Blog Launch!

Well instead of going to bed early because I work at 6am, I worked on the new blog, and it is officially ready to be seen! It isn't completely finished by a long shot, but there is enough to get it up and running. So check it out here! 


Love,
Briana

Coming Soon!

So I apologize for the lack of posting, not that anybody ever reads this...

I tried to change the design on here but ended up completely destroying my blog and the lack of figuring out how to fix it is one of the reasons I haven't posted. I haven't had the patience to just sit down and mess with it, and the times that I have I just end up doing more damage. So I am done for now. Well I was.

There are two more reasons for lack of posting. 1) I have this really bad habit for blogging in my head. I write posts daily in my mind but never actually sit down at the computer to type them up. If that is weird (which I am guessing it is) then I apologize. 2) I tried to switch to WordPress (not sure why) and I couldn't really figure out how to work it. I'm so bad with this blog anyways, so I don't know why on earth I would have tried to switch to something new for me to learn for absolutely no reason. That plan kind of failed too.

BUT I am currently going to make a new blog that will hopefully be better & brighter. I think that is what you are supposed to do when you get married... make a new blog. :) Anyways, I will update when it is ready for display. Until then... all is well in the McCall household. School is wonderful, the puppies are happy and we are both "loving" work. We are blessed. <3

-Briana

Radical Living

My friend Lauren had this video on her blog & I wanted to share it because a brief two minutes can be a grand awakening for Christ followers. Since January of this year, God has stirred within my heart a different passion for him than I have had probably my entire life. So I want to share this video with you. Also... Alex and I have joined the launch team for a church plant at the University of Louisville and we are asking for your prayers as students begin moving in soon and we start penetrating this campus for His glory and for the sake of proclaiming His name so that all will hear. We officially launch on 10-10-10 but we have some incredible stories of what God is doing already, and you can check those out here at our church website. The Avenue has changed my life, and I am so thankful to be able to serve alongside some great men and women of God.

Radical by David Platt


- Briana

Pretty Wedding Pictures

Thought many of these were beautiful and just wanted to share! I am in high wedding spirits! 

 -Briana

Crunch Time

We are 23 days away from the wedding! For the past week I have not been able to comprehend all the big changes that are about to take place, but it is all finally sinking in! My mom has been working really hard on our reception favors, and I have been frantically calling everyone who didn't send in their RSVPs by July 1st (shame shame) and just checking thing after thing off of my list! Alex & I got our marriage license yesterday morning and then had a nice breakfast at Chick-fil-a. I had coupons, and we both ate breakfast and got drinks for $5! I love coupons! :) This has nothing to do with anything, but tomorrow they are having something special at Chick-fil-a for anyone who shows up dressed like a cow. Who would do that?? I'm tempted to go eat there tomorrow just to see if anyone actually does show up in costume. It would be interesting!! 

I picked up my veil today as well as a couple of prescriptions that I needed filled before we go out of town. I had to return a few purchases I had made that were unnecessary because I am completely broke. Sigh... Now I am just waiting for the lady that might do my wedding make up. She is supposed to get here in an hour and a half, and I am really excited. I hope I love it because I do not want to be searching for another make-up person this close to the wedding date. I was supposed to be doing my hair trial this morning, but it got moved to tomorrow morning so we'll see how that goes. At this point I don't think anything could make me want to switch who is doing hair & make-up just for the sake of convenience, but we'll see tomorrow I guess! After make-up I am going to meet with a lady that will be in charge of our ceremony music. It was kind of a last minute thing. We were planning on just having a piano player for the ceremony, but when I met with my wedding coordinator the other week I noticed there was only a keyboard in the chapel and there is no luck actually getting a real piano in there sooooooo I proceeded to find a string quartet within our budget and am meeting with the lady today to hopefully book and finalize our music choices! Alex and I finished picking those yesterday... I am just hoping everything goes well and there isn't anything that needs to be changed. Crossing my fingers here! And thennnnn after that I am going with my dad and Alex to have them fitted for their tuxedos. And then home to "rest" which will probably consist of continuing my thank-you cards from my showers. 

I am planning on every day for the next 23 to have a similar schedule to this one. I hope not, but if I plan for all of this and get a little less than I will be perfectly satisfied. I don't even want to think about moving right now. And ordering furniture. Oh goodness..... I love my life. <3 

-Briana

A Short Note to You

Well I am back with a few words to say... Life has been going very well recently. Nothing too dramatic is going on but I have been enjoying summer with Alex & my family, and we have all been very busy planning events and running to and from wherever to wherever. But regardless, I have found this time to be very relaxing. I am working two jobs plus babysitting when I can and even though I have been working a lot of hours, I find time to sleep in and try to spend time doing things that I enjoy. I haven't had that much friend time but that is hopefully changing!! I have had two bridal showers... one in Tennessee and another here in Louisville this past Sunday. I always get so nervous right before these types of things because I'm always afraid that people aren't going to enjoy themselves or whatnot, but afterwards I always laugh and criticize myself for worring about it so much. They were both so incredibly fun and I had such a good time talking to people and visiting with my closest friends. I wish that I had family that lived closer because I never get to see them but hopefully that will change soon as well. Family is so important to me, and living away from all my grandparents and aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. has been pretty disappointing but then again I cherish every moment that I do get to spend with them. I am so glad that most of them are going to be able to come to the wedding. I have a cousin in Afghanistan (see earlier post) and if all goes according to plan, he will be home in time to fly out here for the big day. He is in our prayers often! My things to do this week are just to find a cake topper (which I already think I did), finish writing my vows and find a veil... I saw a picture of a friend who got married last weekend, and her veil was gorgeous. I am going to try and find out where she got it. :) Anyways, best wishes to faithful readers.

~ Briana

This weather is absolutely GORGEOUS.

Title is random but so true. :) This weather is absolutely breath-taking. I cannot wait for the neighborhood pools to open this weekend! Usually my family joins Douglass Hills for the summer months but supposedly 19 is the oldest you can be on your family's pool membership and since this summer I am 20 I will have to get my own pool membership. I am not sure how much it costs and if it is even going to be worth paying because of all the wedding stuff and the fact that come August Alex and I will be living in an apartment complex that has a pool. I'll have to look into it. :) And since I mentioned it, Alex and I signed a lease on a 2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom apartment last week! We knew we were going to live in Old Louisville but it was just up in the air whether or not we were going to rent an apartment, condo, townhouse or actual house. We looked at a few places and found this super fun house that would have been a blast to live in but it was really too much house and because it was so old the utility bill would have been outrageous. So we kept looking. In the end it was between a 2 Bedroom/ 1 Bathroom apartment off of Brook and Oak and the apartment at the Bellamy which we ended up choosing in the end. The Bellamy is apartment living for University of Louisville students only. They kind of do resemble dorms which Alex didn't like but there were just so many more reasons why we chose to live there instead. They come fully furnished which was a big plus even though his parents own a furniture and appliance store. It wouldn't have been hard to furnish an apartment but it would have been a big pain moving. Also the reason we are moving to Old Louisville is to plant a church called The Avenue which specifically is targeting University students. There are some crazy facts about religion or lack there-of on campus and there are many families from The Avenue moving to Old Louisville so that we can be a part of the community. Our pastor, Ben Hardman states our mission perfectly. "When Christ (Jesus) moves into a community that community changes from the inside out." When Jesus came to earth and dwelt among people, the world was changed for the better. Ben tells people that he wants a bunch of little Jesus's running around Old Louisville and serving the community. I just love it! :) Well anyways, we were doing the whole pros/cons thing between the places and we ultimately felt God's call for us to go to the Bellamy, not because it is nicer and has cool amenities but because that is where students are. The guys at our church can't just get a group to go play basketball at the complex's court... or play sand volleyball whenever they want to because it is a gated community but residents can let anyone they wish in through the gate and honestly, I think that from the launch team (which almost everyone is older than Alex and I), we are the only ones that can actually live at the Bellamy because we are students. We have that "in" that noone else has and hopefully we will be able to minister to and serve our neighbors while we are living there. If you are wanting our new address (starting July 31), please just message or e-mail me and I will get it to you!!

I was going to update a little more, but I have things to do today... Oh well! 

I decided that I am not going to really be keeping up with the blog anymore. I was doing so good at keeping up with it on a regular basis, but I don't feel like it is something that needs a lot of my time right now. Perhaps I will come back to it on a more frequent basis but for now just look for random updates... I'm not sure when the next one will be! 

- briana -