Birthday Giveaway

Today marks the beginning of year 24 in my life. There are many things that I am personally celebrating as I enjoy this birthday...AND to celebrate with all of your, I wanted to hold a little giveaway! I have teamed up with some very special shops! One lucky person will win all of the items you see below and I will be SO JEALOUS of whomever wins all of these goodies. So, take a look at what YOU could win!!

GOOD LUCK!! LET'S CELEBRATE

From The Honey Shack you have the opportunity to win of these darling "Sarita" style mason jar dispensers - and you will get a set of 2!! I have one of their mason jar dispensers and I absolutely ADORE it!!

Click HERE to see item details

Next, we have Degno Di Nota, which is another absolutely fabulous shop that I was recently introduced to and totally fell in love. My husband and I, as you know, love to travel, so this shop fits right in with what we love. From this shop, you have the opportunity to win these 2 journals: 

Click HERE to see item details

Click HERE to see item details

Next, we have the shop Sugar Plum Essentials. I love visiting this shop every now and then because the photography is just amazing. It makes you want to own everything in the shop! Stop on by...you'll see what I mean. From this shop, you have the opportunity to win Orange Citrus Foot Scrub & All Natural Lavender Body Spray: 

Click HERE to see item details

Click HERE to see item details

And finally, from my shop, For Such A Time Designs, I am giving away a few different items:

Click HERE to see item details

Click HERE to see item details

Click HERE to see item details


So there you have it!! 4 lovely shops bringing you a little summer, birthday celebration giveaway! This giveaway will go from June 17th - June 24th(next monday) and winner will be chosen at random using rafflecopter, which I have used for giveaways in the past. Spread the word, have fun and thanks for coming by to celebrate!!

Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

GRACE

"There, when you stand firm in the Home of Glory,

And all life's path lies open to your gaze,

Your eyes will SEE the hand you're now trusting,

And magnify His love through endless days."

"God Meant it unto Good" - Freda Hanbury Allen

I began this morning with my iced coffee and my 4 different books, along with my Bible, I am currently reading. Yes, I said 4...because, when you come out of one of the driest times of your life thus far, you need to dive back in. 

No matter how far away you feel, no matter how numb, bitter, hurt, shamed, you feel,

...you need to run back home.

 Back into the arms of the One who will ALWAYS take you back. 

In March, I posted about how I felt I was "Forever Changed" and had an experience that fueled my desire for change in my heart. And, it was true. However, after about a month, I ended up slowly failing at that. I wasn't actively working at my relationship with God and I slowly began to decline. But, instead of realizing it was my fault, I began to blame God and accuse Him of not "helping"me. This began to cause my way of thinking to shift and I lost sight of my goals...

- - -

Have you ever sat before someone and had to tell them something painful? A mistake you made.

Have you ever found yourself so lost in lies, rebellion, and deceit that you felt like you had no other choice but to continue down that road because you couldn't face yourself in the mirror, or anyone else for that matter?

Have you ever felt so passionless and without vision that you didn't care what choices you made next?

Well, this has been me.

When I got back from vacation, after spending a week in the desert and mountains with Andrew, I can honestly say, though I had fun, I had no joy and peace in my heart. My heart was so numb and burdened by who I had to look at in the mirror everyday, that I felt hopeless. 

I was suppose to open up the shop right when I got back, but I couldn't. My heart needed more time and I am just not the kind of person who likes to pretend and paint a fake picture before people....Or, I should say, even if I try to paint a different picture, I can not do it for long. 

So - I took more time, a few extra days and I spent them forcing myself to pick up my Bible, read and look inside my own heart. Look into the darkness and ugliness that had been welling up inside me for several months. It took hours and hours of forcing my heart and my mind to focus on the task at hand... because I was so ashamed of choices I was making and I felt alone in them. Though I tried reaching for help from a few people, it never seemed to actually help. I had once again, pushed God away so that I wouldn't have to open up.

But, on Friday night after a week of pursuing and pushing myself beyond my emotions, feelings, and the lies that were in my head, and as I lay wide eyed in bed, with my husband beside me... I felt a pull. An ache in my soul and I knew that in order for Andrew and I to rekindle our marriage and get back to a place of beauty between us, that I needed to confess some of the ugliness of my heart to him.

I went into the living room and prayed and then, I woke Andrew...

Tears. Heartache. Pain. 

And then...

Grace. Forgiveness. Love.

I married a man of great strength. A man with self-control. A man with love in his heart. 

A man who shows me the grace of God. 

And best of all, I married a man, who could bring me closer to God. 

Though the things that I needed to bring to light were painful for me to share and reveal... He held me close and gave me hope. He gave me grace. He gave me love. 

He gave me God.

- - - 

Marriage. Oh, how much I have learned in 2 years. I angrily wrote to a friend last week as I battled with myself, "Why didn't anyone tell me how difficult marriage was before I got married!!" And, why doesn't anyone talk about the difficulties of marriage. We all paint a picture before the world that we are happy, that nothing goes wrong, that we don't argue and and we don't act like children. And because of this, we find ourselves alone, because we are too scared to tell people that we are failing at the commitment that we made on our wedding day. The commitment that before hundreds of people, we promised FOR BETTER OR WORSE, GOOD TIMES AND BAD, SICKNESS AND HEALTH. 

But when the WORSE comes, and the BAD, and the SICKNESS... we crumble. We think..."this isn't the life I expected!" and "this isn't what I signed up for" and "Well, because of HIM or because of HER it is this way and if they don't CHANGE then this just isn't going to work."

One of the books I began reading is called, "What's it like to be married to me?". 

And have been slammed in the face with conviction and I am only about 20 pages in. One of the biggest things that has hit me is when I was asked me to consider my funeral someday...and the speaker, would be my husband.

What would I like my husband to say about me?

What character qualities would I like him to have seen in me?

What kind of love relationship would I want him to describe?

What kind of love would I have wanted him to have received from me during all those years?

And as I considered these questions, I was also encouraged NOT to compare with what HE does... but only what I have done and what I am responsible for. Because, really, when I got married and said my vows, I did not say, "for better or worse (AS LONG AS HE LOVES ME), in good times and bad (AS LONG AS HE TREATS ME RIGHT AND TREATS ME LIKE A PRINCESS), in sickness and health (AS LONG AS HE ISN'T SICK FOR TOO LONG OR AT INCONVENIENT TIMES). 

NO!!! I said... NO MATTER WHAT, I commit to LOVE you. Forever. No IF, ANDS...OR BUTS! 

And for the past several months, I found myself saying, "Well, this isn't what I signed up for and you weren't like this before we got married." and I was again, slammed in the face with a quote in the book that said, "So, are you saying that he is like this because he's been married to you then?"

Proverbs 14:1, "A wise woman builds her home, 

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands".

I have a responsibility. 

I have a calling. 

I am a wife. 

And because I have made the commitment to be a wife. I need to wake up each day and consider...

how am I actually doing as a wife? 

Am I loving enough? 

Am I giving enough? 

Am I spending daily time with God so that he can strengthen me to be able to love this man every day to the best of my ability?

And, above all else, will I love, give, and serve my husband, even if I am not getting anything in return?

These are hard questions.

And these are the VERY questions that caused my soul to dry up.

I felt I deserved more.

I felt I wasn't being filled up and loved enough.

I started to compare what I had to what I didn't have.

I let lies creep in and the world tell me that I could be happier.

And I was NEVER more wrong.

My name is Alysha Rene' Nickerson. 

I am the wife of Andrew Paul Nickerson.

We were married on April 3rd, 2011.

We aren't perfect. 

We have our struggles.

We fail.

We lack the ability to love some days.

We are selfish.

We get angry.

We loose sight of our calling.

But it is an HONOR to be committed forever to this man. 

And I pray that I can hold tighter  to this truth that I have been as of late. 

I pray that all of us who are married can hold tight to this truth.

It is an honor that we have committed ourselves to another. 

That we decided we found the one our hearts loved.

and that we would forever promise to make that love work... no matter what.

So, as I leave behind year 23 of my life and press on to year 24 next Monday (MY BIRTHDAY!). I pray that this year be a year full of love. A year filled with Christ as the center and a servants heart towards my husband.

This year...I am going to take back all the enemy has stolen from me last year.

I ask that you hold me to that. and join me.

Road Trip 2013: Sedona

Ahhhh... VACATION!!! We woke up yesterday and made our 6:15am flight to Phoenix and arrived at 6:20am! Only missed 5 minutes of time because of the timezone difference!! Though, I was exhausted due to the fact I had finished packing up final orders at 11:57pm the night before and then packed up my suitcase and did not go to sleep until about 2am(to then wake up at 4am!!) All to say, I was running on fumes!! 

But, I am loving being on vacation and being free to just sit and not think about anything!! I am debating taking a few extra days off when I get back, just to make sure I am geared up and ready to go for the summer months, as we have another break for a dear friends wedding back home at the end of August!

The views around here are amazing! I am in constant awe of the creation around me. This morning, I was able to wake up at 7:30am and went for a nice long run soaking in the views! I came back to the room after and made Andrew do some extra workouts with me...pushups, crunches, jumping jacks, and squats. He was a trooper and joined me. Even though, I was pretty determined and he, hesitant to what I was going to make him do. Below is what we did after my run...

50 jumping jacks

50 crunches

45 jumping jacks

45 pushups

40 jumping jacks

40 squats

35 jumping jacks

35 crunches

30 jumping jacks

30 pushups

and on and on and on until we had only 5 of each left!! 

One of my favorite things about the trip so far is that we have a 2013 Convertible Camaro that we are driving around. We have had the top down EVERYWHERE we go. I am just hoping I do not get addicted to it and feel the need to beg Andrew to buy my one for my birthday next month! ....though, we could never afford that!!

Today was filled with some good food at The Wildflower Bread Company and then an Indian restaurant, along with a great hike to the Devils Bridge and a few other spots that we found. I am looking forward to staying active on this trip, as its been my goal since March 5th to EAT CLEAN and put in more effort for working out... less ice cream and thinking I can eat whatever I want! So far, so good!

I am pretty tired tonight... from the run, the hike, and all the sun we are getting being outdoors and in the car (since the top is always down!!!). So - this post is going to be ending now with some pictures to give you some visuals and then we are going to probably take a little walk down the street to unwind & enjoy our last night here in Sedona!! Next stop.... GRAND CANYON and a 6 mile hike tomorrow! See you in the next post!! 

Now I can cross "get picture with a Convertible Camaro" off my bucket list.

Its gonna be a windblown hair kind of trip.... and I am LOVING it!!

Gorgeous view from my early morning run!!!

I love just sitting and looking around... I can't believe these views are actually REAL!! 

Yup... thats me...looking over the edge!!


Thanks for stopping in and following our trip! 

Guest | Erin of Dusty Daylight

I am beyond excited today to be introducing you to a girl who started off as one of my customers and now I consider to be a friend! Though we have never met, she has quickly become someone that I admire and think the world of. 

This is one of my favorite things about owning an online business. I get to meet some of the greatest people. Someday, I swear I am going to throw a big party and invite EVERYONE I have met! And of course, I will have Katy Moran of KATHERYN MORAN PHOTOGRAPHY to take all the pictures because she is just amazing! 

Erin is the owner and creator of Dusty Daylight. Through talking with her, she had told me that she opened up her shop a while back, but really as of late, was inspired to really take it to the next level. She sent me her link and I fell in love with her Elizabeth Lace Journal. So, naturally...I had to have it!! Not long after, it arrived in the mail and I opened up the mailing envelope to find this...

Aren't you in love??? Her attentional to detail is amazing. The journal is such a piece of art. Now the question is, what will be deemed worthy enough to mark the pages of this with! I might be mulling this one over for several weeks before I touch my pen to the pages. This journal is worthy of some professional calligrapher out there! 

I asked Erin to answer a few questions so that you could all get to know her a little better!

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The most darling little shop ever: Dusty Daylight

What inspires you?

In terms of design, I tend to gravitate towards things that are clean, pretty, and have great detail. Floral fabrics, textured linens, and delicate laces are a few of my favorites to work with. Hand bound books have become somewhat of a lost art and I love creating something new with a nod to the past. There is something so lovely and personal about a handmade book and I love mixing that with a slightly old-fashioned, dainty design.

What are some plans you have for your business in the future?

My plan for now is to continue expanding on journal designs. I'd also love to begin working with brides to create customized journals as bridesmaid gifts.

What types of things do you do in your free time when not working?

Hang out with my husband, coffee dates with friends, read, eat dark chocolate, play violin, watch White Collar (the best show!).

When did you start creating?

I don't know if I can pinpoint a specific time that it began, growing up I was always making something. When I was 7, I was selling painted rocks (yes.. rocks.. and people really did buy them!). When I was 9, I was selling beaded hair clips and head bands at a consignment shop down the road. The desire to create things with my hands started long before these 2 business endeavors, and hasn't stopped since. I suppose it's in my blood! As for book binding, I tried it for the first time in October 2011. It didn't turn out very pretty, but I loved the entire process and the potential there was for a lovely end product. I kept at it, and I still love it.

Tea or Coffee? I like both!

Favorite meal? Artichokes. Or white pizza.

Favorite dessert? Rhubarb pie! Also, anything involving dark chocolate.

When did you get married? Our wedding was October 21, 2012! So we'll have been 

married 6 months in a few weeks 

What is the best quality about your husband? 

I know this is going to sound cheesy but I'm sitting here trying to choose just one and it's really hard! He has a lot of great qualities. Can we go with top 3? or 4? Okay. 1) He loves God. 2) He is incredibly patient (which comes in SO handy when we're driving somewhere and I'm in charge of directions.. and forget) 3) He hardly EVER has anything negative to say about anyone. If he has a negative impression of a person, I know to pay attention. 4) When he commits to do something, he truly commits to it. He's a man of his word. Added bonus: Sometimes he makes wonderful, fresh mozzarella cheese. Right in our kitchen. It's fantastic.

What is the biggest thing you're learning right now?

That no matter what, pleasing God trumps pleasing people in every situation in my life. If I live my life and make my decisions to please people, I'm ruled by their opinion. If I live my life and make my decisions to please God, I'm ruled by his opinion. Honestly, people don't always have your best interests at heart, but God always does. "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for" Jeremiah 29:11 (the message).

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Erin wants to give one lucky person a chance to win a journal of choosing from her darling little shop! Yes, I KNOW!!! Exciting!! 

Go ahead...do a little happy dance! 

The giveaway will run from today 4/8 until Monday 4/15 at 12:00am.

Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter (below). The winner will be notified by email and the name will be displayed on the widget below. 

Good Luck! And make sure to give Dusty Daylight lots of love for being so awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple Recipe, Simply Amazing

I have had several people ask me for the recipe for the salad that I posted on Friday(which was a recreation of the salad I had for our Anniversary dinner last week!

Below is the picture that I took before I indulged.

MMmm.. My mouth is watering just looking at it!

So - In an effort to get this goodness in my mouth again. I decided to go to the store and pick up the SIMPLE ingredients to recreate it. Of course - the grocery store was out of pomegranates so I had to go without. TRUST ME... you will want them. It adds such a pop of flavor!

And with all good recipes. Of course, you need a good hand stamped utensil to accompany it. This is a salad recipe I hope to ALWAYS be friends with... (I know, lame joke). 

Recipe:

-Bibb Lettuce 

(I used a Spring Mix because the grocery store didn't have it, but it's better with the Bibb Lettuce. It is much softer and has a smooth taste. Really good!)

- Red Ruby Grapefruit

- Avocado

- Poppy Seed Dressing

(the one shown in the picture was good. I might try to make my own soon. The one at the restaurant was out of this world!)

- Sprinkle with Pomegranate seeds

And thats it!! I used half of a grapefruit and half an avocado, but you could totally use more than that depending on if you are having it for lunch or dinner. ENJOY!!

Let me know if you try it! Feel free to share pictures on my facebook page.

with love,

Aly

Memory Lane

Memories. They carry us. They define us. They change us. 

Today marks 2 years of marriage. Just two. Though, a lot can happen in two years. For us, 2 years has included 4 moves, 1 move to a new state, a few vacations, a dog, a new car, and the list goes on. 

Marriage can be hard. It can be a joy. It's real. It's in your face. It's fun. It's exciting. It's a challenge. Some days you want to be selfish. Some days all you want to do is love on your spouse. And if you let it, it can help you grow and mature in ways you never thought possible. 

But today, I want to push aside all of that and bring you back to early days. The smiles and giggles. The butterflies in your stomach. The hopeful wishing "if this is it". The memories from the beginning of us. Along with the engagement and the wedding day.

Here is a little walk down Aly + Andrews memory lane.

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The puppy love stage. 

This darling photo above... fuzzy, dark and totally taken with a flip phone, is the first picture of us. 

I remember it so vividly. We went out for Chinese food with my family and had just arrived back to my house in my car. I asked for a picture. He agreed. 

I think I stared at it all. night. long.

August 1, 2009 was our very first "date". We both thought we were just going to a music festival together. All of Andrews friends were busy and I was a last resort. I guess I was a pretty good last resort!!

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To the left is the journal entry from that night. 

I love to document, in prayer form, what goes on in my day. It makes me feel like God and I are sitting down for coffee and He is completely uninformed about my day. Though He knows every detail... I love the friendship feel of it all. 

I remember writing...

 "I got to see a glimpse into the life of the kind of man I could have a future with." 

Little did I know... He would become my husband! 

Above is the Jones Soda bottle that I had at Panera Bread with my dinner from that first date. The night was so special, I ripped off a piece of the Panera Bread bag that our shortbread cookies had been in,

 wrote a note on it for memories sake and put it in the bottle. 

I love unraveling it and thinking back to how it was all "meant to be".

Above is one of the most beautiful letters I have ever received. This was sent to me in a postal priority mailing box with my favorite snacks and the movie "Life Is Beautiful". This was his way of "asking me out" as we began our relationship long distance. I, in Colorado, and him, in Virginia. 

Can you hear my squeals? Feel my stomach butterflies? My roommate Jill rejoiced with me as I hung up the phone now the GIRLFRIEND of Andrew Nickerson. 

Our relationship was so easy. He was my best friend and I was his. We would fall asleep on the phone together...waking up 8 hours later to find that we never hung up. He treated me like I was the best thing that ever happened to him. I was pursued. I was cherished. I was adored. 

No other man on this earth made me feel the way he did. 

On October 20th, 2010, Andrew asked me to marry him. You can read the proposal story HERE.

Tea light candles covered the stairs with music echoing from within the Old Stone Church. 

I gladly said YES!

We were only engaged for a short 5 1/2 months. Before we were married on April 3rd, 2011.

On April 1st, just two days before our wedding day. I woke up to snow covering the earth.

 It was a funny little April Fools Joke... 

It ended up melting, but the day before the wedding we went out and bought all the girls rain boots & scarfs, as the ground was still a bit wet. I love the added pop of color. 

Our friends were such great sports, as it was a bit chilly outside the day of our wedding.

Our wedding day was a beautiful day that I will never, ever, forget.

I heard a quote recently though, that I absolutely adore. 

"I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding day"

And this is true. I want my marriage with Andrew to be even better than our wedding day. And I am committed to spending a lifetime perfecting this relationship. 

I am so in love with my husband. Through thick and thin, there is no one else that

I would rather do life with. 

Thanks for walking down memory lane & celebrating our 2nd Anniversary with us!

Valentines Day Giveaway

We are less an a month away from valentines day. 

Whether you are a fan of the "holiday" or not, I figured we might as well have a little giveaway to celebrate it. Maybe it will make it feel a little bit more special for those of you who view it just as a hallmark holiday!  

Personally, I do enjoy it... I mean who wouldnt want an excuse to give AND GET a little more lovin'! However, I do firmly believe that there shouldn't be all this added pressure. I think we need to make sure we are showing love to our family and friends everyday...and not just on February 14th. 

So - to kick things off and show all of my family, friends and FANS some love... I bring to you a chance to win some prizes!! 

I have partnered up with Tillie Polish for this giveaway!! Andrea was one of my dear college suite mates and her sisters and her have started up their nail polish biz and if you ask me... they are doing a pretty awesome job! Their colors are GORGEOUS!! 

Andrea also has a youtube channel all about beauty, nail polish and fashion. With over 18,000 subscribers she must be doing something right! It's so awesome to see your friends succeeding and doing things they love, which is why we are partnering up together today for this giveaway!!

Sooooo... heres what you can win!!!!!!

 From my SHOP you will win:

- Love Finds A Way Hand Stamped Spoon Set

- XOXO Hand Stamped Spoon

-XOXO Hand Stamped Fork

From TILLE POLISH you will win:

- ALL 5 nail colors show above!!!

Thats over $100.00 worth of product to ONE LUCKY WINNER!!!!!!

Here's what you need to do to enter. Pretty simple. Using the rafflecopter widget below follow the steps to enter. There will be different things for you to do in order to get entries such as, like a facebook page, subscribe to youtube channel or blog, etc. 

Please know that I will be verifying the winning entry and if you did not do what was asked, then I will be picking a new winner. So please, be honest, I hate when I have to disqualify the people randomly picked!! So excited to see who the lucky winner is!!

Click HERE for the video that Andrea will be posting for the giveaway if you want to check it out! Feel free to stop by and give her some love on her video. Thumbs up and a comment!! 

So! What are you waiting for!!??! GOOD LUCK!!! 

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