Easter 2009

I just uploaded these Easter pictures to Facebook. Just follow the link below!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2104799&id=51803609&l=19c351d1e7

Easter was great this year. It was the first year that Andy and I have spent in C.F., as we were driving back from Spring Break during Easter last year. We spent the morning at church, involved in a really great, warm, inspiring service. Once back from church, we had an Easter egg hunt in the apartment (as you can hopefully see from the pictures) and then finished the day with a lovely Easter feast. Two of my RAs who were around joined us and we had a great time, eating yummy food and enjoy one another. It was such a peaceful, fun weekend. Every holiday that Andy and I can spend here helps to make C.F. more of a home for us. Of course, we missed our family, as usual, but it was nice to have a relaxing weekend.

There are only 22 days until closing...not that anyone is counting! Okay, I am counting. And anxiously awaiting summer. I'm looking forward to taking the time to spend my energy on different things and r-e-s-t. And of course see family and friends! C.F. is such a great place in the summer! Plus, Andy will be here the whole summer, so I'm really looking forward to everything. We're both just working feverishly, trying to get as much accomplished as possible. I'm trying to take the time to slow down and enjoy everything, since I really have had a blessed year, with students and staff. 

Hope the pictures link worked!

In love and peace,

Ashleigh

Anxiously awaiting Spring

Oh...living in Northern Iowa. 

The week of Spring Break was so glorious in C. F.  A few days, I think the temperature reached 70 degrees! I was out and about, taking walks, getting the dog out, enjoying life, in awe of God's glorious creation. After convincing myself that I most definitely suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), considering how much BETTER I felt with a little warmth and sunshine, I was feeling good! 

Today, it's April 5. And there's about 2 inches of snow on the ground. Luckily, my heart has been filled with other things, like a wonderful worship service this morning and a relaxing end of the weekend with Andy to worry/complain/be sad about a spring hiatus. In fact, as Andy and were driving home from the grocery store, cursing he "stupid" weather, I was suddenly reminded that the snow was created by God. Brought to us by God. Intended for us, on this day, at this time. Instantly, I got over myself. Yes, it's colder than I would like. But the warmth will come again. It was just another example of my need to remember that everything is part of God's plan :-). Even when I think that a minute detail like snow on April 5 is unnecessary. 0:-). But, alas...it's not my plan!

In other news, Andy and I both anticipating the end of the semester. It's been a tough year for Andy and we could both use a restful summer. Right now we're trying to decide how to celebrate our first anniversary! I'm excited to have Andy here ALL summer (his first full summer in C.F.!) and can't wait to have a chance to spend my time in a different way at work. While I love the busyness and constant change during the school year, the most accurate description of my daily life is hectic. During the summers, I'm able to develop different skills and spend my time being more creative. 

Since I've used the word "anxious" twice in this post, I thought it was time to look up Scripture related to that topic (yet again...certainly not the first time I've looked to Scripture for guidance with anxiety. I think "anxiety" could be my middle name). Here is what stuck out:

"The Lord is with you when are with him. If you seek him, He will be found by you." 2 Chronicles 15:2

I love that passage because it reminds me time and again that when I take time and discipline myself to spend time with Scripture, my heart and mind are satisfied in a way that I can never find in anything else. And the good Lord knows I've tried my whole like to find other (usually destructive) ways to satisfy myself. Just this afternoon, I experienced this again. I have to admit that reading Scripture is routinely overwhelming. But this afternoon, as I opened my Bible, I found myself so eager to read. I ended up finishing Luke, a Gospel I had been reading for months. Praise God for giving me such a desire :-). 

Now I'm off to start my week with some Sunday evening meetings. 

In love and peace,

Ashleigh

New furniture

New dining table and chairs. The table has a self-storing leaf (it folds up and stays inside the table) that, when expanded, makes this a 54 inch square. Now we have plenty of room for our Thanksgiving family feasts!

Our new bed. 

Hand me those rose colored glasses, please

What a difference a few weeks make! A few weeks ago I was feeling totally out of balance. Work was insane, I wasn't focusing on the things I wanted to spend time on, etc. Luckily, things have slowed down at work and I've rededicated myself to taking time for the things I deem important. 

I continuously surprise myself at how quickly my perspective can change. One minute, I'm ready to throw in the towel. The next minute, I'm looking through the rose colored glasses again and everything is F-I-N-E.

I had a wonderful conversation with a dear friend last night that really reminded me of how blessed my life is! God is continuously doing a work in me and he often shows me that work through my dear friend Liz. As I've probably mentioned before, Liz and I are somehow cosmically connected, as we often face parallel things in our lives at the same time. But the other thing I love about our relationship is how, so beautifully, one of us can help the other, usually without even knowing it. Luckily for me, it's usually Liz helping me!  Her faithfulness has really challenged me to realign my own life and the benefits are indescribable.  Just last night we were talking about God's timing versus our own timing when I was able to share a story with her about a woman I know from my church who prayed for forty years that her husband would come to know Christ. FORTY YEARS! And, after forty years, this woman's husband's heart was changed. What's so interesting is that, in me sharing that story with Liz, I was reminded of the issue of God's timing. Here I am, trying to help out Liz, and I end up helping out myself. Or rather, God showed grace towards both of us simultaneously. How wonderful! The conversation of timing reminds me so quickly of this passage in Philippian's:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippian's 4:6-7

If there is one thing I'm great at, it's worrying about stuff. If it was a profession, I would be making a LOT of $$. I love this passage because it reminds me to stop wasting time worrying or making too many plans and instead immediately encourages me to bring my energy back to "prayer and petition, with thanksgiving".  Isn't that beautiful?

In other news, some things have fallen through with Andy's original school plans and he is now going to be finishing up in May 2010. While this was definitely something that we weren't expecting and seriously upset Andy (and me), it was amazing to see how God showed up in this situation too. I was recently talking to my dad about the possibilities Andy and I had discussed after hearing of his setback when my dad said "the door closed for a reason. You're supposed to stay at UNI for at least another year". What made this so unusual was that my dad is NOT the type of person to talk in this way. Usually, he just shrugs his shoulders and says "whatever". I knew immediately it was God working through my dad to remind me that His will is ever-present and I need to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to stay on the path. 

Other than all of that, things are great in Iowa. We're anxiously awaiting the spring thaw and Andy is gearing up for Spring Break. On Sunday he will head home for a week for a much deserved break. I'll stay in Iowa to hold down the fort. 

I'll try to put up some pictures soon. Our new furniture arrived a few weeks ago and I'd love to share! 

In peace and love,

Ashleigh (and Andy)

Balance your mobile...

Today I was talking to someone about how crazy life is and how out of balance I feel. Imagine it like a baby's mobile, with some objects like bricks, really pulling things down, and other objects way at the top, barely getting any attention. We were talking about how to balance that mobile out a little bit more and I kept going back to faith. Scripture. Discipleship. Among other things, I continuously struggle against my desire for instant gratification. If I want it, I want it N-O-W. So, in looking up scripture regarding contentment, I came across the following:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6

I need to remind myself to trust in the Lord with all my heart. It's the rational thinking I need to fall back on when things are out of balance. I want to be earnestly following the Lord and that journey begins by remembering that God will lead me in the right direction. I just need to be obedient. 

In peace and love,

Ashleigh

Progress Report

The start to 2009 has been incredibly busy! At the end of January UNI hosted the 19th annual RA Conference, of which I was part of the planning committee. It was a great time but an incredible amount of work. The following week we began RA interviews, which consisted of 28 hours of interviews in three days. By the beginning of the NEXT week (last week) we were finishing a different part of RA interviews when I told a candidate "in the last two weeks I've worked between 100-120 hours". At first, I couldn't believe it to be true. The time had gone so quickly. But, after adding it up, I realized that I had indeed logged 100+ hours in two weeks. Andy and I are thankful that things are slowing down, but we know the spring semester will continue to fly by. 

As the semester continues to speed down the tracks, it's important for me to take the time to reflect on how the year has started. I've got great plans for 2009 and want to make sure that I stay heading in the right direction. Below is a list of things I'd like to do/change during 2009. This is of course in addition to my NYRs, because, you know, I'm insane ;-).

1. Read more. Last year I didn't read much. This year, I want to finish at least 12 books.

2. Spend more time reading scripture/doing devotions. This hasn't ever been a pertinent part of my life but, as I grow in my faith, I crave time in the Word. As our minister mentioned today in the service we should "know God's promises well enough to pray them back to Him". It's a pretty lofty goal but something I want to be able to accomplish. For the last few months I have been trying to read scripture daily, although some weeks have been better than others. I want to focus on being consistent with that, as well as adding one to two days of devotions in there. I know that daily devotions may be a little ambitious for me, so starting off with a couple a week should be a good stepping stone.

3. I want to exercise consistently. While I've had periods in my life where I've considered myself "active", I haven't felt like that in a while. I want to exercise an average of 3-4 days a week this year. Also, I want to run a half marathon this year. I'm planning to run one in September. I've "talked" about running one before, but I really want to achieve this in 2009.

4. Stay in better touch with friends and family. As my life gets busier and my friends' lives take off in exciting directions, I want to be sure that I don't lose touch. Phone dates are going to be a must!

So, since these are the things I'd like to do, I figure I better report my progress regularly. So, here's where we are, approximately six weeks into the semester:

1. I finished Breaking Dawn in January, buzzed through Irresistible Revolution, although I wasn't able to finish it, and am currently reading My Sister's Keeper. 

2. I was reading scripture pretty consistently in January, but that has fallen away as life has gotten busy. I'm recommitting today. 

3. I hadn't been exercising very much, again because I was so busy. I did get two days in last week and plan to achieve 3 days of exercise this week. 

4. I'm feeling good about staying in touch with friends and family more. I've had phone dates with friends and have made a point to keep in touch with family more. I'm not where I'd like to be yet, but I'm getting there. 

So far, things are going okay. I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself, though. If I know anything about myself, it's that, at the first sign of stress, I seem to automatically pile on the pressure. Instead of cutting back during the busy times, I'm always deciding to increase things. I have to remember to lighten up! I also need to constantly remind myself to seek God's will first. It's the only will that matters. Despite how much I love to plan, there's no need to put too much stock into anything; God will lead me down the road he's already created for me, regardless of whether or not I've "decided" that's the way I'm going or not. 

In other news, Andy and I just bought some furniture! We were so giddy, walking out of the store. Andy told me "it's the first big purchase we've made as a married couple." Once it comes (estimated arrival is 2-4 weeks) we'll take pictures and post.

In peace and love,

Ashleigh (and Andy)

Shane Claiborne is changing my life...and he doesn't even know me!

The Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne. It's changing my life...

People used to think I was cool.  In grad school I would do yoga, drink green tea, and talk about religion. I'd read interesting books, talk about documentaries; I flew to Japan one spring break...it was a time in my life that I felt really solid. Things were going well. And I think the whole reason things were going so great was because I was really connected...spiritually. I was desperately trying to become my most authentic self. Whatever that means...

Then I graduated, got a job, married a wonderful man, got a dog (not in that order...) and suddenly life became really mundane. I resented having to work so much, got tired and was lazy when I came home, couldn't muster up any energy to save my life. I was in a serious rut. 

Luckily, I'm working my way out of said rut and I'll tell you, it's beautiful. First, it's nice to connect with family and friends...I don't know where I lost sight of the importance of relationships, but there's nothing better than the feeling of reconnecting. I've still got a lot to do, but I'm proud to spend my time that way. Also, it feels good to be climbing back out of my head. That rut was dangerous! Maybe that rut was depression; I'm not quite sure. Regardless, I'm glad I'm going in a better direction now. It's like somebody took Windex and cleared the film away (that "someone, was God and his miraculous grace, of course). Everything's prettier (still frigidly cold...hahaha, but prettier). I appreciate having the time to be thankful for all of God's blessings. I spent a lot of time frustrated, angry, sad, etc. These days, each new day is an exercise in humbling myself. And while growing pains can hurt, it's been a good hurt, ya know? 

Anyhow, back to The Irresistible Revolution. My friend Liz (who, clearly, is cosmically connected to me for all eternity, as we continuously...seven years and counting...go through similar things at similar times in our lives) recommended this book to me a few weeks ago. That was the same phone conversation that led to me giving up television, trying to spend money in intentional ways, etc. So, I get it from the library (feeling even more chic for not buying the book...how egotistical am I?!) and start reading it and WOW. Thank you for the recommendation, Ms. Liz. This book has come into my life at a most perfect time. As Andy and I have found a church that we adore, and a place where we are touched by the spirit of God every week, I've really really REALLY been craving my own spiritual revival. Or rather, I've been IN my own spiritual revival and then comes an irresistible book. 

For a long time, I've struggled with Christianity, because, I love God, my savior is Jesus Christ, but I've seen the cruel world that can go on inside the "Christian Church". Hypocrisy; mixed up priorities; etc. I've always wanted to experience a different kind of "Christianity". One where I could follow God and not feel...like a cheater/liar/fraud. For a long time I combatted this by saying "my faith is deeply personal. I'll keep to myself and will still be able to love God". However, the more I learn about the Scriptures, and Jesus' life (yes...the more I learn NOW, because I'm not sure where my brain was when I spent 4 years in the religious studies department at BSU...) the more and more and more I hear that God called us to be in fellowship with one another. I can't be a hermit and live God's will. I can't pull my head and arms and legs back into my shell and hope for the best. I've gotta get OUT THERE. "Out there" had always been a seriously terrifying phrase for me. I'm an introvert...ask the MBTI I just took a few weeks ago. People make me nervous. I never know what to say. I don't think I'm interesting enough to contribute to conversations. Maybe they don't like my clothes or my hair or my attitude, or whatever. So I've been struggling to find a way to be in fellowship with others while maintaining consciousness. At the same time, I've been yearning for a way to extend my faith and spiritual growth. 

Then comes Ms. Liz and Mr. Claiborne. I'm not even finished with the book yet (heck, I'm not even 100 pages in!) and I'm more inspired than I have been in years. Of course, I'm not going to run off and join a commune or anything, but through this book God is so graciously reminding me that there's an entire world out there, and many many people in it, who need to be shown the love of Jesus. 

So, what can I do? I'm not sure yet. But I'm going to try to figure it out. I can't call up Mother Theresa like Shane did, but I'm sure there's amazing opportunities right here in CF. 

The change in my life has been dramatic. Heck, a few years ago...even a few MONTHS ago, I wouldn't have been able to write the things I have in this very blog. If my family ever reads this, they'll probably think I've gone off the deep end. Maybe they'll want to go to...?! I'm so thankful for God's amazing grace. 

I'm hoping this blog will organize itself into something less random, but, until then, thanks to those who trudge through the ramblings...