Preacher's wife. Momma. Love reading other's blogs and stories.

                                

My name is Alyssa. I am a child of God. I am a missionary baptist. I am a mom to a beautiful little girl named Sadie who will be 2 at the end of January. I am a wife but most importantly, I am a preacher's wife.

My husband and I have been married for two and a half years. He surrendered to the ministry before I even met him and when I did meet him, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to date him, but you can read about that story in the "Our Story" tab at the top of my blog.

I was raised in church my whole life. I like to say that I was lucky and blessed to have that. At the age of 9, I realized I was lost and needed to be saved. After the morning message one Sunday, I asked God to come into my heart and I was saved. I was baptized the following week. As I grew and got older, my relationship with God became more and more important to me and I knew that I could do nothing in my life without Him. My teenage years were kind of rough and I had a lot of family problems but God remained constant and I knew that I would make it through everything with Him.

At some point I had this feeling that I was gonna marry a preacher. It was so interesting when I met my husband and he happened to be one. We started dating and when he would be asked to preach at one of our sister churches, I would go with him. I was determined to show him that I supported his call to the ministry, that I would sacrifice things in my life to support what was important in his. We dated for 5 months and then got engaged. We got married May 1, 2010. We found out we were pregnant a few weeks later and had our precious girl January 31, 2011.

Our relationship and life has been a whirlwind but God remains the one constant thing in our life. Our relationship was founded on it and our marriage was founded on it. Being a preacher is not easy and neither is being a preacher's wife. It calls for a lot of sacrifices in our life. Not taking certain jobs, not working on Sundays, being in church services at all times, traveling up and down the state to preach and attend association meetings or any other service that one of our sister churches puts on, etc. But I would not change it for a single minute. Being able to share God's word with those who need it is a blessing upon itself.

I may not blog on here regularly and honestly I still haven't figured out exactly what I want this blog to be but if I can use this blog to share God's word to those who need it then that's what the purpose of this should be. Being a preacher's wife has humbled me so much but I love being one and I love being able to support my husband in the area that God has called him to.

Go link up with Becky here: www.frommrstomama.com

Show and Tell: Marriage

                                               

Today I am linking up with Becky over at FromMrs.toMama.com again for a fun link up about marriage and weddings!! Go link up!!







1. Are you married? If so when did you get married, and tell us about your special day. If not? How would you describe your dream wedding? 


Very happily married. Corey and I have been married for a little over 2 years. We got married on May 1, 2010 at our church. It wasn't a huge wedding but it wasn't small either and the total cost was only $3,000. Our ceremony site was at our church and it was perfect. I wouldn't have wanted to get married anywhere else and we had our reception at a rec hall that a friend of ours owned. Our ceremony included traditional vows, written vows, a sand ceremony and my sister singing for us. We had 7 groomsmen, 6 bridesmaids, 1 flower girl and 2 ring bearers, so yes, a HUGE wedding party. I think we had a little over 150 guests. The colors were emerald green and black, with a little bit of yellow because I had to have yellow roses for my bouquet! Our reception was a dessert reception only, so lots of sweets!! It was just a beautiful day!

2. Show us some wedding pictures. Either yours or of some that you love.

3. How about the engagement? Tell us your story. If not engaged, what's your dream proposal?

I love our engagement story. Corey proposed to me in church, in the middle of the sermon. He wrote out "Will you marry me?" on my arm with his finger. At first I thought he was joking around but then I remembered he said that he would ask me if he was going to be serious about it so then I got really nervous. I didn't give him an answer right away and then all through lunch I couldn't eat. He finally asked me during lunch what my response was and I said yes! We kept it quiet because he didn't have a ring yet and we wanted to wait till we had one so that night we looked online and we ordered one. The ring came the friday after he originally asked me so I forced him to come up to my house (we lived 3 hours away from each other) so I could have it. I guess I ruined other plans that he had been planning for me but he came up anyways. We went for a walk around the block and when we came back there were signs that said Come this way and keep walking and there were rose petals all over the ground. He got down on one knee and proposed again, in the middle of my driveway, with the ring. My sister was hiding in the car so she was able to get pictures of it all!

 
 

4. Show us your wedding rings or an engagement photo! If not engaged/married ... show us your "dream" ring.

5. Tell us why you think marriage doesn't work out for so many? What can we do to make things last?
Well I am a Baptist and I believe that God needs to be the center of your marriage. With God you can get through anything. I think that many people who get married don't believe that it should last forever. They view it as a temporary thing with divorce as always an option and I think many people take the easy way out instead of trying to work through the hard times. Nobody ever said marriage was easy and it takes a lot of work. I also believe that people go into marriage thinking it will fix existing problems already in their relationship and then when it doesn't they just decide that marriage isn't for them. 
 I believe that if you are honest and communicate and have love and respect for your spouse then you can make it work. You have to be willing to put in the effort to get through the problems and the hard times and to always be there, supporting and encouraging your spouse. You have to be willing to never give up on your marriage.

18 Months!!

Yup!! That's right! My baby girl is 18 months already and I have no idea where the time has gone!!

Sadie is such a blessing to us and is so fun! She has such a great little personality and loves to ham it up and be funny for us.

She is also learning so much and surprises me everyday with what she knows. Her vocabulary is enormous! She knows so many words and is starting to put sentences together. Some new ones that she has been saying are: you're funny, I'm hiding, oh no!, oh my gosh! and so many more. She can name almost every animal and make all their sounds. We are working on the Alphabet and counting (she can count up to 3) as well as colors. It is so much fun being able to communicate with her and start to understand what she is trying to tell me.

Potty training will be starting soon. Sadie does come up to me and let me know when she poops (it's so funny cause she will grab her diaper and say poop and then sometimes wave her arm and say phew). We have been putting her on the toilet before bathtime but she has yet to pee in it yet. So soon we will be getting her a little toilet and actively working on potty training.

She has surprised me with her sleeping. Normally after bath we read a story and then I rock her to sleep but lately after I rock her she tells me that she wants to go in her crib to fall asleep on her own and I let her. It usually takes her a little while to actually fall asleep by herself and she usually plays for a little bit with her stuffed animals but it is nice to know that she is on her way to learning how to fall asleep by herself.

Sadie is such a great helper to me. She loves to unload the dishwasher, sweep, put laundry in the wash, put her towels away, help me vacumn and clean. I hope it stays this way!!! Haha!! We are working on her cleaning up her own toys before bath and she does a pretty good job.

We just recently upgraded her carseat to a "big girl" front facing seat and she loves it!! She loves being able to look out the windows and see what we see. Our car rides have also become a non stop talking ride for her. She just loves joining in on our conversations!

It is such a joy being her mommy and I love watching her grow and learn and discover new things. Happy 18 Months SadieBug!!!

A little 411

 

Today I am linking up with Becky over at FromMRS.to.Mama for a little info about me. Head on over to her blog, link up and share some info about you!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?

    I've been blogging for almost two years. I started blogging to use it as a way to share memories that we make as a family. Honestly, I don't think my blog has changed that much. I am hit and miss with blogging but I would love to be a better blogger.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?

    I went to two different junior colleges because of a moving situation and studied Child Development, in which I have my Teacher's Permit in order to teach preschool (I taught preschool for 4 years). I then went to a private junior college and received my Associate Degree in Medical Assisting.

3. Where have you traveled?

    I live in California and have visited a lot of places up and down California and I have also traveled to Oregon twice but that's about all the places I have been. I would love to travel more and visit other countries, especially Australia!

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?

    I would probably buy by dream house. It would be great to own a home and not have to make a monthly payment.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?

    1. Water all over the bathroom floor after someone gets out of the shower.

    2. When you're in the middle of explaining something and then someone comes into the conversation and wants you to explain the story all over again.

    3. Not rinsing of your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher after being informed that you need to rinse the dishes off first.

6. What is your favorite movie?

    My all time favorite movie is Speed. For some reason I just love that movie and can pretty much quote the entire movie!! The Sandlot and Twister are also up there as my favorites.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?

    I don't drink alcohol. Water is my preferred drink. You will always see me with a water in my hand but when I'm wanting something with a little more flavor I usually choose tea or juice.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?

    I love to enjoy a good book or relax in a bubble bath. Sometimes I just like to do absolutely nothing when  I have me time.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?

    Ok honestly, I would have to say Ross or Target because you can pretty much buy anything and everything you need at those stores.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.

      Hmmm this would be a driving situation. I was visiting my mom at her work and I decided to park in the spot right by the curb and another car. I pulled in the spot but too close to the curb so I tried backing out and fixing my parking job. I got stuck!! For the life of me I couldn't get my truck to move or go how I wanted it go. People were starting to stop and watch me by then and my sister, who was with me in the car, thought it was funny. Finally this nice guy came up and asked if I needed help. It was so embarrassing but I said yes and he moved my truck for me. Let's just say that I'm cautious when I park by curbs now.

11. What day would you love to relive again?

     My wedding day for sure!! Getting to marry my hubby all over again!! Or the day my daughter was born, not that I would really want to relive the labor but that moment when she was born and your life takes on a whole new meaning.

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?

      Jennifer Aniston......just cause I love her!!


photo via: http://invazion.wordpress.com/tag/jennifer-aniston/

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?

     I did a lot of baby-sitting in high school. My first real job was the summer after i graduated high school. I worked at an elementary school on the daycare staff. I worked morning daycare, lunch staff and afternoon daycare. During the summers, they put on a daycamp and I worked for that as well. I loved that job!! When I moved, I landed a job at another after school program. I then started teaching preschool and did that for 4 years, with an externship at a doctor's office while I was going to school for Medical Assisting. I am now a stay at home mom.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

 This was taken sometime during my college years......

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?

     Australia. I have always wanted to visit there!!

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?

       I see myself with another kid, probably still a stay at home mom, and just enjoying life with my family.

Update

Wow!! It has been quite awhile since I've blogged! Not sure why I haven't posted, maybe just being lazy but we have also been busy the last month or so. Corey has been preaching a lot so we have been traveling on the weekends.

There's not much new stuff going around here. I'm still without a car and we finally sold/junked our car. Now for a new one!!

Sadie is growing like crazy and is so smart. She knows so many words and is such a talker. She talks all the time!! We are working on learning colors (she can identify blue and yellow), learning our ABC's and she can count to 3. She is so funny!! She repeats every word I say and surprises me with words I didn't even know she knew. She loves to help, she is always helping me with the laundry, making my bed, sweeping, dishes and vacumning. She has such a sweet little heart. We have been spending time in the pool and she just loves it!! Such a water baby!!

I'll leave you with a few pics from the past couple of weeks:


Enjoying some ice cream after the pool


Fourth of July!!

Daredevil!

She wasn't as cold as she looks...the water in the pool was heated!

Feeding the ducks

Me and my love bug!!

Update

I've been hit and miss with posts lately so I thought I would update on what we have been up to.

- About a month ago we moved to our new apartment and we love it!! We love the area that we picked and our apartment complex is pretty quiet. I've been trying to find things around the city for Sadie and I to do and it has been pretty easy because Santa Clarita is so family friendly!

- Four days after we moved in, we headed up north to Sacramento for the annual Old State Association. It is a gathering for the churches in our work to get together and discuss some business, fellowship and hear great preaching. This year the church in Citrus Heights hosted it and it was nice to spend a few days up there. Next year, our church is hosting it!!

- A few weeks ago the brakes went out on my car and now it is just sitting in our garage, waiting to be fixed. It's not very fun without a car of my own and being stuck home all day but Sadie and I are making due. We get out and walk and have even ventured out for walks to the store down the street. I mean, it's only less than a mile but we live up a hill, a very steep hill, so the walk back is a little tough.

- Sadie is growing like crazy! She just turned 15 months and is so much fun. She has the happiest, bubbliest personality! She loves to jabber away about anything and everything and loves to "read" out loud to us. She has a been a little cranky that last few weeks which is due to the fact that she has a ton of teeth coming in all at once. Poor baby!!

- Yesterday, Corey and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything special last night because we are saving that for this weekend. I did make a white chocolate raspberry cake for dessert though. On Saturday we are driving down to his parents house, which is about an hour or so away, to drop off Sadie and she will be spending the night there for the first time ever!! I'm nervous!!! But I'm sure she will do just fine. Corey and I are then driving back home for a couples massage that evening and then dinner. It will be nice to have a night alone with my hubby (even though I'll be probably be missing our baby girl like crazy!).

Love

Happy Anniversary!!

The hubby and I celebrate our second wedding anniversary today and boy what an exciting two years it has been......

from finding out we were to pregnant, to having Sadie, to old jobs and new jobs in between, to moving and to all the ups and downs in between......

but I wouldn't want to spend the past two years with anyone other than the love of my life, Corey Alexander.....

He is my rock, my other half, the one I can always count on. He gets me when no one else does and he loves me despite all of my flaws and imperfections. We can make each other laugh over the most ridiculous things, yet we can be there for each other for the serious moments. Through this life, I want him by my side always and forever. I truly have married by best friend and I thank God everyday for him. He is my one and only, my everything. He is such a hard working husband who is always providing for us and keeping us safe. He is the greatest father that a little girl could ask for and watching him with Sadie has made me love him so much more.

I love you Corey Alexander!! Here's to the last two years and many, many, many more to come!!

It's in the details...

The other day I took Sadie to the little playground in our apartment and decided to snap some photos of her. As I was watching her play and looking back at the pictures, it made me realize how fast she is growing and how I want to remember all of the little details about these days.

I want to remember how the first thing you do at the playground is find a spot to sit down and pick up the woodchips and how those would keep you busy for hours.

I want to remember how you show me the ones you pick up and twirl them between your fingers and then try to eat them.

I want to remember how cute your feet look in sandals and how small they are.

I want to remember how you would pick up handfuls of woodchips and dump them on you and smile because you thought it was the funniest thing and how your legs were covered in dirt and woodchips.

I want to remember how small your hands are and how you love to explore things with them.

I want to remember how cute you look in your outfits and how curious you are about the world around you.

I want to remember how you have to try all by yourself to climb up the stairs and how you weren't scared at all.

I want to remember that when you did get a little stuck you still kept on trying and then called for me to come help you and how you stood there for a few seconds, making sure you had your balance.

I want to remember how in love with these sunglasses you are and how you have to wear them all the time, even in the house and how cool they make you look.

And last but not least, I just want to remember all the little details that make you who you are. All the facial expressions, laughs, words, movements, etc. Because time does go by so fast.......