Excitement followed by Sadness

Sunday May 23 was a great/sad day all mixed together! It was great because of Royal Family Kids Camp which is a week long camp that is for foster kids! I am so excited to be going... I just feel God all over this and i know that he is going to do such amazing things! I cannot wait to go! It is less than a month away and i get the butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it! It is so great for me because i have never done anything like it before and so it will be completely new and fresh! I am doing what i do best Drama :) and i am helping with worship which is cool. There is a chance i could be a councilor but that is uncertain at this time. Either way Gods will will be done and it will be incredible!!!

But... At 5:30pm May 23 the finally of my all time favorite series "Lost" played on the TV screen for the last time! Though i was spending time with my family last night so i watched it today.. But still! Its over. I will forever remember the years of suspense and unanswered questions and pure frustration at that show. All of those questions have been answered(I think... that show made a lot!) now i am just sad that i wont have anything TV wise to look forward to every week. Other than dancing with the stars... GO ERIN AND MAKS!!!!

Now to ask a huge favor... Please be apart of the RFKC prayer team! This camp is so important especially for the kids we are targeting and so prayer is a huge tool that i know God will listen to and answer. None of this would be possible without Gods help so we want to continue to ask for it in everything. May his will be done at RFKC this year! AMEN!

Shrek the Final Chapter

Yesterday at 1:50pm my friend Alissa went with me to see my favorite series of movies in the whole world! Yes... Shrek... And i might add that it was absolutely fantastic! :) I highly recommend seeing it with Kids, and if you might fancy Shrek then see it with older people! It was very cute in a romantic way, Pretty funny at certain parts, and highly entertaining the whole way through. Of course this is coming from me, i am obsessed with Shrek! There is just something about the greenness and his Irish/Scottish accent that makes me go crazy!

Needless to say it was a beautiful end to the Shrek adventure and i look forward to buying the movie when it comes out along with any adult T-Shirts, Bowling balls, figurines Etc... that they decide to attach to this :)

First experience with Respite

The weekend came to a sad close Sunday night when we had to say goodbye to the 4 kids we got to hang out with for the weekend. But overall we had a great time. We had two teenage girls and then two precious little boys. There was quite a range between the ages of the girls and the boys but it gave us a huge advantage going into Fostering come June 17th because now we can really build our experience on how to treat the different ages, races, and personalities. I will admit at first with the older girls i was intimidated by the lack of excitement in staying with us for the weekend. Then i have to keep reminding myself that this isn't a fun thing for the kids coming to stay with us, while it may be fun for us it is not a vacation for them. It turned out to be great with the girls though. Saturday i took them to a movie, we saw The Back-Up Plan with J-Lo and it was actually really cute. The male lead in that movie had pretty corny lines that i am fairly certain no man would say in real life but thats okay. At least i didn't leave wishing i would have a guy like that, which if you know me at all is saying A WHOLE LOT! :) I had to house sit for some folks Saturday night so i wasn't with them that night but we hung out Sunday when i got home from church and i was very glad to get the extra time with them. From the looks of it saying goodbye is going to break our hearts... But all the time we get to spend with them is priceless!

Prayers are still appreciated as we continue this journey!

Paul Coleman and the Rivercity Rollers :)

Today was an exciting day at Rivercity Community Church because Paul Coleman(Yes the same Paul Coleman who toured with the Newsboys and who is the leader of the Paul Coleman Trio) visited our church today and blessed us with the Amazing opportunity of playing with him and worshiping with him as well. It was a great time and i feel blessed listening to him open up his heart to us about where he is right now in Life, Faith and Career. Though i am fairly certain he thinks i am a creeper and most likely assumes that i will become the crazy stalker groopie... I assure you for his sake... I will not! :) OK... So i am up on the rotation for the worship team this week to be a backing vocalist with Natalie! I get an email earlier this week warning me in advance of the presence of a famous person accumpaning us on stage! So already i am stoked right!! I mean, its not everyday you meet a famous person, and well, i have never met a famous person(and now i kind of understand why that is a good thing!) So i walk in 7am to pre-service practice and i come through the doors to find... No famous person... Then, we start practice and get through a few songs. Take note that every person walking through the doors i am analyzing going through the same script with each on "Have i ever seen you before in my life?" if no then "STOP WALKING THROUGH THE DOORS I AM WAITING TO SEE A FAMOUS PERSON!" I also realize that this is not a good mind set to be in and that every person walking through those doors is a beloved child of GOD! That realization of course slipped my mind as i was in a frenzy waiting for Paul Coleman the Magnificent to arrive :)

Then, all of asuden the doors swing open and the sound of angels begin singing and an out of the ordinary ray of sunlight is beaming on this mysterious man and his right hand man as he walked through the door...(Not really, but that would have been totally awesome!) I then begin to sweat like a fat country man sitting in his rocking chair in the middle of summer. Not only that but this stupid grin grows on my face as my tongue forms the words "IS THAT THE FAMOUS GUY!!! IS HE HERE?!?!?!" Oh it was him indeed... Sazzo(Sean Azzaro) then began to reprimand me saying "You cant do that, dont say anything, Brittany stop it!" Sazzo then takes it into his own hands and brings good ol' Paul into the loop about my stupidness and Paul reacts by looking at me and saying "Aw she's cute" With those three words my shame was ignited! I then began to get so excited that tears started forming in my eyes... Like i couldnt speak, breath, and the only movement i could make was jumping up and down like a 4 year old does when they see santa. Praise the LORD i was able to control myself and turn around so he did not see my cry and i was actually able to stop myself from allowing them to roll down my helpless little face.

Needless to say i have forever scared poor Paul Coleman from every wanting to return and sing with the Rivercity Rollers(His band name for us) ever again.... I pray that one day enough therapy will help him to stop having nightmares about this crazy girl in a purple dress and cowboy boots from stalking him.

In all seriousness i will add that he does have a fantastic heart and GOD really used him to share some amazing stuff with us this morning. I was privileged to be able to sit and listen to new songs and to hear a musicians heart.

Husband, Comforter, Healer, Forgiver, Savior, Creator...

Ya know those songs that give you the chills. Or that speak to you so deeply its as if it was written just for you... Well, i have been hearing song after song where i feel this way. God is just so good that way! He is always there to remind me that i am not alone. Even when i was going through that dry period in my life a few weeks ago where i felt so alone, he still came to me and i know he will never leave me! No matter what i do he will always love me and focus on my well being. Seriously, he is the PERFECT guy... I often chuckle at the thought of just running away with GOD, kind of like one of those typical chick flicks... I mean he says in the Bible that he is our Husband, Comforter, Healer, Creator, King, LORD, Everything we would ever need. I know for me i rarely give him credit for being any of those things in my life. Its so bad, but true. But for a little while now i have been focusing on him being my Husband (haha) and what that really means. I am totally not thinking of it in a creepy way. But really he is the only perfect guy. The only one that wont break up with you because you have a dry or boring personality, or because you wont cross boundaries, or because you arent what he is looking for. He never runs away with some lame excuse claiming that "Its not you, its me" Not once will he ever do that. He is the only boy who is always there, Always loving me, Always comforting me, and there are times in my day when i forget he is there! I MEAN SERIOUSLY! What is wrong with me?! Hello... Man of my dreams staring at me in the face 24/7 and I, Brittany Marie Brandner who obsesses over my future most of the time, who has planned the majority of my wedding with the only parts missing being the venue and the guy, who often worries that i will die an old maid if im not married by the time im 20, ME I have the Perfect guy, The guy from all the beautiful love stories that i have day dreamed over... I have that guy (Only better because he is perfect... literally perfect) And i forget he is there sometimes.

But the amazing thing is, is that even when i forget at times to think about him or to thank him, He still looks at me like i am the only on the face of the earth. He looks at me and sees me for who i really am. Not who the world wants me to be! He knows me and cares about me, not what i look like. The LORD above all chooses to love little ol' me everyday of my life. He calls me His, and gives himself to me!

"Crucified, laid behind a stone

You lived to die, Rejected and alone

Like a Rose, trampled on the ground

You took the fall, and thought of me... Above all!"

Gosh... I love that guy! :)

Foster/Adopting

My family has undergone a series of classes and interviews and such for becoming a foster family for kids... Which it is so heartbreaking to hear of the great need for foster families... Anyways, we have finished everything that needed to be done to get ourselves and our home ready to start receiving some precious additions to our family! :) And i am VERY excited to announce that this friday night we will be getting our first set of kids... But let me say first that for about a month and a week we will only be doing what is called respite and what that is, is where we "babysit" other foster families kids while the parents go on a vacation or take a little break from fostering. The break usually consists of 2-4 days away. Anyways so we will only have this specific set of 4 children for 2 days :( a little bummed about that but excited that this is real and happening! I cannot wait to see how God uses our home and my family to show his love to these kids who have such a need for it! I just know that he has very unpredictable plans for us that will totally rock our world! If i can ask for prayer for my family and I as we undertake this new addition to our lives that would be so very appreciated! There is nothing like the power of prayer and i am a firm believer that God answers every prayer in his perfect timing! :) He answered ours... Now lets see where he leads us with this!

Unfortunately for privacy reasons i cannot post pictures of any of the kids we foster... But when we get them i will try my best to describe their beauty in words! :)

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

To all the Moms out there i wish you a very Happy Mothers Day! And i hope that you realize how appreciated you are.

Lots of Love!

Britt

GOD IS AMAZING!!! :) :) :) :)

Possibly the most amazing night of my life...

For the past month at least i have been in a dry patch in my faith, life everything. I didnt feel God like i used to. Nothing significant was changing in my life. I was stuck in a rut, and didnt seem to be leaving that little ditch anytime soon.... As i am driving home in my car from a fun night with Nat and Alissa I was blasting Jesus Cultures How He Loves... AKA my favorite song of all time! :) And i felt the urge to pray for my German sister Marie and her family who happen to be going through a very hard time right now, My very good friend Rachel who is also struggling with personal stuff, and the Miller family who recently lost their beloved Mother/Wife Cheryl Miller. So i am praying and all of asuden this abundance of awesomeness just slapped me in the face and filled my entire car and the air around it. It was absolutely indescribable. The presence of God was revealed to me tonight in my car!!! MY CAR IS LIKE MY FAVORITE PLACE NOW :) haha! And when i finished praying, which it was just my mouth moving... Honestly the words coming out of my mouth were not my own and could have only come from the Father... No lie it was him speaking! And the knowledge that i was in the presence of God and that he was using ME to speak for Marie, Rachel and the Miller Family at that time was so overwhelming i couldnt help by cry and laugh at the same time! Let me tell you my fellow drivers passing me got a little show as i was expressing my excitement! I dont know what i did to get in that rut... But i never want to go there again! Especially after tonight... I will not let his presence fade within my soul. Because i feel like i am complete again! And i havent felt this way in a while... in way to long!

I ask that you pray for me on this new journey that God has called me on which is yet to be revealed but i know its going to be awesome! Something is coming my direction and i guess ill just have to keep praising his holy name until it gets here! :) Pray for Marie Rachel and the Miller family too... But before i sign off and go to sleep... Can i pray for you? Comment prayer requests and ill add it to my daily prayers... If you dont have anything right now here is my number... the offer is open whenever :) 210-846-5649 Brittany Brandners prayer services are open anytime! :)

1 Year Complete

I have just finished my last final... I took Chemistry and Humanities online today, one this morning and one just now. Whewwww i am spent from those! But i am stoked because i have successfully FINISHED MY FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE!!!!! :) It feels soooo good to have completed this and to know that i worked my behind off to pass. Yes, i could have worked harder but the past is the past and i was able to finish an entire semester with more classes than i took last semester and not get stressed from school ONCE! Not one time did i flip a gasket and have an emotional breakdown!!! I am pretty excited to be finished though i know that the summer only brings more classes! Whatever, i am motivated right now to finish by early fall this year and have my Associates Degree in less than a year and a half! Needless to say i am very excited to see what the Summer classes will bring! :) :) :) :) God Bless

Lessons Learned

Well... This is the week, the tests have been printed and are waiting anxiously for me to write my answers. Right or Wrong, Pass or Fail, The final Exams do not care... They just wait. And here i am freaking out about each and everyone like i always do. Test Anxiety is pouring throughout my entire being. I would throw up if i could... But that would be to normal... No, instead i step in someone else's freshly regurgitated lunch as i exit my car and begin my journey to my first final of the day. The test about monkeys and other ridiculous theories. At least the class is finally over! True story by the way... I did step in nasty throw up this morning! Now my shoe is releasing the awful stench of stomach fluid shrimp and other curious pieces of only God knows what that was lingering in that pile of nasty! Sorry for the detail, i want you to get the picture :)

Yesterday i took my History final and finished in 10 minutes... 50 questions and i feel very confident about it. Today i have Anthropology and Government. I completed Anthropology in about 50 minutes and feel ok about it. I think i passed which is really the only thing i care about! As long as i dont have to take it again i am perfectly fine! Now i have a few hours to burn while i wait and wait some more to take my Government test... I decided i would be a good blogger and share my feelings about life first. This week is the marking of a momentous event. My first year of College FINISHED!!!! And a few things i have learned are...

• College is way better than High School
• No one cares who you are, what your major is, why you are in college... Just stay out of their way and your good!
• Dont take a Physical Anthropology class
• Never take Chemistry online if you and science have never been friends... Which we havent
• Be bold about your faith because they cant tell you to stop! WOOP!
• Be nice to the kid in the Trench coat
• Dont procrastinate cause then you fail!

Those are just a few. But still, i have learned things about myself and have grown in areas that i didn't know were there. I have a new sense of confidence in myself and honestly look forward to growing up! Some might say i am yet to do that and i would agree... kind of... But like everything else in my life it is a work in progress! Key word Progress! I am confident that God is going to use this last year for good and he is going to continue to shape me into the Woman he wants me to be. I am excited and Optimistic about life and the future! Thank you College, even though you are school and work that i think is pointless at times, i appreciate the discipline i have learned!

Now i really should start studying for my Government final... God Bless! :)

Time with The Grants

Earlier this year i took on a nannying job with a Family, The Grants. They have 3 Beautiful and incredibly unique children Rachel 10, Timothy 5, and Nathaniel 3. Which if you dont know, Rachel their oldest was the whole reason i started this blog! She has Down Syndrome and we were first introduced about 3 years ago when i was her buddy at VBS. Anyway, so every week on Wednesday nights and Friday nights i would go to their house and hang out with these kids and boy was that Fun! I love kids and i love having fun so it was a perfect fit! :) In this experience i also was blessed to meet Ms. Cheryl Grant for the first time who is the hardworking inspiring mom of these three blessings! This last Friday April 30 however was my last night with them... My schedule is on the verge of piling back on top of me so i am not able to be with them twice a week. While it was sad and hard to say Goodbye, i was able to capture some "Picture Perfect" moments with the Kids and Ms. Grant! Enjoy :)

Rachel and Nathaniel Dancing with the Mariachi singers Nathaniel and IMs. Grant and ITimothy and that HUGE smile :)Nathaniel being Silly

Meet Rachel! She got Purple gum which turned her entire mouth Purple on the ride home :)

Timothy and his typical COOL DUDE face

And then the Baby of the Bunch Nathaniel.

I only got a few pics of them and didnt get a chance to snap one of Mr. Grant. But, they are an Amazing family with Amazing kids and it was a privilege to be able to hang out with them twice a week. :)