Our Second Anniversary

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man, and he fell in love with a young woman. They initially bonded over their shared love of God and their love of nerdy things like math and science.

Three years later these two got married, but that is not the end of the story. You see, unlike other stories, this was only the beginning....

Ben and I married two years ago today. It makes me smile when I think of that day, the day our adventure began. The last two years have been filled with so much joy and laughter. Ben continues to be the most thoughtful, caring, and generous man I have ever met. I do not deserve him, but I am so glad God gave him to me any way.

Ben, I love you more than all the stars in the sky! Thank you for choosing me to be your wife!

Happy Two Year Anniversary Benjamin!

Love Always,
Alix

Happy Holiday Mail 2013

This year I had the privilege to participate in the Holiday Happy Mail! My partner is Thuy from My Paper Pinwheel . It was an absolute joy to get to know her. I hope she loved the package I sent her. I had a great time putting it all together.

Thuy sent me a lovely box full of wonderful things. I feel so very blessed to have gotten such a great partner!

1) Chalk Board Gift Tags and Chalk pen (I cant wait to use these!!!)

2)Essie Nail Polish

3) Twine

4) Washi Tape

5) Glitter Tape!!!

6) Pens

7) Chocolate

8) Moose Socks, I am not sure how I went my whole life without these!

9) Orange Clove Candle, it smells amazing guys. 

10) Say Yes to Grapefruit lip balm

11) "A" Ornament

Like I said, I cant believe the amazing box she sent me! I am so very very blessed. Happy Holidays!!!!

Love Always,

Alix 

Christmas Is Coming!!!!

To begin with, Christmas is not about gift giving, decorating, or singing. While I LOVE all of those things, Christmas is about the birth of Christ and the sacrifice he later made for us. With that being said I found some fun ideas to give for Christmas.

1) Scarf from She Does Justice You can read about my love for SDJ here. 

2) Necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

3) Shirt from So Worth Loving 

4) Necklace from Caroline G. (I have two of the three stone necklaces, I get compliments on it all the time!)

5) Washi Tape (I use mine all the time! Im not crazy right my crafting friends?)

 6) Monthly Subscription boxes I have heard great things about birch box, but there are a ton out there for men, women, and children alike. Some will allow you to do just a few months to a whole year. Just consult Google on this one, search monthly box subscriptions.

I love to give gifts and I love Christmas, but the reason for this season is the birth of Jesus Christ. I hope your Holiday season is happy and bright!

Love Always,
Alix

What a Beautiful Life....

I definitely dropped the ball on the 31 Day Challenge. I have no excuse to offer. I need to work on my consistency!

The last few weeks have been so interesting in many ways!

To start off we have had some apartment trouble which resulted in us not having a kitchen for about a month. The good news is we now have a very clean kitchen that is nice and organized. It turned out to be a blessing in a disguise!

Halloween came and went. I was Tinkerbell this year, and got to participate in reverse trick or treat in the Pediatric Unit at the hospital I work at. Seeing those smiling faces brought so much joy to my heart. I just love those kids! I also got to go trick or treating for the first time in my life.... yes I am 23. We went with our dear friends, their precious little girl was a cupcake and their baby boy was a pirate. I also made friends with their little friends, I now know a little dragon and a little lion. Being in a fairy costume really makes kids want to hold your hand! I felt so very special.

Credit: Limelight Photography

We got some of our Christmas pictures taken there will be more to come!

I love giving gifts and making pretty things.

Its a lion....if you tilt your head a little you can see it!

I got to see my Mom, Dad, and Sister last weekend. We went to the Zoo, saw a few movies, hung out, and ate a HUGE piece of cake. (We split it I promise!) I am so so so blessed with this family of mine.

Christmas is coming, so I cant wait to talk more about that soon! Here is to being more consistent!!!!

Love Always,
Alix

31 Days: Meaningful Worship: Amazing Grace (part two)

Via 

Hey there...Im Alix and I have been a slacker the last week or so. With that being said lets get back to it! 

Today we are going to look at Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin. 

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

[2x]

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Will be forever mine.

You are forever mine.

I love Amazing Grace as a hymn. It is one of my favorites, and I am a little sad that its really only sung at funerals. I love the message it brings. God's grace (He sent His one and only son to die for us so we could be with Him one day) is AMAZING!!! As a human-being its hard for me to even fathom doing something like that for people who I knew would reject me. 

Without God's grace we would be lost forever. There would be no hope, no happy ending. We are all lost but once we decide to let him into our hearts we are no longer blind. Its like living in darkness our whole existence only to be healed by grace. Once we can see, we see a bright and vivid world teeming with life.

Amazing Grace the hymn was written by John Nweton in 1779. Unfortunately for Mr. Newton, he had a very stormy life. John was actually on a slave ship in the middle of a storm that almost took the boat when he accepted Christ. At this point John experienced true fear. I would assume the fear was much like that of disciples when they were caught in the storm in the sea of Galilee. Some speculate that he penned the words "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.." because his conversation was a result of the immense fear of God's fury as exhibited by the storm. 

John also noted in the second line that while grace taught his hear to fear, grace also gave him incredible peace. That peace was so precious in a time like this. In a time where nothing was certain, and all that was left was fear. As a result of God's grace John later became a pastor, he then wrote this song. God's grace is amazing. 

Like I said I love this song. Honestly I could talk about it for a while, so thats why I am breaking it into two posts! Tomorrow we will look at the second half of the song. 

Love Always,

Alix 

31 Days: Meaningful Worship: Amazing Grace (part one)

Well friends it's late, and I am a little behind on sleep. For tonight I will leave you the lyrics of the song we will be looking at tomorrow. I love that this song incorporates on of my favorite hymns. 

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

[2x]

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Will be forever mine.

You are forever mine.

This has been a great few weeks of writing, thank you all for your encouragement and ideas. You all mean more to me than I can express. Happy Friday!!!!!

Love Always,

Alix .

31 Days:Meaningful Worship:Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

Via

There have been several times in my life where I have felt that God called the wrong girl. The situation or task at hand was much to difficult for little ol' me to handle. At leased thats what I thought at the time. 

As time moved on, God gave me strength I knew was not my own. Through Him, I survived and thrived. I emerged a better and new creation. 

Today we are looking at Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United 

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

This song has required a lot of prayer and contemplation on my part. These lyrics are deep (no pun intended), and were a little difficult for me to understand. 

In the first verse it refers to the point in time where God calls us out on the water much like he did to Peter during the storm. (Matthew 14:29) He calls us to step out with Him into the great unknown. It is scary and uncertain out there, but we know we can trust our God. Our feet will fail us, we will feel like we can go no farther. Yet, with God's strength we continue on. It is on faith alone that we can stand. 

When we get to this scary place we can call on our Father. As long as we keep our eyes on Him, He will keep us above the waves as the ocean rises. While all this turmoil and uncertainty swirls around us we can rest in His embrace. He will give us unceasing peace, regardless of the circumstance. He will always be ours and we will always be His. That my dear friend brings true comfort. Doesn't it?! 

God's grace shines the most brightly in adverse circumstances. Our God is sovereign...what does that mean?! Yes, this means another definition! 

Sovereign: Possessing supreme or ultimate power 

God, who has all power will guide us through these hardships. As fear starts to swell around us we can trust in Him. He has NEVER failed, and He never will. Even if what we face is scary, or something bad has happened, God has a plan. This plan I promise you is what is best for His children and His kingdom. 

The bridge brings a very brave request. We ask that God would bring us to the place where we have no choice but to trust Him. Its hard for me to ask that. I like being comfortable. The problem with comfortable is growth will never occur. We must be stretched in order to grow.  

We ask that God would call us to this scary place, and it is here that He will make our faith stronger. The stronger our faith, the closer we are to the presence of God. 

That should be our greatest desire (I wish it was that easy)
, to be as close as we can be to our God.  God has us go through some tough things in order for us to grow. He wants us to grow as people and as followers of Christ even if it takes going where our feet may fail us. 

Love Always,

Alix   

31 Days: Meaningful Worship: Lead Me to the Cross

Via 

Can I be honest with you guys? Sometimes I lose sight of what really matters. Sometimes I take my focus off of God and start to forget why I am really here. Sometimes I forget that God is the is the center of my worship not all the other things in this world. 

Sometimes I just mess worshiping up. 

Thankfully we have a God who is forgiving and teaches us lessons through our mistakes. Thankfully we have a God who loves us regardless of the true messes we really are. Trust me, I can be a complete mess most of the time. 

The song we are looking at today helped me bring the focus back to where it really needed to be, on God.

Today we are looking at Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong United


Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

[Chorus:]

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
Human
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

[Chorus]

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

[Chorus]

The first verse is asking that God would help prepare us for worship. That he would quiet our soul and draw our attention to the holy sacrifice that was given on our behalf. I find it hard to quiet my soul. I get all sorts of wound up and my brain is going a mile a minute. I appreciate this plea to God to just give me rest from all that. Life just seems so much more peaceful and calm when all is still and my focus is where it should be. When we focus on God everything we once thought was valuable is as dirty rags.
 

In the chorus, we plea that He would help us to maintain our focus on Him. That we are humbled and brought to our knees in front of our all loving God. We surrender ourselves, we long for him to teach us to be selfless. I can be self absorbed guys. I cant worship God when I am in that state. I have to literally beg him to help me separate myself from my human inadequate self. Praise the Lord that he is more than capable of doing that! 


I find that once my focus is where it should be everything else fades away including myself. Guys its the best and most amazing place to be. I hope you get to experience this if you have not already. Everything is much clearer in this place: I can finally see simple truth. We are all here for one purpose, and thats to love others and tell them about our God. Thats it. Its rejuvenating to remember that.

The reminder in the second verse always gets me. Jesus was just like us. He was human, tempted, tried, and crucified. There are over forty four prophecies relating to the Messiah in the old testament. Every single one of these prophecies came true. Jesus was the living word as supported below:

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." ~John 1:14
Here is one of the many things that made Jesus different than all of us. He rose from the grave! Hallelujah! 

When it all comes down to it, God is what matters. Worshiping Him is my purpose. I want nothing more than to be lead to His heart day after day after day. I am not perfect in any way shape or form. I am a terrible mess. He still comes back for me everytime. He draws me near and brings my attention back to what matters, Him. 

Love Always,
Alix 

31 Days: Meaningful Worship: Lord I Need You

Have you ever tried to do everything on your own? We struggle, we strive, and all is does is leaves us exhausted, frustrated, and not an inch further that where we started. I am guilty of CONSTANTLY doing this. It is emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. The song that we are looking at today makes me release my grasp that I think I have on any situation. God uses these words to breathe new life into me every time.

Today we are looking at "Lord I Need You" by Chris Tomlin   

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

My favorite part of the first verse is this: "With out you I fall apart..." I love the vulnerability of this sentence. No inhibitions, no reservations, we just put it all out there. Lord I confess, I have been doing all of this by myself and I am failing miserably. I literally fall apart at the seams with out you God. 

Like the other songs we have looked at the grace of God is highlighted. His grace sets us free from sin and from ourselves. 

When we look at the chorus once again, I am blown away by the vulnerability that we can bring to our God. I had one question though, I didn't quite understand what was meant by this: "My one defense my righteousness..." I understood that God is our one and only defense, but what did the righteousness meant? You guessed it! I looked up another definition!

Righteousness: the quality of being morally right or justifiable.

I didn't know what the sentence meant until I stumbled upon this verse:

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.~Ecclesiastes 7:20 

Light bulb! God is our righteousness! We don't have the capability to be righteous but God is that for us. We NEED Him to be that for us. We are so incapable, we NEED our God every moment of everyday. How blessed we are to know that he is with us everyday? Especially when we know how dependent we need to be on Him. Our rock is our God and he will never be moved.  

Love Always,
Alix