Learning How to Live...

Happy New Year, 2011!

It's hard to believe that a decade has passed since I first entered highschool. Now I am married, and learning how to live with my husband. God is good, indeed!

Jake and I have been trying to find some ways to keep one another accountable with exercising, reading our Bibles, and taking our vitamins. We decided to put up a little calendar in the kitchen, and then designated three different coloured pens to do the trick: Green=growth, so this represents our Bible reading; Orange=the same colour as our vitamin bottle; Red=represents heat, and that's how you feel after exercising. For each day that we complete these things, we will simply mark down our first initial in each colour to keep track of how we're doing. I think this will help us out a lot!

Right now I'm working on making some turkey soup. It might be a bit bland, since I don't have all the necessary spices. However, I am eager to see how it turns out :)

May God grant us all another blessed year!

Love,

Ashleigh

Christmas Memories in the Making...

After a broken car, some tears, and a $79 God-send of a flight, Jake and I made it to Quebec City where we spent five days with the whole clan (my side of the family).

Pack 28 people into a massive chalet, and enough mini-stick tournaments to make your head spin, and you've got a fun family Christmas. We had a great time, and aside from wishing I'd saved enough money to ski the slopes of Mont-Saint-Anne, I was so happy that Jake could get to know everyone better. He is now familiar with the names of my aunts and uncles, and had some fun trying to walk around with little cousins attached to his legs. Both Jake and Nathanael (my sister's husband) quickly learned that beards and being married to the coolest sisters this side of the St. Lawrence makes one a popular commodity.

Needless to say, I gained 7 pounds. The food was delicious, and constantly abounding. I couldn't escape it if I tried, so I gave in. And delighted myself in star-shaped chocolate cookies topped with peppermint, and pumpkin cheese-cake, and warm, savoury apple crisp. Yes, this is what I lived for. Not to mention the endless amounts of chocolate covered almonds and gingerbread cookies.

It's safe to say that Ashleigh will be implementing a strict diet of... well, you know how I feel about diets.

*sigh*

It's time to go for a walk...

I am so grateful to the aunts and uncles who made it possible for Jake and I to go (chipping in a little bit to make the unexpected expenses a bit more bearable). I am also grateful that God is always teaching me things, not to mention that he provides in ways we never expect. Oma lent us her car until Saturday, which is such a blessing.

Today was kind of stressful, as we, once again, had to think about what to do about a car. We decided that fixing it up was the best route to go, instead of getting a new one. Please pray as we continue to look for God for strength in such a crazy time!

Love,

Ashleigh

Book Readings...

Since May, I decided I wanted to read more books. I have been out of the fiction scene for a while, but in highschool, my sister (who is still an avid reader) and I would consume Christian fiction books. We would raid the church library, eating them up as if they were wonderful morsels filling our starved minds. I was amazed at her propensity to read, and watched as book after book was written on her tracking sheet; I'm sure she still does it, but she used to rate the books to remind herself if she would ever read it again. I was just as enthralled by books; I remember one time in particular, I was supposed to be studying for my Grade 9 exams, but was instead caught up in a whirling Roman times Christian romance trilogy, each book consisting of easily 500 pages. The captivating words of Francine Rivers in the Mark of the Lion series enlightened me to the world of fiction, and I would be forever enchanted by the way she encorporated the love of our Saviour into her works of writ.

Since May, I have read 19 books. Among those are some non-fiction titles, although my appetite for fiction has grown steadily as I have become more accustomed to reading once again. It truly is an art, and only over time can one get used to sitting for long periods, staring at letters on a page.

I started and finished a book today, and let me tell you, it didn't take much for the author to rivet me with his words. The book is called "Immanuel's Veins", by Ted Dekker. I enjoy this author immensely, as his suspense and mystery is quite thrilling. This book in particular was different than any other I have read, and his allegory for Christ's love and ultimate sacrifice for us was written in a most unusual manner. It is not for everyone, but I encourage you, if you would like to experience a thrilling and captivating story about one man's journey in pursuit of saving his one and only love from the grips of evil, you must read this book.

Once again, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I am leaving for Quebec tomorrow, and most likely won't be online until a week from now. Be blessed by the hope of our loving Saviour!

Love,

Ashleigh

Hope...and what Christmas really means...

This Christmas is a little bit different for me.

#1 I'm married. Naturally, my first Christmas as a married woman will look just a tad different than the last.

#2 I'm not celebrating Christmas in Ontario. For the first time ever. This year, the Winder clan (including said husband and my new brother in law) will be spending five days in Quebec from Dec. 23-27, celebrating this wonderful season in a massive chalet with 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, etc (you get the picture). Since it was my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary this year, they decided we should celebrate in style, and have a smashing time chilling with the fam. I'm looking forward to it :)

#3 Jake and I had our own little celebration on Saturday. We decided to do it up family style and had Christmas morning this past Saturday by opening our gifts, reading Luke 2, and making some fantastic cinnamon buns; then we roasted our first turkey that evening, after watching The Dawn Treader at the movies. It was so nice, and we're happy we could celebrate this holiday, just the two of us, before joining the rest of the fam later on this week.

Here are some pics of the past week-end:

Jake and I were also talking about what we want to focus on at Christmas. There are so many cliche phrases one could use, "Jesus is the reason for the season", "He sees you when you're sleeping", (that last one was a joke)....

seriously now...

How does one recognize Jesus' birth as the catalyst for the salvation of the world? That He was born human yet divine? He was not conceived a human way; as was told to his mother, Mary, who had very legitimate doubts as to her pregnancy without "knowing" a man: "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

The Son of God. Who came to save the earth. Doesn't this fill you with hope? In a few short months we will be mourning his death, yet remembering it was that death which saved us... then rejoicing at His resurrection, reminded again of the new life we will one day receive in Christ.

No matter what happens this Christmas, let's continue to remember this hope...the hope of salvation for a dying world, and the hope of the new life in Christ.

Pass on the Good News to everyone you meet!

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Ash

Vists and Good Eats...

Although Jake worked 3 overnight shifts in a row this week-end, I took it surpisingly well, mostly due to some wonderful visits with some friends. On Friday, I was able to chat with Missy for almost an hour. We realized how great it was to chat on the phone, which is something we rarely do, if ever. Thanks for the lovely convo!

Last night Amy came over, and we talked for a bit and then watched Raising Helen. I thought about my sister Melissa, because we LOVE that movie. If you haven't watched it, you definitely should. It's the keeper of a century! It was nice to visit with Amy and catch up for a bit.

Then, tonight Christina kept me company and we indulged in home-made cappuccinos, topped with whipped cream! It was simply delightful, and I'm grateful for being able to chill out in my home. It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, especially over the paper that was stuck to my backside! Oh dear...

I am so glad to be surrounded with many friends, especially ones who care so much. I do have a lot of visits to catch up on, so if you're reading this and wondering when it's going to be your turn, just comment and we'll plan a date :)

Jake and I have been finding it to be very beneficial to plan out our meals a week in advance. Now when he asks, "What's for dinner?" I remind him of what we had planned instead of saying, "Hmmm...I don't know. Did you have anything in mind?" We even cracked open one of our recipe books and plan on making pineapple chicken for dinner on Thursday night. Last night was Korean night, and I made a curry with carrots, potatoes, and chicken. The curry powder came in a pre-mixed and measured package (I bought it at the Korean store with Hee-Sook back in the summer). The meal brought back so many memories of the summer time, since that was one of the dishes the students made for us. In fact, it was my favourite one, so I was quite ecstatic that it turned out the same way! Since today was fellowship lunch at our church, we decided to bring a main course dish (for the first time). I mixed together the rice and curry and it went over quite well. I was worried that people might not like it.

I forgot to mention that we ate our Korean meal at our new table last night! We were so thrilled, and happy at the thought of being able to have people over for dinner now!

I'm looking forward to this week, since I have a job AND Jake and I are going to visit our friends in Sudbury this week-end! The week-end can't come soon enough :)

Love,

Ashleigh

The day my fingers bled...

I worked at the school for six hours. Not a full day, but rewarding nonetheless. I was able to fold letters and stuff 100 envelopes in a half an hour. Not bad, considering all the paper cuts my fingers were putting up with. Even now they're a little raw around the edges of the cuticles. I know I was being taught perseverance, and this lesson does not stop today. I have a Christmas mail-out to do next week, and there will be around 2 000 envelopes to stuff and send out. Yet I am not complaining. I have a job, and am so thankful for that.

Jake and I didn't get to spend much time together tonight, but sometimes it's quality over quantity, right? He made us dinner, and we enjoyed one another's company while we munched down on eggs, toast, cheese, and fried corn beef. Ya, it was tasty. Then, before either of us wanted, he had to leave for another 12-hour shift at the factory. I admire his determination, and his love for me.

I am going to try to do some editing for a friend's paper tonight, so I should head off to do that.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Love,

Ashleigh

On Being Married...

I'm sitting here in the semi-darkness, knowing I should be in bed, but prolonging the inevitable. Tonight my husband is not with me, but is working a 12-hour shift. I have been keeping busy, but am still quite lonely. I have joined the ranks of countless other women (including my recently married sister) who stay awake into the wee hours of the night missing their husbands.

That being said, I love being married. Honestly, I don't have the words yet to describe how vast the difference is from when I was a single woman. I love how easy it has been for Jake and I to transition; that is not to say it hasn't been hard in some ways, either. We have had our ups and downs, and it's been a lot harder than we ever expected.

But there is just something so right about being a wife. Jake's wife. And I would not trade that for anything!

We had a wonderful wedding. I'm so glad that many of you could join us in celebration. I loved the day; the ceremony was just so worshipful, and the dance and dessert reception was so fun. It was the perfect wedding, and we had such a great time!

I can never stress enough to any couple planning a honeymoon: take a day or two off before you fly out. We left the Tuesday after we were married, and it was the best thing we could have done. Even once we got to the Dominican, all we did for three days was eat and nap, until we finally caught up on all our sleep. We stayed for a week there, and relaxed and enjoyed one another's company. There was a crazy hurricane in Haiti, so we got quite a few rainy days; they did not diminish the sunshine in our hearts. Some people commented and made some jokes on how fair we were for being down south; if you want the truth, we only got sun for three days, and sometimes, you just gotta stay inside. 'Nuff said.

Now we're slowly getting settled, putting some beautiful gifts away, hanging paintings and putting up towel racks, and just getting into the groove of life. However, we don't want to settle. We're looking to serve where God wants us, and so we're hoping to get in touch with some mission organizations soon to figure out our options. Please pray for us as we endeavour to do this.

Hopefully my next blog will not take over a month to write.

Blessings,

Ashleigh

Maturing in Christ...

I went to my parents' house yesterday, and mom had set aside all my journals for me to take back with me. I started writing frequently when I was 11 years old, and I have, on average, one per year since the time I was 12 years old. I was reading some of them last night, and I am astounded at how much I have changed, and how obvious this change is. God is doing a work in me, and it's hard, but I'm learning more about his love for me everyday.

God wants me.

Just.

ME.

Not what I do, where I work, and nothing I can do will earn his love. He loves me.

Just.

ME.

That, my friends, is profound.

Love,

Ashleigh

Sweet dreams and good eats...

I woke up this morning feeling super rested, and not at all guilty for staying in bed until almost 11AM (even though I went to bed at a decent hour). I had a pretty restless night, dream-wise. I vaguely remember fleeting dreams of people strangling others*, flying contraptions, and other random things. I think that God let me sleep a couple more hours because of that nonsense. It's amazing how weird and strange, yet at times how beautiful our dreams can be.

I've decided to try (as much as I am able) to not turn on my laptop until I have read my Bible. I get so caught up in everything, so distracted by the web it's ridiculous. It seemed to work today :) I paid my last rent to my landlord yesterday. It seems strange to think that I will only be living here for another 29 days. I have a lot to do in that time!

Jake came over tonight, and we chatted and then I made him a delicious meal. It was leftover speghettini made into a stir fry with onions, red pepper, brocolli, honey, soya sauce, and then chicken fingers. I was even impressed with my skill, since it only took me 20 min to make!

I must head to bed now, I have quite a few books calling and I can't quite figure out which one I would like to read first....

Love,

Ashleigh

*I'm sorry if this comment disturbs you. Since we cannot control our dreams, I take no responsibility for what I dreamt about.

The Outcry...

I made this comment on my Facebook wall one day:

"It's interesting how stress heightens the mundane, making the commonplace suddenly seem of great import."

How true it is. In this interesting time of my life, I find myself doing things I have never done before, one of which includes stress shopping. So please don't judge me if you find that I seem to be buying more than I should. Jake often tries to reason with me, as I am my own worst critic. It's true, the things I buy are all useful and good, but not necessarily right now. They are things I could be doing without.

I find myself crying at random and inopportune times, grateful that these have mostly happened while Jake has been with me; he has been so wonderful, wrapping me up in his arms, just letting me cry, telling me to let it all out and that it will be ok. And if it's not ok, then I can take that up with him later.

I have been lonely, especially while Jake is at work. Katie was able to sleep over Saturday night, and I drank in her company like a desert cactus drinks in water. You may say, "Well, why don't you just go out and find people to hang out with?" I could do this. But I am someone who needs to be found, who needs to know that people WANT to hang out with me.

I didn't even pray to ask God to help me through this loneliness(btw, I don't feel too lonely, because I know He's always there), but once again, He has answered the outcry of my heart. Within a day I have had 2 friends (you both have blogs, you know who you are :), my friend/employer, AND a lady from my church asking me when a good time to hang out would be. I mean, how much better can God get? He is amazing, and He truly does know our needs! I feel so blessed, and filled with hope.

May God continue to answer your unbreathed prayers, and may He bless you with a wonderful day!

Love,

Ashleigh