roughin' it

I, Brittany Todd, went camping last weekend. And loved it.

Yes, you read that correctly. 

The last time I went camping was 18 years ago. In a Barbie tent in my backyard.

But this was really fun. 

The company was stellar.

And the whole "nature" thing wasn't as overrated as I expected.

As it turns out, this whole "roughin' it" thing wasn't so rough after all. I can't wait to go on another adventure (assuming the next adventure will include bathrooms). Now if you'll excuse me, Brittany Grylls is going to go hug her hair dryer. Twenty-four hours was way too long. 


Happy Trails!

waking up in April

It happens every year. The winter goes by slowly. The days are short. My toes are cold. And when I'm not sitting by my mini heater or wrestling to get into a pair of tights, I notice that my soul tends to get a little cold, too.

I find myself clinging. Holding on to His promises: that He's not through with me yet. That He will complete the good work that He started. That He won't leave me in this cold, hardened state.

And then spring comes. Sometimes sooner than I expected. And then a girl named Audrey Assad writes a song that sums up what I've been feeling for the past four months:

What if we find ourselves beneath the snow,

our warmest words all frozen in our throats

and all we feel is left out in the cold,

you and I?

What if the days grow short and lose their light,

What if the coals burn black and the embers die,

and we can't find each other in the night,

you and I?

Even the winter won't last forever

We'll see the morning, we'll feel the sun

We'll wake up in April, ready and able

Sowing the seeds in the soil

of our love

What if the ice we tread is just too thin?

What if we can't escape the squall we're in?

What if our hearts of stone are permanent?

What if the spring comes soon

and we're surprised?

What if the seasons help us realize,

some things are only proven over time?

Pretty, but they still make me nauseous.

Silly string

While I'm dealing with the seasons of my own soul, I also know that my feelings are only magnifying the much larger story that is at work.

"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." Romans 8:20

The winter won't last forever. The curse has been broken. Spring is coming.

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

- C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia