"Hey guys, why is the trampoline wet?"

Hey ya'll!
So, its been a busy week so far. The band has been hard at work layin' down some new demos, which are awesome. I cannot share any of the details with you, for I have been  sworn to secrecy by Doggie, but take my word for it. They are gonna be wicked awesome! So, get ready for some new Skillet tunage comin' at ya in the near future . . . :-)


Overhearing new music and being able to put my two cents in (well, when they ask me, which sometimes they do!) has been the agenda this week. So, I've been watching the munchkins, running errands, and trying to help hold down the fort here in Wisconsin. The Coops leave again to do a couple shows tomorrow, and for once I'm glad the kids and I don't have to go because bus call is at 4:30am. I'm sorry, but that's just ungodly, lol. I mean, the Mini-Coops and I have swaggered out at 5:30am before, but 4:30 just makes me sad to think about! Ah, jk.


Hmmm, let's see if I have a funny story you ya'll today. Oh wait, I do! John told the kids that he would bounce with them on the trampoline, and they love it when he does that cuz he can bounce them waaaay higher that I can. Anyways, they were bouncing and playing this game that they made up called "Skillet Seat Drop." Which is basically jumping as high as you can into the air, and then dropping down as hard as you can to see how far you can bounce back up on your seat (sometimes they sing Skillet songs at the same time, hence the name of the game). Well, they were out there for a while so Seth, Korey, and I went out to watch. All of a sudden John is overcome with laughter and Xav and Viv are scrambling off the trampoline. Why you may ask? Becasue Alex bounced so high and was laughing so hard that she peed on the trampoline! HAHAHAHA! Doggie then says "Well, I guess that game's over." Understatement OF THE YEAR JOHN!!!!


Oh, I almost forgot about another funny thing that happened right after dinner. Xav has had a loose tooth for a while now, and he was sitting on the couch with Seth wiggling his tooth, but not really noticing what he was doing. All of a sudden he goes "Seph, (he can't always say his "th" sound) does it look like my loose tooth is weird?" Seth  goes "Well, did you just loose it buddy?" Xav: "Hmm, I don't know?" Seth: "Oh, here it is! Its on the couch!" Ohmyword!!! These children, I tell ya . . .  :-) Never a dull moment at the Skillet house, no sir.


That's all for now, sorry its kinda a short update. I'm sure I'll have better musing soon :)


Love and miss you all!


Love,
~Britt

"What's even up with that? And you can tell em I said that!"

What's up rockers?!?!?
Brittany here, and I have some exciting things to share with ya'll this week.  First of all, I have some exciting travel news! I am making a trip (finally) to Pittsburg, KS to see all of my lovely friends there. This trip is a long time coming, and I am so very pumped to spend some time with all you guys there later this month. Secondly, I will be able to come back to TX for a visit sooner that I thought as well! Instead of waiting until Dec, I get to come back for a visit Sept 26-Oct 4th! Where are all my TX peeps at? Tell me this doesn't have ya'll sooo jazzed!!! lol. Since I'm coming twice in Dec as well, ya'll are gonna be so sick of me anyways, haha.

In other news, I picked up John and Korey from the Milwaukee airport this morning. They just flew in from Atlanta, and boy were their arms tired! Ba-dump-ching! When I met them outside baggage claim, the first thing out of Kor's mouth was "hey, what a cool outfit dude!" Why, thank you Korey (as I was looking so NOT cool in jeans, a gray sweat shirt, and pink Converse) :-). The first thing out of John's mouth? "Thanks for picking us up Red!" Cool points for Doggie and HardKor: check, times infinity! They are some of the nicest people in the whole world, and the best bosses I have EVER HAD!

Xav and Alex are doing extremely great, and they are gearing up for the new school year to start. I'm excited too, and I think its going to be good to have them both doing the K-12 program while we are on tour. But, I'm still nervous about Xav's attention span, since we are moving him on to K/1st grade work this year . . . Please pray for me and Korey to have patience with the little man! :-)
Alex is moving up to 4th grade, but I'm not worried a bit about her. She is dedicated and smart as a whip, and I know she can rock it out of the park every time. The only thing I don't like about Alex this Summer? Her recorder lessons/practice! OMG, I wanna hide that thing or dump is somewhere! Jk . . . but seriously, as I type this its giving me a headache.

I'm so excited about my upcoming travels that I can't contain myself!!! As soon as I get back from Pitt, I hit the road with the band again, bound for the last of the Summer festivals and then Disney! Ahhh! The band is gonna play a show on Cinderalla's castle, and they are headlining. Pyro and fire +Skillet music + Cindy's House+Disney world?!?!?!?! Um, yes please! (Shout out to Ciera and Aly who are gonna join me on this awesome adventure).
I can't wait to catch up with my good friends (both from TX and KS), but I'm also grateful for the new friendships that God has blessed me with here in WI. He really has shown me how His hand was, is, and will always be on my life.

Living with the Coops and traveling with the band really makes me wish I was more musical:( I so want to particiapte in the School of Worship, and I wish that I could sing. But, God has blessed me with other talents, and I have to remember to be thankful for them. I'll just appreciate the musical gifts that He has blessed others with, especially those associated with Skillet ;)

Well, that's all for now. I hope ya'll enjoy this post, and always remember: "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."-I Thessalonians 5:18

Love,
~Britt

Puff Paint: The Nanny's Secret Weapon!

Howdy ya'll!
I hope everyone's Sunday is going well so far :) It has been a great day in Kenosha to worship the Lord, despite the fact that it has been raining on and off all day. The Doggie and HardKor got home this afternoon, and they are tiiiiiiired, lol. Its ok though, because that just means that they have been rockin' some very serious face lately.

The kids and I have had a great couple days at home. I really like to do arts and crafts with the kids when the Coops are out because there are always fun projects to do. And those of you who know me well, know that this can truly only mean one thing: frequent trips to Hobby Lobby! Yesssssss. Now, you may be asking yourself, "what is the most important lesson that she has learned from all this?" Well, I'll tell you: Puff Paint is the nanny's secret weapon! Don't get me wrong, Duct Tape is still high on my list (Alex and I have made some pretty legit art works with Hello Kitty Duct Tape), but paint of the sparkly, puffy variety goes a long way. With a little investment up front, numerous cafts can be planned. So far, we have painted t-shirts and aprons. The most popular designs? Star Wars! Ohhhhh Yeahhhhhh. Just yesterday, Alex painted a shirt with her original super hero design "Rainbow Girl" who just happens to come with her own planet. Xav chose a Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi theme for the back, with C3PO and R2D2 on the front. You just gotta love a kid who has good taste in droids :-)

And, speaking of Xav, we had an interesting car ride to church this morning. Ok, so we were driving along and both the kinds started accusing each other of cuttin' the cheese. I told them to calm down, and that obviously one pf them was fibbing, but it was ok because I didn't really care who did it, lol. I just wanted them to stop fighting while I was trying to drive, lol. But, in case you are wondering, it smelled FOUL in the car, but I couldn't roll down the windows because it was raining, haha. Anyways, long story short. I get to church and the Coop's Aunt Kim said that there are actually cabbage patches along that road that stink when it rains! The kids at the same time were like "ohhhh! that must have been that SMELL!" Oh My Word, FUNNY!!!  

On a more serious note, church was amazing this morning and I loved the message. It was from Colossians 3:15-25, and it really made me stop and think about what that passage means for the family leading the Christian life, what it means for me as a single young lady, and how I need to understand these verses if I ever get married. The only "sure thing"  that we have in this life on this side of heaven is to obey and trust God in our lives. In that, can we then have an abundant life.

So, I will leave you with something that I personally know for sure, without a single doubt in my mind:
God is good ALL the time to us. He loves us, and just like a parent He leads directs, and admonishes us. He does all of these things because He loves us. He knows what it best for us, and sometimes when He answers our prayers, He answers "no." So remember, just because you didn't hear a "yes" does not mean that he didn't answer you.

Love,
~Britt

"When you're done with the Dramamine, could you please pass it over here?"

Howdy guys!
Well, I promised last time that I would blog about my adventures more, and that's what I'm going to try to do :) The kids and I just got back to into Kenosha last night. A big shout out to Cara Lehr for picking us up from the airport in Milwaukee! We had been out with band since Monday, and we had a very, er, interesting time . . . On Tuesday, the bus arrived in NY at Kingdom Bound Adventure Park, where Skillet had a concert. The kids and I spent all day in the park, standing in line for some very exciting rides. Oh, fyi: if you are standing in line for a ride called "The Grizzly Run," be sure your phone is not in your pocket. But, if it is, pray that Jesus will protect it like he did mine! We got totally soaked, but somehow my phone survived the experience! LOL. I'm dumb not to notice when something is a water ride, but in my defense, it was the end of the day and I was MEGA tired and kinda spacing out a bit, haha. In the end, we all had a great day though, and I got to see Rebecca St. James up close and personal, which was amazing. She is all kinds of pretty and so super nice!

Wednesday was a bit of a different story . . . Late Tuesday night, as the bus was driving us to New Hampshire, it had a blow out and also lost a hubcap. Well, through a series of unfortunate events that even Lemony Snicket would have been proud of, we finally made it to our destination. And we were only, wait for it, 9 hours late! Ahhh! We arrived at SoulFest in NH around 4pm. We were supposed to be there between 7-8am! John and Jen had interviews that had to be rescheduled, and it was a bit stressful on the bus that day. I mean, since we had already be driving all night, the driving all day thing had us all a bit on edge. We all had times of feeling slightly sick, and all the girls on board had headaches almost all day. Alex and I even said "yes" to drugs. Don't worry, it was only Dramamine :-) Anyways, Skillet finally made it to SoulFest, rocked face a usual, and then we all went to sleep.

Yesterday was my first time to fly home alone with the kids, and let me tell you, they were way less nervous about the whole situation than I was. I don't mind flying, and if I miss a flight or can't check my bag or anything like that I only have to worry about myself. Yesterday, however, I was stressing out for three people instead of just one! Now, don't look at me like that, somebody had to do it! All the kids were doing was "I can't wait for the plane!" "Can we have soda on the plane?" "What kind of snacks are they gonna have on the plane?" Ahhh! Needless to say, we had quite the time in the airport :) We were able to hang out with the Coops, the band, and most of the crew until around 2pm, then we all split off to get on our separate flights. Us back to Kenosha and the band a crew on a couple different flights to California for a show that's tonight actually. All in all, it was an adventurous day.

Hmmm, what else. Oh, I know! How about a funny Doggie story? Ok, here goes: my sister Ciera (love you sis!) is a HUGE Skillet fan. So, I had John and Korey sign her bday card this year and, of course, Doggie had to make it into something funny. He wrote something to the affect of "Listen to Skillet as a present to yourself--The Doggie." Ohmyword! But, he did sign it "John Cooper" in the end so she was still happy. Oh John L Cooper, sometimes your humor is WEIRD : p And he has started calling me "Super Nanny" now as well. Way to put some job pressure on me Doggie!

Korey is so awesome. I wish I was as strong of a person as she is. I literally cry if I spill milk, but she is just not that way :) She saves her emotions for rocking, which is something that I have just begun to figure out. It was easy for me to befriend John because he is more openly emotional, but I knew that Korey would have to grow to love and trust me first, then we just might be friends later. And now that she finally is my friend, I'm so beyond stoked! Most people are lucky is they get a hug or a handshake (heck even a fist bump, lol) from the HardKor right away (or ever) but, when I gave her her birthday gift a couple weeks ago, she liked it so much that she finally hugged me and she told me that the card made her cry. I was so happy that I CRIED TOO. But, you know when the first time was that I actually felt like were truly becoming amigos? This week on the bus we were both trying to find something in the hallway between the bunks, and as she passed me she gave me a friendly punch in the arm and said, "Hey, sup dude?" with a huge smile. That, my friends, is when it really hit me: "Korey Cooper is my friend now! This is AWESOME!" In the last few years, God has put me in the path of some truly amazing women, and I know it is because I have a lot I can learn from them. He has done this for me, I believe, so that I can feel like I finally have a "big sister" in the Lord that I can lean on and learn from. This all started with Mrs. Lezlie Lindsey, continued with Mrs. Heather Broeder, and presently resides with Mrs. Korey Cooper. I have learned (and am still learning) so much from these great women of faith. I love these women very much, and I hope that  I grow up to be even half the wives and mothers that they are.

Well everyone, that about does it for me this week. I can't think of anything else exciting, funny, or important that happened to us, so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead :)

Please remember to keep praying for me and the band, as this is a very busy time for us all. Even if it may seem odd, our jobs are a part of the ministry and they are equally difficult at times. Prayers are always appreciated! :-)

I will leave you with a Poem of King Davids "I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me at night. I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety." (Psalm 16:7-9).

Love,
~Britt

There are a lot of Italians in Kenosha . . . :)

Howdy My friends! I'm so very sorry that it has been so long since we have talked :( So many things have happened! Let me see, um, well I finished traveling on my first rock tour in June, and have been getting to know Wisconsin fairly well. There are a lot of Italians here, which makes for a TON of good places to get fresh pasta, baked goods, and coffee! All things that I REALLY love, but should eat a lot less of, lol. I have become very close with the Coopers as well as their extended family. There are 12 cousins all together here in Kenosha, so very rarely are there only two kids playing at the Skillet house. I really enjoy getting to know Korey's sisters here in Kenosha. They are awesome women of faith, and I am learning a lot about myself and how to be a better caregiver through them :) Not surprisingly, all them are quite musical. The talent gene runs deep in this side of the family.


Doggie (John) is great as well. He is always good for a laugh, and usually tries pretty hard to get everyone to laugh. Everything he says (or what anyone else says, for that matter) usually turns into a song! For example, If I said "Are we still going to watch some LOST?" he would say "No. We are going to watch Loooost in Loooveee!" in his amazing, sing-song-ish, pop-star voice. Oh Doggie . . .


Everyone is really friendly here. I love the church that I'm involved in (Living Light Christian Church), and I've gotten to know several families well already. Almost from the minute I stepped off the plane back in March, everyone in the family, band, and crew has called me Britt. Well, except for Doggie and ScottyRock (The band's production manager). Doggie calls me Britt sometimes, but most of the times I'm "little girl," or just "girl." Scotty calls me "Nanny" LOL. Just yesterday Scotty goes "why don't you try to stay outta trouble, Nanny." But, he only teases people that he really likes, so I'm ok with it. Plus, rock shows can sometimes be scary place at night (well, the non-Christian ones can anyways), so I'm always glad to have big, bad, ScottyRock on my side! Just last month he had to escort me backstage to I could watch Three Days Grace play. I'm glad he was there too, because it was no place for me to be hanging out by myself! Yikes!
Korey, Jen, and I call each other "dude" once is a while as well. We find that it keeps us all young, and makes us feel more "rock n roll." :-)


To be quite honest, it was not easy making the transition from being on the bus all the time, surrounded by people, to being in Kenosha and not knowing anyone at first. The first couple of weeks that I was here while the band was touring without us was lonely. But, thank the Lord he sent my Korey's sisters and a wonderful new friend named Cara. She's awesome, and we have coffee dates at least once a week now!


God has really been doing a lot in my life through this move and my time with the Coopers. John and Korey are great mentors, and I am really starting to love them whole heartedly. I am growing deeper in my faith, discovering who I am as a single woman working for the Lord, and rediscovering what my ministry is all about. I thank God everyday that I He gave me this once in a lifetime chance. I never, not in a million years, thought I would have a job like this. I feel very blessed :-)


Well, know that I have tried to catch ya'll up on the last 4 months or so in one blog post, I think I'll finish this one while I'm still ahead, lol. I promise I'll try to be much more consistant as time goes on.


I'll leave you with one more thought for the day. This is one that I actually learned to live out while being around "worldy rockers" for two months :-) "Put on, therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humilty, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against each other Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13)


Until we meet again,
~Britt

"I'm a Rock Star! Well, by proxy."

Hey friends!
I'm sorry that its been a while since I posted anything, but I not only have I been busy, but the ENTIRE tour bus has been sick on and off with colds and sinus infections since last Saturday. We are all finally starting to feel better today. YAY! :-)
The shows have still been going well, and the band has been rockin in out for Jesus, colds or no colds. I'm quickly becoming used to "the road," and getting school done on the road is actually not as difficult as I thought it would be. Alex and Xav are very good listeners and learn well. They have teachable minds and spirits as well, which makes the treacher's job less worrisome from the start.
I'm also finding that it has been easy for me to become a part of the Skillet, er, well really the Cooper clan :-)
John and Korey are amazing people, and the more that I get to know them, the more that their love for Jesus shines through everything that they do. John was saying last night that the entire "Skillet" project has been about letting the Lord use them to wins souls for Christ that would never hear the good news otherwise. I have seen the proof that this is exactly what the Coopers are meant to do. The reaction of non-Christians to their music is absolutely phenomenal! God is using Skillet's music in great and mighty ways, and the fact that  I get to see it and be a part of it, even in a small way, is a HUGE blessing to me. Its because of this, that Jonathan Salas has told me that I get to be a "rock star by proxy."
Tomorrow is a day off for everyone, and we are going to get to explore and hang out around Memphis some. Everyone is excited for that, most of all the kiddos! I'm not gonna lie, it makes me happy too! LOL.
Skillet is the only Christian band on the Avalanche tour, so its really exciting to get to talk to the other band memebers and crew who enjoy John and Korey's music. Last night as I was walking around backstage, I overheard some of the guys from Theory of a Deadman and StoneSour talking about Skillet's set list, and how they were so shocked that music with good messages and no course words rocked as hard as it does. Well, welcome to the truly awesome world of Christian rock music ya'll! But seriously, I hope that John and Korey have more chances to talk to those guys so that they could witness even more.
Please continue to pray that doors like these continue to open up for the band. The work that they are doing may not seem like it is all that important, but it truly is, and I have great faith in it and I greatly respect it. Everyone should have the chance to hear the truth about Jesus, even crazy rock bands and their fans. Maybe they seem to "dirty," or "hardcore," but it comes down to this "how much do you [as a Christian] have to hate another person to not tell them how to be saved from hell if you truly know in your heart that they are not going to heaven?" The bottom line of all this is that people in America deserve to hear about Jesus just as much as those in Haiti, Japan, or Africa. The Cooper's primary ministry is in the US and I'm down with that. Its like Korey was saying, that we are called to "sing until the whole world hears, but we all have to start somewhere."

Until the whole hears Lord we are calling out!

~Britt

"First Show a Success!"

Hey Everyone!
The first stop of the tour was a major success!!! We are all mega happy and ready to see what the Lord has in store for tomorrow :-)

I'm super tired, but I hope to get used to the fast pace of things soon. I'll write more tomorrow, but for now I'd just like to take the time to say "Good Night Milwaukee!" LOL!

Love you guys!

Love, Peace, Rock N Roll,

~Britt

P.S. The very best part of my day, besides the face-melting show, was that John Cooper told me that he thought my old school pink Converse All-Stars were "wicked." The End :-)