Weekend with good friends!

This weekend we had some dear friends from Chicago come into town for her baby shower. Of course, the weekend they came was the one weekend that the weathermen were right and we actually got alot of snow. The shower was a bit smaller than expected, but it was still a great time with friends. We are so happy for them and we cant wait to meet their new baby in April!

Shana's new talent--balancing things on her belly!

Playing in the snow!

Shana making a preggo snow angel!

Our AWESOME snowman!

Saturday morning--the boys had to dig our way out so we could make the journey to Brentwood for the shower

Chad busy shoveling snow

Me, Shana, and Brittany at the shower

Shana opening surprise gifts from her mom in South Africa

Shana opening burp cloths made by Brittany!

The diaper cake made by yours truly :)

The cake--it may not have been the most beautiful cake, but it sure did taste good!

Vandy loving on Shana's belly

Chad and Vandy--they were long lost best friends. Vandy loved Chad!

We had a great time, and hope to see our friends again soon--next time with a sweet little baby!

SNOW DAY!!!

First of all, I must say that one of the perks of being a school nurse is getting a snow day. Now, from my experience, usually they call a snow day and it never quite pans out, but today was different! We have about 2 inches right now and they are predicting 6-10! WOW! I can't remember the last time that we had that much snow! The best news is that not only was I off, but since Trev is a teacher he was off too! So we had a whole day to play in the snow and relax! We took Vandy out, and he had lots of fun! He couldn't decide what to do in it..play or eat it! As I type he is knocking the blinds at the back door because I think he wants to go back out. Here are some pics from our time in the snow...

YUM! I love licking the snow :) As long as its not yellow snow!

Vandy running away from Trev throwing snow!


Ash and Vandy!

Having fun and enjoying the snow day!

Puppies first significant snow!

Happy Birthday Trevor!!!

So... this post is a little late (I had a little trouble with my camera) but I figured better late than never! :)

10 days ago (Jan 14th) we celebrated Trevor's 25th birthday! I love when his birthday rolls around because it means that we are the same age for a few months! :) We celebrated by going to Newk's and then came back to the house for some yummy homestyle cake! I can't believe that we are both halfway to 50 now....ugh! Here are some pics from our fun night...

Me and Trev :)

Jeremy, Hannah, and Becca--Trev's long times friends from LCS

Pa and Ma Castle :)

The Laurie Family--some of our friends from church!

Me, Court, and Mom (and don't worry, I didnt have a baby secretly....that's my friend Gloria's baby, Lily)

Phil and Gloria--another couple friend from church. Phil and Trev are b-ball coaches together.

Hannah and Jude being sweet!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREV! I am so glad you were born 25 years ago! :) I love you!

Guest Post

Ok so when Ash started this blog thing I fully intended to partake at some time and use this space as an outlet for some of my thoughts. Well for the few of you guys that actually keep up with us you know that I have never actually done that. Well I am stopping by for a guest post and we will see how it goes from there. Since Ash posted some of her thoughts and goals for the New Year I figured I would do the same. Mainly for the purpose of someone being able call me out in an area I might be falling short in at some point.

First I want to do a short moment of reflection on the year that was 2009. 2009 brought many changes to my life. It was the first full calendar year that Ash and I existed as a husband and wife and every day that passed made me relish in the decision we made. I hate to be sappy but she really is my better half and I don’t even dare to think of where I would be without her by my side. We are quickly approaching 2 years and I cannot wait for the next 200. Ok that is totally unrealistic but I believe you get my point. I LOVE YOU BABE!!! 2009 also brought a major job change that allowed me to leave the customer service/phone rep world and enter the world of education. I am teaching/coaching/athletic directing at my alma mater. Its been a huge blessing and while sometimes I feel like I am drowning in my work load and am never going to make it to the weekend I truly enjoy my job and am so thankful to God for allowing me to be hired.

Ok so there are a thousand other things I could discuss about 2009 but I want to look ahead to the 10.

1^st I want to grow in my roles. I wear many hats at LCS/LCF. I could fill an entire bog about my job description but no one would believe me nor want to read it. As crazy as it might sound for those that actually know that extent of my work—I relish in it. I want all the work you can throw at me. However what I am tired of is too many times I skate by. I don’t pour myself into the situation for fear of failing and falling flat. I do not do failure well so too often I over-guard. I want to stop that. My Life Group deserves a well-prepared discussion not a half ass job. My classes deserve a teacher that has scheduled events to use the entire class and deepen their knowledge. Now is the time to fulfill the responsibilities and focus.

Sorry for the soapbox. Sometimes I have to preach at myself to hear myself.

2^nd I want to read more. This goes on many levels. I want to read more of the Bible. I am too often easily overcome with other things that my quiet time is forgotten. It is not the priority it MUST be. Not should be, MUST be. I must be grounded in His word. I want to read more on a professional level. I want to deepen my own knowledge in my subjects so that I can challenge my students at the level they need to be. I want to read more for pleasure. I am tired of TV. Give me a book and a couch and I will be happy. My wife might be upset because I will completely zone out but she will understand =)

3^rd I want to write again. I used to write all the time. Some of this was out of necessity while some of it was pure pleasure. Now I may not write for people to read but or anything that people want to read but I must write. I feel as though I am given some things that need to be on paper. Therefore I fully intend to make more appearances on this blog. I might bore the few of you that read this thing because I don’t post pics but maybe you will enjoy it.

Ok so there are a few of my goals for 2010. I could go on but I wont take up any more of your time. Most of you have probably quit reading anyways. That’s ok I don’t blame you. See you guys throughout the year.

Happy New Year!!!

Well it is officially a new year! We had a blast ringing it in with some old friends from college. A really close friend of mine, Shana, and her husband Chad came in town from Chicago, and we are so glad we got to celebrate with them! We went to Buca Di Beppo for dinner, which was really yummy! Trev and I had a sampler platter and it was so good! After that we went and hung out at a friends house, just waiting for the new year to arrive! Here are some pics from our night...

The whole group

Me and my friend Blaire

Me, Shana, and Brittany

Shana and I--how cute is her little pregnant belly! :)

The first pic of me and Trev in 2010!!!

We had a great night, and we can't wait to see what this new year will bring into our lives. 2009 was a really good year for us--we both got new jobs, it was our first full calendar year to be married, we took a couple of great trips and many more things.

Of course with the start of the new year comes new resolutions. Now, I am normally not the biggest "resolution" person because I feel like I always break them. But this year I really wanted to pick some things to work on throughout the year. So after much thought...here are my resolutions for 2010...

1. To become more efficient with our budget...more specifically to tithe better. I always have really great intentions, and we still tithe regularly, but I feel like my attitude about tithing is not where it should be. I want to be faithful to the Lord's commands and do it with joy and excitement. So for 2010, I am going to work on giving joyfully, and making sure we don't just give our "leftovers" to church.

2. To run 10 miles by the end of the year...now for anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a runner in the slightest so the fact that I am posting this publically is kind of a big deal. Even as I am typing I am reconsidering :) But, I really want to get in shape and I hear that running can be so therapeutic once you get past the plateau part. So I am going to try! I have already decided to run in a 5K in February, so that will be my first step!

3. To love others better...Now I realize that this is a really big goal, and it is one that we all should constantly be doing, but I wanted to put it on here to remind myself that this is something that I really want to improve on. I think I have a tendancy to judge others or get irritated about something someone else has done, when really I should be showing them Christ's love. So I want to make an extra effort this year to just love others--no matter what their circumstances are and no matter what their behaviors are. It seems so simple, but I know that I will definitely need the Lord's guidance and grace along the way!

So there you have it folks....my resolution list for the new year. Fairwell 2009 and welcome 2010!!! I can't wait to see where 2010 leads me and my family!

Ashley