{photos} Alex G.

Meet Alex.

He's your typical little boy - running and playing freely, throwing pine cones and sticks.

He's the type of boy who will bring you joy within minutes of being around him.

When we asked him to smile he would say, "Cheese" and throw a 2 second smile then stare off into space again.

And then after awhile he was tired of photos and wanted to stare off more.

I gotta say, though, he has the best attention span I've ever seen in a child... and he is oh, so photogenic! Watch out David and Amy, I think you guys got a model on your hands!

home.

This is what it feels like, looks like, and smells like (think pine mixed with peppermint). <3

who I am.

Can I just say I miss singing?
(I'm still sick.  Sinus infection.)

I've gotten a lot better thanks to antibiotics, and-most importantly-time.
I am just now able to sing an entire song without choking, but it's taken me awhile to get here.


This quiet time has made me realize that music is my ultimate passion, my biggest dream.  It always has been, and I am realizing now that it is a part of me that will always be me.  God has revealed to me some of the plans He has for me, and that is better than ANYTHING in the world.

Of course, a Taylor Swift concert is a good way to get all those old emotions come pouring through my veins again.  To see an arena packed out, all singing the same songs in unison... there's power in that.
And I want to be a light.  I want to sing songs I've written that can change lives in a positive way. I want to hear testimonies, I want to get to know people who are dealing with things I've dealt with. That's my dream.



My friends make concerts so much more fun!
And without true friends, you won't have anyone to tell you how wonderful you really are - because friends build you up on the building blocks of your life. They encourage you, and listen to you. I wouldn't be who I am today without my friends. They see your potential. And that's an amazing thing.

transparency.

my heart aches for something more.
I want to see how God sees me. I want to know my purpose.
I just stare out foggy windows, seeing a bright world but not knowing what it means.
My insecurities, they keep holding me back.
My fears can sometimes get the best of me. I'm told that I'm too young to really know anything.
But I know a lot more than most think.

I know how I feel, what I dream of. I feel hurt and I feel joy. I'm confused and estranged one day, and then so sure the next. There has to be something more.

My heart beats for more.

God, I need you now more than I ever have.
I need your love because this world lacks too much of it.
I need your hope because you have planted so many desires in me and gave me life to make it happen.
I need your peace because I often feel alone.

God, I need you.
For you are the only concrete thing I will ever know.
You never walk away. You hold me in your arms.
You sing back to me the melody of what is in my heart.
I know I am a sinner, and do wrong every day
and I'm so sorry I break your heart.
I need you.
So please calm my mind, my heart, and my body.
Show me who You want me to be.
Direct my steps and  open the doors,
so that I can get closer to the real me.
The beautiful me.
The gentle me.
The peaceful me.

My heart wants nothing more than all of these things.
Please fill me and make me whole.

my love, it's been two years.

Our first week of school at New Life School of Worship. I'm rocking the gross hoodie and yellow glasses, David is behind me. Ironic? I think not.

I was 18 years old when I first met David.  It was a crisp day in September when I walked into New Life Church ready to start my first day of 10-month worship ministry school.  Except I wasn't really ready.   I was entirely terrified. 


{One month prior, my boyfriend of two years broke up with me.  Yeah, it was a pity party for me.  He was the only best guy friend I had ever had, and he fed me with gifts and words.  He could say I was beautiful in sixteen different ways. If there were ever a human dictionary, it would be him.  To make a long story short, when I finally gave him almost all of me, he cheated on me and then broke up with me before I would figure it out.  His actions left me broken--wondering if I was worth anything.  And because I relied on him for practically everything, it was almost like I had to learn how to start life all over again. I had to figure out who I was before he ever came into my life.}

I got out of my tan pathfinder and slowly walked up to the doors.   I breathed in deeply, smelling the cool air mixed with pine and made my way through.  When the doors swung open, the first thing my eyes saw was this young man standing about thirty feet away, laughing with some guys by one of the orientation tables.  His smile was instantly magnetic to me - my eyes were fixed and I did not want to let go.

As the days went on, I continuously would catch myself looking his way.  There was something completely fascinating about him; it was like he was this brand new species I had never seen before.  On day 3 he looked at my yellow music note shoes.  "I love your shoes," he said.
I smiled. "Thanks!"

On the second week he noticed my yellow purple and blue shirt.  "That shirt is awesome."
Again, I smiled (pathetically) and said, "Thanks!"

And then one day during small group time, I shared with my group what I was feeling.  I don't know how it happened, but I put my heart on a platter in front of 12 people I barely knew, expecting people might find me a little insane.  I could just see them now!  They probably would all laugh at me behind my back, and make fun of me for being the weird young girl who was so hurt over a stupid boy.

They didn't laugh.  They supported me and prayed for me instead.
After we dismissed, the "magnetic guy" ran up to me.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," I replied.
"I just wanted to say I really like what you shared.  A similar thing happened to me recently, and I know what it is like to lose a friend who you love so much."

He became "magnetic guy" to "sweetie pie."

"Oh, thanks.  Yeah, it's been really hard for me."
"Well you seem like a cool girl!  We should hang out sometime."

And we did.  By December we were best friends spending every possible second together, sharing our hearts and learning to love all over again--with each other.

 

I believe God has a plan for everything.  He used David as a way of calming me before I ever even shook his hand.  When I look back, I'm amazed at how our friendship was so beautifully orchestrated.  We were two people who needed a friend, and in the end we ended up getting more than we ever even DREAMED.  If you would have told either one of us we would meet out husband/wife during this time, we would have laughed. In fact, my mom did say those things before David even existed in my world.  When I was crying she told me, very confidently, that I would meet an older boy in school of worship, and I'd marry him.  I guess mothers always are right!

David, I love you and I feel so blessed God brought you to me.

You are the man I always wanted but thought I would never find.

And we of course celebrated two years of being married!!

Going to the best BBQ in all the world - 4 Rivers!

{Yummmm.}


 
 

 

And then we stopped by Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando where it's free every first Monday of the month!


 

 
2 years down... endless to go!!!

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And the winner of the fall bundle is....

Jessica S!! Yay!  We met Jessica in School of Worship and she became a close friend of ours. 
Keep coming back for more prizes and fun giveaways, and thank you again for your support!

two years ago today...

I married my best friend.

to cherish.

 I just gotta smile.

Well... it's one of those days.  The days where all you do is look at blogs on the internet and do all the things you've always wanted to do but haven't had time to, like read a book or something (or maybe that's just me).

The other day David told me he wasn't feeling well; in fact, he lost his voice and has since been whispering everything he says (which is worse for his voice, but don't get me started there).  Well, the other night I wanted to cuddle.  I mean, we are married, c'mon! So as we were laying in bed I put my head on his chest and kissed him.

Wrong move.

Yeah, apparently you can catch your husband's sickness if you lay next to him.
Who woulda thought?


I took today off from work, or more like I was told to.  Nobody wants you to take care of their children when you're sick.  It probably has something to do with the fact that they would get sick, too.

I hope you are enjoying this sarcasm as I blow my nose every 5 seconds and think about what I should eat.  I'm also pretty sure I'm dehydrated.  For those that know me well, I can be stubborn beyond belief and today is no exception.  We, scratch that, I do not drink Florida faucet water.
I'm sorry if this makes me sound like Paris Hilton, but, really, I just don't go there.  We ran out of bottled water this morning so now I am sitting here parched.  And I'm too lazy to get up and drive a half of a mile to the store to get more, okay? It's just one of those days.  Sue me.  We also don't have a water filter so if you'd like to send one our way, I'll be happy to give you my mailing address!




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Crazy Halloween makeup pictures from a haunted house I was in:

I was the scary looking creature at the end of the tunnel.  I had some very good screams coming from that tunnel, but some of the kids were being complete punks and decided to keep coming around and picking on me.  They acted all tough, but as soon as I started to slowly walk toward them, they took off running!  It was good to have that power for one day. ;-)


In my black cape before it went down!

I ended up working on Halloween again this year.  It's not where I wanted to be, but hey, I was able to earn money and finally tell Canon to fix and send me my lens that broke back in September.  This is exciting!  David wonders why I can't take pictures with the standard lens.  (Ummm... because that's not the best, and I want the best!) I've had several people ask me to take Christmas pictures this year and I am very excited to do it.  Now that my lens is being shipped back, I can do it!  So, if you're reading this right now and you are thinking you would like pictures taken, let me know! I would love to do them.  I also still consider myself to be starting out so my prices are pretty much non-existant.  Who doesn't want close-to-free photos, right?

A fun collage of some of my favorites I have taken throughout the years for your viewing pleasure

I'm very excited we are already into November.  Our wedding anniversary is this Monday, and I think we are celebrating on Sunday. I don't even know if David is planning anything.  Hopefully he is and that's all I have to say about that.  But two years.  Feels like longer,  yet time has flew by.  It's very hard to explain, but I'm excited for what's ahead.  The last 24 months have been very hard, but I think adjusting to life and culture here in Florida has been a big portion of that.

As Maroon 5 says,

"It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along"

Hm, isn't that the truth?  Still, though, I try to cherish all that I have here.  I say try because I'm a woman and a realist at that -- I see things for how they are.  And though I have my happy days, there are also trying days where my heart aches to go home and build a life in the land I love the most.  But in those moments I must turn my focus to all the good things ahead, and the things right in front of me.  David and I are homeowners, we have two cars completely paid off, we have jobs (though they may not be steady, they have given us what we need),  we have David's family here, and we have each other.  We are immensely blessed and God has given us all we need during this stage of our lives.

And I also just gotta say that I am completely cherishing the fact that both David and I are laying down right now, resting.  There are so many couples out there who work nonstop to pay the bills, and we have not had to do that quite yet.  I work Monday-Sunday, but I don't bust my butt, you know?  What I do for a living is fun - I get to work with kids and play with them, and in my spare time I get to sell products I love.

And although David did lose his job at the church we were serving/attending over a month ago, we are trying to remain positive.  It wasn't like the last time we left a church, and because of the first experience, we knew how to handle it better with God's help. We have clung to each other in support. Right now we aren't part of a church family.  We have been attending different churches every week getting fresh perspective.  Each church we go to has a few friends we know, and we are always meeting new people.  It's been nice.

These are good days.  And one day, we are going to miss them.

But for now we are going to cherish them.



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The Fall Bundle: