http://www.25letters.com/index.php/site/index/ en noell.alley@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-11-19T04:08:01-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/my_friend_tiffany_and_palmer_concierge/ http://www.25letters.com/site/my_friend_tiffany_and_palmer_concierge/#When:04:08:01Z So my friend Tiff is an entrepaneur. She's started Palmer Concierge (http://www.palmerconcierge.com). I'm super excited for her - she's super awesome at this kind of thing. She's doing anything from personal assistant stuff (christmas/grocery shopping, party/event planning, dog/house sitting, errand running, etc) and executive assistant stuff (excel/word processing, finances, filing, organiziation, etc). So the next time you need help this holiday season with figuring out what to get that difficult to buy for person, or errand running before your holiday party, just call on Palmer Concierge! I know i'm going to!! 2008-11-19T04:08:01-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/one_of_my_newest_heroes/ http://www.25letters.com/site/one_of_my_newest_heroes/#When:15:03:06Z Although I have often said that I didn't want to ever run for political office, and that if God wanted me to do so He'd have to hit me over the head with a 2x4 - I have GREAT admiration for Sarah Palin. She is a mom of five who lives what she believes - and one of her most controversial beliefs is that she is pro-life, with the only exception being the life of the mother. The article linked below wonders why the mainstream media has hated her so much from the get-go. Is it that she reemed on them during her exception speach or is it because she lives out what she believes? It is an interesting read...let me know what you think. http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTVkM2Q0MTEwY2NmYmJmYmUzNzI3NzdkOGQ2YzdhMTE= 2008-09-10T15:03:06-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/fun_wedding_link/ http://www.25letters.com/site/fun_wedding_link/#When:21:20:27Z I found out about a year ago that our wedding had been showcased in a bridal magazine (they asked to feature some of our photographer's photo's and she picked ours). However, I couldn't ever get them to send me a copy and didn't even know the name of the magazine. I finally got a hold of our photographer and she gave me the link to the online version of Gulf Coast Bride. Check it out - it's really kind of fun! We're the first "real wedding" listed, just click on our names. http://www.gcbride.com/real-weddings 2008-09-09T21:20:27-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/comments_now_work/ http://www.25letters.com/site/comments_now_work/#When:03:46:47Z Feel free to comment - David's got it working now! Would love to know who's been reading... 2008-07-14T03:46:47-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/seattle_overview/ http://www.25letters.com/site/seattle_overview/#When:03:43:40Z Because I wasn't able to keep up with our trip as it happened, I've put together a short overview. It was a great trip, and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that I'm about ready to sleep in my own bed, and ready to be at home for a couple of days and eat some homemade food. Isn't that how a good vacation is supposed to go? Enjoy yourself to the fullest and then enjoy heading home? Friday July 4thArrived in Seattle, visited REI, ate a yummy trout salad, walked around the Space Needle, found a place to chill in Olympic Sculpture Park, the guys grabbed Subway and we watched the fireworks over the bay. Michael drove us back to Whidbey as David fought sleep and I became comatose in the backseat. Saturday, July 5thSlept late, visited Michael's base, walked along the beach and looked at the crazy rocks and low tide, had coffee with Carrie and Mark, grocery shopped in Oak Harbor, grilled burgers, made guacamole and played Guitar Hero. Sunday and Monday, July 6th-7thHeaded back into Seattle, stopped at Deception Pass - hiked and took pictures, got to Seattle and had crab, oysters, and shrimp at the Crab Pot on the Pier 57. Got up the next morning and had breakfast at Pike's Place Market and hung out there for a couple hours, Michael and David watched a movie that afternoon and I shopped, met back up for lunch at PF Changs and headed to the Space Needle to see Seattle from above. Took pictures and headed back to Whidbey.Tuesday July 8thSlept late, piddled around the house, went and ate fish and chips the Rock Fish Grill in Anacortes (the best fish and chips on the trip), visited a old hardware store, checked on the ferry for the next day and headed back to Whidbey for some yummy Papa Murphey's pizza and a movie at Michael's. Wednesday, July 9thGot up dang early, caught the ferry from Anacortes to Sidney, BC and got hooked on Hearts on the way over. Headed to the Buchart Gardens, grabbed an early lunch and enjoyed the gardens. Found and checked into our hotel in Victoria, had a cup of coffee/tea overlooking the harbor, walked around the downtown district and had some yummy food at The Keg, a steak and seafood restaurant. Played more hearts while watching the Speed channel in our awesome hotel room. Thursday, July 10thGot up, grabbed the Big Bus tour and did some sightseeing of Victoria. Visited Craigdarach Castle, a huge house built to be a castle in the early 1900 that has since been a military hospital, a college, and now a museum of sorts. Continued the tour to the edge of the island and back into the city for some british fish and chips (not nearly as good as the ones at Rock Fish). Did a bit of shopping and headed out to catch the ferry back. Ate leftover pizza and Michael and David put new memory in Michael's computer. Friday, July 11thGot up at a decent time, packed up and headed into Seattle to grab a couple of iPhones and see the Boeing Factory if we had time. As you could tell from the previous post, there wasn't any time for the factory, so after they got the phones and I shopped, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory and headed to the hotel. The guys kept playing with the iPhones, and we rented a movie on TV. Michael was out in the first 5 minutes...not kidding. Saturday, July 12thI got up and headed back out to Pikes Place market for a couple of things. By about 11am, the market was so crowded it was hard to walk. I headed back after grabbing a bouquet of flowers to take home (yes, you can think I'm crazy - David does) and met the guys as they were headed out of the hotel. We grabbed some food on the way to the airport...and here we sit!Lots of fun, so much fun that I'm pooped. It was great to get to hang out with Michael, to see Care and Mark, to get to visit Canada (never been before), and to enjoy the weather. It's warmer today - didn't put on my jacket once - hot by Seattle standards, but the high is still 20+ degrees cooler than Austin. I told David that I felt like a weenie having to wear a jacket all week when everyone else was in tanks and shorts, but then I realized that they'd never be able to bear the Texas heat - and I felt better. Hope you've enjoyed hearing about our trip - we enjoyed having it! Love to all of you! 2008-07-14T03:43:40-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/iphone/ http://www.25letters.com/site/iphone/#When:03:41:12Z the following was written late last Friday in Seattle... Friday, July 11th. The day that so many have waited for with baited breath. The day that my husband has looked forward to for at least 6 months. Actually, he's probably waited longer than that.When we realized we were going to be in Washington the day the new iPhone came out, David told me that it would be fine if we weren't able to get one the day they came out. But when we got here, Michael told us he wanted one too. So, we tentatively decided to carve out some time to stop by an Apple or ATT store.On our way into Seattle this afternoon, we stopped at an ATT store. Sadly, they were only given 40 and had sold out early this morning. So, David started calling all the stores in the area. After the first couple of stores didn't have any left, he called the two Apple stores in the Seattle area and both still had phones left. We headed to the Belleview store, which ended up being in a large mall (good news for me!) and the line in front of the store that didn't look so long. The guys headed up to the end of it and were promptly told that's not where the line started. They headed back to an employee entrance to the mall, and the girl in the Apple shirt told them to head down the hallway. After a long hallway and two corners, they found the end of the line. I was just laughing at them the whole way down. I told them I would come back with snacks, and headed out asking the guy at the very front of the hallway line (the first of three lines we found out later) how long he had been waiting. "4 hours." Are you kidding? Crazy. Thankfully, that part of the line only took them 2 1/2 hrs - apparently ATT had some server issues that morning and things moved very slowly. Since we got there after they were up and running, the line was much better and the guys only ended up waiting 5 hrs in line. It was another hour to get it set up and purchased. I asked Michael if it was worth it - because he wasn't an existing ATT customer it was much easier to set up his phone and get it going, so he was playing with it for about 30 minutes while David was still waiting - and he said he didn't know yet. But I got a pic of him grinning at his phone while playing with it - and within the hour he told it was definitely worth it. David said it wasn't worth it yet - his feet still hurt. Would it be when they quit hurting? Yep. So all in all it was an eventful day. I got a lot of shopping done (I was tired before they were done waiting) and they both got new toys. While my day was more fun while it was happening, they ended up with a cool end product - one that has kept them busy ever since. 2008-07-14T03:41:12-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/a_few_more_highlights/ http://www.25letters.com/site/a_few_more_highlights/#When:06:41:00Z So it’s been a few days...sorry about that. I decided not to bring my computer on this trip for several reasons. One, so that I wouldn’t be tempted to work, and two, so I didn’t have to carry it through the airports during transit. However, that has meant that I’m not able to blog whenever I want because I have to borrow either David’s or Michael’s computer.As I am writing this, we’re on board a ferry headed back to Washington. We have spent the last 36 hours in Canada - more specifically on Vancouver Island. Most of the time we were in the city of Victoria but we went also to see the famous Butchart Gardens and actually landed and left from Sidney, BC. Please don’t be confused here. The city of Victoria is on Vancouver Island and the city of Vancouver is on the mainland of British Columbia. Oh, and the island of Victoria is MUCH farther north, and has nothing to do with either the city of Victoria or the city of Vancouver - well, except that they’re all in Canada. How’s that for confusing? So, let’s go for highlights. The last time I wrote, we were just back from Seattle. I’ll try to catch you up without writing a dissertation.Rock Fish Grill - We had a day in Whidbey between Seattle and Victoria and decided we needed fish and chips. Michael told us about this great little place in Anacortes - a small fishing town on the mainland about 30 minutes from his house. Man, were was it good! They were also a mini brewery, so David tried a sampler of beer - they give you 6 mini glasses so you can try different kinds. He decided that out of all of them he liked the Porter (dark) beer the most, but that they “brewed better tea than beer by far.” Don’t take that as a slam to Rock Fish - he’s just a bigger fan of tea than he is of beer. Oh, and I finally got a zip up hoodie! It’s the best - it’s from a cool little joint, and I am definitely enjoying the weather more with it to keep me warm.Butchart Gardens - That place was amazing. Imagine a huge used up quarry - and then try and imagine what it would look like if you covered it in greenery, flowers of every shape, color and size, and trees taller than a three story building. The “Sunken Garden” is how it all started, and it’s one of the most beautiful places on the 100 acre property. The gardens were formerly the private gardens on the estate of the Butchart family - Mr. Butchart was one of the founders of Portland Cement. Mrs. Butchart began the gardens around 1910, and it has grown from there. On the property, to name a few, there is a huge rose garden (with hundreds of types of roses from across the world), an formal Italian garden, a Japanese garden, a star shaped pond (to house their duck collection), and the one that began it all, the Sunken Garden. It was incredible to see God’s paintbrush and creativity - the amazing colors, the shapes, the lushness, and the beauty beyond imagination. One interesting note, it was the only place we’ve been so far that I wanted to be wearing a t-shirt and shorts - sunny and very little breeze. Oh, and it had a GREAT gift shop (that I thoroughly enjoyed and the guys were super sweet and super patient - Michael told me he took a nap...).This is as far as I can get now, we’re packing up and getting back to the car. I’ll update more tomorrow… I promise. Oh, and I’m having technical difficulties uploading the pics with David’s computer, but I’ll get him to help me with that tomorrow too. ‘night! 2008-07-11T06:41:00-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/seattle_take_one/ http://www.25letters.com/site/seattle_take_one/#When:04:52:01Z This was written for the most part on Monday night. I’m sorry for so many details - I tried to highlight some of the, well, highlights at the beginning. Hope you enjoy! As our first vacation together as a married couple (besides our honeymoon and Camp Nikos - both of which don’t really count), David and i decided to visit his brother Michael who is stationed in Whidbey Island, WA. Whidbey is about two hours outside of Seattle, and as it is the closest metropolitain area, we’ve spent a good amount of time there too. Because I have, as David says, a bad filing system for my memories, I wanted to share some of the highlights of our trip with you and as a by-product, document some reminders so that i’ll be able to remember our trip later on. For your reading pleasure, I’ve provided a couple of highlights at the beginning so you won’t have to read the whole thing - which will most likely turn into a book when I get started.HighlightsCool weather - even though I knew it would be cooler than Texas by far, I wasn’t quite prepared. I’ve been chilly ever since we stepped off the plane. I brought several jackets, but none that have alot of warmth to them. So, I’ve found that if I layer the jackets, I stay pretty warm. Maybe I’ll come across a sweatshirt that I’ll just have to buy (but so far the tourist prices of $40 a sweatshirt have made me happy with what I have). Seeing Care - It was a lot of fun to hang out with Carrie and Mark, my longtime friend who’s wedding I was in last Labor Day. Even though it was a short time, it was great to catch up, to have David and Mark be able to meet each other, and just to see an old friend for an afternoon. Good luck with the house friend!Hanging out with Michael - Even though David and I have been a couple for over 3 years and have known each other for a lot longer, this is the most time I’ve spent with Michael by far. Since he was stationed in Japan for 3 years, and was only over there for about 6 months before I met him, there hasn’t been many opportunities to spend quality time with him. It’s been super fun getting to know the brother of David’s who is a whole lot like David. I laughed out loud earlier today when I heard him asking the guy behind the counter at Cold Stone Creamery how they kept the counters so cold. It was such a David thing to ask! Because Brian and David are so different, this has been a whole new experience - and a great one!The Crab Pot - A local Seattle restaurant on Pier 57 where we ate at last night - Michael found it in the tabletop book in the hotel room, and it was yummy! Not only the crab a delicious local delicasy but had a fun atmosphere. There’s just something that happens to you when your table is covered with paper, you’re given a plastic bib to wear and a mallet and plank to eat your dinner with. I’ll just say there was talk of a food fight, but we restrained ourselves. Good times. (Ps. I did learn that boiled oysters are pretty good, but only when they’re hot. When they’re cool/cold....they remind me of...nevermind.) The beginning of the longer version...We left our house at 7:30am on July 4th. Thanks to Southwest, we were able to cash in one of my free tickets from being a frequent flyer and thus knew we were in for a day of traveling. However, we were pretty surprised that the traveling was as light as it was (note to self and other interested parties: if you can handle traveling on the day of the holiday, MUCH easier). The lines at security were short and we had plenty of time to grab food, eat and get on our plane. The flight was somewhat uneventful, although we did have to change aircraft because of mechanical difficulties in Phenoix and I nearly left the wedding present I was bringing to Care...but thanks to my very astute husband, I was able to retrieve it. In the process, he lost me, but thankfully we met back up and all the flight attendants were glad to see us and the wedding present on the new plane.After Michael picked us up from our 7 hour flight, we grabbed food downtown and headed to REI. David needed shoes and we needed a Joby for his big camera. That place was crazy. The biggest REI i’ve ever seen. They have an almost 70 foot tall climbing wall in the store, bike trails around it, and a whole eco system outside that makes you almost believe you’re not in downtown Seattle. It was so crazy huge that I took several pictures. All of our pictures will be on our alleys.smugmug.com under the travel section - check them out! We chilled out downtown for several more hours before we headed down to the waterfront to watch the fireworks. The sunset was God’s show before the fireworks - it was gorgeous. By the time we headed home, David and I were pooped. I slept the entire way back.The next day we slept in, had a big breakfast and just hung out. We headed into into town to hang out with my friend Care and her hubby Mark. On the way, we stopped by the base and saw where Michael works. It was pretty cool, and i’m not even into planes. The base, being on an island, has a coast line and we went and hung out for an hour or so just walking around. It was low tide so we were able to go way far out into where the water normally is and see lots of cool rocks, empty oysters and COLD water. After meeting Care and Mark at the small town carnival that was in Oak Harbor for the holiday weekend, we headed to Starbucks to warm up. Side note - although it’s ‘summer’ up here, it’s been below 70 every day besides today and I have been chilly the whole time. The college kids working Cold Stone today laughed at me when i said something about being cold - one said that he went and swam in the river today because he had gotten so hot driving around. And today was probably the high 70’s. Yes, high 70’s in the sun. Crazy.Anyway, back to my story. We had a good time with Care and Mark hanging out. We got to see his parent’s place (they live on Whidbey) and gave them their wedding invite that I framed for them. They loved it and that was great. We grabbed food from the store and made burgers and guacamole Sat night - super yummy.David needs his computer...so i’ll continue my story (since it’s taken me this long - 1 1/2 days - to get this written) later today or tomorrow. 2008-07-08T04:52:01-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/a_good_reminder_to_count_all_our_blessingsand_then_pray_for_them/ http://www.25letters.com/site/a_good_reminder_to_count_all_our_blessingsand_then_pray_for_them/#When:06:04:00Z Man, am I blessed to be an American! Sometimes we forget and take so many things for granted...videos like the one linked below are good reminders of all our blessings. http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/Impish_Dragon/?action=view&current=Untitled.flv God Bless our Troops! 2008-06-22T06:04:00-06:00 http://www.25letters.com/site/camp_nikos1/ http://www.25letters.com/site/camp_nikos1/#When:03:12:01Z So I blogged about Nikos during Nikos...I just forgot to put it on this, our personal blog. You see, I was the official blogger for Camp Nikos, an inner city kids camp in Rosebud Texas. As usual, David and I were staff, David being the ultimate music, tech, video, photographer, all around phenominal guy, and I was Light Lady as well as the lady in charge of disipline for the girls, helper to Cheryl and David, and official blogger. I’ve given you snipets of some of our posts below, but you can read about the whole week at http://www.campnikos.com. You can also see pictures from camp on our smugmug website at alleys.smugmug.com/Mission%20Possible (we haven’t finished uploading them all so be sure and check back for more). From June 8th Our theme for camp is “It’s good to know the King.” The campers will be learning about how God is real, how He can be known, that He can be heard, and how He can be trusted! It will be an exciting week as they (and we) learn these truths through activities, stories, verses, and daily camp life. These aren’t always easy truths to teach or to learn (especially when you think as concretely as a child), so pray especially for wisdom, patience and energy for our group leaders From June 10th After everyone got off their bus and into their cabin or tent “families,” they moved into their homes for the week, took a tour of the campground and had their pictures made for their nametags. A yummy dinner was waiting for them, and after that came the night service. Night Service always begins with Mr. Sean singing “My Father’s House” and many other fun songs. The worship ended with a CRAZY rendition of “Come on and Dance” that wore EVERYONE out. Light Lady was next. The campers learned Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light SHINE before others, that they may see the good things you do and PRAISE GOD!” Light Lady talked about how at Camp Nikos we reward “kingly” behavior and how we want to see pictures of children with crowns on during the nights service (the reward for small acts – like picking up trash, sharing, listening to their leaders). We also have rewards for learning the daily verses and have a ‘Camper of the Day’ for those who shined for Jesus all day long. These campers get to put highlighter all over themselves and come up in the black lights and dance with Light Lady in front of everyone. It is a treat to watch these kids soak in the positive encouragement from their fellow campers, their leaders and Light Lady herself. From June 12th By the time you read this, it will be Thursday. It’s right about the middle of the week. Group leaders are exhausted and kids are falling into a routine, and as they as they get more comfortable with each other, both blessings and challenges abound. One of the big challenges for leaders is to stay consistent with their ‘family’ and to be on the same page as their fellow leaders in their family. And to do this while continuously loving on children that are in their care for the week just adds to that challenge. Yet another challenge is being consistent with the more challenging kids (those who are physically demanding attention), they also have to remember to love on the kids who are quiet and obedient. It’s like starting a family with four to eight children – all at once. On the flip side, one of the most rewarding things at this stage of camp is to see the children begin to open up. They’re talking about what they’re thinking, they’re smiling, they’re helping others, and they’re talking about home life with their group leaders. These things are what make the sand, the sweat, and the tears ALL worth it. Watching these children become children again – instead of the streetwise, harden people they have to be – man, it’s powerful. Walking through camp tonight as everyone was getting ready for bed it was so incredible to see how those relationships in each little family are already so precious. Voids are being filled in these children’s hearts with God’s love flowing through each group leader as they prayed for their campers, talked to them and just loved on them in every little way as they got ready for bed. From June 15th Friday The last night of Nikos there is traditionally a water balloon fight. The group leaders fill up water balloons all day long on their breaks, and this year they did great. There were four full big trashcans full of balloons and every group was assigned to a trashcan. By the end of the fight, everyone was wet, muddy and happy. Thankfully, showers were before night service. The night concluded with a crazy night service – one for the kids to remember. Not only did the kids watch a simulation of an airplane flight through a storm, the slideshow was super long with pictures from throughout the day – lots of fun. Even Light Lady was different. After each camper of the day was announced and recognized, she brought up all the leaders to recognize their hard work and give them an opportunity to dance in the black lights. The campers loved it and all cheered for their leaders. While every leader had gone above and beyond, the staff at the camp and activity leaders provided feedback that one in particular had ‘shined’ all week long. Ryan W. was recognized for his outstanding love of not only just his campers, but also all those he came in contact with. He had a difficult group of boys but his patience and love were amazing to watch. As all cheered him on, he danced in the black light showing his energy and fun personality. Saturday Because each camper who came was in some way plugged into Mission:Possible and its programs throughout the year, the leaving was easier than in past years. Thankfully, the end of Camp Nikos isn’t the end of this kind of love for these kids. They will be loved on all year by people volunteering in the after school program, at Big Fish Club, during art centers, and at Crosstrainers. This made a huge difference in the attitudes of the campers as we left. Although we still had kids who wanted to stay and live at camp, there was definitely a peace and hope of more to come. Group leaders and their campers exchanged contact information to be able to keep in touch, and many of these campers will see these amazing people throughout the year. Thank you so much for your prayers this week. We have felt them and have been encouraged by them. This camp is always amazing, but this was an incredible year. There were hard times and every leader and staff person was stretched to his or her limits. It would not be a lie to say that we were blessed at least as much (if not more) as the children were by the experience. 2008-06-22T03:12:01-06:00