Currently...

I ran across this post that I wrote around this same time last year, and I decided to do it again this year to compare the differences!

Reading: Restless: Because You Were Made For More, by Jennie Allen. This book is incredible. Here's my favorite quote so far: 

"God is accomplishing a thousand tiny purposes at any given moment around us. There is only so much we can know, but we can leave the stuff we can't know to God and believe He has it all worked out. It may feel quiet, and we possibly even feel forgotten, but God is moving to work out His plans all around us. What is our part? Trust." 

Listening to: The Art of Celebration by Rend Collective which just came out yesterday. It is FANTASTIC. Hop on over to iTunes and buy it. Also, Tides by Bethel Music is pretty good. It's only $4.99 on iTunes. You can't beat a deal like that. 


Eating/Drinking: Baked Lay's BBQ Potato Chips and anything caffeinated...I need as much caffeine as possible to survive student teaching. 

Cooking: One Pan Chicken Alfredo.  This is one of the BEST pinterest recipes I have ever made. I will definitely be making this one again.

Running: Every now and then...I had a plan to become better at running this year, but let's be real, it's not happening. I ran some the other day at boot camp. I have all these dreams of being a cool runner, but I never put forth the time/effort to become one. Maybe one day.

Writing: Lesson plans, lesson plans, and more lesson plans. And reflections about lesson plans. It's all about lesson plans. 

Feeling: Ready for spring break, a little sad because Hannah + Jonathan  are moving, and sort of old because Jack turns FIVE in a couple of weeks. Five, people, five. 

Wearing: Gap, Old Navy, or JCrew pants + cardigans. #teacherlife

Missing: Camp, Australia, my besties, and free time. 

Wanting: To have my new iPhone...just trying to be honest here, people. 

Learning: How to trust those around me and how to trust the Lord COMPLETELY. 

Enjoying: Good books, evenings with friends, time at work, and catching up with some of my favorites. 

Birthday Celebrations

Sometimes my birthday can get overlooked because of Christmas festivities and New Year's Eve celebrations. But reality is EVERYONE in the WHOLE world celebrates my birthday so it makes my birthday so much more fun! I spread out my birthday celebrations for about a week, and each and every celebration was so fun!

We spent New Year's Eve and Kaila's boyfriend's house. Once the clock struck midnight, Patrick found this piece of cake and lit some candles and everyone sang to me. I laughed and laughed because they all knew that I don't like cake, and then once I blew out the candles, I handed the cake back to Patrick to eat. 

I went to Carrabba's for birthday dinner with my parents. THIS chocolate delight was DELICIOUS!

The fab five were at it again for my birthday dinner. We headed downtown to The Cotton Patch, and it was such a fun time with these girls! After dinner, we headed back to my house where we talked for hours about education, the government, our futures, etc. We felt like old ladies discussing these things, but I'm so grateful for these lifelong friends. 

Kaila surprised me with a trip to Atlanta for my birthday weekend. Through me being nosy and a friend kind of spilling the beans, it ended up not being as much of a surprise as it should have been. BUT it was tons of fun. We shopped a lot, ate lots of good food, played fun games, froze in Piedmont Park, didn't get enough sleep, and laughed a lot. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to the ATL. 

I don't know about you...

....but I'm feeling 22! Thanks TSwift for making 22 a little more exciting to look forward to than other ages!

22 has been great so far. I brought in the new year and my birthday with a few friends at Kaila's boyfriend's house. It wasn't anything crazy, but it was spent with some of my sweet friends, so I'll take it :)

I celebrated my birthday with lunch with my sweet friend Caroline, phone calls from two sweet friends and two sweet "nephews", lots of texts and FB posts, and dinner with my parents. I'm going to have dinner with my best friends from high school one night, and I'm heading to Atlanta this weekend for a birthday trip with some sweet friends! It's been a great birthday so far.

I decided to come up with 22 things that I want to accomplish through this year. And here they are...

1. Read one book a month that isn't school related.
2. Complete the 7 challenge (more to come on this later).
3. Become certified to run the high ropes course and the intermediate ropes course at camp this summer.
4. Visit someone that I didn't visit in 2013.
5. Do something completely spontaneous. (I know this is kind of ironic as I plan to do this, but you know...I'm trying.)
6. Have a phone date with a friend once a month.
7. Try a new recipe once a month (except for the two months I'm at camp).
8. Become more involved with my church.
9. Send out 5 letters each month to friends/family.
10. Redo the 4 card table chairs that I didn't redo in 2013.
11. Buy the meal or drink of the person behind me in the drive thru line.
12. Apply to grad school and/or apply for a teaching job (EEEEEEEKKKKKKK).
13. Memorize a Scripture each week; so basically memorize 52 verses.
14. Visit the Dukes with Emma Kate.
15. Go to a new place.
16. Work out more than I did in 2013.
17. Learn how to start a fire.
18. Visit the Biltmore.
19. Surprise a friend.
20. Volunteer for something.
21. Try a new food/beverage that I normally wouldn't want to.
22. Grow closer to the Lord.

Christmas 2013

Christmas this year wasn't too crazy, but that's okay. Sometimes it's nice to have calm, small holidays. I enjoyed the time spent with my family, and I'm glad that two of my grandmas were there to celebrate with us! What a blessing for them to have another Christmas.

Cuteness. 

We spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family. This is the newest member, sweet baby Hayes! How precious is he? (This is just before he peed on me. Real life.)

We ended Christmas with dinner at Waffle House!

The Sunday after Christmas a few of us went to Lights of the South, refusing to believe that Christmas really is over. 

Had no idea Addison was back there :)

Love this sweet friend!

New Year's Eve isn't supposed to be too crazy either, but I'm okay with that, too! And the birthday celebrations are about to begin!!!

2013 Year in Review

2013 was a fab year. In January, I wrote this, "21, you've been nothing short of fantastic so far! I cannot wait to see all the fun things that come with your year!"

This year was incredibly fun. I made and met some incredible new friends, God worked in magnificent ways, I fell in love with a beautiful place, and I continued on this journey that God has called me to. There are some things I wish had taken place during 2013, but they didn't, and I'm just going to have to be content in where he has me this year. So, without further ado, a look back on some of the highlights of 2013! 

January: I turned 21!

February: I led my senior girls in their last DNOW! 

March: Drew got married, and my BD and his wife got saved!

April: Kaila and I went to Atlanta, and I threw Hannah a bridal shower. 

May: I went to Hilton Head twice, and Hannah got MARRIED!

June: I went to camp!

July: I was still at camp!

August: I went back to camp for a weekend, and I went to Florida for Labor Day Weekend. 

September: I went to camp again (clearly I fell in love with camp this year).

October: I started my student teaching (and SURVIVED it).

November: I spent a lot of time with the Dukes at camp, and I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner! 

December: I hosted the FIFTH Annual Tacky Sweater Christmas Party!

2013, you really were great. I made some awesome best friends, I slept outside two times too many, I stood by one of my best friends as she got married, I drove to Asheville and back too many times to count, I had two of my best semesters in college, I read as often as I could, I cooked a 20 pound turkey, I was a student teacher for five weeks, I made it a full summer at camp, I watched my birth dad and his wife get baptized, I became an even bigger fan of phone dates and spur-of-the-moment visits, I spent more money at Gap then I should have, I joined a new church, and I made as many fantastic memories as possible. 2014, I cannot wait to see all the joy and fun you bring! 

beyond measure

It's no secret that I absolutely love camp. I adore every minute that I get to spend in those beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I have just fallen in love with that beautiful place. However, as beautiful as camp is, that is not the reason why I love camp so much. I love camp so much because of the extraordinary way God works there through the ordinary people He has in place there.

I've honestly been looking forward to being at camp for the past two or so weeks. Even though I've seen and talked to some of my favorite people from camp, I just wanted to be there with them. Even if it meant working one looooooooooong retreat. I drove to Greenville on Friday and met up with my friend Emma Kate. We then headed to camp, where it was freezing, and I got to see lots of wonderful staff from this summer! And on Saturday morning, it just got so much better...

...I got to meet the newest member of the Duke family, sweet Levi Jude! I love the Dukes, and they are in their last couple months at camp. I'm going to miss them lots as they head off to Maggie Valley, so I'm extra grateful for this time I got to spend with them!

How SWEET is this picture of big brother Elliott with Levi?!

Of course, no visit is complete without time making this girl smile and laugh. 

Favorite quotes of the weekend from Anna: "Mom, can Ashton and Emma Kate come pick me up for dinner?" and after dinner, she's chewing something, so when I ask her what she's eating, she says, "I found a little piece of chicken stuck in my mouth so I had to finish it!"

Gosh, I just LOVE her. 

Like I said, camp is an absolutely beautiful place. I've been there in the spring, summer, and winter, but this was my first fall experience at camp. Lots of the leaves had fallen, but there were still a few trees that were just screaming for their picture to be taken. Gorgeous!

It was Abby's birthday on Sunday, so we all got the chance to sing to her, eat some brownies with her, and celebrate sweet Abby! She was my supervisor and mentor this summer, and this woman is full of wisdom and grace! I so enjoyed getting to be with her. 

And to top off my wonderful weekend, I got to have dinner with this girl on my way home on Sunday (photo taken this summer). One of the staffers that was at camp this weekend had been in Clemson earlier last week and got to see Mary Leslie, so I decided to text her and see if we could meet up. It worked out well, and it was just such an encouragement to be with her. 

This past weekend, I felt so blessed. I kept thinking that if I'd stayed at camp two summers ago and hadn't broken my ankle, that I wouldn't have met some of the people who made this summer so special and who still bless me every single day. God has really blessed me beyond measure, and I'm so incredibly grateful for this season of my life. 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

exhausted.

I tweeted the other day that I thought I was tired this summer at camp. And I really was exhausted this summer. But for some reason it seemed so much more worth it than it does now. I guess it might be because everyone around me was experiencing the same thing this summer, and that is not the case now. However, I've learned so much, and I only have three more days of 5:15 wake up calls. While this is definitely the busiest semester I've ever had, I have managed to have some fun these past few weeks...(side note: I really hate that the most recent posts have been just picture updates; I have a few "good" posts that I've been writing and re-writing, so look for those soon!)

We had a pumpkin carving party one night! I actually did very little of the carving of this pumpkin.

Mom had a birthday!

And these two celebrated 29 years of marriage...who's that guy with the hair? ;)

I got to see my favorite college freshmen last weekend! I so love these pretty girls, and I'm incredibly proud of who they are becoming. 

There's ONE week left of my student teaching, and while I won't miss my hour drive each way, I am going to miss those sweet first graders. At the end of next week, I'm heading up to camp for the weekend, and I'm SO excited to be at Cedar Cliff in the fall! Here's to a busy next couple of months!!

blessings

y'all. the Lord loves to give us good things. He really does. the ones below are three of the good things He's given me lately. really blessed by these ladies and all that they mean to me. 

coming up to camp a day early just to be able to spend some time with this lady? always worth it. 

best part of this weekend? i was walking out of the dining hall, anna saw me, she yelled "ashton", and then she ran towards me to give me the best hug ever. we then played in the sand lots, and she ended up helping me clean the DH. love that precious girl.

and a happy happy happy birthday to this lady! so blessed to have had this Casie in my life for so many years. 

a little break from reality

Spring break is slowly but surely coming to an end. I've absolutely loved this week, and I'm not looking forward to going back to school on Monday, even though we only have two weeks of class left!

This sweet boy turned FOUR on Tuesday. Seriously, FOUR. I cannot believe it's been four years since I became Ash Ash!

Also on Tuesday my mom rocked it like she usually does at the annual FCA golf breakfast. It was a success, like always!

On Wednesday, my friend Kaila and I headed to Atlanta to visit some friends. Her boyfriend is friends with some of my best friends from high school, so it worked out quite well for me. Before we hung out with them, we headed to the World of Coke.

Besides my friend Lauren in Australia, Kaila is my one friend who loves Coke just as much as I do. So it was really fun to get to explore this place with her! 

It was a BEAUTIFUL sort of hot day in Hotlanta. 

Enjoying some Willy's Mexican with everyone!

Finally visited my GT friends but only managed to get a picture with one of them! 

The rest of this week will be spent doing DIY projects, spring cleaning, crafting for Hannah's shower, and just enjoying these last few days of freedom. Happy almost weekend to you, friends!