well, it's so hard to believe that it's almost been a year since i last blogged. a lot has happened in the past year!
a year in review {a semi-brief version}:
work: work is different for both me and the hubs! i started a new job back in august at a church here in the area as the director of preschool ministry. it's a great church and we love it. it is very different from the other churches where i have served but that is one of the major things i like about this new ministry endeavor. don't get me wrong...i have LOVED my experiences working for mega churches but i am enjoying seeing how church is done in a different setting.
health: if you've known me for any amount of time, you know that i have struggled with my weight almost my entire life. i decided back in january 2013 to investigate the possibility of weight loss surgery. hubs attended a seminar with me {i was more open to the idea of surgery than he was but he agreed to attend the seminar} and after the seminar we both felt that weight loss surgery was the best option for me. i've not been super public about my decision to have weight loss surgery for several reasons 1) it's a personal decision and i don't have to share everything with the world {but now i am sharing it with all 4 of you that will see this...all of whom probably already knew ;-) } 2) it's not just a personal decision but it was MY decision {along with hubs, of course}! when people hear about someone having weight loss surgery they have a tendency to share any and all horror stories they have heard about weight loss surgery, share about their grandma's sister's friend's brother who had the surgery and gained all of their weight back, or they judge and assume that weight loss surgery means taking the "easy way out." {as an aside, i can absolutely assure you that it is NOT the easy way out...6 months of preparation, the actual surgery process, and the discipline to follow the rules and guidelines after surgery is NOT easy!} basically, i believe that weight loss surgery is one tool out of many that will help me and equip me to lose weight. if i choose to ignore the number of calories i consume in a day {and also choose processed food over a healthy, balanced diet} and don't make exercise and physical activity a priority then i will gain my weight back. like i said, weight loss surgery is a tool...it's not the magic pill that requires no other work or discipline!
wow. that was a long introduction :-). so, i had my surgery in august 2013 and have lost 137 pounds since my highest pre-surgery weight. i still have weight that i want to lose but sometimes i just have to stop and think about the fact that i have lost 137 pounds. it seems crazy and unreal to me. i often let myself get bogged down by the weight i still want to lose and i don't let myself take in the amount of weight i have lost. i can say that i enjoy life a lot more now and exercising is actually...fun...can you believe i feel that way?! i can't but i'm so happy that i do!
hubs: i mentioned earlier that work is also different for hubs, too. he is now doing contract work for a company that is literally 5 minutes from our doorstep. he loves it and i do, too. he is so much happier and way less stressed! the last 3 months in his previous job were SO stressful and frustrating. the Lord provided in a way that we did not expect but we are so thankful. i don't know why it surprises me when i realize the Lord knows what's best but sometimes it still does. He used a difficult situation to bring about a better situation for hubs. praise the Lord!
my recent job change did not just mean that i am serving at a different church but that hubs would have to change churches, too. he had been a member at our last church since he was 15 yrs old and when we left he was serving as a deacon and married adult sunday school teacher. no one likes change and this was a big change! hubs was convinced, though, that the Lord was moving us to this new church and that the Lord would give him new ministry opportunities. he was right! we had only been at our new church for 4 months and hubs was asked to start a new young marrieds sunday school class. we love our class and love the opportunities we have to minister to young married couples. {he has also become the resident go-to expert on apologetics and is even teaching an adult Bible study the week we have VBS focused solely on apologetics...right up his alley!}
paisley: {i couldn't do an update on the alleys and NOT include the furry alley that lives in our house!} she is doing so well...she is as cute and spunky as ever. i'm also fairly certain that she appreciates my more active lifestyle because she gets to go on a lot more walks now than ever before!
well there you go. that's a brief snapshot of the last year. there are obviously lots of details that i didn't include but i covered the high points! i really enjoy blogging so hopefully my next post will happen sooner than a year from now!
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Thursday, July 11, 2013
summatime, summatime, sum sum summatime...
summertime in north carolina...the heat, the humidity, the storms {or should that say...the sun, vacations, the fun :-/ hint: read that with a touch of sarcasm} summer isn't one of my favorite seasons {maybe i liked it a little more while i was in school and benefitted from summer break but even then it wasn't in my top 2}. i have a long history of not wanting to be hot, not wanting to sweat, and really not liking sand so when those factors are in play, summertime = :-/.
don't get me wrong, there are great moments that occur in the summertime. vbs, family vacations, july 4 {love fireworks!}, more family time, and it does seem that there is a slower, more relaxed pace of life. {unless you work in children's ministry!}
so i'm not a total hater or summertime grouch, but give me a crisp fall day or a slightly warm springtime afternoon or even some snowfall {more likely sleet in nc ;-) } on a winter evening and a fire in the fireplace with some {sugar-free} hot cocoa and i'm a happy girl.
i will say this, though...i have a new dislike of something that occurs in the summertime. the infamous summertime cold. ugh. i haven't had one of these in years...years...until now. i believe that a cold is worse in the summertime. it just is.
i've spent the last several days looking at this:
wishing and hoping that these items would help me banish these awful summertime cold germs. at this point? i'm sad to report that the summertime cold germs are still fighting pretty hard to stand their ground and they might be winning. i'm still hopeful, though, as i take my sudafed, tylenol, & slather on the vicks.
while i sit here sniffling, sneezing, and smelling like vicks vapo rub, i'm longing for fall to come and come quickly.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
well hello there!
i think about blogging and my blog a lot but those posts never leave my head and make it on the "pages" of my blog. i often wondered if blogging was just a phase or fad i went through {you know because a while back everybody and their brother had a blog} and maybe that's why i started blogging but lately i miss it. so, here i am...back to blogging!
it's been over a year since i blogged {16 months, to be exact} so i almost feel like i should just start over! hi, i'm amy and i'm married to joel. we've been married for 4 1/2 years and have one fur baby, paisley. we're both working really hard to get healthier and want to have children someday soon {sooner rather than later, that's for sure}! we've just been plugging through life...being involved and serving in our church {where i'm working in the children's ministry and hubs is a deacon and teaching Sunday school}, spending time with family and friends...nothing too exciting!
we just returned from 6 days in the Bahamas and it was wonderful. i love that when you're on a cruise ship you really HAVE to unplug from the craziness of life these days...no phones, voicemail, text messages, email, social media, etc. it was really the best and something that stuck out to me? i didn't miss it. obviously, i like being able to connect with friends and family in all of those ways but sometimes it's nice to turn off the "noise" and just be. spending time in the Word with the Lord, praying, reading, and just relaxing without the usual distraction and pull of every day life was something i desperately needed! this view didn't hurt things, either:
it's been over a year since i blogged {16 months, to be exact} so i almost feel like i should just start over! hi, i'm amy and i'm married to joel. we've been married for 4 1/2 years and have one fur baby, paisley. we're both working really hard to get healthier and want to have children someday soon {sooner rather than later, that's for sure}! we've just been plugging through life...being involved and serving in our church {where i'm working in the children's ministry and hubs is a deacon and teaching Sunday school}, spending time with family and friends...nothing too exciting!
we just returned from 6 days in the Bahamas and it was wonderful. i love that when you're on a cruise ship you really HAVE to unplug from the craziness of life these days...no phones, voicemail, text messages, email, social media, etc. it was really the best and something that stuck out to me? i didn't miss it. obviously, i like being able to connect with friends and family in all of those ways but sometimes it's nice to turn off the "noise" and just be. spending time in the Word with the Lord, praying, reading, and just relaxing without the usual distraction and pull of every day life was something i desperately needed! this view didn't hurt things, either:
oh and time spent with this guy?
priceless. i'm so thankful to have this man as my husband and the longer we are together, the more i love him. i think we were both so grateful for lots of time together without the every day distractions of life.
we also had such a great time together as a family...my mom, my sister, brother-in-law, my nephews, my niece, and my brother-in-law's mom.
on our last night we had a really special time of blessing for my nephew, Andrew. as a recent high school grad who is headed to college, all of the adults wrote letters and prayers to Andrew and it was such a sweet time encouraging, affirming, and loving Andrew.
today is hubs' first day back to work and so today is kind of like our first day back to regular life {even though we returned home from florida thursday night}. grocery shopping, cleaning the house, laundry, working, and cooking dinner are all on my to-do list today. bye-bye vacation and hello, real life.
but this...
won't be far from my mind today!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
You are good
confession: i tend to find a certain playlist on my ipod and listen to it over and over and over {something that i've learned drives joel kind of crazy. he would rather have more musical variety}. i've been stuck on a worship playlist i created that includes songs by kari jobe and gateway worship for the past couple weeks {almost a month, maybe??}.
so as i was driving down the interstate last week i was, of course, listening to this specific playlist. i'm sure i'd heard all of the songs at least 14, 765 times at that point but that morning, the Lord used one of the songs to not to just speak to me but to flat out SHOUT out to me. the song, "you are good" by gateway worship started playing and all of a sudden, i had this flashback to the week Daddy was in the hospital.
the weeks {maybe a month or so} leading up to that very long and horrible week in october the Lord had really been dealing with me regarding His goodness but not just about the fact that He is, indeed, good but that no matter the circumstances, He is good and His plans are good. everything in my life kept bringing me back to that one thought, that one phrase, "Lord, you are good." nothing big or spectacular was happening in my life during that time. in fact, life was actually going well...i had finally gotten into the swing of things at work, joel and i were doing really well with weight watchers and working out, and life was just plugging along. for some reason, though, it seemed as though the Lord kept circling back to the same question to me in my quiet times, prayer times, etc. "do you know I am good? do you believe that My plans for you are good?" and i would always respond in the same way, "of course You are good and i believe Your plans are good."
then, october 4, 2011, our phone rang at 7:30 am and that phone call began the longest and worst week of my life. from the point we arrived at the er and found out Daddy was having a heart attack, i began praying almost non-stop. i would find myself praying for healing and for procedures to go smoothly but i would also make it a point to say to the Lord, "i know You are good and Your plans are good. i trust You." sometimes i wonder if it was as much a declaration to the Lord as a reminder to myself about His goodness.
my "flashback" last week was specifically to the night before Daddy's heart surgery. we all {the whole family} were in Daddy's ccu room and stood around his bed and went around the circle praying outloud together. i stood beside his bed and held his hand and prayed for his surgery to go well, etc. and i will never forget that at the end of my prayer, i again, told the Lord that no matter what, we know He is good, His plans for us are good, and we trust Him. little did i know how much that would be tested the next day and in the coming months.
i'm not going to lie or pretend like i've got it all together. i've had moments {moments? let's be honest...more like days, weeks, months} since that day where i have flat out told the Lord that i don't see how this situation could be good at all. or how my mom having to go through surgery for uterine cancer 3 weeks after Daddy died could be good.
i'm so glad that my feelings don't change the truth about the Lord...He is good and His plans are good even though i look back at the last 4 months and see heartache, hurt, loss, devastation. i also see His comfort, grace, mercy, and steadfast love. i've had to learn to redefine my definition of what good really is.
there's not really a great way to tie a pretty bow around this post because let's face it, i'm still in the middle of trying to understand this new definition of goodness. i'm thankful, though, to follow a God who allows me to wrestle and struggle with my questions and deals with me in a gentle and loving way. some days are messier than others but i'm learning.
i do know this...He is good and His plans are for my good even when i don't understand.
so as i was driving down the interstate last week i was, of course, listening to this specific playlist. i'm sure i'd heard all of the songs at least 14, 765 times at that point but that morning, the Lord used one of the songs to not to just speak to me but to flat out SHOUT out to me. the song, "you are good" by gateway worship started playing and all of a sudden, i had this flashback to the week Daddy was in the hospital.
the weeks {maybe a month or so} leading up to that very long and horrible week in october the Lord had really been dealing with me regarding His goodness but not just about the fact that He is, indeed, good but that no matter the circumstances, He is good and His plans are good. everything in my life kept bringing me back to that one thought, that one phrase, "Lord, you are good." nothing big or spectacular was happening in my life during that time. in fact, life was actually going well...i had finally gotten into the swing of things at work, joel and i were doing really well with weight watchers and working out, and life was just plugging along. for some reason, though, it seemed as though the Lord kept circling back to the same question to me in my quiet times, prayer times, etc. "do you know I am good? do you believe that My plans for you are good?" and i would always respond in the same way, "of course You are good and i believe Your plans are good."
then, october 4, 2011, our phone rang at 7:30 am and that phone call began the longest and worst week of my life. from the point we arrived at the er and found out Daddy was having a heart attack, i began praying almost non-stop. i would find myself praying for healing and for procedures to go smoothly but i would also make it a point to say to the Lord, "i know You are good and Your plans are good. i trust You." sometimes i wonder if it was as much a declaration to the Lord as a reminder to myself about His goodness.
my "flashback" last week was specifically to the night before Daddy's heart surgery. we all {the whole family} were in Daddy's ccu room and stood around his bed and went around the circle praying outloud together. i stood beside his bed and held his hand and prayed for his surgery to go well, etc. and i will never forget that at the end of my prayer, i again, told the Lord that no matter what, we know He is good, His plans for us are good, and we trust Him. little did i know how much that would be tested the next day and in the coming months.
i'm not going to lie or pretend like i've got it all together. i've had moments {moments? let's be honest...more like days, weeks, months} since that day where i have flat out told the Lord that i don't see how this situation could be good at all. or how my mom having to go through surgery for uterine cancer 3 weeks after Daddy died could be good.
i'm so glad that my feelings don't change the truth about the Lord...He is good and His plans are good even though i look back at the last 4 months and see heartache, hurt, loss, devastation. i also see His comfort, grace, mercy, and steadfast love. i've had to learn to redefine my definition of what good really is.
there's not really a great way to tie a pretty bow around this post because let's face it, i'm still in the middle of trying to understand this new definition of goodness. i'm thankful, though, to follow a God who allows me to wrestle and struggle with my questions and deals with me in a gentle and loving way. some days are messier than others but i'm learning.
i do know this...He is good and His plans are for my good even when i don't understand.
Monday, February 13, 2012
the story of us
1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
we have been together since june 2006...so, that's 5 years and 8 months.
14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
we have been together since june 2006...so, that's 5 years and 8 months.
2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
we actually met several times before we "met." {i know that doesn't make sense...let me explain.} at the time i was working at hickory grove baptist as the preschool ministry director and several other staff members from our north campus kept telling me about this great guy named joel alley. my response was always, "well tell him about me and we'll see where it goes. i'm not going to chase a guy." well, they encouraged me to attend a Bible study joel taught and i did {not just to get to meet him but it was definitely a perk ;) } . he didn't notice me AT ALL. so i thought, well, this guy just isn't interested in me at all. little did i know that at that time, joel wasn't even remotely considering or looking to date anyone. i also attended several other singles events and joel alley didn't so much as look in my direction. sigh.
we actually met several times before we "met." {i know that doesn't make sense...let me explain.} at the time i was working at hickory grove baptist as the preschool ministry director and several other staff members from our north campus kept telling me about this great guy named joel alley. my response was always, "well tell him about me and we'll see where it goes. i'm not going to chase a guy." well, they encouraged me to attend a Bible study joel taught and i did {not just to get to meet him but it was definitely a perk ;) } . he didn't notice me AT ALL. so i thought, well, this guy just isn't interested in me at all. little did i know that at that time, joel wasn't even remotely considering or looking to date anyone. i also attended several other singles events and joel alley didn't so much as look in my direction. sigh.
fast forward two years {I KNOW...and those staff members kept raving about him throughout that time} the single's minister and his wife decided to just take charge and they invited us both over to dinner at their house. we had a great time and joel even chased me out the door to get my number {shoes half on, untied and everything}. like they say, the rest is history!
3. How long have you been married?
we've been married 3 years and 3 {almost} months
4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?
we were married at my home church, parkwood baptist church, in gastonia, north carolina. i'm not really sure what qualifies a wedding as big, medium, or small but i'd say we had a big, traditional church wedding.
3. How long have you been married?
we've been married 3 years and 3 {almost} months
4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?
we were married at my home church, parkwood baptist church, in gastonia, north carolina. i'm not really sure what qualifies a wedding as big, medium, or small but i'd say we had a big, traditional church wedding.
5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
we're not that creative as far as nicknames go...
joel's nicknames for me: baby, sweetie, sweets
my nicknames for joel: babe, hot husband {it's how he's listed in my phone contacts ;) }, hubs, my love or love, mr. safety
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
1) he is the most selfless and giving person i've ever met 2) he loves me completely and shows it through his words and actions 3) he can make me laugh like no other person...he is hilarious.
we're not that creative as far as nicknames go...
joel's nicknames for me: baby, sweetie, sweets
my nicknames for joel: babe, hot husband {it's how he's listed in my phone contacts ;) }, hubs, my love or love, mr. safety
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
1) he is the most selfless and giving person i've ever met 2) he loves me completely and shows it through his words and actions 3) he can make me laugh like no other person...he is hilarious.
7. Tell us how he proposed?
we'd been dating for 9 months and i knew he already had the ring but he had made a big deal about wanting to wait to get engaged until we'd been together for a year. of course, i hoped he would propose sooner but he seemed pretty determined to wait until june. so, i was trying really hard to not get so excited and not to start booking reception locations, look for dresses, etc. :) the really challenging part of this situation was that joel was so excited about the ring that he kept bringing it up and wanting to talk about it...which was NOT helpful in my whole trying to not let my excitement get out of hand. so i finally had to tell him that i didn't want him to talk about the ring until he was proposing and he agreed.
the next weekend he had asked me to clear my schedule for that saturday for a day in the mountains {one of our favorite places}. so i thought...maybe he'll propose then! a picnic in the mountains sounds like a perfect proposal idea {and i was secretly hoping he was being so adamant about a june proposal to throw me off to surprise me with a proposal much sooner}!! well, i woke up saturday morning to RAIN. ugh. i'm not gonna lie, i cried and not just a few glistening tears...it was the full on ugly cry. i'm pretty sure i told my mom that i didn't think that he was ever going to propose {dramatic, much??}.
joel came to pick me up and said that he thought it would be nice to just go for a drive since it was supposed to rain all day in the mountains. i had already resigned myself to the fact that i wasn't getting engaged that day and i was trying so hard to enjoy the day and not be grumpy. we drove around for awhile {think back roads} talking and listening to music and at this point, it had stopped raining. so we stopped to grab some sandwiches for lunch and i still had no idea where we were going. we ended up at a botanical garden to have a "picnic." we had lunch and i was seriously trying to fight off the tears and not be a grumpy girl {i'm not proud of it, just being real}. after lunch joel suggested that we walk over to the orchid conservatory so that's what we did. we walked through and joel stopped at a bench in front of a beautiful water wall with orchids and everything. we sat down and he said, "i know you don't want me to talk about the ring but what if i wanted to show it to you?" {still not cluing in to what was going on...i know, i know but i had done a great job convincing myself that he wasn't going to propose} i said, "no, i don't want to see it, either...not until you're proposing." at that point, he got down on one knee, said some really amazing and beautiful things and asked me to marry him. obviously, i said yes! :-)
we'd been dating for 9 months and i knew he already had the ring but he had made a big deal about wanting to wait to get engaged until we'd been together for a year. of course, i hoped he would propose sooner but he seemed pretty determined to wait until june. so, i was trying really hard to not get so excited and not to start booking reception locations, look for dresses, etc. :) the really challenging part of this situation was that joel was so excited about the ring that he kept bringing it up and wanting to talk about it...which was NOT helpful in my whole trying to not let my excitement get out of hand. so i finally had to tell him that i didn't want him to talk about the ring until he was proposing and he agreed.
the next weekend he had asked me to clear my schedule for that saturday for a day in the mountains {one of our favorite places}. so i thought...maybe he'll propose then! a picnic in the mountains sounds like a perfect proposal idea {and i was secretly hoping he was being so adamant about a june proposal to throw me off to surprise me with a proposal much sooner}!! well, i woke up saturday morning to RAIN. ugh. i'm not gonna lie, i cried and not just a few glistening tears...it was the full on ugly cry. i'm pretty sure i told my mom that i didn't think that he was ever going to propose {dramatic, much??}.
joel came to pick me up and said that he thought it would be nice to just go for a drive since it was supposed to rain all day in the mountains. i had already resigned myself to the fact that i wasn't getting engaged that day and i was trying so hard to enjoy the day and not be grumpy. we drove around for awhile {think back roads} talking and listening to music and at this point, it had stopped raining. so we stopped to grab some sandwiches for lunch and i still had no idea where we were going. we ended up at a botanical garden to have a "picnic." we had lunch and i was seriously trying to fight off the tears and not be a grumpy girl {i'm not proud of it, just being real}. after lunch joel suggested that we walk over to the orchid conservatory so that's what we did. we walked through and joel stopped at a bench in front of a beautiful water wall with orchids and everything. we sat down and he said, "i know you don't want me to talk about the ring but what if i wanted to show it to you?" {still not cluing in to what was going on...i know, i know but i had done a great job convincing myself that he wasn't going to propose} i said, "no, i don't want to see it, either...not until you're proposing." at that point, he got down on one knee, said some really amazing and beautiful things and asked me to marry him. obviously, i said yes! :-)
8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne , and rose petals?
i don't really think that he is either...maybe kind of a mixture. he's a flowers, nice dinner out, and thoughtful gift kind of guy :).
9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
i am definitely a pop in a movie, relax on the couch kind of girl. {i like romantic dinners but i'm not a fan of the beach. at. all.}
10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
we love to travel and have been to a handful of fun places {pictured below} but we have a list of places we'd like to go; i'd love to get to be a parent with him someday {hopefully sooner than later}; i'd also really love to be able to go on a mission trip with my love someday.
i don't really think that he is either...maybe kind of a mixture. he's a flowers, nice dinner out, and thoughtful gift kind of guy :).
9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
i am definitely a pop in a movie, relax on the couch kind of girl. {i like romantic dinners but i'm not a fan of the beach. at. all.}
10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
we love to travel and have been to a handful of fun places {pictured below} but we have a list of places we'd like to go; i'd love to get to be a parent with him someday {hopefully sooner than later}; i'd also really love to be able to go on a mission trip with my love someday.
11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
we are going to have a romantic dinner at the melting pot {one of our favorite spots}. i'm working on a surprise for hub's gift...hope he loves it!
12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
only to get to spend time with my love :)
13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
after only 3 years of marriage, i definitely know that i'm not a marriage expert but first i would say that while i love, love, love being married, it's more than flowers, gushy feelings, and hearts. it's about comittment and dedication even when things are tough...it's a daily decision to love another person and put them before yourself. also, you can't expect another person to make you happy...that's not their job {and happiness really isn't the goal of the christian life but that's another post for another day ;) }. bottom line, to have a strong marriage that is full of love, you have to live by the Spirit allowing His grace, love, mercy, and compassion flow through you. i also think it's really important to laugh and laugh a lot. :-)
we are going to have a romantic dinner at the melting pot {one of our favorite spots}. i'm working on a surprise for hub's gift...hope he loves it!
12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
only to get to spend time with my love :)
13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
after only 3 years of marriage, i definitely know that i'm not a marriage expert but first i would say that while i love, love, love being married, it's more than flowers, gushy feelings, and hearts. it's about comittment and dedication even when things are tough...it's a daily decision to love another person and put them before yourself. also, you can't expect another person to make you happy...that's not their job {and happiness really isn't the goal of the christian life but that's another post for another day ;) }. bottom line, to have a strong marriage that is full of love, you have to live by the Spirit allowing His grace, love, mercy, and compassion flow through you. i also think it's really important to laugh and laugh a lot. :-)
14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
messy
i'm not a fan of anything messy...whether it is describing a room or a difficult situation, i'm simply not a fan. you see, i'd rather have things nice and orderly tied up neatly with a pretty ribbon but that simply isn't the way things are in life right now. {for reals, though, is life ever NOT at least a little messy?}
messy. i think i'm pretty good at looking put together on the outside but the inside on most days? messy. it's been four months since i last blogged {almost to the day} and it's been four months since my life and my family's life was turned completely upside down.
i've followed Jesus for 26 years and have walked through challenges, difficulties, and struggles before but i've never had to face anything like this. i'm going to be honest {why stop now, right?;) } that it's the hardest thing i've ever dealt with to this point in my life. sometimes {most times} i'd rather keep the messy stuff to myself and most times that's appropriate, but sometimes it spills out on the "pages" of this blog and i'm learning to be okay with that. i'm learning to be okay with messy. this journey we call life? it's messy and if we're going to live it, we're going to have to face those difficult situations and challenges.
so here i am, four months {almost to the day} later and i'm still pretty broken and raw from everything my family and i have walked through, but the Lord has been so gracious, patient, loving, compassionate, and merciful to me. over and over i end up before Him with my hands outstretched offering up "the mess" because i've learned first hand that He is close to the brokenhearted . can i say that i'm thankful for these trials? i can't say that i'm there, yet, but i am so completely thankful for the Lord's goodness and patience while i've wrestled and struggled through all of this.
a lot of things have been uncertain over the last four months but there are several things that are certain. my God has been faithful, gracious, merciful, and compassionate as i've faced this messy, difficult journey.
praise Him...He is good.
messy. i think i'm pretty good at looking put together on the outside but the inside on most days? messy. it's been four months since i last blogged {almost to the day} and it's been four months since my life and my family's life was turned completely upside down.
i've followed Jesus for 26 years and have walked through challenges, difficulties, and struggles before but i've never had to face anything like this. i'm going to be honest {why stop now, right?;) } that it's the hardest thing i've ever dealt with to this point in my life. sometimes {most times} i'd rather keep the messy stuff to myself and most times that's appropriate, but sometimes it spills out on the "pages" of this blog and i'm learning to be okay with that. i'm learning to be okay with messy. this journey we call life? it's messy and if we're going to live it, we're going to have to face those difficult situations and challenges.
so here i am, four months {almost to the day} later and i'm still pretty broken and raw from everything my family and i have walked through, but the Lord has been so gracious, patient, loving, compassionate, and merciful to me. over and over i end up before Him with my hands outstretched offering up "the mess" because i've learned first hand that He is close to the brokenhearted . can i say that i'm thankful for these trials? i can't say that i'm there, yet, but i am so completely thankful for the Lord's goodness and patience while i've wrestled and struggled through all of this.
a lot of things have been uncertain over the last four months but there are several things that are certain. my God has been faithful, gracious, merciful, and compassionate as i've faced this messy, difficult journey.
praise Him...He is good.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
my daddy
my daddy went to be with Jesus two nights ago. that's hard for my mind to comprehend right now, much less see it in print on the computer screen. it was sudden, unexpected, and the most difficult thing i have had to face in my life up to this point.
i'm a daddy's girl so obviously i think he was the best and most incredible husband, father, papaw {or poppy}, uncle, co-worker, friend that you could ever have. i think, though, if you knew him, you would agree with me. he was absolutely incredible. i've known for awhile that not every girl has a daddy like mine and i've been aware of how blessed i was to be able to call jim grayson my daddy. so i wanted to take a second and write about Daddy so you could get to know more about him if you didn't know him personally. {plus, he was amazing and i just want to talk about him. i love him so much.}
one of the most important lessons i learned from Daddy was that our faith is real...following Jesus every day is what life is all about. i didn't just see my daddy attend church on Sunday morning and then put his Bible on the shelf for a week until the next Sunday...he lived what he believed. any time i had a problem or a question, Daddy's solution was to always look to Scripture to see what God had to say about that particular problem or question. in fact, any time i approached him with a worry, concern, or problem he would always say to me, "it's going to be alright baby girl" and then he would guide me to Scripture that applied to the situation. he loved Jesus with all his heart and it was evident in his daily life. i was also blessed to have the opportunity to see first hand what a Godly marriage looks like. Daddy adored my mom and loved her with a selfless love. he truly fulfilled the role as the spiritual leader of our family but he led with such a kind, quiet, and gentle spirit. i have been able to walk through life with an understanding of the love of my Heavenly Father because of my earthly father.
Daddy loved his family and i believe {and other people have since confirmed} that anyone who knew Daddy knew that his family was his top priority after his relationship with Jesus. he was always there...chorus concerts, ball games, special events, math homework in the evenings {math was his strength--definitely not mine!} around the kitchen table, family vacations, major and minor emergencies. if it involved his family, Daddy was there no matter what. i always knew that Daddy felt that no matter the activity, the time that we were spending together was priceless. Daddy didn't just spend time with me, my mom, and my sister...our whole family was important to him. He was like a second Daddy to many of my cousins.
in the last few days, we've also had the opportunity to hear about what Daddy was like at work and i'm not surprised by what we've heard. everyone {literally everyone} loved and adored him. Daddy made a huge impact on the people with whom he worked and one major thing that stands out to me is that he lived out his faith in his interactions with his co-workers. we've also heard about what an incredibly gifted engineer Daddy was and that he was an integral part of his company.
i am beyond grateful that the Lord allowed me to have 32 years with jim grayson and i am crushed that my time with him is over for now. my Daddy faithfully followed Jesus and while i am devasted at my loss, i am full of joy because of all Daddy has gained. he is in heaven doing what God created Daddy to do...worship the Lord forever.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
well hello there, august!
we've had a fabulous summer here in the alley household...so much so that we've had no time to blog and now i'm going to attempt to recap all of the fabulousness in one post.
june
hubs birthday: we celebrated with his family, my family, and then just the two of us. it still makes me chuckle just a bit that when we met he didn't want anyone to acknowledge his birthday (so much so that he even refused to list his birthday in our church database...something i learned when i called him from work--our church--when we were engaged to tell him that i updated his information to include his birthday. i assumed it had been an error...not so much :-) but he married someone who LOVES birthdays. i don't just love my birthday but i love celebrating the birthdays of those i love. i've learned to scale the celebrations back (unless it's something he wants to do) and he has learned to let me celebrate him by enjoying our "birthday week" or "birthday weekend" celebrations. this year as part of our "birthday week" celebration, we rented a boat and spent the day on the lake. (we also spent 2 days without air conditioning and working to get it fixed but that was a slight pause in the celebration.) we had such an incredible day and plan to make it an annual tradition for his birthday. (i can't believe i don't have ANY pictures of any birthday celebrations...we were having too much fun to remember to take pictures!
marissa's going away party: i hope marissa felt like her party was fabulous! i wanted to use bright, fun colors in the theme so i picked a lemon/lime/orange theme and decorated with fruit in glass cylinders and really was able to carry the color scheme through every last detail of the party. it was my prayer that marissa would feel loved and celebrated by those who are closest to her and i think she did. we had a wonderful time chatting and being together and then ended the night lifting her up in prayer.
vbs:marissa's party was the 18th and vbs started on the 20th. yeah, it's safe to say we were quite tired in the alley house during this particular week! part of my responsibilities this year with vbs included leading the preschool worship rally. we had SO MUCH fun every night and by friday night, my little preschoolers were ready to perform the theme song to big apple adventure! they did such a great job. it's such a catchy tune. btw, hubs and i will deny it, of course, but you might just catch a glimpse of us driving around town doing the motions and singing along to the bi-bi-bi, bi-bi-bi, big apple adventure!
july
vacation!!: after such a crazy busy schedule in june, hubs and i were definitely so relieved when our annual summer vacation with my family rolled around. my family has a tradition where we all go on vacation together every summer and i love it. it's not always just my parents and my sister's family...in years past we've vacationed with aunts, uncles, and cousins, too. honestly, i just assumed all families vacationed together like this until several years ago when i realized that we're more of an exception to the rule but i love it. we are a super close family and we enjoy being together. i've been waay blessed that my hubs loves and adores my family and has just as much fun on these vacations as i've ever had. my mom and dad were blessed with two amazing sons-in-law! (and i'd argue that my hubs and bro-in-law were blessed with some pretty amazing parents-in-law!) anyway, off that rabbit trail and back to vacation! i can truly say that this beach trip was one of the best that i can remember. we rented an ah-mazing house on emerald isle and we truly spent the week resting, relaxing, and having fun being together. emerald isle isn't as commercialized (it isn't really at all) as some beaches so there's really not a lot to do but that did not bother us! we all practically lived in our bathing suits by the pool or in the house in our pj's. i think we went out in the evening twice. we actually all decided to go ahead and reserve the same house for next year because we loved it so much! needless to say, we were sad when vacation ended and it was time to head back home.
new job: yes, that's for me...not hubs! a job opportunity presented itself to me during vbs and i was super excited to accept it! i'm the new preschool resources coordinator for our church. it's a part time position and i absolutely love it! the week i returned from vacation, i spent time learning the ropes and the next week, it was all mine! i plan for and prep all the supplies for the preschool ministry on sunday mornings (and will also do this for special events...teacher training, vbs, camp), coordinate Cut Ups (a group of volunteers who meet together every week to help prep the supplies for Sunday school...cutting, counting, sorting, etc) with the elementary resource coordinator, and write the lesson plans for the preschool Sunday school classes. oh. my. word. i love it!! (oh and in case you were wondering....this means no more substitute teaching for me!)
girl time: my dear friend, stephanie, visited for a week and we had such an amazing time together! we met while we were in seminary and i actually lived with stephanie and her parents on the weekends and during the summer while we both worked at prestonwood. we had such a blast hanging out, shopping, eating, and talking! i'm lucky that all of my close friends love my hubs so we all enjoy hanging out together. i was sad to see steph leave (she started a campaign trying to convince hubs to transfer to his company's dallas office but i don't think she was completely successful) but hubs and i are already planning a trip to the big d in december.
beth moore: steph and i were fortunate enough to get to spend the weekend with beth (well, and 9400 of our closest friends ;-) while she was here. i don't say this lightly but the weekend was truly amazing. i don't mean that it was all rainbows and butterflies but it was good...in the God was all up in my business sort of way. you know where you're uncomfortable but it's a good type of uncomfortable because you know the Lord is speaking and working in your life. we also had such a fun friday night. we rented a hotel room in downtown charlotte and my sister joined us. we laughed and had room service and went to bed waaay too late for the early hour that we had to get up. it was worth it, though. i was also so excited for my sister (she served as one of the city coordinators who worked an entire year here in charlotte to help make the conference happen) because she got to meet beth and have her picture taken with her and the rest of the committee. she worked hard helping to make the conference a success and looked super cute (and good hair to boot!) in her picture with beth.
well, that about wraps up the highlights from the last two months. for the most part, we've had a good summer. even though it's been a good summer is anyone else wishing fall would arrive....pronto???
june
hubs birthday: we celebrated with his family, my family, and then just the two of us. it still makes me chuckle just a bit that when we met he didn't want anyone to acknowledge his birthday (so much so that he even refused to list his birthday in our church database...something i learned when i called him from work--our church--when we were engaged to tell him that i updated his information to include his birthday. i assumed it had been an error...not so much :-) but he married someone who LOVES birthdays. i don't just love my birthday but i love celebrating the birthdays of those i love. i've learned to scale the celebrations back (unless it's something he wants to do) and he has learned to let me celebrate him by enjoying our "birthday week" or "birthday weekend" celebrations. this year as part of our "birthday week" celebration, we rented a boat and spent the day on the lake. (we also spent 2 days without air conditioning and working to get it fixed but that was a slight pause in the celebration.) we had such an incredible day and plan to make it an annual tradition for his birthday. (i can't believe i don't have ANY pictures of any birthday celebrations...we were having too much fun to remember to take pictures!
marissa's going away party: i hope marissa felt like her party was fabulous! i wanted to use bright, fun colors in the theme so i picked a lemon/lime/orange theme and decorated with fruit in glass cylinders and really was able to carry the color scheme through every last detail of the party. it was my prayer that marissa would feel loved and celebrated by those who are closest to her and i think she did. we had a wonderful time chatting and being together and then ended the night lifting her up in prayer.
vbs:marissa's party was the 18th and vbs started on the 20th. yeah, it's safe to say we were quite tired in the alley house during this particular week! part of my responsibilities this year with vbs included leading the preschool worship rally. we had SO MUCH fun every night and by friday night, my little preschoolers were ready to perform the theme song to big apple adventure! they did such a great job. it's such a catchy tune. btw, hubs and i will deny it, of course, but you might just catch a glimpse of us driving around town doing the motions and singing along to the bi-bi-bi, bi-bi-bi, big apple adventure!
july
vacation!!: after such a crazy busy schedule in june, hubs and i were definitely so relieved when our annual summer vacation with my family rolled around. my family has a tradition where we all go on vacation together every summer and i love it. it's not always just my parents and my sister's family...in years past we've vacationed with aunts, uncles, and cousins, too. honestly, i just assumed all families vacationed together like this until several years ago when i realized that we're more of an exception to the rule but i love it. we are a super close family and we enjoy being together. i've been waay blessed that my hubs loves and adores my family and has just as much fun on these vacations as i've ever had. my mom and dad were blessed with two amazing sons-in-law! (and i'd argue that my hubs and bro-in-law were blessed with some pretty amazing parents-in-law!) anyway, off that rabbit trail and back to vacation! i can truly say that this beach trip was one of the best that i can remember. we rented an ah-mazing house on emerald isle and we truly spent the week resting, relaxing, and having fun being together. emerald isle isn't as commercialized (it isn't really at all) as some beaches so there's really not a lot to do but that did not bother us! we all practically lived in our bathing suits by the pool or in the house in our pj's. i think we went out in the evening twice. we actually all decided to go ahead and reserve the same house for next year because we loved it so much! needless to say, we were sad when vacation ended and it was time to head back home.
new job: yes, that's for me...not hubs! a job opportunity presented itself to me during vbs and i was super excited to accept it! i'm the new preschool resources coordinator for our church. it's a part time position and i absolutely love it! the week i returned from vacation, i spent time learning the ropes and the next week, it was all mine! i plan for and prep all the supplies for the preschool ministry on sunday mornings (and will also do this for special events...teacher training, vbs, camp), coordinate Cut Ups (a group of volunteers who meet together every week to help prep the supplies for Sunday school...cutting, counting, sorting, etc) with the elementary resource coordinator, and write the lesson plans for the preschool Sunday school classes. oh. my. word. i love it!! (oh and in case you were wondering....this means no more substitute teaching for me!)
girl time: my dear friend, stephanie, visited for a week and we had such an amazing time together! we met while we were in seminary and i actually lived with stephanie and her parents on the weekends and during the summer while we both worked at prestonwood. we had such a blast hanging out, shopping, eating, and talking! i'm lucky that all of my close friends love my hubs so we all enjoy hanging out together. i was sad to see steph leave (she started a campaign trying to convince hubs to transfer to his company's dallas office but i don't think she was completely successful) but hubs and i are already planning a trip to the big d in december.
beth moore: steph and i were fortunate enough to get to spend the weekend with beth (well, and 9400 of our closest friends ;-) while she was here. i don't say this lightly but the weekend was truly amazing. i don't mean that it was all rainbows and butterflies but it was good...in the God was all up in my business sort of way. you know where you're uncomfortable but it's a good type of uncomfortable because you know the Lord is speaking and working in your life. we also had such a fun friday night. we rented a hotel room in downtown charlotte and my sister joined us. we laughed and had room service and went to bed waaay too late for the early hour that we had to get up. it was worth it, though. i was also so excited for my sister (she served as one of the city coordinators who worked an entire year here in charlotte to help make the conference happen) because she got to meet beth and have her picture taken with her and the rest of the committee. she worked hard helping to make the conference a success and looked super cute (and good hair to boot!) in her picture with beth.
well, that about wraps up the highlights from the last two months. for the most part, we've had a good summer. even though it's been a good summer is anyone else wishing fall would arrive....pronto???
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
an alley fam update...numbers edition
here's an update on the alleys in numbers...
41...days since i last blogged.
32...years i've lived without ever having seen any of the star wars movies, until now.
24...pansies that did not survive in my flower pots this spring. i have no idea what happened and why they didn't survive but since they're typically pretty tough flowers i'm thinking it's not looking good for the geraniums i'm planting this week. i definitely did NOT inherit my mom's green thumb!
18...preschoolers sang their hearts out at our hymns 4 Him night of worship which was presented by our preschool and children's choirs. they were fabulous!
17...family members who participated in family pictures. both sides of our families (the graysons and the alleys) had family photo sessions within two weeks of each other. fun times :).
14...days until hubs' birthday. less than that, actually if you consider that we don't just celebrate a day but we have birthday weekends or birthday weeks in my family!
11...people (including 2 puppies) hubs and i hosted for a mother's day dinner for my mom and sis. they (mom and sis) are the best...ever. we had a blast and some super yummy food (if i do say so myself ;).
6...months until my birthday. i got to "celebrate" my first ever half birthday this month...it was hubs' idea and totally a lot of fun.
3...critters (2 japanese beetles and 1 caterpillar) ingested by our puppy (that caused some major tummy troubles...if you catch my drift) which led to a vet visit (x-rays, blood work, iv fluids, and two medicines) and a diagnosis of gastritis and dehydration. we had an interesting week last week but thank goodness she is all better now! we are quite vigilent in making sure she doesn't eat anymore BUGS! she definitely has a sensitive tummy like her mama.
2...more episodes of biggest loser for this season. hubs and i have really enjoyed watching this particular cast mostly because they're not into the "game play" thing. i'm glad that they all genuinely seem to want to be there to, you know, lose weight.
1...more month after this month with my bff until she moves to peru. sniff.
41...days since i last blogged.
32...years i've lived without ever having seen any of the star wars movies, until now.
24...pansies that did not survive in my flower pots this spring. i have no idea what happened and why they didn't survive but since they're typically pretty tough flowers i'm thinking it's not looking good for the geraniums i'm planting this week. i definitely did NOT inherit my mom's green thumb!
18...preschoolers sang their hearts out at our hymns 4 Him night of worship which was presented by our preschool and children's choirs. they were fabulous!
17...family members who participated in family pictures. both sides of our families (the graysons and the alleys) had family photo sessions within two weeks of each other. fun times :).
14...days until hubs' birthday. less than that, actually if you consider that we don't just celebrate a day but we have birthday weekends or birthday weeks in my family!
11...people (including 2 puppies) hubs and i hosted for a mother's day dinner for my mom and sis. they (mom and sis) are the best...ever. we had a blast and some super yummy food (if i do say so myself ;).
6...months until my birthday. i got to "celebrate" my first ever half birthday this month...it was hubs' idea and totally a lot of fun.
3...critters (2 japanese beetles and 1 caterpillar) ingested by our puppy (that caused some major tummy troubles...if you catch my drift) which led to a vet visit (x-rays, blood work, iv fluids, and two medicines) and a diagnosis of gastritis and dehydration. we had an interesting week last week but thank goodness she is all better now! we are quite vigilent in making sure she doesn't eat anymore BUGS! she definitely has a sensitive tummy like her mama.
2...more episodes of biggest loser for this season. hubs and i have really enjoyed watching this particular cast mostly because they're not into the "game play" thing. i'm glad that they all genuinely seem to want to be there to, you know, lose weight.
1...more month after this month with my bff until she moves to peru. sniff.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
one of those days...
i hoped i would have some more cute and funny anecdotes about life in kindergarten to share from yesterday. umm...sorry but nothing funny OR cute happened. all i'm going to say about the experience is that i think all of us {the kindergarteners AND the teacher} had a rough day and really needed a nap by the end of carline. i did have coffee with a sweet friend yesterday evening which was such a blessing after the beating great experience i had in kindergarten. ;)
after coffee i stopped by walgreens to pick up some photos i had printed and all i'll say is that experience was yet another opportunity for growth {particularly in the patience department}. seriously, as i was standing in the line {waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting} i had a moment where i asked the Lord, "okay, what am i supposed to learn from my day today because i would really like to learn this lesson asap." {because the Lord usually responds to requests we make asap.} as i cranked my car chris tomlin's song, Lord i need you, was playing. {total aside: if you don't have the newest passion 2011 cd, purchase it right now. it's pretty much incredible.} all of a sudden, i got it. quietly i heard the Lord speak to my heart and remind me that whether i'm having an absolutely fabulous day or an absolutely awful day, i need Him...every hour...every moment. i am not made to stand on my own but to fully rely and depend on the Lord. i can't do life on my own and when i try, i fall {way} short. i am thankful for His grace and mercy that gently guides me back to where i should be...totally and completely relying on Him. {and did you notice that the Lord pretty much answered my prayer asap?? praise Him for that!}
after coffee i stopped by walgreens to pick up some photos i had printed and all i'll say is that experience was yet another opportunity for growth {particularly in the patience department}. seriously, as i was standing in the line {waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting} i had a moment where i asked the Lord, "okay, what am i supposed to learn from my day today because i would really like to learn this lesson asap." {because the Lord usually responds to requests we make asap.} as i cranked my car chris tomlin's song, Lord i need you, was playing. {total aside: if you don't have the newest passion 2011 cd, purchase it right now. it's pretty much incredible.} all of a sudden, i got it. quietly i heard the Lord speak to my heart and remind me that whether i'm having an absolutely fabulous day or an absolutely awful day, i need Him...every hour...every moment. i am not made to stand on my own but to fully rely and depend on the Lord. i can't do life on my own and when i try, i fall {way} short. i am thankful for His grace and mercy that gently guides me back to where i should be...totally and completely relying on Him. {and did you notice that the Lord pretty much answered my prayer asap?? praise Him for that!}
Lord, i need you, oh i need you every hour i need you. my one defense, my righteousness oh God how i need you.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
random thoughts from the weekend
we've had a great, relaxing weekend and it has been glorious. no real plans, no to-do lists {except for mowing the yard and planting pansies}, just an easy going, fun weekend. by the way, i can. not. believe. that it's april! yikes...where is the year going? {and where is spring time?? it's supposed to be 88 degrees here tomorrow. double yikes.} it sounds like such a cliche but time certainly is flying by! now, on to random thoughts from the weekend...
- we {hubs and i} are adults but we both love a good disney movie. i guess you could say we're still kids at heart. we both wanted to see tangled but didn't make it to see it in the theater. it released this week and we waited all week until we had free time to watch it on thursday night. oh my. we loved, loved, loved it!
- anna, my niece and our family's own little soccer girl had a game friday night and they won! after a few seasons playing with teams who have struggled some, it's fun for her to get to play for {and for us to watch} a winning team. i really get into the games, though, and my brother-in-law is
verya little concerned about my ability to be a good sport ;). what can i say...i'm passionate about competition. - bff marissa came over yesterday and she spoke my starbucks love language by bringing a non-fat latte and {surprise!} their new cake pops which are oh so yummy and just enough sweetness. we did talk about her upcoming move to lima, peru and
i did indeed cry my eyes outonly a few tears were shed ;). i am super excited for her {for real} and am blessed to have a front row seat to see how the Lord is working in her life. - the pollen? it is absolutely killing us. hubs and i are downing claritin like it's our job. this is the one and only thing i dislike about spring time. and i'm not exaggerating when i say i seriously dislike the pollen.
- our pastor started a new series this morning, close doesn't count. this morning's sermon was really good...it made me really evaluate my heart {am i just driven or am i devoted to Christ; am i just present as a believer or am i passionate about my relationship with Christ; does my guilt lead me to repentance or destruction} i'm looking forward to the next two weeks leading up to easter.
- i'm subbing in a kindergarten class tomorrow {again...i subbed in this same class on thursday} and i'm really looking forward to it. they were quite an entertaining little class on thursday and there was never a dull moment, that's for sure. i think my favorite moment happened when one little precocious kindergarten boy {who was very upset when he found out they had homework over the weekend...they weren't in school friday} informed me, "mrs. alley, you know, you can control how much homework you put in our take home folders." to which i replied, "your homework is already in your folder. go sit down." ha! i was laughing on the inside.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
it's a process
i have to admit that sometimes i can be a totally selfish person. it's easy {especially in our culture today} to get wrapped up in the things i want or the things i need without ever really considering what God wants for me or what God knows i need. please understand me--sometimes it's not about material things {although, sometimes it is} i think, though, the underlying issue is who is receiving the glory?
here's the deal...do i want and truly desire to live my life for the Lord and for His glory and not my own? absolutely. do i feel like i'm doing my best in this area of my life? i don't know. i do know that the Lord calls us to be radical in following Him...to take up our cross and follow Him. my heart's desire is that the words i speak and the small decisions {that only He knows about} i make would reflect His glory just as much as "the big things in life." my sunday school teacher mentioned something sunday morning that i know {in my head} but has stuck with me all week long. in reference to living our lives for God's glory he mentioned that when people look at us, they should see a reflection of Jesus. now, he's not saying we are supposed to be or even have the ability to be perfect but it's a process. daily i want the decisions i make; the words that i speak; the text that i post on blogger, facebook, or twitter to reflect Jesus. daily...take up my cross, die to myself and follow Him.
i'm thankful that it's a daily process that is full of God's grace, mercy, and love. my hope and my desire is that when my head hits the pillow every night that more pieces of amy will have been chipped away than the day before so that a clearer reflection of my Jesus can be seen.
here's the deal...do i want and truly desire to live my life for the Lord and for His glory and not my own? absolutely. do i feel like i'm doing my best in this area of my life? i don't know. i do know that the Lord calls us to be radical in following Him...to take up our cross and follow Him. my heart's desire is that the words i speak and the small decisions {that only He knows about} i make would reflect His glory just as much as "the big things in life." my sunday school teacher mentioned something sunday morning that i know {in my head} but has stuck with me all week long. in reference to living our lives for God's glory he mentioned that when people look at us, they should see a reflection of Jesus. now, he's not saying we are supposed to be or even have the ability to be perfect but it's a process. daily i want the decisions i make; the words that i speak; the text that i post on blogger, facebook, or twitter to reflect Jesus. daily...take up my cross, die to myself and follow Him.
i'm thankful that it's a daily process that is full of God's grace, mercy, and love. my hope and my desire is that when my head hits the pillow every night that more pieces of amy will have been chipped away than the day before so that a clearer reflection of my Jesus can be seen.
"not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." ~ psalm 115:1
Monday, March 28, 2011
long time no blog
so it's been another month or so since i blogged again and i'm beginning to hate having to start posts with this sentence (not to mention, i'm sure it's poor form ;). i haven't given up on blogging it's just that all the ideas for posts in my head have never made it through my fingertips to the blog. today, i'm turning over a new leaf. here's the thing...i really enjoy writing (blogging) but often times i edit myself and talk myself out of posting. i don't mean that i have to edit myself because i'm going to blog about something offensive but i second guess myself as to whether or not i should write about that or if anyone even wants to read about this. no more. no more editing. i mean, the blog is entitled all about the alleys so clearly i should feel the freedom (with discretion, of course ;) to write about whatever i'd like since i am, you know, one of the alleys. so to catch you up on life with the alleys here's a snapshot into what's going on with us (in list form, of course).
- i feel like i've been sick 4,837 times this winter. seriously. most recently i endured (and i'm not trying to be dramatic--it was horrible) strep throat. i'm pretty sure the antibiotic kicked the strep germs out of the party but some part of whatever i had last week is still holding on and i don't know what is up with my immune system but i'm putting it on notice that it better GET IN GEAR. i don't usually type in ALL CAPS but desperate times call for desperate measures. i'm heading to walmart as soon as possible to buy every vitamin they possibly sell.
- things at work are going well for hubs. he's so smart...he seriously amazes me and he's so good at his job. the man also has the patience of job to deal with some of the issues and customers that he does. i try to remind him everyday that he's a rockstar because he totally is ;).
- my best friend in the world is moving to lima, peru. i know. i can't even believe i had it in me to type that sentence. i tend to deal with things like scarlett o'hara...i'll think about that tomorrow so seeing it in black and white on the computer screen is tough. don't get me wrong, i'm super excited for her. God has given her the opportunity to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams of becoming a missionary. the situation could not be more perfect for her and the way everything unfolded was clearly from the Lord. you can follow her during this exciting new chapter in her life by reading her blog.
- in other non-important news, i am loving the new (well, fairly new) gel nailpolish by opi. i love that it's just nail polish on my real nails that doesn't chip. i'm totally hooked.
- i've been teaching preschool choir at our church on wednesday nights and those short 30 minutes of my week, every week, never disappoint me. they are a hilarious group of kiddos who can be quite rambunctious when they want to be...well, they pretty much are quite the handful every week but i love it. we're working on learning 3 songs and a memory verse for the children's choir night of worship in may. our memory verse is in the book of deuteronomy. yes, was i even thinking when i picked a verse in deuteronomy? we have the verse completely memorized but are now spending time learning how to say, "deuteronomy." either way, they'll be cute as they can be on the stage...deuteronomy or not.
- like the new look to the blog? if you're reading through email or a reader, you'll have to hop over to the actual blog to see it. i loooove it. i wanted a fresh, new look for the new leaf i'm turning over. danielle moss did a great job. this was one of her "pre-made" templates and i couldn't love it anymore if she had designed it specifically for us!
i'll be back tomorrow or the day after (new leaf, remember?) with more exciting news or insights from the alleys.
Monday, February 7, 2011
i'm loving...
thanks to hallmark ;-) february is the month of L-O-V-E and in the spirit of how much i love valentine's day, i thought i'd share with you the things i'm loving this week!
1) i'm loving... gina's skinny recipes here! so happy to have found such a great resource for healthy and incredibly yummy recipes! my scale and hubs' tummy are loving it!
2) i'm loving... watching oprah's behind the scenes show that details everything that goes into putting together and pulling off oprah's show. i don't always watch every oprah show but seeing the behind the scenes of her show is really fascinating to me.
3) i'm loving... there is a chance of snow here wednesday night/thursday morning. yes, i am a grown up and i still love snow and snow days. i know a lot of people don't love the fact that life pretty much stops around here when it snows but i love it...i love the opportunity for some down time with hubs at home.
4) i'm loving... that valentine's day is a week away. yes, i'm one of those cheesy people who love valentine's day. i don't love it because of the gifts, or flowers, or chocolates, or stuff but i just love the purpose and intention of taking a day to let those in your life you love know they're special (of course, you should do it every day). there's nothing wrong with picking a day (say, february 14 ;-) and go all out showing your love!
5) i'm loving...that my little schnoodle (paisley) has turned into quite a little snuggle bug in the last month or so. she's definitely the best dog ever (though i know i'm biased ).
6)i'm loving... my iPad. yes, i did get an iPad right after Christmas and it is both fabu and fah-mazing (shout out to greggy on tlc's next great baker).
7)i'm loving... fun, impromptu lunches and with my mom and my sister. we love being together and we have a lot of fun, too.
8)i'm loving... the times i've spent with my nephews and my niece in the afternoons the last couple weeks! i've gone with my sister to pick everyone up (through 3 carlines) but the conversations and the laughs we've had have been priceless. it's so fun listening about their days, talking with them and hearing their opinions on life. they're the best kids ever (again, i'm probably biased ;-).
9)i'm loving... watching 24 in the evening with hubs. my dad who is a huge 24 fan owns all the seasons on dvd and hubs and i decided to start with season 1 and go all the way through to the last season. we're currently watching season 2 and it's provided some great tv but more importantly some great togetherness and snuggle time on the couch in the evenings!
10) i'm loving...my hubs. he is such a great man and i love him to pieces. i can truly say that through my relationship with him i've seen and experienced God's unfailing, undending love, His amazing grace, and His endless mercy. i'm so thankful for joel. he can make me laugh like no other person and make me feel completely loved. so glad to celebrate how much i love him everyday but especially during this month of L-O-V-E!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
all about....marissa
okay so here's the deal. i just realized i guess i'm in the middle of some type of blogging hiatus. clearly, it wasn't planned but it happened nonetheless. i'm breaking the hiatus, though, to participate in one of kelly's show us your life posts. this time the post isn't about me but it's about my best friend, marissa. kelly did her first show us your single ladies/guys post some time ago and it was a huge success...lots of people participated...there were 3 matches and 2 of those 3 couples are now engaged! so, kelly decided to open her blog up for part 2 of show us your single ladies/guys on friday and here we are. obviously, i am quite taken (and blissfully so, i might add) but i did receive permission from marissa to write a post about her and link it up to kelly's blog.
marissa is in her early 30's and lives just outside of charlotte, nc, and she is a music teacher at an elementary school. marissa has a passion and a love for the Lord and makes it a priority in her life to serve Him in her local church (she is on staff with their worship ministry) and has a deep love for missions.
(marissa and her daddy---on a mission trip in quito, ecuador)
she is seriously one of the funniest people i know and can make you laugh in a heartbeat. she is also incredibly genuine, kind, giving, and just all around a blast to be around. marissa loves her family (she has an amazing family, btw---that's important to know, too :-) and is a loyal and trustworthy friend. she is an adventurous girl who loves being outdoors and loves the water.
(on top of a mountain in quito, ecuador...16,000 feet above sea level)
i've known marissa since the first day of college, freshman year (1997, people...that's 14 years) and i love her to pieces. i can't fully convey how much she means to me or how much our friendship means to me. we've walked through a lot in our 14 years of friendship and i can say without a doubt that she is the real deal. any guy would be incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to date her...she is beautiful (inside and out), hilarious, and has a passion to know the Lord and love others. all of that to say, she is quite a catch! leave a comment if you know a guy that might be a good fit for her!
Friday, December 17, 2010
merry and bright
faith always hosts a christmas card carousel every year and this is my first year to participate. i'm a little late to the party...mostly because i just mailed our cards this week (shameful, i know ;). i love, love, love making the trip to the mailbox this time of year because i love getting everyone's christmas cards!
we had such a great experience shooting our picture for our cards this year (and we wanted some up-to-date photos of hubs and me). a great local photographer, eric barker, met us in downtown charlotte and snapped thousands of shots. i only had to choose one out of 267 for our cards! he did such a great job and we had such a fabulous experience with him.
i hope you have a fabulous last week preparing for christmas (only 8 more days to go!!) and as you are busy preparing your home for guests, presents to be given, and yummy food for parties don't forget to prepare your heart to focus on the Christ child. our Messiah has come...Wonderful Counselor...Mighty God...Eternal Father...Prince of Peace.
for a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ~isaiah 9:6
Sunday, December 12, 2010
God With Us
confession: i love Christmas. seriously, i LOVE Christmas. trees decorated and brightly lit with lights, Christmas movies, carols, hot cocoa, Christmas cookies, parties with family and friends, and {yes} even those tacky Christmas sweaters {in small doses, of course}. i think it is easy to get wrapped up in the hallmark version of Christmas and miss the entire purpose of this glorious time of year.
Emmanuel has come. Jesus has come. God's only Son, come to earth to not only save us but to give us the opportunity to know God and walk with Him every day. Emmanuel has come.
there is nothing wrong with LOVING the Christmas season and everything that goes along with it...the trees, the carols, the movies, and yes, even the tacky Christmas sweaters, but i want my central focus and purpose for this season to revolve around Emmanuel...God with us. i want to rejoice and celebrate because the glorious impossible has happened--Jesus has come and more importantly, beyond Christmas, there is an empty tomb. so celebrate with friends and family. decorate your Christmas tree, use exterior illumination to light up your neighborhood, soak up the laughter of family and friends all the while remembering that the reason we have to celebrate is that babe wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. Emmanuel has come.
"today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ~ luke 2:11 & 12
"she will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ~ matthew 1:21
"...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."~ john 10:10
Emmanuel has come. Jesus has come. God's only Son, come to earth to not only save us but to give us the opportunity to know God and walk with Him every day. Emmanuel has come.
there is nothing wrong with LOVING the Christmas season and everything that goes along with it...the trees, the carols, the movies, and yes, even the tacky Christmas sweaters, but i want my central focus and purpose for this season to revolve around Emmanuel...God with us. i want to rejoice and celebrate because the glorious impossible has happened--Jesus has come and more importantly, beyond Christmas, there is an empty tomb. so celebrate with friends and family. decorate your Christmas tree, use exterior illumination to light up your neighborhood, soak up the laughter of family and friends all the while remembering that the reason we have to celebrate is that babe wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. Emmanuel has come.
"today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ~ luke 2:11 & 12
"she will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ~ matthew 1:21
"...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."~ john 10:10
Saturday, December 11, 2010
christmas tour of homes 2010
the nester and kelly are both hosting a christmas tour of homes this year and {for once} i'm actually early! i decided to go ahead and post my pictures and then monday i'll link up to everyone.
so in the meantime, grab a cup of hot cocoa or warm cider and welcome to our home!
our front porch
LOVE my wreath! :-)
our foyer
really love this tree in our foyer
dining room...fruit tree centerpiece; the table runner matches the tree skirt for the tree in the foyer and our stockings. they were birthday presents from my mom and sister last year and i LOVE them!
"the stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."
my willow tree nativity is so precious to me. it was a wedding present from my mom and my sister and i simply adore it!
one of our newest Christmas decoration additions this year is this tree in our den. i wanted it to be fun and playful... hence the colored lights, top hat as the topper, the santa bag and the "oversized" presents underneath. i also incorporated a lot of joel's ornaments from his childhood.
our kitchen table centerpiece and our gingerbread house masterpieces (hubs, bff marissa, and i worked so hard on those houses ;)
our advent calendar--this is super special because it was a gift to us from my parents...it was a family tradition in my house growing up and mom wanted to give it to us for future alley grandchildren ;). the little trinkets and toys hidden inside each day also hold special meaning to us so it's all around one of my favorite parts of our Christmas decorations!
"santa, i can explain..."
yes, we believe in santa claus in our household ;)
more importantly, though, "happy birthday, Jesus!"
if you stand in the kitchen (right behind the ledge) Ho, Ho, Ho reads like Oh, Oh, Oh. so funny and sometimes so appropriate during the craziness of the season!
i'm so excited about my "happy everything" plate because you trade out the little tile at the top of the plate according to the holiday or season.
even our little paisley was in the Christmas spirit!
thank you for visiting our home. praying you have a happy and joyful Christmas surrounded by family and friends. happy birthday, Jesus!
Friday, December 10, 2010
grace
hubs and i just spent a week at what is supposed to be the most magical place on earth. yes, that's right--disney world. for us, it was a pretty magical week...time just for us with no schedules, no computers, no facebook, and limited texts/cell usage. it was glorious.
i had a conversation, though, with a lady while we were waiting in line in one of the thousands of disney gift shops who had not had a magical experience. in fact, the reason we even started talking had to do with the fact that a man had just blown by her to get in front of her to check out. i couldn't believe that someone would really be that rude and the lady began to tell me that she and her family had such a horrible experience...primarily due to the rudeness and inconsiderate actions of others...that if they ever come back it will be a very, very long time. i felt so bad for her and her family partly because if you're going to disney world, you should have a magical experience (hello, can we say expensive?) and because something--this vacation that had the potential to create such great memories for her and her family had been so downright disappointing.
where i am going with this? so glad you asked! while i do wish this family would have had a better vacation experience, my conversation with this lady coupled with several frustrating experiences of my own last week led me back to one word--grace.
in the moments and instances where my flesh really wanted to repay someone's inconsiderate action with a similarly inconsiderate action, thankfully the Holy Spirit would take control and give me the grace i needed to extend to others. i would often walk through the park thinking to myself, "do they see something different in you, amy?" and i'll be honest sometimes i know my flesh won in that particular instance but i'm thankful the Lord used those moments to point out my sinful nature and in His loving and gracious way give me an opportunity to turn from that attitude and surround me with His forgiveness.
i didn't expect disney world to provide such a wealth of opportunities for the Lord to dig out my selfish, sinful struggles but i'm so thankful that wherever i am, whatever i am doing, the Holy Spirit is working in my life to make me more like Christ. so as you are out finishing (or perhaps starting ;) your Christmas shopping this season...even in the stress of busy parking lots, crowded malls, the struggle to find the "perfect" gift...take a second and ask the Lord to give you the grace you need to extend to others. it is CHRISTmas, after all. what a great opportunity to really share the love of God with a mall full of crazy, stressed out shoppers.
i'm taking the challenge...will you?
i had a conversation, though, with a lady while we were waiting in line in one of the thousands of disney gift shops who had not had a magical experience. in fact, the reason we even started talking had to do with the fact that a man had just blown by her to get in front of her to check out. i couldn't believe that someone would really be that rude and the lady began to tell me that she and her family had such a horrible experience...primarily due to the rudeness and inconsiderate actions of others...that if they ever come back it will be a very, very long time. i felt so bad for her and her family partly because if you're going to disney world, you should have a magical experience (hello, can we say expensive?) and because something--this vacation that had the potential to create such great memories for her and her family had been so downright disappointing.
where i am going with this? so glad you asked! while i do wish this family would have had a better vacation experience, my conversation with this lady coupled with several frustrating experiences of my own last week led me back to one word--grace.
in the moments and instances where my flesh really wanted to repay someone's inconsiderate action with a similarly inconsiderate action, thankfully the Holy Spirit would take control and give me the grace i needed to extend to others. i would often walk through the park thinking to myself, "do they see something different in you, amy?" and i'll be honest sometimes i know my flesh won in that particular instance but i'm thankful the Lord used those moments to point out my sinful nature and in His loving and gracious way give me an opportunity to turn from that attitude and surround me with His forgiveness.
i didn't expect disney world to provide such a wealth of opportunities for the Lord to dig out my selfish, sinful struggles but i'm so thankful that wherever i am, whatever i am doing, the Holy Spirit is working in my life to make me more like Christ. so as you are out finishing (or perhaps starting ;) your Christmas shopping this season...even in the stress of busy parking lots, crowded malls, the struggle to find the "perfect" gift...take a second and ask the Lord to give you the grace you need to extend to others. it is CHRISTmas, after all. what a great opportunity to really share the love of God with a mall full of crazy, stressed out shoppers.
i'm taking the challenge...will you?
but He said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. that is why, for Christ’s sake,i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. for when I am weak, then I am strong. ~2 corinthians 12:9-10
Monday, December 6, 2010
happy anniversary
just wanted to pop in for a second to say happy anniversary to the love of my life. i never in my wildest dreams imagined life could be this sweet and this good. the Lord blessed me beyond measure and i can say those 30 years of waiting for you, my love were worth it.
thank you, joel alley, for loving me well, leading me confidently, and going above and beyond providing for our family. you really were the answer to so many prayers that were prayed over those 30 years and i couldn't be more blessed. love you forever and always!
always on the go...posted via droid incredible.
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