Becoming Brittney Nicole

I grew up in the same house, went to the same private school, and attended the same church for my entire life, at least until nine months ago. And I count it as a blessing. Lots of people moved constantly as a kid, never really feeling "at home". I never knew what it was like to stuff everything up into cardboard boxes or slap a "sold" sticker up outside. Life was consistent. Go to school. Come home. Go out to eat on Friday nights. Go to church Sundays and youth group Wednesdays. Hang out with friends. Go shopping with Mom. Life was good. Everything was constant. But everything tended to constantly be the same.  It was incredibly easy to become complacent. And I am convinced that complacency is the enemy of growth. Isn't it funny how we say we all want change? Change this-and-this to end world hunger. This book/diet/huge exercise ball will change your life. Change your habits to live a better life. The world calls for change, but when it needs peo...

So...... it's been a while. A lot has happened.  I moved 600 miles away from my hometown. 600 miles now lie between my family and me. The house I've lived in all my life, the church I've gone to ever since I was old enough to remember, the school where I started kindergarten and graduated high school: my life up to this point lived 600 miles away.  It is such a strange feeling: knowing you are right where God wants you, yet not knowing so many things. How do I do this? Can I really finish every assignment and get enough sleep? What even are people skills? Were those 7:30 classes a good idea? How much coffee is too much coffee (asking for a "friend")?   My whole way of life has shifted. I went from not having any sisters to living in a dorm with forty other girls. Used to the same classes would happen every day; now they're split up. Home cooking was a thing; now cafeteria food is my jam. I have responsibility for my room, my car, my assignm...

It's been a month. A month ago today, May 25th, 2018, I graduated from high school. It's strange to think that I won't be going back to my school in the fall, the same way I have for the last thirteen years. I won't be surrounded by the same people group that I have been for a lot of my life. I'll be moving into a dorm, at a new school, in a new state. Things will be different. I either read or heard recently the idea that "things won't stay this way forever". Life comes in seasons. We get so caught up in wishing and dreaming and can't-waiting. (And that's not necessarily a bad thing!) But I think we all need to occasionally take a moment, step back, and say, "Okay, this is where I am, right now ." And guess what? Maybe, that's exactly where God wants you to be. It's been a month, and I've already alternated between taking the world by storm and not wanting to go out. I keep 'reminding' God that thi...

Dear March 2018, You. Were. A. Blur. I remember going on at the beginning of the month how I wish April would hurry up and get here. Then, BAM! You were gone, and I'm left wondering when time started moving so fast. The new youth center at  FCC officially opened, and it's so exciting to have a space all our own. I hope that it becomes a place where God meets us and victories are won. A couple friends and I competed in photography in the  NCCSA Fine Arts Competition and didn't do too shabby ☺ I was invited to go to the mountains with a friend and her family over spring break, and it was good to get away for a few days. Make sure you do things that make you feel small. See mountains, sit quietly, just take time to be. March, I'm sorry for wishing you away so quickly. Thank you for the moments anyway. Now on to new things! Hello! It's been awhile haha. Things have been (and will continue to be) busy in my corner of the world, but ...

Dear February 2018, February, you're the shortest month of the year, yet you haven't  disappointed. While your beginning was rough,your ending was wonderful. Valentine's Day rolled around,and, though it's sometimes tough to enjoy as a single girl, what a great reminder of the people in my life who love me for me, of a Savior Who loved me enough to die to save me. February, you remind me to be grateful for my mom. It's sappy to say, but she loves me, even though she has seen some of the worse parts of me. Thank you for reminding me of that. Change is coming, February. I was able to visit Hobe Sound Bible College last week and see it again for myself. I'm impressed by the people and what God is doing there. It's something I would like to be a part of, so we'll see what happens. :) February, you were full of things that felt like failure. But you were also full of friends and things that felt like home. ...

Have you ever felt unloved? February has finally rolled around with all it's pink and red, chocolates and flowers, love in the air. Couples going out and having fun just celebrating each other. It's all lovely and sweet, and I love celebrating Valentine's Day. But you want to know something? I've never had a 'Valentine'. And it's not an awful thing. I'm enjoying living in this season of my life, growing closer to God, spending time with friends, and just figuring out who I am. But sometimes I wonder why. Why is no one seemly interested in me? Is something wrong with me? Will I ever have someone love me? I wonder if you have had the same thoughts. Single, married, somewhere in between, we all want to be loved. Leah wanted it too. Remember Leah? As in the Leah in the Bible, who we remember as the unloved, overlooked sister of Rachel. Leah who was given by her father to Jacob first, breaking a promise. Leah, the bad sister that we don'...

Dear January 2018, You were a month full of new. New beings. New resolutions. A new year. You were a month of celebrations. My mom had a birthday, and I'm so thankful for her. I finally hit my eighteenth year which I actually was more ready for than I thought. We celebrated with friends, people who mean the most to me, with Japanese, coffee, book shopping, and a trip to the mountains.  You were full of fun, laughter, and experiences I will hold close. Some friends and I gave blood for the first time, which I will totally do again! My school held a benefit concert and raised at least $7,000! We visited Biltmore House and some pretty cool waterfalls. There were snow and a photo shoot and good conversations. January, you were a month in which God showed up for me. I learned that in the roar of life I can have peace. I read the entire book of Proverbs using this awesome Bible plan ! I read some pretty awesome books and saw movies that will s...