Friday's Favorite

Just Dance 2

I just spent the last three hours of my life playing Just Dance 2. Definitely the best purchase I have made in  2011. Not only is it hilarious watching Scott get his groove on, it is incredibly fun, and it burns some major calories. I have a feeling this game is going to be in my new workout plan and is going to dominate my weekend. 

Life List

1. Learn how to knit.
2. Take a photography class.
3. Run a 1/2 marathon.
4. Adopt children.
5. Go white water rafting.
6. Bake snicker doodles that compete with Edda Venable's.
7. Be in the audience at the Ellen Degenere's Show.
8. Swim with dolphins.
9. Be in a breakfast club.
10. Become a great teacher.
11. Try sushi.
12. Visit the Bahamas with my husband again.
13. Become involved in the fight against sex-trafficking.
14. Go apple picking in an orchard. 
15. Grow a garden.
16. Become a mother.
17. Go whale watching.
18. Visit the Holy Land.
19. Take a cake decorating class.
20. Overcome my fear of riding a bike in Chicago.
21. Go whale watching.
22. Become a regular at a restaurant. 
23. Sing in a karaoke bar. 
24. Travel by train.
25. Go camping in Montana.
26. Have a pen pal in another country.
27. Create and maintain family traditions.
28. Go on an African safari. 
29. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center.
30. Become foster parents. 
31. Help plant churches in the Middle East.
32. See The Lion King on Broadway.
33. Learn to play the piano. (own a piano)
34. Ride an elephant in India.
35. Stay up to see the sun set and rise.
36. Bury a time capsule.
37. Join a book club.
38. Run in central park.
39. Fall in love. 
40. Own all of the seasons of The Office.
41. Teach people English.
42. Visit all seven continents.
43. Begin a ministry to strippers/prostitutes in Chicago.
44. Live in a RV traveling around the country.
45. Go to Disney World.
46. Make Muslim friends.
47. Witness life transformation through the power of Jesus Christ in Wicker Park, Chicago, and throughout the world.
48. See the Northern Lights.
49. Visit Nigeria Falls.
50. Own an Australian Shepherd.

This is only 1/2 of my list, because I know throughout my life  many more things will come to mind. I may or may not have the opportunity to accomplish this list, but I have at least documented some of what I am aiming for! :) 

"Goals that are not written down are just wishes." -Unknown

Change is for the Birds

I don't like changes.

Not at all.

But not all change. The kind when you get attached to people or environments and it all the sudden comes to an end.

I was the kid who hated when youth camp was over. The feelings of emptiness soon arrived when the people I spent the week bonding with went back to their normal everyday routines. It took me a couple weeks to get adjusted to normal life again.

In college, I always tried to be the first one to leave on long breaks. I did not like to see my friends leave me behind in my once full, but now empty college dorm room.

I don't even like it when characters from my favorite shows die off or leave. It leaves a little void in my heart.

I cried on and off for a week after my mom left Chicago. She drove with us and stayed for a week helping us unpack. The apartment had been filled with her personality, laughter, and love. All the sudden it felt so empty once she was gone. I remember Scott looking at me wail with confusion on his face. He then suggested we just get out of the apartment for a while.

Yet, change is on the horizon again. My co-worker, Alyssa,  is moving to Missouri. And although, I have only known her since September, I have gotten attached and am sad to see her go.  Our classroom is not going to feel the same without her.

I just finished my first teaching class and although I thought I would be rejoicing, I am a little sad. In such a short time, I got attached to my classmates and teacher and now it has all come to an end. Sure there will be other classes, but not with the exact same people, environment and bond.

Maybe I'm a weirdo. Maybe this is a woman thing? Maybe it's an Ashley thing. My husband thinks I am crazy.  Maybe I just get attached to people quickly. I don't know...

What I do know is that "change is the only consistent." It is part of life, so I guess I have to deal with it. I know that change produces growth, but sometimes I want to hold on to things just the way they are.

Project 31: Day 27

Day 27.  Write a blog to encourage someone and build their confidence!

This is my dear friend Mallory. We are a little crazy & love to have fun.

Lately Mal has been such a source of wisdom and encouragement for me. She is a first year PreK teacher and wife of a youth minister and is awesome at them both! God has gifted her in so many ways and she glorifies Him by doing her very best in everything she does. I am so thankful to have her as a friend. Thank you for answering my 1,000 teaching questions! I love you and am very proud to be your friend!

The Beauty in Letting Go

One great piece of marriage advice came from a 70+ year old woman who had been married close to fifty years. She advised me along with a group of church planter's wives to, "lay our husbands on the alter before the Lord." She meant for us to commit to the Lord to not hold our husbands back from anything Christ has called them to do. She warned that it will involve many sacrifices as she had spent many weeks raising her children on her own while her husband was away. She assured that there would be financial sacrifices involved. Yet, she reminded us that the stretching process will bring growth & joy in the Lord.

Later that afternoon I committed before the Lord & Scott to support and encourage him in anything that the Lord was leading him to do. When I stand before our precious Lord one day, I want to be able to say I released Scott to be used for His Kingdom and to be able to witness the fruit of this decision. I am encouraged, challenged, and grateful for women who have done this and are doing this now, whether it be husbands serving abroad, traveling, or any other circumstance God has called them to. I believe we will all see the eternal purpose one day and that the Kingdom will benefit.

I write this now with a thankful and joyful heart to the Lord who takes such good care of me. When surrendering Scott to the Lord (letting go of what was truly His in the first place) I worried about his safety, the lonely nights ahead, the potential strain on our relationship, and being all alone in this great big city. Yet, I have experienced quite the contrary. I have come to understand deeper the quality of God as my Father who takes care of his daughter. He has put us in an apartment where I feel secure being alone. We have been blessed by meeting some wonderful and trustworthy people I know I can call if ever needed. The nights that Scott are away remind me that God is using us for His purposes and I am blessed to be a part of it. 

Friday's Favorite

No alarm clock Saturday!

There is something magical about going to bed knowing I can sleep as late as my little heart desires.