Alayna's Adventures

There is a song lately that has been at the top of my playlist because the lyrics are just so powerful to me.  Before I reveal the song, I'll just admit that I am a Hillsong United addict.  Any song, any CD, anything that comes from them, I'm a fan.  Their worship is so energetic and yet so deep, I can't help but listen to it over and over and over again.  It feeds my soul, which is so necessary at this time in my life when I feel like my soul gets so easily neglected due to other "priorities".  The song that is heavy rotation is "Take Heart" from their Aftermath album.  I think that Hillsong United finds it to be a heartfelt song as well, as they have closed the two concerts that I attended this summer with "Take Heart".  And I certainly agree with them!  The lyrics are based on the bible of course, the title and overall theme coming from John 16:33, where Jesus says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In th...

Isaiah and I had a beautiful day at the park last week.  It was Tuesday to be exact, because I was there when we had the Great Pittsburgh Earthquake of 2011.  I am quite sad to inform you that I didn't feel a thing.  Isaiah and I were probably frolicking through the field -- as much as a woman who is 30 weeks pregnant frolics -- beating on the ground with drumsticks (well, just sticks actually).  I guess that last part was probably just Isaiah.  We had been walking around the playground at South Park and he found sticks and was drumming.  He is quite the little musician, loves the drums and guitar.  Any sticks are drumsticks and can be used to play any available drumlike surface.  After our frolic and drumming venture, I finally sat down to relax for a minute with Isaiah, and I decided to check Facebook from my phone.  Bunches of people had just updated their statuses to say something about an earthquake in Pittsburgh, a...

Friend, Happy Alayna is Alive Day!  Oh, thank you, and Happy Alayna is Alive Day to you too! Didn't know it was a holiday, did you??  Well, I am most pleased to inform you that today certainly is a holiday.  Perhaps not a national holiday, religious holiday, or even the most sacred of holidays - a Hallmark holiday, but it is a landmark of a day for me.  I began celebrating this special holiday on the one year anniversary of August 23, 2005.  Why the one year anniversary of that day?  Well, on August 23, 2005, I was walking across the street and was blindsided by a minivan.  Yes, it was just as painful and terrible as it sounds.  Needless to say, I was celebrating nothing on August 23, 2005, but one year later, I was joyfully celebrating the fact that I was alive.  Actually, for the whole first year following that day, I celebrated the 23th of every month as a sweet and happy day to remember that I had survived ...

So, here we are.  I finally have a blog.  Some of you who know me may say it's about time.  I have always loved words, as far back as I can remember.  When I was young, I would read late into the night, often devouring whole books in one sitting.  My mother even bought me a book entitled The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate, full of intriguing  words that were not often spoken or heard.  Then, a few years ago, I was imbued with the feeling that I would someday write a book or two or three.  And I felt as though that very feeling was an inspiration from God.  That much being said, I believe I should be writing more!  I was given a diary at the age of 11 or 12 and began writing.  At that time, it was nothing more than who liked who at school, my current crushes, and how terrible my parents were to me.  But my love for words and writing grew a...