Baby!

Alex and I are absolutely thrilled to announce: we're having a baby!!! We are due January 2017! It's an amazing and overwhelming realization to be the care takers of this precious life. I'm so thankful God is the giver and ultimate care-taker of life so we can look to him for guidance as we prepare for this new little blessing and as we raise him/her in the way of the Lord. One of the verses that came to me shortly after we found out we are expecting is James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I've always known and believed children are a gift from the Lord, but having one of our own, gives me a whole new perspective on this. We are truly in awe and thankful for this gift from God! We love you already, Baby CdeBaca! :)

One Year Anniversary

Alex and I will be celebrating our one year wedding anniversary on May 23rd! I'm absolutely amazed that one year has already come and gone. What an amazing year it has been! We graduated college the beginning of May last year, were married three weeks later, had a fabulous week honeymoon, packed up, and moved to Washington two weeks later. I feel like our lives the past year have been just about steady at that pace of busy :) We settled into a new city together, begin full time ministry, and both started new jobs. I can't express my gratefulness in getting to spend this past year with my hubby. It's been absolutely amazing just to experience life together and grow together. Marriage has definitely taught me more about myself and the family I came from and more about who Alex is and the family he came from. I've learned many valuable lessons over the past year but I'll share a few now. One: don't sweat the small stuff. I'm a perfectionist by nature and applying that in marriage is exhausting (both for me and my hubby). I'm so thankful God gave me a husband who has helped me become more easy-going and more gracious towards myself and others. Two: just because something is my "norm" doesn't make it a good thing. One of my dad's favorite country songs is Meet in the Middle by Diamond Rio it says "I start walkin your way, you start walkin mine, we meet in the middle neath that old Georgia Pine, we gain a lot a ground when we both give a little, ain't no road to long, when we meet in the middle." So true! I've gained so much from learning my hubby's perspective on life - joining two personalities and perspectives is so much better. Three: Love life together! Life is crazy, but finding special time just to have fun together is one of the most important ways we spend our time.

It's been so fun getting to know Alex better over the past year, and I'm so looking forward to many, many, many more years to come! Alex, you are an absolutely incredible man of God! God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought us together. You are gracious, a learner, loving, giving, and just so much fun to be with! I love living life with you and I'm so thankful for the many memories we've made together! You take such good care of me, treasure me, and love me. Thank you, honey! I'm so in love with you! Happy 1 year anniversary, my love!

Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life! I'd love to share all of our wedding pics again, but I'll limit myself to some of my favorites. I thought I'd include some other mile-marker pictures as well :)

One of the first pictures of Alex and I together - 2007

The day we began courting - July 7, 2014

The day Alex proposed - December 19, 2014

My Daddy walking me down the isle to Alex - May 23, 2015

Our gorgeous wedding!

Our parents and friends praying over us - so special!

Vowing our love to each other

Sealing our commitment with rings

So much love!

THE kiss!

I love laughing with him

The most beautiful ring I've ever seen

My handsome husband

So blessed to have these awesome people in our lives!

My beautiful lantern lighters

Our wonderful family who came to celebrate with us!

So blessed to have such wonderful parental examples

Happily Ever After :)

Home

I can't even begin to express my thankfulness for our new HOME! God is so good! (like usual) Much has happened in our lives since my last blog post. By God's great grace, we came through the "storm" of March and we entered April with gratefulness. April started out with the blessing of two of my dear friends from Idaho, Kortney and Tierney and Kortney's little boy, coming to visit me! I have known both of them since elementary school and have been so blessed to continue making treasured memories with them! The next day we moved from our temporary apartment back into our original apartment. Thank you to our church family who came to help us move - you are troupers! The second weekend of April we took our students to Seattle for Fine Arts. Alex and I both made a lot of great memories and developed our talents in ministry at Fine Arts when we were in Jr. High and High school so we want to give our students the same opportunity. This year we just showed them what it is and next year we hope our students will compete in the event. April was a busy month at work for me as I prepared our big Spring fundraising banquet. It was a lot of work (the day of the event I worked about 14 hours) but God is so faithful and the event was a huge success! On the Thursday before the banquet, Alex called and said "what would you potentially think about us getting a puppy today??". Well, as you probably know, my husband is really cute and I can't say "no" to such a sweet, amazing guy :D So...we got a beautiful, 3 month old, yellow lab named Jack Ruger!!! Alex has dreamed of having a "big dog" for many years and I am so happy his dream has finally come true! :) Alex and I are go-getters and sometimes a little too ambitious for our own good :P The next week of April was a whirl wind of painting our new home, packing, and moving...in addition to having our big youth fundraiser (and waking up in the middle of the night to take care of a puppy)! We really can't say thank you enough to everyone who helped us accomplish everything that week! Our friends, church family, and my parents and Alex's Mom were all a huge help! We loved having our family here, but I wish we could have spent more "down time" together - we will next time. So now we are enjoying settling into our very own first home :) My husband sure does take good care of me; I never would have guessed I would have such a nice home in my first year of marriage. Speaking of that, we moved in on our 11 monthiversary! So that means this month we celebrate our first year of marriage! I'll be writing a blog post about that soon :) What an absolutely wonderful year it has been with my incredible husband!

With Mother's Day tomorrow and Father's Day just around the corner, I want to write a little bit about our awesome parents. It makes my heart so sad to hear of so many young people who do not have a good mom or dad or maybe both. Alex and I are so thankful we were privileged to grow up with parents who taught us to love and serve the Lord, who constantly reminded us we are loved and treasured, who poured hours into home-educating us, who demonstrated what a healthy marriage is, and who were there for us no matter what. I really could go on and on about all of the things our parents have said and done that we respect and have made us into the people we are today. When our Moms and my Dad came to help us move the other weekend, we had the blessing of having them join us at our church on Sunday morning. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness as I worshiped the Lord alongside my parents and mother-in-law. They lifted their hands and sang with their hearts full of worship to our Lord. What a blessing it has been to see their example of surrender and service to the Lord from a young age and now having them support us as we are in full-time ministry. Our parents have prayed for us from birth that we would serve the Lord passionately. How thankful I am for their prayers for us then, and now!

The love and direction of a godly father has a huge impact on children and I want to write about that more another day, but today I'll focus on our moms. My Mom is one of the hardest workers I know. Her gift truly is service. She loves cooking and preparing her home for her family and guests. She never stops; from sun up to sun down she is working, serving her family and serving others. My whole life I have watched her diligently serve at church. I never doubted my mom's love for me; her actions, hugs, and words daily confirmed her love for me. My Mom is the most level-headed woman I know. She is my voice of reason when I over think things. She is my practical counsel when I need to make tough decisions. She is my encourager when I am too hard on myself. Mom, you have been my dearest friend for my whole life. I have always been able to talk with you about anything. I hope I will be one day be a mom like you! I love you SO much! Happy Mother's Day!

Alicia, my Mother-in-law, is super-mom. I have known her nearly 11 years and it did not take me long before I knew I wanted to be like her one day. She strives to honor the Lord in all she does, she loves her 7 children and husband with all her heart, she has inner beauty that comes from her deep dedication to the Lord, on top of all of that, she is always accomplishing projects - sewing, crocheting, painting, gardening, crafting, canning, and more! Before Alex and I were ever interested in a relationship, I considered Alicia my mentor and friend. We ministered together in Missionettes and led a discipleship group for young ladies for several years. What a blessing to have her as my mother-in-law now! Alicia, thank you for your example, friendship, and for raising my husband in the way of the Lord! We love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Matching Easter Dresses with my Mommy :)

Mother's Day 16 years ago

Alicia & baby Alex :)

What a sweet mother/son picture! 

Our Front Room

Living room

Tea sets from my Grandmas, Great Grandmas, and dear friends

Our Kitchen 

Alex's Studio - before picture. I'll post after pics when he finishes it.

Guest bedroom

Our Bedroom