Brown Paper Packages #1

I've decided to start a new series called "Brown Paper Packages" which will basically consist of Our Favorite Things (If you don't catch the reference, watch the South of Music). It's basically going to be somewhat of a review of awesome things that have happened.

Now, before you start judging me for being a braggart or a show-off or arrogant, please note that I don't anticipate these types of posts to be primarily about us or things that have happened to us. Honestly, its an excuse to brag about people we love and show others how awesome they are!

So, without further adieu....Brown Paper Packages.

This Engagement Picture

Not only does the photo show one of my best friends with her fiancé, it also completely shows her devout faithfulness to the Green Bay Packers. My only regret is that the cheesehead didn't make it into the picture. ADDITIONALLY, another one of my best friends was the photographer! Great job at being awesome, Katie and Kaitlin (and Dustin)!


This Ministry

My mother-in-law has recently started a Women's Ministry at their church. After only a few events, I count over 20 women in this photo alone! So thankful that Nathan and I both have parents who have chosen to follow God's calling on their life and set great examples for their children. Thanks for being awesome, God!


This Bedhead

My friend's two year old daughter is so beautiful even with this craziness on her head! Its so hilarious!... thats all I really have to say. Thanks for the awesome pictures of your kids, Melissa!


This Weather

As you may have remembered, last Saturday gave us some AWESOME WEATHER! It was above 60 degrees, if I recall correctly. Nathan had gone to a Predators game, so I decided to walk Koba around the block to enjoy the sunny day. And when I say walk, I mean carry. We talked to a few neighbors who were also enjoying the day. At the end of the walk, I wanted to send Nathan some pictures of our adventure. Here are just a few of what I got. Koba has proven over and over again that he has ADHD when we go outside. Anyway, it was still a great day! You gave an awesome 60 degree day in February, weather!


This Accomplishment

What can I say, my cousin is talented. She got freaking first chair in the whole state of Tennessee in choir! #NotSurprised She is honestly, probably the best singer I have ever heard in my life. I'm glad I taught her everything I know. Just kidding. But seriously, I remember when she was about 10 or 12 her singing some random 80s song ("whats up" by 4 non blondes) with her dad and thinking, "...wow..." She has only gotten better. Awesome job, Kait!


So, these are just a few things that I have come across this week alone that have become some of my favorite things. Leave a comment of one of your "brown paper packages"... or don't. Thats ok too.

The Lone Wolf Bachelor

Having a bachelor party is a time-honored tradition...I guess. I have only been to one, and while it was enjoyable (I shot my brother with a paintball gun, after all), I chose not to have one for myself.

You may be thinking, "that is just Nathan; he cares not for tradition." While that is completely true, that was not all there was to my decision. Probably the biggest deciding factor was that I did not feel like having "one last fling as a single man" was appropriate. It is not like I would not be able to call up my friends and go hang out with them ever again. I felt like I would be insulting the relationship that I already had with them by having a party, as if our friendship as we knew it was over. My prediction that things would remain about the same with them was accurate. 

My other problem was that I did not think that I could come up with anything else to do than what we normally do when we hang out. I figured we would probably plan to play video games all night, and I'd inevitably be asleep by 8:30pm. And I could do that with them any day. No need to make a special trip for an early snooze! 

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CC Image courtesy of Paree on Flickr

Bachelorette Party Festivities

So.... I'm not really the "lets go out to the club and dance the night away" kind of girl. I'm not really the "lets drink wine and watch chick flicks all night" kind of girl either. So what kind of girl am I?...

I'm the "lets go run around in black clothes shooting lasers at each other" kind of girl.

For my bachelorette party I wanted to do something fun where we didn't have to dress fancy and everyone could have a fun and relaxed time. Now, I'm not saying that going out on the town, or watching chick flicks all night is not fun, I'm just saying I would rather shoot my friends with lasers in the dark.

We all met in the afternoon and headed to Nashville to go to Laser Quest. Lauren, Kaitlynn, Zack and I had been there for Lauren's 21st birthday (We know how to party), so I knew it would be fun. And it was! We had to pick a code name to play, so we each picked a bird reference to celebrate my future maiden name (Birdwell). I legitimately thought I was going to walk out of there with an awesome score...

Apparently, I'm confused about how to score in laser tag, because I definitely had one of the lowest scores of all. Regardless, it was a great time and I'm glad we acted like ninjas instead of anything else we could have acted like at a bachelorette party!

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Our Proposal

It happened on November 17, 2013

Nathan had planned for weeks for us to have a date at Patti's 1880 Settlement restaurant and grounds. I had just been on a school trip for several days, so we were both excited to spend some time together and excited for the date. Additionally, the Patti's had already put up their Christmas lights and decorations to add to the excitement!

The date started with playing Mario Kart... Nathan got 1st every time, and I got 12th. Then we ate some ham sandwiches.

Afterwards, we got dressed up and headed to Patti's, We ate, and of course it was delicious. Then we went outside and started walking around and looking at all the Christmas lights and soon ended up under a gazebo with dozens of Christmas trees and a line of children waiting to sit in Santa's lap.

All of a sudden, Nathan got down on one knee and said, "Ashley, you know I love you, and you know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me? Obviously, I said yes! At this point, random people began gathering around us and asking, "Is he serious? Is this real?" and I replied, "Yes, he's serious!" They all started taking pictures of us. It was pretty hilarious.

Then, we walked around the grounds and enjoyed the lights. It was a great night and one that we will not ever forget.



The Whole Story:
Was I excited? YES, of course! Was I surprised? Let's just say I had a few clues. Naturally, we had discussed marriage for our future and we both knew that we wanted to be married. I'm not a huge fan of extra long engagements because I feel that it is unnecessary torture (I could go on and on about this topic, but I won't, for the sake of keeping this post light and happy).

My first clue was that when he had asked me if I wanted to go to Patti's, he suggested that we dress up. NOW, if this doesn't see suspicious to you, then you don't really know Nathan that well. I personally don't mind dressing up now and then, especially for a special occasion ;) but Nathan will put up a fight every single time.

After the first clue, I pushed it out of my mind. I wanted to be surprised, and after all, its not every day that the love of your life proposes to you, right?! Anyway, the day of November 17, he was going to come over to my apartment to hang out before we went to Pattis. He had planned for us to play on the Wii and he was going to "fix us lunch" AKA ham sandwiches from Kroger. Well, at the time, I had a habit of putting my hands in his jacket to hold his whenever we greeted one another. So, just like every other day, I opened the door and immediately reached for his pocket. He pushed my hands away and just held outside of his pockets instead. This might seem like not a big clue, but after that, I was positive it was happening that day. I'm very very analytical and I notice very small details about seemingly insignificant things.

Again, I pushed it out of mind. I must say it was extremely hard to forget that I knew what was going to happen. I think I must have been a detective in another life, because 1) I'm pretty intuitive I can figure things out in a jiffy and 2) I randomly enjoy using a magnifying glass.

So, as the night went on, the weather got colder and colder. So cold, that when we were walking around looking at Christmas lights, I made the comment that I might have to put on my gloves. Nathan's response, "No! Not yet..." and we continued walking.

A few minutes later, he slipped the ring on my un-gloved finger. It was pretty great, and so special. Whether or not I expected it, or knew, or was or wasn't surprised, who cares! We had a great proposal and I will never forget it.


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How We Met

Ashley: I first noticed Nathan when we had a class together my first semester back at Murray State. I remember him because he had glasses like me.

Nathan: I remember taking notice in Ashley when we were in a class together (her first semester), but I really noticed her in a class we had later. I would always tell my friends that I thought she was gorgeous! I had a big plan about what to say to her to get to know her, but quickly became nervous and abandoned that plan and said something awkward instead! Thankfully, God gave me a second chance later! 

Ashley: Nathan was very persistent in trying to get to know me. The next semester he asked if he could be my chemistry lab partner, where I politely told him no, and suggested someone else he could be partners with.

Nathan: I ended up with someone else from the OSH department as my partner, but we conveniently were placed back to back with Ashley and her partner. I tried to talk with Ashley as much as possible (even though it was still probably awkward!!). I eventually decided to ask for her number during a study session.

Ashley: Well, I gave it to him, and we soon started getting to know each other and talking everyday. I realized he was just as much of a nerd as I was! I was noticing we had so much in common: music, favorite types of music, and most importantly, our yearn to please God above all things.

Nathan: I finally got up the nerve to ask her out on a date, and we enjoyed some good food and a movie together. She asked me to come to Murray State's All Campus Sing event, which I had never been to. I attended, and had a blast with her! That night, I asked her to be my girlfriend (April 17, 2013).

Ashley: The next few months were exciting getting to know one another, yet difficult because I was away on an internship for 3 months. Although we were 800 miles away from each other, I knew by the end of the summer that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Nathan.

Nathan: I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with Ashley! I know that God has put us together, and has wonderful things in store for us!


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It's Been 8 Months series, Introduction

February is 8 months from our marriage PLUS it's Valentine's Month (is "Valentine's Month" a thing?....oh well), so we just wanted to take the time to reflect on our marriage. Throughout this month, we are going to release our thoughts and memories of our wedding day and related activities. This series will include:

• How We Met
• Our Proposal
• Bachelorette Party Festivities
• The Lone Wolf Bachelor
• A Review of Our Day
• Guest Wedding Photos Revealed
• Highlights of the Secret Honeymoon
• Credit is Due

We still can't believe it's real!

NOTE: The list above features click-able links to the individual posts.

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Photo by: Josh Salley

Cold Season

It's cold season!.. and you know what that means..... everyone has a cold (not to point out the obvious).

Sure colds can be annoying, but I've gotta be honest... there's something about having a cold that I kind of enjoy. Granted, not for more than a week. If this thing is going to last for more than a week, then it just might as well stay away from my immune system. But, a 3-4 day stay can't be that bad, can it?

Positive things about having a cold:

1. You can always play the "sick" card. Now, I don't take this lightly... you can't overplay this card... but when you have a cold, it IS in your hand. You can use it to your advantage! Congratulations, you get to lay around in sweats, drink hot soup, and get the priority blankets! Own that sickness!
2. NyQuil. I've seen people post on Facebook or Instagram about how at least when they are sick, they can count on NyQuil helping them have a good night sleep. Now, I'm not saying this is not a positive thing, I'm just saying, its not the ONLY positive thing about taking NyQuil... another bonus is that the liquid type tastes pretty darn good. Yes, I still take the liquid NyQuill medicine. Judge if you must. Some pills are just too big to swallow. In an unrelated topic, I also take gummy vitamins.
3. Its always sort of funny when you laugh and snot accidentally gets on something other than a kleenex, such as your laptop screen. No additional explanation needed, I hope.

Just remember, there's an upside to everything, even a cold during cold season.