2009 IN REVIEW

As 2009 draws to a close I find myself going back and reading posts I've written over the last year. It's clear to me now that 2009 was a year of great change for me I started out the year in a very bitter lonely place and praying for guidance for things to be different. I had been hurt deeply and didn't know where exactly to turn.

my reflections here revealed a lot about my thought processes and what I was struggling with.
Christmas '08Recap

I started out the year alright then I got to this point and things just felt like they got worse for a while.

Prayers Please

At this point I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to let go of the anger and the wounds deep in my heart!!

Then with a heavy heart I decided this in March because I felt I needed to get change some things in my life. My insomnia was at it's all time worst, and I felt like things were never going to get better. I tried to keep faith and found myself crying out to God every time I was awake at 2 3, and 4 AM.

Less Is Often More

Once I had made the decisions needed to put myself in a better place slowly things started turning around in June we successfully held our Relay event, and although it was stressful standing on the stage at midnight during the remembrance ceremony and realizing that we made at least a small impact on someone's life it was all worth it.

Slowly Mr. A and I began making changes we began the dreaded church search and I was left feeling empty and unfulfilled without the fellowship of others by July I was at this point.

DEEPER

In August we started attending what is now our church home and things started to change!

I'm not going to link the whole post just this little snippet cause it was really long!!

As we prepared for church that morning I thanked God for answering our prayers with not one but two fantastic couples that we were on our way to becoming good friends with.
But it wasn't until going to lunch with Couple D and again sitting and talking forever coming home and then later sitting at the laundromat washing clothes that the truth hit me like a ton of bricks what if God had orchestrated everything from the very beginning to put us right where we are now. What if everything that happened was all part of His perfect plan to bring these 4 amazing people into our lives.I began thinking of all the times I was angry with God for seemingly leaving our prayers unanswered when all the while He was really just preparing us for something greater

I've said before that I love the Fall season because for me it's always a time of great change! Fall 2009 was no different!

I made peice with my mother's illness and turned her life and my worries over to God!
It Is Well With My Soul

We started forming some amazing friendships that have grown into beautiful blessings of real companionship and my wishes to go deeper were beginning to be fulfilled.

Mr. A's Big Surprise


you know the rest of the story our Christmas Holiday was the best Mr. A and I have had together and we feel so truly blessed with all the changes we've experienced in the last 4 months of 2009!

We are looking forward to what 2010 has to offer for us.

Tomorrow I will post about our 2010 resolutions but for today I'm going to pause to remember the 2009 even the hurtful parts because they've gotten me where I am today.

I hope you all have a blessed New Year! Mr. A and I are off this evening to a rock band party at our friend's house we're going to ring in the New Year with our own version of New Year's Rockin Eve!

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

"oh the weather outside is frightful" Christmas 09 recap

Well it's over :( I can't believe as fast as Christmas snuck up on us that now it's all over! We had a fabulous Christmas at the Mr. & Mrs. A house even though we did pretty much get snowed in for 3 days!!

Christmas Eve we woke up to this



My wish came true I totally got a White Christmas!




Missy loved it!!








Why yes that is a snow drift up to my over 6 foot tall husband's knees.



so needless to say our annual family Christmas Eve party was cancelled because we didn't want our family out in the very bad weather conditions. So around 8:30 Mr. A and I exchanged our one Christmas Eve gift. My gift to my husband was ear muffs. His gift to me two tickets to see Legally Blonde The Musical when it will be at the Civic Center in January!! Um yeah he wins for best gift!!



Mr. A and I were ridiculously spoiled this year!!

I got a new coat it's green which is my fave color so of course i love it, I got gloves and a hat to go with my coat, pics soon I promise I didn't get any Christmas morning pics :( Along with my coat I got the Glee soundtrack, a cupcake carrier, a gift certificate for Creative Memories which is scrap booking supplies both digital and traditional YAH I can finally make an actual wedding album, and a beautiful new cross necklace.

Mr. A got a rain coat, a new hat he is drawn to unique hats has been since he was little, I gave him a corduroy blazer in a tan color, he got a new sweater, a DVD he'd been wanting, a desk calendar, a belt and cuff link organizer, and a new pair of pj's.

We gave my mother a gift certificate to purchase some new clothes from her fave clothing store since she's been taking Chemo she's lost so much weight nothing fits her, his mom a charm for her charm bracelet and I gave her a Nutcracker to commemorate going to see The Nutcracker this year, Mr. A's dad a jacket from his company that he'd mentioned wanting, my sisters candle warmers, friends ornaments that were pool balls to commemorate Mr. A's surprise birthday party at the pool hall this past November!!

We had a fabulous Christmas and I can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs to see how your Christmases went!!

Oh and one more thing.... As I write this I'm sitting looking out our balcony window where it is yet again snowing. WAIT just a darn minute I said I was dreaming of a White Christmas not a white New Year's Eve!! Snow Snow Go AWAY!! Oh well at least it's pretty!!

Later Alligators....


Mrs. A

Merry Christmas Friends!!

The Christmas post of randomness:

They're predicting snow in Oklahoma tonight and tomorrow. Here's hoping we might actually get a white Christmas.

I have just a little bit of baking to do and I'm finished.

I can't wait to carry on mine and Mr. A's tradition of one gift on Christmas Eve then watching a Christmas movie and drinking hot chocolate out of cute snowman mugs that was a sweet gift from precious friends

I've had such an awesome Holiday season spending time with friends & family, seeing beautiful lights displays, awesome church choir performances, an impromptu piano concert, and of course my beloved Nutcracker Ballet. Don't believe me I have pictures!

It's amazing to me in what a different place we are in our lives just since last year. We're so very blessed and loved and after all at Christmas we should remember all we have to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas bloggie friends! My wish for you all this Christmas is that you have a blessed and happy time celebrating wrapped up in your loving families and dear sweet friends!!

"Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself" ~Francis C. Farley


ON TO THE PICTURES!!















Because of the busy times ahead in preparing for our Annual Family Christmas Eve Party and because I want to fully enjoy my Christmas with my wonderful husband and amazing friends! I probably won't see you guys again until After Christmas!

But I'll be back soon with a party recap and hopefully pics of a beautiful white Christmas!!

Love,
Mrs. A

The greatest gift & holiday busyness

Wait did you hear that? It's the sound of any free time before Christmas flying out the window. We're officially in Christmas bustle.

Last night we celebrated Christmas with our sweet friends we received some awesome gifts but more importantly we all rejoiced in the fact that this Christmas we have been given the best and most perfect gift any of us could ask for the gift of friendship! The holiday season has meant more to Mr. A and I this year than any we've spent together because we've spent it surrounded by loving caring people!

Tonight we're going to "Christmas In The Park" it's a humongous lights display that even has some animated displays of lights that blink in time with certain radio stations it's AWESOME!! I'm so excited because we're going with our sweet friends Mr. & Mrs. W and their little girl who is nearly 2 and at that stage where she oohs and ahhs over the lights so ADORABLE!!

Tomorrow night we're doing Christmas movie night at friends house just for fun, Saturday night we're headed to another awesome lights display a few hours away with our friends Mr & Mrs. S. Sunday I'm baking the last of my Christmas cookies for my co-workers and working on a special cookie display for my work secret pal I finally get to reveal who I am although I think she might know!!

Monday I'm taking my momma to look at Christmas lights like she used to do with me when I was a kid except now I'm driving :)! Mom's doing well they're still talking about doing a bone marrow transplant after Christmas and although I'm not looking forward to the effects it will have on her I ultimately know it will be to her benefit! When I get home tonight I'm going to upload the pics from "The Nutcracker" last weekend we had so much fun and my awesome wonderful husband got us fantastic seats!! I always get teary eyed thinking about my tradition of going to "The Nutcracker" because it's something I've done since I was a little girl and I told my mom Friday evening that if Mr. A and I are blessed with a baby girl when the time comes I want to start this very tradition with her when she's old enough. It was always something so special that my mom and I shared and I want to pass that down to her.

Then Tuesday and Wednesday we're prepping for our Annual Christmas Eve Party. Then it's officially Christmas!!

Hope you all are as excited as I am about the week ahead!!

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

2 Weeks!!

One of my very kind bloggie friends just pointed out to me that Christmas is two weeks from today!! UMM wait wasn't Thanksgiving like last week?! Needless to say I've got to get in gear.

I've got a very long to do list that includes lots of sugar and gingerbread cookie baking, at least 3 cakes, and our annual Christmas Eve Party :) UMM YIKES!!

But all that will hae to wait til after this evening I'm going to see "The Nutcracker Ballet" with my mom and mom in law and I'm so excited. I've been every year since I was 5 and I've never missed a year thanks to my wonderful husband I don't have to miss this year either he bought me, his mom and my mom tickets on Monday to Opening Night which is tonight!

Then I'll get back to that do list :D

our engagement story

I've been reading a lot of engagement stories in bloggie land lately. Since I started blogging in December 2007 after our wedding in October I never shared our engagement story. So I thought I would now just because it makes me smile :)

Our engagement November 18, 2006

Mr. A had asked me a few days earlier to spend Thanksgiving in Florida with him that year and I had agreed. I was suspicious of a proposal but Mr. A had spent the whole week before reassuring me that he was nowhere near ready to propose and I had made peace with that. Because I was not going to be with my mom on Thanksgiving Mr. A's parents invited us over for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. So we went and ate early Thanksgiving dinner. Now when Mr. A and I were dating we spent a lot of time at his parents house playing board games, dominoes, you name it. So when Mr. A's mom suggested that we play a board game after dinner it didn't phase me and I didn't flinch when she suggested the "Game Of Life". So we began the game and everyone chooses college or career in the beginning then later on you get married in the game. Mr. A was the last of us to get married and when it came time for his person to get married he pretended to not be able to get the little person out of the bag. So while I was looking at his mom he turns away pretends to drop something on the floor gets down on his knee to pick it up and says "well this is just a game and I want to get married for real so Miss will you marry me?" It took me a minute to look over see the ring box and realize he was actually proposing and then about ten more minutes of sobbing to actually shake my head yes.

Here's a pic from the actual proposal:





It was perfect and so us!!

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Christmas Fun!!

I stole this off someone's blog if it's you let me know I'll give you credit I don't remember where I got it but I liked it :D



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping... its way more fun to open a present when its been wrapped and I love putting special touches on my gifts

2. Real tree or Artificial? oh if I had my way it'd be real but Mr. A won't have it so it's fake

3. When do you put up the tree? Friday after Thanksgiving it's tradition

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day

5. Do you like eggnog? Not really but I'll have a glass on Christmas eve usually.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? umm wow that's difficult but probably my homemade doll house I really wanted a barbie dreamhouse one year for Christmas and my family couldn't afford one so my big brother built me my own I love that thing I still have it in storage so if we have a little girl one day she gets it.

7. Hardest person to buy for? my father in law.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Mr. A I want to give him the world

9. Do you have a nativity scene? no but I'd really like one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? aside from some bad White Elephant gifts nothing I am beyond blessed.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Polar Express, Love Actually, and Miracle on 34th Street. (what you thought I could pick just one?)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? late August

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yes :(

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? homemade gingerbread cookies

16. Lights on the tree? our tree is pre-lit white

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have two "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain"

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay at home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and does Rudoph count?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star!!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? tradition is Mr. A and I each open one small gift Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning with family.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? the commercialization of what's supposed to be such a special Holiday I hate that it becomes more and more about who gets what or who has the best decorations then about celebrating Jesus' Birth.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I dunno our ornaments are all meaningful so they don't follow a theme or color

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? anything as long as I'm surrounded by loved ones.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want for very little but since you asked my dream would be a house but more realistically I'd love a new cross necklace I broke mine

26. Have you ever been caroling? Yes! used to go every year in Jr High and High school.



Merry Christmas!!

oh and here's the winner for our family Christmas card this year we send out photo cards to our out of state family.

Heavy Hearts

Today is Mr. A's grandfather's funeral he went home to be with the Lord on Saturday after Thanksgiving. I only met granddad once he lives in Florida and I flew out there and spent Thanksgiving with them and all the extended family right after Mr. A and I got engaged in November of 2006. My heart is with my husband in Forida today as they honor granddad and celebrate his life. We love you Grandpa Howard and we will miss you.

"our loved ones leave the world but never leave our hearts"

Thanksgiving Recap and Festive Friday!

Our Thanksgiving Day was fabulous to say the least we split the day between families and even made time to spend with some sweet friends who don't have family in the state. We ate to the brim and when it came time to go around the table to say what we were thankful for. It wasn't hard to see how truly blessed we all are. Mr. A and I are truly thankful we've found a church home we can grow in and amazing friends that encourage us to challenge ourselves in our faith. What a great day to remember all we have to be thankful for and my mom got to enjoy it with us but more on that in a minute.

Mr. A and I are certainly not Black Friday shoppers. I am a big baby when it comes to crowds and the idea of standing in line for hours only to be pushed and shoved by people doesn't really appeal to me I'd be sitting on the floor covering my head and bawling. So we decided to create our own traditions instead of Black Friday we celebrate Festive Friday we get up early and clean the apartment and get all the fall decorations put away. Then we drag out the Christmas decorations put on some Christmas music and get to work making our apartment look all festive once the tree is up and the outside lights are up. We enjoy some fresh baked cookies and mint hot chocolate and discussing our Christmas calendar and what we have going on in the month of December. Our first married Christmas we spent the whole night laying on the floor looking at the tree and discussing each of our families Christmas traditions and what ones we wanted to carry on with our family and we came up with a definitive list. I love that we took the time to do that and to write all of these special things down so they won't be forgotten over the years.

Anyway on to the pictures.



Those wooden angels were a wedding gift from friends of Mr. A's parents who've known him since he was a baby. They are handmade one of a kind and I just love them.



our pretty tree with all the ornaments from Mr. A's and my childhood our mom's got together and gave them all to us at our wedding shower. It's so special each year to pull out the ornaments and remember all the things those ornaments represent. Mr. A and I have a few of our own together one from Our First Christmas and a few from our honeymoon in Albuquerque.




our balcony the curtains our open so you can see the tree shining through I just love it.



coffee table centerpeice.

I get really irritated with our tiny apartment but I do love Christmas time and how the light of the tree is enough to create a beautiful glow around the room.

Merry Christmas everyone.

bloggie love

Rules:

Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.
Share 10 honest things about yourself.
Present this award to 7 other whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content

The lovely Mrs. Lukie tagged me with the Honest Scrap award! Thanks so much Mrs. Lukie this is my second ever blog award and I'm thrilled that it's this one.

now on to the ten honest things about me:

1. I wear contact lenses and sometimes my eyes are irritated and I should wear glasses but I think I look like a dork in my glasses I've caused silly eye infections for wearing contact when my eyes are irritated more than once.

2. I've got a lead foot when I drive I don't like driving slow and have been known to get a little road rage if someone is driving particularly slow on an inter-state.

3. I dislike making phone calls a lot I'll put something off to the last possible moment simply because I don't want to be on the phone with someone.

4. sometimes I wish I was still a kid and my mom would take care of important things for me like making sure I have my doctor's visits regularly because well I'm forgetful and don't think about it.

5. I'm clumsy like not a little bit a whole lot I've majorly injured myself stepping off a curb before :(

6. I talk in my sleep and have been known to carry on conversations with people in my sleep. My husband enjoys this a little bit too much as usually he can get information out of me when I'm sleeping.

7. I have baby fever!! There I said it but we're just not there yet.

8. I despise washing my hair it takes so long. This is the primary reason I keep my hair short.

9. sometimes I hide my husband's clean clothes just to get him to put the whole basket of my clothes and towels away looking for his stuff. I know I know bad wifey!

10. I love all the cheesy Christmas movies on TV this time of year and I may have acutally squealed in my car this morning when I heard Christmas music on the radio.


I would like to present this award to these 7 fabulous ladies plus you if you're reading consider yourself tagged!




History of The Harveys

Just Add Walter

My Little Green Diary

The Booth Team

/The Life Accounts this lovely lady is having an awesome give away right now.

The Lucky Layman's

A Nerd & A Free Spirit

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Well I'm listening to Christmas music on the radio I've already got some shopping done. I'm planning our annual Christmas Eve party, we're pulling out the Christmas decorations Friday. So I figured I might as well decorate the blog too and officially welcome the Holiday Season for 2009.

I'm particularly excited about this Christmas for multiple reasons but the main one being we're in such a good place in our lives God has truly blessed us since the middle of this year to now and it's amazing to me how fast life can turn around.

Here's wishing many blessings to each and every one of you for a fantastic holiday season.


Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Challenges and Blessing of Married Life

Leah over at Marital Bless did a post on challenges and blessings of married life and challenged other bloggers to do the same for Wedded Wednesday. I'm a day late but I'm still going to do it.

Challenges:

Communication is definitely a challenge for us. I have this bad little habit of bottling up whatever's bothering me and just hoping it will go away. This drives Mr. A up the wall!! We tend to forget sometimes that the we can't read each other's minds. Yesterday morning for example I figured Mr. A would take out the dog before work and he figured I would so as we were walking out to the car we were both asking the other one "you did take the dog out right?" Also carving out time to spend together and not putting things before each other. Mr. A is a big XBOX 360 fan and if he could I do believe he'd play every night and I get frustrated sometimes feeling like I'm 2nd in his life to his games now I know that's not true and I'm not entirely innocent I've been known to completely shut out the world until I'm finished with a book that I'm really into.


Blessings:

1. I am never without my best friend. Mr. A and I just click we like a lot of the same odd ball things and even if we don't we're both pretty open to the other person's views. I've learned so much about myself being with Mr. A and he brings out the absolute best in me and can always make me smile. I always have someone to face the trials with a bad day at work or a bad day with mom at the hospital is all of a sudden not as horrible when I get to be with Mr. A. I am constantly challenged by Mr. A's stronger faith and strive to be on his level which in turn has deepened my faith and walk with the Lord. There's a comfort in knowing that he and I we're forever. I had an interesting dream the other night and it was us older much older sitting on a porch swing talking and holding hands and it was such a comforting image I love knowing that my future is laid out before me.

Overwhelmed!!

Hi friends,

I'm off soon to take mom to the hospital to get some blood work done in preparation for surgery but I just had to post and say thank you for your kind encouraging words on my last post. It's nice to not feel attacked because of something I can't control. For those wondering I've started drinking the protein shakes in the afternoon and added an extra mid morning meal hopefully soon I'll be back up to a normal weight. Thanks so much for your kind encouraging words I have never met someone in real life who openly admitted to struggling with gaining weight and it was nice to hear that I'm not alone.

I thank God everyday for each of you and your kind spirits!!

Love,

Mrs. A

Weighty Issues & THANK YOU!!

First let me express my sincere gratitude for your comments on my last post it was definitely not hard to leave "ugly land" with all of your kind comments. I'm so thankful for this little blog and all the amazing people I've come across through it.


Yesterday I went and visited that doctor that all women must see once a year and be uncomfortable for a few minutes blech. Anyway alls well except my weight. My weight has dropped pretty drastically from the time she last saw me to now and she's concerned about it being way too low for a 24 year old woman. She says my weight would be good for a 15 year old with my frame but not me. My doc was very firm but sweet about it we were laughing about crazy dog antics and she got a real serious look on her face and said "ok missy, I've got to get stern with you" I knew what was coming I'm no stranger to the you're underweight discussion.

I guess I just wanted to post about this because often times I feel uncomfortable sharing my troubles with gaining weight because most women look at me and say "oh geeze I wish I had your problems". I really want people to know it is a problem it is painful and it can be just as difficult as losing weight can be. I want nothing more than to be a normal weight and not worry about my bones being broken because there's no meat to cushion the blow, or cry from being called anorexic or bulemic knowing full well that I'm not either one of those things.

I'm starting a protein shake diet in the afternoons to try to gain weight successfully and I'm also on a calcium supplement to strengthen my bones. So I urge you dear beautiful blog friends the next time you see a little thin person don't be so quick to judge that they're anorexic or bulemic, and please for the love of all things beautiful do not think there's something wrong with you.

I abhor the comment I wish I was your size let me emphatically say "NO YOU DON'T" it sucks trying to find clothing that makes me look my age instead of like a teenager and when you don't finish your plate of food people automatically assume you have an eating disorder. I would give anything to be a normal size and not have to hunt for clothing or explain that I'm just not hungry enough to finish my food.

Please love your body for what it is all shapes, sizes, and even things we consider flaws are beautiful. My weight has always been a thorn for me because I feel like I've spent my life explaining it to people. I'm learning through God's goodness to except my thorns but sometimes I just have to get things off my heart.

I hope you all are having fabulous weeks!

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

Ugly Land

Dear Blog World,

I am writing today from a little place deep inside my heart I like to call ugly land. I have had one of those days that it doesn't matter how hard I try I just don't like what I see in the mirror and because of that I just recoil and stay to myself in fear of others affirming my worst nightmare that today I'm an ugly person. Ugly on the outside ugly on the inside. I've thought ugly thoughts I've gotten irritated more than once for no real reason and I'm definitely not being the light to a darkened world today. In fact I fear the opposite is true so much so that I removed the cross necklace from around my neck before I left for work this morning. I simply couldn't bear the thought of wearing it when my heart was not in the right place.

Yes my dear friends I'm having one of those days it's that feeling of just not being up to par with the rest of the world. My ears and nose are particularly gigantic today, my hair is all sorts of wrong, my make up just seems to highlight the flaws I'm trying to hide, my clothes don't seem to fit right and everything is just wrong. I find myself throwing a pity party of 1 just for me. I despise when I get like this and generally just get angry at myself and usually it's the times that I do not blog because well who wants to listen to yet another woman in the world complain about not feeling pretty or trying to live up to the world's standards of beauty. Then I remembered that post where I talked about being real and well my friends there you have it this is me today finding myself in need of lifting up. I try my very best to not get so wrapped up in appearances that I forget to look at the true woman underneath but sometimes when it comes to myself I just can't get past that broken sinner staring back at me.

I have to hope I'm not the only one who visits ugly land occassionally and I know the only way out of my funk is lifting others up and reminding them of their inner and outer beauty. So I'm going to do just that!

Ladies let me be frank some of you out there do not know your own beauty or if you do you're incredibly humble about it. Reading through my blog list this week I've seen holiday card pictures, pictures taken by other bloggers, pictures of you with friends and family, or even pictures of you showing off your adorable baby bumps. I'm always taken aback by how beautiful you all are. Not only in pictures but in your words also. I was fortunate to read a fellow bloggers testimony this week and I had tears in my eyes reading it because it was so heartfelt and genuine and I could tell God was going to do great things with that testimony.

I am blessed to read each of your writing and so thankful that I've found my way through the internet to your corners of the world. Thank you for taking the time to write each day. Now I think I'll go ahead and take my leave from Ugly Land because discontentment brews there and I have no reason to be discontent.

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

weekend review and cake reveal!

Friday night our Sunday school class had a great Rock Band party and BTW I don't know if I ever actually blogged that Mr. A and I got the opportunity to talk to his parents and we became official members at the church we'd been visiting for awhile last week!

Saturday went off better than I could have imagined see I've been keeping sort of mum on the blog front because I was so afraid I'd spill the beans about Mr. A's surprise party Friday night. Thankfully I didn't and he was thoroughly surprised!! We held the party at a local arcade place and we had about 36 guests it was a fabulous night to celebrate my wonderful husband.

Mr. A, his parents and I.



I was so glad my momma had a feel good day and got to be there to celebrate with us. Isn't she cute in her scarf? That's her on the left with my mom in law.



this next series of pictures makes me tear up with tears of joy every time I look at them. It was not even a year ago Mr. A and I felt like we'd never find friends and now we are abundantly blessed with the most fabulous friends. God is so good and He answered our prayer 100 times over!






The boys:



the girls:




have you ever met someone and instantly become best friends because you felt like long lost soul mates? Mrs. G is totally that person for me. She is the best friend I have been praying for forever. See I never really had a super close best friend I felt like I could talk to about anything. Don't get me wrong I've always had really awesome people in my life but I always felt like my friendships could be more. With Mrs. G I feel like I could spill my heart and I love her for that!



the party Saturday night revealed to me how truly truly blessed Mr. A and I are we can really say for the first time in a really long time we are HAPPY!







Now on to the cake reveal as I've mentioned before Mr. A is a gamer he loves playing his XBOX 360 with his friends and well it's his only vice and I can't really complain because sometimes he lets me play too :)

So anyway what better cake for Mr. A than his very own edible 360?



although I did have to explain to Mr. A he couldn't actually play this 360.




I've got to admit I am pretty proud of this cake! the tag says "Achievement Unlocked Happy 27"



he said we had to get a pic of me with my creation.




I hope you all had just as fabulous a weekend as I did :)


Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

"have your cake and eat it too"

Hi Bloggie friends,


I have been busy with cake the last few weeks and evenings so I haven't been posting as much sorry friends I'll do better. Anyway want to see what I've been up to?

baby cake for a friends sister:




my friends Mr. & Mrs. D with Mr. D's drum cake I made:



My friends Mr. & Mrs. G with Mr. G's video game inspired cake:



cupcakes for a party:



there are others that I haven't uploaded pics of and I've been hard at work on my husband's birthday cake. Mr. A's 27th birthday is Sunday but we're celebrating with his parents on Saturday because sunday's are pretty full. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he told me and I've been diligently working on it and all the details since Sunday evening. But I'm not telling you yet you'll just have to wait and see when it's all finished :)

Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday and my month of crazy cakes is coming to an end so hopefully you'll see more of me soon. Oh and I got to meet some of my cheerleaders for our league that starts in December last night I'm so excited to get started with them!!

Later Alligators...
Mrs. A

Cotton... the fabric of our lives

Well hello there bloggie world sorry I've been gone so long we had a great anniversary and then life just got really busy. But I'm back now ready to delight you with tales from our Cotton Anniversary. PS sorry I could not resist the pun on the title he he!!

Well anyway Mr. A and I had a fabulous anniversary we both decided we wanted to celebrate our anniversary on our anniversary so we took off Tuesday the 20th and just for fun the following day too.

We started our day by sleeping late on our cotton sheets and then exchanging cotton gifts I got 2 beautiful hand crafted cotton roses and a big beautiful bouquet of fall flowers including my fave gerbera daisies. Mr. A got a new blanket and a book which wasn't cotton but I knew he'd enjoy it. Then we headed out to downtown OKC and just took in the sites we toured the bombing memorial walked along the riverwalk and pretty much played tourist in our own city.


This my friends is why I adore fall in Oklahoma:



after we were finished playing tourist we headed to pick up our keys to our private cottage we were staying in that night and then to dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date.


our sad attempt at a self portrait outside of the restaurant on the bench where we sat and waited on our first date Mr. A tells me often that the time we spent waiting outside snuggling close cause it was freezing outside was the moment he knew I'd be in his life for a long time he tells me "I just fit perfectly in his arms" cue sappy music and altogether now "awww"




the cottage we loved it:










everyone should have a bath tub in the living room don't you think?




Mr. A on the private screened in porch and why yes that is a private sauna and hot tub on the porch!!



pouring the champagne into our toasting flutes:



the boy never smiles :(



toasting to 2 years not giving the peace sign



trying to get an artistic shot:



we continued our celebration Thursday night cheering on the Thunder in a pre-season game with friends:





Well that does it for anniversary re-cap it was great and I already can't wait for the next one but in the meantime Mr. A's birthday is coming up soon. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!!

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

October is for lovers!!

Today two years ago I said I do to a man that I thought I loved more than anything, one year ago I said I can't believe I love you more today than I did a year ago. Today marks two years of wedded bliss for Mr. A and I and as hard as it is to believe I love my wonderful husband more today than I did 2 years ago and even more than I did on our first anniversary.






It's hard for me to believe that it's been two years since the frantic days of wedding plannning have passed and we've settled nicely into our little married couple's routine. I can't begin to describe the safe haven that my wonderful husband's arms have created for me in the torrent that has been my life over the last year. Year 2 has had it's ups and downs that's for sure. Everyone always tells me that God never gives us anything we can't handle I'm not sure I 100% believe that but I do believe that God never gives any one person anything they must face alone. I fully believe in my heart that the good Lord knew I'd need a strong man in my life to help me face the storms of life. In the last few months when I felt like I've been in this strange haze Mr. A is the only one who has been able to put a smile on my face and make me forget the world for a while. We've been abundantly blessed in our life together and sometimes I know I'm guilty of forgetting that but when I look back over the last year together and what we've faced and triumphed I feel so incredibly blessed.


When Mr. A and I did our unity candle we did things a little differently and I love the sentiment it showed. Each of our guests received a candle when they entered the church and when it came time to light our unity candle it started with our ushers in the very back of the church and it was passed to every person leading up through our bridal party ending with our maid of honor and best man who took the candle to our moms who lit our individual candles and then we lit our candle together. It was to symbolize the part that each person played in bringing us to that moment. We chose the song "When God Made You" by Newsong to be played during that time and the words to that song ring so true for me. God had to have been thinking of me when He created someone who fit so perfectly everything I'd always dreamed of and more.

"When God Made You"
It’s always been a mystery to me
How two hearts can come together
And love can last forever
But now that I have found you, I believe
That a miracle has come
When God sends the perfect one
Now gone are all my questions about why
And I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true
When God made you
He must have been thinking about me

I promise that wherever you may go
Wherever life may lead you
With all my heart I’ll be there too
From this moment on I want you to know
I’ll let nothing come between us
And I will love the ones you love
Now gone are all my questions about why
And I have never been so sure of anything in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true
When God made you
He must have been thinking about me

Bridge:
He made the sun
He made the moon
To harmonize in perfect tune
One can’t move without the other
They just have to be together
And that is why I know it’s true
You’re for me and I’m for you
Cause my world just can’t be right
Without you in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true

Tag chorus:
He must have heard every prayer I’ve been praying (I 've been praying)
Yes He knew everything I would need
When God made you (I thank God he made you)
When dreams come true (you are my love my love)
When God made you He must have been thinking about me


Happy Anniversary Mr. A I love you to the moon and back!!

Mrs. A

For Katie and Ashley Paige

October 15th marked the National Day to remember those who have suffered miscarriage or Infant Loss. I was stunned and shocked to see two of my fave bloggers share their stories I never would have guessed from their blogs that either of these women had experienced such tremendous loss. I haven't been reading either of these women's blogs very long but I am amazed at their strength and faith in what I'm sure had to be a difficult post to write for each of them. I am always humbled when bloggers share their hearts in a post and I begin to see the deep strength many of my fave blogging girls have inside them. Actually in all honesty everyone I've met through this tiny little piece of the internet has the most beautiful heart I've ever seen and the strength to move mountains.

I lit these candles Thursday night at 7 PM for Katie & Ashley Paige but also for anyone who has experienced their pain. I'm in awe of both of you ladies and can't begin to express how much you have both touched my life through your kind words and sometimes hilariously funny posts. Reading all of your blogs is a therapy for me almost as much as writing my own posts.






Later Alligators....

Mrs. A