Sunday, May 30, 2010

Prayer Request-House

Please pray for our house to sell. There is an offer in on it, but we're now waiting on the banks approval on the short sale. Please pray for favor with the bank. We'd like to be able to 'fully engage' here, and to also not have to pay a mortgage there + rent here. Thank you so much. We're so thankful for you all.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Family. Dodge House. Holy Humid.



This past weekend I went up to Maple Grove, Minnesota (suburb of Minneapolis) to visit my brother Jordan. Our Mom drove over from ND, so we had fun little weekend of checking out Jordan's new city. It's BEAUTIFUL! We looked at shops, ate yummy meals and went on a GORGEOUS hike on this path that makes you feel like you're in the middle of no-where but we were in the middle of town! It was so neat and SO HUMID!! (We missed you Landon and Dad!!) Jeff then came up on Sunday afternoon with Mark (Arant) and some guys who are recording a worship album, and he was able to hang out that night with us! Then Monday morning we headed back to Ames (a 3 hour drive).(Mom's drive is more like 7 hours so not a quick little trip for her.) It was VERY fun to hang out with FAMILY!!! It's been 6 years since I had the opportunity to just 'drive' to see them!
Last night was our first night at the Dodge's house. Our car is unpacked into the closet and we can 'carry' people in our car now! Rollin' in the Honda. No more prying out clothes from the hanging rack, no more panicking if the doors are locked cause our TV is in the backseat, and no more only having 1 passenger!! (One Sunday after church, Jeff and I had to share the passenger seat cause Mark needed a ride home...not very cozy, or safe. But I guess it would've been worse if either of us had to sit on Mark's lap. :S)
Jeff finished his papers and tests!!! Thank you for the prayers! He put in some LONG days last week, he poor brain was exhausted. One of the days he left the house at 7am and got home at 11:45pm and then couldn't sleep cause he couldn't shut off his mind. Sounds like torture to me. I think he's finally getting 'caught up' on sleep and I know he's VERY relieved to be done with this semester of Seminary. I'm very proud of him and how hard of a worker he is, I can learn a lot from him.
The weather had been rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny. HUMID.HUMID.HUMID-WOW. It's a lot like being in Brazil, except there, we're on mission trips and it's good to get sweaty and dirty cause you're 'on a mission trip'. Well, not so good here. (boys-this next part may be boring for you) All my "products" are for dry, desert weather where extra moisture is good for your skin. I've been glowing, not 'glistening' all cute-like but greasy-holy-get-control over yourself, you look like a teenager with new types of hormones-like. Time to start experimenting with new products. I feel like those last few sentences were pretty vulnerable and I just exposed my diary, but hey, I'm just being honest.
I am enjoying this place called Iowa, and we're excited get rolling with each new step. Thanks for your prayers through this month, we appreciate each of you and miss you all!!!

PS-Jordan, sorry this is the only 'normal' pic of you from the 100 we took on Photobooth!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Iron Man in Iowa



So we've now been here in Ames for a week and 3 days. This of course isn't our ending destination so it's tricky (for me at least), there isn't any point in me going out and 'exploring' the city, cause this isn't where we'll be living. So I'm happy I've brought along my pictures from the last 5 years that need to be written on and put into albums. That's what I work on most days. I feel like I sound like I live in a nursing home.

We have been staying with Mark and Leatha Arant (this is the couple that we'll be doing the church plant with, Mark is Jeff's "childhood friend".) and their 5 kids-Ava 8, Cameron, 7, Beck almost 5, Makai 2.5, and Jett will be 1 in July. Yep 5 Kids!! How fun! There isn't a dull moment! I've taken kids running in the jogger (that a stroller with big wheels for those of you that don't know) for a great workout, and I've even taken the mini-van for a spin to Target! My life is different these days that's for sure!

The first 6 days we were here it was raining and dreary so that was sort of depressing by day 4.5 I was wondering WHAT DID WE DO?!?! BUT then the SUN came out and it was oh-so-glorious! Kids, adults, lawn mowers were all outside, the whole city of Ames was rejoicing!!! Singing instead of talking, it was like a big musical. Ok, maybe that isn't totally true, but that's what was going on in my head.

Jeff has been busy finishing up this semester of seminary. In 8 days he had 2 finals and 2 research papers due. At this point he's finished 2 finals and .5 of the papers. Did I mention the papers are due by tomorrow eve? He could use your prayers. I don't think his mind has even be able to wrap around the fact that we're here yet. He's had a few staff meetings with the Iowa City crew, which have gone well. I think they were working on coming up with a name for the church. I think they have it, but won't release it until it for sure...I LOVE it though! It's sort of fun, the whole group of people that are moving to Iowa City are all sort of in the same place as us...staying with people, half of their lives packed away, looking for places to live etc etc.

Jeff and I went on a 'date' the other night. We don't technically call them dates, but I'm calling it what it was. :) We had dinner and then went to Iron Man 2. Afterwards we stopped at Dairy Queen for a cone (ok, I got a million dollar peanut parfait but I had thought of those the other day and REALLY wanted one) and while we were sitting in the drive-thru line, Jeff discovered this light that I had packed in the car as a 'reading light' while traveling across the country (ok, that's what my second thought was, my reason it was in the car, was cause I ripped them from our house. they were underneath lights on our cabinets, and they are now in our car. Ok. I feel honest.) and the picture above is what came of it. We laughed alot while trying to get the perfect picture. He's fun to be married to.




I Ashley promise to you...

Welcome to our blog. I'm VERY hesitant writing this thing because of MANY things I will list them here: 1.) I'm not a talented writer so for me this is not a 'show you how talented I am at writing' sort of thing. I have no desire to write a book so I'm not trying to show off. :) 2.) I know thousands of people (ok, maybe not thousands, a few, but I'm trying to be dramatic here...) who start a blog, do one post then never ever post to it again. I will do my BEST to not be that person. 3.) We don't have kids yet, but I promise that when we do I won't pretend they are the first to do anything. 4.) We don't have pets. period. If by some random chance I'm STILL writing this blog when we do get pets, I promise to not write FULL posts on our pet. It's a pet people. 5.) I don't like to read over things that I've written so if they sound random...they are. :)

Hmmm. Yes. I feel good about post 1.