thoughts.opinions.just me.

Well pleased...

2010-03-09T13:39:00.003-05:00

Today I had a chance to eat outside on the screened in porch of this model home where I work part time. I had a lot of time to think and while I was out there a verse of scripture got stuck in my head. The verse is Matthew 3:17 that states "and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'". (ESV translation).

Wow...that verse got my mind turning. I started to wonder if God would say that about me. I know I won't live up to Jesus (since He was absolutely perfect) but I wonder if God is well pleased with me. Is He pleased with my relationships, how I handle stressful situations, how I handle my finances, how I give myself to others, how I treat my family, friends, and husband? Am I living my life (every aspect of it) in order to please God? I know these are loaded questions but this is how my thoughts came out today. We go on every day just living our lives but I wonder how often do we stop and ask ourselves, "Is this life pleasing God?". I think that's a huge challenge for me when evaluating the situations in my life and I think it's a challenge for you as well.

One last God thing before I go...the other day at a church sermon the pastor read this quote, "You only love God as much as the person you love the least". Can't remember who said it but it has stuck with me for a few weeks now. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I do not hate any one. In my past, I used to hate quite a few people but since God has softened my heart to those individuals...I no longer hate them. I have forgiven them for things that they have done to me and moved on. But there are people I love more than others. And geez, the person I love the least is the amount of love I have for God. That makes me want to take a step back and reevaluate how I love others. Hope it will do the same to some of you too.

Silpada jewelry

2010-03-09T13:28:00.005-05:00

So...I took a leap of faith and decided to sell Silpada jewelry. I usually just hostess parties and earn free jewelry, but out of all the direct sales jewelry companies (Cookie Lee, Lia Sophia, and Premier), Silpada caught my eye. I love the style of the jewelry and it fits my fashion sense. It's beautiful. And Ryan and I needed some extra money so after much thought and discussion, I have decided to sell it. Therefore, if any of you want to have a party to earn free jewelry...let me know or just let me know if you want to order anything.

My website for Silpada is http://mysilpada.com/ashley.jackson

I want to see this....

2010-02-16T15:38:00.002-05:00

...instead I see snow. Boooo! Is spring and summer ever going to get here?

Snow!

2010-02-03T16:36:00.002-05:00

Hanz loves the snow! Here's a quick video of him playing in it. There's more coming this weekend and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it.

Mmm Bop!

2010-01-30T15:42:00.002-05:00

We went to Market Street last night to celebrate my two friend's birthdays. They had live entertainment...really good acustic music. Well the singer started to sing Hansen's "Mmmm Bop". My best friend, Rachel, knew every word and it was quite entertaining. I thought I'd share it with you.

Enjoy!

Unknown

2010-01-25T12:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday on my way home from work I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement come over me. It was an excitement about my unknown future. Just in case you don't know, I'm currently getting my masters degree in public health. Ryan, my husband, recently is unsure of his career and we both have discussed moving out of the area one day. With all these thoughts in my mind, I became excited about not knowing the future. There are many options when I graduate with my masters in public health and I'm unsure as to what route I will take. There is this feeling I have when I'm taking classes for my public health program that makes me feel like something awesome is going to come from this degree. That feeling alone makes me excited about the future. I also get excited about where we will settle and raise a family. I'm a dreamer when it comes to this. I will actually sit and daydream about our future house, kids, and dogs running in the huge fenced in back yard. Regardless, I think we should embrace times of uncertainty and the unknown. It gives us time to dream. I know wholeheartedly that God has a plan for me and Ryan and I'm extremely excited to see where He leads us.

Hana's commercial

2010-01-21T17:42:00.003-05:00

Hana is so interested in this commercial every time it comes on.

Pray for Haiti's people...especially one near and dear to my heart, Nathia.

2010-01-20T10:43:00.004-05:00

I'm sure many of you have contributing funds and prayers to Haiti after the devastation of the earthquake. I think it's awesome how people are coming together in this time of need. I do want to ask you all to lift up the only person I know in Haiti but one who really is a blessing in my life. Her name is Nathia Louis who is 16 years old. She is my Compassion child which I've been sponsoring since 2005. She is one of our 2 children we sponsor. We have been sending her money every month and even when the funds get tight, we never think of giving up on her. We know she is blessed by our gifts and that is something Ryan and I will continue to do regardless of our financial situation. She has been sending us letters for the past 4 years now telling us about her life, her interests, her activities, how's she's doing in school, and her relationship with God. It's amazing to connect with a young girl many miles away. She has truly been a blessing to us.

At this point, we are unsure of Nathia's whereabouts. According to Compassion, she lives in the northern part of Haiti which was not very affected by the earthquake. We are praying that she is safe as well as her family. Please pray for Nathia and her family during this time. And overall, continue to pray for Haiti. I can't imagine what that would be like losing all your family members, your home...everything. Please pray for all the mourning citizens of Haiti.

If you ever want to sponsor a child, go to www.compassion.com. It's a great organization and it's only $38 dollars a month.

Thanks so much for your support.

Back at it!

2010-01-20T10:38:00.001-05:00

This is me and blogging. I blog for like a month and stop for a few months then I have the urge to start back up. This cycle continues and continues. Well here's my urge to start back up. Hopefully you'll enjoy.

My Husband is Amazing

2009-10-29T15:11:00.003-04:00

(Warning...sappy moment blog)

That gorgeous blue eyed man on the left is amazing. I don't know if I publicly say this that often but I think my husband is incredible. His heart is amazing. He is intelligent. He is funny. He is compassionate. He is genuine. He even has the gift of gab. I appreciate him for everything he does for me, his family, his friends, and his students. He truly wants to help others and has totally grasp onto one of the main purposes of following Jesus, that we should Love God and Love others. He's on that. He has an incredible love for God, a love that is greater than our love, and then a genuine love for others. He isn't perfect and as his wife, I can assure you that but he is the real deal. He's my best friend.

I love you Ryan Jackson and appreciate all you do.

Leaning on the Lord

2009-10-29T14:58:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the very "Christianese" language of the title but that's what this blog is about. There are some things going on in Ryan and I's life where we really need to lean on the Lord. Ryan and I are about to open a new chapter in our lives and it's somewhat scary because it's unknown territory. This is the first of many major changes that Ryan and I will go through together. But I'm 100% confident that God is leading us and we need to depend on Him. Just want to send out a simple prayer request. If you are a believer, just pray a quick prayer for us that our ears will be open to God's plan. God is guiding us into something and we're not sure where it is or the details of that but we want to go where He's leading us. Just pray that we are in tune to where He is leading us. Thanks. Love you blog readers...even though it's like 2 of you!

Bay Shore Community Church Staff Trip!

2009-10-13T10:35:00.018-04:00

Last week Ryan and I hit the road to go on vacation with the whole Bay Shore staff to the Outer Banks. It was awesome! We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and weather, wonderful friends, good food, and tons of laughter and relaxation. We had an awesome time. I hope these types of vacations continue throughout the years.

I thank God for allowing us to be a part of this church and to be surrounded by such wise leaders. The staff at Bay Shore is amazing. Love you guys!

Baby talk

2009-10-01T15:54:00.004-04:00

Tim and Gillie had Willow Grace Tice on September 18th and she's my favorite baby...even though I haven't been around a lot of babies. She's got these chunky cheeks that are the cutest things I've ever seen. She's beautiful. So Congrats to Tim and Gillie on their new baby girl. She's amazing.

This post brings me to another point. Many people start asking you after you get married, "When are you going to have kids?". Why do people do that? That question annoys me after it's asked over and over and over. I feel like everyone rushes you to have kids as soon as you get married. After you've been married for over 2 years, you're like a rarity if you haven't had kids yet.

Now don't get me wrong, I can not wait to have kids. I know they will be amazing and will become a great joy in Ryan and I's life. We definitely want kids and also want to adopt, but just not now. We want to enjoy each other...call it selfishness if you want. But I understand that when kids come, the time with each other will decrease and our focus will be shifted. I know that once I have kids, it will never be just me and Ryan. I love my time with my husband and I'm soaking up every single moment with him because I know one day we won't have this chance. He's my best friend and I guess I want him all to myself right now. Plus I'm getting my masters, working 2 part-time jobs as well as teaching dance on the side, and part of our youth ministry. If I were to have kids now, at least one, if not a few of those would have to give and I'm not ready for that.

So that's my baby talk. I have my own plans and of course, my plans may not be God's but I don't have the "baby fever" yet. I love holding Willow Grace...I get giddy when she smiles at me, and I could probably just sit and stare at her all day b/c I think babies are amazing...but I'm still waiting. One of my own will come some day...just not soon if I have the choice. So there's the answer to the annoying question that is asked over and over again to Ryan and I.

Congrats Amanda and Shaun!

2009-09-23T22:31:00.008-04:00

This past Sunday, Ryan and I were honored to be a part of Amanda and Shaun's wedding. It was awesome. We all had so much fun and we're so happy for them. Amanda and Shaun are some of the most genuine and kind-hearted people we know. We love them so much. Congrats guys!

Oh that last picture was all of us doing this dance! So much fun.

His eye is on the sparrow

2009-09-08T14:48:00.003-04:00

This week in church Pastor Jeff spoke about the story behind a hymn called "It is well". The man who wrote the song lost his 4 daughters in a tragic event. Before he lost his daughters, he also lost a son to scarlet fever and his real estate to the great Chicago fire. He wrote the lyrics to "It is well" at the approximate spot where his daughters drowned. The message from Pastor Jeff was inspirational and I recommend that you watch it here.

But this post is not about "It is Well"...it is about one of my favorite hymns, "His eye is on the sparrow". This hymn was wrote by a woman named Civilla D. Martin in 1905. During that time, Civilla and her husband became close friends with another couple, Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle who Civilla calls "true saints of God". Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for 20 years and her husband was an incurable crippled but still conducted business in his wheelchair. Everyone who knew the Doolittle's knew them as people who were always happy and hopeful and brought comfort and inspiration to others. When Civilla asked Mrs. Doolittle what their secret is to being so hopeful and happy despite their inabilities, she answered, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me", and refers to Matthew 6:29. Civilla called this statement a "simple and beautiful expression of boundless faith" and was inspired to write the hymn, "His eye is on the sparrow".

The lyrics are:
Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion / A constant friend is He / His eye is on the sparrow / And I know He watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow / And I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy / I sing because I'm free / His eye is on the sparrow / And I know He watches me (He watches me) / His eye is on the sparrow / And I know He watches / I know He watches / I know He watches me

My favorite version by far is done by Tanya Blount and Lauryn Hill. I love this song.
Click here to listen to my favorite version...it's awesome.

Great commercial

2009-09-03T22:52:00.005-04:00

I love this commercial. Especially the "Get out" part at the end. It's one of the little things that makes me giggle every time I see it.

Police are honorable and worthy of it

2009-09-02T13:19:00.008-04:00

I know we all honor those who serve for our country in regards to the men and women who venture over seas to fight for our freedom and that is important. But we should also keep in mind the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday for our protection and safety within this country. I know cops out there can sometime get a bad wrap...such as comments like "They think they're above the law"...but there are cops out there that really care about our safety and put their lives on the line to protect us from harm.

If you're from DE, I'm sure you've heard of the cop, Chad Spicer, that got shot and killed yesterday in Georgetown as well as Shawn Brittingham who was also shot at and injured. Now I did not know Chad Spicer, Shawn Brittingham, or anyone within the DE police but a tragic event such as this has made me realize the impact police have towards the community. They try their very best to protect us from harm, even if it costs them their life.

My father was a Maryland State Police officer my whole life. He retired 2 years ago. And as a daughter of a cop for so many years, it was easy to think of his job as a cop as just a job. Sure, growing up we knew my father's job was risky, but after years and years of him being a cop, that concern diminishes. When he left for work growing up, the thought that my father wouldn't return never ran through my head because it was just another day at work for my dad...and fortunately he always did return home. Although it's tragic and extremely unfortunate, some cops never come home.

I remember asking him in high school if anyone had ever shot at him and he told me he had been shot at while trying to protect our community. That is serious...cops go out there everyday to protect us...their career is an extremely dangerous one. It's unfortunate but this world is filled with crude and senseless people and in any minute, the people who protect us could be one of their victims. We need cops like Chad Spicer out risking his life in order to protect the community. And it makes my heart ache for the family members that probably just said see you tomorrow...have a good night at work, because that's what I did every night my dad went to work. Acknowledge that they have a dangerous job and that they are appreciated for the work they do. If you have a family member or friend who is a cop, please let them know how much you appreciate them protecting you from harm. It is important to honor the men and women who fight for our freedom as well as the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect your community from harm.

My prayers go out to the family and friends of Chad Spicer, and as I've read he has a 3-year old daughter. I pray as she gets older, she will be grateful for a father who was protecting the community and honor and respect policemen and policewomen for the work they do.

Vacation Recap

2009-09-02T12:12:00.006-04:00

Ryan and I got back from our free vacy on Friday...here's the recap:

Got to Williamsburg, VA Sunday evening and stayed til Wed. afternoon. We biked through colonial Williamsburg, played mini golf, ate out every night, and took a Ghost tour the last evening we were there. We also just relaxed and did a lot of nothing.

We left Williamsburg on Wednesday and heading to VA beach (where we got a $65/night oceanfront room...thanks Priceline) until Friday. They had the East Coast Surfing Championship while we were there which was pretty sweet.

It was so nice just being with Ryan. We definitely had a wonderful time.

Free Vacay...WHAT?!?

2009-08-12T16:28:00.005-04:00

A few weeks back Ryan and I went to dinner...maybe lunch, regardless, we ate some meal at the Georgia House. On the way out there was a sweepstakes box. I usually fill those things out even though I never win anything. Well....this time we did! Just by filling out a simple half sheet of paper. I got a call the other day saying we've won 2 vacations! One is a 3 night, 4 day stay in Williamsburg, VA as well as a 3 night, 4 day stay in Orlando, FL. We also get a $125 Visa gift card. This is big for me since I never win ANYTHING!

Ryan and I were planning a vacation to Massachusetts in a few weeks that we hadn't booked yet. I was really looking forward to it because I have never been there but we decided to save the money and go to Williamsburg for FREE! So for those of you who always fill those things out and never win anything, give it time. Eventually, I think you will win.

My hubby

2009-08-12T10:28:00.002-04:00

is a smart man. His recent blog post is good stuff. It's called Date Your Wife.

My weird quirk

2009-08-11T16:43:00.005-04:00

I know we all have them...here's one of mine.

I can't stand split or dead ends in my hair and my hair is usually full of them.

The obsession of getting rid of them has progressed through the years. I remember in high school I would sit at my desk all class period and split my ends. I even would split the ends of my friend's hair in front of me...weird.

But splitting hairs is really bad for your hair so in college I progressed to just picking them off. I'd see a dead end and pull if off. I used this method for many years.

Now, I have resorted to scissors. This is a little embarrasing, but I carry around a pair of hair cutting scissors in my car and when Ryan drives my car, most of the time you can find me in the passenger seat cutting the dead ends off my hair. I can't count how many times Ryan has looked at me while I'm cutting them off and telling me how weird that is. The sunlight is perfect in the car for seeing all your split ends.

Wow...that's me for ya.

Catching up....after a little hiatus.

2009-08-11T13:30:00.021-04:00

Hey everyone...if anyone! I'm getting back into blogging even though I took a little hiatus. So first I'll recap my summer so far with pictures, because if you know me, you know I'm a picture freak hence I have taken pictures of everything this summer.

So....let's start the summer off with me and my best friend celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary on June 9th by spending the day in Annapolis and having dinner at the Melting Pot.

A couple weeks later, we loaded up a 15 passenger van with 11 students and 3 adults to head to TN for Student Life Camp. It was AMAZING! Speaker was Louie Giglio, worship with Fee, and concerts by Leeland and David Crowder!

There has been a lot of boating with friends and family.

Lots of celebrations...including Stacy's birthday, Andy's birthday, Hollie's bridal shower, The Willow Throw Down, and my father-in-law's 50th Birthday!

And of course during the summer you practically live in your bathing suit. Pool, beach, lake...you name it, we've been there this summer.

Ahh....it's been an awesome summer so far but it's not over...Ryan and I still haven't even taken our vacation. We're going on vacation in 2 weeks!

Hope you all are having a great summer like us.

Keep checking my blog....cuz I'm back to blogging!

BE THERE!

2009-04-08T12:10:00.001-04:00

Be there...it's gonna be awesome!

FAIL

2009-03-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

So this past Thursday for community group, we decided to order pizza cuz I just had one of those days and didn't feel like cooking. Well, Ryan went and picked up our 3 pizzas. I decided to put them in the oven to keep them warm. And by keeping them warm means I turned the oven on to 350 with 3 pizza boxes in it. Clearly I was not thinking. Well just as Amanda and Shaun were arriving for CG, Ryan smelled smoke and the pizza box on the bottom was up in flames. He managed to save the other 2 pizzas and after a little freaking out, we decided to let the box just burn in the oven and after it burned it went out. The house was FILLED with smoke. Just as others were arriving for community group, they were greeted by a smoke-filled house and fire alarms screaming. That just summed up how my whole day was last Thursday. Well at least I've learned a lesson.

Community Group

2009-02-23T22:35:00.002-05:00

In case you're not aware my my church's vision...it's Connect to God, Connect to Others, and Serve the Community. I absolutely love my church and it's vision. The way our church "connects to others" is through community groups. These are groups that meet every week to discuss the message and to just be there for one another. Ryan and I have attended one for the past 6 months and we have made such solid relationships. Well, last week we started our own group. Our first night went extremely well, even though my pessimistic self tried to persuade me that it was not going to be good. I'm very excited about our group. I just wanted to share my excitement with you blog readers. Seriously I think it's extremely important to go through life with good friends by your side. I have many good friends and I'm always up for making more.

My church is probably the best thing that has happened to me. If you're looking for a fun church with loving and caring people...I encourage you to visit it. Bring your baggage, your non-perfect self, whatever religion you grew up on...it doesn't matter where you are in life. Just come as you are...
The church's website just got re-vamped...check it out. http://bayshorecc.org/

Our baby

2009-02-11T22:20:00.004-05:00

Aww...a picture of our baby. He's a cutie. You can go make a baby too!

Just click this http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/?mId=29477148

Cute picture

2009-02-08T18:44:00.002-05:00

I think this is one of the cutest pictures I've taken of Hana. I love my dog.

Confession

2009-01-28T17:52:00.001-05:00

I just ate a whole bag of Hershey Special Dark Chocolate Kisses.

By the way, why are they called "special dark chocolate"?

My loves

2009-01-21T11:31:00.003-05:00

I seriously love my husband and dog. They are my family. Here's a video I took last night of the two playing. Hana doesn't like it when you blow in her face.

Week 1 = Success

2009-01-19T17:20:00.001-05:00

Week One of my New Year's Resolution ends in success. I hope this sets the tone for the year.

Resolutions

2009-01-13T11:53:00.003-05:00

I've never been one to set resolutions but this year I am. I have a few. One of them is to get back on track with working out (isn't that everyone's?). I used to be so good with it and now I suck at keeping consistency. I'm not motivated. So my one resolution is to go to the gym 3 times a week. Then working up to 5 times a week. So far, so good.

Another one is to start taking a daily vitamin. I know that's weird, but once Ryan and I finally go to the grocery store (after not going for over a month...yah we have nothing to eat/drink in our house) I'm getting some vitamins.

There is one more but...I'll just leave it at that.

New Year

2008-12-31T17:42:00.002-05:00

It's going to be a new year in just a few hours...just thought I should let you know.

NYC

2008-12-15T15:25:00.008-05:00

Ryan and I just got back from NYC on Sat. night. We had so much fun. Excluding the weather, everything was great. We saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Wicked, went to Rockefeller, Times Square, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Groud Zero, Brooklyn, and we also hit up a few shops. We had such a wonderful time. Here's some pics.

Amazing experience

2008-12-09T14:55:00.004-05:00

I feel the need to share this amazing experience with you. Lately I've been completely consumed with Christ's love. I know that sounds very"Christianese" (as my hubby would say). But in all honesty, the best decision I ever made was to follow Jesus.

I know many people view Christianity as a set of rules to follow. Because of this view, so many people are deterred. Many people are deterred for many reasons but people who believe in Jesus and God, I feel don't whole heartedly follow Him because there are "rules" they have to follow...you can't get drunk, you shouldn't being sleeping with anyone unless you're married...ect. Well as a person who has been drunk many times and has slept with guys outside of marriage...none of that compares to my experience with God and none of that kept other Christians from not accepting me. That's another myth, people believe that you need to have it all together. I was still messing up when I became a Christian, heck I still mess up. But the amazing feeling...experience, I'm talking about is the change in my heart. I've always been a "good person" but I wasn't who God made me to be. I'm strong, more confident, everything seems like it flows better in life...it's just right. I am much more joyful than I've ever been. God is amazing and I hope that everyone will experience the love of Christ.

It's the most amazing feeling you'll ever feel. I love you Jesus for dying for me...he was beaten so bad that he couldn't be recognized...can you really imagine that? And he did it for me...and you. I am honored to live my life for him and I'm happier than ever that he is by my side.

I realized I wanted to post this when I was at a concert this past Saturday. It was amazing. We saw Shane and Shane, Bethany Dillon, and Phil Wickam. I'm a worshiper. Read these lyrics from Phil Wickham's song, True Love.

"Search your heart you know you can't deny it. Come on, lose your life just so you can find it. The Father gave His only Son just to save us. The earth was shaking in the dark. All creation felt the Fathers Broken Heart. Tears were filling Heaven's Eyes. The day that True Love died, the day that True Love died. When blood and water hit the ground. Walls we couldn't move came crashing down. We were free and made alive. The day that True Love died, The day that True Love died."

Listen to it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gU-ejQxEXk

What will they come up with next?

2008-12-04T16:41:00.003-05:00

Today I heard on the radio that the iPhone has a new application. It's called Last Call. This application calculates your blood alcohol level and tells you if you're over the legal limit to drive. It factors in the number of drinks, what drink you're drinking, and your body weight. After you fill out the information, it will calculate your blood alcohol level. If you are over the legal limit in your state, it will pull up taxi companies in your area so you don't drive. Well, if it keeps drunk drivers off the road...it's a good thing in my eyes. Seriously, what will they come up with next?

Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For

2008-11-26T13:49:00.014-05:00

1. Jesus. I'm so thankful that he died on the cross for me but not only that, I'm thankful that since I've centered Him around my life, I have a new heart...new ambition in life. To be more like Christ..to be a TRUE follower and really live Christ's message out as best as I can. And I'm so thankful for His grace when I fall because I'll never be perfect.

2. My husband. He is truely my love. He's my very best friend. I love him so stinkin much. I know God brought us together and I love the fact he's going to be with me throughout the years. He brings so much joy to my life. I love you Ryan.

3. My family & Friends. Not only my side of the family but the other side I gained when I married Ryan. I love each one of them so much. My parents have been there for me my whole life. I love my brother and Janelle, the sister I gained. I love my mother in-law (Tina), step-father in law (Bryan), father-in-law (Jeff), step-mother in law (Nancy) and brother in-law (Steven) and not to mention the step-brothers and sisters in-law. And their dogs =). I love that I have such a wonderful family...biologically and through marriage. My friends. Old and new. I love my friends so much. Some have been with me many years, some not that long at all but regardless, each of my friends have touched me in some way and I love every single one of them. I love all you guys!

4. My house. I'm so thankful for a roof over my head that I own. So many people do not have a roof over their head and there is a small percentage of people who actually own a house in this world. I'm living the American dream that many people desire to have. I'm so thankful for that.

5. My puppy. She is really like my daughter. I love that stupid dog. Ryan's probably reading this right now saying, "Did she really put her dog in her top 5?" Yes, I did.

Favorite Thanksgiving dish

2008-11-25T11:36:00.002-05:00

I loooove Thanksgiving. I think I love it because I love food. =)
Another main reason I love it, is that we get to see family. This year we are going to Ryan's Aunt and Uncles. I also jump on the opportunity to visit his side of the family because we never see them. My family on the other hand, we see all the time. So we decided to head to Centerville, MD this year for Thanksgiving. I've never had Thanksgiving with them so I'm not sure what Thanksgiving food will be involved...but I'm sure it will be good.

I just wanted to share with you my favorite Thanksgiving food.
I LOVE stuffing. I know I could probably make it anytime but I just love eating stuffing on Thanksgiving. Half of my plate is covered with stuffing.

What's your fav Thanksgiving food?

I cracked up watching this.

2008-11-19T18:25:00.002-05:00

I stole this from Corey Murphy's blog. http://coreyfranklin.wordpress.com/

I had to...I thought it was hilarious.

Cute

2008-11-19T11:00:00.007-05:00

This past Sunday, we took a trip up to Olney, MD to Ryan's grandmother's wedding. She is in her 70's and has been widowed for almost 8 years. Here's some pics from the wedding.
*Side-note* it was awesome seeing Ryan's family...it's been almost a year.

Shawn McDonald was awesome

2008-11-11T10:32:00.003-05:00

Shawn McDonald was awesome on Sunday night. He sings a lot about love and that could be one of the reasons I like his songs so much. He went on to say that our world has skewed the meaning of love. We should love like Christ and I truly believe that's my main focus in life. I desire to love like Christ. I have received so much love from Christ that I just want to pour it out on everyone I know, everyone I come in contact with, I want that love to flow from me to other people.

Here's Shawn singing his song called Clarity. The greatest line in this song to me is, "I want freedom to come, and hate to be done, and love to guide my soul, I want love."

(Sorry it's wobbly...I'm not the best video recorder)

It's going to be a good day.

2008-11-09T10:20:00.003-05:00

Today is going to be a great day. First, I'm going to church which is always a great thing. Afterwards, we're feeding the homeless with the students. Then to end out the day, we are going to see Shawn McDonald. What a great day ahead!

Check him out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0PzZZY0ByQ

Did you know...

2008-11-07T10:32:00.002-05:00

...that Royal Farms has sushi? Yes, it's true. I went there yesterday to get some grub and saw sushi wrapped up and all ready to go. Now I'm not a sushi eater but something tells me if I was, I probably wouldn't get it from there. Now their fried chicken on the other hand....looked and smelled amazing.

Sweet love

2008-11-05T22:04:00.002-05:00

Now that I'm married, it seems like you just know that your husband loves you. I mean, Ryan and I say "I love you" to each other like 20 times a day because I think we both like to hear it. I know I've said this in the past but I know that Ryan and I were brought together by God. So I've been crazy about him almost as soon as I met him and I'm still unbelievably crazy about him. He knows that. I know he loves me and is crazy about me as well but I just wanted to share something that happened to me today to reassure me that my husband loves me so much.

I was getting my license transfered over to DE (FINALLY) and was looking for proof that I live in DE with my name and address. I called Ryan to see where our documents were and he said that they might be in his little fire-proof safe. I found his safe and opened it up. I've never been in this safe before and when I opened it...it was filled with every note, every card, every little writing sentiment I've given to Ryan. I started looking over the notes and cards and just was amazed that he not only keeps them but keeps them in a fire-proof safe. I told him I found it and that it made me happy to know he truely cherishes my words. He told me that he is definitely unbelievably, madly, crazily, and freakishly in love with me and that is never going to change. Honestly, I thank God every day for Ryan. I love him so freakin much.

Sorry if I was mushy....you can know throw up now if you like =)

I voted...

2008-11-04T16:33:00.007-05:00

I voted...even tho I don't agree entirely with either candidate. I did vote, however, for the candidate that has the same views as I on the issues I'm passionate about. I encourage you to vote because I feel as if I'm honoring and respecting our ancestors lives as they have done so much for us to have the right to vote...especially women.

It's kinda funny. I am starting a Beth Moore study and last night was the first night I sat down and did the first lesson. It was about King Uzziah who was the king of Judah and reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years. In the beginning of his reign, 2 Chronicles 26:4 says "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord". So here's a man who was very powerful and successful and followed the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 26:16 says, "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall". The study was about how Uzziah's pride took over seeking God. He became somewhat self absorbed and was no longer faithful to the Lord. Beth Moore asks us to ask God, what each study means to us personally. So the last question of yesterday's study was "How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?" My response was " Election Day is tomorrow and I believe God is showing me that we need to pray for whoever gets elected...that they remain focused on God and do not abuse power or become prideful." I think it was so convienent that I did this study yesterday. God has his hand over us...America. I know this election had a lot of bashing of character and is going to be a close election, but ultimately we need to look to God. He knows who is going to win and we need to constantly pray for our president...that he follows the Lord and "does what is right in the Lord's eyes". We need to constantly pray that they will not be filled with pride and remain humble.

So whoever wins tonight, know that God has his hand over us...and pray that our president will be a humble man of God.

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-30T13:58:00.001-04:00

Today is my sis-in-law's birthday! I just wanted to give a shout out to my beautiful sis in law on her bday. I've never had a sister but I love having her as the sister I never had. She's wonderful. Love you Janelle!

Sunday=Family Day

2008-10-26T22:09:00.004-04:00

Today was wonderful. I know a lot of people take Sundays to spend time with their family and we did just that today. After church we went out to lunch with my parents which was wonderful then Ryan and I decided to go to Rehoboth Beach for the day with the puppy. It was awesome. We live in such a great area surrounded by beauty and today we had the opportunity to take it all in. I love the beach. It such a gorgeous thing God created that I think I take for granted just because I live here. Here's some pics of my family and I enjoying the beautiful place we live.

Celebrations

2008-10-18T12:56:00.005-04:00

On the 15th, it was my momma's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! She turned 49 and she'll probably kill me for telling her age but I think she should be proud. She looks dang good for being almost 50. We went out Thursday night to Famous Dave's to celebrate. I had to get the family pic.

And also speaking of celebrations...my parents celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary on the 21st. At church we always recognize anniversaries because we believe in marriages staying together but I really think that even tho no marriage is perfect, my parents really grasp the concept of faithfulness to one another and staying together. So congrats to my parentals on their 30 years of being married!

Delaware is pretty.

2008-10-13T17:21:00.005-04:00

Ryan and I rode 14 miles today in some pretty parts of the slower lower. Here's 3 pics.

Love them like Jesus

2008-10-13T16:46:00.004-04:00

So I'm sorry about the book I wrote in my last blog. I started writing this blog and some how it led me to talking about my story. My fingers kept on going and there was no stopping it. So now you know a little bit more about me and I just made it a separate blog. So here is the blog, I intended to write.
Ryan has been doing a series called "Red Letters" for the youth group which was focused to use teachings right out of Jesus' mouth (hence the red letters). But let me tell you, it's not necessarily directed towards youth. I've been getting a lot out of it myself. My hubby has been saying for the past couple of weeks, that as Christians, we are all becoming. We are becoming followers of Christ. Whether we're just starting out or we've been followers for a long time, we are always growing. I am fairly new at "being" a Christian. And there is soooo much to take in and apply to my life. I wanted to fill you in on one of my main focus when it comes to being a Christian. I want...no, desire....to love people like Jesus loved. Can you imagine if the world loved like Jesus? I'm going to quote a little scripture for you, Matthew 22:36-40: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Ok, so I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. I try to love Him as He loves me. But lately I've been trying to work on that 2nd commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm trying to love like Jesus. I'm trying to love people no matter their faults, opinions, looks, income, what they believe in, sexual preference, ect. (I could go on and on). But let's be honest....it is hard. I am horrible at making judgments on people and I need to stop. Not like I say them out loud, I just think them. And I desire to STOP. I want to look at everyone and love them. I want to stop judging people by their looks. Looks are what I mainly judge people by and I would really like to stop. So I'm asking you to pray for me in this area and I will pray for you to love the same. Because I KNOW we all pass judgements on people. Let's love them like Jesus.

My Story

2008-10-08T12:31:00.004-04:00

Let me just dig deeper about my "walk" at the moment.
Some of you may know and some may not, but I got "saved" when I was 9 on the beach by my cousin. At that point in my life, I didn't know what it was like to be a true follower of God, Christ, or however you would like to put it. I went to high school, was pretty much a "good person". I partied a little like everyone does...I lost my virginity to my first "puppy love" when I was 17. But to me that was basically the norm. I didn't think that I was out of control in any way. Because overall, I was a "good person". Anyways, after I graduated is where I became a little crazier. I got a job as a server in OC (party central)...not a good idea. I partied every night, broke up with my boyfriend (1st puppy love) at the time and began to be overwhelmed by the many guys I worked with that had a interest in me. Not going to go into much detail but that summer, I made some horrible choices. I calmed down a bit after summer but continued to work there for the next 2 summers all the while making bad decisions. I went to college, stopped working there, and moved in with my 2 best friends. Throughout college, I did pretty well in school, only partied on the weekends with my girls. I'm not going to lie, I had a great time in college. I made some amazing friends who I'm still close to these days. We had a wonderful time living together for 2 years and I don't think I would trade those days in for anything.
Ok, might I add something in that is VERY important. Throughout high school, the crazy summers, and college, I went to church EVERY Sunday. I'd be drunk on Saturday night but I would wake up to go to church every Sunday morning...hung over or not. Obviously, it didn't click for me for quite a while because I continued this behavior for probably 4-5 years. Finally, I had enough. I wanted to try my best to follow Jesus but in all honesty it was a pretty hard decision. 1. I didn't have any friends that were followers of Jesus. 2. I was scared what other people would think of me. 3. I didn't want to lose any of my friends because I "changed".

But I decided on December 4, 2004 to follow Jesus. My journal entry from that day reads, " I made a crucial decision today. No more going out and getting drunk. It's not worth it. I do so many stupid things. It gets me in trouble. I don't just want to hook up with random guys. I want to find a faithful boyfriend. Being drunk and hooking up is not going to get me there. I'm going to be mature, focus my time on God, school, staying in shape, my friends, and my family. Today I got my cross. Today, I'm gonna start being faithful to Him."

God was doing something in me in that moment of my life and I'm so thankful for that. My mom had bought me an early Christmas gift that day and it was my cross necklace. I was determined that if I was going to display such a meaningful reminder around my neck, I needed to get right and follow the One who died on the Cross for ME.

So that's how I came to be. You know the craziest thing is that God brought Ryan and I together on December 19th at a church service. Just 15 days after I made my commitment! I believe whole heartedly that God wanted me to pursue Him before pursuing guys. I believe that God sent Ryan in my life to help me. I believe whole heartedly that God meant for Ryan and I to be together in life. I believe that God is truly amazing for giving many chances to follow Him, for giving me my husband, and to give me so much grace and love.

So that's it, there's my story. I started typing this blog about something else and somehow, my fingers just started going and was led to type about my story. I do think my story is extremely important for youth or anyone who feels tempted. There are a lot of "normals" today in our world. Like sex before marriage...being a virgin before you get married is almost unheard of these days and society says that it's ok to have sex before you are married. Can I just tell you something...if you haven't had sex yet, don't. Don't do it until you are married to the one God sends for you. You don't realize it at the time but sex holds so many consequences. Mostly emotional baggage. Trust me, I made a lot of mistakes when it came to sex. Focus on the Lord and center your relationships around Him.

I'll leave you with my journal entries following my decision to be a true Christian and after meeting Ryan. 12-24-04: "Christmas evening was nothing short of amazing. I got a boyfriend who is possibly the most terrific guy yet. He is amazing. Ryan Fields Jackson. My man of God. He's Christian. He's funny. He's trustworthy. He's a wonderful listener. I could go on and on...smile won't come off my face. Thank you God!" And this one doesn't have a date but I believe it was sometime in January 2004: "Ryan's the true thing. True love. This is a never-ending love. I'm marrying him. He completes me. I love him more than anyone could ever imagine. He's a blessing sent by God." Boy, was I love struck or what? =) One thing I have learned over the years is that I could not love Ryan if I didn't love God. God is in the midst of our relationship. He shows us how to love...how He loves us so we can love each other and everyone else in the same way.

My new favorite song!

2008-10-02T21:46:00.001-04:00

I love all kinds of music but one of my favs is country. I love country music and even if you don't, test it out to see if you like this song. This is my new favorite song by The Zac Brown Band called "Chicken Fried". Make sure you watch it til the end cuz they jam out country style. Hope you enjoy!

WARNING

2008-10-02T10:29:00.006-04:00

WARNING: IMAGES BELOW MAY BE FREAKISH BY NATURE, PERHAPS A LITTLE SCARY, AND JUST DOWN RIGHT WEIRD.

This is what occurs in the Jackson family when we're bored or while waiting for a video to upload. Not our prettiest sides but all in all, quite funny.

My happiness

2008-09-25T13:20:00.003-04:00

This is an older picture but when I'm wrapped in those arms and that furry little creature is beside me...that's where I feel the happiest. I love my family.

Good Dog

2008-09-24T16:07:00.005-04:00

Here's Hana being a good dog while we eat dinner.

She just laid her head on the table while I eat pizza. No begging...I love it!

Laptop girl

2008-09-22T22:00:00.003-04:00

Well folks, I joined the laptop crew. (I know I may be way behind since laptops came out quite a while ago...but that's just how my poor self was). Anyways, Ryan was given a Mac anonymously probably 6 months ago and we had a old desktop computer (the computer I've had for about 10 years...yeah it's old). Since we moved into our house (almost 2 months ago) we haven't had our desktop hooked up so the only computer access I have is when Ryan is home with his Mac and the last thing I want to do when Ryan is home is get on the computer. So on Saturday, Ryan randomly was like let's go to Best Buy to look at laptops. I wasn't going to argue so after a long and frustrating process that I'm not going to get into...ask me if you want to know...finally walked out there with a basic laptop with just a couple upgrades (I don't need much). We got a good deal and now I have my OWN laptop! Here's a pic of the new computer...don't expect anything fancy.

Now all I need is to get in the Ipod crew...yeah still don't have one of those.

Oh Texas, I still miss you

2008-09-22T21:44:00.006-04:00

I'm still missing Texas. Here are some pics when we visited Lance Armstrong's bike shop in Austin, my first WhataBurger and Steak N Shake experiences and family just hanging out on the patio which we did every night. I told Ryan we need to make this a twice a year trip.

Texas I miss you

2008-09-20T13:29:00.010-04:00

We just got home from Texas last night and I miss it terribly already. We had a wonderful time. Ryan's family spoiled us while we were there. We did not have to worry about a meal...we were fed 24/7 (with the most amazing food might I add...for example one night we had filet, crab imperial, baked potatoes, corn, salad plus desert), we had our laundry done, gifts waiting for us when we got back from Austin...it was just amazing. I'll show you our trip throughout the next couple of blogs but here is pics from the first 2 days.

Obama, what are you talking about?

2008-09-20T12:59:00.003-04:00

Here is where Obama's teleprompter goes out and who the heck knows what he's talking about.

Ahhh....vacation

2008-09-13T23:55:00.002-04:00

Despite Hurricane Ike, we made it here in TX. Where we are right outside of Austin, there was no rain and just a little wind so Ike didn't make very much of an impact here. My first day consisted of eating a wonderful lunch, taking a nap, drinking a hurricane (hmm...wonder why Ry's aunt picked that drink) while floating on a raft in the pool, having amazing beef brisket for dinner, watching a little tv, got massaged by a massaging sofa while watching The Wedding singer and now about to fall asleep. Well, I'm pretty sure that's about how my whole week will go....oh how I love vacation!

Ike...please don't ruin my vacation.

2008-09-11T20:35:00.002-04:00

So Ryan's dad, step-mom, Jimmy, Ryan, and I are supposed to fly to Austin, TX on Saturday morning. Well, hurricane Ike is supposed to hit TX on Saturday morning. I'm really hoping that this does not mess up our vacation plans too much. Austin is far enough from the coast so there won't be any major impact but there is a chance our flight will get cancelled. I've been really looking forward to this trip. "Ike, Ike, go away and don't come back any other day".

Jesus is my friend

2008-09-09T18:08:00.001-04:00

This is a real group....
Found it on Ragamuffin's blog...this is great.

Monopoly

2008-09-09T17:41:00.002-04:00

Ok, so like I mentioned in the previous post...when Ry is here, we try to hang out as much as possible. So with us not having cable or even a tv downstairs, we've been playing a lot of games. We have Monopoly (the here & now version...which is the same it just has updated places on the board and larger amounts of money) but when we've usually played in the past, we just played how we always played. This time Ryan was reading the rules and directions and did you know that when you land on the free parking space, it really means nothing? I grew up playing that you if you landed on one of the spots where you have to pay taxes or something that you would put it in the middle of the board and whoever lands on free parking gets to collect the money. I like it that way. But according to the rules, you pay all your money to the bank and the free parking space is just a free space...nothing exciting happens. Am I the only one who ever played this way?

Blogging (or lack thereof)

2008-09-09T17:32:00.002-04:00

I just want to apologize for the lack of blogging in my life. At the current moment, I don't really have the internet. Ryan and I have an old Compaq desk top that currently is not hooked up to the internet because we are being cheap. But Ry's MAC picks up wireless so I can use his whenever I want. But Ry has his computer with him all the time so the computer is home when he is home. Therefore, I can only really use the computer when he is here and to be quite honest, when he is here, I just want to spend my time with him and not on the computer. So I usually check the necessaries and then spend time with the hubby. But one day, when we're back up to speed and get internet hooked up to the desktop, then I'll be all over it. But I will keep updating whenever I have a chance. Just wanted to fill all you blog onlookers in.

September

2008-09-04T16:08:00.002-04:00

It's September already. Can I just say that I only went to the beach 3 times this summer. What is wrong with me? I love the beach. This is what happens when you grow up and have to work full time because you have bills. Oh to be like 5 again with no responsibility...

No work

2008-08-29T17:46:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to let you guys know that this girl right here is off work from both of her jobs for the next 5 days. =)

Hana Girl

2008-08-26T12:33:00.008-04:00

Here's a pic of Hana driving us safely into Salisbury. She's on here learner's permit so she has to sit in Ryan's lap. Can't do it quite on her own yet but she's learning.

Here's Hana girl after she was crying like a baby while I was in the tub last night. So I put her in after I got out and go figure, she wanted to get out. Such a mess but she's my baby.

Blue Like Jazz

2008-08-26T12:08:00.002-04:00

One of my summer reads this summer was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I would recommend this book any day. I loved it. It's basically about Christianity...some of the issues people struggle with it and I think ultimately this book gave me a little deeper insight about my faith. One thing that stuck out to me in the book is this excerpt, "When I'm talking to someone there are always two conversations going on. The first is on the surface; it is about politics or music or whatever it is our mouths are saying. The other is either communicating that I like the person I am talking to or I don't. God wants both conversations true. That is, we are supposed to speak truth in love. If both conversations are not true, God is not involved in the exchange, we are on our own, and on our own, we will lead people astray. The Bible says that if you talk to somebody with your mouth, and your heart does not love them, that you are like a person standing there smashing two cymbals together. You are only annoying everybody around you. I think that is very beautiful and true."
I've never thought about conversations in this way. But I also believe this is true. I challenge myself and you guys to have true conversations. Sorry this is like a small book report but I had to share this with you guys.

My family

2008-08-20T10:08:00.002-04:00

I know this may be gay, but this is my family. I'm loving life right now with my Ry and my pup. =)

Trying this again

2008-08-20T10:01:00.002-04:00

So awhile back in previous posts, I was trying to work out. I don't know why it is but everytime I try to be consistent with working out, I always fall off the horse. I start out pretty good and then it just goes down hill from there. Something happens, like this time it was moving in our house, and I stop for a week or two and then never pick it back up. I'm trying again. Ryan has kinda motivated me in a way because he does push ups everyday. I was like well I can do crunches everyday. So since Monday, I've been doing at least 100 crunches a day. This morning was good because Ry and I went bike riding through Plantation. It's kinda nice because we ride through the golf course and the path goes up and down hills. It gave me a decent work out. I asked Ry if we can do it again tomorrow morning and he said yes as long as we wake up in time. So I'm planning to get a little cardio tomorrow as well. Wish me luck...because I really would like to keep this up.

Dinner guests

2008-08-12T11:34:00.017-04:00

So Ryan and I LOVE our new house. I think we say it at least 2x a day. We just walk in and say "I love this house". We love the neighborhood...everything. Yesterday, Ryan and I went bike riding through Plantation and it was amazing. We rode through the golf course and on their bike path. It's so nice to just leave your home and be surrounded by beautiful scenery. We love it here. We have in fact, had some dinner guests. We had our parents over one night and my bro, sis-in-law, and Niamh over another. Here's some dinner guest pics. Can't wait to make even more memories in this home for years to come.

Boating fun

2008-08-12T11:01:00.011-04:00

My dad just got a new boat this summer and we've been out a couple times. This past Saturday, my bro, sis-in-law, Ry, and I all went out. We went water skiing and tubing. It was a lot of fun. Here's some pics from our boating adventure.

Devin Daniel Young

2008-08-07T13:25:00.004-04:00

Baby Devin Daniel Young was born yesterday at 5:04 pm. I have more pics but I don't have them on here yet so more pics to come. Congrats Danny & Becca!

(Hey, what are they doing with those scissors?)

Sweet pic

2008-08-07T13:18:00.002-04:00

Here's Ry and I's pic from church. (Our church is doing a series called Wipe Out so they have had a backdrop for everyone to take photos when they had Hawaiian shirt day.)

Online TV

2008-08-04T14:37:00.002-04:00

Can I just tell how much I love that they have put tv online these days. Ry and I haven't set up cable yet b/c we're waiting to see what our monthly bills are going to look like esp. electric since we went from 900 sq. ft. to 2100 sq. ft. But that's beside the point. Ryan busts out his Mac at night and we're mooching off the wireless from the construction trailer (I think) but we sit down and watch tv episodes of Hopkins. And I have to confess to you that I love soap operas and I can catch up on them cuz they're online too. I know not every show is online but I love the fact that you can go to pretty much any tv station and watch full episodes of just about any show. Just wanted to share my love for online tv. =)

Wedding Pics

2008-08-03T12:39:00.010-04:00

My cousin, Tina just got married yesterday. This summer has been a wedding summer for us but I love going to weddings. Here's a couple pics from yesterday. Congrats Matt and Tina!

Youth Group fun

2008-07-31T11:15:00.003-04:00

Here's a couple pics from a few youth groupers being goofy with the beach back-drop.

The New Home!

2008-07-30T11:11:00.004-04:00

Ry and I went to settlement on the new home yesterday.Yay!

Here's a picture of him carrying me over the threshold.

We absolutely love it!

We want to thank everyone who helped us with the move.

You guys are the best!

FINALLY!

2008-07-28T17:27:00.000-04:00

We are finally moving tomorrow. Man, it's been pretty stressful these past couple of weeks but I'm hoping it will be all over tomorrow and we can enjoy the new homestead. Can't wait to be in the new home. =)

Not getting in this week

2008-07-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

Well folks, we're not getting into our house this week. I'm pretty bummed especially because I'm not sure when I can get off next week. I didn't think that getting into your first home would be such a stressful thing but my stress level this past week had definitely topped the charts. We're hoping on Monday.

Most proper person I know

2008-07-23T13:49:00.002-04:00

This will be a random post but I just was looking at pictures from this weekend. My really good friend, Niamh, is in town for a couple weeks and we got to hang out. I just wanted to point out the fact that she is the most proper and polite lady I've ever met (well maybe except her mom). She's from Ireland and I'm not sure if they teach you the best manners there or what but it's so funny how proper she is. Just a quick story, I remember in high school right after we got our licenses we were driving and someone cut Niamh off without putting their blinker on. She got so mad and yelled "They didn't have their INDICATOR on!" I'm thinking to myself at 16 years old.."their indicator...who says that?" That's my buddy Niamh. And that's one of the things I love about her. She's so proper and I'm so...not. (Note the picture of us and you can tell).

Stress

2008-07-22T14:09:00.003-04:00

In previous posts, you can tell that Ryan and I have been pretty excited about getting in our new home. We are scheduled to settle on it this Thursday and move in Friday. Not sure that that is going to be happening. To make a long story short, we've been working with a mortgage lender ever since January. We've kept in contact throughout this whole process until about a month ago. About a month ago, I got the letter that told us our settlement date, ect. I tried to call our mortgage guy to let him know. I left him a message. Didn't hear back from him so I called him the next week then maybe a couple days after that and so on. I e-mailed and called several times. (But I wasn't up his butt either with phone calls, just like every 4 days). So finally I called the company he works for and they told me that he quit. I found this out exactly a week ago. So here we are. I thought I had everything figured out and now the guy quits and takes all of our paperwork and will not contact me. Not very happy. Luckily, we have another good friend, Chris (on the left singing at our wedding), who does mortgages. After me freakin out on Thursday we went and sat down with him and he helped us organize and make sense out of mortgage paperwork. He told us he could try to get us to settlement so we let him run with it. Chris has been working extra hard for us this past week and we greatly appreciate it. Now the issue is that the builder would like us to use their mortgage broker in order to get the incentives. So now we have started from scratch to get a mortgage in a week. It's extremely stressful. We are so ready to move into our home and right now it's just sitting there waiting for us. They are trying to get us to get settled my next week even though I work all week so I'm not sure when we would even be able to move (and side note, we have to be out of the apartment by July 31st). On top of all this stress, Ryan was pretty sick all last week and I've pulled a neck muscle that has been giving me very painful spasms and I woke up completely nauseous this morning. I don't want to complain in any way, I would just like for you to pray for us. We had off thur, fri, and sat of this week to get moved in so it would work out perfect. But from what I'm hearing we may not settle this week. I've got to lean on God and try to relieve myself from this stress. But we could definitly use and appreciate your prayers. Thanks.

New Pup Pics

2008-07-16T19:27:00.006-04:00

Haven't posted pics of the lil pup in a while so here you go.

The HOUSE

2008-07-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

Today I stopped by the house to check what type of cord I need for the dryer and it's finished inside! The lady was in there cleaning it all up so it will look nice for us. The outside is being completed right now but I can't believe we are going to finally move in in a couple of weeks. So psyched.

mini vacay

2008-07-09T22:02:00.004-04:00

Ry and I just got back last night from a mini vacation to Williamsburg, VA. We hung out at the resort, went to Water Country USA, and just relaxed. Here's some pics from the trip.

Congrats Kate and Josh

2008-07-05T22:02:00.003-04:00

Kate and Josh got married today! Congrats...we love you guys.

Flying Puppy

2008-06-30T16:48:00.000-04:00

Here's Hana flying.
This is how we keep ourselves entertained.

"Give yourself a big pat on your back"

2008-06-27T16:33:00.000-04:00

So I used to hear the phrase "Give yourself a pat on your back" all the time back in elementary school. Today I did this to myself even tho it is so 5th grade. I worked out...again. (I skipped cardio yesterday but did do 100 crunches and some arm strengthing) But today I went to the gym here at our apartment complex. Mind you, it's 90-something degrees outside, the sun was shining...and the biggest kicker of all is that the gym is right next to the pool. So here I am walking to the gym and a guy was coming out of the pool and was holding the gate for me. I had to give the thanks but no thanks cuz I wasn't going to the pool. I started my workout on the bike that faces the pool. So while starting my workout I'm watching people soaking up the sun, splashing and laughing in the pool, just enjoying the weather and here I am sweating my butt off when I could be cool in the pool. (Hey that rhymes). But I was determined and finished my workout. I feel great and I thought I deserved a big pat on my back so I did just that. =)

Settlement

2008-06-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

I got a letter that our settlement is July 24th! So excited! So it looks like we're going to be moving in on the 25th. Thank you for your prayers...they were answered.

Off to a good start

2008-06-25T11:47:00.003-04:00

Today I worked out...whoo hoo. I went to the gym and biked for 5 miles, ran on the treadmill for a 1/2 hour, did the leg press, and lastly 100 crunches. So I'm feeling pretty good. I just gotta keep this up.

Fun Puppy

2008-06-24T15:48:00.007-04:00

Hana has been overall a good puppy and is extremely fun. Here's some pics of her from Father's Day when she swam in the lake & took a boat ride and also when we took her to the beach this past week. She is a traveling little doggie but she's fun to have.

Motivation

2008-06-24T11:48:00.003-04:00

I NEED MOTIVATION. Motivation to exercise. It's ridiculous. I want to exercise, I feel I need to exercise (not cuz I'm fat but I want to tone up and I know it's great for my health) and when it comes down to it, I won't do it. What's the deal? How do I surpass this? It's kinda funny because at the hospital they have a program that gives you money (not too much but every little bit helps) if you exercise daily. Well walking is considered exercise to them so I enter that I walk quite a lot b/c I walk the little pup around but really I know it's not doing much. But anyways, we have to also read these little modules and take little quizzes to get our money too. The one I took the other day was Motivation to Exercise. When I saw the title I was like "I need to read this". Well that didn't help at all. Our pastor just finished up a series called Body and Health and the main thing that stuck out to me was my body is God's body. I should take care of it. But why won't these things give me the motivation to get off my butt? I'm so frustrated with myself. If anyone would like to help me out, please do...give me some motivation cuz I need it.

House Update

2008-06-16T15:48:00.004-04:00

Here's a little house update. It looks like it might be finished by the end of July! Whooo Hooo!

We drove by it yesterday and here are the pics. The outside is practically finished except our shutters and lights. The inside still needs some flooring, appliances and sinks, and final paint and clean up so it's definitly coming along. We're super excited!

New Job

2008-06-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

Last week I started a new job with Schell Brothers. It's a builder in Sussex County with many different new home communities throughout the county. I'm currently working at a community in Dagsboro as a sales assistant. Everyone on the sales team here is new so it is so nice to be learning together. Also there is not one person here that I don't think I'll get along with. Everyone is young and so nice. My boss is great and she is willing to work around my hospital schedule. I think this job is going to be a good fit.
http://www.schellbrothers.com/home/

One Year...Many Many More to Go

2008-06-10T16:20:00.014-04:00

Yesterday was Ryan and I's 1st Anniversary! I can't believe that we've been married a year already...it has really flown by. I still continue to fall in love with Ryan more and more everyday. He is truly amazing and I can't wait to share many more anniversaries together. To celebrate, we shipped our furry daughter to Ryan's dad's home and Ry & I headed off to the beach to spend the day. We went down to Assateague to relax and spend some quality time together. Then came home, showered up and headed to Harrison's Harbor Watch in OC for dinner. After dinner, we drove to the place I became Mrs. Ashley Lynn Jackson a year ago. We walked the beach and made out a little. =)

I can't believe it's been a year but I feel more complete with Ryan in my life. He helps me become a better Christian, become a better friend, and overall a better person. He challenges me to see the world through a different light, he has helped me become neater (Ryan is a neat freak), he shows me everyday what true love is. He inspires me, supports me, respects me, loves me though I have so many flaws...He is absolutely wonderful. I love you Ryan Jackson and I'm so happy to be your wife.

Swingers

2008-06-03T10:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I watched a lot of CBS. I admit I like to watch Soaps and Ryan & I watched CSI last night too. So it seems like CBS was on all day. Ok here's where I get to the point. Apparently there's a new show coming out called Swingers. It's set in the 1970's and it's about married couples who are swingers. (just in case you don't know, swingers are married couples who have sex with other married couples). EVERY commercial break, there was a commercial to promote the show. It even flashed down on the screen while CSI was on too. So I went off on a tangent to Ryan last night about what our world is coming to. I mean we see gay people kissing all over tv, and now there's a show about swingers which in my mind is completely off. You marry the one person you want to spend your life with and then decide to share the most intimate part of your marriage with other people. I just don't seem to get it...and it really disturbs me. Once again the world is telling us that this kind of lifestyle is ok. I pray that marriage continues to be sacred and is something that is shared between 2 people. I pray that marriages will stay strong and couples will stay in love for the long haul. This show is sending out a completely mixed up way for us to view marriage. It angers me.

Neglect

2008-05-28T11:41:00.002-04:00

So I've been neglecting to blog lately. Having a puppy is like having a child. I constantly have to watch her to make sure she doesn't have an accident in the house while we're trying to potty train her. But I didn't think that having a puppy would be so time consuming. I know it'll get better once she's potty trained and we can start leaving her but geez...we do everything with her. We take her everywhere if we're going to be gone for more than 2 hours. I admit that I am quite attached to her tho. She is my little baby. So sorry for the neglect but I'll be getting back to speed here soon.

The baby

2008-05-21T14:34:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I drove to Hartley, DE with my sis-in-law and we got my baby. I've been waiting weeks to get her and she's here. Her name is Hana. She is cuter than I remembered. She is like a little baby. She whines, eats, sleeps, plays, and goes to the bathroom (not necessarily in that order). She is so frickin cute. Although, I'm a little tired because she doesn't sleep through the night so we constantly had to get up and take her out.

But all in all, I'm pretty much in love with her. Here's some pics and a video of her playing.

Ocean City

2008-05-18T09:31:00.009-04:00

Since Wed. night, Ryan and I have been staying in Ocean City. Ryan's dad rents a condo every year for the car show. Ryan's two uncles from Texas flew in and stayed there as well. I'm not into cars and these guys sat on the balcony for the past couple of days just watching cars drive by. That would drive me crazy if that is what I did all day but the guys loved it. It was nice because we did get some quality family time in with his fam and it was really good seeing his uncles from Texas since we never get to. Also Gillie's birthday was on Friday so we celebrated with her and on Saturday night, Ry and I went to Seacrets. My friend Fiona, who I don't get to see often came down so it was nice hanging with her. Here's some pics from the past couple of days in OC.

Old pic

2008-05-16T11:26:00.004-04:00

So I have the whole facebook, myspace thing and yesterday I got a message on facebook telling me that someone tagged a photo of me. It was from a friend Amber who I haven't seen in probably over a year and was wondering what photo she would be tagging of me. She used to dance with me years ago so here's an old photo of me when I was a dancer. It's pretty sweet. I'm the one standing in the back with that awesome pose...haha.

Trust in God

2008-05-15T08:15:00.002-04:00

So the other night at our community group (it's kinda like a bible study/time to hang out and talk), we had a common theme...Trusting in God. Here's my confession...I have a hard time doing that. I know that God has plans for me. But it's so hard to give my life fully to God. I think that that is our human nature. I've realized that my main desire is to fully trust God. We also talked about our fears. I think my greatest fear is that right now in my life, I'm completely happy...I have an amazing husband who I have such an incredible love for and I'm so scared that in an instant, that can be taken from me. After sharing this at our group, we believe that the devil is in the mist of those thoughts. So if I could just fully trust in God, I could release those types of thoughts. So this is my prayer request. I desire to fully trust in God. I'm still young in my faith and have a lot to learn about God. I want to face my fears and fully trust in His will for me. Pray that I can fully trust in Him...that is my desire.