10.21.2006

My Roommate...

I am going to dedicate this blog to my roommate. She doesn't know that I'm writing about her, so let's just keep this between you and me!
She kind of reminds me of my sister Melissa, so it's nice, because I feel really comfortable with her!(Although it's not the same...I miss my sisters!)
She makes me laugh soooooooooo much! She's like the life of the party, and when she walks into the room everything just gets louder and somehow funnier.
She plays on the volleyball team, and today they had a tournament. Last night she was supposed to go to bed early because she had to get up early, but you know how it is when you get two night hawks trying to get to sleep when the room is way too hot...it just doesn't happen! So, we ended up talking for about an hour and a half, wasting beautiful sleep time to swap stories about troubles we've been through, and also about our families and how much we love them. It was fun, and definitely a bonding time. There's something about sharing a room with someone for so long when you had never met them before: you just have to bond with them, unless you want the whole year to be miserable. It's not hard to bond with my roommate at all, and I'm so glad that she's who she is. With her "go get 'em" personality and sociality, she is the perfect person for me to share a room with here. I'm social, but not overly, so she's kind of teaching me to be more talkative, to get out there and do stuff!
She's a year younger than me, but her spiritual maturity is also amazing, and I know that this will have a positive aspect on me as well.
I only hope that I can be as much of a roommate to her that she is to me!
It was funny, last night the dialogue near the end of our long convo went like this(it was about 3:30 or 4 in the morning):
Me: I'm so sorry for keeping you talking and awake!!! I'm such a horrible roommate!"
Her: I'm so sorry for keeping you talking and awake!!! I'M such a horrible roommate! There, we cancelled each other out, now we can sleep."
What a girl, with her crazy red polka dot rubber boots that she wears in the middle of october. I wouldn't switch my roommate with anyone else this year at all!
I've been kind of MIA these past few days. Many things have happened since my last blog. I now have a job(hurray Tim Horton's!!), and I turned 20 years old! I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me birthday greetings! I'm pretty sure I had 30 e-mails from people all over wishing me a happy birthday. It was so nice to feel like people remembered me on my birthday even though I am away at college. Thank you!
Why are face wash products so expensive? I am just randomly talking about what is on my mind right now. So, I go grocery shopping and picked up some face wash, toner(mostly because my mom always talks about how good toner is for your skin..I'm not too sure, considering it always stings when it comes in contact with me!), and moisturizer. I didn't buy too much food, just the staples, and it was almost $40!! It's consumer robbery I tell you! Thankfully the face products were on sale, otherwise I would have hit the roof!
I made quiche today for the first time ever!!!!!! It was so good, and tasted extremely yummy. I put mozzarella cheese, bacon bits, and red peppers in it. I've always loved it when my mom makes quiche, because she makes the best ever. I guess I'm not too bad myself...haha! I still need some practice though.
I had an adventure on Thursday-I rode the bus to the bank. That's all. I think it's so interesting...all my 10 years living in my hometown, I think I only rode the bus 4 times. Then when I was in Brasil, I rode it about 4 times, over 5 months! Then, since I've been here, after only a month, I've already taken the bus 2 times! It's so convenient.
I should probably be sleeping right now. I'm going to bed now
Have a good day tomorrow!
Love, Ashleigh

10.14.2006

It just finished hailing outside my window...now it's starting back up again. What crazy weather. It wants to snow, but it wants to rain at the same time. I will never understand it.
The wedding was very beautiful on Saturday. It was very short, but it was still a nice wedding, and I'm so happy for my friend who was the groom.
The trip on the way home was even more beautiful than the one there. We were driving around Lake Superior, and everywhere we looked was a Kodak moment. We did stop at a few places to take pictures, but the rest will have to be kept in our memories. I remember one picture perfect moment, where the moon had just risen, and it was half behind a cloud and then slowly started rising. It finally reached a point so high in the sky that it was like a light for the whole earth, becuase it was so bright. I also had a wonderful time with mom and dad, just talking, sleeping, or laughing at how mom drives in the dark...good memories! Especially her driving in the dark with transport trucks coming around crazy bends in the road, and Josh Groban blasting from the car speakers. I definitely could not catch my breath from laughing so hard! Good times!
Well, today I'm going to do my homework for Tuesday and Wednesday's classes. I had better go and do that now.
Hope everyone is having a great day
Love, Ash

10.07.2006

Trip to Fort Francis

Although 20 hr car rides are not generally that fun, the trip to Fort Francis went surprisingly fast. Mom and Dad came to get me at college around 3AM Friday morning, and then we headed out to come here for our friend's wedding. Unfortunately the car we borrowed doesn't have insurance covered for me to drive it, so I felt incredibly bad just having mom and dad drive the whole time. It was a beautiful trip. We drove down to the border and went through three states(Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), and then came up to the border again to Fort Francis. We saw so many beautiful sights...brilliant yellow leaves mixed with burgundy, a wonderful sunset on Friday night, and many many deer(one even right in the middle of the town!) It's funny how there are cultural differences even from one state to the next. We stopped at a gas station, and a kid pulled up on a four-wheeler like it was nothing. It's just funny, because we don't see to many four-wheelers where we live, and especially not pulling up to get gas! I just laughed!
So, staying here at a motel in Fort Francis, and I got to share a room with a friend of mine who I haven't seen in such a long time. AND I get a queen bed all to myself!! Luxury I tell you...it's a wonderful thing! I had such a good sleep, and I'm ready for the wedding today. Our friend who's getting married looks so tired though. So does his bride-to-be. They must have been doing so much work! I can imagine that weddings are bittersweet, because they're so much fun when you finally get to the day, but the original planning must be so crazy tiring!
Well, we're going to head home tomorrow, so not sure when I can write my next blog, but I will definitely be writing about the wedding and our trip home.

10.04.2006

I love thunderstorms, and they always come at night or in the early morning hours when you really can't enjoy them. We did have one at 3 or 4AM this morning, and now we're having another one, which is awesome!
I have one class on Wednesdays, and it's called Spiritual Formation. It talks about how Christians need to be disciplined in learning and studying about God and His Word, the Bible. Today our prof brought in his fellow pastor at his church,Dave. He was talking to us about when we read the Bible and pray, we must also be meditating on it. (I learned the differences between Christian meditation and meditation of other religions.I have to admit that before I learned about the difference, I shied away from the idea of meditation, because we're taught so much negative things about it in the church. The idea of Christian meditation is to fill your mind with the things of God, while in other religions the idea is to empty your mind) I really enjoyed his lecture, and the way he showed us how to become closer in our relationships with God.
This whole Bible college thing is a really good idea, but I'm pretty sure that if I want to get anything out of what I learn,I will actually have to put it into practice. It's going to take a while, that's why it's called "discipline", but I know that it's very important.
Other than that, I am looking forward to the afternoon because we have choir again.
I hope that everyone has a great day...
Love, Ash

Finally, I figured out how to do this!


I know it's late, but decided to try again to see if I could post photos, and it turns out that I can. This is a pic of me just after I got new glasses and braces, both of which I am thankful for very much!
Good night!
Love, Ash

10.03.2006

Thanksgiving Edition

Who's ready for thanksgiving? I sure am. This has to be one of my favourite holidays. I have to say I am rather biased though, just because my favourite season is autumn and thanksgiving is right in the middle!
I'm so excited to be going home and seeing all of my cousins that I haven't seen since last Christmas. What a shame to live so far away from family! I don't know if I like it that much! I only have one cousin that actually e-mails me, which I'm grateful for, because I have gotten to know her way better than I used to.
Let's think about thanksgiving for a second. I know that it's a time when everyone thinks about turkey, and pumpkin pie, but Christians also know that it's the season to think about thanking God for the things we have. I can think of many people that I can thank God for right now. I'm so grateful for my family, my mom and dad, my sisters and brothers, all my grandparents and my cousins aunts and uncles. Also for the friends that I have already made here at college, especially my roommate, because she's put up with me in so much! I'm also very thankful for the opportunity to come here and learn more about the Bible.
I am so thankful for the 5 senses that God gave us. Taste, hear, smell, see, touch. I especially love the sense of smell. There are so many things in this world that smell good...apple pie, my mom's perfume, my dad's cologne, freshly washed laundry(especially when it's hung out to dry), the smell of a baby's skin, and so much more.
As I think about all the things God has blessed us with as Canadians, I have to remember that we should be thankful every single day of the year, not just on the thanksgiving holiday! But it's still a good time to stop and be grateful for everything we have.
So, as I stuff myself with turkey and dressing, and delight in the pumpkin pie topped with lots of whipped cream this weekend, I will be thinking about you all!
I'm going to a wedding too, so this is going to be really fun...so excited!
Love, Ash

10.01.2006

Tried to put a pic of me up here, but it's not working, so I'll try again another day. Definitely got to speak to a Brazilian woman today at church! That was my excitement of the day! I think I'm going to be able to help teach her English, which will be sweet.
I'm kinda feeling cooped up in this school today, so I think I'm going to go for a walk now. I'm gone...
love, Ash