Thursday, May 28, 2009

One month


I will be in Florida with my love in one month!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO ready to be there. The next couple of weeks will be full of change. I am so blessed to be able to surround myself with people who love me and support me.

Monday, May 25, 2009

it's amzing what happens in a year....






Tonight I am feeling very reflective of what has happened in my life over the past year. A year ago on Memorial Day I spent the afternoon with my brother kayaking in Mt. Pleasant. It was a really good day filled with adventure and good conversation. I remember thinking that I would just sit back and relax while he guided the kayak. Much to my surprise the kayak's we used were one person-ers. So I had to steer my own. I'm not a fan of deep water and I'm not the best swimmer so I was freaked out. Brandon was really patient with me and had confidence in me. And I did it! We had a great time together and it was on that kayak trip that we decided to go on the road trip.

Today I had the family over for lunch and to celebrate. This year on Memoria Day we worked on packing my apartment, taking stuff to Goodwill and putting together wedding invitations. It was really nice to enjoy the time together. I try to savor each moment that we have together because I realize that I will be moving and getting married really soon.

As I sit here alone in my apartment I am wondering what next year will be like. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and have to take a step back. It's a good thing I have people in my life who help me get a hold of reality once in a while and aren't afraid of giving me a reality check. The move has been stressful and it has really helped having my family here to help through it all. A year from now I will be married and living with the love of my life. I can't wait to see what adventures will come our way together.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Countdowns...

105 days till the wedding! That sounds far away, but I know it will go by fast.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

will she give us milk?

The cake tasting was successful! We had a great time tasting some delicious cakes. Yesterday was a fun and funny day. Andy had me laughing so many times. Here are a few of the funny one liners:

-"Will she give us milk?" [In reference to the cake tasting.] "Cause I like to drink milk with my cake, everyone does."

-"You look like a Shakespearean actor" [In reference to the shirt I was wearing. Not quite sure how to take this.] Oh, by the way he just said "But it looked really nice. I just want you to know that."

-"You can't leave me, because I can never find you. You are shorter than the clothing racks." [In reference to my height and shopping together. He kept loosing me because he coudn't see me. LOL]

All in all it was a great day! I feel like we really have been able to accomplish a lot in this weekend. It's so nice to just be able to plan and pick out things together.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Ford Rental Company, Rublev's, Tiger's Game...and getting a lil' rained on








Yesterday was a fun day in the world of wedding planning. We started the day checking out the items on rental for us...and made some adjustments. I really was trying to not be a brat, but i was not liking a particular table cloth and had to make it just right...all that to say it's gonna be beautiful! We also were able to show Andy the site for the rehearsal dinner, Rublev's Coffee. The coffee shop of a family friend who is allowing us to have the whole place for the rehearsal dinner. That is a blessing and it is such a great coffee shop. We ended the day with a Tiger's game. It was a lot of fun, but a little wet. We made the best of it and enjoyed the game till the rain delay. We did see two grand slams! The Detroit Tigers game is the first stop in our new goal of seeing a game in every baseball stadium. We already have two more games scheduled for the summer. Gotta love that I'm marrying a sports fan. Enjoy the pics!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

less than 24 hours till Andy arrives!



This time tomorrow I will have Andy here...i can't wait! The invitations arrived yesterday and I am so happy with how they turned out. I'm really enjoying all of the wedding planning and am surprisingly not stressed about wedding planning. So far everything has been so smooth and all the vendors are working out wonderfully. I would definitly recommend the company we chose to order the invitations from. If anyone out there needs a great company to order invitations let me know....who am i kidding?...you are all married already...lol.

Work has been extremly stressful, but I am realizing more and more the impact I have had on my students lives. Yesterday my principal/superintendant called me into his office and told me that he is having a difficult time finding someone to replace me and that he needed me to help with interviewing the applicants. He went on to say that no one will be able to replace me and do what I do there. It was nice, but the thing he said next really ment a lot. He said that I have made a real impact on the school and that I have been a great social worker and he is sad to see me go, but that he knows I will be an even better wife. He told me to make sure my fiance knows that he is getting a good woman. It was so cute and really touched my heart. I think Andy knows that, but I'm really the one who is blessed with a great fiance. Andy, I love you and can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Monday, May 11, 2009

waiting for Thursday...

This is the week I am reunited with my love. Andy will be in town on Thursday and I can barely contain my excitment. We have a lot of wedding planning ahead but it will just be so nice to work on wedding stuff together and in the same place. Our agenda for the weekend is going to be busy and fun....and it includes: working on plans for and booking the honeymoon, a Detroit tigers game, shopping for Andy's ring, picking out the tux, cake tasting (I think this is the thing Andy is looking forward to the most), and maybe start working on the invitations which should be in this week.

I feel like we live with constant countdowns. Countdowns for when we see each other are going to be ending soon.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Our "First Date"








Enjoying being together in the Bahamas was a memorable first date!

September 5, 2009




Wedding Day is September 5, 2009

We are getting married!

Welcome to the new blog. MAny of you followed along as I blogged last summer when I took a once in a lifetime roadtrip with my brother. I decided it was once again time for some blogging. This summer I will be busy with wedding planning, moving, looking for a job and preparing to marry my best friend, Andy.
Many of you haven't heard our story, so I'm starting the blog with how this amazing adventure began. Andy and I met in college at Trevecca Nazarene University. We were both RA's (resident assistants) and had mutual friends. I had a crush on him all along, but he never knew it. He graduated and went home to South Carolina to work as a youth pastor. I graduated and moved to Michigan to go to graduate school. We randomly, or not so randomly, thannks to God...got reconnected via facebook. Which cracks me up cause who knew God would use something so random to bring us back into each others lives. I soon found out that Andy had moved to Florida and was the youth pastor at my grandfathers church. We began emailing back and forth and then talking on the phone. Four hour phone calls turned into monthly visits...and i guess you could say the rest is history.
















Engagement story: I was visiting Andy over spring break in April and Andy planned for us to go see the sunset the day
I arrieved into town. I was so worried about my memory card because i forgot to bring it and i made him stop so i could get one. I went in and came out with the memory card and some Whoppers( malted milk balls). He looked shocked when i got in the car with the Whoppers. He asked me why I got them and i replied to have a snack while we watch the sunset. Well, Andy had arranged for a photographer to be there because he was going to propose at sunset. I decided to leave them in the car because they would melt and he looked relieved. I wasn't thinking anything about us about to get engaged. So we were looking at the water and Andy began asking me questions. The first was "Do you know that I love you?" and I responded in a cute way "I love you too, and I love the beach, and I love Florida, and I love the sand..." Not thinking he was about to get all serious, I thought it was cute, then he took my hands and got down on one knee. I said "are you serious right now, i hope you aren't joking". He calmly said "Yes, I'm serious. Ashley, I love you and I am so glad God brought you back into my life. I can't imagine my life without you. You are the love of my life and i was wondering if you would do me the honor and privalegde of being my partner in life and ministry. Will you marry me?" I screamed "Yes! Yes! Yes!" over and over again and was so excited! It was an amazing moment in time that I will never forget. He then turned me to face a man with a camera and said "I hired this guy and he has been taking pictures of us the entire time." I screamed again and asked "do we know him?" Andy had to say it again before I got it...that he had hired a photographer to capture every moment of the engagement. He then took beautiful engagment photos for us. We finished the envening with a nice dinner and then gonig to our friends house where some of the teens were waiting. IT was the best night of my life so far!