a long overdue blog...............

Hello Blog World....here it goes....a long overdue update.

The move down to Florida was successful. The car and all it's contents made it safe...and thanks to two great drivers...I didn't have to make the trip by car.

This part of the adventure began for me on June 27th with a flight to Orlando with mom. It was a great trip and really enjoyed having it with her. We met up with Dad and Andy at the airport and I was wisked off to Venice. On Monday the 29th Andy and I arreived back in Orlando to enjoy the rest of General Assembly with a few of our closest friends. I love Nazarene World and I loved introducing Andy to all of our family friends and being introduced to people he knows from South Carolina. It was a really great week and one of the best times with family. After such a great time together i was hard to leave and my first night in Venice was shockingly harder than I was expecting. I missed my family so much and bless his heart, Andy helped ease my anxiety with humor. We were sitting in our future Master bedroom with all of our shower gifts and I started to cry because i missed my family. I grabbed one of our brand new wash clothes to use as a tissue and of course that began a night of laughter. Now almost two weeks later I'm feeling more and more adjusted to being here. God has granted me the desires of my heart and I am delighted to see what the future wil hold for Andy and I together in ministry.

A few of the recent highlights:

-Shopping for furniture together. Finding some great deals and moving everything into the house. Purchasing a sectional couch with a sleeper sofa section, recliner and lounge...lots of room for visitors.

-Spending the 4th of July on Venice beach. We had planned for a romantic picnic and ended up spending the evening with some of the teens who were also at the beach. It ended up being lots of fun...and I'm so glad I threw in extra snacks. Fireworks on the beach are the best!!

-Andy headed to camp on Monday, July 6th and I was left back to watch the dog. Me and Riley (the dog) spent some quality time together and survived our first Florida thunderstorm together. I spent the week cleaning and setting up our house while Andy spent the week with teenagers at camp.

-I went to camp on Wednesday to see the teens and Andy and was so happy to see the teens so excited to see me. It made my heart happy. Also got to see Andy as the "Love Doctor" one of his secret talents.

-Being alone at the condo with no tv, internet, radio or anything has helped me to realize that God is greator than my weakness and fear. Seeing how He has worked in the past year makes me realize that God blesses obedient hearts. This time a year ago I was working in Iowa for Nazarene Disaster Response. Talking with people who lost everything due to the Flood Waters, was how I spent a great part of my summer. This year I am being washed with God's living water and seeing how faithful He is. I am blessed how God has brought Andy back into my life and that we are less than two months away from getting married.

-Getting tons of texts from people who have received the wedding invitation. I love how excited people are for us as we get closer to the wedding day! Thank you all for your excitement and support.

The next few weeks will be full of excitement as we take the teens to a water park and go on vacation to South Carolina. I will do better with posting and will try to include some pics of this adventure soon.

It's My Turn!!!!!!!!!

It's my turn!!! I've made so many of these and this one is actually mine!

Jessie, my Matron of Honor


The ladies at the church did such a nice job putting on this shower. The cake was gorgeous and so yummy!

My favorite gift. My Domestic Diva apron that came with some fun stuff. Wink Wink

This weekend has been so much fun. I feel so incredibly blessed. This was the weekend of my first wedding shower and it was such a great time. Mom and I had a girls night out on Friday and saw The Proposal, very cute movie. Then I got up early on Saturday to get my hair done (a practice appointment for the wedding day hair style) and then met up with Jessie, my Matron of Honor and the sister I never had. We got ready and went to the church for the shower. (It was overwhelming at first to have everyone staring at me...not sure how i'm gonna manage the wedding with everyone looking at me all day.) My friends from work came and there were lots of ladies from the church. I feel so blessed to have such a great group of supportive people in my life.

The shower was really fun. Jessie had a game planned where she asked me questions about Andy. For every question I didn't answer correctly I had to chew a piece of gum. It was hilarious...but great. The cake was beautiful and the food delightful. We got so many wonderful gifts....I can't wait for Andy to see all of the great stuff we got. I look forward to cooking lots of delicous meals for Andy and decorating our new home tegether. Aagghhhh I am SO excited! Can't wait for all that wife stuff!

This weekend has really made me realize the importance of God's timing... seeing how He has worked and put all of this together. Who would have thought that all those times in college of wondering who I would marry I was on the same campus as the man I would spend the rest of my life with. God is so good! I am so thankful for Andy waiting for me and picking me to be his wife. I am blessed!

awkardfamilyphotos.com

"awkward" doesn't even begin to describe this wedding picture:

No, this will not be one of our poses for wedding pictures. Who does this?

A critter adventure...

At 3 am I woke up to scratching at my window. I looked out to find a raccoon looking back at me right outside the open window. This stalker raccoon tried to get in the house when I was sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday night...now it's trying to get me while I sleep.

I'm living at my parents till the wedding and I'm sleeping in a room on the second floor. That means this crazy raccoon climbed the house and found my room. He/She was actually trying to get inside the house. Luckily it was a window that had a screen, but some of the windows don't, so of course I had to get up and check every window before I could go back to sleep. I was a little shook up and scared when I layed down in bed right on the bear that Andy got me for Valentine's Day. The funny thing is the bear has Andy's voice recording inside that says "Ashley, I love you with all my heart. Happy Valentines Day." So after my run-in with the raccoon, I lay down to hear "Andy" talking to me. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. LOL

So if you have had a similar adventure with a critter and have any advice for preventing it from getting in the house let me know.

Joy

Wedding Shower gifts!!!!

This is Marvin, the newest crowned Prom King of the Academy of Flint.


Me and some special boys!

Many of you prayed for Javonate, one of my students who was very ill, this is him next to me. He is doing great! Praise be to God.

Two of my favorite students all dressed and ready for the Prom.

What does joy feel like? Does it feel the same for everyone? I wonder weird things like that. I have experienced pure joy. This is my last week of working at the Academy of Flint as a School Social Worker. I have faced some great trials this year. Over the past months I have questioned everything, felt huge amounts of guilt for not feeling compassionate enough, and I have realized my immense need to seek the Lord for daily strength.

These verses have come to mind many times.:

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

I have prayed and seeked the Lord in many things and I realize that through the trials the Lord does strengthen me. I have the word "faith" tattood on my foot as a daily reminder to walk by faith. My past three years at AOF have been faith walks. Sometimes they have felt like hikes, climbs, crawls and runs. I'm ready for this chapter of my life to end as I begin a new job of being Andy's wife and supporting him in ministry in Florida.

I am now in my final week of working in Flint and I can say this past weekend I experienced pure joy.

-Friday night was the 8th grade prom and I was able to see one of my special education students win prom king. This is a student who has faced even greator challenges than I will ever face and he is the most joyful person I have ever met. Always smiling and so happy to see me. He brings me joy each day and it was an incredible blessing to see him experience an unforgettable moment of being the prom king. I felt like a proud mama!

-Saturday me and my mom spent the entire day doing wedding stuff. It was so much fun and a joy to spend the quality time together.

-Sunday Andy and I received our first wedding shower gifts!!!! I experienced such JOY knowing that God has blessed me with a wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with. Opening the gifts just reminded me of God's faithfullness to us.

Look for joy-filled moments this week!

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.