SURVIVOR!!

My high school physics teacher won 1.1 million dollars on Survivor last night. Go Bob Crowley!! Who would've thought a teacher from Maine would've had a chance to win Survivor? I'm amazed and proud!

It's hard...

Being a pastor's wife.
Thank goodness that my God and my husband don't expect me to be perfect but, man, sometimes I think life would be so much easier if Travis and I weren't in ministry. Then, I quickly realize that if we weren't in ministry, life would be really bad because we would be disobeying God- and that's never a good thing!
I am not complaining about being Travis' wife. What I am talking about are the difficult people that my husband has to deal with, the hurting people that he has to comfort, and the expectations that people think that pastors and their families need to live up to. Travis (and MOST other pastors) carry the burdens of so many people that it is hard to have just a day to relax. Actually I think relaxation is a foreign word to most pastors. People just don't get what it means to be a pastor. Everything they, and their families deal with and the sacrifices that are made. I was told once that "as a pastor's wife you don't have to perfect, just be yourself and be who God has called you to be. Don't try to impress people by putting on a mask and acting different at church or around church people than you would at home." I have taken that to heart (most of the time...I do bite my tongue once in a while...) so if you think that I am not living up to your expectations of a pastor's wife...sorry. Too bad, get over it :) I love being a pastor's wife but it is hard!

Being parents.
First let me just say, that I love being a mom! Bria is the biggest blessing to us and our family. It's just hard when it suddenly starts down pouring and you are getting the car seat out of the car. You're wet, baby is wet, diaper bag is wet, inside of the car is wet. That's no fun.
It's hard when you are completely exhausted and your baby decides she is hungry at 2am. Or she wants mommy to hold her all the time. Some people think I am cruel when I tell them that I let Bria just cry sometimes. I am sorry but seriously, if I ran to my crying 7 month old every time she whimpered I'm not sure I would make it as a mom. Yes, I have learned to tune crying out. I know my baby. I know when she needs me and I know when she doesn't. Again, sorry I'm not perfect :)
It's hard being parents because just as soon as you've got something about your baby figured out, it changes. Bria is growing so fast and changing as she grows that we can't keep up! Love being a mom, but this blog has taken me an hour and a half to write!

Living far away from family.
North Carolina is where I have wanted to live since I was a freshman in college and now, here we are, in North Carolina. We have found a new family living here in Charlotte, but around this time of year it is harder for me to live 14 hours away from my parents and 2000 miles away from my brother. I miss them especially around the holidays. I wish I could have gone with my mom to her doctors appointments over the last few weeks, I wish I could have celebrated my half-brother's 13th birthday with him, I wish I could be there with my grandmother, aunt, and mom on Thanksgiving (I missed Grammy's cooking this year!!). Why can't every one move to NC? :) I am thankful for our new family and friends that we have found here, but there is nothing like true family. I can't wait to fly to Maine on Christmas day to see family! I love them home we have made here, but it's hard being so far away from home.

5 Million Dollar Bra?

We received the Victoria's Secret fashion show catalogue in the mail the other day...not really sure why but we did. There is a bra in the magazine that costs 5 million dollars. Why would anyone want an undergarment that is made out of diamonds and rubies? I think we already threw the magazine away or I would put the description of it on here. I am pretty sure that anyone that would buy such a thing is just showing off their money and should send a check of about 2 million to Rocky River Community Church so that we can build our building. Wouldn't that be nice?!

The past few days...

Bria went to physical therapy this morning for the last time! The physical therapist said that she should be the model child for their office because she has done so well. Her neck strength has improved so much and her head is rounding out very nicely. Thank goodness it was the last time going because today and the last time we went 3 weeks ago, she cried the entire time we were there. I don't know if it was because Travis wasn't with us or what, but Erin (the doctor) felt so bad that she made her cry! 

So now that PT is done, I have to go get a Bumbo(?) seat for Bria to sit in so that she can get strong in her trunk area so that she can sit up on her own. She's growing too fast!! I can't believe that she is almost 6 months old. Time flies when you're having fun, right?! I'm having a blast being a mom...even though I definitely need a break sometimes!! Thanks to my husband, I get Sunday afternoon naps. Gotta love that!! 

We went to Liberty for Homecoming this past weekend. I must say that I love going back to visit! There are so many memories that we have there. It's amazing how much the campus and area surrounding the school has changed sooo much in just a year and a half since we moved to Charlotte. Bria got a sticker when we were there that said 'When I grow up, I am going to Liberty.' I hope that that is true. I wold love for her and any future children that we have to grow up and go to LU. While we were there, we ran into some friends we hadn't seen in at least 2 1/2 years. It was so good to reminisce and catch up like old times. 

Last night we went to see Fireproof with a bunch of the youth and their parents from church. We probably had about 35 r2c2 people out of the 45 people in the theater. Fireproof is such a good movie, even if your not married! I didn't really get to hear how the students liked it but I saw a few with red eyes from crying when we were walking out! Go see Fireproof!!

It is a cool, windy day today. A perfect day to stay inside and drink hot chocolate and maybe carve pumpkins or something. Too bad I have to go to work! 

I can't wait for Halloween! Travis and I don't have costumes but Miss Bria is going to be a chili pepper!! She's going to be the cutest chili pepper ever!! 

The Doctors

First of all, can I just say that I LOOOVE the show The Doctors!! It helps to have Travis (from the show the Bachelor) as the host! Just kidding... even if someone else hosted it I would still love it! I would recommend this show to everyone. You just have to watch it! It is a talk show with 4 doctors (an emergency room dr., an OB-GYN, a pediatrician, and a plastic surgeon) and they have different topics each day. A word of warning though, they talk about pregnancy, implants, and scary diseases kids can get- A LOT! I admit. I am addicted. The reason why I am writing about this is because I am bringing Bria to the pediatrician again and will miss my show. I DVR it everyday and today I will have to take advantage of it.
I was at the church office this morning and realized Bria had what I thought was diaper rash, but I wasn't sure because it didn't look like any diaper rash I had ever seen. I asked Tiffani to look and it and she said it looked like ring worm. So, with that said, we are headed to the doctor again for the third (THIRD!!) time this week. The second appointment this week was on Monday and was 2.5 hours long so I am over the doctor's office, but we have to get this taken care of. Travis (my husband...not the host of my new favorite show) :-) is in Atlanta until tomorrow night so I am playing single parent for a few days. The last time he was out of town for a couple days, I got sick. I've decided that he can't go out of town without us anymore!!

So if you are reading this, please pray for my baby girl. She is only 5 months old and has been to the doctor more than I have in my entire life!! From a cold, to ear infections, to a flat head, to ring worm. She's had quite the past few months! Poor thing. It makes me think, "What am I doing wrong? Why can't I keep my child healthy?" I know kids get sick but for Bria it is just one thing after another!

Happy :-)

I am sitting here in the living room of our beautiful house just thinking about how thankful I am for everything in my life. Bria is sitting here sleeping in her bouncy seat, college football is on tv, Moosen is just chillin' on the couch, the dishwasher is running and Travis is mowing the yard. All of the noises that go along with each of those just remind me of how blessed we are. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, a stupid (but wonderful) dog, and a roof over my head. I am so thankful.

First Accident

Well, tonight was the night Travis and I were dreading as parents. Bria had her first accident. I was in the office, Travis was elsewhere--taking care business--and Bria was chillin' on the couch on her boppy watching the tv and ceiling fan. Next thing I know, I heard a loud noise that I was praying came from upstairs, but nope. Bria started screaming. I ran into the living room and there she was face down on the floor. It honestly looked like she had done a belly flop onto the floor. It was the most pitiful cry and site I had ever heard or seen. After about 5 minutes of crying hysterically she calmed down and is now fine. She might have bruise on her face but other than that she doesn't seem to be hurt. Moosen was so sweet with her. She licked her face and was very concerned. Jimmy had just said last night that the day was going to come when Bria would fall off the bed or changing table. Thanks for the warning Jimmy!!

Myrtle Beach

On Thursday Travis, Bria, and I headed to Myrtle Beach for 2 nights. We had gotten a free 2 night stay from a timeshare company so we decided this would be a good time to get away. When we arrived at the condo we were staying in, we were in awe. They put us up in a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom condo that could sleep 10 people! Had we known, we would have invited people to come with us!! I must say, it was nice to go to the beach- just the 3 of us. Just to give you an idea of how big this place was: one of the bathrooms was as big if not bigger than Bria's room at home and she ended up sleeping in the master bedroom closet because it was so big!

On Thursday night we went to the Alabama Theater. Bria absolutely loved the show- well the first half. She slept through the second half. Her eyes were huge, watching the lights and sparkles. It was so cute! On Friday we did some shopping- I was on a mission to find shoes for April and Brandon's wedding! I finally found a pair but I think I am going to return them depending on whether they match the dress or not. Saturday we just woke up late cleaned the condo and checked out. It was such a good weekend getaway. I love spending time with my 2 favorite people!

Friends

Our friends Joanna and Andrew came to visit us this week. They got here in Thursday and will be here until Tuesday. We are so blessed that they bought plane tickets and flew 800 miles away from home to visit us!! Usually when we see them we are in Maine for only a few short days which means we only get to see them for a few hours, so this has been a special treat for all of us. We are still trying to convince them to do 2 things 1)move here 2) have a baby :-). I don't think it will ever be Travis and I that will convince them, but we sure are trying!!

Having Joanna and Andrew here has really made me think what it means to have true friends. The people that you can be a real with and they'll still like you, that you trust, and that you have a good time doing absolutely nothing with but sitting around a fire and talking (which we did tonight...and roasted marshmallows...yummm). It is important to have people like that around but it is hard to find very many people like that. Joanna and I became friends in 6th grade- and of course had our distant times- and we don't talk very often, but in the end we know that we are always there for eachother and always will be. We always pick up where we left off without any awkwardness. Travis actually helped us rekindle our friendship 4 years ago because he and Andrew really hit it off when they met for the first time. They hit it off so well that Travis ended up being the best man in their wedding!

So anyway, I am blessed to have true friends that know everything about me and still love me!

Big Changes in Our Lives

I was reading a friend's new blog the other day and it inspired me to make a new blog. I had one before that was supposed to be for my husband and I to write about what was going on in our lives, but with the latest addition to our little family, Bria, we have had no time to blog on http://www.travisandkristin.blogspot.com/ . Now I have made this blog to keep people updated on what is going on in our lives and to use it as a journal- almost as an escape.

Travis and I have had many changes go on in our lives since we have been married, which has been a little over 2 years. In May of 2006 we got married, then in May 2007 we both graduated colleged from Liberty University. On graduation day we moved to Harrisburg, NC where Travis is the Pastor to Students and Families at Rocky River Community Church (www.rockyriverchurch.com). In September we found out that we were expecting our first child. In October we bought our first house, and on May 6, 2008 Bria Rae Bush was born. So if you know Travis and I pretty well, you know all of that...but I say all that as a reflection for myself on the past 2 years. When I think back over the last couple of years, I realized that I am so blessed. When life gets crazy, I can stop and remember that the Lord has blessed me so much and know that with the people around me and a God who loves me, life will never be too much to handle.

More posts to come!!