the one with the big 2-5

On January 17th I turned 25 and it hit me: I'm halfway through my twenties. Wait, seriously? It feels like yesterday that I was kissing my teens good-bye and now here I am: finished with school, living far from my parents, working full-time, paying bills, and married. Hello, adulthood. But even though graphics like the one above freak me out (they give me that looming "your-youth-is over, the-wrinkles-are-coming, you-haven't-accomplished-enough" sort of feeling), I have to admit that I'm very excited to be 25. It feels right:)

Here are a couple of pictures from the big day - my husband, family, and friends made it extra special.

Jesse planned a birthday party at Lucky Strike with friends for a night of bowling, football-watching, and greasy-food eating. Perfection.

Oh - and did I mention the chocolate? 

Cause there always needs to be birthday chocolate:)

Here's to another 25! 

the one with Sawyer Kate

So much has happened over the last few weeks that I don't quite know how to delineate it all a blog post with adequate verbiage, enthusiasm, pictures, and insight. So instead, here is something short, sweet and to the point. 

 

I have a niece! Everyone, I would like you to meet my newest favorite person: Sawyer Kate. She's 7lbs, 1oz of pure cuteness and yep - I got to be there to witness her grand entrance :) 

Sawyer is the fourth addition to my sister's brood and as the fourth kid in my own family - I feel a major sense of solidarity with my newest niece. After all, who else can better teach her how to stand up for herself against all those older kids and get more privileges than the siblings before her acquired? Shhh, I was really good at it:) But mostly, I can't wait to tell this little girl that she is so completely and totally loved. She always has been. 

As I held that teeny little girl on the first day of her life, I watched those navy blue newborn eyes drift into a deep sleep and saw those impossibly small fingers try to squirm out of my ill-attempted swaddle. I marveled over those ruby red lips and adorably kissable cheeks - and I've got to be honest, I cried while baby girl slept in my arms and while my sister slept the exhausted sleep of a new mommy. I cried because, once again, I was amazed by our Creator. The One who could create something so perfect and something so small. And that he would entrust this little-piece-of-perfect to us. I know that Sawyer Kate is in excellent hands - she's got a Heavenly Father, amazing earthly parents, and a whole fan club of people who didn't think newborns could be that beautiful:) 

Baby, we're so happy you're here.  

the one with the traveling newlyweds

The first post of 2013! Can you believe that we're already here? I feel like the past year has FLOWN by in a series of crazy, wonderful, new, and exciting moments. Jesse and I sent 2012 out and rang in 2013 among my ever-growing family. We started out in West Palm Beach, Florida with my parents and my brother Jonathan's family, drove up to Columbia, SC to visit with my brother David's family, and are rounding out the trip in Wilmington, NC with my sister Elizabeth's brood. It has been an action-packed vacation filled with presents (giving and getting), movies, some sickness (this always happens to me!), laughter with my incredible siblings and their spouses, and lots of child-wrangling. 

A glimpse of Christmas

I had to drop J off at the airport today so he could head home, but I'm hanging here in Wilmington until my sister's 4th baby is born. I've been here for each of the Thompson births so I'm sooo glad I get to be here for the final addition. Currently, my nieces are by my side chattering away while we settle in to watch Brave (Cassidy's new favorite movie) so I have to run before they assault me for continuing to type rather than watch with them. It's good to be wanted:) 

My extremely pregnant (and very adorable) big sister

Miss this man already:) 

2013 is already shaping up to be a great year! Happy New Year, friends!

the one with all the marry-ment

This weekend two of my best friends got married in the most bedazzled of occasions  Cortney Shanks married Tom McGuirk!! After several rounds of dating - they finally tied the knot yesterday.  And it was perfect:) I wore a gold sequined party dress (every girl needs one, after all) and Jesse got to wear the cutest little bow tie. We stood up on stage and watched two of our favorites commit their lives to one another. It was a tearful, happy, and long-awaited event and I'm so glad we got to witness it. 

The beautiful bride!

Over the last year, Cortney was in five weddings (including mine) and I was curious to see how she would style her own wedding - and let me tell you, it was the most unique weddings ever. She did an amazing job combining all of the best parts of this time of year - candlelight, glitter, and class - while remaining perfectly herself. Her dress was simple and beautiful and she matched it with a coverlet from Beholdn (Anthro's wedding line) - seriously the coolest accessory I've ever seen. Like I mentioned before, the bridesmaids wore gold sequined dresses, carried black clutches (hand-picked by the bride for each maid - precious), and rocked sock buns. The reception was held at this stunning New England house that had a roaring fireplace, twinkle lights, and cozy couches. Magical. 

Tom and Cort - you may never see this thanks to your amaaaazing honeymoon in Aruba (woo!) but thank you for letting me be apart of your Big Day. I can't believe we almost had to miss it, but I'm so grateful that God worked it out. The best December 22nd I can ever remember:)  If you want to look at more pictures from their day (and if you have an instagram) - type in the hashtag #merrycortmas and enjoy!

Today, I'm sitting at my computer with a sore throat and head ache - the aftermath of the perfect weekend - and I'm trying to rest up before we head out to Florida for Christmas vacation. I feel so tired and yet so blessed all at once. It's definitely been a wonderful Christmas season already. 

And before my other lovely brides from 2012 feel slighted - I would also love to give a special shout-out to Candice and Erin - two of my other newly married friends who are literally some of the most stunning people I will ever know. Your weddings were perfect and deserve a post of their own. I love you both dearly:) If you want to have some serious wedding envy take a look at their weddings here and here. Just kidding...envy is wrong - let's call it "appreciating." ;)

the one about connecticut

There are no words that can make sense of something so violent, so heartbreaking, so sad. Many writers and blogs have expressed the perspective of a parent and I'm not here to do that. I'm not a parent, and although I've been so sad and emotional about this whole thing - I can't imagine what I would feel as a mother too. I don't have any kids of my own to squeeze extra tight tonight, but the last few days have reminded me that I have so much to cherish in this fleeting life - my family back home and here in Boston, my wonderful husband, my best friends, my church family, and so much more.

But tonight, I meditated on something far more somber. I found a list of biographies of the victims on CNN's website. Typically, I avoid looking at things like that - it's just too hard to face. But tonight, I decided that I wanted to....rather, that I needed to. As I looked through the names, I prayed for each of the families and loved ones of these adorable children and brave educators. At one point in my prayer, I had to stop and just weep. How could this happen? Why do people do these things? 

As I finished my prayer, I still didn't have any answers. 

But I'm reminded of the Scripture that President Obama quoted yesterday from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

I'm so glad that the President comforted the nation with these words. They were exactly what I needed to hear (and I doubt that I'm the only one). I'm so grateful that this life isn't it. It's only the beginning. I can't wait to be in the place with no more goodbyes and no more tears. 

I also watched this video from one of the parents, Robbie Parker, about his daughter Emilie. His heart of forgiveness and love challenged me deeply. I hope it heals your heart a little bit too. 

Love, 

Alexandra

the one with the weekend visit

Ever have one of those days where you wake up feeling like you've already lived the whole day already? That's me today - totally and completely exhausted in every capacity. But here's the good news - exhaustion can come from the most positive things. Like this weekend, for instance, my dad came into town! It was one of those weekends where you go non-stop but it was completely wonderful. My dad came to Boston not only to visit his favorite daughter...sorry Elizabeth;)....but to speak to our church about the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. I hadn't heard my dad preach in forever and I've got to tell you - it was even better than I remembered. He has the gift of bringing the Bible to life in the most fun, expressive, and deep way. And he makes the best movie references (I mean really, what other preacher quotes "Die Hard" regularly in sermons). 

But hearing him preach was only one of the highlights - we got to talk and catch up, re-tell funny memories, and just be together. One of the best parts of his visit was going to see the Boston Pops holiday concert. The Boston Pops combine symphony orchestra, choral performance, and modern music in this wonderful melodic blend and it was such a great experience. Special bonus? It was totally free! After a night full of merriment I am officially in the Christmas spirit. 

Having my two favorite men together in one place was the perfect December treat - my first married Christmas season and my dad visiting all at once. I truly feel like the "boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalm 16:6).

This morning I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful earthly father who points me to my heavenly father. However, I realize that my situation is unique. So many of my friends don't have the relationship with their dad that I get to enjoy - but the amazing thing is that we can all have a father that thinks we're the bees' knees. Don't believe me? The Bible has some wonderful things to say about that. Try reading Isaiah 49:15-16, Psalm 103:11-13, and Zephaniah 3:17 for starters. Here's to a holiday season full of security, peace, and connection:)

Miss you already!

the one where we got [christmas] crafty

Christmas decorating on a newlywed budget? Challenge accepted. After years of bemoaning my lack of creativity in DIY projects - I finally made some progress this month! I took on three projects (you've got to start somewhere, people) and I thought I would share them with you here. 

1. Yarn Wreath 

For those of you who follow me on Pinterest, you know that I went a little pin happy recently in the wreath department. They are a great combination of home spun (see what I did there?) and put-together. To make my wreath I followed a tutorial from the Decor Chick blog which you can check out here. 

What you'll need: 

- A wreath form (made of a straw-like thing)

- Two rolls of yarn (if you are doing a two tone like me)

- Hot glue gun

- Decorative feature (I chose greenery with some berries)

What you do: 

It's simple - just wrap the yarn around the wreath form tightly and make sure there aren't any gaps. As you finish with a section (if you opt to do multiple colors), just secure with a dab of hot glue. It took me about 2 hours to wrap while catching up with a friend. Finally, just hot glue the decoration to the front and fix to your liking! 

After I finished wrapping the wreath, I started to attach the greenery with hot glue. 

The Final product! Wrapped the greenery in additional yarn to hide the ends. 

2. Holiday Centerpiece

I wanted something cute and festive for our coffee table - so here's what I came up with! 

What you'll need: 

- A clear vase

- Two bags of fresh (or fake) cranberries 

- Greenery (fake or real)

- a candle (I opted for a mason jar one but tea lights would be cute too)

- twine

What you do: 

Simply fill the bottom with cranberries, decorate the top with greenery (I had leftovers from the wreath) and place the candle in the middle. Finally, wrap the vase with some twine and that's it! Done and done. I really like the way it turned out. And the best part? It was practically free.

I like how this is seasonal without pounding you over the head with Christmas cheer. 

3. Cinnamon Candles

I saw this idea online at Martha Stewart and I wanted to make one for me and one for a dear friend who happens to loveee candles! So, I went for it. 

What you'll need: 

- Vanilla pillar candles

- 2 bags of cinnamon sticks (I suggest a craft store for this)

- Rubber bands

- Twine

What you do: 

In order to get the most out of my cinnamon sticks, I decided to break the sticks in half. I was able to break most of them by myself but J helped me with the thicker ones:) After that, I wrapped the rubber band around the candle and started putting cinnamon sticks side by side. You do have finagle it a bit since some sticks will be large and make the skinny ones slide out. But the rubber band is still much better than glue (I tried both). After you arrange the sticks, wrap the twine around the candle so that the rubber band is fully covered. The candle will look and smell great!

The final result: a sweet-smelling and cozy decoration. I surrounded mine with metallic  accents.

It's amazing how just a few simple decorations can transform your home this time of year. I hope this gets your creative juices flowing! Happy decorating and DIY-ing everyone! Oh and if you have more ideas - please feel free to comment! I have to capitalize on this phase:)