Fun-Filled Weekend

Well this was definitely a busy, but fun-filled weekend. Friday night, Brant and I got a pizza from Papa Murphys and stayed at home to watch Thursday's episode of Lost! Can you believe Kate has Aaron? It really makes me concerned about what happens to Claire. Saturday, DBU had a baseball game at 1, so Brant left the house pretty early to go to work on the field, and I cleaned the house. Then my dad called and he was going shopping for new patio furniture and since he knew Brant was working, he asked if I wanted to come along...so I did. Then Mason (my 9 year old nephew) had his last Upwards basketball games at 1 and 2, so we went to cheer him on (Way to Go Spartan for Winning BOTH Games!!!!).

After the games, Kate and I had some girl time. Let me preface this by saying that my sister was at a scrapbooking retreat all weekend, so the "girl-time" was to help Kate pass the time without her mom, and also to help my brother-in-law keep his hair (since he was attempting to "take-on" all 4 kids). So what better place to have girl time than the salon! We went and got our nails painted and had so much fun together.

After I took Kate home, Brant came and picked me up to go to another DBU baseball game. This time, they were playing at University of Texas in Arlington (only 10 minutes from our house) and we decided to go cheer them on. Praise God for Andrew Purttle who brought us back in the top of the 9th to win 4 to 3! Way to go DREW!

Then on Sunday, Brant and I joined our new church...SouthPointe Baptist Church. We feel so blessed that the Lord finally led us to the exact place He wants us to be. We cannot wait to jump-in and start serving. Brant's parents had come into town for the weekend, so they took us out to lunch Sunday afternoon - we went to Abuelos, my favorite Mexican restaurant! They also Aeson with them, Brant's nephew. He is s adorable.

Then we relaxed the rest of day and watched the Oscars last night. Well, I watched some of it, then went to bed at 9:30...Early to bed, early to rise! And that was our fun-filled weekend!!!

Much love,

Ashley

I've been tagged!

Caroline tagged me, so here we go.


The details:List 7 random things that people may not know about you. The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog.


1) I love to play the piano. I'm actually not that great at it, but I love it. My mom put me in piano lessons at the age of 4, and I took lessons until I was 17, so you think I would be goo,d but I'm only a little good. However, I absolutely love playing. When I get upset, or I'm angry, this is one of the best ways to calm me down. Becasue of my love of the piano, I can listen to piano music 24/7!


2)I am an actress at heart. In college, I acted with a small theatre and had the best time. I was the Pink Lady "Jan" in the production of Grease...you know, the one who loves the twinkies and wine! To me, acting is a way to become someone you're not and experience the world through someone else's eyes. I haven't done anything lately becasue with a wedding and getting married, I haven't had a ton of time.


3) I love real estate! Through high school and college I was an assistant for a real estate agent and I have had a love for houses and real estate ever since. I love to see the latest architecural techniques builders use. And I, like Caroline, love walking through homes that aren't quite finished yet...and then I think about what I would do to decorate if I lived in that house...and then imagine what my life would be like if I lived in that house...again, an actress at heart.


4) I love books and reading. When I was a little girl, I used to want to be a children's book author. During the summers, I would set up my mom's typewriter in my bedroom (because most people didn't have computers back then) and I would write stories - storeis about some of the craziest things - whatever my little mind came up with. Sometimes, I still think about writing - I made my best grades in school in English lit classes!


5)When I graduated college, I went to live and work in an orphanage in Honduras for 3 months. It was definitely an eye-opening expereince, and a difficult one at that, but I wouldn't take those 3 months back for anything in the world. Becasue of this "chapter" in my life, I truly learned what having the joy of the Lord meant.


6)I have an insane facination with tornados, but I FREAK OUT if I even hear there is a tornado touchdown close to where I live. I just think that tornados are one of the most amazing creations God has ever made, but I am really scared to death of them. Twister is one of my all-time favorite movies.

7) I wish I would have been born in the late 1800's. I would have LOVED to be a "true" southern belle - living in Charleston. I would have had a horse drawn carrriage and the biggest petty coat in town! I'm really a southern belle at heart, ya'll. Three years in a row, I was Scarlett O'Hara for Halloween!

Ok, now I tag,
Amanda,
Janelle
Corey
Krystal
Melissa
Kristy
Vonda

I'm Growing Up

Hey guys, this is Dax. I'm sitting here with mommy at the computer and I just thought I'd let you all know that I am growing. I think it makes my mommy a little sad because she can't even pick me up anymore. Mommy and Daddy took me to the vet yesterday and he said I weighed 44.8 lbs and I'm only 16 weeks old. He also told mommy and daddy that they should stop feeding me so much (I thinks its really mommy who feeds me so much because she spoils me), but other than that, I'm just getting big like I should. Here are some pictures of me now.

Mommy always says I'm so sweet when I sit like this.


I was tired so I took a nap, but mommy says you can see how long I am.

How I met the Love of my Life

My love story with Brant is kind of funny because I honestly had no intention of giving him the time of day. We both went to Dallas Baptist University, but we really didn't know each other during school - just kind of who the other one was. I was a member of First Baptist Church of Irving and content in my own little world: a college graduate, with a job in corporate America, loving my single life with just friends and family.

Brant, on the other hand, was not in church and struggling through some things in life. One night after going to a party, the girl he was dating at time ended up completely drunk on his bed and he on the couch. It was that night that he beggged God to give him a Godly Wife, not someone like her. But the Lord whispered to his heart and he knew that if wanted a Godly wife, then he had to be the Godly man the Lord had created him to be. So the next day, he was in the pew at First Irving.

Brant came to church several Sundays in a row before I really noticed him, but he was actually friends with one of my closest friends, Elizabeth. So every now and then, Elizabeth would invite Brant to lunch with our "group" and he and I would talk every now and then. Well one day while Elizabeth and I were driving down the road, she told me that she thought Brant and I would make a great couple and I told her she was out of her mind. I was lovng being single. A few weeks later, our chruch had a huge picnic and Brant and I ended up sitting next to each other...we hugged when he left and I thought nothing of it, but he did. So the next day (Monday) I got a voice mail from Brant saying that he and I should talk more than just on Sundays, and he told me to call him. So I waited until 9:00 that night, called him back, and we talked for over 2 hours. The next morning, he called and asked if I had plans that night for dinner, which I didn't, so he asked if he could take me to dinner...I said sure. So after a delicious dinner, and over 3 hours of conversation, "we" began.

It was a casual arrangement at first, and we actually got into an arguement a couple month into our dating. When Brant asked me how he could "fix" it, I told him I didn't know and I was very sassy about it. So, he took me by the shoulders, looked me in the eyes and said "Tell me how to fix this, Ashley because I will not lose you. I will marry one, just wait and see." My response, "Boy, you're not going to marry me, I'm going to break your heart." Interesting how things turned out!

After a year and a half of dating, one year ago this very day, Brant presented me with an amazing Valentine's present. He actually told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands. When I felt something in my hands, I heard him say "open" and there was a beautiful new leather-bound Bible with Ashley Williams engraved in it (My maiden name was Wages). He told me to open the Bible to 1st Corinthians 13, and there, tied onto the satin bookmark was a gorgous, princess cut solitare. It was one year ago today that I promised to marry this man and love him unconditionally for the rest of my life. And it has been the best 7 months of marriage!

I've posted a few pictures from the wedding below (all taken by my amazing photgraph Julie Robles). Enjoy, and have a blessed Valentine's Day!

Engagement Day!

Getting Ready

Brant looks a little nervous!


Walking Down the Aisle with my Dad

My best Girls: Me, Audrey, Sister Amanda, Sarah, Jessica, Elizabeth and Rachel

Decorate your house, or Decorate you?

Ok, so I am in need of opinoins from my dear friends!

I have been doing direct sales for only a short time and I love it! I have so much fun becasue it is basically just being the "why" to have a girls-night out! However, the company I do sales for is fun and exciting, but I have recently been offered a new oportunity. So, I thought I would just get some feedback from the women of the blogging world!

If you were invited to a friends house for a party, which would "strike your fancy" more: Jewelry or Home Decor

If you were going to host a party at your home, would you rather have someone selling jewelry collection, or entertainment serving pieces?

Which would you be more likely to re-order: new jewelry, or party foods?

Please help...I need to know what other women out there want: a company that has great, high-quality fashion jewely what continues to change with all the newest trends, or would you rather have a company that is 3 -in-one: Home decor (like Southern Living) Entertainment Food (like Pampered Cheff) and delicious foods (Like Homemade Gourmet). If you want to really take a look, go to these websites: http://www.jewelsbyparklane.com and http://www.swisscolonyoccasions.com. Let me know which type of product you would prefer!

A Pastor's Question

This Sunday, Brant and I visited a new church in Mansfield, South Pointe. The pastor is actually the father of a friend of ours, so we wanted to go and visit - we LOVED IT! As the pastor began his message, I have to admit that I was a little dazed an confussed becaue the church is currently meeting in the cafeteria of a school while their new building is being completed. I guess you could say I felt irreverant. So I said my little silent prayer and just aksed the Lord to help my hear concentrate and pay attention...He of course answered! And not only did He answer, He did a great work on my heart. Bear with me and all of my gibber jabber to see where I'm going.

So Bro. David continues on with the message - he is preaching on the Parable of the Sower - a parable that I know backwards and forwards and have heard a thousand times, but not this way. I saw in a new light, like I had never seen it before and have a compoetely new outlook on this parable. You see, when the sower sows his seed, it lands on four types of soil: the wayside, the rocky, the thorny, and the good. He knows that when he throws the seed out there, it is going to land on bad soil, but he still throws it. If the seed is the Word, we the sower, and the soil nonbelievers, then we should also sow the Seed regardless of where it will land. If there are four types of receivers, the Word says that only 75% will be good receivers, but the Seed must still be sown but the sower still sows his seed amply. This principle was Lesson #1 for me.

Lesson #2 - The sower doesn't bother preparing the soil when he sows it. When the sower throws out his seed, he doesn't go and try to pick up the rocks of the rocky ground, and he doesnt' brush away the thorns of the thorny ground - he just throws the seed. The sower knows that regardless of what the soil is, God will have His way and the Father will prepare the ground - that isn't our job - our job is to sow the Word so that the soil is penetrated! Why do I think that I have the right to decide who hears the Word of God - I don't. The right I do hoave however, is to simple sow the Word whereever I go, to everyone I meet. And yes, maybe only 25% will truely and fully come to know Him, but that is 25% that didn't know Him before.

Now, as I said before, 75% of the seed won't "get" it. And you might ask where I pick up this number: Well if there are 4 kinds of soil making up 100% of the people, and only the good soil "understands and comes to Him" then that leaves the others behind. If you devide these equally, then 75% don't receive, and only 25% do. So here is the perplexing question: Are the other 75% saved? Please allow me to elaborate. The Bible says that the wayside dont' receive the Word, but the Rocky and the Thorny are different. In Matthew, Chapter 13, it says that the rocky and thorny RECEIVE the seed with JOY, but because the roots are small, it chokes and does not produce the fruit.

I believe that to be saved, you receive the Word of God, believe that Jesus is the Son of God who dies for our sins, and ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. Works aren't a part of salvation, they are a product of it. I believe ful-heartedly that the Bible and is true and living Word and that Word says that the fruit produced by us will be the testemant to our salvation. So, if the rocky and the thorny soil receive the Word, but don't produce fruit, are they ever saved? And aren't we as Christians often the thorny or the rocky soil? Dont' we receive the Word, but sometimes when the ways of this world fall upon us, and we have lust, and sin, don't we (no matter how long the periods of time are) not produce fruit? Please understand, I'm not AT ALL questioning my salvation, but I am questioning God's meaning here. Does He mean that the rocky and the thorny aren't saved? Or does He deal with them in His own way, like only He can? And are we the rocky and throny soil?

These are the questions that have plagued my mind over the past 24 hours. To see things in a new light has been incredibly refreshing...to be reminded that it is not my job to decide who "gets" to hear the Word of God, but it is my job to sow that Word regardless who it falls on. I am to be a light to a world of darkness.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts - I am very intrested in them. Let me know your thoughts on the salvation of the soils, on the sowing and the sower. Are you perplexed by the question of the pastor?

From the Intriguing Mind,
Ashley

Praise God for Books

This is from Ginger's Blog: From the Cocoon.

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages.)
"Just Married: What Might Surprise You About the First Few Year."

2. Open the book to page 123.
ok

3. Find the fifth sentence.
Ok

4. Post the next three sentences.
"This honesty in our marriage has rebuilt the trust that my omissions and deception initially tore down. Now I think she knows that when she asks I'll tell her the truth, even when it makes me look bad. One real positive twist to this has been that when she asks me what I'm thinking, i can actually just spit out whatever I'm really thinking."

5. Link back to the person who tagged you.
Ginger

Time for a Change

So my blog and I thought it was time for a change! This blog used to be for "The Williams" but it cuddenly occured to me that there was only one of the Williams using it...ME! I can't honestly even tell you if Brant, the dear hubs, has even looked at it before! So, now, this is my blog - just for me - I even changed the name! If you're a little curious about the name, check out the column on the right and you can see what "Grabbie" is all about.

Well since this is all about me, I thought I would give you a taste of me - a glimpse into the inner workings of my soul. I just turned 26 and I've been married for 6 months. I have four nephews and a neice: Mason, Connor, Ethan, Aeson and Kate! I love them all dearly. Brant and I live in Mansfield, Tx. For those of you who don't live in Texas, or don't know anything about Texas, Mansfield is just south of Dallas/Fort Worth. We love our little town of about 50,000 and we're really close to my family (although I don't think hubs always loves being so close to them...oops!).

Some of my favorite things in life are: shopping, spending time with hubs and being a wife, playing with Dax, kids, boating and tubing on the lake, being outdoors, playing the piano, working puzzles, scrapbooking with my mom and sister, playing with my sister's babies, road trips, sitting by a warm fire on a cold day with a great cook and hot cup of coffee, movies, and of course growing closer to my Lord each and every day.

I grew up in Texas in a loving, Christian home, but I've definitely turned my back on the Lord before. But Praise Him that He loved still and welcomed me back with open arms. He saved me from the pits of dispair and from the curses of the life I once led. He is truly my Redeemer and Savior. My biggest dreams in life are to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother - to serve my family as I serve my Lord. To me, success is measured by joy and happiness by laughter. My ultimate goal is stand before Him and hear "Well done, my good and faithful child."

Much love,
Ashley

Let the Budget Begin!!!

So, as the first day of the first budgeted month, we begin a new chapter in our live...a chapter of saving. At first I was not at all thrilled with this budget, but I knew it had to happen; however, I read an article this morning about a couple who retired at the age of 40!!! How? They lived a frugal life, saved wherever they could, and learned how to exist within their means! This mom and dad are there to cook a hot breakfast for their 3 children every morning and they greet them as soon as they jump off the school bus every afternoon. So the Lord really convicted me of how Brant and I live. We both drive decent vehicles (although I am begging for a new one), have a great 1800 sqft. house, have nice clothes, good food on the table, and we eat out A LOT and I shop A LOT!

Well it's no secret that I hope to either only work part time once we have children, or work from home. If that happens, which I pray it will, our income will be reduced drastically. So, I asked myself this question...If we can't live within our means now, how could we ever do it with a smaller income? So, I began my search into living frugally. And I just thought I would share a few website with you that helped me see small things I can change but that have a huge impact.

http://www.frugalliving.com/
http://frugal.families.com/blog/
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www.budget101.com/

Call me crazy, but I am actually looking forward to how much money we can save! Call it a SAVINGS GAME!!!

Birth Control - Which Method works Best???

Ok ladies, let's get personal! I can honestly say that i have tried two methods of birth control. I recently found myself asking: which of these works best? And over the weekend, I GOT MY ANSWER!!!!! Allow me to elaborate!

I have been on the birth control pill since before I got married to prevent Brant and I from having children before we were ready. Thus far, it has worked. However, anyone who knows me knows my LOVE for BABIES!!! I adore them!!! So, it has been hard for me to not want to get pregnant. To make matters worse, two weekends ago, a dear friend's dad had quadruple bypass surgery. Her husband was on an active military training weekend, her family was all at the hospital, and she had no desire to subject her darling 5-month old Colton to the floating germs and silence of a hospital ICU waiting room. So, I happily offered for Brant and I to play "Mom and Dad" so Audrey could be with her family. She so graciously accepted. So Colton came over to "play" for the entire weekend. I can truthfully say it was a fun weekend. Colton is an amazing happy baby who loves to play and laugh, and sleeps THROUGH THE NIGHT! So after this weekend, I really wanted a baby of my own. Of course I never told Brant about my desire because I knew he would think I was off my rocker! So, I kept it to myself and just daydreamed about it every-so-often. Until this weekend!

Most of you know about my dearest sister: Amanda. Amanda has four children, Mason - 9 in two weeks, Connor - 6, Kate - 3 and Baby Ethan is 3 1/2 months old. Well, unfortunately for Amanda, her husband is sometimes required to travel for his job - such as ALL of last week. Well, as soon as Michael got home on Thursday night, he was incredibly sick...high fever, chills, cold sweats, aching, dizziness...you name it, he had it. So they took Michael to the dr. thinking he might have the flu, but the flu test came out negative. The dr. just gave him an antibiotic and told him to stay in bed. So my sister was in a pickle trying to care for five kids: 3 kids, a baby and a husband. She felt bad for telling the older three that they had to be quiet because Dad was sick, and that they HAD to stay upstairs - they couldn't really have any fun during their weekend. So, Uncle B and Aunt Grabbie came to the rescue. I called my sister, and in my most stern voice said..."Sis, pack the kids a bag, they're staying with me!!!"

So, began a fun-filled weekend of Chucky Cheese, crazy bath-time, Cars movie blaring from the TV, chocolate donuts, and chasing Dax in the backyard...not to mention trying to get 3 kids ready for church plus myself (maybe this explains why we were 10 minutes late). It was the CRAZIEST weekend, fun but crazy! If you were a fly on the wall, you might have heard a little something like this around bathtime...

Ashley: Ok, Kate let's get ready for your bath...Kate??? Kate??? KATE????? Get in here and stop putting on my makeup! Kate, what is in your hair? Gum? Where did you get gum???
(2 minutes quite)
Connor, get in here and take a bath with Kate. Connor, do you hear me? Connor???? CONNOR???? Get in here!!! Mason, you go take a shower in my bathroom, and make sure you wash your hair.
(5 minutes of playing in tub)
Ok, now let's dry off. Here are your PJ's, so put them on, then we'll get ready for bed. Wait Connor, stop running around naked. Connor?? Connor?? Kate, don't chase your brother naked!!! KATE, CONNOR - GET IN HERE AND PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!!! Brant, stop them. No Brant, don't chase them around the living room naked!!! BRANT!!!!

So, the moral of the story is that if you have baby-fever, and it's just a fever, taking care of your sister's 3 kids for the weekend is GREAT birth control and helps your fever "break" quickly!!!

Much Love from the EXHAUSTED Aunt Grabbie,
Ashley

Cutest Pops Around

Ok, so I found this blog through Janelle's blog...Pop Culture Candies. These are the CUTEST lollipop and candy arrangements I have ever seen and have an incredibly reasonable price tag. I even ordered one with Chcolate Covered Oreos for Brant for Valentine's Day, and one for my sister's kids! She has arrangements for every occasions...here are a few pictures I copy and pasted so you can see how adorable they really are!!!!!

Here is site...go check it out, or click the link under "Favorite Links".

http://www.popculturecandies.blogspot.com/

6 Glorious Months!

As of yesterday, my sweet husband and I have officially been married for 6 months! Yes - we've made it half a year!!!!! So, of course, the intrigued woman that I am played 20 questions with Brant yesterday to find out his perspective on our marriage. These are some things I found out...

1) My husband loves being married - he said this himself and it made me giggle! I'm not sure why exactly it made me giggle, but I've always had the perception that women place a higher value on being married than men, and in some instances this may actually be the case, but my dear husband actually loves being married!!!!

2) Brant's favorite part of being married (which actually surprised me a bit) is just knowing I'm there. No matter what, I, his wife, am always on his side and I'm always going to be there. This made me smile.

3) He has never doubted that he married the right person. This question came up because we were reading this book and one of the questions was "Have your ever wondered if you married the right person?" So, I asked him this questions, and he quickly said "No, beyond a shadow of a doubt I know I married exactly who the Lord made for me."

4) The one thing Brant would change is...being more of a spiritual leader. This is a big one and I need to elaborate for you a bit. We live in Mansfield (and for those of you know don't know Texas well, this is right in between Dallas and Fort Worth...about 30 miles from each). I work in
Las Colinas (North Irving) which takes me every bit of an hour to go to work every day, not to mention an hour to get home. Our church family has been in Irving for several years now and we both have a special love for First Irving, but we know that we've been called somewhere else. We've been called closer to home, around our peers that we can fellowship with in our own community. However, we are still unsure of exactly where that calling is. We have visited several churches, but we don't feel led to join any of them, so we have honestly been starving spiritually. So to hear my husband say that he longs to be the spiritual leader of our family and household meant the world to me because he realizes that is his call. So pray for us friends as we try to find exactly where the Lord is leading us. "Church hunting" is not easy, in fact, it is very difficult. We long so badly for a place to call home; a place to meet people just like us; a place to fellowship with fellow believers and help our community grow.

Now, you might be asking what my answers were to these questions...well here they are.
1) Yes, I love being married. Brant bring such joy to my life and I can honestly say that I love spending every day with him.

2) My favorite thing about being married is knowing that every night I come home, he is there and I don't have to leave. Some of you may know that we bought our house shortly after we got engaged and Brant was the first to move in. I lived with my parents and Brant lived in the house. I would of course go over there everyday because it was my house too, I just didn't live there yet. So, every night I would go there first on my way home, then leave around 9:30 or 10 to go home. So, my favorite thing about marriage is that I get to go home and I don't ever have to leave!

3) Have I ever questioned whether or not I married the right person? "No, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know I married the man God made for me."

4) The one thing I would change is the amount of work I have to do on my own. Several of you have heard me "gripe" about this before but I sometimes feel like I am more of my husband maid than his wife. I love to cook, but growing up in Wages house the cook never had to clean (at least not by themselves). Usually, the entire family helped clean the kitchen after dinner. It's not always that way in the Williams house. I often cook, and clean, and do the laundry, and pick up after Brant, and take care of Dax, and then try to spend some time watching TV with my husband (because he is always in front of the TV). There are some nights where I will actually tell him that if he wants to spend time with me, then he has to help me. So, the only thing I would change is his initiative. I wish he took more of an interest in helping me keep our house in order.

So, after these six months, I can tell you that we have learned a lot. We have learned about each other, and we have savored every moment of it. Yes, there have been a few "tiffs" every now and then, but no huge blow-out fights (we're both lovers not fighters). I can lay my heart on the line and tell you that marry Brant has been one of the biggest blessings and I cannot describe the joy that has been brought into my soul through him.

So raise your glasses folks - Here's to the next 6 months, 6 year and forever!!!

Much love,
Ashley

All My Emotions

So yesterday was the day from Heaven, and from Haties. I went from up, to down, to up, to down, and none of was because Brant was gone! The day started off well. I dyed my hair back to its natural color (which is a light, ash brown) on Tuesday - all by myself ladies! So when I woke up and re-washed it, I was quite happy with way it turned out. That was an up! Then, I really started feeling sick throughout the day - you know, that cold and stuffy feeling, do that was a down. Since we got married, Brant and I have kept separate health insurances (through out respective companies) but I began to compare the two and decided that his has much better benefits for almost the same cost that I pay for my "crap" insurance now, so that was an up! At 5:30, I had a hair appointment to chop all my hair off. It had really gotten long since the wedding 6 months ago, and I really do love it short. So I decided that my husband would come home to a new wife...with dark short hair instead of blond long hair. Then came the biggest down of all, my Buddy.

Buddy was my dog since high school - he was actually a mistake. My family and I have adopted a dog named Bandit from Pet Rescue. But Bandit was scared to death of storms and thunder. He would actually get under the covers of someones bed if it began to storm. One day I was outside getting the mail when it was beginning to get stormy - no rain yet, but there was thunder. Bandit was outside with me and when he heard the thunder, he ran....away from my house! We searched for days and never found him, so we put up signs all over the neighborhood and at the local grocery store. About a week later, we got a surprising phone call that someone had found Bandit. When she found him, he was very sick and she had taken him to the vet to get better, but she saw our signs and we went to pick up Bandit. After having him home for a few hours, we began to realize that this might not be the same dog, so we compared pictures and we were right...this was not Bandit! So, we put up "Found Dog" signs, and we searched neighborhoods for "Lost Dog" signs, but saw nothing. So we kept this dog, and called him Buddy.

Buddy really became "my" dog after we got him...he slept on my bed, went places with me, and was my baby through college and well after. But my family and I knew Buddy was getting pretty sick and I honestly did not expect him to live past my wedding, but he did. He even made it into my parents new house by the lake. But last night, we finally had to put Buddy to sleep. He had been so sick for so long, and had lost over half of his weight in the past few months, so we knew it was time. So after my hair appointment, I went and said "Goodbye" to my sweet Buddy. It was much harder than I thought it would be, but I KNOW it was the right thing to do.

One huge realization came from yesterday though: God really does have a purpose for everything. What do I mean? Dax! Dax has become my sweet baby and last night, I was able to say goodbye to Buddy knowing that I now have another sweet pup to love just like I have "the Buddster". The Lord knew exactly what was going to happen, and exactly what I needed before I ever did. There is no doubt in my mind that yesterday would have been 10 times harder if I didn't have a sweet pup to go home to and play with, a boy that I get to look forward to having for many, many years to come. God knew, and made sure that I was taken care of.

So my emotions for the day: happiness for my hair, excitement for my hew 'do, sadness and mourning for my Buddy, but amazement at my God.

Much Love,
Ashley

Ready, Set...Depression!

Yes, I am preparing myself for a fun-filled week of depression..my husband has left me for 6 long, grueling, lonely nights (which would actually be 7 days, but the nights are much, much harder to handle). Not long after we got Dax, Brant left for 3 days to go to a conference in San Antonio. I thought things would be fine and go on as normal, but to my surprise, I was absolutely miserable the entire time he was gone...literally I fell into a depression. It of course made no sense to me because I used to travel and be gone from Brant weeks at a time, he was even gone to Africa for a month and I was ok, but the time he was gone was horrible.

So, I of course did some thinking and realized that there has been a huge development since we both traveled and left each other...NOW WE'RE MARRIED! I never realized how these vows truly change you until now. I hate it when my husband leaves and I long for his return. He is truly my best friend and I look forward to going home after a long day, cooking dinner, walking Dax, then just sitting on the couch talking (or our new favorite thing is working puzzles together). These are the moments I live for.

So when my alarm clock went off this morning, I didn't even try to get out of bed, I just rolled over into the arms of my beloved and fell right back to sleep. 9 minutes later, the alarm went off again, and I still stayed in the arms o f my beloved. I didn't want to leave that spot...my spot where I fit so perfectly because I knew that I would not have this until next Sunday night. After the 3 alarm sounded, my sweet dear husband finally look at me and with his horrible morning breath said "Ashley Gayle, get out the bed." So I began to cry...not just because of how bad his morning breath smelled, simply because I HATE it when he is gone...the bed is colder, the nights are longer and I am terribly lonely without him.

So now he is on a plane, on his way to Phoenix, AZ for the SportsTurf Managers Association Annual Conference. So, yes, I begin a week of loneliness and longing for my little furnace to return to my bed so I don't freeze as much...maybe Dax will sleep in the bed with Mama this week...but we won't tell daddy about it!!!

Much Love,
Ashley

Oh, how I hate New Years Resolutions

So, it's that famous time of year again when everyone begins to decide "What will I do differently this year, than I last year?" Well, I have also been plagued by this difficult questions, and hence, my New Year's resolutions have made their way to the top of my brain.

1) Lost Weight! Right before the wedding, I had done great and lost 10 lbs. in order to fit into my wedding dress. Now, after being married for 6 months, I put every bit of it (plus about 10 lbs more) back on. Not to mention, Brant has done the same. So we both agreed it's time to kick our rear ends back into shape! So I had a massive "kitchen clean-out" and threw out so much "junk" that I filled the trashcan and then re-filled the kitchen with healthy snacks and "good-for-you" food.
Then, Brant decided that he really wanted a treadmill - so he could work out and watch TV at the same time. I, however, prefer the elliptical because it works our more than just my legs and burns more calories. So how did we fix our problem, we bought a treadmill with walking sticks that I can walk/run, exercise my upper body, and burn a few extra calories! It was a great investment!

2) We are getting out of debt! Well, Brant says "out of debt", I say paying off all credit cards and having a master budget. For two mid-20 year olds, we are actually in a very good financial position, but Brant HATES debt and credit cards,...not that I enjoy them, I just have the mind set that almost every American has debt, and we are just typical Americans! But this isn't good enough for my husband. So, my entire family goes to Crossroad Christian Church and the pastor, Barry Cameron, had written a fantastic book on the Godly principles of financial freedom called "The ABC"s of Financial Success". Starting yesterday, Pastor Cameron began a series about the Road to Freedom and they are also offering special LifeGroup classes working through the workbooks. So, we went to Crossroad for this special series and also began going to a LifeGroup class to work through the workbook.
So now, we are planning a budget and watching our spending to get us on the way to Financial Freedom!!!

3) Spend more time with the Lord. One thing that no one ever told me about getting married is that is can be so difficult to maintain and grow in your relationship with the Lord. Since I got married, it seems like my quiet times have just flown out the window...why? Because I LOVE those 15 or 20 extra minutes snuggled in my bed next to my giant teddy bear - it's my safe place. So to get up and leave my warm special place is horrible, and I don't want to do it. So what has happened, my relationship with my 1st Priority has suffered, terribly. And don't think that I like it, I HATE it, but I love being married.
So, my biggest prayer this new year is for the Lord to deal with me, and let me back into His wide, open arms. I pray that He forgives me for pushing Him to the back burner, and restores the gladness in my soul. I have missed Him so much, and long to be back in His embrace.

Much Love,
Ashley