Fine Lines

First let me start with a few Friday favorites.

1. Waking up early enough to make coffee in the morning.
2.  Discovering (FINALLY) what to do with my wine bottle collection. Only two people know. It is a secret, beyond them. I am stoked. Can't wait to get started; hoping it works well.
3. Lots of band rehearsals this week - tiring, but fun. STCJ2011 is going to be brill.
4. Getting my Christmas vacation set; I get to have a whole 10 days off work!
5. Getting a random check in the mail to help pay for our sanity. We serve a very gracious, loving, giving God.
6. Uncommongoods.com. If you have time to spare... there you go. I don't, really, but I made it work.
7. My husband putting cute little sticky notes all over for me to find; they all said cute things on them. :) He is the greatest!
8. My mom. I haven't seen her in a while... but she's definitely always one of my favorites. (Hi, mom).
9. Spiritual challenges. They're constant, they're sometimes annoying, but man do they alter (typically for the better) your relationship with God and the Church.
10. Getting together with the beautiful ladies Christy, Melinda, and Raena to practice some songs for the STCJ2011 Intermission.



I don't have much ranting to do. Well, I could, of course. But my heart's not in it. To be honest, I'm a bit tired. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally.

I would like to ask this, however. Where is the line? There are SO MANY fine lines within Christianity. One being contentment vs courage. When is being content just an excuse for not being brave/courageous to take a leap of faith, and when is taking a leap of faith just an excuse to not be content?

Opinions and input always appreciated. I hope you guys are having a nice night/early morning. I've been awake for 23 hours, time to hit the hay I suppose.

Friday Favorites

Another week down. Here are my favorite things about today/this week.

1. Opportunities to prove myself at work. Sometimes I'm good at pretending I'm an adult.

2. Chris taking me to work on Thursday, getting lunch with me at Subway, and doing a little bit of Urban Outfitters shopping after work.

3. Beginning planning for STCJ2011 (San Tan Christmas Jam 2011)!

4. New, beautiful encounter I had with Jesus on Wednesday. Praying to meet with Him again soon in that personal way. I love those moments full of His grace and my humility.

5. Meeting for Paraguay! $800 saved, $2800 to go! Spent the time coming up with fundraiser plans with the group - feeling really excited about the possibilities!

6. Life coming into place. Disappeared off the charts for a while, but I'm finding my way back and learning to sit still and enjoy.

7. Creating for my Church!!! I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of what I got to make but I had a blast designing ONE's (discoverONE.net) worship areas. Tomorrow I'll be making a new piece and I'm super excited about it.
Hint:


8. Growth. I am trying so hard to quit trying so hard.

9. Can't forget, my aunt Brittany's wedding. It was on 11/11/11 and it was WAY fun. I got to be one of her bridesmaids, Chris and I got to sing a song during the ceremony (I Run to You by Lady Antebellum) and a song during the reception (Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova). Was a sick reception.


10. Contentment. God is continuously working in me to make me into the person He wants me to be. Praying that I can continue to be open to it and realize what He wants for me.


How were your guys' weeks??

Friday Favorites

Well to be honest, it has been a very difficult last week, but of course there are still awesome things happening in life even through the hard times. Such as:

1. Friends with loving advice.

2. Chances to grow within a difficult situation. It sucks going through it but there can be a very positive outcome IF you allow it to happen that way.

3. Saturday - first date day with Chris is far too long!!

4. New discovery: amazingly good homemade (or... workmade) hazelnut iced coffee.

5. God's Spirit, which moves through our lives with an unfathomable, yet [seemingly] invisible beauty.

6. my cute new purse I got at Old Navy for $1.50.

7. New friendships. What a world.

8. New goals, new plans, new inspiration.

9. Ladies' night out - shopping, talking, laughing. Happy sigh.

10. Sitting around the table at 11:30p laughing it up with friends, knowing I get to sleep in tomorrow morning.


It seems, ladies and gentlemen, that the time I'm currently going through may be one of the hardest times I will ever go through in my life and it is a time I will not soon forget. It is so painful, yet when I imagine what could be learned and gained from it in the future, I almost feel honored or privileged the Lord has faced me with it now. I'm being rebuilt from the ground up. It hurts like hell and feels so burdensome, but once I've got a new form in this way it will be a masterpiece made by Him.

So cheers to the freaking weekend.

Ashley

Friday Favorites

My friend Lyndsy (http://bit.ly/nHLKeK) does a "Friday Favorites" blog every Friday. I think that would be fun. Here are mine:


1. Manual transmission. Having to operate the shifting of the transmission hindered my ability to text/tweet and drive. Hurray for being alive.

2. People I work with finally laughing at my jokes.

3. My mom. "Nuff said.

4. Pimples and unbuttoned pants, to remind me that I'm not perfect.

5. Ice. The only thing that I wanted to eat all day today.

6. "Let me tell'you somethin'" - Coach Eric Taylor.

7. Lightning. I cried out of fear and humility as I drove home in an awful storm. But then, I cried out of awe and power and might. What a powerful God...

8. Surprise scavenger-hunt notes with cute compliments on them left for me to discover when I got home (by my husband).

9. Company from a friend - Lyndsy.

10. My husband, Chris. My best friend and my absolute favorite person on the earth. I feel so awkward without him.


Well my Friday doesn't seem very entertaining.
Maybe this was a bad idea.


Oh well. Tomorrow, getting up bright and early to go with Michaela to Flea Markets and Antique Shops! Hello you glorious Saturday, you! And... I get to see my husband in the evening. OH YA.

Ashley.