and then i got an email | hope spoken

i remember the day so vividly. it was a long day of mothering and diaper changing and probably lots of meltdowns. both from me and the kids. i had this cloud hanging over me, just looming there. i was wondering all day long: is this it? not in a hopeless kind of way, or ungrateful for all that God has given me or demeaning the importance of raising children... but just wondering if God had plans to use me in a bigger way. and hoping the answer wasn't no. 

there are particular things that i know He has for me, dreams He's given me. and those will unfold in due time, but i wondered if my words, my story, my life and experiences could be used in a way to bring Him glory right now. i'd been blogging for awhile and sharing my words and felt like i really had a ministry budding here, but it had begun to feel a bit pointless. it was a season where i wondered if anyone could hear me. was i just typing onto an empty screen, for my own benefit? was i reaching anyone with the goodness He was teaching me? a strange season, just feeling a little bit anonymous, useless, worn out, not very effective.

and then i got an email. it was from the sweet gals from Hope Spoken, and they were asking me to be a small group leader at their conference. to lead a group of women in small group discussion and learning, and to just be available for anyone who may need someone to talk to. i sat there and i actually cried for a few minutes. mostly because i knew then that He sees me. i could rest in the Truth that He knows me. He knows what He has given me and He knows how He wants to use it for His glory and my good, and hopefully your good, too... and then i responded to the email with an emphatic YES! 

so here we are, a few months away and lots of you are stopping by here for the first time... so to introduce myself: i'm Aly. i 'm 29 and i live in san diego and i'm married to my high school sweetheart for 8 years. we have THREE precious kiddos, 2 girls and a brand new 12-day-old boy :) i am fortunate enough to stay home with our babies while i run a print shop on etsy and do virtual assisting/marketing for a few insurance and real estate professionals, all from home, to bring in a little extra income for our family (Southern California isn't cheap!). it's busy keeping up with everything, which is why i rarely leave the house, and i can promise you the laundry is rarely done and the toys have taken over our entire house. but i constantly remind myself it's just a season (and one i'll miss so much when it's over).

i have to say i'm a mixture of excitement and anticipation over Hope Spoken, but also nerves and a little bit of fear. i'm a more reserved gal most of the time. not the first to say hello, but wishing someone else would break the ice. i do like people, and i like talking, it's just harder for me to approach and start a conversation. it takes a few minutes of self-pep-talk and working up the guts to do it. for some of you that just sounds ridiculous. and others of you totally get it. so that will be a challenge for me, when i'm meant to actually fill this role of befriender and welcomer and includer. bear with me if i seem a bit awkward at first.

i'm hoping that i'll come away from the weekend with a renewed sense of purpose. His purpose for me. i'm hoping, expecting, that He will meet me there in Dallas and speak into my heart the things that i've been longing to hear. the secrets and the hidden treasures that He's set aside just for me. i'm hoping He does the same for you who will be attending.

i'll tell you a secret, if you can bear with me on a very superficial level: i'm also hoping that i will have shed this baby weight (just had baby #3 last friday, photos below) and that i'll have a few cute outfits to bring with me. i don't consider myself to be very fashionable, and i don't really have a "style" to speak of, but i'm hoping to get a grip on that before i meet you all! and maybe, just maybe, i'll have a sassy new haircut instead of my mile-long "mermaid hair" as it's been called. it's pretty enough, but sometimes you get bored and need a change. maybe some bangs? we'll see what happens.

and since it wouldn't be an introduction without a few more photos:

last month with my girls, baby 3 brewing in the belly

and here he is with his big sisters. they're my whole heart right there...

can't wait to meet you all in Dallas in a few months!

in the meantime you can connect with me here:

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