I'm going Digital!

UPDATE:

HERE ARE MY FIRST TWO DIGITAL PAGES!

Sorry, I know it's been an entire week since I last posted, but it was a very busy weekend and I started my new classes on Monday!

So, the weekend was great, we went to a little get-together with friends on Friday night (The Grimes, the Ewrins, the Wetherells, the Sotos). Andy turned 28 on Friday, so Corey and Andy came to town - although we were having a party for him on Saturday, we all wanted to get together for burgers and cards on Friday night! It was TONS of fun, as always. Everyone really misses Corey and Andy being close by (they recently moved to Houston/Jasper) so its a treat when we get to spend time with them.

On Saturday, Brant and I got up early, ran some errands, then I took Brant to Jon's house. The two of them were going to the Byron Nelson with Andy, while I went to a wedding shower for a dear friend of mine at the Palomino Restaurant in Downtown Dallas - it was beautiful! After the shower, I ran to Walmart to buy Dax a new bed and he needed some dog food, ran home, unloaded the car, sat down on the couch for 2 seconds and somehow fell asleep, woke up to my phone ringing, realized I was late to pick up Melissa, jumped in the car, sped to DBU, picked up Melissa and off we went to Andy's party...where we were meeting our husbands! It was crazy. The party, though, was tons of fun and I got to see so many friends that I haven't seen in forever (i.e. the Durhmas, Janelle and Ella, Michelle Stanphill, and the list goes on!). After dinner, Brant and I have to leave because we needed to be in Aledo by 7:00. Now, the party was in Irving and for those of you not in Texas, Aledo is over AN HOUR away from Irving...so back in the car and on the road! Going to Aledo was tons of fun...we went to Pender's house (his real name is Mike and he and Brant work together - they have become very good friends). We got to meet Pender's family, and then we spent an evening of fun and fellowship - women gabbing like always and watching the boys play a tournament of washers! It was great. We finally got home around midnight!

Sunday, we slept in (yes, we were heathens!) then had to run more errands and drove to Plano to have dinner with Brant's sister Kristie. Kristie cooked an amazing meal: Scandinavian pork loin with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and delicious sourdough rolls! At her request, I made peach cobbler for dessert, then crowded around the TV to watch the Stars beat the Sharks! GO STARS!!!!!!!

Now, on to the reason for today's Post Title: I'm going DIGITAL!!!

For many years now, my sister, mom and I have all been into scrapbooking - that is, paper scrapping! Well, my sister (the scrapping adventurer) was introduced into digital scraping not too long ago. Well I just knew that wasn't for me...not because I'm not computer savvy, but because I had spent so much money on paper scrapping that my husband would put a hole in my head if I told him I wasn't going to do it anymore!!!!! Well here we are 2 months later and I am now a digital scrapper! I'm not completely giving up paper scrapping because it is still fun and I do love creating the paper pages, but all the layering and elements made to so easy with digital is just exciting!

I just learned some of the basics last night, so give me a few days and I'll post a few of my first pages!!!

YEAH FOR DIGITAL!!!!!

Much Love,
Ashley

My Boy

Can someone please explain to me how in only

5 short months, this

Has become this!!!

My little Daxy Boy is getting to be a big Daxy Boy!!!!!

Much Love,
Ashley

Whose Rights are Right?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/scotus_dead_witness

So, yesterday I read the story linked above, and was very puzzled. I, being the law-junkie and soon-to-be-paralegal that I am, strive to ensure that the citizens of this country are afforded all the rights given to them by the Bill or Rights and Constitutions of this Country. However, what do you do when the victim's rights and the criminal's rights get crossed? Whose rights supersede the others?

Let me explain a little about this case - currently going before the Supreme Court of California. The defendant (Giles) in the case is on trial for murdering his girlfriend, and she had given statements to the Los Angles Police that Giles had threatened to kill her. However, Giles is claiming that those statements can't be used against him in court because she is not there to be cross-examined. Its all very twisted. So right now, the Supreme Court is not determining whether this man is guilty or innocent, they are trying to determine if the testimony of the victim can be used against the defendant after the defendant murdered her!!!!!

Yes, the Constitution states that every accused person has the right to question the accuser, but happens if the accuser is dead because of the accused? The statements of the victim would put this man in prison for a very long time, but can she be heard? But what about the victim's rights? Doesn't the victim have the right to be heard? Doesn't she have the right to be protected and see her murderer receive justice?

I think this is definitely a case for Wendy Murphy !!!

Much Love,
Ashley

Looking Back

Recently, a comment on one of Susie's posts asked what she thought about when she looked back on her wedding photo. So I began to wonder what I would think when I looked back on my wedding photos, although they were only taken 9 months ago!!! But, nevertheless, this what I think about...



I LOVED my dress!!! I actually bought my dress the very first day we began looking. My mom, sister, Kate and I went to David's Bridal because I had seen a picture of a particular dress that I wanted to try on...that "particular" dress looked hideous on me. Anyways, we kept looking at different things, and eventually found this one...but it was a diamond white (more off-white than white). I wanted a white dress, but tried it on anyways. As soon as I walked out of the dressing room, Amanda and my mom both said "that's the one." So we asked the lady helping us if she could try to find the dress in my size in white. After a few minutes she came back and said she had good news, and bad news. Good news...the dress I was wearing fit me perfectly - the size, the length, everything about it fit to a "t". Bad news...I was wearing the ONLY remaining dress in that style...the company (not just that store) had no more sizes, colors, NOTHING. So, we bought the dress that day and I have been in love with it ever since.


I LOVED my bouquet!!! My bouquet was made of cream colored roses and little white flowers (but I forgot what they are called.) The little flowers sparkled with rhinestones in the center - I loved it!

The reception was perfect...and I adored the centerpiece. They were plain and simple...six pink roses in a small square vase placed on top of a mirrored tile with rose petals and candles around them.

The Candy "bar" was a hit! It was actually just a table full of different kinds of candy. Instead of doing individual wedding favors, guest could get a small pink bag from the candy bar and fill it up with whatever candy they wanted. It was great!


My only regret...I wish I would have had a videographer. There were three songs in my wedding...Jared sang "Be Thou My Vision" as the guests and parents were being seated - I remember this one. Then, as soon as my dad gave me away, he sang Josh Groban's "When you Say You Love Me". I remember small bits of the song, but I was so amazed to be standing there, marrying Brant, that I was lost in my own world with him. I wish I could remember it better.



I remember my horror with the unity candle. It wasn't really horror, and looking back on it, it was kind of funny. The best man and a couple of Brant's groomsmen decided it would be funny to put a sparkler tip on the wick of the unity candle. Needless to say, when we lit the candle, there were some sparks flying!!!

I remember thinking...God sure knew what He was doing. You may remember reading a previous post about how I was not fond of Brant and didn't really want to date him...but God had greater plans!

But all together, I remember the happiest day of my life (thus far.) I remember being completely filled with peace and joy, knowing that I was marrying the love of my life.

So what do you remember when you look back on your wedding photos?


Much Love,
Ashley

II Part Post

Update for Corey: yes, Brant's truck is fine. Although there was a lot of hail, becasue it was so amll, it didn't do hardly any damage. However, several of our neighbors are having to have spots on their roofs repaired, so I think we're going to have someone come out and take a look at ours.

PART I

How amazing is Fabulous K Blog Designs for making my custom header!!!!! "K's" work is amazing.

Thanks Fabulous...You're the BEST!!!!!

PART II

Thursday night, there was a bad storm that hit North Texas. Our neighborhood in Mansfield got hit especially hard with hail. The pictures below are the hail in our driveway almost an hour after it stopped. There were a few streets in our neighborhood that actually flooded and had over 2 FEET of hail!!! Yes, I know it looks like snow, but it's not...it's feet of pea and dime sized hail.

Decisions, Decisions...

So, Brant and I have a GREAT group of friends (most of them married) that we love and adore (The Erwins, The Grimes, the Wetherells). Last summer, all of our friends (about 30 or so people..maybe more) took a trip to Mexico. Well Brant and I didn't go because it was only a few weeks before our wedding and we were going to Mexico on our honeymoon. This year, the gang's going back!!! Brant and I were really excited about going so we started saving. Well, a couple months passed, and we never booked the trip, so Brant and I talked about the other night. We decided that maybe we should just take our own vacation...and we decided that we would go to Chicago.

So I got on the computer, did some research, looked up the price of tickets and hotels, and we were going to the Rangers vs. White Sox game while we were there (although Brant says we would have to cheer for the Rangers under our breath or we might get mugged!!!). We were going to Chicago...until today.

So Brant told me this morning ..."Hey, Ryan said we're ready to book the Mexico trip on Friday." My response..."Are you kidding me? What happened to Chicago?"

So after a long discussion, we finally made a decision....WE ARE GOING TO MEXICO. Here is our reasoning...although Chicago would have been a longer and less expensive trip...this might honestly be our only chance to go with EVERYONE! None of us, at the present moment, have children, but that will probably change by next summer (Yep, I'm hoping to be one of them...along with Corey and Melissa, and hopefully Kristy). So with children on the way, or children now here, it is very unlikely that we would get to go and be completely carefree with the most amazing friends ever! So, although we will have to budget, we're going to Mexico!!!

Now, does anyone know how to lose about 20 lbs in 8 weeks????????

Much Love,
Ashley

The Blog Roll

Ok, so I was talking to a friend the other day about blogging...she doesn't have one (I'm trying). And she asked me how many people read my blog...and I honestly have no clue! So, I thought it would be fun to take a blog roll...even if you have never commented before, leave a comment so I can get to know you, too!

Back to School!!!!

Well, the decision has been made, and tuition is paid! I'm going back to school!!!!

Yep - I'm going back to school to receive my Paralegal Certification from the Washington Online Learning Institute, one of the top 100 paralegal school in the nation! I am so excited! This is an online program specificaly designed for people like me...that is, people who already have a Bachelor's degree with a law background, but just the skills to be a paralegal!

I begin my classes 2 weeks from today -

April 28th!!!

WOOHOO!!!!

Play Ball!

OPENING DAY at the TEXAS RANGERS!!!

In Brant's world, it is tradition to go to Rangers Opening Day. So once we married, it is our tradition, as well as the tradition of about 100 friends (and friends of friends)!!! Every year, you can find us in a corner of the parking lot, surrounded by big trucks, grills, and tons of people having loads of fun.

Here are a few pictures from Tuesday's Opening Day!!!

Jon at the Grill!

We have TONS of food: from chicken, to dove, to pheasant, to fajitas!


You can't see it, but there is a eagle on the shoulder of one of the guys. It was really neat becasue the eagle flew in during the National Anthem.

The F-15 Fly-over!

PLAY BALL BOYS!!!

Caroline

Ladies,
Join me in prayer for my sweet friend Caroline...she is a school teacher and one of her students is very angry with her. She has been threatened, stalked, and now has harassing phone calls. Please be in prayer for her safety and protection.

I love Coldwater Creek

I just received an email this morning that everything online at Coldwater Creek is 50% off!!!! What an amazing deal - but ends Saturday, April 12th! Make sure when you're shopping that you stop by the Online Outlet for some of the GREATEST specials!!! The discount should be entered automatically by clicking the link here, or enter code SPRING50.

Happy Shopping!!!

Much Love,

Ashley

Audrey Caroline

If you have an extra moment today, check out the blog of Angie Smith, the wife of Todd Smith of Selah. Todd and Angie's lost their fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, on Monday.

In the middle of Angie's pregnancy, they found out that Audrey had several non-functioning organs and once out of the womb, would be incompatible with life. The Lord blessed with Smiths with 2 1/2 hours to hold and love on baby Audrey before she went to Dance with her Maker. Visit, read, cry and leave a message of encouragement for this God-fearing family.

Confession...am I crazy???

Ok, let's just get down to business...I HAVE BABY FEVER! For real this time - its not puppy fever like last time! I want to have a baby!

Allow me to preface this post by saying that ALL weekend long, I was around babies. My sister, her friend Toi, myself and some others had a garage sale at Sister's house this weekend, so I was at Sister's house most of the week helping to get things ready. Well everytime I'm at Sister's house, I get to play with my babies, include Ethan who is only 5 months old. Then, Toi, is expecting...(like only 7 days from now expecting)...her third, and first girl. So this garage sale was filled with old baby things, and Toi's baby boy things...and there was just baby stuff all around. Then, to make matters worse, my cousin Krystal came in town with her hubs Matthew to go to the races yesterday. They also have a 5 month old, Michelle. Now, Michelle is a HIGH MAINTENANCE BABY...like, "you need to hold me all the time or I will scream" kind of high maintenance. Well, Krystal had asked me awhile back if I would watch Michelle while they went to the races, and of course I accepted. Although it was kind-of a rough day, I loved having a baby in my house...I loved it!!!!

To make matters worse, my "girlfriends circle" consists of 6...myself, Sarah, Michelle, Jessica, Mary and Jill. Sarah is the only one NOT married, and the others...either pregnant (3 of them) or trying to get pregnant (1 of them). So when I talk to my girlfriends, what is the topic of choice...BABIES!!!!!

So now, I officially have baby-fever. Those of you who have known me for awhile know that I LOVE and ADORE babies...I have longed to be a mother since before I can remember. And now, being surrounded by babies, doesn't help. Now Brant and I have discussed the topic of growing our family and basically decided that we would begin trying beginning of next year. By our calculations, if we got pregnant in January or February, we would have been married a little over 2 years when the baby actually arrived...a great plan in our minds. But let me let you in on a little secret...I DON'T THINK I WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this morning, I actually asked Brant: "Would you think I was crazy if I told you I had baby fever really bad?" His answer: "yes.....very, very yes!!!" So ladies, I ask you to pray for me, not necessarily for patience, (because I know what can happen when you pray for patience) but for contentment. Pray that I will be content with waiting, as planned, or until the Father would bless me with a child. Pray that His will is done in our lives as we explore the new world of being married and beginning a family. Pray that in all things, we will glorify Him and follow the path He has set before us.

Much love,
Ashley

Prayer Request

********UPDATE*******

Thank you so very much for your prayers for Jessica and her family. I saw Jess this weekend, and she seemed to be doing very well. She is no longer in physical pain, and is back at work today. Below is the email I received for her this morning:

The doctor called this morning and gave me my test results. They are calling it Early Pregnancy Failure due to a genetic defect. He said that there is nothing wrong with me or Butch but that our chromosomes just did not match up 100%. He reassured me that this would not affect any future pregnancies and that there is no amount of time that we have to wait to try again…Although that is about the LAST thing on my mind at the moment. There is no infection in my blood and my levels are already down very low, so that is a very good sign.
Butch and I are so thankful for all of your prayers and thoughts. We are doing good and will only get better with each passing day.

Love,
Jessica

I am asking all of you this morning to pray for a very, very dear friend of mine, Jessica. Jess recently found out she and her husband were expecting baby #2 and we so excited about this new addition to their family. Unfortunately, Jessica has miscarried the baby and is at the hospital now. She is in terribly pain and is devastated over the loss of their baby. Please put this family in your prayers this morning.

(this is a picture of Jessica and I at one of my bridal showers)

Much love,
Ashley

Welcome to the Blogsphere Mrs. Rooney

I'm so proud to announce that my dearest sister FINALLY has a blog...you know the one I talk about all time that has 4 loves of my life: Mason, Kate, Connor and Ethan???? Well, it's official...the Rooney's have a blog: Rollin' with the Rooneys! Go check it out! I think it finally "clicked" that she really needed to get a blog when she would spend HOURS reading blog links I sent to her! So welcome to the Blogsphere Mrs. Rooney!!!