he does it again.

To My husband,

Thank you for being patient with me as I stress about this little blog. I sat on the couch for five straight hours yesterday designing, researching, and editing this thing until my eyeballs were dry and my bladder was exploding. You came home to a frustrated and weary mess of a wife, I apologize. Sometimes I get defeated by my lack of web design knowledge and html coding expertise. I always want this blog to be better, bigger, and sparkling with personality, but the reality is I can't have everything. You never fail to provide comfort and encouragement in my time of need, and somehow you always raise my spirits.

And then, you go the extra mile and design the coolest new header.

You're the best.
Meow ;)

husbands birthday

Happy Birthday to my husband, who turned 22 yesterday! He celebrated by eating deliciously saucy honey BBQ wings at B-Dubs and opening pretty boxes filled with new threads from J Crew. Since it's his birthday, I thought I would point out some of the simple reasons why Jordan is awesome (because the little things are worth celebrating too). 

Jordan Shepherd is awesome because he...

has hidden talents (I just found out that he can play bass guitar. uh, what?!!)

is technology savvy 

can build a masterpiece out of straw wrappers 

has a contagious adventurous spirit

gives others room to shine while he remains humble

loves to learn

makes everyone feel like they are a part of his club

is a really good drummer

cherishes his family

has a really handsome face

is more selfless than anyone I know. 

 I could go on all day, but for now I'll leave it short and sweet. Speaking of sweet, you know what else is great about birthdays?

 Cake. 

I can't wait to eat some on Saturday (cheat day)! 

[3 years Together]

I became this guys girl on February 8th of 2009. 

(yep, that is facebook official)

Met freshman year in speech class.

Dated during winter.

Fell in love.

Dreamed about the future.

Learned each others quirks.

Grew up together. 

Fought and forgave.

Went on adventures. 

Got married. 

Us in a nutshell. 

From freshman year to senior year, and we are more in love than ever.

5 Things Men and Women Do Differently

Mr. Shepherd here again! After being married for over 7 months and watching other couples for the past years, something has become very clear. Men and Women do things very very differently...

5 Things Men & Women Do Differently

1. Clean

            Men: Make sure everything is off the floor

            Women: Ask men to clean something and then follow behind them examining

2. Go to bed

            Men: Fall asleep in 2 minutes

            Women: Wait till men are asleep and then wake them up to “just talk”

3. Look in the mirror

            Men: just make sure they have on clothes

            Women: adjust the same piece of hair 30 times and then walk away frustrated

4. Shop

            Men: “What’s next on the list?”

            Women: “Oh my Gosh! They have a whole section of French Cheeses! We have to get some!”

5. Greet their friends

                                                        Guy 1: “What’s going on man?"

                                                        Guy 2: “Hey Man”

                                                                    (End of Greeting)

           

                                                        Girl 1 & 2: “AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

                                                                    (Hugging and Jumping)

                                                        Girl 1: “I love what you’ve done with your hair!”

                                                        Girl 2: “Thank yyoouuu…I just miss you so much!”

                                                        Girl 1 & 2: “KINDRED SPIRITS!!!”

           

I have only scratched the surface…

{Graduated}

My husband is officially done with his undergraduate career! We finished finals for the fall semester last week, and now Jordan will be free to work full time somewhere (don't know where yet) while I finish my last semester of college. I just know that it's going to be a huge struggle for me to get any work done while Jordan is living a normal post-grad life.

Congrats babe! I'm so proud of you for making it through the past four years and coming out with an Honors GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.  

4 months from now we will both be done with college and moving on to a completely new adventure. I really can't wait to find out where we will be headed next.

 Doesn't he look handsome with his new specs? 

{Happy Thanksgiving}

Today I look to this verse:

 "in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."1 Thessalonians 5:18 

It am thanking the Lord for guiding my steps. He has brought me to this place where I can easily see Him working and moving, showing me how to love and give freely everyday. I have an amazing husband, loyal and supportive friends, the best family in the world, and a warm home. It's my last year of undergrad and there is a whole new adventure awaiting me. God is good.  

I am thankful to be where I am right now, sharing a meal with my family and taking time to rest and reflect on life's blessings. It is a perfect day to celebrate with turkey, green bean casserole, and apple pie. 

  

What are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving day? 

{The Beatitudes}

Last night, after Jordan and I had climbed into The Cloud, we took a few moments to read The Beatitudes in The Message Bible. I had never read this version of Matthew 5 before. It sounded like a whole new chapter to me. The Message does that sometimes. I asked Jordan to repeat the verses so I could let it sink in again and again. What simple and beautiful truths to remember. 


"When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

 You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

 You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

 You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

 You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

 You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

 You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

 You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

 Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."

(From The Message, Matthew 5:3-10)

Where am I?

Hey, Mr. Shepherd here.

 I am one of four boys. This means that getting married for me meant living with a type of person I have never lived with before…a girl. In my time in this new environment (5 months) some questions have come up:

What is this thing?

What is this difference between “body wash” and ‘shower gel”?

Is there a difference between these two movies?!

Why do we have so much soap?!

Wait what? A bag for…other bags?

Beyond these (and other) questions I must say, living with a girl is pretty great.

Everything is really clean.

{Lumberjack}

I thought this was sort of funny. 

I am married to a big bearded lumberjack. 

I can't complain though. My husband did all of our laundry today as I was absorbed in blog mode for five hours straight. He also provided lovely musical entertainment via guitar while I brushed my teeth this morning. I am thankful to be married to a man who consistently offers simple gestures of love and kindness, and  encourages the much needed "girl time" when I'm craving to bake treats and watch cheesy movies. 

J-man, I really do love you and your costume. Such a trooper for getting all dressed up and showing your Halloween spirit. 

If you didn't see my costume, you should. Check it out here. 

{Fall Family Weekend}

Last weekend Jordan and I made a trip to Michigan to hang out with my family. It was just what we needed: relaxing and watching tv (the entire 2nd season of Friday Night Lights), sleeping in until noon, doing fall things, and catching up with the people we love and miss. 

We devoted our Friday to our Michigan family tradition of Cranes and carving pumpkins. Cranes is an amazing restaurant/apple orchard that we go to every year. They sell yummy homemade pies, homemade applesauce, and they have killer spiced cider. We got a couple bags of apples, one for munching, the other baking, and of course we stayed to enjoy a meal together as a family. 

The next activity, pumpkin choosing and carving, was a little more serious for me. This year I wanted to carve something that was representative of my personality, so naturally I carved a kitty cat pumpky ;-) meow. 

Our night ended with the classic Halloween film, Carrie. One that my parents and I will always love, but Jordan and Leah did not enjoy. It was pretty entertaining to listen to my Dad's commentary throughout the movie though. 

What beautiful pumpkins they are right?

I had a great weekend in Michigan, and I am so excited to have ANOTHER one starting tomorrow. Hello cabin by lake Michigan, here we come!

{write a letter to someone you love}

Lately I have learned the importance of a written note, a letter, or even a little message typed up in a word document. This small gesture of love makes a huge impact and in some ways goes beyond words spoken and not saved. I like the idea of writing letters to those people who deserve to hear a little encouragement, affirmation, or just a nice bit of acknowledgment for all they do that seems to go unnoticed. This inspiration has come from our friends Kyle and Kelsey Lantz, as well as my favorite bloggers at todaysletters. I am going to be more intentional about this writing letters thing.

Source: bellacosas.tumblr.com via Delores on Pinterest

Letter #1

Dear Husband,

Thank you for waking me up so we can take a breakfast trip to Starbucks. I loved my egg and cheese sandwich + latte meal.  I know that you hate washing dishes just as much as I do, and your willingness to help our around the house does not go unnoticed. I recognize that I am a bit crazy when it comes to cleanliness and clutter. Sorry for that. I am very glad that you drive me to work at 6:00am so I don't have to walk all alone in the dark. Waking up that early is hard enough, and sacrificing 30 more minutes of sleep is even harder. Oh, and you really are the best husband because you let me choose the music in the car, even if it's a country song or two (which I know you despise). I love you more than Taco Bell cinnamon twists and original tart JuJuBerry!

Love, Al

{Chopped}

I couldn't resist. I have spent the past two weeks debating whether or not I should cut all of my hair off.  Everyone told me not to do it. 

Well, I caved. 

I had proudly rocked the mid-back length hair for four years. I loved it, but it was hard to manage, and I hated putting it up for my McConn shifts. I was trying not to do the typical "cut your hair once you get married" thing, but it just makes too much sense. Now I understand why every new wife follows this pattern. 

Thankfully I had the support of Mr. Shepherd. He was happy to hear that I would no longer be able to plop my hair into a messy bun on the tippy top of my head (he really hated that look). He was so happy that he made a little video of the hair chopping experience. Or maybe he just did it because he is obsessed with his new iphone...

Either way, I am happy to have a new do with a feather for flair.

What do you think?

wedding

So obviously the past three weeks have been crazy with wedding planning, time with family and friends, getting married, and going on a honeymoon with my husband. There has never been another more overwhelming time in my entire life. At points it was stressful, but more than anything this season of my life has been filled with complete joy. I wouldn't have made it out alive without the support of those around me. With every plan and task there was someone to help get things done and ease my nerves. What a blessing it is to have people in my life who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy for me. I really could not have done it without them.
The wedding weekend was more than just a time when we were married, it was a time for all of our favorite people to come together and be in the same place at the same time. Wow, it was surreal. And it was one of the best times of my life.


So by the end of all of the celebrations and festivities surrounding my marriage to Jordan Shepherd, I can easily say that I can look back on everything with a smile and a sense of deep gratitude in my heart.
















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Now I am officially Allison Shepherd. Let me just say that I need some more practice writing my new signature and getting used to saying "husband."

(official wedding photos to come!)