This is dedicated to the one I love

He's 25 years old today!
So here are 25 reasons why I love him:

1. He cracks me up. 
2. He balances me out with his easy-going nature.
3. His beard. It's awesome.
4. He loves unconditionally.
5. He works hard to provide us with our needs.
6. He convinced me to get a dog. (one of the best decisions we've made)
7. He is pursuing a deeper relationship with God everyday.
8. He's a problem solver.
9. He's a good cook and enjoys whipping up delicious meals.
10. He's a talented photogrpaher...getting better everyday.
11. He plays a mean guitar.
12. He gives my abuelita hugs and kisses and tells her that he loves her.
13. He is trustworthy.
14. He always tries to make me happy...
15. ...But he also tells me when I'm being a spoiled brat.
16. He knows the importance of family.
17. He respects his mom so much.
18. He hates college football just as much as I do. 
19. He gives the most amazing kisses.
20. He's a great cuddler.
21. He cries during emotional commercials/tv shows/movies... it's great!
22. He's not afraid to admit when he doesn't know something...he's humble and asks questions.
23. He does a great Cuban accent.
24. He's a techie. 
25. He married me. :-)

Happy Birthday, lover. Thank you for being you.

The Crane Family

I adore the Cranes.
Thomas, Leslie, and now little Baby Judah are great friends to us. I did Leslie's maternity photos a couple months ago and now Judah has joined us (he was born on our wedding anniversary, May 31st!).
I am so impressed with Thomas and Leslie. They are first-time parents and they are doing such a great job. God has really been blessing them and we are thankful!

Thomas' parents (who are missionaries in Africa) traveled to NC to see their first grandbaby. Thomas' brother, sister, and brother-in-law are also in town and it's the first time the whole family has been together in quite some time. So of course, a family photo session was in order! Don't you just love how babies bring families together?

We went  down to Joyner Park in Wake Forest to snap some photos. They're a great family and I really enjoyed spending time with them.

Here are a few of my favorite images...and you can check out more at my flickr account.

Adoption: Identity & Inheritance

Our church, the Summit, is currently doing a series called "Fatherless." 

Here is what the Summit has to say about the fatherless and the church's role in the lives of orphans:


Though we were once "fatherless" and far away, we have been redeemed and brought near by the blood of Jesus. We have been adopted as his sons and daughters. Join us as we talk about the implications of this for our personal lives and what it means for our responsibility toward those who are "fatherless," both here in RDU and around the world.


This weekend, Trevor Atwood (college pastor at the Summit) gave a message entitled "Adoption: Identity & Inheritance." It was truly incredible.  Trevor and his wife, Keva, have adopted two boys (Micah from Russia and Isaac from Ethiopia). He talked about we have been adopted by God through Jesus Christ and related that to his experiences adopting his sons.  The way he delivered his message was truly flawless and touching.  


The clincher for me was at the end of his sermon when he said, "If we truly believe the gospel, all of our lives will demonstrate a love that is not self-focused...but a love, like God's, that sacrifices to bring others to the realization that they have a Father that loves them... We will reach out to those in need, those experiencing the brokenness of our world, to show them that there is a heavenly Father who will make all things new. Race, disease, special needs, finances will not keep God's church from adopting orphans because sin has not kept God from adopting us." 


Powerful stuff. I suggest you go HERE and listen to the full message. You truly will not regret it.  It's truly a beautiful, eye-opening explanation of the gospel, our adoption, and what our response should be in light of these truths. 


One more quote that really grabbed me:
"If the gospel story of our adoption is true...then from Durham to Raleigh to Chapel Hill to Mebane to Garner to Wake Forest to Cary to Apex to New York City to Denver to North Africa to Central Asia and back again, the stories should be flowing like legend of the way God's church has taken care of the orphan, the widow, the marginalized, the alien, and the outsider...because that is what we all were without Christ!"


Again, such a powerful message and one that all of us who call ourselves Christians should listen to and consider.
Click here to hear the message yourself.


And if you're interesting in reading another story about adoption and the gospel pick up a copy of Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore. I just bought it yesterday and can't wait to read it (I have a few other books I need to finish up first). 

Meet Jaxon

Jaxon is finally home!
We drove about an hour and a half to pick him up yesterday and he instantly became part of the family.
It's amazing how calm and gentle he is. He's very well-trained (potty and crate) but doesn't really follow commands yet (sit, stay, etc). It's okay. We'll keep working on it.
He's very sweet and lovable. He follows me everywhere I go and loooves to be cuddled with.

Yup, it was pretty much love at first sight.

Of course, Alex made a little video to commemorate the occasion.  Check it out below. (if you're reading this on facebook be sure to click here to see the video on my blog) We hope to get him groomed soon...just waiting on some papers from the schnauzer rescue. He's going to look so handsome.

Meet Jaxon:

Music Philosophy

I've been posting quite a bit this month...I guess that's what happens when you graduate from school and don't have a job. Meh.

Anyway, I had to share this neat website I found called Music Philosophy. 

A designer named Mico decided to combine his love for music and typography in this project. Every week he adds a new design with a different song lyric in which he graphically interprets the philosophical implications of the lyric. He does a great job. Incidentally each of these designs looks great as an iPhone wallpaper...so find your favorite lyric and download it now. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

New Pet Peeves

We all have pet peeves.
Whether it's noisy eaters, nail biting, drivers who don't use their turn signals, bad grammar, bare feet, emoticons (which I happen to love by the way), etc etc. Pet peeves are all around us.

Well I have found a whole list of new pet peeves since moving to North Carolina! Hoorah!

First of all, what is the deal with men calling their wives "my bride"? WHY do they do this? It's the most annoying term of endearment I've ever heard. "I'm going out on a date night with my bride." "Can't wait to get home to my bride." "I love my bride, she's the best." BLEGH. Remember that day when she got all dressed up in white and you wore that dorky tux? That's when she was your bride. Now she's your wife. I don't know, maybe they're trying to keep the honeymoon phase going, but it is truly so so annoying.

These same men are usually the ones who have some sort of smart comment to say about guys who are dancers/artists/musicians. As if a man being a dancer/artist/musician makes him less manly somehow. Are you kidding me?! Male dancers are amazingly strong, agile, and could probably kick your butt without even trying. Male artists and musicians are much more talented and creative than you could ever hope to be.
Watching football and dressing like a slob doesn't make you manly.
Enjoying art, dance, poetry, or playing the piano doesn't make you un-manly.
So let's cool it with the offensive comments.
(In case you hadn't guessed, that there was my second pet peeve)

And then there's these women who get pregnant and have to make every single conversation about their "delicate condition." I'm happy for your little miracle, but can we please talk about something else for a while? This YouTube video was made for them:


So that's it. I'm glad I got that all off my chest. I feel so much better now.

What are some of your pet peeves?

Adopting a Pup

I've written about my feelings on adoption before. It's a beautiful thing.
Well, those sentiments extend out into the animal world as well. I'm not gonna lie...I did NOT want a dog. Alex and I had many many...many...discussions about it. He really wanted one, I was adamantly against it. Some of our friends even jumped in on the debate. But I just wasn't having it.

Over time, however, my heart softened. I began doing some research and finally came to the conclusion that if we were to get a dog...he would have to be a miniature schnauzer and he could not be a puppy (house training? no thanks).  There are so many abandoned dogs out there who need some lovin'. So why not welcome one of them into our home?

So we searched on petfinder.com and found the dog of our dreams.
He is a four year-old salt and pepper mini schnauzer...and according to his "foster mom" he is as friendly as can be. We are so excited to adopt our little schnauzer...especially because it's been about a month since we first filled out the application through the Schnauzer Rescue. It's a long process since they want to make sure their dogs will be going to a good home.

On Sunday Alex and I will be driving out to Asheboro to pick up our pup. We'll be posting pictures next week! In the mean time, here are a few pictures from the petfinder website:

Anniversary Cookies

This past Monday (May 31st) Alex and I celebrated two years of marital bliss.
As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent the day driving home from D.C. and stopped in Richmond for a bite to eat.
But I also got a great idea for a little anniversary gift from a blog online. Aren't these cookies sweet?!

Unfortunately I can't remember which blog I saw this on...so if you've seen this please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

Anyway...
I'm not exactly an experienced baker, so I asked Megan Desko for help. She makes beautiful and delicious cookies and I could not have pulled this off without her.
She made these cookies for Leslie's baby shower:

And she made these for small group one night:

Check out her blog...she's so talented!
It took us two nights to get the job done...and I could not be happier with result. I got a cookie jar from Target and presented Alex with his gift on Friday before we left for D.C. He loved them! (he's seriously a cookie monster)

Thanks for all your help, Megan!

DC

As a graduation gift my parents took us to Washington D.C.
Alex and I had never been before, so it was a real treat to be able to experience this city with my family. We did all the regular touristy things...monuments, museums, botanical gardens. We also got the chance to wait one hour in line at Georgetown Cupcake (so worth it) and visit with my dad's sister and her family (they have six amazing children...I loved getting to know them).
We also got to experience Rolling Thunder. I have never seen so many bikers in one place in all my life! It was interesting.
Oh, and best of all we were able to visit Restoration Church. This is a church plant that's less than a year old being led by two SEBTS graduates. It was so encouraging to see them doing what we will hopefully be doing next year. They're doing great work in D.C. Please be in prayer for this young church and give if you are able.

On Monday Alex and I drove back home to Raleigh. We stopped in Richmond and had lunch in Carytown to celebrate our two year anniversary. It was deeelicious. Carytown is a really quirky place, we'll definitely have to go back and spend more time there.

Thanks mom and dad for a great trip! It was so awesome getting to spend time with you in D.C. <3

View more pictures here.

SEBTS Graduation

We're back from our trip to DC and I have a lot to catch up on!

First I wanted to share a few photos from my graduation last Friday.
It was a great day and I am so happy that my family could be there to celebrate.
I am so thankful for my parents...they paid my way through school and I could not be more grateful. They're always there for me and inspire me to do the best I can.
My sister and grandmother were also there. Two strong beautiful women that I love. It's always nice to spend time with them.
And of course, my wonderful husband. What a man. ;-)

View pictures here.