One Proud Aunt!

So, for those of you who know me, know that I am anxiously awaiting for the Spring for 2 BIG reasons! Well...actually...they're little reasons! 2 Babies! I am having a nephew (for sure...we found out this week!) and another baby! My nephew, Easton/Eastin Reid (I heard the spelling is still being decided!) is due the first week of April, and the other baby is due mid March!

Brent and I are thrilled about the two little ones entering our lives, and we look forward to loving them, playing with them, and spoiling them!

Taylor sent me a pic of the sonogram that he and Kelcie received on Wednesday when they found out they were having a boy! While it is hard to make out everything, you can see this very distinctive foot! It is the most precious foot I have ever seen! I believe my response to the text message was "I'm in love!" and I am.

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore children. Heck, I work with children of all ages and most with special needs. But, nothing compares to the children that I am blessed to call family. I already have several kiddos in my life that I love to spend time with and spoil, so adding to the bunch thrills me!

For every child that is in my life, I pray that God watch over them, keep them safe, and bless them for all their days! And, since we now know that I will be for sure having a nephew, I pray this:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this miracle that you have provided our family! Thank you for blessing us with his life and all that he will be! We know that because of your love and dedication to us as your children, you will provide him with all that he needs...your love! We ask that you keep him safe and out of harm. We ask that you use us to do Your will in his life!
Lord, we thank you for all that you do for each of us and our growing family! We ask that you watch over Kelcie and Taylor throughout the remainder of the pregnancy and help them as the prepare for this bundle of joy! Lord, please use me in any way to help them as they prepare for his arrival and throughout his life, whether it be emotional support or free babysitting (which I am completely happy to do!)
Thank you again, Lord for allowing me to be an Aunt, again! This truly is one of my happiest joys in life!
Amen!

Easton/Eastin Reid, I cannot wait to see your face, hold you in my arms, kiss you, love you, and eventually, tell you all kinds of stories about the trouble your Daddy used to get into! I know that you and I are going to be the best of friends! I love you and thank God for you each day!

Happy 80th Birthday, Pawpaw!

Last Saturday was a really fun time! On October 2, my Pawpaw turned 80! Last Saturday our family (most of us), gathered at Mom and Dad's house for a birthday party! It was so much fun! To begin, I should give a little bit of a family tree for those of you who may not know!

My Nanny and Pawpaw have been married 56 years come this December! They have 4 children: Diane, Pattie, Gary (my Dad), and Rickey! Diane is married to Kevin and they have 3 children: Kyle, Julie, and Heather. Kyle is married to Dana. Julie is married to Ben, and they have 2 kids: Cason and Kinley. Heather is married to Grayson, and they have 2 girls: Avery and Emere.

Pattie is married to Bill. They have two children: Craig and Benay. Craig is a teacher/coach in Howe, TX and is dating Macy! Benay is living in Tennesse and pursuing her dreams in music production.

My Dad, Gary, is married to Carol, and they have an angel of a daughter....okay...just kidding! Obviously, they have me as a daughter, and I am married to Brent. Taylor is their son, who is married to Kelcie. Taylor and Kelcie have baby due in April.

Rickey lives in Granbury, and like my Dad, works for AT&T.

Most of us were able to come in for the party, but with our family continuously growing and living in several states, it is becoming harder and harder for us all to get together at one time! We are shooting for Christmas this year! Here's our attempts at a family photo!


From Left to Right: (Front Row) Kevin, Diane, Pawpaw, Dad, Nanny, Mom, Pattie, and Bill. (Back Row) Dana, Kyle, Emere, Heather, Grayson, Avery, Kelcie, Taylor, Me, Craig, Brent, and Macy!

We ate burgers/hot dogs and cake (of course!)! Here are a few pics from the day!

Nanny holding Emere!

Brent and Avery take a brake from playing!

Pawpaw feeding Emere!

Dad (Gary) reading a book with Avery!

Pawpaw blowing out his birthday candles!

Mom (Carol) holding Avery as she licks the icing off of the candles! This is my kind of girl!

Heather and Diane!

Dana and Kyle!

Heather and Grayson!

Pattie, Bill, Macy, Craig, and Diane!

Macy, Taylor holding Avery, Kelcie, and Dana!

Avery and her Papa!

Emere and Me!

It was such a great day! As we all sat in my parent's living room, watching Pawpaw open his gifts/cards, I started thinking about all of the many memories I have of this man! First of all, there are several things that you should know about him. Pawpaw has always been a hard worker, he loves anything technical (especially computers and cameras), and his love for his family has always been apparent through his actions and his words!

As a child, we lived in Granbury, and Nanny and Pawpaw lived next door! For a while, they had a garden, and I remember Pawpaw tending to the garden and mowing his lawn! He still mowes his yard, which I find enduring and inspiring! There are men 20 years younger than him who can't mow their yards. While I hated the days that Mom and Dad would wake us up to go help mow the yard, I liked it because I knew that at the end of the day, I could walk over to Nanny and Pawpaw's house and have a bowl of ice cream with Pawpaw!

Growing up at any family function, Pawpaw was the guy behind the camera! Whether he was taking pictures or videoing, he was the guy behind the camera, capturing a moment to remember! Infact, I think this might have been the first family gathering in history where Pawpaw didn't have a camera in his hand! (Of course, there were two great granddaughters to be holding instead! So, you can't really blame the guy!)

And, finally, all my life, my Nanny has told me that I am stubborn like my Pawpaw! I'll take that! Pawpaw may be stubborn, but he is the same man today that he was yesterday! He still believes and lives by his Christian morals and values. No one talks poorly about his friends or family without Pawpaw standing up to defend them! To me that is honorable, not stubborn!

So, this blog is dedicated to Pawpaw! Happy Birthday, Pawpaw! May every man and woman live their life for the Lord and be blessed with 80 years! Here's to many, many more!

Hair Cut!

So, I finally did it! I cut it all off! My hair that is! I am 8" shorter and about a 100lbs. lighter! Okay, maybe not 100lbs, but a huge weight has been lifted off of my head! It was amazing how almost immediately I felt relief! I have been planning on cutting off my hair for some time now! I have worn it long for the past 6+ years for several reasons!

1. I was in college and couldn't afford a hair cut every 6 weeks to keep a cute short style.
2. I was getting my masters and was too lazy to care for my hair properly.
3. I decided to start caring for my long hair in preparation for donating it!

The idea of donating my hair is a courageous and inspiring story (not about me, but someone else I find very special!) But, to begin, I should say that several years ago I heard about Locks of Love. It is a hair donation charity, that accepts hair donations to be made into real hair wigs for people with cancer who have lost their hair. I always thought it was such a wonderful and simple way for anyone and everyone to give back and help another person! I started researching Locks of Love in 2007 when my aunt, Pattie, was diagnosed with breast cancer! Pattie had such a difficult experience through her surgeries and treatments! As a result of chemotherapy, she lost her hair and decided to purchase wigs.

At Christmas, Pattie and I were talking about everything that she had experienced thus far and she explained that loosing her hair was one of the worst things for her! She explained that she realized that loosing her hair may seem petty to others, but that she felt a true loss. I explained that I didn't find it petty at all because I feel that for most (myself included) our hair is a large character in our physical identity! From that moment, I decided that I had to do something! I didn't think that finding the cure of cancer was likely to come from me, so I decided that I was going to start caring for my hair in preparation of donating it!

Locks of Love requires 10". That is a lot of hair for someone with a head of hair like me! But, I wasn't too concerned about growing it because luckily my hair grows fast. But, I was dreading having to care for all of that hair up until I cut it. But, not to worry, Brent saved the day! He had heard about Pantene Beautiful Lengths. This is another hair donation charity that accepts 8" for the same exact cause as Locks of Love. I felt relieved!

Now, if you know me, you know that I have a ton of hair! To say that it is thick is an understatement, plus when you grow it out, it starts affecting your lifestyle! Before cutting it, I was spending 1 1/2 hrs. washing, blow drying, straightening, and styling it! Actually, I had started wearing it curly because it was taking so long to care for it!

So, on Monday, September 8, I cut it all off! I decided that this was a way to give back and help those like Pattie enduring the pain of chemo and loosing her hair in the process! So, here is to Pattie! I donate my hair in honor of you and your courageous and fight against cancer. You are not just a survivor, but a conqueror because of your hard earned efforts!

For an update....Pattie's cancer is gone and her hair is growing back!

And the two became One!

Saturday, Aug. 30,2008 was a special day for two reasons!

1. It was my mom's birthday! No, I won't reveal her age, although it is nothing to be ashamed of! I believe that the only thing to be ashamed of as you age is not your age, but neglecting to live your life to the fullest!

2. My little brother, Taylor got married! He married a beautiful and sweet girl....Kelcie! They had a beautiful summer wedding (indoors....thank you, God!) I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid...and thank you, Kelcie for choosing a dress that granted me many compliments!

It is hard to believe that Taylor is married! Not because he isn't old enough or mature enough, but because he's Taylor! I remember the day he was born! That was a great day! I got a little brother and a real life doll to play with! What 4 (almost 5) year old girl doesn't want a real life doll to play with! What they don't tell you is that the baby grows and starts talking (or more like talking back!) Taylor and I had your typical sibling spats, but what I am discovering as I talk to others is that we don't have a typical sibling relationship now! You see, Mom and Dad used to fret that Taylor and I wouldn't be close because I was nearly 5 years older and we are of the opposite sex, but I think it has worked in our favor! You see, we have provided one another with an understanding of the opposite sex, we respect one another, and we have fun together! We don't always agree, but we do have the ability to get through it and work it out! I think that Taylor and I are fortunate (or at least I know I am) that I am able to call him my friend as well as my brother!

His wife is great, too! I never had a sister before, so to have a sister-in-law is fun! The more time I spend with her the more I realize how much she and I have in common! She and Taylor compliment each other really well, and I couldn't be happier that Taylor chose her to be his wife!

Congratulations to the happy couple! May God continue to bless you and your relationship as you grow in Him and in love! I love you and wish you all the best!

On another note...when Brent and I got married, Taylor snitched and told where we had hidden my car! So, instead of having one car to clean up, we had two! Brent and I have always promised to payback the "favor!" So, Brent found Kelcie's car hidden at her Grandmother's house, but we decided to provide a little extra "fun!" We decorated their bedroom and left many surprises! Hope they enjoy the many surprises to come! Love`Ash

Blissful Marriage

On Saturday, Aug. 16th, Brent and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! 5! It is hard to believe that I am old enough to say that I have been married for 5 years, but I am! We decided early last week that we would drive down to San Antonio for a long weekend! We had such a good time shopping, eating, relaxing, etc.
Without going into great detail about the weekend and all of its events...I would like to share with you how wonderful my husband, marriage, and the friendship that we share is. First, Brent and I have always been able to laugh with and at each other (although let's face it...he is typically the one laughing at me!) Either way, we have a very special relationship that I thank God for each day! It is nice to say that I married my best friend and actually mean it! For those of you who don't know Brent....he is honest (with others and himself), extremely smart, easy going (he doesn't let much bother him, which in return sometimes drives me crazy!), loves his family and friends, and often puts others before himself.
Brent has always been good at the little things in our relationship (flowers, "love you" notes, and sincerity), but he is really great at the big things (surprises, anniversaries, birthdays, etc) I love that Brent and I have always and are always taking the time to do for one another! I think that that is important in a relationship...to do for the other and strive to make them happy and feel loved and important!
I surprised Brent with Jerry Seinfeld tickets in July (which was a blast!) And, although I told Brent that his present could count for both of our anniversary gifts, he surprised me this weekend and bought me a really nice camera. Recently, I was bit by the photography bug! I know, I know, the little bug must have jumped right off of Mom and hoped onto me! I am loving this camera! I am really excited about getting to spend some time playing and experimenting with it!
All of this too say....there isn't a day that I don't thank God for Brent and our marriage! We were both blessed with parents and grandparents that were true examples of what marriage and true love and commitment are! We were so pleased to be able to honor these couples and the years of their marriages at our wedding 5 years ago! We pray that God will continue to bless our marriage, just as he did for these couples!
So, this post is dedicated to Brent! Sweetie, thanks for 5 years of a blissful marriage! I know that I am better with you than without you! You always make me smile and you truly are my favorite! I look forward to the future that God has planned for us! Happy Anniversary!

Not Ours, but God's Will Be Done!

I am a planner! I am not sure if I instinctively inherited this from my parents or if it comes to me naturally, but all of my life, I have been a planner. As a child and even now as an adult, it isn't out of the ordinary to see my mother with her list. Typically, it is a list of things to do around the house or a grocery list, but she works off of a list. My Dad is a planner, too. His just works in a financial way, most call it a budget. Laugh if you must, but now that I am an adult with financial responsibilities, I appreciate my father's ability to financially plan. So, as you can see, it is in my blood to be a planner!

However, the older I get, the more I realize that sometimes, you can't plan for certain events that may in occur in one's life. I am learning this more now in my life than ever before. Today, in our sermon at church, we continued discussing the series "The Barbarian Way." (Refer to previous post for the series description.) Our pastor, Shane, discussed that far too often we as Christians, because of our human nature, get in the way of God's plan. Not to say that God is the reason for all of life's circumstances, but that we as humans often get consumed by our own plans, that we fall in the way of God's.

I can only speak for myself, but when my plans fail, I am often frustrated, disappointed, and quickly trying to recover myself by planning yet another plan. As I grow as a Christian, I am trying to learn to stop planning so much, and to let God take control and plan my life.

Without going into detail because I don't think that it is my story to tell, my family has encountered unexpected turn of events that is affecting all of our lives plans. While we each are feeling our own disappointments and hurt, we are all rallying together and trying to fall back into God's plan.

As I get older it is more and more apparent to me that I often turn to God in moment's of despair. And, in these moments, I cry out to him to save me and to help me through these moments. And, here I am again, crying out that God help my family and me. But, because I am a growing Christian, I am also learning to cry out to God more throughout all moments of my life and ask that he take full control of my life and to bless the path that I am to follow.

So, this is dedicated to those of you, finding yourself traveling down an unexpected path, crying out to God to save you and to help you through these moments. I, too pray that God continue blessing you, giving you the strength and patience that you will need to endure those trying times, the comfort and peace to help you along your way, and His everlasting love and devotion that will allow you to grow and remain on the path in which He has planned for you!

I leave you with this...one of my favorite scriptures:
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."~ Romans 15:13

Humbling Beginnings!

This past week and a half has been mind blowing, exhausting, exciting, fantastic, a wonderful learning experience, and most of all....humbling! To recap...I recently started working for a well known pediatric hospital in Dallas! I LOVE IT! The first two days were your basic boring orientation and computer based training. The rest of the time I have been getting acquainted with departmental policies, paperwork, and the ins and outs of things! It has been exhausting trying to get myself back on a schedule! But, all in all, I love it and it is awesome!

I feel blessed that God has given me this opportunity! I feel blessed that God has allowed me to go to school, get both of my degrees (without putting myself too far into debt), all the while being happy and healthy! I am blessed, and I realize that I don't deserve these blessings! I'll explain....

Our church is starting a new series called "The Barbarian Way!" We are following a book written by Erwin Raphael McManus. (If you haven't read it...DO!) Without doing a complete song and dance about the book/series...I will summarize it for you! Basically, the gist is this...we as Christians are called to follow God 100%...not 95%...not 90%...BUT 100%. And, when I say follow, I don't mean get in line with what people are telling you what God wants you to do or believing the cultural-istic view points of the Christian world. This means...you give of yourself (and your life) completely! You do what he calls you to do regardless of how it affects you! Secondly, (and I think this is deep, honest, and true!) just because you follow God, does not mean that you are entitled to a blessed life! He promises you a future with Him, but not a life filled with blessings and answered prayers! This book/series is honest, blunt, and in someways brutual!

Since I started reading the book, I can't put it down! For those of you that hate reading, don't worry it is only approximatley 150 pages! I think that all Christains should read it, if for nothing else than to remind yourself of what we as Christians are expected and called to do and be for God, not what he is to be for us!

With all of that said....I mentioned in the first paragraph that I have felt very humbled in my new job and I have! While begining this book, God has reminded me that the blessings that I have been given were not earned or deserved. Simply, He blessed me! In the past week, I have worked with children who had gun shot wounds, physical impairments, mental impairments, etc. And, while I could sit and easily find the blessings in their lives as well...I realize that I never have a right to complain or be disappointed if God doesn't bless me with the things that I pray for or the things that I believe I deserve because I have plenty!

Today, I encourage you to do three things:
1. Go buy and start reading "The Barbarian Way" By: Erwin Raphael McManus.
2. Remind yourself everyday of the blessings God has already given you.
3. And, finally, remember what God has called you to be as a Christian. Someone who is willing to give of themselves completely and (if need be) make an ultimate sacrifice, just as He did! Remember, we were never promised a blessed life here on earth, but an eternal life with Christ!

God bless each of you and all my love!