Ladies & Bridesmaids' Brunch

Special ladies and my bridesmaids had a lovely brunch the Friday before our wedding. Here is the original post on my former blog, Southern in the City.

It was such a joy to plan a special brunch for friends who mean so much to me. Aunts, cousins, middle school friends, college friends, NY friends, new sis in laws, mom, new mom in law, new nieces, NY mom, my 2nd mama. A moment in my life where I was able to gather such significant people all in one room to love on them.

A few significant things we did at the brunch were eat yummy food, pray, the ladies signed my wedding shoes and I had the ladies sit in a circle and I shared a word or phrase that I thought of for each person. A day I'll never forget. 

Thanks so much to my aunts and cousins for hosting this very special day!

*Thanks to Darla & Bethany for the pics!

North Carolina Wedding Guests Welcome Bags

http://alexanderamy.blogspot.com/2013/06/north-carolina-wedding-guest-welcome.html

The original is found here on my former blog, Southern in the City.

Alexander's & Sylvestre's Together

The Sylvestre's visited the Alexander farm the Thursday before our wedding.

Here's the original post on my former blog, Southern in the City.

Bachelorette Celebrations

The original post on my bachelorette celebrations is here. There are lots of fun pics as well.

New York Bridal Shower

Here is the post on my wonderful New York Bridal Shower on my former blog.

Save the Dates

http://alexanderamy.blogspot.com/2013/06/save-dates.html

The post on our Save the Dates is here.

Engagement Party and NC Bridal Showers

Here is the post on our engagement party and the bridal showers we had in North Carolina. It linked to my former blog, Southern in the City.

A Decade Late?

The original post is here on my former blog, Southern in the City.

As most all of you know I got engaged to Corey Sylvestre on September 27, 2012. We have gotten to know one another over the last year and have grown to love and really appreciate each other. I can't wait to be his bride on May 11th.

Since our engagement I have started the much anticipated wedding planning. Most of it has been fun, exciting and what I hoped it would be. Some of it, not so much.

As I was starting this process, I began noticing a trend in my friends' facebook statuses. "Happy ten years, honey!" "Can't believe we've been together a decade!" "Just got back from celebrating ten years of marriage!" These are my friends who married their college sweethearts.

Honestly, my late twenties were incredibly difficult as a single surround by couples in love and starting families but as many dear friends reminded me, the Lord knows what He is doing and knows my needs.

I've always wanted marriage and children but my heart's desires have also been pretty broad. I love traveling and being with people from different cultures from my own. I constantly feel the tugs and tensions of the dual country girl/city girl parts of my personality. I love being deeply involved in the lives of many young believers and watching their faith take shape and the Gospel take root. I love to work and to create systems for clearer management and function to make the team I'm on more effective. I love being a resource for people and to network friends for personal, spiritual and professional growth.

I share these desires because I've gotten to experience all of them in this sometimes not so easy decade of singleness. By the Lord's amazing grace, I've lived in South Africa for 2 summers, spent 2 weeks in Cape Town on a missions' trip, traveled to India, gone to Europe many times and gotten to live for the last 5 years in one of the most diverse, amazing cities in the world, NYC.! Because of these experiences, I have friends from around the world who have taught me so much about life, the world and myself. For the years after grad school, I got to live within 45 minutes of my family and continue being the country girl that I am. THEN, I got to move to New York and let that part of my heart flourish and grow. My time in New York has been priceless in terms of expanding my horizons, my view of what I am capable of and where I can go in my future. Some of the leaders of our culture are my friends. Little 'ol me :). Over the last ten years, I have been a part of women's groups where I've grown to know God in deep ways. Each of those women are treasures to me and have made lasting, eternal impacts on my life. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. My jobs with UNC Charlotte, Campus Outreach and Redeemer have developed me into a professional and given me skills & experiences beyond what I had planned for or dreamed of. I've been able to use my gifts, talents and education broadly and with lasting impact. I've had opportunities to write, speak and do the nitty gritty of ministry in a full time capacity.

I know that I have been able to leave my current context for extended times because of my singleness. I can decide that my budget can be shifted to meet goals like going to India or Cape Town or France or to live in this crazy expensive town. I can devote myself to work and ministry and to more people. I could only build this many deep relationships over the last ten years because I've had the capacity of single woman.

I'm writing most of this for myself to remember all God has done. While all of these things are true in hindsight, this prolonged season of singleness has not been a rosy one. Church has been an incredibly hard place for me. Church is often a time for family while I've spent Sundays trying not to cry. Dating is a cruel, brutal pathway to finding an honorable man worthy of partnership (don't get me started on how crappy online dating can be). Babysitting my friends' children is an incredible delight and also a painful reminder. Buying two cars, a house, renting an apartment in New York City, joining churches, changing jobs, going through broken hearts and grief, leaving family, moving, handling finances are not things to be done alone for the weary at heart. Especially therent a New York apartment one! These are things that my lovely, wonderful friends who are celebrating that decade mark have done together. I know they have struggled as well and no walk on this earth is without pain. BUT, having a partner in the pain does make the burden lighter. My single girlfriends have definitely done some of that for me in many circumstances.

I share these personal thoughts with you mainly to highlight God's sovereign plan in my life. Over the last ten years I've prayed prayers that God didn't answer the way I wanted him to. I prayed to marry men that weren't my husband and now in hindsight, I'm so grateful that His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are above my thoughts. I'm thankful He gave me time to have deep roots with my family and wings to see the world and love people with awesome accents different from my southern draw.

God knows that if I were among those sweet friends who are on their third or fourth child now, that I easily could have been bitter or feeling trapped. He knew that I needed this time to experience Him and to fulfill some of my heart's desires. There were many days in my singleness that I couldn't even identify my real desires because they were so masked by my desire for marriage. But, my sweet Jesus knew them all the while.

I guess my point is...marriage is not coming to me a decade late. It is in His perfect timing. Corey is the right man and this is the right time. I think I will be a much better wife to Corey now than I would have been ten years ago (largely because of your friendship). I tried to know these things in the midst of the loneliness but honestly couldn't see it most of the time. That is why I write it now.

To God be the Glory for Corey, for you, for the secret prayerful tears that stained my pillow when I was 27 and so single & for our wedding day, May 11th.

The Proposal

http://alexanderamy.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-proposal.html

I wrote out the story of our proposal on my former blog, "Southern in the City". There are photos as well of on that post.

I get to marry Corey Sylvestre!

Corey and I have been dating just over a year. Last August we shared our first of many Central Park walks. Though we recently have been talking more seriously about a future together, Corey pulled a fast one on me last week.

We didn't have the opportunity to celebrate our one year anniversary on August 27th because our flight was delayed (four times!) in Charlotte. We had gone down for my grandfather's 95th birthday celebration and to see family. Once we got back to NYC, we were too tired to even think of getting dressed up and going out. We ended up ordering in and hung out with Bethany! It was a restful, nice night.

So, when Corey asked me early last week to go on a "get dressed up" kind of date, I merely thought it was to celebrate our anniversary. We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in Columbus Circle called Robert that overlooks Central Park.

After dinner we were maybe going to get dessert somewhere and Corey suggested we take a walk through the park. This isn't unusual at all. We walk from Columbus Circle to Sheep's Meadow to Poet's Walk and then he starts heading east.

Taken in the park close to Columbus Circle. Look at that smirk!

I was fine until that point. See, I was wearing heels. I was trying to be a good sport but a girl can only do so much :). So after asking a lot of questions about why we must walk so far, I gave in and just tried to go with it. I wasn't suspecting anything. Corey is adventurous and likes to walk and wander the park. We ended up walking to the Great Lawn. They were setting up for a very large concert. I didn't know at the time but this threw Corey's plans out the window. He had planned to propose in the middle of the Great Lawn. So from there he was looking for plan B. We walked up to Belvedere Castle. This was the moment I thought, "Wait. We are dressed up. At night. In the park. The castle is where we came on our first date. Is he going to propose?" But, then I talked myself out of it. I mean I thought he didn't have the ring yet, that he was for sure going to propose at his parent's farm in New Hampshire and it wouldn't happen just yet. So when we left the castle, I thought, "Yep. He's going to propose later on his family's farm."

This is a picture we took at the castle just before he proposed. Ring in his pocket...being sneaky!

So we continue to walk a bit heading south. We passed the Swedish Cottage: Marionette Theatre. Corey noticed Shakespeare's garden behind the theatre and said they were working on it a few days earlier and he wanted to see what they had done. So we walk back in there. Now this is away from my apartment so I was thinking, I need to take a break from walking. Remember, HIGH HEELS! I noticed they had some benches. We passed a few and he keeps going. The next set of benches that I see I ask, "Hey, can I take a break?" Once again trying not to be too much of a brat ;).

Before I could get all the way turned around and seated, Corey was on one knee with the ring box out and open. He said, "Amy Alexander, will you marry me?" Corey said I didn't say anything for a few seconds but all I remember is screaming, "Are you proposing?" He said I continued to ask him that and several other questions over & over again while hugging him but I didn't give him my answer for almost 2 minutes. Poor guy. He had to ask me, "So what's your answer?" And because I am a very smart woman, I said, "Yes, of course I'll marry you!" I heard Corey telling the story to someone later. He said I screamed so loudly that not a person in the park missed it.

We sat there on the bench where he proposed and called my parents. They were the only 2 people besides Corey that knew he was going to propose that night. Corey had called them earlier in the day to ask permission to propose to me. Corey said my dad started to cry which made me cry. We called my brothers and a few friends who we thought might still be awake at that late hour. My roommate screamed too!!

This is on the walk back to my apartment. We stopped a random lady to take our picture.

We walked towards my apartment and then we stopped and prayed and I cried. My sweet roommates, Ashley & Meredith, stayed up to congratulate us and scream with me :).

Here's a pic they took.

And here's my ring! I love it!! I really wanted something that looked antique or vintage. 

Yeah! Thanks so much, baby!

A glimpse into my heart. This verse has been hanging on my closet door for several years now.

While Jesus is ultimately the desire of my heart, I wrote this verse in light of my deep longing to find my husband to do life & ministry alongside. Over the last several years God has given me a very tangible peace about being single that I had lacked years prior but the longing to be married never went away.

I look forward to many years of looking at that handsome face of Corey's and being his ministry partner. He is a steady, godly man and I highly admire & love him plus he makes me laugh a lot!

Sweet Surprise!

As you know Corey and I got married on May 11th and have moved twice plus have been going through a whirlwind of transitions with work, our house, Corey's school, etc.

Well, I guess the Lord wants us to embrace another transition at the same time. 

We got a BIG surprise in July when we found out that we are expecting our first baby. This little baby is a big but wonderful surprise for us and we have taken our time letting it sink in and also telling friends & family along the way. 

We are getting excited as we plan for this little one to join our family.

We are going to be surprised again when this little one arrives because that is when we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl. For those of you who are worried about that....we are decorating with white and gray and will toss in touches of pale pink or pale blue once the little one arrives :).

Pray with us for this little baby to be healthy and for his/her parents as we travel down a road we (or I should say I!) know little about ;).

We are due February 23, 2014!

Below is our first sonogram picture.

New Blog Launch!

Here's a little recap of the last several crazy months!

I've been writing under the blog name, "Southern in the City" but will be posting here from now on but will refer back to my other blog from time to time.

As most all of you know I got married on May 11, 2013. Woohoo!!! Here's a sneak peak of some wedding pics.

I moved from Manhattan to South Carolina to join this sweet new husband of mine who had already started at his new contract job as a tour helicopter pilot.

My parents stayed at our place while we were on our honeymoon in Jamaica and then they stayed two nights with us when we got back. My brother Bradley and his wife/my best friend, Crystal also spent a few nights with us over Memorial Day weekend. We also had other visitors (yeah Jordann, Bethany & Kathryn!) which made the summer better. I got to catch up with quite of few Campus Outreach friends as well. We spent until mid-September in South Carolina. We then took a week with my family in NC and then headed to New Hampshire to spend time with Corey's family. I also spent several weeks in New York working for Redeemer and seeing friends. Thanks for hosting me Bethany, Robyn, Katherine & Ashley! I so needed that time in NYC. I took a little detour trip out to the Hamptons to see Adriana for several days as well. So fun to get time with her and work alongside her.

I got two big privileges in November. I got to be the speaker at a women's retreat for a church in Greensboro called The Kirk. A friend who I knew during my time on staff with Campus Outreach, Kate Brittain, asked me to be the speaker. It was so challenging for me to prepare as they asked me to speak about what God is currently teaching me. The theme of the weekend was "The Power of Friendship" and each talk looked at friendship in an unique way. The first talk was about the miracle that Christ calls us friend, the second was about authentic vulnerability in friendship and the last talk was on influence in friendship and how as Christians we can use our voice and world view to change lives and even culture. The other privilege was being on a panel for Campus Outreach seniors at their mobilization retreat. I encouraged them in lasting singleness and in using their skills and talents to advance the Kingdom of God! Both of these retreats were breaths of fresh air for me during such an intense season of change.

After weeks of cleaning, sorting and a bit of remodeling, we are finally somewhat settled in our house in North Carolina. It has taken over a month to get my grandparents' house livable again but we are finally in! There is so much more to do on the house but it will have to happen over time. It is good to be near family again after living far away for nearly six years.

Once I realized I would be leaving the most amazing city in world, I also realized I would need a new name for my blog. I am still as southern as they come but I guess sadly I’m no longer, “Southern in the City”. For now I'll be using my new monogram I got back in May!

Because of all the major changes I've been going through, I've seriously neglected my blog. But, I've been making little notes of things I wanted to be sure I put on the blog. As I planned the wedding I would be tempted to write about different little ideas I had but held back so that they would be surprises for our guests on the actual wedding day.

My plan is to walk through the different elements of the wedding and share with you my planning process and why we chose the things we chose. Some of this is for me to remember the different elements of the wedding that meant so much to me and to Corey. Some of it is to share ideas with other brides who are in the planning process. We wanted a meaningful day focused on Christ surrounded by family and friends and that is just what we had! We will be sharing wedding pictures along the way as well. Plus, we have honeymoon pics to share with you and I will write a post about our trip to Jamaica.

As you can see from the categories on the right, there are lots of topics I hope to cover on this blog and some I'm sure that won't fit nicely into a labeled category. FYI: Some of the label buttons won't work until I post to that category.

I’m excited to be able to rejoin the blogging world after a lapse of writing consistently.

I hope it will be a blessing to you, a way to stay connected to us and a way to see a little bit of our lives from afar.

Stay tuned for the next entry....you won't want to miss that....I promise :)! It might have something to do with the label with ???? on it.