Happy Third Anniversary to Us!

I feel a little narcissistic with the title of our post, but it is our third anniversary and a happy one! :) (No, we're not pregnant...I know your mind went there!)

My friend, Jessica, did a neat post for their sixth anniversary (Happy anniversary, Jess and Brian!) looking back at how the same day, six years earlier, looked different. So, I'm copying her.

• Three years ago today, we were engaged. Now, we're married. (That's a freebie.)
• Three years ago today, we lived in Texas and Boston wasn't even on our radar. We are now "New Englandahs" who enjoy living blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, eating lobstah, and dropping our Rs as much as possible.
  
• Three years ago today, other people were making me pretty. I got my nails, hair, and make-up done by someone else. This morning, my nails aren't painted and I did my own hair and make-up. (I'm still waiting for "the crew" to show up at my house, but to no avail.)
• Three years ago today, I had lunch with my mom, sisters, grandmother, and four of my closest girlfriends. We laughed, cried, and prayed together. Today, I live in a different state than all of those friends (between the nine of us, five different states are represented!) and I ate lunch by myself, at my desk. Glamorous, people, glamorous!
• Three years ago today, I was eager for Jon and I to have our "moment," just the two of us, before the wedding. I still remember the look he gave me when he saw me for the first time (and our photographer, Marks Moore, captured it perfectly!). Now, three years later, we still are excited to see one another. One of my favorite things about coming home from work is seeing him open the door to greet me with that same sweet expression on his face.
• Three years ago today, I had NO idea what marriage was like. Sure, I had an idea or perception of what it might entail, but I certainly didn't know the details. Now, three years later, I know that it takes a lot of sacrifice, discipline, love, laughter, friendship, and so much more.
• Three years ago today, I was pretty independent. Now, three years later, I realize the joy that comes from healthy dependence.

In our three years of marriage, I am grateful that God, in his grace, has shown us the importance of loving him first. He is the one who has shown us what it looks like to love one another selflessly and sacrificially. And I'm sure that's a realization that will only deepen as the years increase.

So, here's to many more years of marriage and changes! I love you, Jonny!

I'm back!

Well, April came and went, didn't it? Here I am on August 1 wondering where all of spring and most of summer went. Here's what we've been up to the past few months:

• My first "concert" was a success! I sang a few songs with my friend, Jenna, then played and sang 2 songs on my own...one cover and one original. It was super fun and definitely stretched me in a new way!
• Our church, Seven Mile Road, planted a new church in Melrose. It kicked off Easter weekend and we've LOVED being a part of it! I am singing with the worship band, which has been wonderful. I hadn't realized how much I missed singing until I got back in to it again.
• At the end of April, I flew down to SA to meet my cutie of a niece for the first time. It was so fun getting to meet her and watch my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew adjust to being a family of 4. Brooke is quite the addition to our family and we just love her to pieces!
• In May, we drove down to Virginia for our friends' wedding. I also sang in the wedding, which was really fun! Being native Texans, Jon and I both considered Virginia to be more of a "northern" state. After living in the true north, we both agree that Virginia is a southern state. We got our fill (and more!) of y'alls, fried food, and heat/humidity!
• While in Virginia, we drove to Norfolk to visit our friends, Brian and Jessica and their cute little baby, Eden. We had a blast spending time with them and getting a better feel for their life there. Brian even took us on a tour of a submarine. It was so fun!
• At the beginning of June, my parents and younger sister, Claire, came up to Boston, threw us in their car, and we all drove up to Canada together. We stayed in a cabin just north of Montreal and spent the week touring and relaxing around that part of Canada.
• Then, in July, we flew down to Texas to see my college roommate, Stephanie, marry our college friend, Philip! We had another reunion of sorts with our Texas friends and enjoyed every minute of our time there. We finished our Texas trip in Dallas with Jon's family and at the lake with mine. It was fabulous!

And now, here we are...caught up to the present. Gordon-Conwell* (where Jon goes to school and where I work) is in the middle of a website relaunch. I am heading up that implementation, so my days consist of LOTS of website stuff. I'm even having dreams about new websites. Come August 15, we will have a new and improved website and I couldn't be more thrilled! It has definitely been a challenge, but one I've thoroughly enjoyed. Once the site goes live, Jon and I will head back to Texas at the end of August for me to sing at CBC. It'll be a great break from the busyness here, coming at a perfect time. I'm SUPER pumped!

Anyways, that's what's been going on in the Yeagers' lives. We're still alive, just super busy with life, work, and school. I'll be back soon to post one of our favorite recipes as of late. :)

My first "concert"

Well, tonight I will be singing with a friend of mine at Gordon-Conwell's KALOS coffeehouse. I will also be playing 2 songs on my guitar for the first time in front of a group non-family members. AND I AM NERVOUS. Just thought I'd share. And ask you to pray for courage, humility, and grace.

In other news, we're headed to Philly tomorrow-Monday to visit our friends, Danny and Andrea! We are beyond excited. Plus, we're getting to go to a lovely dinner together at their friends' restaurant. I'll be sure to bring our camera and post pictures. I'm excited!

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Welcome, Brooke Elizabeth Keiffer!

It is with great joy and excitement that I introduce you to the newest member of our family: Brooke Elizabeth Keiffer.

Isn't she a doll?! I haven't met her yet (April 28, come quickly!!), but love her so much already.

In honor of this lovely day, and since I'm a new aunt in a faraway land, I wanted to share a couple songs with you. The first is a video of Austin singing a song he wrote (on the spot) for his baby sister. I love this video because he is doing the EXACT same thing I did when I was little. The second is a song I wrote for Brooke. When my family came up to celebrate Thanksgiving, I surprised them by singing and playing this song. It has been and continues to be my prayer for her. Enjoy!

Austin Singing from Brittany Yeager on Vimeo.

Little One by Brittany Yeager

Coffee Date

Dreaming of these...

Made into this...

Shared with him...

White As Snow

March is upon us and with it comes warmer weather. To say I am ready would be an understatement! It has definitely been the longest winter I have experienced and most certainly the whitest one. I guess that's what happens when you move from Texas to Massachusetts!

This winter, though long and grueling at times, has brought great spiritual refreshment. Last Saturday, we went to bed with dark brown, frozen piles of snow everywhere. For those of you who have never lived near snow, you haven't experienced this. The snow falls, the snow piles, the snow freezes, and then the snow turns brown...sometimes black. Then, fresh snow falls and covers what was once disgusting and dirty. It's quite the transformation. In fact, you almost forget that under the white, fluffy snow lies a hard, black pile of ice.

I can't help but draw a lesson from this. I have heard and often sung the words of Isaiah 1:18, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Never before has this verse come alive to me like it did this winter. Isaiah gives us a striking image of what Christ has done for us. Much like the dark, hard piles of ice, our hearts are darkened and hardened against Christ. And, as Isaiah says, our sins scream guilt. Then, God's grace comes to us like a fresh coating of snow, only his covering extends into the deepest parts of our soul and our entire being is made clean. We are no longer dark and hard, but new and clean.

I needed to be reminded of that today. Praise Jesus that my sins are white as snow. He is my secure hope and I will trust in him.

Guest Blog

Good morning, friends!

I'm guest-blogging over at my dear friend's blog. I met Jordan at Texas A&M during my first year of college, however, we didn't become friends until the middle of our sophomore year. Since then, we've graduated, gotten "real" jobs, and gotten married (next up, babies?!). I'm grateful that even though we live on different sides of the country, and have a three-hour time difference between us, we are still good friends.

Hop on over to her blog to read my post about 10 gift ideas. Happy reading!

Mid-afternoon "pick me up."

Just checking in here. It's a balmy 30 degrees here (a warmer change) with oh, 70 or so inches of snow on the ground. Jealous? Ask Jon how much he loves shoveling the snow and he'll tell you a few choice words. He's such a trooper and I love him so!

I wanted to share a sweet little video of my friend's baby. Bekah and Mike had Owen (technically, Bekah had Owen, but we won't have THAT convo today...) last June. And can I just say that he is the cutest Owen I know?! Please watch this video of him laughing. I laughed and laughed until I had tears streaming down my face. In fact, Jon had to check on me a couple times to make sure I was breathing okay. Make sure you're in a place to lose yourself, because you most certainly will. And follow her blog. She will make you laugh, I promise!

Enjoy, friends!

Updates!

Well, 2011 is officially here! Here's what the Yeagers have been up to the past few weeks...

• We spent eight glorious days in Texas. There was lots of family, friends, driving, laughter, sunshine, and warmth! I'll add my favorite pictures when I get a chance.
• Before we spent eight glorious days in Texas, Jon decided it'd be a good idea to leave his fingertip behind. Yes, you read that right. Since we weren't flying to Texas until Christmas Day, our ORIGINAL Christmas Eve plans consisted of an evening at home, preparing for our trip, and enjoying a steak and potato dinner. Jon was helping me slice the potatoes with a mandolin (not the musical instrument, but the cooking one). He had just exclaimed, "This is so great and fast!" when he sliced the potato AND his finger. Classy. No stitches were necessary, however it would have been nice if his finger decided to stop bleeding sooner. After an hour of trying to get it to stop, our wonderful landlord came downstairs to give us Christmas gifts and suggested Cayenne Pepper. And that, my friends, is what caused his finger to stop bleeding. And you can rest assured that we made many jokes about his "spicy" finger!
• We missed the big blizzard of 2010. We did come home to the aftermath. Let's just say our sidewalk and back patio will never be the same, at least until late March or early May.
• Jon starts his first January term class today! For the next two weeks, he'll have his head in the books and his new finger on the keyboard.
• And I've saved my favorite part for last...our dear friend from Greece, Sofia, is coming to visit us in Boston!! She will be here January 22-February 2 and we couldn't be more excited about her visit! This will be her first time to the States and we're pumped about experiencing it with her.

Clearly, things are busy around our home, but we are grateful for the new year and the new experiences and lessons it brings! Hope your new year is off to a fabulous start!