Random Rantings.

So, we moved into our friend's house this weekend, and it has been SUCH a blessing. Just to be able to walk into different rooms has made such a difference for Nathan and I. Hopefully, we'll only have to move one more time, and into our house! We're not sure about the exact date yet, but are hoping for the first week in September. I'm trying not to count on it though.

I feel like being real in this post- this season has been tough, especially for me. I'm really tired of just sitting around doing nothing. I have always worked, or had something to do, and watching Nate go to work every day and make money for our family, while I sit at home (our hotel room) and check my email 40 times a day is really no fun. When I have nothing to do, it just breeds this laziness in me. There are plenty of books I can read, plenty of friend's phone calls to return, But I just had no desire to do anything! Through much pride, I would often say, "I never get bored! It takes a lot." Well, I guess this is the "a lot" I needed! :) The other day, I sat in our bed and looked at Bed, Bath, and Beyond's 153 shower curtain choices. Can you tell whats been on my mind? But the Lord is so gracious to me. I am going out of town today until Sunday to spend time with family and friends. And then next week, He has provided two different babysitting jobs for me that will occupy most of next week. It will be so helpful just to have something to do, so I'm not sitting around being irritable at my husband and thinking about the house that I don't have the keys to.

Transition is hard! We had hoped to kind of relax this weekend and spend some time together, but ended up doing a lot of household projects with our new friends who are letting us live with them. They have been so generous to us. What a crazy weekend it was- we tiled a backsplash, took like 40 trips to Home Depot, hung new light fixtures, and assembled a grill. I was in charge of doing all our laundry. Have you ever taken 9 loads of clothes to the laundromat? I felt so bad for the people who walked in behind me. I swear this was the weekend that God said, "That Ashley needs a little humbling." Read on:

At the laundromat, I was pulling my friend's load out of the washer only to discover an ink pen sitting at the top. I thought, oh shoot. But did I check to make sure nothing had been inked? Oh no! I just threw it all in the dryer like a big dumbo. Sure enough, I pulled the same load out of the dryer only to discover I had ruined one of her Air Force uniform coats.

As we were changing the light fixtures, we had to turn off the breakers to that specific area. When we got done, I volunteered to go turn it all back on. Triumphantly, I marched to the basement, turned all the lights back on, and came back upstairs only to hear that I was not successful. So I went back down, checked my work, reset the switches, and to no avail. Nathan offered to come down and help me, but in my pride I insisted that I had done it all correctly and that he could come if he wanted to, but wasn't going to be able to do anything differently. He came down only to discover that I had indeed turned OFF half the switches. I was so mad at myself.

After the backsplash had dried, I tried to help my friend move her oven back in place. I pushed it instead of lifting up on it, and left a huge bubble in their new linoleum floor. (thankfully, it went away after we set some heavy things on it).

We are in the process of trying to find a new church, and I cannot tell you how hard it is to be the new person. Its so awkward to stand around after church kinda waiting for someone to notice that you are new, and then initiate a conversation with you. I just want to jet out the back door as soon as its all over, no matter how much I like the church. I hate feeling like this! So a little challenge to my readers who are a member of a church and love Jesus: TALK TO THE NEW PEOPLE! People would look at us, clearly noticing we're new, and not say a word. I used to do the same thing, so the Lord quickly humbled my anger. But I hope this experience as the new person will help me to strike up a conversation with someone I don't know in the future. It's so hard, and you can't just throw yourself into a group of chatting friends.

So anyways, we went to this church we really like last night. I was talking with these two women during meet and greet time, so happy to finally be in a conversation. I had a cup of lemonade in my hand, and while talking with the other hand, hit the cup and sloshed it all over the seat in front of me (right where one of them intended to sit). One of the ladies was super nice and said, "Oh this happens at my house all the time!" To which I remarked, "Yeah, but I'm sure you have a four-year-old too!" After it was all cleaned up, I'll be honest and say I had to fight back the tears. I couldn't take anymore!

Is this post long enough yet? Last night, Nathan and I decided to go on a date since I am going out of town this week. The movie was at 7:40. So I made us some popcorn and got ready to walk out the door at what I thought was 7:00. Nathan then informed me that it was really 8:00. The clock in the house was wrong! So instead, we went to buy some authentic Mexican food, and planned on going to see a later movie, but just got in a fight instead and went home. When we got home, we discovered our friends sopping up the water that had leaked from their washing machine! So for the next two hours, we took a trip to Walmart to buy more towels, and soaked up water out of the floor.

Can I say this was an exhausting, yet humbling weekend? I don't know what normal life is anymore. I know this will all be funny in about 3 months, but for now, it just wears me out.