Saturday Tradition

For the last month or so, we have been going out to Genghis Grill for lunch on Saturday. It has to be the best Mongolian food ever! So yummy!

After lunch, we drove around taking back roads in Tulsa. It's amazing how big of a place this is! We've been here over a year and a half and we still haven't seen it all!

We visited a couple of Harley shops. My husband rides...I do not. I used to before I had Eli. If you met my husband in person, you would never dream that he owns a Harley. He is very preppy. He likes to dress up. He wears dress clothes to work every day, but he jumps on that Harley and looks like a natural!

After the Harley shops we took Eli to the park. He loves the swing! He grins and giggles and it's the cutest thing! He did get a little startled by the huge fountain in the pond at the park. I have no idea why. That was our cue to go!

~Jillian is kicking my tail!! I'm very excited to share some before and after pics in a few weeks! I can't stand her...but I love her too :)

~ I'm also very excited to reveal some fabulous news in the next few weeks!  Stay tuned!

Have a great Monday!

I laid Eli in his crib to drink his bottle while I took a bathroom break.  I came back to find him like this!  Little cutie!

That sweet baby loves the swing!

That's my red face after Jillian Michaels almost killed me! 

Life's Little Blessings~ Day 7

For the last 7 days, I have been teaming up with Megan for a week's worth of blessings!  It has been so fun to post about the blessings in my life.  I have so many and I feel so unworthy!


Today, I am thankful for Megan!  We met in preschool and were friends from the get-go.  I have pictures from our kindergarten trip to the zoo...we both had on pink and white polka dot outfits!

We have had so many fun times.  One in particular sticks out...getting lost trying to find the "club."  Dragging women out of Hogan's.  That's all I'm saying...Megan, you know what I'm talking about!  LOL!  I'll also never forget our "Sips and Strokes" outings!  MMMM...Morgan Creek Carlos wine.  Yummy!  HA!

We went all through school together.  Preschool through college.  We cheered together in high school.  She was my awesome base!  We were the best... for real!  Ha!  We are both Registered Nurses and we even worked at the same hospital and same department for a while! 

Megan is such a lovable person.  She has such a big heart.  I have so many memories with her.  We both got engaged the same year, 3 months apart.  We got married the same year, 4 months apart! 

I'll never forget the way she told me she was pregnant with both her girls.  With Bella, she drove to my office and gave me a Christmas card.  It was May.  I was confused.  Inside was an ultrasound picture and it explained that I would be an "Aunt" in December!  I was so excited!  With Lucy, she told me at our sisters' Senior Toast before their prom!  She told me in the parking lot and we had such a fun time!  I was the only one that knew.  She was telling her family the next day and didn't want me to find out from someone else.  I literally did cartwheels!  I was thrilled!

She was so supportive during my infertility struggle.  She went with me to my first appointment.  I went to her house one evening and got her to give me a "trigger shot" (aka HCG injection) as part of my infertility plan.  She was sensitive to my feelings and how she told me she was pregnant.  She hurt for me and rejoiced with me when it finally happened. 

She answers the dumbest questions ever from me.  I text her all the time and drive her absolutely crazy, I'm sure. 

She supports me, encourages me, laughs and cries with me.  I totally trust her.  I know she totally trusts me too.  I love her family like it is my family. 

She is my best friend.  We have managed to keep our friendship strong through finishing school, having families and me moving 700 miles away. 

I love you Megan!  Thanks for loving me!

Lindsay's Lingerie Shower

Us with sweet Bella!

Sips and Strokes!  So much fun!

There are those outfits!  Polka dots and stripes!  LOL!

Right after Megan got engaged!  We met up in Alex City for me to see the beautiful ring!

At Lindsay's wedding!

Just before I moved to Oklahoma

Beautiful Megan in my wedding

Beautiful Bella!

The day that I moved to Oklahoma.  Megan came to see us off.

Life's Little Blessings~ Day 6

I'm linking up with Megan, for 7 days of Blessings.

Today, I'm going to let pictures speak for themselves.  These are just a few of the blessings in my life...

Eli and Ez!  Cousins, 3 months apart!

My little diva niece, Peyton!  3 years old!

Elise, Carlee, Ez, Eli, Emma, Ella Kate and Peyton!  Cousins!

My sister, Shelby

My sweet sissy, Lorrie

Eli and Paw Paw

Me and my sweet Mommy on Eli's Birthday!

My precious Nanny.  The only time she got to hold Eli before she passed away.

Mom and Eli

My sweet Mother-in-law, Kathy!

Pey getting some sugar from Eli!

My sweet sister-in-law, Lindsey!

Butch!  So sweet!

Eli and my beautiful niece, Ashley!

Eli and Tyler, my nephew!

Life's Little Blessings~ Day Five

I'm linking up with Megan for 7 days of blessings.  Check out her page.  She's my best friend and has the cutest little girls ever!

Today I feel very blessed to be able to savor the simple little moments in life.  When the world stands still for a moment and you feel like you are the only one on this Earth.  This is a fast paced kind of world.  It's nice to slow down sometimes and just take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

~Sitting and watching Eli play with his toys.

~Making Eli giggle when I tickle his belly.

~Watching Eli learn new things.

~Sitting on the couch with my husband in silence.  Sometimes you don't have to talk verbally...your thoughts and feelings can pour out in silence.

~Feeling the warm sunshine on my face.

~Riding with my sunroof open and the windows down.

~Those awesome Matchbox 20, Coldplay, Third Eye Blind and Jason Mraz songs.

~Watching Eli dance to all the music I listed above!  He loves music!

~Someone appreciating the work that I do- a patient telling me thank-you for helping them.

~Kisses from my hubby...I still get butterflies.

~My bathtub soaks.  My 20 minutes of peace and time to think.

~The way Eli looks at me.  The way Eli looks at Josh.

~The way my husband wants to snuggle up to my back when we sleep.  When he's away, I miss it.

I could go on and on.  There are so many little blessings that we take for granted.  I thank God for protecting me and always coming through for me when times get a little tough. 

What are the blessings in your life?  Have you thanked God for them lately?  Most of us are blessed with far more things than we deserve.  Let's take a moment and reflect today.  Count your blessings and you are bound to have a good day!

Life's Little Blessings~ Day Four

Overcoming Fears and Obstacles

I'm linking up with Megan, for 7 days of blessings.  Check out her blog!

Today I feel blessed to have experienced unexpected changes in my life... things that I never thought I would do.  Places I thought I would never see.  Things that I never thought I could handle.  People I would have never met.  Sometimes we think we have our life all figured out and The Lord throws us a curve ball.  I think we can all get in a comfort zone and become afraid of change.  Change is a good thing.  We all need to mix it up every once in a while...


I am Alabama born and raised.  I went to school with the same people for 13 years.  I went to college with some of my best friends.  Back home, I can go to the grocery store and see at least 5 people I know and usually many more than that.  I worked at Winn-Dixie in Childersburg all through High School and College.  Pretty much my whole family lives in that area or within 40 miles.  We had a beautiful home in Alabama.  We had a Siberian Husky that we loved dearly.  We had plenty of house to welcome our new bundle of joy...

Our "plans" quickly changed.  We moved to Oklahoma in October of 2011.  670 miles.  Let me just tell you, I am a Momma's baby.  I love my sisters and I was leaving behind my best friend.  It was hard.  I cried a lot.  The first several months were bad.  I was pregnant but we had not told anyone yet.  I was sick...constantly.  Nausea/ vomiting around the clock.  Josh was out of town a lot in the beginning.  I wasn't working yet.  I just wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear. 

I started a new job the end of November.  I feel so blessed to have met several good friends through this job.  One in particular, Tiffany, has helped me so much.  She has been such a blessing to me.  She said after she first met me that, "I was going to be her friend, I just didn't know it yet!"  We bonded right off the bat.  She has made me feel so comfortable here and I feel like I've known her for years. I think God places certain people in your life at just the right time. 

New house + new town + 1st pregnancy + husband gone all the time= a very sad and depressed Brynn.  You can't just hop in the car and drive home to see family.  We are talking a 12 hour drive.  We finally told our families that I was pregnant the end of November.  I was so glad to be able to at least talk to my Mom over the phone about things.  I just wanted my Momma. Although talking to her on the phone was nice, nothing can replace actually seeing her, face to face.  I wanted her to see my growing belly.  I wanted to go shopping with her for baby stuff.  I needed support.  We had tried to get pregnant for so long.  It finally happened and we moved nearly 700 miles away.  (I found out I was pregnant 6 days before the moving truck came to pack up my whole house)  I only saw my Momma 3 times during my whole pregnancy.  We lived by picture texts of my belly and videos of my ultrasounds sent via text message. 

My Mom was able to stay for a week after I delivered Eli.  I will never forget taking her to the airport.  That was the worst goodbye.  Here I was with a new baby and I felt so clueless about how to care for him.  I needed my Momma, but guess what?  I survived.  I took care of sweet Eli just fine.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.  Another fear conquered.


Although this has not always been easy, I feel very blessed that The Lord chose us for this journey.  I think it has taught me so much.  I feel closer to Josh.  I feel like I am easier to come out of my shell and talk to people that I don't know well. I had to completely start my life over here.  New house, new job, new friends...but again, I did it. I have embraced a different culture.  It's not "coke" here it's "pop."  It's not a "buggy" it's a shopping cart.  Mexican food is very Tex-Mex here.  People do not talk with that Southern drawl that I am so used to.  In ways it's a different way of life, but it is our life and I am loving every minute of it.  I don't know if some people could be up for a challenge like this.  We have conquered it.  We love Oklahoma.  Our son was born here.  It will always hold a special place in our hearts.  I'm so glad that we conquered fears of the unknown and just jumped right in...that is a very special blessing.

6/8/12 The day we met our sweet Eli for the first time!

My sweet Mommy with Eli

My sweet friend, Tiffany!

Life's Little Blessings~ Day Three

I'm linking up with Megan, to talk about the blessings in our lives.  Check out her page!  She's been my best friend for a very long time!

My husband, Josh, is one of the many blessings in my life...and one of the greatest.  He loves me unconditionally, even when I'm not very lovable.  He is my rock and the strong foundation of our family.  He is a Godly husband.  He prays with me.  We have the same views on how we want to live our life.  He is the love of my life.  I couldn't have asked for a better spouse.  I thank God daily for sending him to me. 

We met through a mutual friend.  Josh was a Manager with Home Depot at the time.  I was in Nursing School.  A girl that I was in class with worked for Josh.  She kept telling me that her boss was "cute and we just look like we would be a cute couple."  After a couple of weeks, I gave in and decided to go to the store that he worked at.  We met and the rest is history!  We had our first date a few days after we met and decided to date exclusively very soon after that.

We knew very early on that we wanted to get married.  My sweet Josh waited until we had been dating for a year and 3 months to ask me to marry him (per my Mother's request to wait at least a year!)  On July 22, 2006 we said "I do" and that was one of the best days of my life. 

Joshua David Meins, you are one of the greatest and best blessings in my life!

Josh, thank you for loving me.  Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father.  You work so hard for our family and I want you to know how much I appreciate you.  I know God sent you to me.  You are my perfect match and my soul mate.  I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.  I'm very excited for our future!  Love you with all my heart.

Our wedding night.  Such a fun night!

Our Hawaiian Honeymoon

One of my favorite pictures

Life's Little Blessings~ Day Two

I'm linking up with my girl, Megan, for 7 Days of Blessings.  We have so many blessings in our lives.  This will only scratch the surface.  I find that I am so unworthy of all the blessings I have in my life.  It's good to reflect on them every now and then to humble yourself. 


I had a completely different idea in my head for today's post.  I had a change of heart last night. 

I feel incredibly blessed to have a mother that loves me with all of her heart and I also feel so blessed to be able to give a mother's love to my son.  It is a very deep love.  One that cannot be described unless you feel it yourself.  I never knew that I could love something so much.  That feeling, of intense love, gives me joy in my heart.  Now I know what my mother was talking about.  She used to tell me that I could not imagine how much she loved me and my sisters.  I didn't understand then, but I do now. 

I sat in my living room with my husband last night reminiscing of the fabulous Easter we had.  We attended church as we do every Sunday.  We cooked out and had an Easter Egg hunt.  We finished the day by going to the park and later watching the finale of "The Bible."  If you haven't watched this, you really should.  It really helped me to understand some parts of The Bible that I did not fully understand. 

I sat there watching as they beat and tortured our Savior.  Tears were streaming down my face.  Not only was I crying because I am SO UNWORTHY of a love like Jesus has for me, I cried because I watched the pain on Mary's face as she watched them beat him, kick him, curse him and mock him.  That was her son.  I have a son.  I know the love that I have for Eli and he has only been around for 9 months.  I cannot imagine the love that she had for Jesus.  She had him here on earth for 33 years.  I watched as tears poured down her cheeks.  This really happened, y'all.  It's not some made up Hollywood movie. 

I watched as they nailed Jesus' hands and feet to the cross.  Each ping of the hammer sent heart-wrenching chills up my spine.  I wept not only because of the pain and agony that Jesus went through, I wept because Mary had to feel completely helpless.  I cannot imagine the pain and sorrow that she felt in her heart. 

I wept as Jesus proclaimed, "Tetelestai" (It is finished.)  He carried the weight of all of our sins on that cross.  He knew every sin I would ever commit...and he still loves me.  I feel so blessed to have a Savior who, no matter how I fail him, he continues to love me.  What an amazing love.  What a Savior. 

I know that Jesus is in my heart.  I know that I will spend eternity in heaven. 

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."  ~C.S. Lewis

Give yourself to The Lord and you will be amazed at the peace and love you will feel in your heart. 

It's as easy as A-B-C

A- Admit you are a sinner.  We are all sinners.  Only Jesus lived the perfect and Holy life.
B- Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins.  Believe that he is the Son of God.
C-Confess your sins.  Ask for forgiveness. 
Ask The Lord to come into your heart and save you. 

The rest will fall into place. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.  That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16