New York Minute

The girls trip to New York was like a dream...did it really happen? For my moms 60th birthday we celebrated Miller style....a weekend in the Big Apple! It felt wrong but it was so right! We jet set across the country to spend time shopping, eating, watching the Rockettes and the Nutcracker. We even ice skated in Central Park (for free!) and saw the Statue of Liberty. We stayed in a nice house one block from Central Park, close to Starbucks and the metro. We saw the beautiful Christmas lights and embraced the cold weather. I can't wait for the next adventure!

Christmas in Redlands

The tree is decorated. The Christmas lights are up. We are ready! (almost)

I have two weeks of teaching left till break, with a trip to New York City in the middle!

Mikey is starting on inpatient peds at the hospital.

A Day In the Life.....

Mrs. Brown's Day

Here is my fabulous desk sign. Originally I saw it on Etsy and said, "I can make that!" So I did.

Mr. Brown's Day

Here is a picture of Mikey walking in the door after a long day of work. He had just finished doing well baby and children check ups.

Santa Barbara Love

Mikey and I were able to go to Santa Barbara for the weekend....it is so close but worlds away from where we live. We hadn't been back in a year and half, so it was time! We enjoyed our favorite eating spots and of course visiting Westmont. Mikey is hoping to be the campus doctor someday.....fine with me!

October

It's finally Friday night and I have been sitting in the dark living room now for about 2 hours. I am so happy that it is Friday, the end of October. I knew this would be a long month, for both Mikey and I. Mikey has just finished his surgery rotation and will have a week of tests. He will then start a new rotation on Pediatrics. I have finished the first trimester of school and will do report cards tomorrow and then head into a week of conferences and intersession. I am so happy to almost be in the month of November. My heart is heavy though, for my brother Jonathan. His wife Lesley wrote a beautiful blog post about what we are going through now.

“For the LORD is good;his steadfast love endures forever,and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5

Come to me....

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

This weekend I was able to get away and go camping with other women from my church. We talked about the verse above and spent time in fellowship.

It is quite simple. Come to Jesus. Lay down your burdens. Find rest for your soul.

An Apple For the Teacher

On Friday I received my first apple of the school year. I also received a free Starbucks from another teacher and so I thought, this is going to be a good day.....

That original thought of a "good day" quickly faded as I started to greet my students. Tears and obvious bad attitudes entered through my door. Quickly I had to assess the situations and get the whole class on track. One student was crying because their sibling got injured that morning, another one was in a terrible mood because they didn't get breakfast, one girl with a special circumstance was accidently pushed by another student, and so on....

Everyday that I come to school I have to prepare myself for a potential war zone. Yes, my students know the routines and expected behaviors but it is a different world where I am. I did not ask to be their mom, dad, counselor, nutritionist, guard, but this is what the Lord has given me. There is no doubt that the Lord specifically put me in this school but sometimes, like on Friday, I know that there is no way that I can do this job without the Lord.

Slowly my skin is starting to thicken. I am now used to being yelled at by parents and how to quickly resolve misunderstandings. I am still learning how to deal with absolutely horrible behavior, outright disrespect from students, while hiding behind a smile. There is no sending a student to the principal, sending them to the office, or switching classes. They are in my class and I have to find a way to get them to conform to the class. Teaching is the easy part. It is everything else that enters my door at 7:30 am.

I did get an apple on Friday.....

My Other Home

This is where I have been lately....

I spend close to 10 hours a day in this room....

When the movers were placing the furniture in my room...they carefully measured the desks, putting equal spacing between each row. I thought to myself...they must not know kids. The first day of school those perfectly lined rows became quickly uneven. Kids learning this way..inching their way forward and to the middle. Stay put! Fix your desks! They must be touching! Is what I say. Oh well...who needs perfect rows?

I am slowly perfecting each part of my room...it is a work in progress and I care almost too much about how it looks. But I do know that an organized classroom is a productive classroom.

Stay tuned for more stories.... did I mention the break dancing videos for P.E.?

I may be learning a thing or two.

Anna's Birth Story (From the Aunt's Perspective)

I know that someday, little Anna Leigh is going to ask me, "Aunt Katie, do you remember the day I was born?...."

I will respond with this, "Yes, I do Anna, come sit with me and I will tell all about it....." (haha)

It was a Sunday morning and I was driving to church, my phone started to ring. I looked at the phone and saw that it was Jonathan calling. I knew there was only one reason that my brother would call on a Sunday morning....it was go time!

I sat through church and talked with friends that morning ...realizing that there was no way that I could go up to Sacramento....too many responsibilities at the present moment. All Sunday I couldn't stop thinking about Jonathan and Lesley at the hospital. Sunday night came and the baby hadn't come yet, so I told Jonathan to text me no matter what time if the baby came. I went to bed that night but didn't sleep. I kept looking at my phone and nothing!

My alarm went off at 4:30 (had to get up for vbs) and I texted Jonathan...any news? No response...

I got in my car at 5:00 and started driving on the 91 freeway. The phone rang and it was Lesley...Anna Leigh was here! She was born at 4:00 am... I just couldn't believe they had their baby in their arms! After we finished talking Lesley texted me a picture....it was Jonathan holding Anna Leigh...that is when I just started crying...crying and trying to drive.... I was thinking in my head, these are the moments we live for...seeing my older brother holding his daughter!

I know I was not there and still have not had the privilege of meeting Anna, but my love for her is overflowing. I am just the Aunt from Southern California but she has come into the most loving family and extended family. Lesley is a wonderful mother and Jonathan is a strong father!

See you three soon!

Day, Brown, Jennings

On July 6, 2007 Katelyn Johnson married Kerry Day

On June 27, 2009 I married Mikey Brown

On June 24, 2011 Lisa Ransom married Jerad Jennings

It is amazing that all three of the Charlie's Angels are married!! All three weddings were special and represented the bride perfectly. I was honored to be a part of Katelyn and Lisa's wedding and for them to be in mine. The best of friends and I miss them already! Come visit, please!

Splendor

Mikey and I had such a great time on our cruise! We had a couple days at sea, where we just laid out by the pool and read. The other days we got off the ship and went on some adventures. We loved Cabo and Puerta Vallerta. Hopefully sometime we will be able to go back to those places. Some of the books we read were: Mountains Beyond Mountains, Crazy Love, and Heaven is for Real, A Different Side of Me. I would recommend to anyone that if you haven't read Heaven is for Real, go and get it now! It is an amazing story of a four year old boy.

Motivation

I am just about to finish my school year. I now have my CLEAR California Credential. No more BTSA! Mikey is just about to finish his school year ! (2 days) I created a collage for him to look at while he studies.....but he seems to study best outside the house. June is going to be WONDERFUL!!!!!

Medical School Update

Well Mikey is just about finished with his second year of medical school. He has been studying like crazy for all his finals. In a little under a month he will take Step 1 of the medical boards. During his break from school (1 week) we will be taking a small cruise to Mexico! (the same ship that caught on fire last year.....we got a good deal :) ) He starts his third year on June 13th with a six week rotation in Psychiatrics. The Lord has certainly been blessing Mikey in his studies and giving him the strength to finish the year well.

Keep your head in the game!!!

Why Do You Look For The Living Among The Dead? He is not here....

HE HAS RISEN!!

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. My dad preached a great sermon and we had a beautiful worship service. After church we went home to an amazing Easter meal, cooked by my mom, of course!

God knew what he was doing.....

NIV Version

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

The Message Version

^26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

^29-30God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.

Summer Time and the Living is Easy

Well that is not really the case here.....but Mikey did start the BBQ last weekend....and it reached 95 degrees INSIDE our apartment!! I love hot weather!!!!

Balloons and Streamers

I look really excited here...Mikey decorated our house!!

More excitement! An explosive ice cream pie!!!

Great Family Birthday dinner!!

(missing...Jonathan, Lesley, Baby Girl, Matthew)

Another year gone by....

Highlights of my 25th year....

Living on Taylor street with great neighbors (hi Katie!)

Boarding a plane to Africa on our one year wedding anniversary!!

Running around Paris with Mikey

Mexico trip with the family

Girls Bible Study

Leading Jr. with Mikey

Living close to my Parents

Christmas in Colorado

Tennessee St. Apartment (love it!)

Driving to Arizona with Suite C

Seeing Katelyn and Lisa

Spending time with Sister Sarah

Being married to Mikey

Tennessee Time

Tennessee Lake (forget what it's called)

The Falls

The city of Chattanooga

Cousins: Zack, me, Mikey, Beth

Mikey's Dad and Us on some Civil War canon

Sunset Rock

Chattanooga Choo Choo With Grandma Brown

Mikey's Dad, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Joy, Beth, Brad (Beth's Fiancée), Zack, Grandma Brown

Mikey and I just got back from a trip to Tennessee to visit the Brown side of the family. We flew into Atlanta, Georgia then drove two hours North to Collegedale, Tennessee. We got to seem some beautiful scenery and the city of Chattanooga.

What's your Perspective?

I am so excited for this fall because I get to help coordinate Perspectives on the World Christian Movement in my town of Redlands. If you are reading this and live close, please check it out! We are hoping that many different churches and people from the community join us in taking the class. Here is a brief description:

Perspectives is a unique course that covers how each of us can be obedient to God's calling whether in our home town or at the ends of the earth. Each of the 15 lessons is taught by an expert specific to that topic, which creates an environment that is truly unlike any other class. Be forewarned: God will change you over the course of this class - the way you see and think about your life, your walk, and this planet will never be the same.

Perspectives is offered all over the country and world. I recommend that everyone take it at some point in your life.

More to come :)

Elevate

This weekend was great but miserable at the same time. Actually it was mostly great just miserable Friday night between the hours of midnight and 6:30 am. We had "night in a box" with the middle school group from church. The kids brought their own boxes to use as shelters to sleep in for the night. The purpose was to experience just a little bit of what it is like to be homeless. They got to see different parts of the world and see how homeless children survive in those areas. It was a sobering night for some. We also got to hear about what is going on in Redlands and how we can help those that don't have a place to call home. After sleeping on a bench/ sidewalk, we helped build loft houses in the morning to take down to Mexico. There is a reason why I am not a contractor :) ( we nailed one of the houses wrong the first time and had to re- do it, ha!)

Purple and Green

Katelyn and I hosted a shower for Lisa this past weekend. She is getting married in June. Her colors are purple (eggplant and green). We had so much fun putting it together!

Lisa is getting married to Jerad (notice the J)

A party wouldn't be complete without plenty of sweets!

We hung pictures of Jerad and Lisa on the wall and made fun pom poms.

A candy bar with her colors.

I can't wait for your wedding in June! Miss you already.

Love, Katie

Happy Valentine's Day

Michael William Joseph Brown + Katherine Ann Brown

Met each other: August 2005

First date: February 2006

Proposal: December 29, 2008

Wedding Date: June 27, 2009

Valentine's Tea Party

Nothing that I love better then planning a wonderful, girly, tea party!

Menu:

Citrus spring salad

Heart shaped cucumber sandwiches

Heart shaped grilled cheese

Cupcakes

Shortbread cookies

Strawberries and grapes

And Tea!

The girls from my Bible study (all married to husbands who are in medical school) came over for afternoon tea. I loved setting the table and preparing the food. Now I have the daunting task of cleaning everything up :( All in a days work!

I hope you had a blessed Sunday celebrating our Risen Lord.

Love, Katie