3 weeks of marriage...

and this is what Andy decides to pull out of his closet.... Gotta love the unexpected.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnette!

We are married! I love it! We had a wonderful wedding that was absolutly perfect and an amazing reception. I wanted to post some pictures for all of you who have been asking me to see them. We have so many more, but I just wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. Married life is fabulous and after a wonderful honeymoon in San Diego we are getting our house set up and it is really feeling like our home. More pics and updates to come!!!!



After many attempts to post pictures....i have NOT been able to. I was able to put some on facebook....hope you enjoy. I will continue to try to ge the pics up here.

Wedding Preperations...

THE Master List for Wedding Weekend! I would be lost without it.

Me and Andy....he is exhausted from traveling....but so happy together.
Mom at her computer facebooking away...

Brandon and Laura are in town!

Dad working on the welcome book for the guests.

After the airport we went to the tux shop for the final measurements...looking good!

Yesterdays blog that i'm just now posting...

WEDDING WEEK!!!! Today (August 31, 2009) I woke up to my mom singing and dancing about oatmeal. Let me explain.... the two of us had gone to Cracker Barrel for oatmeal last week and they weren't serving it past 11 am...i don't know what's up with that since they are known for serving breakfast all day, but anyways...so this morning she was overly excited about wedding week and was singing about oatmeal. Dad was just eating his cereal and it didn't even phase him. So, of course being the daughter I am and wanting to soak up every minute of mother daughter time i threw on clothes and went to get some oatmeal. But i made her promise me that she wouldn't act like that in public.

Some of the other tasks for the day included picking up the marriage license!!! Woot Woot! It's official Andy and Ashley are getting married! This week!!!! Also had to clean out the garage to get it ready for the week....cause everyone will be seeing it...yeah right. Bleached the shells so they won't make the water dirty in the centerpiece and talked to Jessie, my matron of honor who is so excited she can't even stand it! Also worked on our guest book which is more like a memory book, where you can right in memories of the engagement, meeting, etc...

Now today (September 1, 2009) the big tasks include manicures/pedicures, going to the post office to change my address, finishing the welcome bags, GETTING ANDY FROM THE AIRPORT, and picking up his tux. I am so excited for this week....it's finally here!

marriage license drama...

Well, we are eights days away from the wedding and today's major task was to apply for the marriage license. Gotta love Flint Town....the website was completly wrong about what documents were needed. Good thing I called to find out and Andy's mom was able to overnight the correct document to me. Well we get to the courthouse to apply and walking to the elevator I saw one of my student's parents with a baby. I greeted her and asked who the little one was...her reply this is my surprise baby, she's 16 days old. I found out I was pregnant the day before she was born. WOW....we got on the elevator and saw another parent of students I had worked with. I filled out the application and then proceeded to the counter where the lady told me Andy's birth certificate wasn't correct and she had to get her supervisor to approve it. I asked how can it not be correct when that is what they issed at birth? The supervisor approved "against her better judgement" as she put it. Then we find out they only take cash or checks so my dad had to run over to the bank across the street to get the money. Yes, my dad paid for me to get married...lol. He got back just in time before they closed and had to actually pass the money through the door to me cause they locked him out. Now, tell me why they make it so hard to get a license. I understand that they have to make sure we aren't related or married or all that stuff....but come on really? O well...at least we are one step closer to being married.

11 days away....

Red Sox vs. Tampa Rays...Stadium #2 for us!



Our new furniture!

Our soon to be family... this was right after I got there....all of our shower gifts were in the room.

It is hard to belive we are 11 days away from our wedding. After an incredible time in Florida I have made it back to Flint to get the final details set for OUR WEDDING DAY.

I am totally amazed at the ways God has blessed us in this time of preperation. From all the deals we got on wedding stuff and vendors to getting a job in Venice. God amazes me and his faithfulness is evident through this job opportunity. I had given up on my search for a job in Florida the week before I was scheduled to fly back to Michigan when the office manager at the church in Venice came across a newsletter from a Christian Counseling agency who was looking to expand and needed professionals. I called the agency right away and was amazed that they were looking and praying for someone who was trained in working with children and families. We set up a time to meet and I was hired at the interview. It was so evident that this is the place that God had for me to work and be involved in ministry. I am delighted to be one of the therapists working with a great team of professionals and Christians. I am already praying for the clients I will serve in this new job...I look forward to starting after the honeymoon.

I am inlcuding some pictures from this summer and I figured I should update the blog before we actually get married. Excitment doesn't even begin to describe how I am feeling 11 days away from the wedding. I can't wait to be Andy's wife! While I was in Florida we spent lots of time working on setting up "our place." The best part was shopping in thrifty way and finding so many good deals.

More updates to follow as we get closer to Wedding Day!

Some of our teens at our house before I came back to Michigan. Such a great group of teens!

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.