Reflections of Fall

My beautiful mountains in the fall....I love this place. It is so rich with color even at the end of the fall color change. I've always appreciated the richness of the mountains: the richness in the hearts of the people there, the richness of the earth and the beautiful products of nature there, the richness of the love of my family, the richness of God's love there. It's where my heart was first touched by God, where I was born, where you can almost see the prescence of God reach down for you like the fog that has lighted on the mountain in this picture.

I find it interesting that God led me out of the mountains and into a much different and flatter area of the world to grow me. I had always imagined that the richness of those mountains would be where I would remain planted and grow, but it took being transplanted to the coast to find the right soil for me and now, I feel so strong. My life with God has flourished, my career is growing steady, and I have found a love here in Robbie that I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to know. I have a much higher respect for God now. That He knows so much more than I do, that I can't and never could plan my own end or how exactly my life would grow, but, here I am. In His hand, trying everyday to do His will and loving it!! I feel completely blessed today!

Catching up...

Hey yall, I know it has been a while since I wrote anything here and I thought I should probably update a little bit. For starters, yes, I'm still dating that same wonderful flat lander, Robbie. He's sweeter than ever these days and we've been dating for 8 whole months (can you believe it?) It's amazing how quick this year is flying by!! So much has happened. Last year at this time, Sara and I welcomed Leo and DonJuan into the house and these crazy kitties are still driving us batty!! My sister got married almost a year ago. I met Robbie in January. Sara has come and gone to Peru. Christie has gotten engaged, moved back in and is planning a wedding. Heather has bought a car and resumed her classes. My cousin and his wife had a new baby :) ... that cute little Hayden!! It all makes me wonder how fast the years to come will pass by. I still can't even fathom being 29....much less 30!! It's like unbelievable that I will be that age in another 6 months. I feel too young to be almost 30!! Anyway, I'm waiting on a great picture of Leo in the midst of a shinanigan before I add a picture to this post. Hope you enjoy the slide show below of the recent Panther's game we went to with the Ashley clan!!

The New Panthers Pics

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

For those who need the definition:

Note: the distance between the boy and the girl... hahahaha

 

Summer in Greenville :)

Each season brings so many changes. This summer is no exception. Just like my garden is erupting with blooms of new flowers, so is the inside of my house erupting with changes. For the summer, Sara has decided to travel back to Peru. She left this week and she'll be back in August. Next week, Christie (my most favorite of all roommates) is moving back in and staying until her wedding this coming Spring. Why, yes, I did say wedding!! She is engaged to Michael and is very excited about the move and the wedding. I'm looking forward to having her back. A few of my friends start their residencies this summer...that's right, they are now "Doctor _____" scary, but true!! Robbie and I are still doing well. We went to Morehead City this past weekend for a wedding and we actually ended up ditching the reception for a chance to see the beach on a beautiful day. It was GREAT!!! Sun, not too hot, nice breeze, and my sweetie sitting with me on a bench on a pier....very very nice :) Heather and I have been planting flowers in my garden and we've had good results. My girls night ladies are covering the book of James this summer and so far it has gone well. Hope you guys have great summers as well and I'll update the page as soon as I can.

My 29th Birthday!!!

I recently turned the big 2-9.....an interesting age. Not quite 30, but no longer "in my early 20's" either. But, so far, it has been very good and I think my year 29 is gonna be GREAT!!

My birthday was especially blessed this year by my boyfriend, Robbie, who sucessfully surprised me with a Michael Buble concert!!!!! We went to Raleigh to the convention center and the concert was just absolutely unbelievable. Michael's voice just makes you melt and the band was phenomenal!!! (check out Michael above)

Then, I went home for Easter to see my family and they were awesome!! It was just good to see everyone, including my brand new cousin Hayden Lewis who was born just 3 days shy of my birthday on April 12th (and she has RED HAIR!!).....

Oh well, that's enough for now...I'll write more soon.

Chris is staying in Greenville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of my friends are finishing medical school this year and Chris is definitely a great friend!! They recently found out where they matched for residency. Chris found out that she will be here in Greenville for the next 3-4 years!!! She is going to be an obstetrician and deliver lots and lots of babies.

There's an added bonus....Heather is going to move in with Chris as Chris is buying a new house here in town as well. Yippeee....lots of fun for everyone!

An update

Hey everyone. All is going well and life moves on faster and faster these days. Many of you know that this past summer a friend of mine died suddenly here in Greenville. That experience changed many of the ways I look at life and death and even God. I've never seen Him as powerful as I have since that time. This weekend, another young lady in our church lost her life in a car accident. She was only 16 and it really makes me realize that life is just SO short. We really do have such a short time here. It's not worth wasting. There's a verse that caught my mind today:

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Each life has a purpose. When I start to question, "Why did these 2 only get so few years?" then I can answer it with, God only intended them to have that long and, true to his nature, he doesn't reveal everything to us (Now, we see through a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face...1 Corinthians 13).

Robbie update: So, I've been pondering alot lately (as if that is anything new :) I know, I know, I think too much!! But, it's good stuff. Robbie and I are still taking it slow and enjoying each other's company. I was especially enjoying it on Saturday night when Carolina smashed DUKE!!! I'll be home for a quick trip this weekend (no, Robbie is not coming this trip). Hope to see you soon!!!

The Details

Okay, okay so I've had a TON of questions from yall about who he is, etc. So, here goes:



Name: Robbie
Age: 28 (his birthday is July 22, so yes I'm just a little older)
From: Simpson/Grimesland (tiny towns just east of Greenville...about 15 mins from my house). Grew up here on a farm (a great big farm).
Education: NC State. Got educated in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering
Occupation: Currently works for the City of Greenville as their Web Systems Analyst. He also co-owns a trucking company with his dad.
Spiritually speaking: He is a Christian. He prays and reads his Bible and he has been coming to church with me for the last month.
How we met: We met at the office when he came in for a pre-employment physical....then he got sick...then he called the office a few times with "questions" for me. That's where the story gets interesting....and debatable....
First date: well, this is subject to interpretation, but I think we have both agreed the first "date" was when he took me to see Larry the Cable Guy at the RBC Center 2/11/6
His family: I met his family this past weekend. They are great! His dad is a farmer and now owner of the trucking company. His mom does wedding pictures (a new interest for her). She made me chicken pastries and bunches of homemade goodies this past weekend when we went over there for dinner. (for the mountain people, chicken pastries are sort of like dumplings....well, sorta) He has a sister named Helen who is around 22. She's living at home and going to school (she's really funny), and I've met his grandma too!
Other important/not so important tidbits: He is a Duke fan. Lord have mercy! He likes the Panthers. He likes to cook on the grill. He likes big trucks to drive. hahaha I dont' really know what else to say except he makes me laugh :)

My Valentines' Day 2006

Okay, okay, so there's something kinda important to update you on. I kinda met this guy. His name is Robbie. He's from this area and he's really sweet. I've given him a very hard time playing hard to get but I finally gave in and went out with him on Valentine's Day. He sent me beautiful flowers at work and I had a really really good time. We've been hanging out a lot since then and I think he's kinda fun. Look for more pictures around here sometime soon....especially since his mama took one of us together while we were at her house the other day and then ran off with the memory card!

I've got new furniture

Here are some pictures of my new furniture. Sometimes I wish you guys lived a lot closer so you could see all this in person. But, I guess that goes both ways, huh?