Well things didn't work out for the lung transplant so keep praying that new ones come along.

I went and saw that movie 21 today for my Dad's birthday. It is definitely not a movie I would have ever seen on my own but it was really good. It made me want to go to Vegas... not to count cards, but to just go. I love Vegas! I want to go again at some point now that I am over 21, it might be a whole new experience. Anyways, it is worth seeing so go see 21.

Pray Tricia gets her new lungs and pray for the donor's family.

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Dear Lord be with both of these families.

Well I had a house guest last week. Yeah that's all I want to say about that.

I do however want to pat myself on the back for keeping my apartment clean for one whole week!!

Finally I want to tell anyone who lives in the Houston area that you have to go to Ruggles in Rice Village and get some of the most amazing desserts in the entire world. They have a Oreo Cheesecake and Chocolate Creme Brulee Cheesecake that is like an orgasm on a plate. Seriously people, check it out.

My mom doesn't have breast cancer. That is the best news I have heard in a long time. It is certainly an answer to prayer that she is healthy. It is awful not knowing. But we got good news today so we can breathe a little easier now.

Thank you to anyone who was praying for her.

Prayer Request:
-Daddy stays healthy
-Bobe (brother)
-I find a job
- I get financing for summer school
-I decide what to do about my teacher certification
- I get the internship at Early Childhood Intervention

I have been on a diet; I mentioned below that I have lost about 25 lbs so far. But today was an awful food/diet day for me. At lunch my mom and I went to eat Mexican food at a local restaurant, and it was awesome! Usually eating a big meal like that would be enough to get me through the rest of the day without eating anything else. But this afternoon my best friend came into town from Dallas for a business conference in Houston. So when you have a house guest there is pressure to be a good host and entertain them. Well she was starving so we went to Chili's for dinner. So today I had 2 huge meals today and that is the most I have eaten in MONTHS! And boy to I feel like POOP! I am so full and gross. If I didn't have homework and it wasn't so late, I would want to go run around the block to work some of this food off!

The first classes after Spring Break are awful. My classes meet once a week for 3 hours a class period. And both my classes went the full hours tonight. It was the longest 6 hours of my life. I felt like the night was never going to end. Professors need to realize we are out of practice of sitting that long. Geez would it kill you to give us a break! I seriously was beginning to think I was never going to get out of there. And my last class professor had the bright idea to play a movie for the last 30 minutes of class. Are you kidding me! It was like 9:30 pm and people were having to stand against the wall to not fall asleep! If I ever teach in the college setting, I will remember to keep the class after a break short!!

My house is clean, I cannot believe it!! I am seriously the messiest person ever. I know it is terrible to say that but it is the truth. My apartment was messy and filthy and I was totally OK with it. But I am having a house guest this week so it had to be cleaned. Luckily my mommy loves me and came over this morning to help me clean. Now my place looks AWESOME! It is shining!! I had to promise me that I would make a sincere effort to keep it clean. I want to keep it clean, honestly I do. But it is hard to be motivated to clean when the mess doesn't bother me. This idea is completely foreign to my clean freak mother (and I mean "clean freak" in a good way). I need to be a good housekeeper, because like my parents say, "No one will marry you with a messy house"!

"Everyone needs compassion. A love that's never failing. Let mercy fall on me. Everyone needs forgiveness. A kindness of a Savior The hope of nations.
Savior He can move the mountains. My God is Mighty to save. He is Mighty to save. Forever Author of salvation.
He rose and conquered the grave. Jesus conquered the grave.
So take me as You find me All my fears and failures. Fill my life again I give my life to follow Everything I believe in.
Now I surrender. Shine your light and let the whole world see. We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus"- Might to Save, Hillsong United

Church was awesome this morning and the music was awesome too. It definitely hit the spot and it was what I needed. After church we went to my parent's house and had a great lunch. It was nice to be together as a family. My whole extended family lives in the Houston area but still we rarely all see each other. I know we are all busy with our own lives but I wish we were all closer and spent more time together. I shouldn't complain... at least I have a family to be with.

Happy Easter Ya'll!

"Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live forthemselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

Luke 24:46-47
(46) and (Jesus) said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, (47) and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations

Romans 8:11
(11) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you

Wow a year can change a lot. Last Easter I spent my weekend alone. On Easter Sunday I served with my wonderful 2 year olds at The Cove Church and then went home to eat my Bojangles. I remember I was so sad that I was all alone. All my friends in NC went home to be with their families and its not that they didn't ask me to come along, but anyone who has been an orphan in a state alone knows that it doesn't always help to be an add in at someone else's family functions. I desperately wanted to be with my family. I spent quite a few holidays alone last year. Money issues made it hard to fly home as much as I would have liked. But now this year my Easter weekend if off to a great start. Today I went to lunch and shopping with my dad (oh and FYI I bought a size smaller pants today! woohooo go me! 25lbs down, and still a lot more to go!). I got to help my mom pick out an outfit to wear to church and I loaned her one of my new shirts. And on Sunday, my grandparents, Uncle Mark and Uncle Phil, and my parents and I are going to church at Second Baptist-North. Then that is all followed by lunch at my parents house. I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate with my family.

Matthew 28
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

Warning this post is completely cliche

The Notebook is detrimental to single women. I have been watching this movie tonight and it makes me all weepy and believing that there are fairy tales out there. I truly want a love story like Noah and Allie's that is full of unending romance, love and passion. More importantly I desperately need to believe that a relationship like that can really happen. I have to have faith that it will happen to me. I have told people a thousand times that I am going to be that girl that falls in love at first sight and I will live happily ever after with my romantic loving passionate husband. So please don't tell me that love doesn't happen like it does it The Notebook. I need to believe it.

I leave with some lyrics to my favorite Jonny Diaz song, "Other Guys" (You can get it on iTunes and trust me it is an awesome song for the single ladies)

"So you're looking for a rescue, valiant knight on noble steed Well, did you know that I like horses? Unless that's not quite what you mean. Girl you're looking for a hero and what you're looking for I've got. But if modesty's a turn on. Let me tell you what I'm not. Cause I'm not like those other guys that just hit on you and feed you lines. But may I say you're looking fine tonight? Well, I love my mom and you know I cried when I saw The Notebook seven times but if that is not what you desire, get that out of your mind. Did I tell you you're looking fine tonight?"

I am such a good student. I have been sitting here at my computer writing my classroom environment paper, which by the way isn't due until next Tuesday, but I am having an ethical dilemma. The assignment calls for determining the strengths and weaknesses of the classroom environment as well as use pictures to determine what areas you would change. Well since I am not in my own classroom, I had to take pictures of my field experience room but I feel guilty for criticizing someone else's classroom. Who am I to judge someone else's choices. I know that the mentor teacher will never read my paper but I still feel guilty. So I have to chose between be nice for the sake of my conscious or doing the paper correctly and being a little harsh. It is a silly problem but it is bothering me. Anyone who has ever been in the school of education at a college knows that the field experience requirements are very imposing on the mentor teacher and her classroom. I just feel like I am such a pest when I am there! I need to get over it because I have to go and the teacher agreed to have me observe in there..... still it is just awkward sometimes.

I went through my blog posts a minute ago, and I noticed a distressing theme.

"My life is boring"

I need to quit saying that and do something about it. But I really don't know how to do that.

I am committing myself to make a sincere effort to fixing that.

I am totally sucking at being a good poster. But my life is incredibly boring, no seriously... BORING. I was hoping to get some quality pool float sun time this week, but it is typical Texas weather and it looks like it will be storm central here. So much for a Spring Break tan, well a natural tan... because don't you worry, Darque Tan here I come. Orange is the new tan, right?

So the remaining days of my break will be filled with paper writing, journal writing, and powerpoint presentation... grad school sucks sometimes. See this picture is my crazy homework face... pity me... hahaha... not really.... but too much homework really makes me feel crazy!

Oh boy here I go with my teenage whining again...

Enough... Stop....Go Be Productive....

Ok, that was my pep talk.... I feel better already :)

Prayer Requests:

- My Mom

-I need a part time job

- Bobe

-Daddy

-Pops staying happy

- School issues

-Tricia

-Nate

-Gwyneth

I am not a teenager and I don't want to sound like a whining child, but this week is spring break and I am really bummed that I am not going on some fabulous trip. I had plans to go visit Robbie in New York, but after some unexpected financial events I made the choice to save money and not go. I am an adult now and I need to make good choices. However there is still part of me who wants to whine and have a poor me pity party. I would love to spend next week in the city doing wonderful exciting things. But not I will be sitting here in good ole Texas, spending my days writing papers and cleaning the house. So while next week holds nothing but boredom for me, I need to remember that last year I did not have Spring Break. I need to be grateful for what I got.

Dear Mr. Flu,

Please stay away until Friday. After Friday I have the whole next week off. Just give me 1 more day until you release your attack on me.

Thank you for your consideration,
Ashley

Some of the blogs that I read are "high profile" (I don't know if that is the right word but I don't know what else to call them). These sites have received over a million hits and get hundreds of comments a post, but what drives me nuts with these blogs are that some of the comments are so negative and hateful. Bloggers are just people who put their life out there to share it with who ever wants to read it, but that does not give people the right to criticize them or make judgements. Just because they are putting their feelings and actions out in the public does not mean that they owe us anything. You are choosing to read their life and you have the right to hate them, curse them, talk bad about them, or judge but you do not have the right to comment those feelings to them. Keep it to yourself. I hope the mean negative commenters realize that their hatefulness does no good and it just hurts. I'm sorry but a mean comment is not going to change a person's life; it will just make them feel bad. It will never be ok to me for a person to make another human being feel bad on purpose. On one blog I read, there has been a discussion about choices. But what those commenters are forgetting is that life is all about choices and if you disagree with a person's choice then you have a choice to not read their blog. I mean seriously people if you feel that strongly against what a person is blogging about or how they live their life, GET OFF THEIR BLOG! And lets not forget if you feel that strongly that a person is not living their life right and making poor choices, then you should be praying for them to receive God grace in their life. But if you don't have God's grace in your life, then I will be praying for you.

Alright, I am off my soapbox now. And if someone stumbles on here and disagrees with my post, please be gentle I am very sensitive. :) No seriously, I am. I would probably cry if someone was mean to me. Those "high profile" bloggers are a lot braver than me and they must have the toughest skin to put up with all that. This is my page and I can put whatever I want on here. So keep your judgements to yourself or post about me on your blog. Oh and one more thing. If you still feel the need to be a negative mean commenter on blogs, then you need to have done 2 things. 1. You must have a blog yourself or at least a blogger account 2. Use your name, give a link to your blog or your email so that the one that you were judging will have the opportunity to reply to you.

Thanks for listening.

Now let the cursing of Ashley begin.... although no one really reads this, but I feel better having put it out there.

I have problems sleeping as it is... but I keep stumbling on these awesome blogs that keep me reading for hours. Blogs are only making my mixed up sleeping patterns worse. But I am really learning a lot from them. Stuff that I didn't know that I needed to know. They are truly a blessing.

Good Night Ya'll

OK so this blog is going to jump from when I graduated from Baylor in December of 2004 to now. Lots of things have happened since then. Here is a quick list of what.

• Moved to Mooresville, North Carolina in 2005- Moved back to Texas in August of 2007. I love North Carolina but Texas is my home and where my family is.
• I spent 2 misguided years working at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and now I am following my passion.
• I began working on my Master's degree in Aug of 2007
• I want to be a Pre-K teacher or work for Early Intervention Services here in Kingwood.

I learned a lot from my two years away from home but I am so glad to be back near my family. Right now, I am just trying to concentrate on what God is doing in my life and wait for for what he has in store for me next.

I have recently become a lurker on a lot of blogs, so I have resurrected my old blogger account from college so I am comment on those blogs and not be a scary anon. poster.

These blogs I have been reading are so inspiring, funny, entertaining, and a true testament to living life according to God's will. I am hoping to do the same with my blog. My life is by no means interesting, exciting, or tragic, but I do live my life daily struggling to be a righteous Christian woman.

I hope that if anyone who stumbles onto this blog will read it and see that I am just doing my best and living life with what I got. And if anyone who reads the older parts of this blog, remember that I was in college and young...and pretty ridiculous. Don't judge me by my college posts! :)

Oh and FYI, I am the worst speller. And spell check doesn't always catch my mistakes! And I have added AdSense because I am a full time student living off student loans. Any little bit of extra money that could come my way would be a blessing and keep me out of bankruptcy. If you see something interesting, then click on them, but if you don't then don't click.