Happy New Year

I guess you all expected a single girl in her late 20's to have big plans tonight......Well, I did but probably not the kind of big plans that you were thinking of. I am here at home with the family ringing in the New Year to a great big plate of chips and dips and some football. Yes, that's what I'm calling fun at this point. As I sit here tonight I have realized a few things.....First, of all this is my first "New Year's Eve" at home since I was too young to get plans together on my on. I usually spend this night with dear friends or the "significant other" that I'm with at the time making BIG, I mean, BIG plans for the coming year. I usually spend this night saying all the great things I am going to accomplish and the plans that I want to fulfill in the coming months. However, as I look back almost none of my plans have ever come to fruition. I never set really realistic goals for myself, or goals that I could really prayerfully do anything about. So, this year as I have looked back and began to think about 2009. I'm taking a little different perspective. I'm not going to plan on the diet I'm going on, or the man I'm going to marry, or even the next degree I might try to achieve. This year I'm going to stop and reflect for a moment on all that I've learned this year. The one thing that I have learned over and over in recent years is that "I'm not in control!" I wouldn't have chosen some things in my life to have turned out the way they have, but then again that's what I know! All that has been going through my mind in recent days is ...."when Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, and said ""Thus far has the lord helped us!""....Now I'm not a biblical scholar, hey I may be taking the verse way out of context for all I know, but to me right now I feel like it's almost as if my Jesus is saying "Ashley, baby I've always taken care of you, and I'm not going to abandon you now!" In a strange kind of way that gives me peace, so instead of writing out a list of New Year's resolutions or telling anyone of you readers out there what all I'm going to do this year I've decided on two things. I am going to work really hard to remember my Ebenezer stone 1 Samuel 7:12 because "thus far had the Lord help me.", and I am going to try to read the bible through in 2009. I guess this doesn't measure up to all the BIG plans I've had in the past, but that sure seems like enough from where I sit. I'll let the other plans be revealed to me along the way! Enjoy the Journey, ~Ashley~ Here is 2008 in review

Make a Smilebox scrapbook And Happy 21st Birthday Christopher!

Start Of School 2008 - 2009

Ashley has her classroom set up for the new year. She had to move classrooms again this makes twice in as many years. She has moved back to the room she moved from last year when she changed from third grade to second grade. We have unpacked about 38 boxes of stuff ,that she says she really really needs. Things from pencils, pens, paper, markers, posters and books and more books, she has so many books. The school district has opened new schools this year and moved the 4th graders back to the elementary schools. She is so excited to be meeting the new students and learning their names and what makes them tick, she talks about how sweet and precious they all are, she has 15 little ones this year in her class. This is her bulletin board, she added the students names to the board on gold stars as they arrived on meet the teacher day. As you can tell she even adds her sense of fashion to the bulletin board. You may not be able to tell from the picture but she added jewelery, lipstick and her face to the lady in black, I really thought she would have had a red dress, because we all know what she says about being dressed in red, ha ha.

Sick

The bug has hit the RackRoom. Ashley is at the doctor as I type this, we think she has strep throat. She went to school to get her sub plans ready for today and Friday. Ashley getting sick is not a suprise to us, she gets Sick every year the end of January first of February. Ashley is in a wedding next weekend so we got to get her well quickly.

Rick on the other hand is never sick, he isn't feeling good this morning either very seldom has a headache , but he has one since early yesterday morning.

So I'm asking that ya"ll keep them in your prayers today.

Happy Birthday, Ashley

A daughter is a gift of love; given from God above

A daughter is a joy forever.

A daughter may outgrow your lap,

but she will never outgrow your heart.

All the dreams I prayed you'd be,

are all the things you are.

You are loved for the little girl you were;

and the precious daughter you will always be.

It's truly a gift to have a daughter like you,

who grows more precious with the years!

A daughter is: the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

the hope and promise of the future.

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer!

Daughter, you're the young woman,

I dreamed you would one day be.

Author Unknown

Love Mama & Daddy

Happy Birthday

Tink!!