Christmas Joy

I know it's been a long time since I've posted. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to keep my blog current! Today has been a wonderful celebration of family and Christmas. Here is a photo recap of the day:

birthday cake

the tree

special ornaments

presents

Merry Christmas!!

And we're back....

The last 8 weeks of our lives have been a complete blur!

First of all, we did it! We got married July 9th. It was the day of my dreams and the wedding of a lifetime. I married the love of my life and my best friend!! Thank you to all our friends and family who helped us, encouraged us, supported us and were there for us during our wedding. It was simply fabulous! But more on this to come...

We just got back from our beautiful honeymoon to Hawaii. It was incredibly fun but the overall feeling right now is exhaustion. There's only so much you can see and do in 10 days! We are so thankful to our parents for the sending us on this trip and for helping keep the home front intact while we were gone (i.e. house sitting, taking the car to the shop, running our errands and taking care of our puppy!). I'll be posting pics as soon as I can figure out how to set up a Flickr account!

Normal life. Routine. These are words I have been dreaming of for the last few days. I'm ready to get back to the real world and do "real" things. My OCD kicked in big time during the multiple flights home. I have a to-do list a mile long and note after note in my iPhone. (Speaking of....anyone have any great apps they use for organization on their phone??). I have a ton of follow up to do, emails to return, phone calls to make and thank you notes to write. So on that note, it's off to bed to prepare for the full week ahead!

Aloha my friends :)

Fast and Furious

Only a few weeks have passed since my last post but it honestly feels like years have come and gone. My world is spinning faster than I can keep up and I'm loving every minute of it (well....most of the time).

I was blessed to share a wonderful Easter weekend with my beautiful family. It was so nice to be together, laugh, talk, play and work on wedding details. We got so much accomplished in those few days and it was wonderful to be just "us" again.

Wedding details are overwhelming but fun. Things are definitely coming down to the last minute and we are furiously pulling it all together. We have also been working hard on our new house, trying to make it livable before July. There's much to be painted, torn down, put up, changed, sanded, fixed, etc. We are doing it little by little though.

There's so much more to share, but I just don't have time to now! I'll try to post some pictures of the house, wedding details and some of our engagement pics.

Love to all!

-Ashley

Music to Share

Thought I would share the link to an iMix that I'm finding particularly inspiring right now! A church I love (found here) is currently doing a 21 day fast and they have produced multiple resources for those participating in the fast. Although I'm not currently participating in this fast, I have definitely taken advantage of the (free!) resources they've provided.

The iMix can be found here. Other resources offered are here. I'm not sure how long these resources will be available, so be sure to download soon!

-Ashley

Busy Times

The past few days of our lives have been extremely busy but exciting. We started the weekend with a quick trip to St. Louis to watch my sister perform with her college and do a live recording. It was wonderful to see my sister and spend time with my family! I really do miss my family so much right now.

After the flying 2 day trip to STL, we came back home just in time to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. We also met my brother-in-law's new girlfriend and we absolutely adored her! Definitely would love to see her become part of the family :)

Sunday was full of church activities, youth staff meetings and the time change. I absolutely HATE it when the time changes. My internal clock is already so out of whack and "springing" that clock forward definitely did not help anything!

Monday, we traveled to Nate's hometown to register for wedding gifts and houseware. It was an overwhelming and fun experience. I'm definitely looking forward to registering at some more stores!

Monday night and tonight have been extremely busy in the ER. A ton of sick kids and crazy parents. But that seems to be the life of the ER :)

On a sad note, a fellow nurse in the ER lost her only daughter yesterday in a car accident. The daughter left behind 3 young children. It's sobering when you are face to face with unexpected death of those close to you. Prayers for her family would be appreciated.

Today (or really yesterday) was my birthday! It's the first birthday I've had where I've worked my entire birthday. Love the life of an adult. It honestly never felt like my birthday because I worked the night before, slept all day and am back at work tonight. I did get lots of Twitter, Facebook and texting love though. I'm so thankful to my friends and family for making it a special day for me. My sweet fiance gave me beautiful and thoughtful gifts and then took me out to my favorite restaurant. I couldn't have asked for more!

Now, I'm heading back into the madness of the ER. I just wanted to give a quick update! I'll be sure and post more details and pictures later.

-Ashley

Busy, Busy, Busy

Today has been quite a productive day at my house. I sit here typing with my sweet puppy in my lap and my belly full of goodness (I actually cooked for the first time in weeks!). Btw, if you need good recipes, I strongly recommend MyRecipes. It's a fabulous site full of wonderful recipes for every cook, from the experienced to the novice.

I woke up quite late this morning, 2 hours after my alarm was set to go off!! Normally, I wake up with the first alarm and begin my day. But since I've started working nights, my body is completely off its internal clock. I rarely hear alarms anymore and I sleep for 10-12 hours at a time. It's quite scary not knowing if I'll wake up in time to get things accomplished, or even make it to work on time! Before night shift, I used to be a part of the 5 o'clock club. During nursing school and while I was a day shift nurse, I would frequently get up early to spend time with my Savior before going into work or about my day. It made such a huge difference in my everyday life, my attitude and my personal relationship with the Lord. I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate this into my night schedule yet, but I'm trusting that somehow it'll happen. Or that I'll get moved to a day shift position. Either one will work for me!

Wedding plans are continuing full speed ahead now. I managed to get in touch with all my bridesmaids with important details, talk with the photographer, get with musicians and schedule dates with my florist/decorator. Whew! Planning a wedding is a lot of hard work and it's soooooo time consuming. There are days that I wish I had thousands of dollars to pay someone else to worry about all these little details.

When Nate and I started planning for the wedding, we both wanted an extravagant affair. However, after considering our options and the large amount of money that weddings cost, we started to scale back. We both agree that there are other more important things we would like to spend our money on (such as our house!). I also have been feeling very convicted about spending so much money on trivial things when there are people in this world who have true needs like shelter, food, clothing, healthcare, etc. We are desperately trying to find the balance between a nice wedding we will we both enjoy and being financially wise.

Speaking of being financially wise, I have recently started trying to organize my finances using Quicken and Mint. I am, admittedly so, not a money person. I've never managed money well and it has always managed me. So in light of being a good steward, I am following the advice of my mentors and getting some help! This has not been an easy process. However, I know that my efforts to be a good steward will be blessed!

I've also been trying very hard to create order in other parts of my life. This does not come naturally to me and I envy those of you who have that knack for organization! *ahem...mom* It seems that everything in my life is constantly piling up. Doctor's appointments, finding a new dentist, insurance, renewing my driver's license, getting my address changed, new cell phone plans, volunteering at the church, getting B groomed and healthy, pre-marital classes, starting an exercise program (does Wii Fitness count?), eating healthier (I bought V8 fruit juice last night), getting my daily water in, quitting Dr. Peppers, grocery shopping, cooking and planning meals, cleaning my house (I recently discovered Seventh Generation products, which I love!), planning the remodel on our house (thank God for HGTV) and trying to fit a full time job in the midst of all that as well. I get overwhelmed just writing this! I fear my to-do list will never be done.

Through this busy season my comfort is this: God orders the seasons of my life (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This season of "business" is no surprise to Him. So in preparation for the chaos tonight will surely bring, I'm headed to take a short nap!

-Ashley

The Last Three Years

The last three years of my life have brought many new seasons of change. Here's a quick recap:

2007:

-Graduated from nursing school

-Passed NCLEX to get my RN license

-Moved 3 hours away from my hometown (where I had lived for 19 years!)

-Internship in a PICU 1 hour away from my new home

-New friend-lationship with this guy named Nate

-Purchased an iPhone and began a life long relationship with Apple

-Decided the PICU wasn't for me and began a new job as a pediatric nurse in the "Boro"

-Friend-lationship with Nate takes some interesting turns and continues to grow

2008:

-Promoted to charge nurse at my new job

-Multiple trips with my family and friends

-Decide to become more involved with my new church family in the "Boro"

-After a DTR (define the relationship) Nate and I decide to move our relationship forward

-Offered a music minister position at the new church, which I accept

-Decide to go back to school to work towards a higher nursing degree and a minor in music

-Go to an "as-needed" position at work

-A good friend gets married in Louisiana

-Several close friends give birth to beautiful babies!

-Organize my first Christmas Cantata as a music minister, which is relatively successful

-Nate becomes a Student Pastor in a metro area

-Nate graduates from collage and I go with his family on a ski trip to celebrate

-We celebrate our first Christmas together

2009:

-I continue to go back to school

-I'm offered a job at my dream hospital and take an "as-needed" position in the ER there. The hospital is conveniently located in the metro area where Nate pastors.

-Life becomes chaotic as I juggle the responsibilities of school, living in two cities, a serious relationship and a job as Music Minister.

-I find the puppy of my dreams, fall in love and bring her home. Sweet Isabella Dora (known as Bella) is almost one year old!

-My best friend from nursing school is involved in a terrible accident and I rush back to my hometown to be by her side during recovery.

-My family decides to go on a cruise to Jamaica and we have a wonderful experience! The only downside was being away from Nate for several days.

-My sister (and best friend) moves several hours away to go to college. This is very very hard on both of us emotionally.

-A close friend is married!

-I decide to move to the metro to decrease the chaos that continually reigns in my life

-I move in with a friend, which proves to be the most interesting experience I've ever had.

-Decide to go full time at my dream hospital. I have a night shift schedule and try to cope with the changes that brings.

-Battle multiple bouts of homesickness being so far away from my family.

-Go with my family and Nate to Chicago for Thanksgiving. WE LOVE CHICAGO!

-A few weeks later, my family and Nate's family go on another skiing trip to New Mexico.

-During this vacation, Nate asks the most precious question of all....and I answer yes!

-We begin to furiously plan a summer wedding and I find the "perfect" dress

-Christmas is celebrated with both families and we welcome the new year with anticipation

2010:

-We begin house shopping

-We find a house and make an offer!

-I officially join youth staff and make efforts to become more involved in the church where Nate pastors.

-We purchase a house and become proud homeowners!

-I move into the house and we begin re-modeling plans

-Wedding plans are put on temporary hold as we become consumed with the house

-I get sick

-During my recovery, I decide to start a blog!

....And this should bring you up to date! This by no means conveys everything that we have gone through the in the last three years. There have been many moments of great sorrow, tragedy, laughter, frustration, change, goodness, and love. Every moment has lead us closer to each other and closer to our Savior. Despite the overwhelming amount of changes life has presented, He has kept me close and I know He is leading my path. Looking forward to sharing more!

-Ashley

My First Post!

Hello to blog-land! I decided to start this blog to keep our families and friends from far away up-to-date on our lives. Our lives are often so busy and we miss sharing the everyday details with the ones we love. So join me as I attempt to narrate our comings and goings! Love to all!

-Ashley