Elf Yourself

How awesome are the Elf Yourself videos?! I love them. Here's one featuring my cute little family of three. I bet you didn't now Jaxon had those moves.

Give Thanks

I love Thanksgiving.
We have a rule in the Acevedo family: No Christmas before Thanksgiving.
That means no Christmas decorations, no Christmas tree shopping, no Christmas music, nothing.
Thanksgiving always gets the shaft as malls put up their Christmas decorations as soon as the last of the Halloween candy is passed out on October 31st. It's a shame because I really just want to enjoy the beauty of autumn before I get swept up into the winter wonderland of Christmas. Plus, what's not to love about a holiday that revolves around eating?! I love eating! I love all the delicious food we get to enjoy together. We already had a taste of Thanksgiving last Saturday night when our small group hosted a pre-Thanksgiving meal/going away party for us. Turkey, dumplings, cornbread, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked mac-n-cheese. It was ALL good. And they were sweet enough to give us a little card and gift. We have an amazing small group! And tomorrow Alex and I will have a cozy dinner with the Metzgers and the Vanderburgs. I'm happy we won't be alone on Thanksgiving and that we'll get to celebrate with some amazing people that we love.

So before you get all caught up in the Christmas spirit, don't forget to give thanks for this yummy holiday we will be celebrating tomorrow.

[image courtesy of hillarybird]

wedding blogs

I've been married for two and half years now...but I still check wedding blogs daily. I can't help it. People come up with the best ideas. It makes me want to get married all over again. Not that I didn't love our wedding, it was perfect, but there are so many other ideas I'd like to try. Maybe Alex and I will renew our vows someday so we can have another spectacular party.

Here are a few of my favorites for any brides-to-be out there:

1. Once Wed
This website is fantastic for so many reasons. They feature real weddings, share plenty of DIY ideas, have a vendor guide, and even have a listing where you can buy/sell used wedding dresses. When I wanted to sell my wedding dress (yes people, I sold my wedding dress, get over it) I used this site and I got so many hits on it. I ended up selling it to a nice girl in South Carolina for a great price.
The images on this site are gorgeous. You'll find plenty of inspiration here.

2. Green Wedding Shoes

This is another great site which features real weddings and cute DIY ideas. I love that you can search real weddings by category (backyard weddings, beach weddings, vintage weddings). There's so much inspiration on this site! You can also peruse their galleries for ideas on engagement shoots, inspiration boards, and fun wedding trends. 

3. Le Wedding Party

I'm a huge fan of Elsie*Cake's blog, A Beautiful Mess, which is why I'm uber excited about her recently launched wedding blog. She's a lover of all things vintage and DIY. This girl is so talented, I just know her upcoming wedding with Jeremy Larson will be magical.

4. Steph + Danny

Finally, I had to feature my dear friend, Steph. I've known this girl since high school. She sat next to me in physics and called me Kristen for weeks! It's okay, I love her. She is a fabulous and loyal friend and I canNOT wait to attend her wedding in December. I love reading her wedding blog because it keeps me up to date on all the fun planning even though I'm not in Miami to participate. You should also check out her personal blog, Fawn. She's one of the most creative people I know. I love this girl.

 [Paha! Remember this?? Wayyy before either one of us was even close to getting married.]

Vision Day

Yesterday we had our Soma Church Vision Day. I was happily surprised with the amount of people who showed up to hear all about the Summit's newest church plant. It was such an encouraging time for me personally. It's easy for me to get caught up in all the annoying little details of moving. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with how expensive it is and how far away I'll be from my family and friends. I start feeling sad or angry and I forget why we're doing this.
But yesterday was such a great reminder. We're called to this city...we're called to plant a gospel-centered church...we're called to live on mission. And all the little inconveniences we experience along the way are hardly worth mentioning. I feel energized. I feel grateful. And I'm so thankful for the reminder of the vision of Soma Church. And I'm thankful for our leaders, Bryan and Andy. And I'm thankful for all who showed up yesterday and prayed for us. It's so humbling.

November Update

How cute are these "I-love-my-hometown" prints from Etsy???

I would love to have one for Miami and one for Denver...the two cities that I love. Both have a dear place in my heart.

And here's a little update on how we're doing, since people keep asking. :-)

• We are under contract with a cute little home in Denver. Closing date is December 1st. That's not much time to get everything done! Inspections, appraisals, repairs, negotiations..bahh! Pray that everything gets done on time. It's hard not being there to oversee how everything goes, but we have a great realtor who is a huge help. 
• This Sunday The Summit's N. Raleigh campus will be hosting Soma Church Vision Day. Free lunch and childcare for all who attend, just RSVP here. It's going to be grand.
• In a little over three weeks we'll be in Miami with our family and friends! How excited am I to see my loved ones?! Very. 

That's really all the major stuff going on. In the meanwhile I'm trying to keep calm and remember that God is in control of each and every detail of this move. It's not going to be easy...in fact, this move is inconvenient, expensive, and nerve-racking...but God ordained this long before we even knew this was a possibility. How's everyone else doing?

Practical Theology for Women

I've been wanting to blog about this little book for a while now.
It has had a great impact on me and I think all my lady friends should pick it up and give it a read. Seriously, do it.

This little book is a quick but profound read. Wendy Horger Alsup has a heart for teaching women about theology and shows that understanding theology makes a difference in our daily lives. From the very beginning of the book Wendy implores women to seek God. "God has called you and equipped you to know him. We have no excuse to remain ignorant of his character. Seek God's face. Understand his character. Pursue knowledge of him, for apart from the 'fear of the Lord' and 'the knowledge of the Holy One' (Proverbs 9:10) we have no hope for being a wise mother, sister, wife, or friend."

I used to be really afraid of knowing "too much" about the Bible. How silly. I could never know too much about the Bible. I guess I thought it was too much responsibility...and it is a lot of responsibility, but instead of fearing it, I welcome it now. There really is no hope for me apart from Jesus...and I need to try and understand Him better so that I may live a life that brings Him glory.

I know theology sounds like a scary word...but all it really means is to study God. Christian women should not shy away from studying the Bible and learning everything they can about God. I once heard someone say that women shouldn't study the Bible so much because their husbands might feel inadequate because their wives know more about the Bible than they do. [Believe me, it took everything I had not to ring this person's neck] To that, Wendy has an amazing response, "God forbid that women should avoid studying the deep things of the Word lest they surpass the understanding of the men in their lives! Studying theology–such as the Holy Spirit’s role in convicting man of sin, and God’s sovereignty over all creation–will curb, not enhance, a woman’s sinful tendency to nag and manipulate her husband. My husband can bear witness to the fact that a better understanding of God’s character, that is, theology, makes me a better wife." Thanks, Wendy!

You don't have to go to seminary or be a big-time scholar to learn theology. This book is a great start to learning about theology. This book covers some big main points: What is Theology?, Who is our God?, and Communicating with God. Going through these easy-to-read chapters will get you comfortable with thinking more deeply about these topics. And Wendy provides some great practical insights to go along with the biblical truths she is expounding on. I promise you, this book is definitely not boring and it really ministered to me like reading a devotional would. Don't be afraid to step up your study of God, ladies. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! -Psalm 111:10.

Click here to buy the book on Amazon.
Check out Wendy's blog here.

Thad Cockrell // Leagues

Thad Cockrell's "To Be Loved" record is one of my very favorites.
I don't know how else to describe the music except to say that it's beautiful. It has that great Nashville sound that I love so much.

I'd seen him play live before but only in a "worship" setting, never his own songs from his album. So when I heard that he would be playing a free show at Vintage21 on Saturday, well, I couldn't miss it. He has started a new band called Leagues. The first half of the set they played Thad's solo stuff and the second half they played new music that they are getting to record soon. The new music sounded great and I can't wait to buy their new record.








**All photos shot and edited by the very talented Alex Acevedo**

Come Visit Us in Denver

My amazing husband made a short video recapping a few of the things we did while in Denver last week. He never ceases to surprise me with his creativity and talent.

So here's a little taste of Denver for you all. Hopefully you'll come visit us!


Voyage to Denver from Alexander Acevedo on Vimeo.

the future

This will be Alex and I when we move to Denver this winter.
Except he'll have a beard of course. And Jaxon will be with us.
But you get the point...

[Buy this print here.]

Soma Church Vision Day

We're still in Denver, we'll be headed back to Raleigh tomorrow.
I wish we could just stay here, I love this city! But I miss Jaxon like crazy, so I'm excited to see him.

I just wanted to pop in and say THANKS for your prayers and I would ask that you keep on praying because the hunt isn't over. We still have a few hurdles to jump over.

Also, I'm excited about our upcoming Soma Church Vision Day on November 14th. Check out this video about our church plant and if you're in the RDU you need to RSVP to come to our vision day. We'd love to see you there!


Soma Church Vision Day from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

House Hunting

I am beyond excited to go house hunting this week! I really think Alex and I are going to have a great time in the city looking at all these houses, one of which could be our future home!
I even made a little chart with all our prospects and rated them on a scale of 1-5 and chose a top ten. Look, it's color-coded and everything. [Thanks to my mom for suggesting to do this, it's really helped us see which houses best fit our family without getting caught up in unimportant things or feeling overwhelmed]

We'll also squeeze in plenty of time for fun. I can't wait to explore Denver with my handsome man.
And we are ever so thankful that Anne Marie will be apartment-sitting and dog-sitting for us. I'm confident Jaxon will be loved on while we're away, but I'll still miss him terribly!

And while we're gone I ask that you please remember us in your prayers. I know the Lord has prepared a home for us and I just pray that He would guide us and give us wisdom and discernment. This is pretty much the most grown up thing Alex and I have ever done. Eek!

Also, please take a look at our latest Soma update video. We need your help, please consider being a part of the Soma Support Community. It would be a huge blessing. "Without those who send, we cannot go."


Soma Support Community from Soma Church Denver on Vimeo.

My Weekend in iPhone Photos

We had a great weekend in the Acevedo household.

Friday I babysat for handsome little Baby Crane. He is just as precious as can be.
I also found evidence of Fall outside. Leaves are changing colors. Hoorah!
Aaand Alex came home with a new toy...the Canon 60D. It's stinkin' beautiful. I love it...but haven't gotten to play with it much because it's permanently glued to Alex's hands. ;-)
[By the way, we're selling our Canon Rebel XTi, let me know if you're interested!]

Saturday we had a garage sale. Not gonna lie, we didn't make much money...but that's okay. It was fun hanging out with friends.
I helped set up for a baby shower at Pregnancy Support Services in the afternoon, hung out with Jaxon for a bit, and then drove to Durham for a night of fun with Pilar. We tried the Indian food truck and it was really delicious. I wasn't expecting it to be so tasty but it was definitely legit. We also hung out at her house, walked to a local coffee shop for some chai, had wonderful conversation, and went to the MotorCo to watch the Love Language and a couple other bands. The Love Language put on a great show and I was diggin' the venue. You should check out a show there if you get the chance.

Sunday we sold our bed so we're now sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Let me tell you, I don't hate it. We also took Jaxon on a walk to Kroger, they were having a good ol' fashioned Southern fish fry. Delicious! The proceeds were going to help needy families, so Alex and I split a plate and everyone gushed over how cute Jaxon is. :-)
That evening we had a Soma meeting where Bryan did some teaching on how discipleship happens best in community.
And then we had a delicious rotisserie chicken and duck dinner at the Riddles. We also watched Pulp Fiction. That movie never gets old.

How was your weekend?

*all photos taken with my iPhone. 

Church Planting Vision

I love my church, the Summit, and the vision we have for planting 1,000 churches in the next 40 years.
And I am honored and privileged to be a part of this vision in going out to Denver to help plant Soma Church.
It's going to be a wild ride.


Church Planting Vision from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

Yard Sale!

We're trying to raise as much money as possible to help us make the move to Denver. Let me tell you, moving across the country ain't cheap! So if you're in RDU/WF please come on out and help us by purchasing some of our stuff or spread the word to others who are looking for a few treasures. Thanks!

[P.S. Our furniture is fun...that's why we call it 'fun'iture... ;-)]

Marshmallow Cupcakes

About a month ago I decided to try this amazingly easy recipe I found in Real Simple magazine. I tweeted about it and got quite a buzz. Even Real Simple retweeted me...it's probably the highlight of my Tweeting career.

Anyway, basically you make regular cupcakes and then when you have about three minutes left to bake you stick marshmallows on top and let them melt.

It's absolutely delicious! I think I even like it better than regular frosting. It's not as sweet, but still sweet enough. It's a pretty good solution for people who are not fans of gobs of icing on their cupcakes.

So give it a try next time you're planning on baking some cupcakes and let me know how it turns out.

Phone Conversations

I don't particularly enjoy talking on the phone.
I avoid it as much as possible. I would much rather text/facebook/tweet/e-mail than talk on the phone. I'm not really sure what it is. Phone calls just feel so awkward. Kinda like this.

But there are a few people in my life (who live far away) who are just not really into the "internet world." This is a fine choice. I can understand not wanting to read blogs or waste time on facebook or figure out how the heck twitter works. I get it. So for these privileged few (really, it's like, three people) I will pick up the phone and have an actual verbal conversation.

And you know what? I feel so blessed after hanging up. These phone conversations warm my soul. I love catching up on chisme, hearing about what God is doing in their life, updating them on our Soma progress. I love these phone conversations. I love these friends. And it's a blessing that they remember me and call me and still include me in their lives...even if I'm far away.

Thanks, friends.

[image via weheartit]

New Music

I haven't been keeping up with new music much these days.
I mean, I love music. I love going to concerts. I'm even a bit of a music snob. There's a wide range of music that I listen to and enjoy. But my excuse for the past two years is that I've been busy with seminary...too busy to keep up with the latest bands. Now that I've graduated though, and I have a lot of free time on my hands I'm ready to discover new music again!

So tell me, what bands are you downloading? What songs can't you get out of your head? And make it good, people...remember, music snob.

Thanks, friends!

The Cardonas

Alex did his first family photo shoot last weekend. He did such an amazing job. I'm proud of my Creative.
Click over to his blog and let him know what you think.

Kat & Lenny: Two Years

The Goenagas have to be one of our favorite couples to hang out with.
We've known them for years. In Miami we went to the same church, and Kat and I even worked together for a short time. Remember those early mornings, Kat?? ;-)

They were married exactly two years ago today in Miami, FL. It was a beautiful wedding that Alex and I were blessed to be a part of. And seriously, out of all the bridesmaid dresses I've had to wear over the years, that was definitely my favorite. Last year, they moved up here to attend SEBTS. It's been so nice having them around in NC. They bring a little bit of the Miami craziness to this quiet little town.

Kat asked me if I could take some portraits for them to celebrate their two year anniversary. Of course, I had to say yes. Kat wanted to do a romantic picnic theme so we headed to Joyner Park in Wake Forest. I usually don't do much editing to my photos, but I tried to give these a vintage feel.

We also did a few just walking around the park in some different outfits. The sun was setting so the colors are really warm. I love it.

If you want to see some more images click here.
Happy Anniversary, dear friends! It's a blessing to know you both.

Blog Redesign

Alex has been helping me redesign my blog. This is what we've come up with so far. I might still change a few things, so we'll have to see what the final product looks like.
If you read my blog through facebook, you should reallllly consider clicking over to my actual blog page and bookmarking me to your browser or adding me to your RSS feed (GoogleReader, etc). :-) I'm just sayin'. I'm considering not importing my blog to facebook notes anymore, mostly because there's always some kind of technical problem...again, we'll see.

Anyway, besides changing the look of the blog I also added some pages at the top: about, Mr. & Mrs., photography, and Soma. Click through those pages and let me know what you think. Advice and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for reading.