Books I've Read

This summer I had high hopes of reading many books however this summer has come and gone and I have not read that many.  I still have several on my list to read but here is what I have read so far.

I love to read and to get lost in books.  This summer I have tended to stay with the non-fiction books and it has been a good change up from the norm for me.  The books above have definitely been uplifting and motivating to me.  They have encouraged me spiritually.  I would recommend all of the above and hope that you would also find them to be spiritually uplifting.  My goal as seen on my 30 by 30 list is to read the Bible all the way through and to start memorizing verses each month. 

What books have you read this summer?  Anything that you would recommend?

Birthday Surprises!

I knew that I had a romantic husband and Matt truly shined for my birthday this year.   For about a month Matt had been talking about my birthday and being very sneaky so I knew that he had something up his sleeve for this special day.  I had no idea what he was planning but was wonderfully surprised on my birthday with a fun and exciting trip with my man!  The day started early on Thursday morning getting in the car with my suitcases packed and no idea where we were heading.  First stop breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, I love doughnuts so it was the perfect breakfast meal for me.  After leaving there I knew that we could go north, south, east or west, Matt turned south.  At each turn in the road Matt had me guessing where we were going.  It became a fun game and great way to keep me awake because I didn't want to miss a single clue in the road turns.

So here is our amazing trip turned out...
*lunch at Stamey's BBQ in Greensboro, one of my absolute favorites
*Zoo to visit Africa, we had a blast walking around hand in hand talking and seeing the animals.  We were reminded of God's majesty and creativity in each and ever animal we saw.  The intricate designs and patterns on each animal and the uniqueness in everyone.
*back in the car off to our final destination no clue where again...
*downtown Charlotte (my hometown) staying right in the heart of the city at the Hilton! Breathtaking views and amazing room with beds that were divine.
*dinner downtown at Roosters, delicious duck, steak, asparagus, and potatoes. Great atmosphere and romantic date night with my handsome husband!
*shopping at Southpark
*cupcakes at Harris Teeter

So thankful for the thought, time and energy that Matt put into each step of the day.  I could not ask for a better day to celebrate my birthday! I am so thankful for his love and thoughtfulness!

Where I Learned...

This past weekend we headed to Charlotte for a my birthday/Mark and Christina's Wedding (yay for Bro and Sis-in-law being married now!)/to worship at First Baptist Church (where I grew up).  As soon as I get my pictures loaded you can expect a blog about the first two things on that list but today we are going to focus on the last event on the list.

First Baptist Charlotte, it has a very special and dear place in my life.  When I am there I am filled with excitement, joy, worship, awe, get goosebumps and even tear up a little bit.  This church has so much history in it for me and is filled with many many many dear people to me.

First Baptist is where I learned to...
*have a relationship with Christ
*worship
*serve
*pray
*be a friend

First Baptist is where I...
*was saved by the grace and love of Christ
*was baptized
*watched my parents train my sister and I in the way we should go and raise us in a Christian home
*made my first life long friends
*was loved by my church family and ministers
*first had the calling to be a ministers wife
*was able to experience what being a couple in the ministry was like through watching the Godly examples of many of our ministers especially Dr. Charles Page and his wife, Sandra.  If anyone knows me well they know that this couple is extremely special to me and I often reflect on the love that they had for the Lord, for their family, each other, and their church members.  I remember the days where I would go sneak into Dr. Page's office to get candy and talk to him.  I remember the morning of my baptism and my dad and I sitting in his office talking about my life as a Christian.  I remember Mrs. Page treating me as her own while at summer camp when I missed my parents.  I remember their warmth and smiles.  I love how to this day I can still talk to Mrs. Page and see the love of Christ in her. 

First Baptist has...
*authentic worship
*preachers who preach the Word of God without fear
*many of my family's life long friends and it is always so special to get to go to worship together and catch up.  Whenever we see them it is if we have never left and we catch up right where we left off.

As you can tell this place is very dear to my family and I am so thankful that Matt was able to be a part of this for the first time this past weekend.  I look forward to him joining along side there when we visit again.  We may have moved and now we have another wonderful church to worship in but FBC Charlotte is my home church and I love being there.

I pray that each and every person that reads my blog has a wonderful church to attend and if they don't that they will find one.  I would love to hear from each of you, where is that special place in your life?

30 before 30

The other day we were celebrating my 25th birthday as a family and my mom challenged me to create a list of 30 things that I would like to do before I turn 30 years old so here I go.

1. Read the Bible all the way through
2. Share God's love more/Witness to those around me
3. Outreach to our neighbors
4. Visit a state I have never been to
5. Go to a beach in Florida maybe even Disney World again while I am there
6. Go to another Major League Baseball game (the last one I went to got rain delayed and after waiting a long time we decided to leave, of course the game started when we got back to our friends house)
7. Learn to sew
8. Be pregnant/Have a baby
9. Learn a Bible verse/passage each month
10. Print/frame our wedding pictures
11. Plant an herb garden
12. Make a birthday calendar and send birthday cards to people in our life
13. Organize my photos/scrapbook again
14. Update my blog more regularly 3-4 times a week.
15. Spend a day creating memories with my niece (I love my time with her now as a 5 month old but I am thinking of this one day way when she is a little older)
16. Try to wakeboard/water ski again
17. Take a family trip with my family and Matt's family
18. Go spend a weekend with my grandparents and look through old family pictures and hear stories about growing up
19.  Read a book a month
20. Fly on a plane
21. Decorate and sale a cake
22. Grow tomatoes for tomato sandwiches
23. Buy a house
24. Consider getting a dog (love dogs kinda want one)
25. Try a new food
26. Fly on an airplane
27. Go on a mission trip
28. Write more thank you notes
29. Plan a special day with my family
30. Go to NYC

Well I have 5 years now best get going! :) thanks to mom and dad for a fun idea and my hubby for helping me with my list recalling things I have said I wanted to do!

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

I sure do love summer vacation and we have been staying super busy around here this summer.

Here is a glimpse of some of the things we have been up to:

1. Asheville Weekend with Em, S, and Caroline:  This was our first trip to Asheville and it sure was fun.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast for the first time, explored the city, did some shopping, went to the Farmers Market, visited the camp that I went to as a child, hiked to some beautiful falls where the Hunger Games was taped.  It was a wonderful time to be with each other!

2. Roadtrip to see Laura and Jonathan:  My college roommate and her husband had us down for the weekend to visit in their new house. They were wonderful host and made us feel right at home.  We had a great time catching up, eating yummy chicken, fresh crabs, and many other goodies, exploring, and being out on the river in the boat.  We sure do always enjoying being with these two!

3. Making many delicious meals together:  Matt and I have really enjoyed the slower paced summer evenings and cooking dinner together.  We have made many delicious meals that are new to us and some that are old.  We have found several of the recipes on Pinterest.  One of our favorite meals was the night we made crab cakes, shrimp, and asparagus.  Another was apple pancakes.  I could probably go on and on with other meals I have really enjoyed. :)

Stay tuned for more summer adventures!

Cakes

Cakes are a lot of fun to make and take lots of patience, attention, and hard work.  If you know anything about me I have always loved to bake and now I have even extended that to cake decorating.  In May I signed my mom and I up for a cake decorating class.  During this class we learned the basics of cake decorating and had a blast with each other.  We laughed at our trials and celebrated our good designs.  I wish that I had a picture of my mom's designs but I don't have one at this time.  Here are two of the cakes that I have made and I would love to have the opportunity to make many more cakes.  If anyone is interested in a cake please let me know.  I may be new to this but I truly enjoy it and will do the best that I can.  My hope is to get better with each cake.

 

 Happy Birthday Cake to the Best Dad!  He loves golf so this was the perfect cake for him.

 The cake I made for my final project in class.  How cute!

Come back soon for updates on the life of Matt and Allison.  Several blog posts in the making!

Dear Dad,

Father's Day was last Sunday and my dad's birthday is tomorrow so I thought I would do a post celebrating my dad.

My dad is a man of courage, a man of God, a man who loves his family and would do anything for them, a man who is a hard worker, a man who is kind, caring, compassionate, generous, fun, lets just face it my dad is plan awesome.  I have always been a Daddy's Girl since a very little age and I will always be my dad's girl.

Over the years my dad has done many fun things with my family and I, however some were extra special because they created a bond between my dad and I.

* When I was young my dad would let me go to work with him during the summer.  Most of the time I would go with him to Danville because this way I would get to help my dad set up displays for floor samples, eat an amazing lunch, and get to see my granddad at the Car dealership.  It was here that my dad and I had many conversations about life, and were I learned a hard work ethic.  I can put up a floor display with the best of them, talk cars like one of the men, and eat as many mashed potatoes, bbq and chocolate pies that I could.

 *As I got older and started babysitting in the summer my dad and I started having lunch dates a couple times a month.  Again this was a special time sitting around a table having lunch together.  There would be days when we would invite mom and sister.  Now we invite Matt, and hopefully this summer Caroline will be able to join us.

 *My dad was the one that created a TARHEEL fan out of me and one of the things that we do each year is pick out a UNC basketball game to go to and cheer on our favorite team.  We have been able to go to several senior games, Duke, Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Miami games with one another.  We love going to Chapel Hill and cheering loud and proud for our team.  We have even made it to an ACC Tournament to cheer on the Tarheels.

I am blessed with a wonderful dad who along with my mom has raised me to be the lady that I am today.  My dad helped me to see qualities that I wanted in my husband and I am so blessed that I to have found a husband who has many of the same qualities that my dad has.

Happy Birthday Dad!  I love you!

P.S.  Check back later this week for the birthday cake I made!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

My beautiful Mom

Matt's beautiful Mom

The Lord has blessed Matt and I both with wonderful Mom's.  They are both beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside.  They continue to love us, support us, and lift us up in prayer each and every day.  We are forever grateful for these two ladies, for the many unselfish acts that they have done for us over the years as they raised us to be a man and woman of God.  Both our mother's and our father's have shown us how a Christian marriage works and we will forever be learning from their examples. 

I am so thankful for all of the times that we get to spend with our mom's and will always cherish the times that we have with them!  Happy Mother's Day Moms!  We love you!

"...Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.  Similarly encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set them an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

Titus 2:4-8

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many woman do noble things but you surpass them all.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:28-30

Two Years and Counting...

This is a big week of looking back and celebrations!  We had our first date on May 15, 2010 and got engaged on May 14, 2011.  Matt and I have enjoyed looking back at the past two year and seeing how much God has grown us and our relationship.  What a blessing and exciting time the past two years have been.  Last night we read old e-mails that we wrote each other after meeting one another, how fun it was to re-read the letters that began it all!

Let's take a little walk through the past two years of love, laughter, and growth...

Pictures from our first family vacation with my family...What a wonderful memory!

 First Picture ever taken together...

 Summer date nights...

 First family vacation with his family...a snowy fun week!

 First Christmas together...

 First Birthday together...

First wedding together...
 

 One of the first VT football games...

 First hike together...

 First Halloween together...

There were many other pictures that I wanted to share but they would not load onto the blog.  What a wonderful two years it has been and I look forward to where the Lord leads us in the years to come!

Sweeter than Sugar

Our hearts have been won over by the cutest, cuddlest, sweetest, bestest niece ever, Caroline Brooke!

 We love just spending time with this little doll.  She will just gaze into your eyes for hours, melt your heart in a minute, and keep you smiling every second.

 She is a true beauty and a wonderful gift from God to our family.  It is so amazing to see this beautiful creation that God knitted together in her mothers womb perfectly.  She loves her hands.

 Caroline will keep you watching as she is always making these cute little faces.  What a hoot to watch some of the expressions made.  I will always remember some of the facial expressions she has made at us.

 She is well loved by all of her family and friends!  I can't wait to watch her grow to be a woman of the Lord. 

My sister and brother-in-law blessed me tremendously by giving her my middle name!  I am so honored to share my name with this little girl. 

How could you resist this adorable little sweetheart?  We sure can't and are truly blessed and are so lucky to have her as our niece!  We love you Caroline!

CAbi Clothes

It's no secret, I love clothes!  I love clothes so much.  I love to shop, I love to look nice, I love to buy new things, I love clothes!  Alright, are you with me here?  My mom and her friend started hosting CAbi parties a little over a year ago and I have fallen in love with a new brand of super cute clothes and very comfortable clothes too.  I am thinking of hosting a party myself in the next month or so!  Here are my top picks for the Spring Collection. 

Hopefully these pieces will be making their way to their new home (aka my closet) in the near future!  Wouldn't I be the cutest teacher and wife on the block?  Haha!

Dear Baby,

At one of Emily's showers we filled out these questions about dreams for the baby. In honor of my adorable little niece/nephew that should make their appearance this week I would like to make a post to them. Soon there will be pictures of them on here! Can't wait.

Dear Baby,

I hope that you learn to love Jesus at an early age. That you will come to see his amazing grace, mercy, and love. I know that your mommy and daddy will guide you and raise you in the way that the Lord would like them to.

I hope you aren't afraid to try new things and be yourself.

I hope you love coming to visit your Auntie Al and Uncle Matt.

I hope you get to have all your dreams come true!

I hope you laugh at yourselve when you make mistakes.

I hope you never forget that you are loved by Jesus, your family, and by your AUNTIE!

I hope you ignore people who are mean to you and try to harm you.

I hope you become a strong Christian.

I hope you respect your parents.

I hope you grow to become a kind, caring, giving, and loving person. I hope you grow up to be as wonderful as your parents are. They mean the world to me and I know they will mean the world to you as well! I may be biased but they are going to be the best parents!

I love you to pieces and I haven't even met you yet,
Your Auntie Al

-This is one of my favorite songs and it reminds me to stand in the power of Christ each and every day. I pray that you will come to know the Lord at an early age and that you as well will cling to the promises in this song.

In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my all-in-all

Here in the love of Christ I stand

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

 For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand


Dear Em and S,
We are praying for you each and everyday as you make the final preparations for the baby. We know that you will make wonderful Godly parents and that you will "train up this child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6. We know that you will find "no greater joy than to hear that your child walks in the truth" 3 John 1:4. We love you and are here for you! Feel free to call us for Babysitting!

Love,
Allison and Matt

Wii Crazy

We have always loved playing the Wii. I first fell for this game system when my sister and brother-in-law bought theirs when it first came out. I am unsure when Matt got his Wii but I know that he enjoys it as well. After our first date we became hooked on playing and competing against each other. We will go through spells where we play all the time and then we will have a period of time when we rarely touch it. Since Christmas Break we have most definitely been on a playing streak, we play ALL the time! It is such a fun time no matter what game you play. It has also brought out a very competative side of me.

We decided that for Christmas both parents could use their own Wii System so that is what we gave for Christmas presents this year. Now not only are Matt and I playing a lot but so are our parents. Now here comes my very competative side. Not only am I playing against my husband and trying to beat his records (he is really good!) but I am now competing against my dad and father-in-law. My dad and I play every time I go and visit and it is always a good time. Jerry (my father-in-law) and I will call each other with updates about our scores and what is the new score to beat. What a friendly fun competition that we all have going! Maybe we should have a Family Wii Weekend! (Hmm...now that I said that it does sound quite fun!) Wonder what the families would think? Good food, fellowship, and fun? I could probably twist their arms to do it!

Dear Matt, Dad, and Jerry,

Consider yourselves warned. A friendly competition is coming your way. I will be practicing and beating your scores. Even the ones that I have beat already I will be continuing to make them better. Put your practice shoes on and be ready!

Love to all,
Allison

Things I look forward to in 2012

*The birth of my niece or nephew in just a few weeks!

*Growing more in love each and every day with my wonderful Husband

*Family Time

*Growing Closer to the Lord

*Time with my sweet class and helping them become the men and women that God wants them to be.

*My brother-in-law and future sister-in-laws wedding

*Praying for my family

*Vacations

*Spending time with my adorable little niece or nephew/oh yea and my cute little neph-dog Jack!

*Church

*Finishing my Thank-you notes from the wedding (yes, I still have some to go)

*Be crafty, lots of cute ideas in my head that need to be done

*Following God's will for our life

*Read More!

*Try new recipes

*Blog more

*many many more things will be wonderful and fun in 2012! Looking forward to a fun year full of many of God's blessings!