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!}

Lord, i need you, oh i need you every hour i need you. my one defense, my righteousness oh God how i need you.

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 very a 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 out only 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.

now, i'm off to enjoy the last few hours of the weekend with hubs and try to decide what to wear to work tomorrow. {did i mention it's going to be 88 degrees??} sheesh.

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.

"not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." ~ psalm 115:1

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.

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!

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!

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