beautiful silence

This little phrase has been on my mind lately.

I know that I am an emotional, some times moody woman. My poor husband. hehe.

I am trying my very hardest to learn to stay quiet and respond instead of react.

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue, keeps his soul from troubles.

Proverbs 21:23 {NKJV}

The Word tells us that guarding our mouth means less troubles. Of course there will be troubles in our lives... but I think that part of this verse means that if we learn to watch what we say then a little problem will not turn into a BIG problem. 

I have been trying to learn to communicate with my husband more. I want to listen to him and be heard by him. I think that a big part of that is to learn when to be quiet. 

When you feel your emotions rising high - take a deep breath, step back, silence your voice, and collect your thoughts. Then YOU can speak and listen - not your anger, frustration, hurt, offense, or confusion. 

That is my challenge from now on. I know that I tend to get easily stressed out and can speak out of that stress to my husband -- which in turns has him react out of his frustration and then I react out of hurt/anger.... and the "troubles" cycle. 

What a difference it would have looked like if I was able to be quiet and speak with love. Then hubby would  have been able to just talk and listen.

So that is my little lesson for your Friday!!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!!! (: 

beautiful silence and love. - Monica

♥ . ♥ . ♥

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy middle of the week lovelies!! Today I decided to link up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for 'What I'm Loving Wednesday'! (:

I am loving that Hubby has tomorrow off because of the weather. I know payday won't be as large.. but I am excited for some rainy day cuddle time.

I am loving reading through Proverbs with #shereadstruth. I am really loving have some accountability with my bible reading and learning from all the women.

I am loving the cooler weather. I am not loving scary tornado warnings or hurricane Isaac (prayers are with everyone being affected).

I am loving texting friends. I ADORE communication and friends!!!

I am loving my sweet puppy...... even though she wants to chew everything!!!

I am loving my amazing husband!!! (: He works so so hard and I appreciate him so much!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!!

love and more love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ .  ♥

Walking in the Spirit

"The true test of walking in the Spirit will not be the way we act but the way we react to the daily frustrations of life." - Beverly LaHaye
I read this the other day in my bible.
I couldn't get it out of my mind.
How am I dealing with my daily frustrations? Am I reacting to my husband or am I responding in love?
If I am being honest I have had my fair share of not so nice moments. I have been frustrated, overwhelmed, hurt, sad, angry, and upset and have acted upon those emotions.
There are more then one time that comes to mind that I am not proud of.
I want to represent the Lord well and to walk in the Spirit daily. No one is perfect -- if we were, we wouldn't need Jesus.
I need to continue to grab hold of the grace for the day, respond with love, and maybe even bit my tongue at times. (;
Walking in the Spirit and love. - Monica

And the award goes too....

... ME! hehe. Thanks to the lovely Whitney at Sippy Cups and Pearls.

Whitney nominated me for The Liebster Blog Award.

The award is for blogs that have 200 or less followers who deserve a little love. (: It is such an honor and I am so excited for it!

Here are the rules:
1. Post 11 things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that have been posted by the people who gave you the award
3. Create 11 questions you want you nominees to answer.
4. Pass this award on to a maximim of 11 blogs.
5. Let them know that you've given them the award.

Here are 11 things about me:

1. I ADORE journaling! I love it and it just helps me to process, reflect, and pray. (:
2. I love italian food. Pasta. Bread. Garlic. Mmmm!
3. I cannot feel settled to do anything if the kitchen is dirty. I HAVE to clean it.
4. I am a talker. I love to talk to friends and share life together.
5. When I was little I was in baton. lol. hehe.
6. I changed my e-mail to my married name before we got married. I just couldn't wait!
7. Growing up my church was like 20 people.
8. I do not like to drink milk.... if I do drink it I have to drink it super fast when it is ice cold.
9. If a food has a strange texture... I do not want to eat it. Prosciutto is an example.
10. When I was about 6 or 7 yrs old there was a biblical program on Easter on TV and every commercial break they gave people opportunities to give their life to the Lord -- I thought I had to do it every single commercial.
11. I do not really wear makeup in high school.

Here are the 11 questions Whitney asked me.
1. Go ahead and tell us an embarrassing story, we want to laugh!
 - In my home town it snows a lot and the streets ice over. One day I was walking on my lunch break in my cheer uniform and slipped and fell straight on my bum!!! Skirt flew up and everything.
2. What's your favorite place you have traveled thus far?
Hubby and I have traveled quite a bit in this move... and I really wish that we could have stayed at the places longer then a day..... but I think my favorite place so far has been..... maybe Flagstaff, AZ just because we had fun. (: We went to a great Mexican restaurant and our hotel was really nice! It was fun going from Southern California to all the rockiness and stuff. Fun.
3. Tell us real quick your favorite holiday and the traditions you enjoy with it. 
I think my favorite holiday would be Christmas. (: I have ALWAYS loved the stockings the most! Our family would all go to my Gram's house and eat and open presents. I loved it. I am excited to start some traditions with Martin too.  I want to open one present on Christmas Eve (we always did that in our family), have a hot chocolate bar, and then read the Christmas story from the Bible. (: I am hoping to start it this year!
4. What's your favorite movie?
Gosh... I feel like there are so many! hehe. I really really like Pride and Prejudice. AAANNNDD House Bunny... its not a wholesome movie or anything.. but it can always make me laugh. hehe.
5. 100 degrees in the beach, or 40 degrees in the mountains?
Okay.. I NEVER thought I would say this.... but I think I would rather be 40 degrees in the mountains!!! Growing up in the mountains and HATING snow I thought I would always want to live at the beach...... but being in Alabama humidity for the past 5 months has taught me that I would rather live in a place that is cooler. When I am overheated I just.get.annoyed! When I am cold.. I get snuggly. hehe.
6. How long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging since July 2009... honestly I erased MOST of my earlier posts and started over after I was engaged on April 11, 2011 . That is when I started blog more and more.
This was my first published post in September 2009.
7. Whats your favorite season?
BY FAR it is fall!!! I love boots. scarves. crisp air. anything pumpkin. oranges and reds. cinnamon. Mmmm.. I love it all.
8. Here's $2,000. Where are you going shopping?
Is target a lame answer?? haha. I would want to shop for my home... cute decorative things and little furniture... and maybe Pier One. I would definitely spend it on my home though. Maybe a couple hundred to my love to buy clothes. 
9. Favorite childhood memory.
My favorite childhood memory would probably be dressing up with my Gram's friend. I dressed up in silly clothes and put make up ALL OVER  my face. hehe
10. What's your favorite song to dance to?
Justin Bieber! no shame. hehe
11. How did you come up with your blog name?
Captivated means to hold the attention or interest of something.... and I thought that I always wanted to keep my attention on the things that I love. My blog was originally "Constantly Captivated" but I changed it to "Captivated By Love" shortly after. I wanted to use my blog as a journal to write down the things that captivated my attention. (:

Here is who I am nominating!
- Liza at Preparing For Eternity
- Jennifer at One43
- Jessie at Coming from a place of YES & everything inbetween
- Andrea at [Iron] Bowled Over

Questions for you ladies.
1. What is your dream day? Anything.. money is not a problem.
2. When you were little... what did you want to grow up to be?
3. What is your favorite holiday and the traditions that go with it?
4. What is your least favorite chore?
5. What was the last thing you did for the first time?
6. Where would you travel if you could go anywhere?
7. Favorite memory?
8. How did you come up with your blog name?
9. Do you stay up late or wake up early?
10. What is your favorite restaurant... and the favorite meal there?
11. How was your first kiss with your hubby? 

awards and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥

Friday's Letters

Linking up with  Ashley's blog for some letters. (:

dear friday,
Thank you for being here!!! I am so so ready for the weekend! (: Although Saturdays are my favorite day (date day with my love) you are a very close second!

dear Sophia,
You are such a cute little snuggler!!! I love it when you cuddle up with your little stuffed animals! I wish that you want to cuddle with your daddy and I ... instead of bite us. Lets work on this.

dear blog community,
You all give me more reasons to LOVE blogging! Not only to get to share my stories with my friends and family but you all are so encouraging to me! I love all the sweet comments I get and all the friendships I am making from blogging!!! (: Thank you all!

dear Mr. V,
I adore you!!! You have worked so hard this week and I am so so glad that you are off earlier today! We are going to have a very fun weekend! I am still in shock that we have been married a year already... it feels like our wedding was just last week. hehe. But... we are going to be newlyweds until five years!!! (: I love you so so much!!! Thank you for understanding me and being patient with me always. I love learning with you!

dear new cleaning schedule, 
Thank you for keeping my accountable!! You have been helping me so so much!!! I want to be best the stay at home wife that I can be... and you are helping me to do that. pretty much.. I adore you!

dear Lord, 
Again, I am in awe of You. Writing out my testimony for Sippy Cups and Pearls reminded me again of how good You are!!!  I want to always give you glory and I yearn to live for you! Thank you for unconditional love and your grace that is new every morning! You call me your beloved and I know deep in my heart that I am Yours. Thank you for always meeting me where I am at and taking delight in me. I love you!

Dear readers/followers/friends, 
I love getting to know you all better! Thank you for reading and commenting! You all make my day and put a smile on my face!!! (: I appreciate every single one of you!!! (: I pray that you will all discover who you are in Christ and what you have to offer. Remember that you have more worth then rubies and the Lord adores you!

letters and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥

Testimonies

I was taught that a "testimony is the spirit of prophesy". Meaning that when we speak out our testimony (whether it be how we came to Jesus or even how Jesus met our needs last week) we enable the Holy Spirit to move in a way that others can receive it for themselves.

We do not need to be ashamed of our testimonies. There are so many people in the world who need to hear your story! They need to hear that someone went through something similar and got through it with the Lord.

If you struggled with drugs but found freedom in Christ -- share it! Not to brag on what you have done in the past... but to brag on what the Lord has done THROUGH you!

If God provided the finances to pay your rent this month -- tell someone! There may be a person who needs to hear that God will provide their needs.

If your marriage was on the rocks but through counseling and prayer you have both been restored -- let someone know! Someone could hear that and grab on to the hope that their marriage will be renewed.

Shame and guilt died on the cross, my friends, don't allow the enemy to tell you differently.

The incredibly lovely Whitney from Sippy Cups and Pearls is embracing testimonies weekly with 'Testimony Thursday' so we can share and learn from each other.

I was completely honored when she asked me yesterday to be apart of it. I quickly wrote it out and it is on her blog today. (:

Go check it out and show her some love!

Happy Thursday! Who is so excited for Friday?!

testimonies and love. - Mrs. V
♥ . ♥ . ♥

1st Yr Anniversary in Atlanta

Well my love surprised me for our anniversary to a trip to Atlanta, GA to go to a Christina Perri & Jason Mraz concert!
I was beyond  excited!!! I saw Jason Mraz in concert a few yrs ago in Portland and always tell Mr. V how bad I want to see him again in concert.

We got up Saturday morning and made our trip to Atlanta. A couple of hours later we arrived at The World of Coca-Cola.
We had such a great time! We tried different types of soda from ALL over the word! Some were good (Asia's were REALLY sweet -- like liquid candy) and some were.. bleh (Germany ...uh! It was like SPICY.. idk.. gross)!
We also watched a fun 4-D movie! Our chairs shook and we got blasted with wind and water! It was fun!
There were some really neat old coca-cola things too!

The 2012 Olympic torch was in Georgia that same weekend so we took a picture with it!
Martin said that we are so favored by the Lord. It was a really awesome opportunity!

When we left they gave us coca-cola in a glass bottle. We had so so much fun!!

After that we went over to Gorden Biersch Brewery for dinner. It was really good. My Mr had a little beer sampler to try a little of all the beer that they brew and I had a peach ice tea (I was determined to get something with peach in it hehe).
Mr V ate a chicken avocado sandwich with REAL garlic fries and I ate a BBQ Chicken sandwich with regular fries. MMMmmmmm! It was delicious!
My silly phone then died at the restaurant when I was trying to take a picture of my love.

While we were leaving the restaurant it started to rain. HARD. We were starting to get bummed because the concert was outside. The rain FINALLY stopped right when we parked -- but it was still all wet and I walked in a lot of muddy puddles.
Mr V got AMAZING seats and it was covered! It was such a great concert!
Christina Perri is absolutely adorable and has a phenomenal voice and Jason Mraz is such a great performer!
It was our first concert together and it was awesome.
I was sad that I didnt get any pictures or videos... but my love just said that our first concert was very very intimate -- just us two. hehe.

I drove home after the concert and we attempted to go to Starbucks... but ended up in scary downtown Atlanta.. so we left without the coffee. We saw TONS of people. A very strange "ice cream truck" playing rap music. Aaannnddd a Cinderella carriage being pulled by white horse. No joke. haha. Crazy!

We had such an fun adventure for our anniversary!

Last night we read the memories from our memory jar. (:

It was fun remembering the past year together. (:

one year. (:

this video is from the concert we were at.... but I did not record this... I just youtubed it. hehe.

We were a little further away then this. (:



hooray for one year of marriage and 100 more!

fun anniversary celebrations and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥

This day last year....

.... I became his beloved wife!

Yup, today is my one year anniversary with the ever-so-handsome Mr. V. I am still in complete shock that a whole year has passed since our wedding!
We celebrated this weekend with a surprise trip to Atlanta, GA to go to a concert! I will write more about that tomorrow because today I am so gushy and reminiscent on my beautiful wedding day.

Lets take a trip down memory lane. (dream harp music)
 - . - . - . -
 getting ready!

yes.. we went to in-n-out before the ceremony. hehe.

i loved the back of my dress

my sister (matron of honor) put on my veil

making sure that dress was tight!

sis-in-law and I were spying on the guests walking in.. but we got caught. lol

my girls and I

my friend's beautiful daughter! I designed her dress from a woman on etsy! (:

Boys & my groom

 Family  togetherness

Ceremony & Reception

husband & wife 

- . - . - . -

And that was my day of love. 

Thank you all for sharing this day with me! (:

anniversaries and love. - Mrs. V
♥ . ♥ . ♥

// Thankful Sweetness //

Good morning lovelies!

I recently came across a lovely lady on Twitter and started following her blog. Her name is Erin and she blogs at {Sweetness Itself} and goodness ... she is such an inspiration!
I love when I can read something that stirs up my spirit and encourages me.. and pretty much every post I have read has done that.

Today she posted about thankfulness and the importance of it. I know that at times I forget to take a moment and breathe in all the wonderfulness that surrounds me. To stop and just give thanks. For the big and for the small.
I am so glad that she reminded me of this. I wanted to also share some things that I am thankful for.

via pinterest

Today I am thankful for ...

♥  God's unconditional love.
♥  my wonderful husband and a beautiful marriage
♥  constant financial provision
♥  coffee in the early morning
♥  skype dates
♥  finding a new church here in Alabama

Remember to find something to be thankful for and praise God for it daily. See if your outlook on life changes.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; 

go into His courts with praise. 

Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

- Psalm 100:4 (NLT)

Thankful sweetness and love, Mrs. V

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Things I have learned from being a wife

I have been a wife for almost a year and a stay-at-home-wife for about 4 months now.

Here are some things I have learned along the way -


* Floors (especially bathroom floors) can NEVER EVER get completely clean. Once you think you have wiped and swept and mopped everything up... you will see a hair. Then you will go to clean that hair and you find some dirt. When you wipe up the dirt you noticed little fuzzies from the washcloth.

* Hot water is not the best way to clean up cheese from the sink -- it will melt and make it harder for you.

* Grab the milk from the WAY back at the store... the date will be further out. Because if it is just the two of you... you will probably not drink a gallon of milk before it expires.

* Unless you do portion control while cooking dinner every single night, you will have to throw away leftovers too (just threw away an entire container of chicken alfredo =[  )

* Heating up oil in a pan is like an art form. If it gets to hot it will not only pop and burn you ( I have a lovely little scar from making hamburgers two weeks ago) but it will cook the outside crispy-burn and not cook the inside (like my very sad donuts this morning).

* Sometimes a husband just needs an encouraging word to make his day better..... or a back rub. Either one.

* Paper towels and dish-washing gloves can be life savers.

*  Pack lunches and set up coffee the night before, you will be happy in the morning that you did. If you still want to get up early with him then you have time to make breakfast (or at least see him off to work with a cup of coffee).

* Men like to relax and unwind in different ways. Although really loud video games might make you feel anxious and annoyed... that is how he likes relax -- its best to let him have his time.

* DATE NIGHTS ARE IMPORTANT Even if you always have dinner at home together and watch shows together at night -- take some time that is an actual date. If you don't have a lot of money then rent a red box (or two!) and have a night in. Take a walk. A picnic at the park.
It is so so important to take time out and invest in the marriage. Don't talk about bills or chores and just enjoy one another.

* Forgive. We are not perfect people (and we did not marry perfect people) and we can say or do things that hurt the other person. So remember to forgive and ask for forgiveness. Talk things out and communicate. Respond in love instead of react in anger.
Remind yourself of  the vows you spoke on your wedding day and keep them in your heart.

* Never stop praying for your spouse. I started praying for my "future husband" at a young age and was confident that God knew who he was and that my prayers were heard. I have to continue to pray for my husband and to be on his side at all times.

- . - . -
I have learned so much from being a wife and I keep learning too! This has been such a wonderful journey and I can't believe that we have already been united for almost a year!

saying our vows 8.20.11

 
What have you learned in the past year?

lessons and love, Mrs. V
♥ . ♥ . ♥
Also make sure to check out my new facebook page. (:

Friday's Letters

Happy weekend lovelies!!!

Lets write some letters!




Dear Sophia, 
Could you please stop chewing on me, the blankets, the shoes, and everything that is not your toys. Thanks! We loved snuggling with you last night while watching football. I hope you get used to it... that is your daddy's favorite thing to do. (:
Love, your momma

Dear Home, 
Can you ever stay clean? I feel like I have been cleaning you nonstop every single day. Kitchen. Bathroom. Living room. Bedroom. Floors. Eh... oh well. I am going to clean you super good today so I can relax all the weekend.
- Stay at home wife

Dear Chapstick, 
I am OVERJOYED that I found you! Thank you for keeping my lips soft and happy.
With love, a girly girl

Dear Love, 
I had soooo much fun with you at dinner for your birthday last weekend! You looked too cute in that Sombrero!
I am so glad that we can talk and work things through and we are learning more and more about communication. Thank you for that wonderful date day! I think that we needed it. You work so incredibly hard for us and you deserve to just do fun things and relax.
I love you and appreciate you soo much! I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow so that we can just hang out again. I am looking forward to church on Sunday with you!!! (:
Forever, Your Rib

Dear Follower/Friends, 
Thank you all for reading! I am just always in awe of the comments and emails I get from all of you! I appreciated it so much! You are all too sweet for words!
I made some changes to my blog style. What do you all think? I am not an expert at blogging or layouts or html or anything so I am always proud of myself when it can at least function properly! hehe.
I am enjoying getting to know you all a little bit better!
Thanks again, Mrs. V

Dear Lord, 
You are so incredibly good to me.  You saw my heart and the things I was going through spiritually this week and you showed up to speak truth to me.
Lord, forgive me for believing the lies that the enemy speaks. Once I find the courage and the confidence to write about fighting insecurity the enemy attacks me right to my core. Thank you for using the beautiful people around me to remind of my worth. Thank you for all the love that you have for me and for verses that remind me of Your glorious truth.
You are so good to me and none can compare to You. God continue to reveal Yourself to me as I read along with SheReadsTruth in the book of Proverbs. Encounter me at all times.
I pray for everyone reading this to encounter a fresh love from You!
Always, Your Princess

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!! (:

letters and love, Mrs. V

♥ . ♥ . ♥

If you REALLY knew me Tuesday

Happy Tuesday Lovelies!

I have decided to start a new link-up this week! I had so much fun doing this post that I decided it would be fun to do a little link-up.
With all the new followers I am receiving (and becoming) it might be fun to get to know each other all a little bit more. (:

Here we go!

If you REALLY knew me, you'd know that....

- I ADORE Italian food. I love pasta and bread! I would put garlic on everything if I could! My favorite meal to cook is bow tie pasta chicken alfredo with broccoli. Sooo delicious!

-   I am half Mexican (dad), a quarter Portuguese (my Grammie), and a quarter Italian (my Papa). My hubby is half Mexican, a quarter Irish, and a quarter Italian. Our kids will have GREAT skin.

My Grammie, Papa, and niece. She is 18 now.

 - I was in street tap when I was younger. It was like tap dancing... but with objects - like brooms and stuff. lol. I was also in baton, ballet, and jazz. My aunt put me in dance to socialize me because I was super shy back then. Not anymore! hehe. I was even in the town's 4th of July parade (in HORRIBLE outfits!!!) lol

- I don't like cannot STAND the taste (or smell) of cilantro. It is not even like a "oh ya.. I don't really like cilantro". It is a true hate. I never ever cook with it and can smell it in any food. Once my mother-in-law bought these hamburgers that had cilantro in them... yup... I didn't eat them, so she had to buy different hamburgers for me (sorry mama!). This makes it EXTREMELY difficult to eat at Mexican food places since the majority of the food has cilantro (and/or tomato .. which I also despise).

- I have always wanted to go in a hot air balloon... although I would probably puke from my fear of slow moving things in the air.
There is this "ride" in Santa Cruz that my sis-in-law and I went on. Its not even a ride...... its like a transporter for one side of the boardwalk to the other. Oh my scariness!!! Okay we went on tons of rides while we were there! It was so much fun.... but that thing was one of the scariest things ever! You are just like SLLLOOOWWLLLYY floating above everyone. bleh. My stomach is in knots just thinking about it.

Well I hope you all feel like you know me a little bit better!

If you wanna join the fun little link then grab the code and put it on your post in HTML. Make sure to come back and add your post to the link up so we can all get to know one another better! (:


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Getting to know me and love. - Mrs. V
♥ . ♥ . ♥