.taking the long way.

The Sinking In.

2010-11-12T22:10:00.002-07:00

This week has been a little less eventful than the last. Things have slowed down a bit, at least enough for me to feel like I can catch my breath.

Mom is still in the hospital. The lady from CPAS came on wednesday to see her, do her assessment, etc. Now we are just waiting for the results of that. Waiting to hear the decision of where they decided she needs to be. I took the boys to see her a few times this week. She missed them and they were asking about her, they are confused about why she is in the hospital. It's so hard trying to explain all of this to Isaiah. He has so many questions. Nathan and I are trying our best to be honest with him about the reality of things without telling him too much. Easier said than done with a three year old who adds why? to everything!

Being in that center takes me back to when my grandpa was living in the long term care facility in Estevan. Total deja vu. Never thought I would be back there so soon.

I remember when my mom was diagnosed, imagining her being somewhere like that. Thinking about 'way down the line' when things got really bad. I never thought then that the reality of it would be five years, yes, only five years we would be putting her in a nursing home.

The last few days I have felt so robbed. This disgusting disease has robbed me and my siblings of a mother. It has robbed my dad of that person he is supposed to grow old with, his wife. I just keep thinking about all the things that she isn't going to be there for because of this. I find myself trying to remember and keep track of all the great memories that I have of her as a mom. I want my children to know the Grandma that they never will, not the Grandma that huntington's gave them. (She is awesome with the boys now and loves them dearly. I just know how incredible she would of been if she didn't have so many limitations.) I feel like I already forget things, forget about how she used to be. So I'm trying to re-live my life, remembering all the good things, all the fun things she used to do with us. I am desperate to hang on to that Mom.

Things are starting to set in a little more this week. I feel like I've been dragged through the mud and back again. I am just so thankful for my faith. That is the only thing that has kept me breathing through all of this. Knowing that God has a purpose in all of this, that it's not all for nothing. I just wish that I could see the bigger picture, it would be nice if He could give a little sneak peek every once and a while. Then I could say 'ahhhh, okay that makes sense', or 'okay I see what you are doing there'. Then I wouldn't feel so lost in the middle of it all.

Comfort.

2010-11-10T12:54:00.002-07:00

Somedays a good song is the only thing that I find comforting. This one has been on repeat.

A Bittersweet Welcome Back.

2010-11-07T21:41:00.011-07:00

My life as of late, as most of you know, has been anything but boring. Hopefully sharing what's been on my mind will get you all up to speed with what's been going on.

This summer was a very trying one for myself, my siblings and my Dad. Mom was in a care home for the weekdays (Monday thru Friday) and then home on the weekends with Dad. It started off pretty good, she was kind of excited about it. She really seemed to like the place she was staying and was adjusting to this new way of life. There were some highs and some really low lows. After a meeting with nurses and counsellors Dad decided to bring Mom home for the winter. After only a few days at home things got sour quickly. So on November 4th Dad, myself, my sister and my brother sat in the emergency room at RUH (from 3:30 in the afternoon until about 12:30am). Waiting with Mom while the doctors, neurologist's and phycologists ran their tests on her.

There were numerous things that had happened leading up to that day. Finally after talking to Tanya, the resource worker for huntingtons, suggested that it would be in our best interest to take Mom to the hospital and have an evaluation done on her. (After going through this back in August we knew getting her there wasn't going to be an easy task.) Our options of getting her there were to either ask her nicely to come, to get her meds looked at, etc. Or to go to the courthouse, get a warrant and have the police come, get her and take her there. We knew that she wouldn't go willingly if Dad just asked her. So he ended up just asking her to come and get her meds checked. Once she got there and realized we were all there she knew that something bigger was happening. She felt betrayed, that we had lied to her, tricked her into going. We all knew there wasn't any other way to do it. To say that she was mad would be an understatement. She was furious at us for taking her there.

I went through that day numb and checked out of what was happening. Somewhere inside I knew that this time it was real. This time she wouldn't be coming back home. So to deal with the pain I checked out completely. How else was I supposed to deal with it? How would you react if you had to sit for hours listening to your Mom ask over and over again how you could do this to her? To have her ask you Dad how her could do this to her? Then turn and ask you how, after everything she has done for you, could you do this to her? Not easy questions to answer.

I know that all the decisions that she has made up to this point have left us with this option. She has chosen to be angry and bitter at what life has dealt her. To be angry at this disease and let it steal time away from herself and her family. Still that doesn't help make it easier. That doesn't take away the guilt and pain of it all.

I know that my Dad has done literally everything that he can to keep her at home. He has gone above and beyond what most people would. He has put the needs of his wife ahead of his own. He has taken 'in sickness and health' to a whole new level and it's been a blessing watching him.

Now we are playing the waiting game. CPAS is going to do an assessment on her in the next few days to decide whether she is suited for a nursing home or not. We are hoping and praying that they make the best decision for Mom.

I still have yet to process everything that is happening. For now I'm just taking it in stride, going through the motions. Not entirely being honest about my feelings. It's less painful that way.

2007-11-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

renovations

2007-11-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

how's it going... this is nathan.. i thought i would give you a brief up date on what is going on it the Rushton family...

This last few months we have been doing a little renovations around the house. some stuff that needed to get done, and others just cause we needed a change. From the shingels, to a deck on the back of the house to base boards, trim, interior doors, paint, light fixtures and the list goes on.... but needles to say we like making our home more our home.. all though it is pretty tuff.. me and ash decided that we would do all the work ourselves (with some great help from a few friends.... JUSTIN STADE) I think for me hands down the shingles were the hardest thing so far.. but come spring i think the windows and the siding might take the cake...

Isaiah is getting so big. right now he's i think around 18lbs. and happy as can be.. he found a few things this last month.. such as his feet, his vocal chords and anything that can fit in his mouth... Isaiah loves to sit up now and he's working on rolling over.. not so fun when your changing him and he tries to roll over.. also this week he is on bottles now.. quite the change for mommy, but it's been great. Ash loves the freedom.. And i also love Father and son time.. sounds a little strange still but i love it.

It's been a VERY long time!

2007-08-10T14:08:00.000-06:00

I finally have some time to pause for a moment so I figured that I better get some pictures on here for all of you who have been waiting so patiently for them. Our summer has been great but also really really busy. We have done lots of travelling and I am ready to just be at home for awhile now!

Well there is just a few pictures for you all to enjoy! The last one is of Isaiah and his Great Great Grandpa Henry. It was his 98th birthday!
Anyway my babes is starting to wake up so that means it's time to eat! Hope you are all having an amazing summer!
ash

He's Finally Here!!

2007-06-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

hey guys! sorry that it has taken me so long to get a picture of our little one on here.......

Isaiah Charles Rushton was born last thursday may 31st at 9:05am. My water broke on wednesday night, luckily Nathan's mom was here to take me to the hospital. The whole labour process is still kind of a blur to me. It went so quickly. I had really intense contractions once they started, the Doctor actually said that I should receive an award for longest contractions, somehow I didn't find that all too amusing at the time. Hmmm....wonder why!? Anyway, when it came time to push baby all was well until they realized that his head was coming down to the side and it just wasn't going to work for me to push him out. They prepped me for surgery and took me down to the OR. Down there they first tried to turn Isaiah around to see if he would so I could deliver naturally, but that just wasn't working and they were concerned about baby's heart rate that was rising so they decided to do a c-section. At that point it didn't bother me, I was far to tired to try pushing again and I was worried about babe. But he made it out safetly! Nathan watched the whole thing, amazed by what he was seeing! He was so excited to be a papa. He was my rock and encouragment throughout the whole process. I wouldn't have been able to do it I don't think if it wasn't for him being there coaching me along. Such an incredible experience!!
Our first few days in the hospital were a little rough. Nathan and I were both very ready to just get home. It's so much more relaxing to be at home. Isaiah is doing wonderfully!! He's sleeping like six hours between feedings at night already! I know I'm lucky for that. He's such a good baby. So content in his world right now and that makes me a very happy mommy!
Anyway I just wanted to give you all a brief update on how things are going and how they went!

talk to you again soon!
ash

Our Month so far....

2007-05-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

well it seems like i just can't ever find the time to get on here and keep you all posted about how things are going! Things have been busy but really fun! We have gotten to spend lots of time with friends and family this few weeks and it's been great! We have been busy putting all the little pieces around the house together before baby comes. It's so nice to finally be able to get outside and do some yardwork! I love it! I also am loving the fact that I'm not totally pasty white anymore! That's always a good feeling! haha!

we were down in estevan for a few days to do some visiting and to get our maternity pictures taken. my mom came down with us. her and bella had a good time cuddling in the back on the way down.....bella was awake and alert the entire trip down.....

...the way home was a different story....she was pooped from all the excitement of the week...so she looked like this 95% of the way home....

.....like i said during nathan's last week off we were busy doing a ton of work to our yard.....but we did take some time to relax....bella and i even got a chance to do some suntanning.....yeah our dog is awesome.....haha!

...nathan was bound and determined to make buns.....so he called his grandma and got her to walk him through them..... they actually turned out awesome! He was so proud of his buns!

Nathan is back at work for the summer with my dad. I'm feeling a little bit left out! But my dad has me doing all of the office work so that has helped a bit. I'm just enjoying my down time, what little of it that I have left before baby. I'm trying to be as patient as possible waiting for baby but that's going just about as well as trying to get bella to stop pulling out my flowers. So not so well, in other words, i'm sucking at being patient! The doctor said that it could be anytime now. So i'm doing my best to make baby want to leave.....jumping up and down, pushing on baby's bum, going down bumpy roads, things like that....haha!
anyway, i should get the day started! have an awesome week and we hope to hear from you all soon!
ash

Kaitlan's Grad Banquet

2007-04-27T18:12:00.000-06:00

My sisters grade 12 grad banquet was on the 21st.....it was a really fun day.....she looked gorgeous......i had fun doing her hair and makeup for her......the food at the supper was amazing......anyway here are some pictures!

....that's all for now folks.....i'll have more pictures posted soon!
ash

Gosh it's been awhile!!

2007-03-29T12:49:00.000-06:00

It feels like I haven't been on here in forever. Probably because it has been awhile since my last post. We have been really busy, I feel like we've been running around with our heads cut off around here lately. Things are finally starting to wind down so that's been nice to have some time to just relax. I guess that I'll just give you a brief update on things that we've been doing the past month or so....
- we got a NEW MINI VAN!!! that was so exciting for us and such a blessing. It's a 2006 Grand Caravan! I love it! (i never thought that i would get excited about a new minivan!)
- my sister has been working on the baby room when she finds time, she's a busy girl! but it's looking great so far!

(sometimes we have to multi task....!)

he's super cute!
- nathan's parents were here for almost a week visiting which was a great time! I think I spent more time with them then he got to!
- we have been getting together with our friends lots on the weekends! It's been really good to spend some quality time with them!
- work is going good! it's nice to get out of the house a few days a week!
- I went with Kim and Aidan to the fun factory!! That's always a blast!
- my girlfriend Sarah, Kaitlan, Dylan and I went to the Taking Back Sunday concert!! I was so happy that I finally convinced my hubby to let me go. He was a little worried about the baby! But the baby had a blast! haha! It was a really good concert! But let me tell you I felt very out of place being pregnant!

I guess that's the most of it! It's been a really good month! I still can't believe that March has come and gone already! Here's a 30 week picture to leave off with!!

Take care and God bless!!
ash

26 weeks.....

2007-02-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well I would be lying if I said that I wasn't exhausted. This week has kicked my butt. So this is going to be short and sweet! Just pictures today! I hope that's alright!

My Belly & Me

...and me and my other belly!

Have a good week everyone! I'll post again soon!
ash

Just a little update!

2007-02-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe how time just seems to be flying by for me lately! I am 25 weeks pregnant! TWENTY FIVE WEEKS! I can remember when I felt like nine months was going to take forever. Now I am feeling like I am running out of time to get things done. haha! So funny how that happens! I have been feeling really great lately though. I still have my days where all I want to do is sleep but that isn't too often. My belly is big enough now that it's causing a little bit of a waddle when I walk. I am finding it a little hard not to fall over head first when I bend over to tie up my shoes, most of the time you'll hear me calling for Nathan to come help! What else? umm....I have a very very hearty appetite! Nathan said the other night that it's funny to see me eating so much all the time now! I finally got my maternity pants that I ordered!! YES!! It's nice to slip into some pants that I don't feel like I am going to bust out of! I only changed 7 times on saturday trying to find something to wear to church! That's much better then before! haha! Boy how I wish that sweatpants could be dressy, casual and really formal if they needed to be!
Random tidbit: Speaking of the which, the other day I was at the mall with my mom and my sister. I was wearing a pair of my regular jeans, the only ones left that still fit (or so I thought). So we were in a store and I bent over after coming out of the change room to fix my pant leg and my pants popped open! The fly just undid itself ever so nicely! haha! I ran back to the change room and did them back up. Man was I embarrassed! Mom was just laughing. Somehow it was the funniest thing in the world! I guess it could have been worse, they could have busted right open seams and all!
It's been really fun watching my body change. The baby has been moving around lots and lots! At first I wasn't sure if I liked it. It was kind of uncomfortable. But now I am used to it and quite enjoy knowing that the baby is having a good time kicking my butt from time to time. Sometimes I am like 'okay felt you the first time babe' and I'll poke back! Lately the baby has been really active just as I lay down to go to bed. Which is just lovely! Trying to sleep when there is something booting you on the inside! But it's still really exciting! I wouldn't change it for the world!
Anyway, I should post some pictures and then have some breakfast! So enjoy and I hope to hear from you all soon!

Here we are at 23 weeks I believe!

This is 25 weeks!

...here's my Bella wearing one of my tshirts! ....so we get bored sometimes and dress up!

Take care and God Bless
ash

ps: my sister is coming to work on the baby room today!! so i'll have pictures up as soon as I can!!

What 21 Weeks Looks Like!

2007-01-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

So I figured that before some of you get really angry with me for not posting more pictures of my belly that I would get it done asap! I still can't believe that we are more then halfway there! Things are still going really well. My hormones have been all over the place and Nathan is definately noticing that! I guess you could say that I am a little bit emotional these days. For example, on Friday, I had a severe meltdown because I couldn't find anything to wear. I was bawling hysterically. Nathan was trying to calm me down but that wasn't working out to well for him. Looking back I was being completely ridiculous, but at the time it was a very very serious situation! Poor Nathan, I think he deserves an award if he makes it through the rest of this pregnancy with any brown hair left on his head. Or any hair for that matter! ( I'm worried that he's going to pull it all out!)

..and this is why I hate Saskatchewan weather!!

2007-01-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not sure how many of you have heard but we are experiencing a small blizzard here in Saskatoon. Okay so for me to say it's small I mean that it's retarded! This is why I can't handle Saskatchewan weather and I want to be where it's warm right now! I would be lying if I said that I wasn't envious of Brian and Vicki who are in Mexico right now probably soaking up the rays on some beach and Keri and Cory in California....ya'll suck right now! Nevermind them, I'm envious of Nathan is Calgary. I'd take plus 5 over this crap anyday! I don't know how he does it but Nathan always manages to leave when it is going to snow a ton so he doesn't have to shovel the driveway. It's like he knows that we are going to get dumped on! He's at school so I guess that he has that excuse but it would have been nice to have him here to shovel out a path for Bella. Instead it took me like 45 minutes to make her a path from the back door to the backyard so she can go to the bathroom. I am patiently waiting for my dad to come in to town tomorrow once he has cleared himself out so that he can help me get out!
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

..this is a picture looking down my driveway this morning at like 10:30....i'm standing on the step....

...it seems that the walkway to my front door has disappeared!...

....this is what i see out my front door.....BOOO!!

...here's a look at the side of our house in the back yard....no wonder Bella is having a hard time finding a stop to go potty!...

...here's another one out the front window.....how lovely!

Anyway, I should go and make myself some supper. Hope that you enjoyed the pictures! Take care and talk to you all soon!

ash

Our Christmas Re-Cap!

2007-01-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all! and Happy New Year! I am a little bit late on getting this up. I thought that I would do it as soon as we got back from Estevan but in all honesty I have not felt like doing much of anything. My days have been pretty unstressful (if that's a word) and relaxing. But here's a little summary of what we did over the holidays:
We stayed at my parents house on the 23rd, which was a blast, we watched movies, played some poker and just hung out. It was a good time. Then on the 24th we went to church at 3pm which was a total gong show for us. We were running late, Nathan & I, we had thought we had given ourselves enough time to drop the dogs off at our house and then get to the church for the service but not! We were meeting my family there so we weren't worried about not getting a seat because they had said that they would save some for us. Well there we were cruising down circle drive on a mission to get to church when out of nowhere this mattress appears. Nathan couldn't slam on the brakes because he would have caused a vehicle pile up. So he went over it. Well right on Nathan! The flippin thing got caught/stuck under the flipping van. So Nathan pulled over and tried to get the stupid thing out. Yeah, easier said then done, we eventually figured it out, Nathan stood on the mattress and I put the van in drive and pinned it. Needless to say I was a big ball of Christmas joy after that little episode! The remainder of the day was good though. We went back to mom and dad's and had an awesome Christmas dinner. Then we opened presents and hung out for the rest of the night! (It went pretty good considering I had an insane head cold and couldn't breathe!)
We left early on the morning of the 25th for Estevan. Bella was a doll all the way there. She just sat on Nathan's lap and looked out the window, had a few naps and played with her toys. The next few days were full of house hopping and visiting like crazy. We spent the 26th with Nathan's parents and siblings. I had lots of fun shopping with is Grandma, Mom and sisters. We got Vicki to buy hot mom pants!! So cute!! Probably the highlight for sure for me! Nathan was pretty bummed that his brother wasn't able to make it down from Fort McMurray though. But he still had a good time! We came home on the 27th because we thought that Nathan had to work on the 28th but it turns out he didn't have to go in until the 2nd of January. So that was kind of crummy to find out that we did have more time to visit!

Bella veggin' out on Papa's belly on our way to Estevan

Well I think that is all I have in me right now everybody! I will do another post soon. We have been working on the baby room so I'll have to get those pictures on here so you can all see it! Until then take care and God bless!!

ashley

...merry christmas....

2006-12-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't know what is up with this November/December, but it has been really busy. Or at least it has felt that way. Needless to say I am definately NOT ready for Christmas. I can't believe it's not even a week away anymore. Actually it's like four days away. Well now I feel so much better!! haha! I still have presents to buy, baking to finish. I have my Christmas cards sitting on the kitchen table waiting to get put into envelopes and sent out. I am usually really good at this whole being ready for Christmas thing. But this year I just really am not doing so good!
Anyway on a happier less stressed out note, Nathan and I are really looking forward to the holidays and spending some time with our families. We will be with my family for Christmas Eve. That's always fun, and the food is always retardedly good. Then we will be leaving on early morning Christmas Day to Estevan. We'll be spending that day with my mom's side of the family. Then on the 26th we will be with Nathan's family all day for their Christmas get together. Then we will be coming home on the 27th. It should be a really good, but really hectic couple of days. Honestly, I'll probably get home and sleep for a week. Or atleast that will be how long it's going to take me to catch up on my sleep!
What else have we been up to? Let's see.....Bella is doing fantastic. We are going on over two weeks now with no 'accidents' in the house. I'm a HUGE fan of that accomplishment! Also I am very excited that she now walks over to the door by herself and then whines to go outside. Instead of whining at me, and then when I got up to take her outside, running under the bed and me having to pry her out from under there and carry her outside. That was a pain in the bum let me tell you! Not to mention that she is getting way to heavy to be having to be carried outside! I found myself picturing her full grown and pregnant me trying to haul her out from under the bed and carry her outside, that's about where that whole 'under the bed thing' ended! She's awesome though and I don't know how we did it without her. She is so entertaining, and great company for me when Nathan is gone.
I had another doctor's appointment this week. Baby is doing great and growing at a good rate. I'm finding myself with a rather hearty appetite for everything edible lately. I keep telling Nathan that it is definately his child! haha! Other then that I have been feeling great lately! I'm enjoying all the Christmas food and baking twice as much this year....literally!
The Travelodge had their Christmas party this past weekend. It was really fun. Nathan was home so he came with me. Megan has been working there for the past month so her and Kevin were there. Also my sister Kaitlan works there, so she was there. And her friend Mallory ended up taking my brother Dylan as her date. It was a real family affair! But we all had lots of fun! The food was great, it was nice to eat it fresh and not off the trays brought in from the banquets where you have to hide the fact that you are eating the food! They also had a dance afterwards so us girls had a good time dancing while our men sat on the sidelines! Well Dylan was dancing, he loves to dance. I like to think that he gets it from me! Anyways I will end with some pictures from our evening.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Lots of love,
nathanandashley

Much Overdue!

2006-11-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was just checking the date of my last blog and realized that I hadn't posted in almost a month! Considering that I haven't been doing a whole lot lately you would think that I would atleast be able to keep you all updated. Nathan has been off in Unity working for about a month now. I miss having him around but he's home every other weekend. He seems to really be enjoying his job there. Everyone he works with is really nice so I think that makes it easier for him!

I had my second Doctor's appointment yesterday! That was the best thing EVER! I guess that I have lost two pounds since my last appointment. How that happened I am not sure? I've been eating like a horse, I'm hungry all the time it seems. But I still managed to loose two pounds using absolutely nothing but my mouth muscles! That's pretty impressive I think! No I haven't been that lazy! I actually have been feeling a lot better lately. I have so much more energy now, which is nice to have back! I do more then sleep in a day now! The best thing about the appointment though....I got to hear our babies heartbeat!!!! I just about peed my pants! I was so excited yet wanted to cry a river all at the same time! I was just a big bawl of emotion for the moment! But it was great! Nathan was pretty dissapointed that he wasn't there for that, but i tried my best to impersonate the sounds for him and such! Somehow I don't think it was quite the same though?! We also scheduled our first ultrasound for January 4th! Am I excited? You betcha I am!

More exciting news for you! We got a puppy last weekend! (Maybe that's why I've lost weight? chasing her around? hmm...) She is a Golden Retriever Border Collie cross. And just adoreable! Nathan had been bugging me about getting a dog so I finally gave in and went for it! I sure do enjoy her company, and she's really good at making me laugh to! Puppies are the cutest! She's definately been testing my patience and temper though. My dad says that it's good practice for when my 'other' baby comes! I think he's definately right! Up three times in the middle of the night to pee, whining because she's a suck and just wants some love. Oh it's wonderful!

She is too cute for words! And her personality makes her that much better!

Anyways I should get going. Bella is chewing on my pant leg trying to get my attention. So that would be my cue to play! Have an awesome weekend and I promise that I will try to keep updating more often!
Take care & God bless!

ash

Amaryllis Time!

2006-10-24T12:06:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know every year the Huntington's Society of Canada sells amaryllis flower kits to raise money. The amaryllis is the Huntington symbol. This year I have taken on two cases of these kits to sell. They sell for $12.00 a kit. That kit includes a pot, the bulb, and the soil.

"Nearly half of the price of this quality 'Orange Souvereign' amaryllis plant goes directly to vital programs in research and family services for people dealing with Huntington disease."

So I guess what I am asking is for you all to help me out here! They make great gifts for yourself or for someone else! If anyone is interested please let me know! You can email me at narushton@hotmail.com and leave your name and number. I would be more then happy to get you an amaryllis or two!

Thanks!

Eight Weeks & counting.....

2006-10-21T12:09:00.000-06:00

First off, Nathan & I just really want to say a big "THANK YOU" to everyone who has been so supportive. We feel very blessed with this baby and are so happy that everyone is just as excited as we are! I had my first prenatal doctor's appointment the other day. It went really well. Everything looks good so far. We should be expecting our baby around the 30th of May! What a good month! I have been feeling surprisingly good lately. I was a little worried from what some people were telling me I should be expecting but, I haven't been too bad. I'm really tired alot, so I spend most of my days just resting and not doing too much. I haven't gotten sick yet though and we are almost through the three month stretch so that's very exciting to me!

Nathan is gone to Unity for a few weeks to work for his Uncle, so I'm pretty lonely here without him! It's been a change that's for sure. We were getting so used to having each other around. But he's really enjoying his job right now so that's a good thing! And really it's not like we aren't used to being apart! He's only a couple of hours away so on my days off I'll be going to visit him.

Last night my most amazing friend Kimmie, her son Aidan and I went out for supper and then out for some shopping. We went to Jerry's for supper. Man I love it there! Aidan had fun playing with the toys (while they could keep him interested) and Kimmie and I had a good chat. After that she took me to Thyme Maternity. It was my first time shopping for 'baby belly' clothes so it was pretty exciting for me! I was just excited to see that not everything was a nasty floral print! I don't know why but that's just what I had imagined for some reason! haha! I actually found myself a cute shirt and it was on sale so that made it even better! Kimmie took some pictures.......

That's the shirt I bought!

Kimmie made me stick the pillow under my top! Aidan thought this was just hillarious!

My belly at two months.....not too large just yet!

Well I think that's all for now guys! I have to get the pictures from the BC trip from my brother and then I will be sure to post them and let you all know how it went!!!

Take care and God bless!
ash

WE ARE PREGNANT!!!

2006-10-01T21:02:00.000-06:00

So I know that it has been way to long since we have last posted and I apologize for that! But now that I am all done work for the summer I promise that I will try my hardest to keep posting more often! I guess I just got so far behind that I didn't know where to start!

But yes it's true! Like the title says we are pregnant!!! (So now kimmie can spill her beans!!) haha! Nathan & I found out on friday. We had known for a couple of weeks but we found out for sure when I went to the doctor on friday! So we have been busy calling all our family and friends and letting them know the exciting news!! It's seems kind of surreal right now especially since we have been trying for so long and not having anything happen. But God's timing is always good timing!! But man was He ever testing my patience!!!!

Nathan & I are eager to be going to BC come friday. We are heading out there with my family to see the McAmmond side of the family! I can't wait! I haven't seen a few of them for far too long. So I am really anxious for the end of the week!!

Anyways I know that this wasn't a very long blog but it was a blog none the less!! Talk to you all again soon!

ash

Art 4 A Cure....

2006-09-07T17:36:00.000-06:00

Hey guys!! My sister and her friend are putting on this benefit for Huntington's and their site is up so I wanted to post it on here! These girls are working hard on getting everything together! We are hoping for an awesome turn out. I know it's soon in advance but be sure to mark the date on your calendar! Be sure to pass it on to all your friends and family!! The more publicity the better!!

www.myspace.com/art4acure

I'll keep you all posted!

Hey Strangers!

2006-08-15T20:54:00.000-06:00

Well I guess that I'm the stranger since I haven't updated this blog for so long! I apologize to any of you who actually still read this! Things have finally calmed down so I'll do my best to keep up with this.
What can I tell you? Our move went awesome! We had a tons of help so it went really quickly! I'll post pictures as soon as I've finished organizing our mess! It's coming together slowly.
Work has been going really good....Nathan is in Unity this week so I'm home all alone for the first time! It's fun! haha! I miss my husband but, I'm enjoying my down time.
I've been spending lots of time in my yard! I absolutely love gardening, weeding, etc! Who would've known!?

Nathan bought a new lawnmower the weekend that we moved in. Even though the grass didn't need it he absolutley had to try it out! haha!
But my momma is here so I should go keep her company! I'll be sure to sit down and update you some more when I get a chance!

ash

I Think We're All Set!

2006-07-23T22:35:00.000-06:00

Well I can not even begin to express how much I HATE PACKING!! From friday when Nathan and I got home to oh about 10:34pm on Sunday we have been packing. Trying to get this apartment clean, and in boxes so all we have to do is move out this coming weekend! We managed to get it all done I think though. There are a few things that aren't backed yet but just minor stuff that will get put away when we leave!
I can't believe that the time has finally arrived! We are moving out of this 'lovely' apartment (please note the sarcasm) and into our home! I couldn't be more excited! Yes the apartment has been good to us while we've been here but we are very ready to say good bye!
Nathan & I will be in Yorkton for the week working. I'm hoping that the week doesn't drag on forever! I'm sure it'll fly right by and before I know it we'll be right back here and moving.
On that note I should get to bed. Have an awesome week and talk to you again soon!

ash

Mom's 40th Birthday Party!

2006-07-17T20:35:00.000-06:00

The weekend of July 8th was my mom's 40th birthday. My brother, sister, dad and husband had been scheming since oh I guess early February for mom's big day. We wanted to have a surprise party for her. We put lots of time into it and after all the hard work it paid off! Everyone who could make it was there. Even mom's Grandpa Henry who's 97 in August made it up for the big day! Here are a few pictures from the celebration!!

Kaitlan & Dylan taking all the balloons up to mom and dad's room!

Well I think that's all for now folks! Thank you to everyone who was there and made the day AMAZING for mom!
Talk to you all soon!

ash

Hello from Nathan again!!

2006-07-15T19:09:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone.. well as most of you know from the last blog. Ashley and I have bought a house. The adress is 102 Maxwell cresent, in Massy Place. I think it's great :) Right now we are in the middle of packing and getting things ready, you don't realize how much stuff you actually have until you try to move. And then you wonder where did it come from and why is it still in the box? But none the less me and ashley are very pumped.. We take possesion on the 28th of July so I think me and Ashley are going to paint the master bedroom and then Ashley's craft room that night and then on the 29th we are moving......
Speaking of moving,,, if your in the area and would love to help we would love it if you could.. I think we are going to start at 9:00am or so on saturday... I guess you could say we need a few good men.. I'm sorry i guess the better way to put it strong guys who like to pretend to be tough like me...and I'm pretty sure if there is any girls that would love to help that would be great to..
If there's anyone that would like to help just let me or Ash know this week that would be special.. alrighty talk to you later nathan

We Are Homeowners!!!

2006-06-28T21:59:00.000-06:00

That's right folks! Nathan and I are officially homeowners. And we couldn't be more excited about it. Everything was finalized tonight with the home inspection. So now it's offical, we have bought our first home. We really couldn't have asked for more in our first house. It's exactly what we were looking for and so much more! We move in on the 28th of July. I'm so excited to get out of our apartment that I've already started packing! haha! A little early I know but it's all good!

So that's the big news in our lives right now. Thank you all for your prayers & support!
Love you lots!

ash

A Quick Catch Up!

2006-06-23T16:00:00.000-06:00

Hello all! I have to apologize for not keeping up with our blog! This summer has been a crazy one so far. Especially the past couple of weeks. Let's see...what have we been up to?

Our friends Kevin and Megan were married on June 10th. So we headed out to Manitoba for their wedding. It was a beautiful wedding! I still can't believe that they are married. It was a really great day. We had an awesome time in Manitoba. It would have been nice to stay a little longer and visit with some people that we didn't get to. But we enjoyed catching up with the people that we did get a chance to see.

The following weekend we headed down to Estevan for Auntie Brenda's wedding. That's right two weddings in a row! While we were down there we got a chance to head to the races. It was great! I think that I had more fun watching Haiden cheer then watching the actual races!

I was also excited because I FINALLY got to meet our new baby cousin Paige. She's just too cute! I don't have a picture but I'll try to get one for you all!

We also got some very exciting news on Monday! Dr. Michael Hayden, from BC, who has been working on coming up with a cure for Huntington's figured out how to stop the "cleavage" of the gene. To sum it up without getting myself confused is that THIS IS FRICKING AWESOME! This means that they are really really close now to finding a cure for it! So we were very very excited about it! God rocks!

Nathan & I are going to look at a house tonight. It's in Delisle, and I love it! I'm really hoping that it goes good and we can make an offer. I'm just very ready to have a home. I'm ready to get out of this apartment and into a house!

I can't think of anything else to ramble about right now so I'll let you all go! Talk to you soon!

God Bless & Take care

ash

long time no post....

2006-06-05T17:15:00.000-06:00

Gosh! It seems like it's been forever since I have posted. Life has certainly been keeping me busy; which is never a bad thing I guess! It's been a good busy though.
Let's see what have I been up to.....?
Work has been good. We've been working in the Stoon area so Nathan and I have been at home for the past couple weeks. That's been really nice. That's given us a chance to catch up with some of our friends. Last week my girlfriend Kim and I took her son Aidan to The Fun Factory. Let me tell you that a was GREAT! I think that we had more fun than Aidan did. haha! I highly recommend finding a child to take there. It's great!
My girlfriend Carrisa also got home last wednesday. She was in Africa for the past three months working at an orphange. We went to the airport to meet her with a group of kids from the youth group. She was really surprised but very exhausted! She had just been on a plane for the last 22 hours or something stupid like that. I was really happy to have her home. It's been good to hear all her stories and experiences that she had there. I'm super pumped to hear some more and see her pictures!
This weekend we were out at my parents again. The boys were working on the firepit again, I just kind of stand by and make sure that they don't hurt each other! They should be done it soon. It'll just be hard because we are gone for the next two weeks. On saturday night we went out to Pike Lake for my friend Kim's husband Chris's surprise party. His birthday was today so she had planned a little get together with his whole family for that night. It was great. We had a fun time playing with all the kids, eating food and roasting marshmallows! The guys pulled out their guitars after everyone had left and played some songs afterwards. I had a good time cuddling with Aidan by the fire and chatting with Kimmie.
I've been sick the past week. My allergies have been driving me nuts. My sinus's were so congested on friday that I felt like my head was going to explode. Literally. My nose still hasn't stopped running since friday. Oh yes. It's been awesome. No not at all. So I've been praying like crazy for it to just GO AWAY! haha! I just want to able to breathe again!
We'll be busy the next few weekends with weddings. Kevin and Megan's this coming and the following weekend is our Auntie Brenda's. So we'll be doing a bit of travelling. I'm not to excited about the travelling bit but, the wedding part I'm pumped for! Anyways I should stop rambling and let you all get back to your day!
until next time take care.....
ash

Hey From Nathan

2006-05-27T16:26:00.000-06:00

Hey all.. This is Nathan.. This is my first time actually writing a blog so i have no idea how this all works.. but anywho ash says i should start with what's going on in my life. Well about 3 weeks ago I started a new Job, for those who know me it's not unusual for me to start a new job, i'd say i'm a pro at new jobs and change.. But this one i think my stick for a while. I started working for my father-in-law, and what can i say, It's going pretty good so far, I drive a sweet truck and I get to go 4x4ing all day, so all in all it's sweet. I know there's a lot to it.. My job title would be a Corrosion Consultant (pretty sweet title eh).
On the weekends i try to relax with my wife and just enjoy life. We usually end up at Ashley's parent's house helping out with the yard work or right now we're in the process of building a patio with a fire pit out of paving stones. With the help of my buddy Matt and Dan.. Dan is from Winnipeg the bass player from Undecided... pretty sweet.
The past few months we've really have gotten close to my buddy Matt and stim.. We usually hang out every saturday or so. I enjoy thier company and really just hanging out. Today is Stim's Grad party. She graduated from the nursing program at U of S I think.. It's pretty sweet.
But yep the month of June seem's like it's going to be a busy month. My buddy Kevin and Megan are getting married and also my Aunt Brenda is getting married the weekend after. so it seems that will be travelling all over the place.. Big time but yeah that's what's going on right now... So anyway i guess I'll sign off for now and talk to ya all later... Nathan

trying to believe....

2006-05-09T21:50:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been really struggling with where I am at in my life. Decisions that I have been making, etc. Things that are just not in my character. I'm finding that I way to easily conform to the way that the "world" or my surroundings want me to be. I'm just at a place where I am kind of torn between where I know I should be and where I would just rather settle because it's easier. I know that I am not living my life the way that God intended me to. I think that part of that is that I am still pretty bitter with the hand He's dealt me and I don't really know where to even begin to start to deal with it. Somedays it's super easy, other days it seems unreachable. Anytime that I find myself doubting God and His plan for me, it never fails that He has this way of showing me that He is there, being Faithful and showing me constant Grace. Sometimes it's really hard to see God's Faithfulness but it's the little reminders that help.

Here's some song lyrics from a Jeremy Camp song. I don't think that it could sum up how I've been feeling lately any better. If you know me you know that music is a huge part of my life! So it's awesome when I can find a song that rings true.

Scattered words and empty thoughts
Seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
Seems i dont know where to start
But its now i feel your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip washing away my pain

I still believe in your faithfulness
I still believe in your truth
I still believe in your holy word
Even when I dont see I still believe

Though the questions still fog up my mind
With promises i still seem to bear
Even when answers slowly unwind
It's my heart I see you prepare
But its now that I feel your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip washing away my pain

The only place I can go is into your arms
Where I throw to you my feeble prayers in brokeness
I can see that this is your will for me
Help me to know you are near

It's an awesome song and you should all download it! Also if you could all help me out with prayers and keeping me accountable that would be awesome! I know that I was brief but there's only so much that I want to share on a blog read by who knows how many people!

Love you all and until next time....God bless!
ash

On the Road Again...

2006-05-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

That time of year is officially here again. I'm back at work. But this time it's pretty great so far! My husband is with me every evening, which you all know that I can't complain about! My dad is around for me to pick on, vent to, etc. It's awesome having my dad around! We are in Moose Jaw this week, which is pretty sweet. Nathan is actually out spending some time with Ryan tonight. I'm wiped from a long day so I decided not to hang out tonight! After three and a half months of not working I'm not sure that I remember how to do this! haha!

But really it's great to be back at it. I love working for my dad! I can't complain about it all that much, well not to loudly anyway.

We are going to miss being at home during the weekdays though. It'll be hard to squeeze everything in on the weekends! Sometimes not even. We are going to try and work some weekends so we'll see how that goes! I might go nuts but I'll try my best! I'll try to keep you all posted on how things are going and what we have been up to lately!

But I should get going. I'm tired and just want to sleep! So until next time... take care and God bless you!

ash

blah....

2006-04-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

Face down; this is where it leads you - too far.
Buried covered now, you'll find peace - in the earth aground.
Stop now, there's no point in breathing - it's not allowed.
On the surface, how can you find - reason to move on?

Hush now, yeah don't say a word - its out in the open,
And tell me how can you deal with all this wait?
Speak now, you must have a secret kept down,
Down where you can keep it - I need you to spill your guts.

Until then you can runaway,
Do you best to hide your face.
And oh I know you best.
I know you get what you get - until then you can runaway.
Do your best to hide your face.
And oh I know you best.
I know you get what you get you - get what you deserve.

Speak now you must have a secret kept down,
Down where you can keep it - I need you to spill your guts.

You get what you get, you get what you deserve.

Easter Weekend...

2006-04-18T23:24:00.000-06:00

Nathan and I headed to Estevan for Easter weekend. The majority of his family were going to be in town because his auntie Brenda was going to be there visiting for the weekend. She came up from Mexico with her fiancee! We were all very excited to get to meet our new Uncle Art and his son AJ. It was so good to see auntie Brenda so happy, Art couldn't be a better match for her! They had a shower for them on the Saturday night. That was really fun, we got to learn a little bit more about Art that night!

We ate way too much good food this weekend. I seriously think that we spent most of the weekend eating!

Nathan and I had fun entertaining our younger cousins. Haiden now has this thing for calling nathan "Uncle". We all just kind of laugh and say that we will explain to Haiden later that Nathan and he are actually cousins! It's really cute to see how much he loves playing with his big "uncle". Haiden and Chaise definately kept us busy!

My mom travelled down to Estevan with us. It was fun to have her company for the trip. She had a good weekend visiting family and friends. We also had to go to a funeral on Monday. My Great Great Aunt Carrie passed away. She was 100 years old! It was almost hard to be sad because she had had such a full life! Now her brother, my Great Grandpa Henry is the only one of the siblings left. He's 96, 97 in August! It's always so good to spend some time with him. He is still all with it. You would think at that age most of the marbles would be missing! But nope he's smart as a whip! He just needs to wear his hearing aids more often!

All in all it was a really good weekend! We had a good time and saw lots of our family! Until next time, take care!

I am such a girl....

2006-04-10T20:07:00.000-06:00

Today after lunch with a friend I went to get into my van just like usual. I put the key in the door, turned it and pulled on the handle. While I was opening the door to my surprise I saw this little, brown mouse looking thing scamper across my dash. After about 2 seconds of " HOLY CRAP!" I started to scream hysterically.

Yes. That's right. There was a MOUSE IN MY VAN!

So after I regained my composure, I got out my cell phone to call my husband. There was no way that I was getting back into that van. Hello, in case you just skimmed the first paragraph, there was mouse in my van. And who am I kidding I was hyperventilating on the phone trying to tell Nathan what was going on. Regained my composure! HA! ...riiiiight. He just kept telling me to calm down and to "breathe woman!".

Truth is I am actually terrified of mice. They are disgusting and I can't handle them. So the thought of having one for a permanent driving companion just wasn't working out for me! I eventually convinced Nathan to drive to where I was and get this stupid thing out of the van.

He told me to open the side door and keep the other ones closed, and to just stand there and watch the door for the mouse until he got there. So I hung up the phone and shut my door. I went over to the passenger door and mustered up all my courage and opened the door. What did I see? The flippin' mouse! It ran across the passenger seat and into the back. Meanwhile, I am screaming bloody murder. (I guess that I failed to mention to you earlier that I was in the Moxie's parking lot on 8th street!) This young guy walked by and just asked if I was alright. I fixed my hair and said "yah, for sure". LIES!! ALL LIES!!

I felt like I waited for Nathan to get there forever. He made it and I immediately started bawling. Oh yes, it was great. So Nathan gets in the van and starts looking for the mouse. The whole time just trying to convince me to drive the van home. We had almost given up when I saw something move in the front seat. Sure enough the mouse had planted it's butt on my seat. It saw Nathan and hid in between the door and the side panel. Nathan flicked it out of the van and it ran away. Again the whole time I am shrieking like the girl that I am.

Turns out that it was a field mouse from my parents acerage. Franklin the fieldmouse is what I am going to refer to him as. I am excited that I got to bring him to the city, I just wish he would have asked first!

That's my exciting news of the day! I hope that you all enjoyed it!

..it's official...tattoo's HURT!

2006-04-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

I had been contimplating getting a tattoo for the last year or so. My sister Kaitlan, who's an incredibable artist, designed something for me. It was exactly what I wanted and also really special because she had drawn it! So this past monday I finally sucked it up and went to see about getting it done.

Today I did it! I got my first tattoo. It was probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced but definately worth it. I just would never suggest getting one on your foot. The girl who did it for me said that it's definately the most painful place to get one. That was reassuring to hear two minutes before she was about to start! I was already nervous about it hurting because I am not one for much pain. For those of you who might need an example...I cry when I get a paper cut. So needless to say I was terrified about the pain. But surprisingly I did rather well. My sister was there with me, to coach me through it. (Nathan was on the road so he couldn't be there.) There were parts that hurt and parts that tickled. I bit my hand, pinched my leg just about everywhere and pulled out a few pieces of hair but I don't have any noticeable bruises.... yet!

I am really excited to see what it looks like once it's all healed.

Until next time...

ash

april showers bring may flowers

2006-04-03T23:38:00.000-06:00

Thought that we would post some prayer requests for the month of April. Your prayers and encouragement are always appreciated!

- strength for Nathan to finish his final stretch of trucking (as well as safety on the road)
- motivation for Ashley to get things ready for work this summer (it's far too easy for her to procrastinate!)
- encouragement that the summer season will go well for us as we are working together, that it will be a safe season, a time of growth for us as a couple, etc.
- that the summer would allow for oportunites to share Jesus with Ashley's dad, that God would soften his heart (he's so close!!)
- that God would guide us in the process of looking for a home, that He would help us to be patient and trusting

That's all for now! Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement already!

Nathan & Ashley

Our Trip Home...

2006-03-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Nathan & I had an awesome time back in Portage, visting friends and family. It was so good to see Jeff & Ali again. They are FINALLY home from their missions trip in England. We couldn't be happier to have them home......

We drove with Shauna and her friend James from Caronport to Portage. Shauna & I had way too much fun on the way there. Ridiculously hyper would be a good term I think! There were lots of laughs, tears from those laughs & then some more laughs!

James & me being a creeper in the background! haha!

Oh you have to love car dancing!

On Saturday Nathan & I got to babysit for our friends Steve & Bonnie. They had training for the Cal Breakaway so, we got to watch Alej & Niko for the afternoon! We had a jam packed day, full of tickles, laughs, hillarious comments made by Niko, a trip to Dollarama!
..sharing a ring pop...

...Uncle Nathan reading with Alej and Geniko...

Alej got a jewelery box at Dollarama and wanted to paint it. So we whipped out the paint and got in our grubbies! We had alot of fun watching them experiment with the paint. Niko had to do everything that his big sister was doing. It was so fun to watch them interact with each other.

That evening there was a get together for Jeff & Ali. A welcome home party you could say. There was lots of good food and good friends! Ali put together a slide show from their trip. It was so good to see just a part of what they have been up to for the last 6 months! The boys enjoyed some jam time after the slide show. The girls enjoyed visiting. It was a good night.

The drive home was a little less hyper then the trip there. We were pretty exhausted but we still managed to find some things to do! Good times. It was a really good trip. Very refreshing for Nathan & I. It was so good to see everyone. If only there was more time to spend with everyone!
All in all it was a GREAT trip!
Until next time take care & God bless.

Jeff & Ali...here we COME!!

2006-03-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Shauna & Ali at our wedding

Nathan and I are off today. We are heading to see his brother Jeff and his wife Ali who just got back from a missions trip! They have been gone for about six months I guess it is! They were over in England doing some training and then got sent to India to do their missions. We are excited to hear all of their stories. We are excited just to see them again!! It's been too long!

So we are going to Moose Jaw tonight. We'll stay there with our friend Ryan overnight. In the morning we will pick up our friend Shauna and head out to Portage! It should be a great time! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures so I can post when we get home!

So until next week sometime!

The Woman That I Love....

2006-03-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

Somedays I don't understand how she put up with me, other days I wonder how we even get along? Somedays I wonder why we are so different? Other days I can't get enough of her. Somedays she drives me crazy, somedays I drive her crazy. But you know what...that works for us. She's my mom and I love her more and more everyday.

When I 'take a step back' and look at my mom I am caught in awe of the things that she has accomplished in her life. She's an amazing mother of three. I know that I might be biast (spelling?) in saying that because she is my mom, but in all honesty she is a great mom. Yeah sometimes I don't agree with her techniques or the way that she handles things but in the end I get it. My mom and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye. Throughout my teenage years we disliked each other very much. I think that she saw too much of me in her and didn't like it. Over the last couple of years her and I have really really started to click. We've found our 'goove', what works. And it's awesome, but it's also the hardest thing I've had to do. In getting to know my mom, she's also slowly slipping away from me and the rest of our family.

My mom was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease about two years ago now I guess it was. (For those who don't know the easiest way for me to sum it up is that it's a hereditary disease that affects the nervous system, over time it eventually shuts your body down.) My grandpa (her dad) was diagnosed with Huntington's the year that I was born. So I grew up watching my grandpa 'change'. Which has really helped me but also set me back with my mom. It's helped me in the sense that it kept me informed about the syptoms, etc. But it set me back in the sense that it's that much harder to see it happen to your mom and be completely helpless to stop it. I know that it's something that I can't control, but no matter how many times I am told that it doesn't ease the pain of watching someone you love suffer.

I know that she isn't in any physical pain. It's just emotional and mental. I'm not sure which is better or easier. It's so hard to see her get frustrated when she can't do the things that she used to. I don't even know how to explain it. Take the way that someone you are close to is now, their character I mean, and flip it. Everything is the exact opposite. Strange feeling? I know it all to well. My mom has turned into her opposite. She is no longer the quiet reserved person that she used to be, she is out-spoken, can't concentrate for too long on one thing, has little motivation for anything, and I could go on. Basically I am getting to know her all over again.

It's so hard to see her turning into my Grandpa. Her actions, the little motions that she makes. So much like Grandpa. Which is so scary because I was about 16 when he was at his worst. So I know what these little twitches and choking leads up to. My mom's symptoms are progressing alot quicker then we thought that they would. She's on so many different medications and nothing is making her any better. There's no cure and no matter how many medications she takes it's not going to make it go away.

I feel so ashamed sometimes because I'm embarrased. It's hard to go out in public with someone who everyone else thinks is drunk, or rude, or extremely forward and odd. Sometimes they say it, sometimes they don't need words when their face says it all. That's my mom and I love her but how do I overcome this embarrassment? I know that I shouldn't be at all but it's really hard. People aren't aware of the disease so don't consider it.

I don't understand why she has to go through this. I don't understand why she's not getting any better. I don't understand why people are so judgemental. I don't understand why my brother and sister have to be parents at the age of 15 & 17. I don't understand why my dad has to get to know his wife all over again. I don't understand why no matter how many times I question God about it I never get an answer. I don't understand why I can't find peace with this.

Through all of it though my mom stands strong. She doesn't let anyone see her hurt or her anger. She is the hugest encouragment to me of living life to the fullest. She keeps on perservering.

I guess it's hard for me to since I know that this is what lies ahead for me. I was diagnosed in February 2005 with Huntington's Disease.

The Countdown Has Begun!

2006-03-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

The countdown has officially begun. There is only about a month and a half until Nathan and I will finally be able to act like a married couple!

Nathan and I, since really the beginning of our relationship, have been doing the distance thing. When we first started dating I lived in Saskatoon, Nathan was in Manitoba. Then Nathan moved to Estevan, a little bit closer. Then after about a five months before we were married Nathan moved to Saskatoon. Even still we weren't together except for weekends. He was trucking out of town so that was usually the only time that we had together. Then Nathan started doing some city work right before we were married. Which was awesome, except for the fact that I was going to be working for my Dad during the summer. Meaning that I would be gone all week and home on the weekends.

To make a long story short, this summer is going to be the first time that we will actually be with each other every night! We'll go our seperate ways during the day. But we will be together in the evenings! YAY!! I know it doesn't sound all that exciting but for Nathan and I we really can't wait!

Now that it's just around the corner it feels like it's never going to get here! I just hope that I can keep it together for another month!

Friends Are Awesome...simple as that!

2006-02-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today I got together with my girlfriend Kim and her beautiful baby boy Aidan for a booster juice and some shopping. I think that we were more excited about the shopping bit though....Aidan is truly a boy through and through! It was so good to see Kim again. Life keeps us both pretty busy so it's always good when we can get a chance to get together.

Without even knowing it, Kim has this way of knowing exactly what to say and when to say it. She has been blessed with this huge heart that just pours out encouragement in all the right places! Nathan and I have been discussing the inevitable with a married couple lately about 'starting a family'. I have been a little bit discouraged about getting pregnant (being on depo previously has kind of ruined my body); not knowing if my body is back to normal, etc. And Kim just totally helped me to see the way that I should be thinking!

She said all the right things. Things that I needed to hear. It's one thing to know that it's going to happen, that God can make it possible, but it's a totally different thing to actually believe that He will have it happen! So meeting with Kim today just really helped me to get back on track to where I should be in my mindset about all of that! Not to mention it was just fun to spend some time (and money!) with her!

So I thank God for my friend Kim and her encouragement. I only hope that I can do the same for her!

Until next time....

Rushton Update

2006-02-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Lately Nathan and I have been keeping really busy and for some reason I don't know why!? It doesn't seem like we have been doing alot but some how we just can't keep up with things!

It hasn't helped that I've been off my feet for the past two weeks. I had foot surgery (long awaited) on the 13th of February and am supposed to be off my feet for six weeks! I laughed when I heard that. There's no way that I could stay off my feet for that long! I have way to much energy! I was off my feet for a few days, which wasn't all that bad. I stayed out at my parents house and got spoiled rotten! They were way too awesome to me while I was out there.

Nathan's busy working, trucking still. We are both patiently awaiting May to come along quickly. We are planning on working for my dad this summer. You probably are wondering why the heck we would be excited about this but really you have to understand that it's been a very long time since Nathan and I have been in the same place at once aside from weekends and holidays. It'll be nice to be home together every night! Maybe we'll get a little taste of what married life is actually supposed to be like! haha!

Things have been going very for the both of us. Especially the last few months; we've both been working really hard on our relationship and getting it to where it should be and where we want it to be. God has been so good in this and definately keeping us accountable. Awesomeness for sure!

We are both anxiously waiting for the return of Nathan's brother Jeff and his wife Ali who have been gone on a mission's trip for the past six months. It's going to be so super good to see them again!

Anyways until later take care and God bless!