01 Sunday Feb 2015
Posted in Holiday
Tags
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and it’s a reminder to show our loved ones that we don’t take them for granted. Remember actions speak louder than words…
Love Challenge 2015
What small acts of love do you perform?
19 Saturday Jul 2014
Posted in Life
Tags
❤ Today is Hubster & my 7th wedding anniversary! ❤
and YW’s 600th post!
I’ve married my best friend, found my soul mate… I could use all these clichés. However, there is no combination of words that can express our love, our connection, our partnership. We’ve faced more obstacles than most do in their first 7 years, but our foundation is strong.
Hubster, here are 7 unusual things that I love about you…
❤ You don’t notice the 5 inches I get chopped off my hair since it’s so long. If I try a new shampoo, you notice that my hair smells different.
❤ You usually pick out terrible movies at Redbox that you think I’ll like. Once in a while, you get lucky and pick exactly the one I wanted to watch.
❤ Sometimes we can’t drive in the car for longer than 5 minutes without getting irritated with one another. Other times, we can drive in the car for two days straight in perfect harmony.
❤ At home you tease me and pick on me about my silly blog, but then I overhear you talking it up to others.
❤ We dislike the same silly movies that many of our friends find hilarious and recommended.
❤ When you have a cold or your back is out, you simultaneously want to be babied and left alone.
❤ No matter how difficult life can get; when you kiss my forehead, temples, and eyelids, everything feels right in the world.
Blake Shelton’s lyrics on our bedroom wall art continues to act as our daily reminder, “GOD gave me you for the ups and downs / GOD gave me you for the days of doubt / And for when I think I lost my way / There are no words here left to say / it’s true, GOD gave me you / Gave me you…”
XOXO,
Young Wifey
08 Tuesday Jul 2014
Tags
acrylic paint, family, guest book, love, painting, sisters, tree, Weddings
In November 2012, I went to Scotland to visit my sister and her wife. They were celebrating their marriage with a wedding (and today they got married in the US!). As a wedding present, I painted a large oak and with Distlefink love birds on a canvas to use as their guest book. I’ve been waiting for them to finish arranging the leaves before blogging about it. So I’ll just reblog her post. Make sure you click on the link to her post to see the finished pictures!
XOXO,
Young Wifey
My sister made our guest book for our wedding. After she consulted with us, she painted this beautiful canvas with a large oak and Distlefink love birds for a Pennsylvanian element. When she transported it over for our wedding, she cut the wooden frame and rolled the canvas. We pinned it back onto the frame roughly to display at the wedding.
Prior to the wedding, Honey and I couldn’t source oak leaf hole punchers, so we went with maple. The wedding tables were decorated with paper leaves in various colours and we asked guests to write something that we should always remember to be thankful for (and their name) on at least one leaf.
Guests wrote thoughtful, touching, simple, and funny things on these beautiful little records of a joyful day. After the wedding, we had these leaves sitting in a container in the spare room while the painting…
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11 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Life
This next guest post comes from a sweet young woman who knows a lot about love and loss. Her story is far too complex for a simple introduction so I’ll just let her share her journey.
XOXO,
Young Wifey
Finding Love a 2nd time
I did not sign up for this. I was completely happy and lucky with having found love once. I liked my boring love story: High school sweethearts marry after college and start a life together. And they live happily ever after. The end. Case closed. Done and done. Easiest blog entry ever. But, that was just the beginning. And since Young Wifey asked me to write about finding love a 2nd time, that’s clearly not how my story ends.
Initially, I was very eager to write about my story. It can be a very powerful story and I thought it would be nice if even one person could get something good out of it. But, once I started sitting down and writing it, I realized how difficult it was actually going to be. I found myself reliving many of the repressed emotions from the painful circumstances that I have tried so hard to put past me. My story is not only about finding love a second time, but getting a second chance on life, love, and happiness. So buckle up, this is going to be a bumpy ride—you’ve been warned.
My journey began back in 1983 with two loving and caring parents and an older sister in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I was your typical 80’s child—many lazy summer days spent playing with Barbies, Trolls, and Legos. When my younger sister came along when I was ten (planned, can you believe it?), I traded in the role of the baby of the family and reluctantly accepted the new role as middle child (and live-in babysitter). I was your typical all-American, goodie-two-shoes, well-behaved kid. I grew up going to a Christian church and it was there that I accepted Christ into my life. Church was a big part of my life. I was involved with the youth group, volunteered in the nursery, and went on mission trips. It was also there where I met my first love, Corky Dengler. He was funny, handsome, and very tall. I fell hard for him. I was fifteen and learned to throw the rule book away, relax and have fun. We went to proms, Yankees games, and each other’s graduations. We spent our summers poolside, beachside, and just side by side. We had such a strong connection. I felt complete with him.
Through our college years, we had our struggles. Not with each other, but with adapting into becoming adults. We both took full advantage of our newfound independence and minored in partying. Thankfully, I was still able to keep my grades up and actually graduated at the top of my nursing class in May of 2006. Very shortly after, we were married with all of our friends and family at our side.
Ashley & Corky
From the outside, I had it all; a house, a great job, passionate love, and hopes of adding to our family (gotta include the pups!).
Ashley, Corky & the Pups
On the inside, we still struggled with balancing partying and the responsibilities of being an adult. Things started to get out of control yet we continued to deny there being a problem. Rock bottom happened in March of 2009. Corky was hospitalized with complications from a drug overdose. We spent nine months in the hospital; him battling infections and injury and me battling insurance companies and stress. It was hell. The fear of him not getting better and me being alone was too much to imagine. I was literally on my knees, begging God for a miracle. However, on December 1, 2009, Corky passed away.
I struggled with rationalizing that God has a perfect plan for everything. Corky was such a great guy and had so much to offer; why did He allow him to die? Couldn’t He have found a better way? Was this really necessary? I may not see the entire picture now. I may never see the entire picture or have the answers to my questions. And that’s tough for me. I want to know why I had to go through all this pain, anger, depression, loneliness and confusion. The only way I’ve found peace is by focusing on the eternal picture. I must trust that God will use my problem to fulfill His purposes. I have found that I need to focus on God’s plan—not my pain or problem. I need to remember that God paints on a large canvas and sometime I can only see a small portion of the painting. I take comfort in knowing that Christ loves me SO much and He is still working in my life for His glory. So, I try and focus my energies on the important issues. I cherish the good time Corky and I have shared and the important lessons he has taught me. I can still hear his voice telling me to slow down and appreciate all the good things I have. Like, my loving family and friends who supported me during this difficult time. Corky will always share a part of my heart. He has molded me into the person I am today. I miss him so much.
Deep breath….it gets better, I promise.
At Corky’s memorial service, Corky’s best friend, Ryan promised to take care of me. That meant so much. Knowing that I was not alone in all of this was so comforting. Despite him living 3000 miles away in California, we stayed in touch. We relied on each other when going through difficult times. He had lost his best friend and I of course lost my husband; this common bond made our friendship stronger. As the months passed, we started to communicate more frequently. He helped me as I re-entered the dating world. And, my-oh-my, things were a lot different as a 26 year old widow (btw, an awful word; can’t we come up with something more comforting than a killer spider??). He consoled me during my first traumatic break up. Ryan and I would meet up whenever he came back to Harrisburg to visit his family. It was hard to deny our friendship was changing. But holy-moly, we couldn’t admit it. That would just be too weird! Could it be that I was having feelings for my late husband’s best friend?
Ryan and I had talked for a while about me coming out to Los Angeles to visit him and see the city. We finalized plans for December of 2011 for me to come and visit. This made me scared and excited at the same time. Would we confront these feelings? If he didn’t feel the same way, would we still be able to be friends? What would my parents think? Or his parents? Or Corky’s parents? When I was on the plane to go visit him, I had decided I was going into the weekend just hoping to have a fun time; to explore the city, to spend time with a good friend….and, if anything else might happen, it would be a nice bonus. No expectations = no disappointment. Luckily, Ryan went into the weekend with different expectations. He navigated through the awkward conversations of “I can’t help but notice our friendship seems to be changing.” When I agreed to going on a date with him the following day, we both breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time worried how things would go. Luckily, the next day was magical. Best. First. Date. Ever. We hiked a popular trail overlooking the Hollywood sign, followed by dinner at sunset. We finished the romantic evening with a stroll on the beach and a Ferris wheel ride.
Ashley & Ryan
More importantly, we had a connection. When I came home after that first weekend, I was giddy. He came back to Harrisburg three weeks later for Christmas where we admitted to our friends, our family, and Corky’s family our feelings for each other. We were surprised how willingly everyone accepted our confession. My mom said Ryan put the sparkle back in my eyes. We admitted to ourselves and each other that we were in love, on Christmas Day. The next few months were a whirlwind of excitement and hope for the future. In February of 2012, I began the process of acquiring my California nursing license and finding a job. By June, I had packed my bags and dog, rented out my house, and moved to sunny California.
Ashley
Two months later, Ryan asked me to marry him and the following April we were married in a small ceremony on the beach.
Happily Ever After
It has been a crazy few years…full of the most extreme highs and lows. I still struggle with guilt. It’s hard sometimes for me to admit that I’m happy. That it’s okay to be happy. To realize that moving on does not mean forgetting. I will never forget Corky. He was my first true love. I still have tough days and it’s so comforting to have Ryan’s support on those days. To be able to talk with him openly and for him to understand my loss and pain means so much. It was our shared love for Corky that laid the seeds for our own love to blossom. In my heart, I know Corky supports this relationship. And that gives me peace. It turns out that next to the darkest corner of my canvas, God painted a bright, shining ray of hope.
How did I get so lucky in love twice?
19 Monday Sep 2011
Tags
cooking, food, foodie, husband, love, marriage, married life, postaday2011, spouse
Between prepping my lessons for teaching and completing my lessons for my intensive course, I have not spent much time in the kitchen. Or anywhere else but in front of my computer, and unfortunately not on my blog. When I have made it into the kitchen, it hasn’t been to cook the delicious foods I like to prepare (and consume). It has all been boring, basic and quick.
Hubster does not cook… ever. Okay, he’ll cook his own venison… he’ll make a very occasional grilled cheese (I think I last had one over a year ago) and recently he’s mastered the art of brewing a cup of coffee (which I do not drink). Now in all fairness, he does work many late nights and is exhausted when he gets home, so I don’t really expected him to do any of the cooking.
Then one magical night (last week), we were driving home from school together (Hubster actually had an early week!!!) and Hubster asked me what I was making for dinner. I responded that I had defrosted some chicken and that I’d probably heat up some frozen veggies and cook some potatoes. Quick, easy and boring. After we were home and took care of our fur children, I busied myself with my homework. I wanted to complete a major assignment before I started dinner. I heard the tea kettle whistle and Hubster asked if I wanted tea. He is pretty sweet & considerate and will make me a cup of tea now and again…
Then I heard the magical words, “How do you make this chicken?” I said I had planned on coating it and baking it. “How do you do that?” I jumped up and lined 4 bowls on the counter. I scooped flour (salt, pepper and paprika) into the second one and breadcrumbs in the last. I told him to use milk and eggs, as I pointed to the remaining bowls. And I just as quickly sat down. He questioned me like crazy (which meant that even though he was being thoughtful, I wasn’t getting any work done in this time), so I was careful to give him very clear precise directions, but remained at my laptop.
Hubster managed to bake breaded chicken tenders, steam a vegetable medley and slice & pan fry some potatoes. Even though the chicken was a bit dry (shhh, don’t tell him) and the potatoes were extremely peppery, it the most special meal I had in a long time. Hubster was quite proud of himself too. Afterwards, I asked Hubster if he would be making chicken any time again soon. He was quick to tell me, probably not. Another reason I love Hubster? He never ceases to surprise me.
Hubster Finds The Kitchen
How has your partner surprised you recently?
19 Tuesday Jul 2011
Tags
anniversary, family, friendship, love, marriage, postaday2011, wordle
Four years ago today Hubster & I joined in matrimony. Individually we’re not perfect, but we’re perfect for one another. Today we will celebrate our anniversary with Pumpkin. Even though we became a family on day one, we like to focus on the day we officially became a family. Tomorrow, Hubster and I will celebrate ourselves.
Happy 4th Anniversary Hubster!
❤ Young Wifey XOXOXOXO
Happy Anniversary Hubster!
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