that God has called him to his occupation, and he truly loves his career! Praise to the Lord!
13. I love that he has taught me to love so many new things in life. There are things that I would never have imagined myself interested in, but thanks to his desire and passion for things, I have grown to love them as he does.
14. I love that he loves the Lord more than he loves me. I love that every year I have known him has been one of growth in God, by the grace of God! I look forward to seeing this attribute about him flourish the most.

Desiring God Conference

This past weekend, Jonathan and I were able to sneak away to the Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, MN. In case you aren't aware, Desiring God is the ministry founded by John Piper. The conference was amazing! Wonderful speakers, solid teaching, rare time away with my boy! We had a great time. Jonathan's folks were so generous to watch Nora for THREE days while we were gone. It is the longest that we have been away from her, and she did great. I don't think she missed us at all!


Jonathan, John Piper, & Me
Jonathan said it would make the trip if he could meet John Piper in person. Well, we did! He is the humblest man I've ever seen and has been such a spiritual mentor in our lives.

Here I am probably digging for a snack before a session began. In typical "Bradshaw" style, we "had" to be there early to get a good seat.

Jonathan enjoying a drink at The Local, a local Irish pub in dowtown Minneapolis. We loved the atmosphere and food there that we even ate their twice. When we first arrived, we had lunch outside on the patio. It was beautiful!

Bonnie and Dennis Williams. We sat next to this adorable couple at the first session, and after that they totally adopted us. We saved them seats, went to lunch together, filled them in on Sovereign Grace Ministries. Both Bonnie and Dennis were born and raised in Bethlehem Baptist Church and continue to go there where John Piper is pastor. They were the sweetest couple. Here we are at Jimmy John's.

Me and My Boy

True Love

Date Night

Well, Jonathan and I had our date night tonight. And, all in all, it went really well. Jessie and Nora seemed to have a great time until it was time for Nora to go to sleep. She cried pretty hard for a long while, so we decided to come on home. But, Jonathan and I both had a great time at dinner and were able to drive around in some neighborhoods looking at houses and talking. The weather was amazing! We both agreed that we had a wonderful evening and didn't feel like we were missing out by coming home a bit earlier than we planned! Nora was all smiles when she saw us....so sweet. As I type this, she's in her bed, humming herself to sleep! Thank you guys for praying. The Lord blessed us with wonderful fellowship with each other tonight.

4 Years of Wedded Bliss

Four years ago today, I woke up in my bed in my parent's house with butterflies in my stomach.
Four years ago today, I was spending precious time over breakfast with my parents and sisters as a single woman.
Four years ago today, I was packing my suitcase with last-minute items.
Four years ago today, I was surrounded by my closest friends in the hair salon.
Four years ago today, I was driving through Starbucks in jeans, a button down shirt, and a wedding veil.
Four years ago today, I wore the heaviest and most expensive piece of clothing I have ever owned.
Four years ago today, I laughed and cried more in one day than I had in my entire life.
For years ago today, I began the most challenging, but most amazing adventure.
Four years ago today, my life changed forever.
Four years ago today, I married my best friend.

I cannot BELIEVE how quickly the past four years have gone by. They have been filled with so much fun, so much love, so much laughter, and so much change. Jonathan, I love you so much and am so honored to by your wife. You are a wonderful husband and father! I love you bigger than space!