I Am

I am the girl behind the keyboard.

I believe stories can change the world. The one you've been hiding in the deepest corners of your heart, afraid that a little air will make it a monster you can't escape? That's the story I want to hear. That's the story you've got to tell before it sucks the air right out of your lungs. 

My name is Alyssa, though most people call me Lyss, and I've been telling stories my whole life. 

These days, I write them here on this blog, in unfinished book manuscripts, on napkins, and on anything else I can find. Mine are stories of healing and heartbreak, of joy and victory, and the journey to lean further into perfect grace with each passing day. 

More important even than unfolding and documenting my own story, I have a deep desire to encourage others to release the tale that binds them to the past, to the darkest moments buried in their memories. There is so much freedom in being vulnerable. I believe that as followers of Jesus, we've spent enough time being silent, holding it in, snuffing out the fire that's burning within us.

I'm just a small town California girl who's passionate about grace, authenticity, and the perfect avocado. I graduated high school in 2010. I went to college, left college {http://thistlesandgold.blogspot.com/2011/11/gratitude-challenge-day-eighteen.html}, then went back to college {http://thistlesandgold.blogspot.com/2012/03/im-going-back-to-school.html}. and that's where you can find me now for eight months out of the year. I'm studying to be a nurse. and I get to do it alongside the BEST class in all the world. We're a close knit little family. 

I'm an extroverted introvert. I laugh really loud, dance in the car, and burst into random song multiple times daily. I despise cheese, can't decide which I crave more: roots or wings, and I have been a nanny for several years. I also love quiet time. I love solitude. It's good for the soul. 

I live for coffee dates. For that special time to sit across from someone and listen. and then pour back out. It's incredible. I'll drudge through judgement and misunderstanding and disgust to speak the truth and hope of God over the people He has so graciously placed in my life. 

The heart of a little girl still dances inside me. A girl on a white horse, in a white dress, dreaming about princes and love. The child-like faith in me still believes in miracles, the impossible, and the amazing equipping of boldness and humility that God grants His kids. I still believe in fairy tales. I'm living in one. I am nothing, absolutely nothing, without God. He chose me to be His daughter. To be a part of the His family. Forever. There is no love truer and deeper than that. I have the chance to bottle up just a little sliver of that hope, of that love... with my words. 

I serve a really, really beautiful God. One who walked the earth, blameless and without sin... but very much with full emotion and deep rooted passion for the One who sent Him. Very much with a jealous, special, covenant love for YOU. and for me. 

So whether it be on the Internet, in a grocery store, in the university's library, in your home, or over coffee... I will continue to tell you that you are loved. That you are beautiful. 

In this space, I promise to share what my own story demands as I refine what it means to find gold in the thistles, to live life from God's heart. I will share the messy and the mystery, the triumphant and the tired, the profound and the paradox, and the beautiful in all of it. It is my hope that by wading with intention through these uncharted waters, you and I both will see the miraculous perfect treasure in every day, and thirst for more of Him in every nook and cranny of our lives. 

SO, who am I? 

I am Alyssa.

Jesus Lover.

Baby Snuggler.

Truth Seeker.

Love Speaker.

and I am a writer. 

I hope this gives you a little glimpse into the heart behind the words.

You are so loved.