Esther

Esther. by Beth Moore. That is the study we will be doing starting Monday January 10th! I am so excited to have a few more gals joining in on this exciting adventure as we grow close to each other while growing closer to Jesus. Let me just say that I am more than excited...I am pumped. I know that God is going to do a great work in each of our lives as we strive to become women after God's own heart.

If you are not in a small group, I encourage you to join one...or start one. Get a group of friends that want to grow closer to the Lord and learn together...it will change your life!!

Have you ever...

Have you ever had one of those days where it was awful you just felt no one was there...hello today...

Ps. 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Relying on Jesus...the Ultimate Sustainer.

On this day...

On this day 1 year ago, I posted about getting low lites put in my hair. I did it, and it looked great, but after a few months and lots of time spent in the sun, my hair became that bleached blonde beach look au natural. I would like to say that I am doing something different with my hair this year, but I am not. I like my long blonde hair, and just cannot part ways with it. Sure it takes me a really long time to dry it, but I am a-okay with that. I am thankful for every single hair on my head.

I have noticed myself saying a particular comment lately...not with the same people because then it would get old, but I refer to it with everything...the comment "dead fish"...here is how I have used it...
-smells like dead fish
-you look like a dead fish
-i feel like im talking to a dead fish
-it's as dead as fish today
-i feel like dead fish
Where did that come from? Yes, I know...strange.

I sure do hope your Wednesday does not resemble a dead fish :)

Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...

I saw this picture today, and felt I needed to post it. I am a BIG fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off! If you have never seen it...watch it now!

Sweet time.

Today was beautiful. The breeze was nippy. There was about 7" of snow covering the ground. Everything was white. It was wonderful. I have spent most of the day just lounging around. It has been quite wonderful, although, I did miss being with my sweet church family this morning. I slept in, and that was much needed. After being up about 30 minutes, I began to work on my devotion. 3 hours later...I finished up. Let me just tell you what a sweet time it was. I just wanted to keep reading and writing. I was soaking up every second of my sweet time with Jesus. I can say that my love for Jesus just deepened even more. He is teaching me and showing me new things everyday. I have been studying the life of David the past 9 weeks...1 more week of this study...and let me just tell you, if you have not studied in depth the life of David and the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, I encourage you to get the Beth Moore study of David. It will knock you off your feet with all the information you learn in 10 weeks about the life of this man after God's own heart and how his life is a forshadow of the life of Jesus. Since there is only 1 more week of this study, I am already beginning to look ahead to the new adventure we will go on and what we will study. I am excited and looking forward to the lessons and information I will learn, along with the other gals that are on the adventure with me. I am so blessed to have friends who want their lives to reflect Jesus and want to honor Him with their lives.

If you want to join us in our new study, let me know!! We don't meet up all the time, but we do keep each other accountable. So, if you are reading this from afar...or just want to know someone else that is studying the same thing as yourself, let me know. I would love to have more women who have the same desires of following Jesus to join in on this amazing journey!

Christmas magic

There is just something magical about Christmas. It is the time of year when everyone is about 75% happier...I don't really know if that is the exact percentage, but I am usually right about most things, so you can probably trust it. The other 25% that is not happier is because the stress of shopping and the spending of money. I know a BRILLIANT way to boost that 25% up...now it wouldn't make it to 100% because some people will probably hate this idea, but here it goes. Instead of buying gifts...why don't we just sit around and play games as a family. Enjoy each others company. Give each other the gift of time. I like. It's priceless. It's amazing, and maybe one day this will happen. The money you would have spent on someone else can now be saved and spent on yourself at a later time. I love buying and giving gifts, but I would rather everyone sit around and play games that I ultimately cream them at! The gift of winning...that is what I want, but I know that most people can't give me that...that is because I usually win :) Okay, bringing my ego back down...I recently lost a game, but to be fair, it was my first time playing it...excuses excuses...
Keeping my fingers crossed.

This may start a fire...

I probably should not even post on this, but I am going to do it anyway.

First off, I would like to say, I love everyone, no matter what your choice in life may be and on whom you love, I love you because Jesus loves you. Do I necessarily agree with certain lifestyles, no, but who am I to judge?

So, here is where I stand on the "Don't ask don't tell" ban being lifted. I don't think this should have been lifted...maybe turned in a different direction. Sure, people want to be themselves and don't want to have to hide who they are...so since being gay in the military is being lifted, why don't we allow all the men and women to shower together? I say this because I remember Adam telling me about boot camp and I remember seeing the big shower area that was used by alot of guys at the same time. With that said, if you know that your military buddy is gay, how uncomfortable would that make you having to shower together daily? I just don't see the point of seperating the men from the women if we are going to allow those who like the same sex to shower with the ones they like. I am not saying that being gay should mean you shouldn't be in the military. By all means, if you are willing and able to serve our country, thank you. I honor you for doing that. I just don't think its right to be able to platform that particular lifestlye when you basically live on top of each other in the military. Shouldn't our focus be on keeping America safe and not if John is checking Joe out? Let's keep our personal lives personal and stay focused on what really matters.

I have a little more to add...Obama isn't serving in the military, most of the guys that are signing this bill aren't serving in the military. If they did serve, it was when the lid was kept on this issue. And I am pretty sure most of them aren't gay.

The only thing I have taken away from what Obama said this morning was, "I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known." I agree. Everyone is welcome to serve, but as I stated before, let's keep our personal lives personal.

Watch out America...this is repeal is going to cause trouble. BIG trouble.

Around the corner...

Admit it...you've missed me the past few days :)

Well, I am back. Christmas is right around the corner.

Hope you enjoyed this long post. Check back later for more Ashley...

Jeans and boots

Okay, back to a favorite thing. If you know me, you know that I wear jeans ALL the time...whatever the weather, I love to wear jeans. Unfortuately, I can only wear boots when the weather is cooler, unless I whip out my rain boots during the warm weather...then, I am complete. I would love to be able to wear jeans and boots all year long. Jean just go with everything, and boots make it more fun! A friend at work was making fun of me the other day because I always have a different pair of boots on. Some here at work have even started naming my boots...not literal names, but they tell me what I look like...for example, one day I wore my black rainboots...I also had a grassmasters t-shirt and hat on, so they told me that I looked like I was going to ride a tractor. Then I have a short black pair of boots and they tell me those are my motorcycle boots...and then my tall black boots, which they say makes me look like I am going to ride a horse. On a side note, the people I work with know exactly what NOT to say to most girls...I think it's funny. Back to the jeans deal...whenever my friends ask me what I am wearing somewhere...my response is jeans :)
Since it is cool all the time in Alaska, I could wear jeans and boots all the time. Another reason I want to move up north :)

Happy Birthday x2

Today is a very special day...not for just one person, but for 2! On this day, 51 years ago...which just so happened to be my PawPaw's birthday, he welcomed into this world his 3rd baby boy...my dad. How special is that?!? My dad and my pawpaw share a birthday! Both of these extraordinary men mean the world to me.

Dad- you are amazing. not only are you an amazing father, but you are a great boss. i am honored to work for you, and enjoy being around you every day. i know that with you, we will never have a dull moment. i am so thankful for you, your huge heart, your amazing personality, and your leadership. love you dad!!!

PawPaw- you are so special to me. you raised my dad to be a man...just like you. i love our conversations and you always make me feel beautiful. i am so thankful to have you as my pawpaw. love you!!!

Happy Birthday boys! I hope that you enjoy your very special day...you both deserve it!!!!

New news

Well, the time has finally come for a break from school. I took my last test and turned in my last paper last night. I am free of school...until January, then it's back to the books. For now, I will continue doing everything else that I cram into my life...work and have a life. Yep, I will be busy!
I do have some good news to share...I am moving out of my apartment and into a cute little house with some friends!!! I am so excited! The move will take place at the beginning of February, so for the next month, I will be packing up my apartment as I anticipate the move! Really, you just do not understand how excited I am! Sooooooo excited!
5 more days till we find out what Amber is having! AHHH!!! Can't wait!
I am not feeling too silly right now...sorry to disappoint. I think I am hungry or need coffee.
Does anybody besides myself watch Sarah Palin's Alaska? Such a good show. I want to move there. Well, this past week, Kate Gosselin was on there, and let me just tell you I wanted to smack the woman. She did nothing but make ugly faces and complain the whole time. I think she thinks the world revolves around making her comfortable, and she just does not even seem thankful when someone else opens their own family's lives to share a fun expirience with. She is spoiled and needs help. Not that I have ever really been a Kate fan, but after seeing her this week, I am definitely NOT a Kate fan. Sarah Palin and the outdoors all the way! I want to shoot a shotgun and gut fish and camp in the rain.

You call yourself a Christian?

Warning: this is a rant. I have something on my heart, and I need to share it.

Do you call yourself a Christian? Do you? Well, what does Christian mean? Little Christ. So, with Christian meaning, "little Christ", what does this entail? Well, I believe this means that we should act like Christ. No, we will never be like Christ, but our goal and aim in life should be to strive to be like Christ. Need an example? I have one. Let's say you have a friend, a best friend, and then something happens in that friendship. Why? Well, because you realized that you were not putting Christ first, and so, you made a change to put Christ at the center of your life and want to strive to be more like Him. Awesome! But, here is the kicker... that best friend, whose life may not have had that big change like yours did, who may have struggles with things that you are no longer associated with...what do you do with that best friend? Well, as I have seen, you run away from that friend. You get up on your high horse, and ride away. Now, tell me, do you still call yourself a Christian? I mean, being like Christ and all, do you think he would have turned away from that friend who was struggling? ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is your time to sow the seed of Jesus and His love into that friend. To continue to love on and be there for that friend. The WORST thing you could do is to turn your back on that friend. Hypocrite. Maybe you are tempted with the things that friend does that you no longer want to be a part of...well, there are many ways you can still love on that friend, but if you turn your back on that friend and do not share the love of Christ with that friend, so in turn maybe that friend will find his way back to the Lord, I am not sure why you call yourself Christian. Another example, would be adults, who see that there is a young person who is not on track with the Lord...instead of trying to invest and nurture this young person, they totally turn their back on that person and are not doing what we have been commanded to do...LOVE. Love our neighbor as ourselves. To train those the way in which they should go. Come on now...is this you? Are you someone who calls yourself a Christian, but when it comes to a friend or a younger person who is not on track with the Lord, you find it easier to ignore them?
If you are reading this, and a friend, or young person, or just anyone comes to mind that you know you have not been showing the love of Christ to, I suggest you do something about it. If you are reading this and no one comes to mind, you probably are in denial because I am sure there is one person you can think of.
Lord, help me to be more like you in the area of reaching out and loving others. Even if I have been hurt, or it is just easier to ignore a situation, help me to put my feelings aside and show Your love.

Dear Santa...blonde confession

**disclaimer- this is a joke and it makes me laugh, and if I laugh, then thats what counts** :)

Dear Santa,

As a reminder to what I asked you for this Christmas...you only have about 12 days. Yes, I know some things develop quickly, but really now, you are pushing it.

I still believe,
Ashy

Okay okay, time for a blonde confession. On Friday, I really wanted 6 chicken strips from Chick fil a. So, my plan was to order 2 boxes of 3. When it was my turn to order, I ordered 2 boxes of 6. He told me how much it cost and I drove around. I was hungry, so I didn't ask why the price was so steep. After they handed me 2 bags I realized what I had done. They gave me 4 boxes of 3, and in 2 of those boxes there were 4 strips. So, the 6 strips I wanted turned into 14 strips. Moral of the story...trying to eat more than 6 strips will leave you feeling uncomfortable full...oh, and be careful when you order. whoops :/

Appearances are sometimes deceiving...

Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Or, "Appearances can be deceiving"? Well, I have a little deceiving appearance to tell you about. This morning I got up, got ready for work and put on my jeans. But wait, here is where you are being deceived. This morning I actually got up and put on pajama pants that look exactly like jeans, but are incredibly comfortable. I literally have my pajamas on but no one would ever even know! They are professional looking enough to wear to work, yet I have the comfort of home with me. Could I have worn my actual pajama pants to work today? Yes, I just work in an environment that would allow it...would I though? No...that is something I will leave to my sister :) Instead I go for the feaux looking pants, the pants you think are actually one thing but are really not. As I sit here at my desk, with my comfy, yet stylish pj pants on, my thoughts go out to all of you that are wearing regualr pants and are not as comfy as me. :)

Anna

Since I mentioned Anna as being one of the name founders of dear dr love yesterday, I thought it only fitting to dedicate this next post to her. One of my best friends, Anna is halarious. I give major props to the girl for not killing me in the 5 weeks that I lasted at Liberty. You see, Anna and I were roomates...this was the time of my life where I was pretty much going completely off my rocker. I am pretty sure that everytime she came in the room I was sleeping, laying on my bed watching tv, or thoroughly cleaning something. I am happy to say that I am somewhat normal now...but I am another subject. I have many a memory with Anna. We were each others prom dates our Sr year of high school, took a road trip to see Lindsay and thought the Black eyed peas song Bumble Bee was cool...until we found out they said Imma Be. Anna Martin, you hold a very special place in my heart. Thanks for being there even when I was half crazy...*side note...I wouldn't have had to clean the sink everyday if you didn't come in and wash your feet in it* HAHAHAHA < I had to add that part :)

Love you Anners!!!

paging dr love

dr. love, you know who are. I thought I would dedicate this post to you. I remember when you were given the name dr. love. you were on the back porch with my younger brother giving him sage advice on love...let me just remind you that we were in middle school. i was inside with anna playing sorry, and that was when we decided your new name was dr. love. you are one of my best friends and always will be. we have so many memories, from singing in the rain, to the hot list, and when stephanie taught us lemons, and pillow fights, drama ministry, and so many more memories...i could write a book on our friendship. Lindsay, you mean so much to me, and even tho we don't see each other often, when we do i love how we pick up where we left off. our friendship never skips a beat. i love you girl. now, can you please put that dr. love hat back on and help a girl out. thanks! :)

Ice Coffee

Well, as all of you most likely know, I am a lover of coffee. This item #3 is not coffee, but my keurig. The one cup coffee maker. It is a beautiful and clean machine. No mess, just add water, and your k-cup...and in less than 30 seconds, you have your piping hot cup of coffee in your hands!!!

Now onto the topic of ice. Today, Bobby and I went ice skating at lunch. It was so much fun! I like to find different and fun things to do during my lunch break! It keeps things interesting!!!

Here are a couple pics of us...Dad called us Dorothy Hamil and Scott Hamilton when we got back :)

Gotta have fun!!!!

Item #2

If you don't have one of these, start saving up for one. Yes, they are kind of pricey, but worth it. Well, I didn't actually have to pay for mine...my sister gave me hers. I told her that I would call it a loan because one day she will know just how amazing this piece of equipment really is and want it back. What is this amazing tool that I am so excitedly blogging about? The one and only Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have so much fun with this heavy load of a machine. It is heavy. My most recent experiment with this glorious item was making my own whip cream. All you do is take a carton, or however much you want, of heavy cream, add a splenda or 2, and turn that mixer on high. Let that beat until that cream is thick and fluffy. Here's an idea...while you are waiting for that instant gratification of whip cream to be made...which takes oh about 3-5 minutes...make urself a hot cup of peppermint coffee...then top that cup of coffee with your homemade whip cream. Let me just say, this is not like the store made redi whip that disenigrates in your hot drink, this stuff remains thick. Oh, dear friends, this is so good. Try it. But first, go buy urself a kitchen aid mixer, or borrow your neighbors...it will be love at first click

Things...

So, I have decided that some of my posts between now and Christmas will debut some of my favorite things. These can be things I already have, or things that I just think are the bomb.com. With each post, I will give a visual and then my explanation of why I just love whatever materialistic object I choose...item number 1...

Ipod touch fully loaded with every Glee song out there. I have this. This little piece of heaven goes with me basically everywhere. From the dock in my apartment, to the gym, on long runs, my office, in my car, starbucks...pretty much everywhere. I was sharing with a friend that I can feel so down in the dumps, but the second I start playing my glee music and dancing around my apartment, my mood totally changes. I would not be able to get through a long run or workout without that music flowing through my ears. It is my lifeline, my pick me up, my sunshine on a cloudy day. This is not to be in comparison with humans...they are cool too, but just remember that I am talking about items and not people. Anyway, if you want to have fun, plug in yo touch and blare that glee music...it will change your life :)

Random Ramblings and favorite things...

It is 10:15 on Saturday morning...I have been up about an hour. Sleeping in is wonderful. Know what else is wonderful? USA is airing Enchanted right now, and so you know what I am doing...watching it, with a huge grin on my face. Yes, this may be a children's movie, but it is my favorite. I have been told I shouldn't tell people that, but I am who I am :)

Moving on...I feel like I have something I am supposed to do this evening, but for the life of me can't remember...that has been happening a lot lately....

I really do not have much to blog about at this current moment in time, but I just wanted to get something new out there. my readings for school have been real interesting lately. I am not only learning things about me, but I am learning things that help me to be able to read other people. I know that the classes I am in and the things I am studying is what I one day want to do. On another note, I sent in my graduation application and have registered for my last few classes. I will have my associates by the end of may/beg of June. I am stoked! Most likely I will continue on and keep taking more classes, but remember, baby steps. First goal is almost complete. When I was chatting with my advisor yesterday, I just got this total overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy...and pride. Not a bad pride. I am just proud of myself for sticking with it. AHHHH!!! So exciting! :)

For now I will leave you, but check back tomorrow, I have something up my sleeve that is a totally materialistic idea :)

10 things...

I have something serious that I want to post about, but I currently do not have the book I want to quote from infront of me. Instead, I will post today 10 things that you may not know about dear ole Ashley...some of you most likely know all these things. Are you ready? This is a legen...wait for it, wait for it...dary...list...let us set forth now...
1) I read best when running on a tredmill or working out on an elliptical. I know that most people find it hard to read while working out, but I absorb so much more information when I am at the gym with the TV on, my ipod blasting through my ears, and a book infront of my face. Talent.
2) Whenever the conversation of TV, movies, actors, or anything in the entertainment busniess comes up, I get really excited. In pretty much every conversation, I can think of a song or a quote from a movie or tv show that goes with the conversation.
3) I am pretty shy. SHOCKED? I may seem very outgoing and chatty, but in truth I am a pretty shy person unless I know you...then the shyness is out the window.
4) If there was one place that I would like to live it would be Alaska. WHY?!? I hear there are alot of single men, and I just like the living off the land and gutting of fish aspect, oh, and the quietness. (I have been watching Sarah Palin's Alaska as of late) And I like cold weather.
5) I shaved my arms my senior year of high school and got them waxed right before I graduated and never shaved them again UNTIL 2 nights ago when I decided I wanted to shave them again. I now have naked, hairless arms and I love it! Makes me feel more feminine...not that hair is masculine, but I just like it :)
6) I have a huge heart for missions. My personal zone is students...middle school and high school students. I love to hang around them, to encourage them, to show them that living their life for the Lord is awesome. They have my heart.
7) 2 things that are huge stress reliefs to me are running and baking. When I run my brain can completely shut off...unless I read a book...but my brain completely shuts off any thoughts that might have been running through my mind. When I bake, I create something delicious and beautiful. Both of these make me very happy. A burst of seratonin and comfort food.
8) I have a secret crush on someone...but it's a secret so I can't tell you.
9) When I am home alone...which is often since I live alone, I usually have music blaring or I am rewatching episodes of Glee and learning their dance moves to the songs they sing. It is so fun!
10) and lastly, I don't like celebrating my birthday. I LOVE to celebrate other peoples, but when it comes to mine, I would prefer to be sitting on my couch with take out from Salsa Fresh and watching a movie...while wearing comfy clothes.
This was fun...I have many more things I could have shared, but some of them are not blog worthy and I just don't want you to know them...some are a little more comical, but I don't want you to think I am psyco...which you probably already think...but, that's okay because I am comfortable in my silliness :)

Shakin in my boots

Literally shakin in my boots...that's what happened this afternoon. There are two reasons why this happened...the first reason being it is sooo stinkin cold in my apartment. I guess I am just not as tough as I made myself be last year when it got down to 48 in my apartment. It was 60 when I got home today and I broke down and turned the heater on. The second reason that had me shakin in my boots was that I was startled. Why?!? After I turned my heater on, the smoke detector started chirping loudly and freaked me out. Imagine a deer in headlights look while running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off. It scared me and all I could do was basically run in place. That is one thing that has freaked me out more than anything since I have been living alone. I can watch Criminal Minds or scary movies and it not phase me, but once that smoke alarm starts going off, I am freaked out.

Oh, on the note of being scared...when I lived at home, my room was in the basement, on the opposite side of the house, so no one could ever hear me. Well, this one particular time, I was home alone. My entire family was at the cabin and I was coaching the next morning so I had stayed home. Around 1 AM, I hear a VERY loud banging on my bedroom window...if you know where my parents live, it is kind of woodsy. So, this loud banging noise came along with my name being yelled...I jumped out of bed like a scared cat and screamed at the scary person. It was Adam...he didn't want to scare me if he came in the house and the alarm went off, so he banged on my window instead. I can still feel that fear thru my bones when I think about it...but it is also very funny.

Anyway, enough of this...I need to write a research paper for school, and need to focus.

Until my next story...