The Two Shall Become One

It has been a while since I've posted but there HAS been a reason. :-) Benjamin and I (but mostly Benjamin) have been working on a project which most of you know about. Now we are excited to present our joint blog! We've combined our separate blogs to create BenjaminandAlyssa, a place we can share what God is doing in our lives, our music, and more. I hope you'll stop by occasionally (please subscribe!) because I won't be updating Always, Alyssa anymore.

I've enjoyed sharing God's goodness in my life here on Always, Alyssa and now I look forward to joining the love of my life as we seek to glorify and please the Lord.

Check Out Our New Blog!

BenjaminAlyssa.com

The Actual Proposal

The thought occurred to me that not everyone has Facebook or has subscribed to our new blog who may wish to watch the video that Benjamin made to propose to me. So....I give it to you here. :-) Enjoy!

Engagement Pictures!

Saturday we received a cute little package from Caren Morris Photography. Inside was a thumb drive with over 180 pictures! We had such a grand time that evening taking pictures. How can you not have a wonderful time when you're with the person you love in such a beautiful setting like Mukilteo?!

Click here for more pictures:

 Benjamin and Alyssa's Engagement Pictures

The Best Dip EVER!

So I'm putting a disclaimer right here in the beginning: Once you make this dip you need to have an accountability partner because it's tempting to just clean out the entire bowl. Seriously....the best dip I've ever had!

FRANK'S REDHOT BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. blue cheese dressing
1/2 c. Frank's Redhot Sauce
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c. cooked, diced chicken

Head oven to 350. Place cream cheese in a deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

Mix in salad dressing, Hotsauce, and cheese. Stir in chicken.

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Stir. Serve with crackers, chips, or veggies.
Makes 4 cups. (I doubled the recipe)

Amazing....

Yes....this cake is amazing. :-) I credit the Hall Family for providing this delicious recipe and I think it's a new favorite dessert in our house. Several people have asked me for the recipe so....I now give you.....Chocolate Chip Cake! (If you say it like an announcer it's way more fun. ;-)

CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
16 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.  Place 1/3 of the batter in bottom of greased 9x13" pan. Cover with 1/2 of topping. Add remaining batter. Smooth out (it will be thick). Add remaining topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serves 8-12.

ENJOY! :-D

What IS love?!

Yes folks.....I do have love on the brain as of late. :-) It might be due to the fact that the man I love is constantly on my mind. But....ahem....you probably don't want to hear about that. What YOU want to hear about is what I think love is.....hence my title.

But....I'm not going to define love as I see it. Since the Lord has brought this new love into my life I've been contemplating even more what it means to love. The world has its own definition. Often it involves feelings and emotions that change at every turn life brings. Amidst this disillusioned people who seem to think they have love figured out yet can't make a marriage last, how are we supposed to come to a true understanding of what love is and what it means to love?

Just like anything in life, we turn to the One who DOES have it all figured out. There's no need for us to question or wonder. We have all the answers at our fingertips. We just have to crack the Book open and let Its light shine in our hearts.

So what DOES God's Word say about love? I don't think we can go very far without looking at Christ's example of love. It is said that 1 Corinthians 13 is the Love Chapter. I think 1 John 4 is pretty competitive!

1 John 4:7-11

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Wow.....What an incredible example of love we have in our Savior! So then what IS love? The chapter continues...

Vs. 16-21

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Verse 16 says "God is love". How has God loved you? THAT is how you are to show love to others. Is it easy to love others? Not always. But then....as often as I fail the Lord it would be so easy for Him to choose not to love me. Yet, He doesn't! I'm so grateful for that.

How have YOU shown love today to those in your life?

Funny and Ironic...

So I was scrolling through my photo gallery on my phone today and I came across this picture. 

Here's the story... 

A few days before Benjamin came out to propose I was at Taco Bell with a friend....a friend who happened to know he was coming to propose. HOW she managed to hold in her laughter as I came back to the table smiling about the hot sauce I happened to grab is beyond me! :-) I knew he would propose sometime so just for kicks I took a picture and logged it away in my phone. (Truthfully...I just happened to grab THAT sauce packet out of the whole bunch) Little did I know he would be asking me that very question just a few days later....