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Rising from the Chaos, Plus Ashlynne Moves In

February 25, 2014 By: Shanacomment

It’s been almost a month since I put my heart on the page. Some down time was to be expected with the chaos of the holidays, but this was not my intention. Not writing wears heavy on my soul. Writing is often my time to decompress, process, and hear from God. It stills and refreshes me. Without it, I function, but not in fullness. I function, but I don’t thrive and have very little to offer others. I can’t let this time slip away from me like this again.

I think being sick had something to do with it. It was the night of Tuesday, December 16 after a baby doc appointment that I noticed I wasn’t feeling 100%. I’m sure it didn’t help that the next day I had an all day meeting in Knoxville (3 hours away). I came home feeling awful after the drive and long meeting. I could tell I had a cold coming on, but was determined to be okay because I had planned for our missional community to serve lunch at the elementary school that next day, and I wasn’t going to miss it! Casey and I definitely disagreed on that subject, but decided we’d wait until the morning to make our decision. When he was cleaning my puke off the bathroom floor at 3am, I lost the argument and spent Wednesday at home in bed.

The next two weeks were spent in unmedicated misery as I spent most of the night struggling to sleep and most of the day hacking up colors I can’t even describe. It was during this time that Baby B gave me my first good kick! Whoa! There’s something in there! I’ve been feeling small movements ever since 15 weeks or so, but this was no small movement. Baby doesn’t like it when momma’s sick.

I wish I could say I spent those miserable two weeks at home, but it wasn’t possible. We had Casey’s Christmas Party. Then time with our neighbors. Then my mom came in town. The day after she left we had friends over for Christmas Dinner. Then mom came back into town the next day. Then the pretty much my whole family arrived the next day for Christmas Dinner #2.

That was also the day that Ashlynne, our niece, officially moved in. It was a difficult time for all involved, and all I could do was pray for God’s comfort to overwhelm us. Ashlynne’s little sister, Tailynn, spent the weekend with us which consisted of more family coming over, lots of cooking in the kitchen with Tailynn, a wedding, church, eating out, movie nights, and anything else we could fit into the schedule. When my sister came to pick up Tailynn up, the goodbye was just a little bit easier for her and Ashlynne. Progress. That’s a good sign.

Our First Christmas as Parents
One of our 2 Christmas Dinners
Ashlynne & Casey drive Tailynn nuts

The ladies at the wedding
In the kitchen again!
Movie time!

Baby is growing!
The Minutellis came to visit
Finally! Date night 🙂

Ashlynne’s transition into our home was definitely not a calm one. Our schedule was jam packed with little room for down time. That next night we had dinner with friends from church, then a New Year’s Eve party, then our first family date to see Catching Fire. Then there was a worship service at church that night. And out of no where, it was time for Casey to head to school to get ready for students again. Ashlynne went to help which was a surprise, but she was super helpful!  The next day Ashlynne and I spent all afternoon at the health department, and then she she spent the weekend with one of her friends.

Whew! Finally time to breathe. Casey and I took advantage of the night off and went on a date night to PF Chang’s. So good and much needed. Then the next night, we were so exhausted from the craziness of the past month that we just hung out and played Mario on Nintendo. (We inherited an original Nintendo from Ashlynne. #bonus).  Then we picked Ashes up after church that Sunday and headed straight to the grocery. You know, grocery shopping goes even faster with 3 people instead of 2. Huge advantage! Then the snow came. Well, not really, but it was super freezing outside. So no teacher work day on Monday. Then no school Tuesday.  Today (Wednesday) was Ashlynne’s first day. I took her in like any good mom would and spent the morning there until she was settled and off on her own along with a pile of other new students.

Now I sit here, alone in this house, and completely lost as to what I’m supposed to do with the silence. So I’m writing again. Finally! And trying to prepare for our new normal… at least until Baby B gets here.

Originally written January 8, 2013

A Christmas Like None Before

January 17, 2013 By: Shanacomment

Okay. I know Christmas is long gone, but I just have to tell you about how incredible ours was!

a-chritmas-like-none-before-a-niece-sandwich

A Niece Sandwich! I used to change her diapers.

It had been about 5 years since my family had been together. So when I sat around the table with my mom, step dad, sister, her family, my aunt and uncle, I could have just cried. The moment was a sweet one, but also bitter. This was our 1st Christmas without my granddaddy. Although I know he was on our hearts, you couldn’t deny the joy in the room. The mess on the floor from all the thoughtfully chosen presents. The empty dish where mom’s macaroni and corn casserole used to be. The laughter of a 4 year old learning to play Go Fish. Staying up late to play games. Why did we wait so long to do this? These memories will last a lifetime, and I intend on forcing my family to participate in similar festivities every year from now on.

a-christmas-like-none-before-supper-at-our-home

My family preparing to feast

a-christmas-like-none-before-a-cactus-in-arizona

Not your typical Christmas view

Another amazing thing about that gathering was that it was on the heels of another. Since Casey’s brother is a pilot and we live on the opposite side of the US, his family hadn’t been together for Christmas… ever. Well at least not since my sister-in-law, Robin, and I have been a part of the family, and Robin became a Bresnahan over 10 years ago! It was quite the treat for the whole family to make a trip to Arizona to be together. Although the weather wasn’t quite as warm as I hoped and Casey wasn’t really feeling well, I truly enjoyed spending time with the family, especially my mother and sisters-in-law. I haven’t always felt like I fit in with them, but this time was definitely different. Even with 5 crazy kiddos running around, we were able to have lots of quality time with just the adults. But we made sure to save some time for some Nerf Gun battles with the kids as well. Those usually ended with at least one kid crying. Oops.

a-christmas-like-none-before-casey-and-bj

Casey cuddling with his brother-in-law

After the year we’ve had, soaking up this time with our family was an incredible blessing. God knew we needed this. So although it’s taken me a while to say it, I’m thankful… for God that loves me enough to give me exactly what I need, right when I need it.

2012 Year in Review

January 1, 2013 By: Shanacomment

I can’t believe that 2012 has come and gone. This has definitely been an interesting year for me and Casey, one that was worth talking about. Usually we send out a picture perfect Christmas card to family and friends, but this year we wanted to let everyone know what what’s been going on so we wrote a letter. I sent this out a while ago, but then realized that you all are like family too! So I’ve shared the letter with you all below and also our Christmas card.  Happy New Year!

Christmas-Card-2012

The Bresnahan Christmas Update

Congratulations! You have received the first (possibly annual) Christmas update from Casey, Shana and Minny. We wish that we could stay in touch with all of you throughout the year, but sadly, it’s just not possible. This is our attempt at catching you all up on what we’ve been up to. For those of you that won’t read past this first paragraph, just know that we had very exciting year. Enjoy!

Making Some Changes

We started out the year with a big change. We left the church that led to our introduction and hosted our wedding, the only church Shana’s ever known, to start a new church with a group of about 50 others. From leading the children’s ministry to singing songs in Swahili, being a part of The Church at Antioch has been quite a growth opportunity for us. We love it!

After coaching most of his life, Casey stepped down as the basketball coach at Sunset Middle. He’s looking forward to having more free time this winter, and Shana’s looking forward to getting an extra 3 months with her husband. Now Casey will have more time for his new side job, selling custom sunglasses to schools for fundraisers.

The biggest step of faith was when Shana left her incredible job as the Interactive Marketing Manager at Vanderbilt to launch her own business as an engagement marketing consultant. Despite some hardships at home right after leaving Vanderbilt, her business is booming. It’s been amazing to see God bring clients to her and provide for us in such tangible ways. We thought Minny would love having mom at home, but she just lies in bed until she hears Casey’s car pull into the driveway. The debate about who’s her favorite is officially settled.

Becoming Grown-Ups

This might be the year that we actually turn into adults. Between the two of us, we have 12 awesome nieces and nephews. We had the pleasure of hosting a few of them in our home this year. The opportunity to practice our parenting skills was very unique. We learned that we should always check the room for iPods before bedtime, how to stand our ground when a child won’t eat their dinner, and that it’s not wise to let a 3-year old nap on your couch without a waterproof pad. It was trying at times, but we are truly thankful for the extra time we spent with them this year, and Minny was definitely a fan of all the extra attention!

This was also the year of two major purchases. After months of scouring craigslist for the perfect couch, we finally gave in and bought a brand new one from a furniture store. It was our first purchase of a new piece of furniture for our home, and a big piece of furniture at that.

If that wasn’t scary enough, we decided to take an even bigger step and upgrade to a 4-door sedan, not for kids, for Minny. We tested the viability of our new-to-us Sonata right away when we piled in the car with Minny and our nephew for a 20+ hour drive to North Dakota. Now we know why people with kids drive minivans and SUVs. Crazy!

Gallivanting Around Town

Shana’s favorite thing to do is travel so we feel incredibly blessed that God gave us the finances and time to travel this year. During trips to visit friends, we watched a Boston Red Sox game from the Green Monstah, put our toes in the sand off the coast of Wilmington and even ventured into the backwoods mountains of Boone, North Carolina. With Shana working for herself, we had the freedom to spend a week in North Dakota and a week at the lake in Minnesota for the annual Bresnahan family vacation. That’s where Minny reluctantly had her first swimming experience and finally got to meet her Uncle Kobe.

We made some shorter trips as well to Alabama and Kentucky to spend time with Shana’s clan and even to Chattanooga for some time for just the two of us and the world’s best 80’s cover band. Sadly, we had to cancel this year’s anniversary trip to Arizona because Casey came down with mono and passed it to Shana, but thankfully, we’ll be headed that way for Christmas. I guess next year’s anniversary trip will just have to be twice as big 😉

Welcoming Our Family

It’s incredible how our family showered us with their presence this year. We were blessed with a lot of quality time with Shana’s family. Although the loss of her granddaddy was bittersweet, we cherish the moments we spent with him before his passing and are thankful it brought the family together. We even made a couple special trips to Kentucky this year to visit Shana’s parents, aunt and uncle. Even though Minny was sad she didn’t get to go fishing on the lake with dad, she had a blast hanging out with her cousins, Rocky and Max, and her uncle, Harley.

Although Casey’s family is far away, his parents were able to surprise him with a visit on his birthday. We really enjoyed welcoming them into our home and showing them around town. His brother, Rich, and sister-in-law, Robin, plus their two sweet kiddos were also able to spend some time in Nashville. Since they used to live in Nashville we had the pleasure of more quality time at home. It was such a treat to have our nephew, Liam, visit us for a week for a robotics camp. He had an absolute blast and so did we. It was the week before that we had our niece, Ashlynne, for a week too. Who wants to come next?

Living in Community

We feel so blessed to have such an incredible family, but this year, we’ve really seen the power of community. From our missional community at church and wives connection night’s in our home to monthly neighbor dinners and supper club with some of our closest friends, we are amazed at the incredible people God has placed in our lives. We are beyond thankful for the prayers, support and laughter our friends have shared with us over the past year. You all are a blessing that we don’t deserve and proof that family is not bound by blood or law.

Minny has been living in community too! She has playdates with her best friend, Petra and gets to run around with the other dogs at daycare when mom and dad need a break. She even had quite a few sleepovers this year – Petra, Porsche, Rafiki, Moose, Callie, Kobe, Harley, Max, and Rocky. Wow! This was definitely an exciting year!

Thank you for being a part of our life. We love you all so much!
We pray you have a Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year!
Casey, Shana &Minny

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Thanksgiving with Strangers

November 28, 2012 By: Shana2 Comments

Most people spend Thanksgiving with family. We did too. Only this family is not of flesh and blood or even law. They are friends. Some might even call them strangers.

I didn’t grow up in a home that had formal Thanksgivings. We’d cook as much food as we could manage and open our doors to whomever wanted to eat whenever they wanted to eat. It was a time for sharing, for being thankful for all the people in our lives, family and friends. So this year, when someone asked me where a good place to get Thanksgiving dinner was, I couldn’t help, but say “WITH US!”

Casey and I were standing in line to see an incredible Bluegrass band at the Station Inn, and quickly struck up conversation with the couple in front of us. It didn’t take us long to find out they were visiting from Massachusetts, one of their sons was coming in from Florida and they were pondering their Thanksgiving plans. We didn’t know it when we invited them to join us, but they are one awesome couple. We spent the next two hours getting to know each other and then enjoyed some ridiculously good music. We left with the hope that we’d see them in a few days over a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

Not even a week later, 14 people, friends, strangers and family, joined together to give thanks, enjoy abundant food, and share lots of laughter. From Hawaii and Florida to Massachusetts and Chicago, we gathered in Nashville to spend 8+ hours together as a family. It was truly a picture of Heaven on Earth, and a Thanksgiving I won’t soon forget.

 

Our new friends!

The whole family, less Amy

Our gracious hosts, the Fields

7 women worked together to prepare the meal

So this year, I’m thankful that Casey took me on that date to Station Inn. I’m thankful that God put us in line behind Lynnae and Denis. I’m thankful that Amy and Clint were generous enough to not only invite us to their home, but to welcome our new friends with open arms. And I’m especially thankful that family is not bound by blood or law.

Do you think if we all opened up our homes on Thanksgiving we’d have a whole lot more to be thankful for?

Oh and our new friends are avid travelers. They spent 1 month here and have since popped over to Florida for a few months. Check out their travel blog, Travels with Tucker.

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Halloween Should Come More Often

November 9, 2012 By: Shanacomment

I don’t know about you, but Casey and I are not big fans of Halloween. Although I loved scary movies at on point in my life, that love quickly faded when I moved away from home. Now I hate scary movies, loathe haunted houses, and frankly, I get quite nervous whenever a commercial comes on during the month of October. But there is one thing I love about Halloween – dressing up.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an actress so I was always dressing in costume, trying new makeup and pretending to be someone I’m not. I was able to carry that into my high school and college years through plays and Young Life skits, but those days are gone. Now there’s only one day a year I get to play dress up.

Since I love dressing up so much you’d think I’d spend all year preparing, but the truth is I usually wait to the last minute. I’m always digging through the house and running to Goodwill to try and piece something together.

Couples S'mores Halloween Costume DIY

Last year we were s’mores which was awesome because I got to use spray paint and we had to hug to be complete. This year we were rednecks. It all started from a mullet wig I bought and Kroger and the rest was pieced together from Goodwill and things around the house.

couple's redneck costume for halloweenman redneck costume for halloweenwoman redneck costume for halloweenredneck dog halloween costume

Casey and I just had a blast with it. Christmas lights on porch furniture, candy out of a trash can, slingshotin’ candy to kids, and of course, the accents. I think Casey’s accent was even better than mine! Check it out in the video below.

It’s too much fun to only get to do it once per year. I mean, how often do you get to be in costume and acting goofy with your spouse? It really brings you back to childlike laughter and joy. Once per year just isn’t enough. Any ideas for other excuses to dress up with your spouse? What were you and your spouse for Halloween?

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Meet the Wife

Hi! I'm a semi-newlywed living in a small town outside of Nashville with my husband, Casey, our baby boy, teen niece, and hyperactive dog, Minny. I'm a new mom and marketing consultant at BeEngaging.com that loves Jesus and won't eat anything with 4 legs. I talk about marriage, pregnancy, parenting and everything in between. I believe real growth only happens through transparency. Join me on the journey. Read More…

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