I AM ENOUGH

A few days ago, Little Miss Momma inspired me to write an "I Am" statement about myself.
You can read her post here.

I wasn't going to do it at first...
because I felt like maybe people would think I was tooting my own horn and I really hate doing that.
She said that it would be good for you. After doing it, I have to agree. It was a good exercise for the soul. All girls have days where they feel insecure in how they look or who they are.
When I am having one of those days I will look at my "I Am" statement and remember who I really am.
I will remember who I am on the inside. That's where it counts, anyway.

Enjoy...
After publishing, I realized I said, "I plant to adopt.." I AM silly. 

Try it! You won't be sorry. Love yourself, beautiful ladies!

5 Things I Have Learned Since Becoming A Wife

In lieu of Valentine's Day I got to thinking about my marriage, and I came up with a list of 5 things that I have learned since becoming a wife. Trust me, (or ask my husband) I am no expert on marriage and I am certainly not the greatest wife around. I have so many shortcomings and so many things that I am constantly convicted of and trying to improve on. Despite any of this, I have made a list. My list is about 5 things that I have learned (not mastered) since becoming a wife. My prayer is that this list will serve as an encouragement or a reminder to those who are planning to become a wife or those who have been married for awhile. It seems like the longer I'm married the harder it is to practice these 5 things. 

Here goes... 

1. My marriage is not all that I imagined during my engagement. 

You may be engaged right now and think, "Bummer! I really have everything so perfectly imagined in my head, it would be so nice if it turned out that way!" 

Don't get me wrong, a few things are exactly like I imagined them to be.

But, for the most part... its real life. I am not living in a fairytale. 

Sometimes, we wake up cranky.

Sometimes, I don't want to cook dinner. 

Sometimes, my husband does things that are really annoying. 

Sometimes, I don't want to snuggle.

Sometimes, I need my space.

I didn't think about any of those things during our engagement. I only thought about the romantic dinners and the movie nights. I thought about long walks and holding hands. I thought about the vacations and the deep discussions that we would have. I thought about finally waking up to the one I love every morning.

Occasionally, we have romantic dinners and snuggle up on the couch. All the time,  I love him with all that I have. I just wish I wouldn't have expected some unrealistic and weird fantasy of perfection. Our marriage is a real one. It's beautiful and messy and busy all at the same time.

2. I am not a perfect wife. 

I truly expected to be some domestic goddess when I was preparing to be a wife. I would think about how every day when my husband came home I would make sure that dinner was ready and that everything was clean and in order. I thought I would never get behind on laundry and never would I forget to go to the grocery store. I also thought that I would stick to the cleaning list I made. 

You know those cleaning lists on Pinterest that schedule cleaning assignments for different days...

Yeah, I really thought I would stick to that list. 

Boy, was I crazy. I am in no form or fashion anywhere close to being June Cleaver. I am Ashle'.

I am messy, forgetful, and at times a little irresponsible. If you walked in my apartment right now, you wouldn't report me to hoarders.However, you would find dog toys everywhere and a couple of dishes in the sink. You would also find me in sweat pants and in a ponytail. 

Which is not at all the kind of wife I thought I would be.

3. My husband is not a perfect husband. 

Yikes. This one really stinks. My husband is fantastic, he really is. 

He loves me unconditionally, he surprises me. I could truly brag on him all day long. 

But

Sometimes, he disappoints me. 

Occasionally, he doesn't want to talk. 

Rarely, he is in a bad mood. 

All the time, he is human.

He makes mistakes. 

If you're getting married soon... remember that your husband will still be a human.

There is no magic wand that waves over him once you say, "I do".

He will hurt your feelings, he will say stupid things. Practice forgiveness, because you're going to need it. 

4. I have to watch my mouth. 

It is so important that I respect my husband. I can build him up or tear him down with words so easily. Unfortunately, I really have a mouth on me. I am way too quick to tell my husband exactly what I think or how I feel about something. So many fights in the earlier days of our marriage could have been avoided if I would have just shut up! I am doing better in this area, thankfully. I have learned to be patient and filter a sentence before I speak it. Sometimes, the words get away from me. I am a work in progress. Lately, I have been learning a lot more about the power of the tongue. Most of the verses that I have learned have been in Psalms and Proverbs.

 Here are a few : 

Psalm 19:14 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Proverbs 18:21 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 15:4 

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. 

 And, my personal favorite... 

Proverbs 21:23 

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. 

If I could go back, I would have memorized these during my engagement. Write them down and learn them if you're preparing to be a wife. Scripture can influence your marriage in a super positive way.

5. Never forget who comes first.

My relationship with God should always be my first priority. If I let my husband move to that number one place in my life, things get ugly real quick. I have to make my time with The Lord a sacred, personal time of growth in my own heart. Every time I pray I ask God to give the wisdom and strength to keep Him number one in my life. I don't hide that struggle from God and I couldn't even if I wanted to. 

Zack and I keep God first in our marriage and in our home by praying not only individually but together. I love hearing my husband pray. It gives me a glimpse into his heart and what he is feeling. There is truly nothing greater than the spiritual bond between us.  We also share scripture and quotes that speak to us and in our current circumstance. Doing so brings us so much closer together.

I hope you enjoyed reading those 5 things and that you can implement them into your own marriage. I could probably make a longer list, but those were the things that came to mind first. What are some things that you have learned in your own marriage or relationship that you would add to my list? Let me know in the comments section! As always, feel free to email me personally at ashleannepotter@gmail.com

 

Jack

Hello lovelies,

I just wanted to take a moment today and introduce you to the newest member of our family!

Jack is our adorable 10 week old miniature dachshund!

So far, life has been very different since he has joined our family.

We even ended up putting him up for sale and then got him back.

That was a traumatic day for me!

 I really did want to keep him but he was just becoming so challenging to train! 

Thankfully, the new owners decided he was too challenging for them and now Jack is our little boy 
 for good!

Any suggestions on potty training and teething advice is more than welcome!!!

Enjoy some pics of our sweet little boy that will make you go, "awww"!

Only God

Sisters,

I know it has been such a long while since I have posted on this blog.
I have truly wanted to several times but haven't been able to find the right words...

I can honestly say that I have been severely challenged in the last two months on literally everything that I have written previously on this blog. I have been challenged with forgiveness, trusting in God, believing His promises and staying faithful in prayer and reading His Word. Only recently have I begun to feel like my head is above water again and I can now think clearly and am beginning to have some peace about the recent events in my life.
I personally do not think it is appropriate to go into detail about what has recently happened in my life, however it is no secret to most of you about what has recently happened at the church. I can honestly say that I have never experienced greater hurt or confusion ever before and we will just leave it at that.
That being said, I want to remind you girls that trials inevitably enter our lives. I feel like before when I wrote to you girls I was telling you the truth about every topic we talked about. Truth that I believed - and still do. However, I didn't have much (if any) real life experience to back it up. Now, I can honestly say from experience that when those trials come you will have the opportunity to experience God like never before. When my little world first began to shake I couldn't figure out what God was doing and I didn't know what to do or where to go or who to talk to. I literally felt like I could not function properly. My head constantly hurt and my heart raced. I was ALWAYS on the verge of tears and most days when I could get alone I couldn't stop crying. I felt like I had no control over my emotions.

For the first time in my life, I had nowhere to turn but to God.

No human person could fix it, only God.
Only God could make sense of the trial I was going through.
Only God could give me peace.
Only God could put me on the path to forgiveness.
Only God.

Girls, don't wait for your world to fall apart before turning to God. Give Him EVERYTHING. 
Give Him the mornings that don't go as planned. Give Him the mistakes that you have made. Give Him the bad grade that you made on your last test. Give Him that relationship that you are trying to restore. Give Him the car you need, but can't afford. Give Him the job that you would love to have.
Give it ALL to Him EVERY SINGLE DAY of your life.

I really wish I had been in the habit of giving it all to Him when I entered this trial. Maybe then it would have been easier, maybe I would have immediately realized that God is in control. That He holds it all. God knew before the foundation of this world where I would be today - living in uncertainty and trusting Him day by day. I have never had to fully rely on God until this season of my life and it has been so awesome. Some days are harder than others, but mostly I am just sitting in awe that He has provided for us not only financially but emotionally and spiritually. He has drawn my husband and I so much closer together. He has brought me so much closer to my parents and sisters as well.

He has made this mess into something so beautiful and amazing. At the end of my life I won't wish to trade this trial for something more fun. I'll know that this was our moment.
The moment where God started writing our story, where He made a way for us to be a part of something big and amazing all for His kingdom.
We are in a time of transition and waiting and during this time God is preparing us for what is ahead.
More trials surely await, but bring it on because God makes all things beautiful in His time and works it all together for our good.

Deep Roots

Hey girlies!

I know, it has been forever! Honestly, I haven't had much to talk about until Monday of this week. God put the perfect topic on my heart for you guys and I am just now finding time to write about it. Sorry. :/

Ok, so we all know that inevitably we are going to have hard times in our lives. Things are going to happen that we just are not going to like. You may be thinking, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." You may be going through something hard right now, and I am truly sorry if you are.

I want to talk about something that can make the hard times easier. I'm not talking about getting rid of the problem, this is a soother for problems that you can't change or fix. A soother for ANY problem.

Read God's word. Every single day.

Think of yourself as a plant. A beautiful flower. As a plant you will want to grow, but without the proper nourishment and care, you won't. You will die. That is common logic. Just like as a child of God we desire to grow and we get frustrated with God when we feel stuck. But, are you nourishing and caring for yourself with the truth of God's word? It is daily nourishment for your life. Without it, you will feel dead.

Store up God's word in your heart. When the hard times come and things get shaky you have a reservoir of strength and comfort and hope hidden deep in your heart. You can pull out the strength from God's word whenever you need it. How amazing is that?!

Psalm 1:1-3 says :
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, 

and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers. 

Start reading God's word. I promise you will not be disappointed. God's word is a love letter to you. Use it for encouragement and strength. You're going to need it. This world is not your home and in it you will have trouble. So, lean on God and let Him speak to you through His word today.

This beautiful song says, 

"With my roots deep in you, I'll grow the branch that bears the fruit

And though I'm small, I'll still be standing in the storm

Cause I am planted by the river, and by your streams of living water

And I'll grow up strong and beautiful

All for Your splendor, Lord" 

Maybe you're like me and some days you wake up late or you forget because you're busy. I understand, I have been there. Let's make it a priority this week to develop the habit of fighting for time with God. Find an accountability partner and let each other know how you're doing. If you can't find anyone.. I'm here for you ashleannepotter@gmail.com

Wasted Potential

We all have it.. 

The potential to be/do something greater than who we are or what we are doing right now.

 Let me ask you something, "Who are you and what are you doing?" 

Seriously, what kind of person are you? 

Are you the kind of person that is constantly growing? 

Are you seeking out God in your daily life?

I heard this quote once and I can't even remember who said it but it always stuck with me.

 "God accepts you exactly as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way."

It's true.. He loves and accepts you. However, He wants you to become the best possible version of you.  Think about it...

 If you are the best possible version of you, won't your life be more fulfilling?

Hmm.. Something to think about for sure. 

I know for me, personally I have a million dreams and goals that I want to complete. 

These can change from day to day. I want to write a book, or I decide that I want to start a charity. Random, I know.. but, I overwhelm myself with all these things that I want to do and accomplish. 

Yes, my intentions are good.

 But, if I just lean on God and walk with Him daily He will direct my steps.

 I will accomplish HIS will for my life by surrendering. Its hard, but its necessary.

Once you and I choose every day to be the young women that He has called us to be,

 It opens the doors for some amazing opportunities for greatness.

My simple encouragement to you is that you will surrender yourself to God who has such great plans for you. Don't waste your potential. Do not settle for the mundane.
 Commit your plans to your Heavenly Father. 

I promise you will start to feel so much better about your life.

 A life surrendered to God is the most exciting life we can imagine. Start today.
Be who you're called to be.

As always, I am available to pray for you and encourage you.
ashleannepotter@gmail.com

XOXO

Don't Settle

Hello beautiful girls,

I know it has been a seriously long while since I have posted on this blog. Life has just been crazy busy lately. We can blame this partially on the fact that last week my sister got married!!!

It was a beautiful wedding. I could not be more happy for Mr. & Mrs. Grooms! 

The ceremony sparked some deep emotions in me and I thought back to my own wedding to my sweet, amazing husband. In that moment, watching my sister say her vows I was so thankful that the two of us didn't settle. We didn't settle for anything less than the man that God had for us. 

Yesterday, I saw on TV an interview with Trevor Bayne. 

It reminded me that there are still good guys out there. It seems that girls date whomever they want to by using the excuse that there are just NO good, Christian guys left. Its not true and its not a good excuse. By the way, if more girls would sit down and be ladies, more guys would stand up and be gentlemen.

If we believe the Bible we can find numerous verses that remind us of God's plans for us.

God had Zack prepared for me. I believe that wholeheartedly. I'm so thankful that I didn't waste time with guys who were clearly not "THE ONE".

When I was in high school, I dated quite a bit, but, I never wanted to be serious. I never told any guy that I loved him and no relationship lasted longer than 2 months. As soon as I knew that I couldn't possibly spend the rest of my life with whomever I was dating, I immediately called it off.

This saved me from so much heartbreak. 

When Zack entered my life I had my entire heart to give him. 

If your heart has never been broken, be so thankful. Don't sit around wishing you had a boyfriend and all the drama that comes with it. Instead, focus on becoming the woman you want to be when God places the perfect man in your life. Remember to guard your heart. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

If your heart has been broken, look to God to heal your wounds. He alone can make your broken heart like new and give you the strength to love again. Don't regret the heartbreak either. God is using your heartbreak to teach you and grow you. He is making you into who you were meant to be. 

For those of you that are in a relationship that needs to be shut down I have some strong, hard words to say to you. Break up now. Ouch, I know. I'm sorry, I really am. I have watched so many friends waste time with the wrong guy. They experience the hurt over and over again. I read this once and it sums it up pretty perfectly. "A bad relationship is like a loose tooth. It’s annoying, but you keep playing with it because its there. You are afraid to pull it out because you know that its going to hurt. Eventually, you pull it out. It hurts very badly and it even bleeds a little. The bleeding stops and the pain subsides. Now there is room for something new, stronger and beautiful to grow."It is very frustrating to watch someone stay in a bad situation when they know they should leave. It would be better to have a couple months, maybe even longer than that where you are healing and hurting, rather than a lifetime of unhappiness. Do not stay with someone just because you are comfortable with them. Sometimes love isn’t enough, and its ignorant to say that love is all you need in a relationship. A healthy relationship is based on commitment, respect, adoration, stability and trust. Those are the components of a good and loving relationship. As a woman, I would not be willing to settle for less than what God has for me. You shouldn’t either.

Its true. God has someone for you!

 You need to trust Him. Be patient, because it will be SO worth it. I can promise you that.