Adventures in Life

It Is Alive..Is It Alive For You?

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:53:00 +0000

Today was a beautiful day in Sunday school. A missionary from Paris, Chris, spoke in our Sunday class about how he spreads God's word. There were two themes that resonated throughout the entire time he talked...Prayer and the Bible is alive. He spoke about his mother praying for him for 25 years straight that he would become a Christian. He talked about how he picked up the Bible after becoming a Christian and the Bible was alive for him. Alive...have you ever thought about the Bible being alive and real? Real stories..real people..real prayers..real miracles..real betrayals..real families.. Every time Chris was asked about how he relates the Bible to his life and to his work, he repeated over and over again that the Bible is alive and when you pick it up you can't help but see that it is alive. He spoke about his time working with Muslims and other individuals and he said that there is no way that someone can pick up the Bible and not see it as alive. He shared the story of an individual who read one parable and with God's intervening from that one parable, he became a Christian. One story..one real story..one story that is alive in the Bible. He shared about how he can be struggling with life and when he puts himself in the Word, he is alive again. Is the Bible alive for you?

Ethical Dilemmas

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I have been missing from the blog world and I am not even sure if anyone even reads anymore but I will still write because it is good for the soul.

I have had many changes in life and in case you haven't heard, I am expecting a new little one. We find out in a few weeks and I can't wait. I want a girl and my husband wants a boy. We will know officially on December 1st.

Life is busy getting ready for the changes and with that comes stress from every direction. One particular stress I am struggling with is that I have recently been put into a situation that has caused me to be forced to conduct practices that I feel are unethical but others think are perfectly okay. The definition of ethical is "pertaining to right and wrong in conduct". My question is how do you fight something that you believe to be unethical but you are met with the challenge of convincing others that unethical practices are happening. How as a Christian do you stand up for what is right when there is so much at risk if you stand up? How do you fight for what is right when you know that you are not going to win the battle? How do you continue to fight when you are constantly met with opposition and the fight leads to arguments and disagreements that get ugly?

All I know to do is to pray that what is right comes to light and I can find a practical way to fight for what I know is right.

Hidden Emotions

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:31:00 +0000

I am in the midst of my first trimester of pregnancy and I get teary eyed when something sad or great is shown on television. The other day I got teary eyed while watching a tv program, I asked myself "what are you upset about" and I tried to dry up the tears. Once I cleared up my teary eyes, I thought about all the times that we hide our true emotions from ourselves and others because we are ashamed or think we are doing something wrong. We have truly become immune to rejoicing in tears with the small and big things in life whether they are sad or happy. Why do we feel the necessity to hide our true emotions? Why do we let our emotions run our lives and keep us from crying when happy things happen. I think we have trained ourselves to only cry when something really sad happens but what about all the other times? I remember as a child being told how to control my emotions, being told when it was okay to cry, being told when it was not okay to cry and I remember feeling shame if I cried when I wasn't supposed to. Although I am only watching television (and no, I am not crying at soap operas-he, he) but I do cry/get teary eyed when there are shows about real things that happen to real people and I think about all of the times that I have had friends who needed someone to cry with them but I protected my emotions so I wouldn't cry with them or I wouldn't embarrass them. It is amazing how I feel after I have had a great cry and life seems a little bit better. When was the last time you cried? Have you ever cried from being joyful? I am looking forward to motherhood but I am amazed at what I am learning about myself emotionally. PS I am not sure that my husband is enjoying me crying at tv shows but maybe he can learn a little bit more about me. :)

A Changing Life

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:58:00 +0000

Friends come and go and I wonder why! When I think about life, I think about all of the transitions we go through..birth, toddler, preschool, school age, high school, college, new job, family, empty nest, retirement and death. Think back on those times in your life and think about the friends that you have had and those friends that you still have. I am in a period in my life where I am watching friendships change around me and I don't know how to hold on to those friends. We are all going through life changes and differences are coming to the surface but I question why we can't all go through the changes together. Why can't we share in the joys and sorrows in life together? We have friends in our lives for seconds, moments, months, years and a lifetime. Think about those in your life and thank the Lord everytime for the friends you have had, those you have, and those friends to come.

The Bus or No Bus?

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:45:00 +0000

The yellow bus with the flashing lights is coming down the street. A child hides in the bushes not wanting to ride the bus but instead wanting her mom to take her to school. Yes, I am talking about myself. I remember as a child hiding in the bushes because I hated the bus. I have been reminded of this memory in the last two weeks as I have been driving through my neighborhood to head to work, I have watched a little boy walk as slowly as he can towards the bus, he stops at the top of the hill to see if the bus has come or not, waits and lets the bus leave without him, puts a big smile on his face and turns around to walk home. I have been feeding a neighbors cat so I get to watch him every morning. I sit in my car and watch him because he walks slower and slower every day since I am assuming that his mother is making him leave the house earlier and earlier because he can't seem to make it to the bus on time. Can you imagine the scene in his house as he has shown up back at home almost every day this week because he missed the bus. I wish I could see the look on his mom's face. Was there anything in your childhood that you purposely avoided?

The Waiting Game

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:07:00 +0000

Waiting, as a child, to be older..waiting in lines..waiting for life to get better when it is all going horribly wrong..waiting to hear from friends...waiting, as a college student, for graduation..wait, wait, wait. I sometimes feel like I have spent a large majority of my life in a waiting game. This concept has become more real to me recently because since the age of 4, I longed to be married and to be a mother. I "waited" for 37 years until I was blessed with a loving husband. Now, I have waited that long to be a mother and yet, for some reason, God has me in a waiting game. I have longed for so long to be a mother, to hold a baby in my arms, to teach my children about Christian values, to drop my children off on their first day of kindergarten, to have family dinner times, to see my children take their first steps...to just have a loving, Christian husband and children.

I am so tired of waiting. I am tired of being patient. I am tired of waiting to see the positive sign to show up on the test but it never does. I question why I am having to wait. I don't want to hear that God is trying to teach me patience or show me something or that He is waiting for me because I am confused as to why He would allow me to have the desire to have children and yet, that desire continues to stay unanswered after over 30 years of waiting.

I am angry that my doctor told me that time is not on my side. I am angry that my doctor told me that having thyroid problems is not on my side. I am angry that my doctor wants to put me through a battery of tests in a month to see if "something is wrong with me". I am ready for life to be easy for just once..just once I don't want to have to wait...I want to feel the excitement and joy to have a 30-something year desire to come to fruition.

I am tired of playing the waiting game. Can't I win just one game of the waiting game?

Limits

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Boot Camp 2009 rocked into my life and kicked my butt. My friend Becky invited me to come along with her to the Boot Camp she is participating in. Even though they were in their last week of class, I thought for sure that visitors would catch a break. Was I ever wrong! We moved from backward lunges, crab walking on the asphalt all while keeping paper plates under our feet, jumping over cones, 100 sit-ups, 50 push ups and so much more. I complained the entire time and came so close to quitting. By the end of the 1 hour class that started at 5:45am, I was trembling and feeling sick. What is amazing is that I managed to finish the hour workout and I am still feeling the pain a few days later. However, I have felt pain in muscles that I did not know even existed. In the end, it was a great day learning how much I can push myself despite the pain.

As I have with so many things in life, I wondered how I could take this experience and apply it to my current life and there are so many areas. I thought about all of the times when I have wanted to quit different things because of the pain and stress. How many times has the Lord pushed me in my life to trust Him but I grumble and complain the entire time and try to quit or I do quit but once it is over, I look back and realize how much I learned about myself.

The Boot Camp class pushed me to my absolute limits but I realized that we are all going to be pushed to the limit in life more than one time but we will always survive. There will be challenges, struggles, pain, fear, feeling sick and much more but we always grow from our experiences.

Extreme Fit Training

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Are you looking for a way to jump start your fitness regime? Want to lose weight and gain strength and endurance? Check out the Extreme Fit Training Contest in which you can win a free month of extreme fit training.

Check out the following website:

http://www.extremefittraining.com/boot-camp-giveaway

Have fun entering!

Hopeful Below the Water

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Do you ever feel like you are struggling to keep your life above water? You can see the bright future and the many blessings in life but it still feels like you are just under the surface of the water but you can't seem to reach the top. I have been struggling with balancing married life, work and grad school. I feel sometimes that I wake up struggling to catch my breath and I go to bed still trying to catch my breath. I lose my temper easily, I immediately say no to everything at work before even thinking about what I should say, I stay stressed out about my thesis and sometimes I just lose hope in things ever calming down. I am ready for peace and times to not be so hard. However, God has a different plan. A few weeks ago in church the pastor spoke about the fact that we need to prepare for hard times and we, as Christians, are not immune to despair and loss of hope. A verse that really spoke to my heart was

1 Peter 1:3-Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The sermon spoke about the idea that grace comes when we are mindful of God and we need to include God in the equation of life. I need to ask myself "what is my concept of God?" My concept of God shapes everything. My concept of God has been that there is no mercy being shown and I just want a break from things in life being so hard. However, I am told to endure the hard times in life with patience and graciousness. God is in the best and worst moments in life and I should never give in to despair, resentment, bitterness or anger. I must demonstrate my faith in God to those around me, be mindful of God all of the time, and know that there is a purpose for where I am.

Where are you in life and what is your concept of God? Where is your focus?

Love Is Not a Fight

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:44:00 +0000

Love Is Not A Fight
By: Warren Barfield

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we answer in
Then commit to never leave

So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for

4 Months of Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:28:00 +0000

The hubby and I have been married almost 4 months and it is still an everyday learning experience. I don't think we have had a calm month so far but it has been fun. Here are a few of the highlights from our 4 months:

Weekend Florida Beach Trip

Fighting over the covers and stealing pillows even though the hubby has his own pillows but for some reason he needs three pillows at night

Sleep study followed by finding out that the hubby has to get a CPAP machine

Punching the hubby in the ribs in my sleep telling him "that's a great deal" (I guess I was dreaming about shopping)

Getting punched in the face in the middle of the night as the hubby was dreaming of spiders because I had messed with him before going to bed about spiders

Deep teeth cleaning for the hubby (I think he is falling apart at his age)

New king size mattress

Great very late night talks (3-4 hours of sleep is becoming the norm for me)

New food/cooking experiences

Traveling to the in-laws for Easter

Finishing grad school for the semester

Game nights

First snow together

Learning to balance time at work, time for school and time for marriage

Missing old friends who think that because we are married, we don't go out (we still like to do things for all of our friends who are reading this)

Exposure to mystery movies (for me)

Softball games at all hours of the night

Lots of unexpected expenses

Losing my grandmother

The hubby took a day off of work to help my office move furniture

Forgetting to put the trash out before the garbage men come

Disagreements over the temperature of the house (yes, I can be cold in 80 degree weather)

Lots and lots and lots and lots of laundry

The phrase "do you love me" can be used as an apology, affirmation, a question and a confirmation

Trying to figure out where to put all of the wedding gifts all while trying to finish writing wedding thank you notes

A 6 hour birthday party for a friend who is throwing his own party

Random holidays at work (for Jamie) are unfair..I mean really..who gets Confederate Memorial Day off (oh yeah...state employees)

Lots of fun messing with the hubby on the phone while pretending to be one of his claimants at work (I have fooled him a few times)

The rabbit does eat the bills (inside joke about a evil looking stuffed rabbit on our mantel who holds the bills until we pay them)

Relay for Life

Here are a few pics from our recent adventures:

The Real Me

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:43:00 +0000

I hide my heart and my true feelings at times..I sometimes cry alone other times with those who love me surrounding me...I hide the heartache I have...I work until I am ready to collapse with grief and tiredness...I stay busy to keep from having to stop and really listen...I get tired of life being so hard...I have joy in life...I smile and laugh...

I may hide at times but there is one person who knows me from head to toe and inside out...the one and only God. He knows "The Real Me". I love this song by Natalie Grant because it describes life at times.

The Real Me by Natalie Grant

Foolish heart looks like we're here again
Same old game of plastic smile
Don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache, will this glass house break
How much will they take before I'm empty
Do I let it show, does anybody know?

[Chorus:]
But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Oh,Cause you see the real me
Painted on, life is behind a mask
Self-inflicted circus clown
I'm tired of the song and dance
Living a charade, always on parade
What a mess I've made of my existence
But you love me even now
And still I see somehow
But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Oh,Cause you see the real me
Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me
You're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
A perfect tapestry
I just wanna be me
But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Oh,Cause you see the real me
And you love me just as I am
Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me

"Have To" Versus "Want To"

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:20:00 +0000

Marriage for me will reach the 3 month milestone in less than a week. The "almost" three months has been filled with laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, and the "have to" versus "want to". I learned a few weeks ago what it means to choose my husband over my friends. I had a trip planned for over a month to see a friend of mine who was going to celebrate a very special time in his ministry. The plans were written in stone until 10:30pm the night before I was set to leave to head out of town.

My husband had been experiencing pain in his foot all week but we did not feel it was necessary to get it seen about until Saturday night when he got home and he could barely walk and he was in horrible pain.

I will admit that I struggled with what I had to do versus what I wanted to do. I wanted to go out of town and see my friend who is like a brother to me..I wanted to not be mad at my husband for the timing...I wanted my husband to wait until I got home from being out of town before going to the ER...I wanted a lot. I struggled with the "have to"..I have to miss my friends special day because I have to take care of my husband...I have to forgive my husband for the terrible timing...I have to follow God's command to honor my husband and to put him first. Now, you may be judging me for my struggle with the want to versus have to but I knew that I would hurt my friend and I knew that I would hurt my husband if I didn't chose him first. I knew what I had to do which was to chose my husband and to take care of him.

I would have never forgiven myself if I had not chosen my husband because as a Christian wife, he is to come first (or second after my relationship with Christ). I will admit that I cried a lot about having to hurt my friend because he is like a brother to me but I would have cried even more if I had hurt my husband by choosing my friend first. I will also admit that I got angry at my husband but through the anger, we had three days of conversation that ended up being very healthy and we talked about items that could have become problems later on. Through adversity came strength and love.

I hurt my friend and I hurt my husband because I even doubted what to do. Please before you judge me know that I am new at being a wife and I have a lot to learn and one of which is that my time is not 100% mine as it was when I was single. I love my husband and would do anything for him. I have to and want to love and take care of my husband.

Ephesians - Chapter 5:22-24,33
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 33. ...and the wife must respect her husband.

First Corinthians - Chapter 11:3
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Snow in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Drums, Jewelry and the Neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:20:00 +0000

I pick up the phone to call to share a story about my life but she is not able to pick up the phone. I couldn't wait to hear about her family for a grad school project. I think of something funny and I want to tell her but I can't. My grandmother has been gone for almost three weeks and my heart is still in great pain. I can not tell you how many times I have picked up the phone to call her only to realize that I can't call her. I still haven't had the heart to take her phone number out of my cell phone. The thought of not seeing her name in my cell phone list hurts. I am working on a genogram (family tree) project for grad school and I was going to talk to her about her family history but I didn't make it to see her in time. She died a week before I was going to talk to her. My grandmother was my link to my mother who died when I was a young baby. She would share stories about my mother and her childhood. My grandmother would talk about her younger days, share about how she played the drums, and talk about how much her family meant to her. I will be sharing my family tree in class in one week and it is going to be hard to not have "her" section filled out on my project. I will have an emptiness on my report. I will share about her fiestiness, her love for watching her neighbors and their comings and goings, talk about her love for jewelry and purses and so much more. I am not really sure why I am writing this blog other than to say some things that I haven't said out loud. For those with grandparents still alive, call them and tell them that you love them. If you don't have any grandparents, call your parents and tell them how much they mean to you. We can never tell our family too many times that we love them.

Sign Off 10:42

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:42:00 +0000

My Grammy Eleanor went home to be with our Heavenly Father this morning at 10:42am. As my Uncle Paul (her son) is a police officer, he told me today that in his precinct that the code 10:42 is "signing off/off duty" for a police officer.

I have felt sorrow before but nothing like this. My heart is in a million pieces and each moment of today has been hard. I miss her with my whole heart and I don't know that I am going to do without her. She was one of my rocks in life and a key to my past, present and future.

One thing that I have realized today is that we never have enough time to tell the ones we love that we love them. I have regrets about how I could have done some things differently but I know she knew that I loved her and I know that she loved me. Take time to tell those you love that you love them and give them an extra five minutes of your day. You will be glad that you did!

My "Grammy" Is Going Home

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:40:00 +0000

My Grammy Eleanor, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, may be going home to our Heavenly Father this week. She is in the ICU fighting for her life. I am heartbroken that she will be leaving because I won't be able to call and talk to her about what is going on in our lives, I won't be able to take her out to eat after going to a doctor's appointment, I won't be able to take her to the grocery store and listen to her fascination at how much things have changed, she will never meet her grandchild she always hoped I would have (no, I am not pregnant), she will not celebrate another Christmas or birthday, she won't be in constant pain anymore from being 88 years old, I will miss her laugh that was so contagious, I will miss her fiesty personality that kept all of us on our toes and in tears from laughter, I won't be able to ask her stories about my childhood, I won't be able to hear her stories anymore about her exciting life when she was young, and most of all, I will miss her hugs. Her hugs from her petite little body have always been so strong and full of love. I will miss the love she always showed me! I will miss you Grammy!

Silence in Class

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:49:00 +0000

My church home is a place where I have worshipped and met multitides of people. I have been at my church home for 12 years and my life has been blessed by the words spoken in the church service, the lessons taught in Sunday school and through the many friends I have made. I have been a part of the singles group for 12 years but today was a day in which I ventured into the married classes for the very first time with my husband. We have been invited to a few classes so we decided that today was the day for us to start so we started with a class that we were first invited too. We walked into a class that was filled with many couples of different ages (mainly 28-45) and many have children and many don't. My husband and I walked in to the class and we were met by two men and one woman who said hello, introduced themselves, welcomed us to the class, pointed out the donuts that were available, and then they walked away. We were left standing there, alone, not knowing a soul. As we stood there looking around the room, I noticed that everyone found their friends and stood in their "friend" circles. My husband and I stood alone for almost 10 minutes before I decided to pick up my purse and walk out because I realized that we are new to the class and no one seemed to care that we were new and that we needed to meet people. Yes, I could have walked around the room introducing myself but my philosophy has always been that when a visitor walks into a room, I am to immediately walk over and introduce myself, walk them around the room to introduce them to others, and then invite them to sit with me. We were greeted with total silence. My first impression of the class was that we did not matter and our presence was of no one's concern. I realized immediately that the class we visited will not be our Sunday school home. As for leaving the class, someone overhead me tell my husband that I wanted to leave and he made a comment about no one speaking to us, so two women walked over, said hello, thanked us for coming to the class, asked how long we had been at HSBC, and when they realized we were not strangers to the church, they left us standing there again. We never made it out of the class because it started before I could make a move but I realized that we as Christians need to be aware of our environment and of those around us who may be alone in the world. The next time you go into church or your Sunday school class, find someone you do not know, welcome them to church or the class, ask them about themselves, if they are new to your church ask them about visiting your Sunday school class, and then ask them if they want to sit with you in church or SS. You never know when someone you meet may be alone and just need someone to welcome them and include them.

Photo Caption?

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:01:00 +0000

His Hands Photography (www.hishandsphotographs.com) did a free after-session for me and Jamie. With a great deal of creativity, they took these two pictures and highlighted the light sabers. How would you caption the photos? We would love your suggestions.

Our Home

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Home is a place where you can kick your shoes off, turn on your favorite music, cook your favorite foods, and relax. I thought I would share a few pictures of our home:
Christ is the center of our home!

This speaks for itself!

His and Her Shelf...Jamie has one shelf and I have four. Go me (thanks Jamie)!

One of our favorite past-times: Rock Band

This is the office/game room/hobby room.

Our bedroom...the pillows are the greatest which is why Jamie and I have at least one pillow stealing problem during the week.

My laundry system: white plastic is towels, dark hamper is for darks and white hamper is for whites. For anyone who doesn't have this system, it is great. Clothes have not been seen on the floor since we started this.

Our favorite hangouts: Kitchen and the Den

We would love guests anytime! We have a room ready for you!

Poor Jamie...his attic only had about two things in it until I moved in and well..you can see what has happened. Sorry Jamie but thank you for letting me have a place for my "stuff".

Love is what we show everyday in our words and actions to one another!

A Will to Live

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:07:00 +0000

On Thursday, January 8th, I found out that one of the strongest women I know is facing Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. My grandmother, who has been my rock for many years, has cancer and she has chosen to try chemo. Her doctor told us, as her family, that he would not typically offer chemo to someone in her state but her positive outlook on life and her will to live are the reasons why she has an option. Please pray for "Grammy Eleanor" as she begins a battle for her life.

Marriage Lessons 101

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:02:00 +0000

I have been married for 11 days and I am amazed at how quickly I have learned several marriage lessons:

Marriage Lessons 101 by Alissa
1) I love my husband more and more every day.
2) No one can be totally prepared for marriage and no one can prepare you for marriage.
3) Loads of laundry piles up quickly and it never seems to end. 6 loads in one day!
4) If snoring is involved by one person, the other person must fall asleep first.
5) Pillow stealing can happen at any time of the night without the other person's knowledge.
6) Stealing of covers can lead to a fight for the covers at 3am.
7) Just because a donut box is empty doesn't mean that someone has eaten all of the donuts. Always check the 2nd donut box.
8) It is okay for one person to be upstairs on the computer while the other person is downstairs on a computer. Facebook allows for constant communication even when in the same house but on different floors.
9) I have cooked for my husband so that he will have lunch to take to work but I have never done that for myself.
10) It is wonderful to eat dinner together followed by a small container of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Chocolate fudge brownie! Yummy!
11) A mixed household (Auburn vs. Alabama) is possible.
12) It is easy to get someone addicted to satellite tv in one night. Woohoo!
13) Discuss grocery shopping tactics before going to the store. If one person walks every aisle while one person jumps from aisle to aisle, discuss grocery store etiquette before stepping through the doors.
14) If one person gets up before the other person, being quiet and polite in the morning disappears after two days.
15) Before my last name can be changed on anything, I have to go to the social security office except for the Alabama DMV who "pretended" that I changed my name at the SS office so that I wouldn't have to stand in line again. BTW, did you know that you can change your address on your driver's license to anything you want and they do not ask for one piece of evidence for proof.
16) Before I change my last name, I have to decide what I want to be called. Do I want to keep my middle name on everything or use my maiden name. The DMV recommended keeping my maiden name while the bank told me to keep my middle name. the DMV ended up putting four names on my license (first, middle, maiden and married name). I wish you could see my signature on my card.
17) My sweet husband puts my favorite shows on the tv although he didn't tell me one night so I never appeared in the den. Oops!
18) My sweet husband compromises on everything (okay, almost everything)!
19) Marriage is a constant compromise and I have A LOT to learn. I have a lifetime to learn it!
20) I am married to a wonderful, loving and caring husband!

Marriage Lessons 101 by Jamie
1) ALWAYS check your alarm clock, sometimes it gets turned off without your knowledge.
2) It is NEVER a good thing to upset both the father-in-law, the minister, and your wife in the same weekend.
3)15 is the magic number...
4) Sometimes it is better not to let your wife know your real IQ when playing a trivia game...It scared her.
5) The gulf water in December can technically cause the marriage to be illegal until one becomes a man again
6) There is always a good opportunity to have a friend administer the wedding rites...There is never a good time to find out he may not be certified. Luckily it turned out he was.
7) My old bed was a double, her's was a queen...Somehow we're now on a single.
8) When in doubt: agree, when in trouble: apologize, when you're right: keep it to your self because she will never admit to it.
9) "Our" house becomes "your" house when something either Breaks, flakes, or shorts out.
10) "Your" house becomes "ours" when it is fully decorated according to her standards...then she is right back to "yours" again when her hairdryer blows a fuse.
11) Crying on the honeymoon can mean that she is a little miffed.
12) Crying on the honeymoon can mean that she is very happy.
13) Crying on the honeymoon can mean that she is either "Pre, Mid, or Post Hormonal" which leaves one good week a month (Note: This was editted by wife who disapproved of what I put...see #8).
14) Just because there is a huge white elephant in the room, no one talks about it...No really, THERE IS A FREAKING WHITE CERAMIC ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM!
15) "War Tide, This is Roll Eagle" is the closest I can get to cheering during the Sugar Bowl.
16) When the wife is mad, you had better believe that she will have the guest bedroom prepared FIRST.
17) Don't knock it til you've tried it
18) Covers are a commodity, basic rules of business apply: Who ever has the most at the end of the night, wins.
19) Pillows are stock options: they are bartered for, traded, and even stolen from time to time...but things always seem to balance out by the close of business.
20) Green Day Rocks as a processional: "Wake me when September Ends"
21) Alissa wants me to end on a happy note...How about D flat.

Florida Sunrise and Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:03:00 +0000

SUNRISE
SUNSET

A Few Wedding Pictures by His Hands Photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:20:00 +0000

Nightmare on Honeymoon Street

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:21:00 +0000

The wedding on Saturday was absolutely beautiful and I had a great time. It is wonderful to be married and to have found "the one" who loves me unconditionally all the time. We have been excited about our honeymoon and I have always planned vacations and things have typically turned out really well. However, the one time I really needed to plan things perfectly, it didn't turn out that way. I made the reservations for our condo in Destin about 3 months ago. When I called, I was given the name of a place in Destin and I looked it up to see the pictures and it looked really nice so I made the reservation for a beach front condo. As I made the reservation, the lady on the phone told me that a very small service road ran in front of the hotel but that it would not be bothersome and that we could still see the beach and hear the beach and it would be like the "small service road" was not even there. As we drove up to the condo, I realized that the "small service road" was actually the beach front road that led to all of the restaurants and hotels along the beach. I tried to keep an open mind until we went into our room. I walked out onto the balcony and all I could see and hear were horns honking, music blaring from the cars, lights from the cars going to and fro, and the balcony was the size of a tiny bathroom so there would be no sitting on the balcony available. I went down to ask if we could change to a different room on a higher floor and we could only move one floor up. I decided to try it and this is where things really went downhill. As Jamie unloaded the bags, I walked out onto the balcony and realized that the noise was just as loud as the previous room. I broke into tears because I could not believe that I had messed up the room, I was upset because you only have one true honeymoon, and I was angry because the service road was not small. Poor Jamie..he walked out onto the balcony only to realize that I was in tears and as he hugged me (he wasn't sure how to respond so he went with his gut instinct to just hug me) and I began to sob. I told him that there was no way to was going to stay in a room on my honeymoon that overlooked the service road with the blaring music, cars, and lights. As soon as I said I would not stay there, Jamie immediately got on the phone and we were changed to a condo that is actually on the beach and there are no lights or blaring music. So, the moral of the story...the "small service road" is always a major highway and pictures on the internet don't always tell the truth.