365 Down.

Yesterday, we celebrated.  
Yesterday, we laughed.
Yesterday, we cried. 
Yesterday, we made it to our One Year Anniversary.

  This man has no idea how much I love and care for him.  He rescued me from my own demons.  He breathed life back into my heart.  He loves me unconditionally and stands up for our family.  He works hard for our life and our needs.  He puts everyone above himself.

He shows me what being a real man is all about.  He compliments me, even when I feel ugly.  He hugs me when I need it the most.  He laughs at my stupid jokes.

He brings out the best in me.  He is my best friend.  He is my soul mate.  He is my life.  

He is my happily ever after.  Happy first anniversary, baby! 

BLOGGER MEN TELL ALL // Vol. 1

 

I'm so excited to be linking up for today's Blogger Men Tell All post.  I love my husband more than anything and I am always thankful that he supports my blogging time.  He has gotten used to my laptop being a obligatory part of our nights.  He even asks me if I'm okay if my blog doesn't show a new post in a few days. 

 

 

He is easily my biggest fan.  I thank God each and every day for bringing this man into my life.

 

 

So, for today's post it's all about him, the Mississippi Mr., answering in his own words.

 

1.  If you had a blog, what would the name be and what would you blog about?
DA MANS CAVE.... and it would be about the things I love to do.   Aka, a lot of talk about videogames/tools/football/etc.

 

2.  If you could live inside any videogame, which would it be?
If I had to "live" inside a video game, it would probably be some kind of sports or hunting game because those are the things I like to do when I can, even though my favorite is Call of Duty.   I do most of the killing there.

Wow, just wow.

 

3. Who is your best player on your fantasy football team this season?
Peyton Manning

 

4. If you could play for any professional sports team, which would it be?
St. Louis Cardinals

 

5. What do you typically do with an hour of free time?
That depends on when and where the time is.  I'm usually watching TV or playing Call of Duty, or sleeping, just like the rest of the guys in the world.

He's right.

Now, wasn't that fun? I love doing blogs that involve Brian.  He's my other half, so he needs to be more present around here.  I'm thinkingwe need to vlog, right ladies?

 

Today is....

...what I still like to call our anniversary.  

Happy "dating" anniversary, love!  The real one isn't far off now! 

COMMUNITY BREW : Vol. 2

MARRIAGE

Verses: 

Ephesians 5:22-33

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

I'm so happy to see you back here today for the Community Brew link-up.  First, I want to say thank you to the ladies who keep this going, Madison and Rachel.  I love that we can use this space and our lives to show off what the Lord is doing in each of our lives.

I also want to encourage you to read the verses listed above, especially the ones listed for Ephesians.  This is used in marriages all over the world.  It was spoken in mine.  These words are DEAR to me heart.

How has your "life stage" helped you grow in your relationship with Jesus? 
- I turned thirty this year, so to say that my life stage has changed is an understatement.  I think in the last two years, I've found an even deeper relationship with God that I ever thought i would, honestly. 

What has God been teaching you about being single?
- Ladies, please hear me.  If you are single then YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  I thought being single was the worst thing at one time.  I was depressed that all my friends had husbands/boyfriends/etc. to go and do something with on weekends.  I was bitter. 

And then I started realizing that life isn't so bad single.  So, I used my time being single to focus on ME and MY dreams.  I went out with friends, caught up with old friends, spent time reading, and just being ME.  It was so beneficial in hindsight, and guess what?  Brian walked into my life shortly after...

What is God teaching you about being a wife?
- Every day, God gives me a new lesson on being Brian's wife.  Some days it can be something as silly as learning to be less control-freak when Brian leaves his empty glass on the table.  Then, some days it's challenging when I have to be in a serious conversation with my husband over something personal to us.  I am blessed for both of those days because I would be lost without him. 

God doesn't give us more than we can handle.  If you think He has, then I assure you that your lesson is yet to be learned.  God pushes us, test us, and angers us sometimes.  But being a wife is my priority right now and I will ask God to guide me any way He can.

What lessons have you learned while being engaged?

- My time while engaged, was a huge blessing to me.  I can see now that I was taught patience.  When Brian and I got engaged, I was ready to settle the deal and just have a wedding and become his Mrs.  But I stuck with my plans and waiting 11 months to walk down the isle to the man of my dreams.  To some, eleven months is long and to some it is short.  I think for me it was perfect.  God knew I needed the time to adjust and let me learn a valuable lesson from it in doing so.

You can catch my entire Love Story by clicking here.

Weekending Edition

Well, last week I did good and started my new link-up Sunday Spin.  This week I was a complete fail and didn't even get to schedule today's post, much less one for yesterday.  This weekend was jammed packed and I'm still needing some extra sleep to recover.

 

Let's rewind a bit to Thursday.  I left work early and drove with the family to Memphis to pick up Ben from the airport.  If you are new around here, then Ben is Brian's younger brother.  I won't say "little" anymore because he towers over me so isn't exactly my definition of little.

 

He had spent the last month in Fort Knox, KY doing some Army training so we were all very excited to see him and get to bring him home.  Ben stays at our house while he is in town and not in school.  It's a joy to have him around and I know Brian loves having his "bubba" with him as well.  I know a lot of people sometimes don't get along well with their in-laws but I have been beyond blessed in that department.  I consider them as my own family, not in-laws.

 

And sadly, I'm a bad blogger and don't have any pictures from this night.  I was so tired and completely never thought about getting my phone out.  Ooops.

 

Friday, I worked and then went home.  Ben had taken Lindsey (his fiancé) on a date and so Brian and I decided we too would have a mini-date.  We tried out the new Mexican restaurant in town and I really liked it.  After dinner, we went to our normal location- Lowe's.  And this week I came out with more items than Brian.  [Insert shock face.]

 

My better half

 

Saturday, we loaded up bright and early and made the trip to Cairo, Illinois.  It was the annual 4th July Fish Fry at Brian's grandparents' house.  We waited for the weekend after so Ben would be able to make the trip as well.

 

Blake and I, having fun in the backseat

Bethany and some cute cousins

After some time with Brian's Mamaw and Papaw, we stopped for a visit with his precious Nannie.  And a little fun fact- her real name is Nannie!  Nannie Claire to be exact and that's one reason I want my future little girl to be named Klaire.

 

 

 

And, hands down, my favorite picture of the day....

 

Nannie asked me to comb her hair.  My heart just exploded with pride and I wish she lived closer so I could do it every day.  I just love this woman.

 

On the way home, Brian, Ben, Blake, and myself decided to stop for dinner.  So we stopped at Olive Garden and stuffed ourselves.  But it was OH so good. 

 

 

I'm pretty sure Blake enjoyed his spaghetti from the look on his face.  He was such a doll the whole day.  I love you, Blake!

 

Sunday, we dropped off Roxie Jane before church and picked her back up afterwards.  She had her first haircut and I just want you to know she was adorable!

 

 

What a blessed weekend it was.  I'm so glad Brian and I have wonderful family to spend time with and make the most of this life. 

 

Now, I'm going to work on getting the rest of this week and next week scheduled so I can get packed and enjoy my VACATION next week!

   

 

#NamesOfGod2014: Volume 1

I'm terribly heartbroken that I am late with this post, but sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles.  It's not going to stop me from posting because this is for Him and I want to know all I can.

So, if you are joining me today, I want to let you know this is my first installment of my thoughts/reflections on Kay Arthur's book, Lord, I Want to Know You.  Two of my favorite blogs to read, Rachel of Rachel Rewritten and Nicole from Bloom are hosting this study.  I love both of their hearts and their obedience to God to go forth in leading this study for us. 

So, on with the goods.  If you haven't seen/heard this study is happening then go on over and order your book at Amazon or go to your local LifeWay store.  I am so pumped to see what the Lord will teach me.

Days 1-4

In the introductory part of this book, God is mentioned to be a "protector."   That alone just speaks to my soul.  When I'm troubled, I turn to God.  When I have something big and exciting on my heart, I turn to God.  All throughout the day I find things that are happening because of Him.

A protector is what He is to me.  He protects my soul.

When you are in trouble, who to you turn to?  I'm going to bet a lot of you turn to your husbands, or partners.  I do.  It's natural to want your significant other to fix things or share your feelings. But why do you turn to them instead of God?

Do we need that physical touch? A hug? A pat on the back?  Are we becoming a body of people who are shallow to life and need physical interaction instead of facing our giants with God in our prayers?

I love that this book states that as Christians we have feared and stepped back from "boasting in the name of God," which means "to have confidence in."  Our people are focused on physical touch, or things we can tangibly see and hear instead of the Lord talking to us.  We ignore that.

So many people are scared to talk about God in public.  We see and hear every day of someone being jailed or killed for telling of God' love.  But why does that stop the rest of us?  We have lost that confidence.  We are letting Him down.

Let's focus on the statement on page 10.  "I saw that as a woman I am to treat my husband in such a way as to give a correct opinion or estimate of him as a man."

This just stood out to me.  I value my duties as Brian's wife. I know what we do separately will in some way or another reflect back on our spouse.  However, I never thought of it as a measure of him as a person and his loyalty.

Do you love your spouse and glorify him/her? God created you to live for His glory and for His pleasure. This is an essential part of our Christian walk.

Happy Birthday MR. MISSISSIPPI

It's a mighty special day around the White House, no not that White house.  It's Mr. White's birthday! And I must say, he is getting even more gorgeous with age! 

 

 

Brian, thank you for being the man that I waited my whole life for.  Thank you for being there for me when times were good AND bad these last three years.  Thank you for being true to me and true to yourself.  Your honesty and commitment are two of my favorite things about you.

 



Every day we have got to spend with each other has been a blessing.  Sure, we've had good days and bad days BUT those are the days that make up a real marriage.  We're a great team.

 

You can make me laugh when no one else can.  You are the other half of my soul.  Even if I didn't get to wear this gorgeous ring on my left finger, you would be my soul mate and best friend to the end. 

 

You make marriage FUN.  Waking up to you, and sometimes wanting to kill you in the middle of the night when you are snoring is part of my laughs and memories of our marriage.  I love that we can pick on each other and still love each other.  We know how to have a good time, with little outside sources. 

 

You are just my best friend.  I love you more than life itself and can't imagine spending my days with anyone else.  You're my protector, my hero, and my idol.   I can't wait to see us grow old together and share parenthood as a new challenge one day.  I love you so much, baby.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, B!  

 

#firstTOTALSOCIAL

  I"m pretty pumped to see all what this new link-up brings out.  I'm nosey, I admit it freely.
Today's prompt: Your first time.
Get your mind out of the gutter. Not that kind of first time, although someone might want to share that today, ha!  It can be anything you want it to be.  So today,  I'm showing my First Look pictures from my wedding.

I was so glad to see his smiling face when he turned around.  I was getting nervous, but in this moment all those nerves were gone.  I was with my baby.

He checked out my WHOLE dress, apparently.

This picture is one of my favorites.  It shows Brian's personality just exactly.  I love this flower-smelling man of mine! P.S.- That handkerchief around my bouquet disappeared that day, sadly.  But I'm glad I have it in pictures. 
What are you showing off for your first time today?   

Wedding: 10 Things I Would Do All Over Again

Last week I saw a few bloggers making a list of things they would do all over again from their wedding day. Mine was so wonderful and perfect so I knew I wanted to join in!  Hope you enjoy! 

1. Use my grandmother's Bible in our ceremony instead of the traditional ring pillow. Ever since my sweet grandmother passed, I've held onto her Bible dearly.  Inside she has scribbled various wedding dates, birth dates, etc.  It's a very special item to me.  When it came to deciding some of the details of our big day, I KNEW I wanted this Bible to be a part of my ceremony.  Brian's youngest nephew, Brad, had the honor of carrying this down the isle for us.  This is one of my favorite moments of the day.

2. Deciding to do "the first look" before our ceremony.

There are a lot of differing opinions for couples on if this is something they want to do.  Yes, it does take away from the "surprise" factor when the groom sees you for the first time, as does the rest of the guests.  Brian and I knew all along we wanted to do our First Look due to a number of things.  One, we were leaving for our honeymoon as soon as the wedding was over, so we were on more of a time crunch than a lot of couples.  Secondly, our location (while beautiful and all I could have ever dreamed it to be!) was just not set up for such a secluded thing to be carried out.  

Brian and I still got to have "our" moment, alone.  And it was perfect for us.  I would make that decision again in a heartbeat.

3. Spending the morning with my sweet mother.  My mom is my best friend.  I had dreamed of my wedding day for years and every dream included my mom being there with me.  I got to watch her get her hair/make-up applied and get the royal treatment.  I got to see her smile at me and see her eyes glow as she seen me in my wedding gown.  I love you, Mom.  Thanks for being my biggest fan, always.

3. Having a wedding party that knows how to have fun!

I loved that our wedding party was game for all the funny pictures.  My ladies, and his men, were fantastic sports and made this day special for us both.  I still giggle looking at these crazy moments!

4. Getting pampered, completely. My wedding destination was almost an hour away from my hometown.  This meant that going to the salon the day of the wedding was out of the question for me.  Luckily, a sweet friend of mine, and my hair and make up artist went out of her way and made the trip herself just to be able to help me feel beautiful for my big day.  Thanks, Lauren.  I felt amazing. 

5. Changing plans, at the last minute.

Originally, I was going to get ready at our wedding location.  But after some last minute thoughts, I changed my mind and found this cute little bed and breakfast that's hidden in a small Southern town nearby.  It worked out so beautiful.  The pictures from "my" shoot are gorgeous.  I definitely want to plan a trip back to this place to take some more pictures of it's history.

6. Making sure my groom's table was as fabulous as he is!

Brian is a serious tool-freak.  When it came time to look for his cake, I knew exactly what he would love.  I found a picture of a similar cake and showed it to our baker.  She did more than a fabulous job.  We are STILL hearing compliments on how great it turned out AND how delicious it tasted!  Win/Win for us!

7. Approve these guys all over again!

In case you can't read the letters, it spells out "Don't Do It Brian".  During the prayer, I heard lots of shuffling around and you can imagine my reaction when I opened my eyes to find these crazy guys on the ground.  I had no idea until AFTER the wedding and reception that their shoes had the funny message all along! Such pranksters, but I love each and every one of them!

8. Pick our rustic theme.

From the day we were engaged, I knew I wanted a fall/rustic wedding.  One of my first "visions" was having white pumpkins at our wedding.  For those of you who don't know, our last name is "White" so the significance is there. 

I found these beautiful pumpkins at a local farmer's market and had a co-worker paint them for me.  I still love the way they all turned out.  A vision come true!

9. Pick all these special friends/family again!

I love the friendships and bonds that we have with our bridal party.  Brian loves my girls, and I think the world of his guys. We truly feel like God handed us each and every one to make our lives complete.

10. Pick my photographer again & AGAIN!

This lady may have started out as my pick for the big day, but she has turned into one of my BEST friends.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have found my lifelong family photographer.  She is such a sweet person who is willing to go above and beyond to make the big day all you've dreamed of as a bride.  Her wonderful husband helps her and Brian and I feel like they are some of the best people we have found in this lifetime.  God gives us those we need in our lives.  I'm looking forward to this lady being right beside me for Baby White's arrival (whenever that comes!)

Well, that's it.  My wedding day was the day I had dreamed of for years.  I married my best friend and found myself surrounded by a group of the best family and friends we could ask for in this life.  October 12, 2013 changed my life.  And thus, Mississippi Mrs. was born.