The Married Life

Good morning all my blogger friends! I hope this comes to you in good spirits, despite the rainy, chilly day we have here in MN.

I have been asked quite a few times "How's the married life?" And every time I thought "What a bizarre question!" Then I realize people are being polite and cute. And then! I thought, I should discus this for a few minutes.

Married life is AWESOME! Heck, I have a husband! Many, many times I wondered if I'd ever be able to say such a thing. And honestly, I know God saw my heart and put me with the right person, at the right time.

Married life also does not feel much different than life before we were married. We still live our lives day to day and have good days and bad days. But, we do realize, respect and love that we are now binded by a promise that is forever.

I want to share a true testimony that Brad & I shared.

We were asked by a couple of people in our church to not live together prior to the wedding. We had been living together for about 4 or 5 months and did not want that to change. Change like that gives me anxiety. We loved living together and thought everything was good the way it was. But my Pastor put out a good point, like he very often does. He said something along the lines of, if you knew you could do something to better & bless your life years from now, wouldn't you? If you could move apart now, and stay that way until your wedding, to please God and bless your marriage, wouldn't you?

Wow. I was scared. I didn't want to leave my comfortable living to do this. But there was one thing I was even more sure of: I did not ever want to get divorced. I want this to be my only marriage, I want to make it work no matter what. So Brad & I talked, and we decided that living apart until our wedding day was the best thing to do for us and for our marriage, and most importantly, for God.

And now, I write to you a month (to the day!) into marriage. And I have no regrets. I am proud of the decision we made and the people who challenged us to make this decision. For I know that we will have gloomy days, but we will have sunny days too. I believe God will always be present in our marriage and help us get through anything. And with God by our side, what can't we do?

A Dream Comes True

This is the story of a little girl. A little girl who wanted so badly to find her prince her whole life. She dreamt of different scenarios in which she would find him and they would fall in love and stay that way forever. She searched high and low, but often felt not good enough for most of the boys she had her eyes on. Then she grew up and found love - a couple of times even! But the men were not her prince; they were not her missing piece. A lot of times she felt lost and wondered if the dream she dreamt would ever come true. She wondered if God had a different plan for her.

And then she found Brad. Her prince. And she knew this man was not an ordinary man, he was special. He was, in every way possible, her dream come true. Her prayers answered. Her safe place to fall.

I am getting married in 3 days and could not be more thrilled. I have always, always wanted to get married to the right person and have a family and live a simple life. I don't want riches, I just want happy. I know marriage will take work at times, and I don't expect the road to be paved in gold, but I want everything it has to offer.

Brad is the most special man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is kind, gentle, patient, genuine, funny, smart and amazing. He gives all of his heart to me every day, and for that I am forever grateful. He is honest and doesn't play games. He takes care of me. He rescued me from a life filled with worry and doubt. He is the whole package. And I get to be his wife. J

March 26^th, 2011 will mark a beginning to a very exciting journey. It's the first day of the rest of my life. I'm getting married!!!!

The Beauty Blog

Yet another blog for my ladies!
I am very obsessed with beauty products and have a slight addiction to purchasing them. (I probably have a hundred lip glosses.) So, I thought I'd share some of my absolute favorites, and would love for you to share yours as well!

•Cetaphil moisturizing lotion
I have tried a lot of facial moisturizes and always end up throwing them away because they have some ingredient that makes me break out. This one is awesome! I have used it for a couple of months and it doesn't irritate my skin at all. It is fragrance, lanolin and paraben-free.
http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/Moisturizers.aspx

•Cargo Cosmetics
The wet/dry powder foundation is awesome! It goes on light but has great coverage. Long-wearing but also washes off easily at the end of the day.
The better-than-waterproof mascara is also quite amazing. It is long wearing but isn't super difficult to get off like some waterproof formulas. It just takes warm water. I also have had problems with waterproof formulas clumping, and this doesn't at all. Definitely a staple for me.
http://www.cargocosmetics.com/

•Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
This is a miracle product for me! I have oily skin, so when I used to wear eyeshadow, by afternoon it would crease and I'd have to wipe it off and touch up. This product goes on as a cream before you apply eyeshadow and dries within seconds. I can go all day without any sign of a crease or oil. The Original matches any skin tone, and I use this more often. The Sin is a shimmering champagne color and I use more when I go out or get a little more dolled up. AH-MAZING!
http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/EyeshadowPrimerPotionDuo.cfm

•Tarte LipSurgence natural lip tint
I've tried a couple of lip tints before and always ended up with dry lips. This one is different! It has super pretty colors that also moisturize! It comes in a fun crayon design too. My favorite shades are lust and enchanted.
http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lipsurgence-natural-lip-tint

•Sephora Collection Professional Platinum brush line
If you use a brush for any of your makeup application - this line is wonderful. I used to buy cheap powder brushes at the drug store but was introduced to this line when I was at Sephora shopping. I was hesitant to spend an extra $20 on it when I thought they all did the same thing. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The bristles are all synthetic and super soft. I use it for my foundation, bronzer and blush.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/section.jhtml?categoryId=C17062

Well, that's all for now. I would love to hear back from you if you have any must haves for your beauty routine!

This one's for the girls

About a month ago, I started seeing some things differently. It was a drastic change that led to me thinking...a lot! The thinking led to me wanting to share my thoughts with others who might appreciate it. So here goes!

"Woman, female, lady  are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female; that is, capable of bearing offspring. Woman  is the general term. It is neutral, lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication..."

This is where it all started. Lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication? I don't think so. Women are way too hard on themselves. And where does it stem from? From men? From a blurred view of supermodels and super-thin actresses? From a relative who constantly put them self down? It can come from anywhere. Being a woman myself, I feel like I can wholeheartedly express my view on this and (hopefully) not face too much criticism.

No matter what color, what size, what age, women are beautiful! But instead of focusing on this general statement, we find a need to pick. And then pick s'more. We focus on things we hate about our bodies, our facial features, our skin, and we pick. We put ourselves down. We can find a hundred things to love about another woman, but when it comes to our self, we can't find one. Why is this?

I don't have that answer for you. In my mind, I compare myself to others. But I am no one but myself, so how will I ever be pleased comparing myself to someone completely different?

So, after this really (finally!) started to sink in, I really started thinking.

I started by choosing one thing I like about myself. My smile. Something that can bring joy to others. With that realization, I started looking at my whole self differently. I started just seeing what I liked when I looked in the mirror. The bad could go away and never return, because I wasn't acknowledging it anymore. I thought it might last a couple of days, then I'd be back to putting myself down. But this change has stuck around for about a month now, and it's super refreshing!

I look around at all the beautiful women I know.

My mom is beautiful. She redefined age to me. Running her first marathon at almost 50 made me realize, there is no old! She inspires me all of the time.

My sister is beautiful. She manages to get prettier each year.

My friends are beautiful. They are different shapes, different sizes, different hair & skin color, but they are all beautiful.

I hope that someday I can pass this on to a daughter of my own.

I hope you can find one thing you like about yourself today that inspires a whole new view of yourself. You are beautiful.

Sweet Melody

I've heard some really great music lately, and bought a few amazing albums. I wanted to give some suggestions for anyone looking for some good tunes. I am always looking for great music - whether it's someone who has been around for a while, or a new artist. So let me know any suggestions you have, too!


• "Dog days are over"  Florence & the Machine (Album: Lungs)
Catchy tune that I love getting stuck in my head.

• "Colder Weather" & "Martin"  Zac Brown Band (Album: You Get What You Give)
My hearts beats a little faster when Zac Brown really belts out a tune. The band also does an amazing job of harmonizing. "Colder Weather" is a sadder song but nonetheless wonderful.

• "Enchanted" & "Never Grow Up"  Taylor Swift (Album: Speak Now)
For all of those parents reading this, "Never Grow Up" will probably bring a tear to your eye, it's very touching. It reminds me how great being a kid is and how much I wish I could go back for a few days. "Enchanted" is the story of meeting someone who literally takes your breath away and the music and background vocals are incredible. The end is my favorite. ("Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you")

• "Don't You Wanna Stay" & "See You When I See You"  Jason Aldean (Album: My Kinda Party)
I can't help but sing along to these songs when I put on this CD. "Don't You Wanna Stay" is a duet with Kelly Clarkson, and she belts it out, as usual. "See You When I see You" is a song about not saying goodbye, hoping paths will cross again someday. (I love the line "God made this old world round. And maybe it's that way so the paths that we go down will cross again someday.")

That's all I have for now! Don't forget to suggest your favorites!

The Battle

The suffocation
moves in again
I told it to stay away
the last time it rolled in

But so little does it listen
to my painful plea
Instead it chooses
to overwhelm me

So I try to be patient
and wait for it to pass
But it breaks my heart
like rocks to glass

A disease that takes
my smile to tears
A plague
that infects
my hopes with fears

© 2011, Alison Taylor


I do not know many people who suffer from anxiety. I know there are many  who have it, but keep it hidden. For many, it is embarrassing. People worry it shows weakness. People worry they will be judged. People with anxiety just worry in general.

I have struggled with it since the age of 19. It comes and goes. I never really feel like it is under control, but I find comfort knowing I am not alone and that God will someday take all my worries away from me, and I will find nothing but peace in my soul.

Until then, I hope you know you're not alone.

You are unique!

Hi everyone!

I wasn't sure how to approach this topic, or if I should, but decided to go for it! So here goes...

I want to start by stating that I am not an expert in anything. But I hope this touches your heart if even in the faintest way.

I've had a couple different people tell me they don't know why God made their lives so difficult, and why their lives turned out so differently from another. I've heard people doubt God's existence in their lives. I've seen people completely turn their back to the Lord.

When being questioned myself, why God would put such hardships on some people and give others what seems to be everything, I really thought about it.

I think God is teaching all of His children lessons all of the time. And I think every lesson is different. And every person handles every struggle differently as well. God made us unique, so why wouldn't our problems and reactions to them be unique?

And how boring would it be if we all had the same problems at the same time? How would we learn anything, or grow, if we knew what was coming?

I thank God for making me the person I am today. If I were handed everything from Him that I asked for, what kind of person would I be today?

I know it's easy to wonder "why me?" But maybe the next time you face a challenge in your life, you can ask "how can this make me a better person?"

You can be bitter because of a problem in life. That's really easy! You can hold onto a grudge for all it's worth and refuse to let go. You can lay in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself. (I've been there!) You can be angry at the world.

But, I challenge you to let go of the bitterness and resentment you're harboring. Replace it with forgiveness and love. I don't care how corny that sounds, see how much farther you go when you do this. As hard as it can be some days, get out of bed and face the day with a smile. You'll be surprised to see what happens.

God loves ALL of his children. He doesn't choose pain for you, he cries out with you in times of heartache. He is right there reaching out His hand to you. Will you reach back?