A Glimpse at the Zoo

The Power of Love and Grace

God has blessed me with the man I am going to marry and spend my life with. We have been planning a wedding which has been fun but totally crazy (update: we have almost everything set on the big things). During all of this planning, Jamie and I have made sure that we spend time together in which we don't talk about the wedding or the "stuff" we have left to do. We spend time just being with one another.

Jamie and I have had a relatively smooth relationship minus a few expected bumps in the road. I have always believed that love and a relationship with our Lord can get anyone through anything. A week ago, Jamie and I were met with controversy at church when we ran into someone we knew and the conversation went as follows: Jamie-"Alissa and I are getting married." The "someone": "what?" "you two are getting married?" Jamie and Alissa-"Yes we are getting married." "Someone" said to me- "you are marrying him?" Alissa-"Yes I am marrying him." "Someone said again to me-"he is the one?" I was able to walk away without saying anything mean because I was praying the whole time that I would be able to keep my mouth shut.

This past week Jamie and I hit a moment/bump in our relationship that allowed both of us to show the love and grace we have between one another. The moment/bump showed me that we will have times in our marriage during which our love will be tested. I believe that God gave us a glimpse of what type of joys and sorrows will come up but the situation also showed me that love and prayer will get us through anything. I am so thankful that I have a relationship with our Lord who I know will get us and me through everything in life.

As for me and Jamie, we are even stronger today than we were two days ago and my love for Jamie has grown even more. Our loving, merciful, and holy God has truly provided everything we need to be the godly individuals we are called to be.

The Fight for Friendships

Joy, craziness, busyness, and excitement fill my life but with one emotion thrown in that I never imagined would be present as well: sadness. An engagement time should be filled with the craziness of planning but excitment and joy. However, my engagement has a sense of sadness mixed in. Almost everyone has been happy and excited for me and Jamie but for some strange reason I have a few people who are not overly thrilled and they have made it perfectly known. I feel as though I am losing some friends whom I call my "second family" and I have a couple of friends who are contemplating whether or not our friendship can continue. I never imagined that such a happy time would cause friendships to possibly disappear. The friendships I may lose are special to me and it is so painful to think about what will come to be. Shocking to many but I am actually at a loss for words and it is hard to express the hurt that is present in my heart. I am happy and blessed in my life but I wonder what God is doing in my life with the friendships that are at a risk of being lost. I do not give up easily so I will fight for the friendships until the fight is no longer left in me.

Wedding Craziness

I am engaged! I am so excited and having a great time but small amounts of panic are setting in. I knew that wedding planning was tough but I honestly had no idea. We have a date, a church, my dress, the bridesmaid dresses, and much more but we are now realizing that the church may not be big enough so we are looking elsewhere, the money to be spent on food and flowers is astronomical, the bridesmaid dresses are all due to come in at all different times, we don't have the tuxes for the guys picked out, and this is just the beginning! I am thrilled to be marrying my man Jamie and I know that if we survive the wedding planning, we will survive the marriage. For all of my married friends, if you have any advice or helpful hints I would love to hear all of your ideas!

Acts of Kindness

Hurricane Gustavo came in with a flash but left a path of damage. As I watched the hurricane get closer and closer to land, I wondered about those who were in its path. What struck me the most during the hurricane were the acts of kindness that I witnessed in Birmingham as I drove down the interstate. In a two day time frame, I saw over 15 power trucks from many northern states, Red Cross Volunteer trucks from many states and over 5 trucks that were carrying large generators. Who knows how many trucks and services were on the road that I missed. What an awesome sight that gave me chills when I realized that we as a country do come to the aid of those who are in great need. When was the last time you performed a random act of kindness?