• Marriage

    Jesus>Marriage

    I can’t believe it’s November and Christmas is right around the corner. I’m really excited for the holiday season. I want this season to be filled with growth in my relationship with Jesus. I’ve been struggling for the past few months with my relationship with God, which I have shared a little bit about here on the blog. I want to keep striving through this tough season and keep seeking His face above all else.

    Getting married changes so much about your life. I know this probably seems to be the only thing I blog about lately but it’s honestly been one of the main things on my mind since May. It’s a wonderful thing in many instances. You get to live with your best friend. You always have someone to hang out with. You have someone to lean on in the hard times. It’s a time that’s full of new beginnings and new joys that you never knew were possible.

    But I want to share with you guys that marriage isn’t all roses and butterflies. I want to bring some light to marriage to anyone who may be reading this and thinking, “If only I could find someone to marry…”. Like I said marriage is a gift, and a great gift at that, but it is also hard and demanding at times. I don’t want anyone believing the lie that once you get married then you will be truly happy, or once I get a boyfriend, or once I get a boy to like me. The best thing that ever happened to me wasn’t getting married. It was realizing that the God of the universe loved me enough to die for me. Knowing I have worth to the God that created everything I see is such a humbling and awesome thing. Don’t lose sight of this.

    I used to think that once Tommy and I were married everything would be perfect. I knew I’d still have struggles and hard times but I thought that they wouldn’t be so bad because we’d be together. And hear me out, this just isn’t true. Trials are trials no matter if you’re single, married, divorced, or widowed. Each trial is unique in it’s own way and the only thing that really gets you through it, is to seek God’s face above all else. Seek God’s face in the midst of the trial and that’s when you will find true joy. I read so many blog posts about this same idea many times before I was married and I never learned until I walked it myself. If I can spare one person from believing this lie, that will be enough for me.

    If it is your desire to be married, keep pressing in and asking the Lord for this, but don’t believe that only then will you be truly happy. Being married can be hard, just like being single can be hard. Resting in knowing God is for us is what will get us through anything. Let me know how I can pray for you specifically if this is something you might be struggling with. It is close to my heart because it was and probably still is in some ways a personal struggle of mine as well and would love to encourage you along the way!

  • Life

    November Goals

    I did a lot better with my goals this month than I normally do and I think a huge help of that was by hanging them right next to my bed along with a blank calendar so I can write which days I do what. It helps me to actually see my process and plan to do that again this month. So lets recap my October goals.

    1. Read God’s word every day this month. I think I missed one day so that’s a win to me.
    2. Workout 2-3 times a week. I’d say I did way better at this but not completely there yet. The first two weeks I worked out twice but the last two weeks not at all. Getting there!
    3. Read more!! So excited about this one too. I realized that working through my lunch every day was causing me to burn out by Wednesday usually so I started taking a half an hour lunch and reading and it has been awesome this week. I also have read at night some nights instead of turning to Netflix.
    4. Cook more nutritious meals. I bought this meal plan for the month of November and have used that and also cooked some other healthy meals too. Could have done a little better on this though.
    5. Be more social. We had plans for two weeks to hang out with my cousin and her boyfriend and we also went to a wedding this month too!
    6. Clean out our closet.
    7. Redo the gallery wall. Loved how this came out. See above. 🙂
    8. Make a fall wreath. I’m crossing this off not because I did it, but because I realized I want to buy one instead. I might even just wait until next year because I already bought a Christmas wreath and plan on hanging that the day after Thanksgiving so really what’s the point in spending money on another wreath for about 20 days.
    9. Go apple picking. YES. This was such a sweet time with my husband. Check out my post about it, here.

    November Goals

    1. Attend our new community group for the whole month.
    2. Read God’s word every day.
    3. Workout in some way 2-3 times a week.
    4. Celebrate our first married Thanksgiving.
    5. Redo the floors in my moms house.
    6. Go on our weekend getaway to Maryland!
    7. Order our Christmas cards!
    8. Buy TV stand for living room.
    9. Get back into reading, read one book.
    10. Stay off of social media on my phone.
    11. Clean out closets.
    12. Blog once a week.
    13. Study 1 Corinthians w Tommy every week.
    14. Do our couples devotional once a week.
    15. Start Christmas shopping/make a budget for how much we can spend on gifts.
    16. Continue taking at least a half an hour lunch at work.
    17. Decorate for Christmas! 🙂
    18. Chop down our own Christmas tree.

    So I clearly have lofty goals for November. Let’s see how much I can get done! What are your November goals?!

  • Life

    What’s Up Wednesday – October Edition

    I just discovered that What’s Up Wednesday is still a thing and I’m so excited! I haven’t participated in What’s Up Wednesday since April – ps I also know it’s not Wednesday but whatevs. Better late than never!

    WUW Questions

    What we’re eating this week:

    To be completely honest with you I haven’t cooked once this week. I’ve been pretty tired when I came home from work, so twice we went out and another night we had dinner at my moms, and tonight my husbands cooking while I blog! I bought a meal plan for next month though that I’m very excited about. It’s healthy and cheap, my two favorite things.

    What I’m reminiscing about:

    honeymoon-2honeymoon.PNG

    I keep thinking about our honeymoon, which I plan to write about soon, I know a little late. I don’t know if it’s because the weathers starting to get colder or I’ve been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to be married to Tommy but I keep thinking about our honeymoon and how I wish we could go back.

    What I’m loving:

    I am loving just my regular routine honestly. I thrive on routines and I’m finally getting used to being married and it finally doesn’t feel so scary and new so I’m really starting to just love and enjoy all the little things and all the goodness God has allowed into my life.

    What we’ve been up to:

    We’ve actually been keeping busy this month. This week we visited my moms and last weekend we went to church with my cousin and her boyfriend. We’ve been working a lot too. It’s been a good month.

    What I’m dreading:

    As I mentioned before it’s starting to get colder and I’m really not looking forward to the weather dropping once winter rolls around. Although I do feel the most prepared for it this year out of any so I guess that’s a plus.

    What I’m excited about:

    maryland.jpg

    I’m super excited about the little weekend trip I planned for Tommy and I that’s in two weeks! We’re going down the shore in Maryland and Tommy’s going to go surfing and were going to go on breakfast dates and it’s going to be great!

    What I’m working on:

    I am working on trying to get into a more consistent workout schedule. I did not do so well this week but the past two was a little better than usual. Have any tips that might help me? I desperately need them. I can never seem to stay motivated.

    What we’re watching:

    himym.png

    I convinced Tommy to watch HIMYM with me and he loves it. I already watched all of the seasons and am rewatching them with him but I just love this show. It’s so light and funny and a great break from Grey’s Anatomy.

    What I’m doing this weekend:

    This weekend Tommy and I are going to a corn maze with my cousin and her boyfriend. I’ve gone a few times before and it should be really fun. I’m looking forward to it.

    What I’m looking forward to next month:

    Thanksgiving of course! Our first married thanksgiving should be a great time. I’m also really looking forward to putting up our first Christmas tree in our apartment. I literally cannot wait for this.

    What else is new:

    Hmm that’s really all there is going on in our lives. My brother and his girlfriend have been coming to church for the past month or so and I’ve been so excited about that.

    I’m linking up today with the Larson Lingo.

  • Life,  Marriage

    Fall Bucket List: Apple Picking

    One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go apple picking. This year I tried to plan a trip with my husband, brother, his girlfriend, my cousin and her boyfriend but the weather just did not want to cooperate. We were supposed to go this past Saturday but it was freezing and rainy so we rescheduled it for Sunday instead, and even though only my husband and I were able to go, it was seriously the perfect little trip.

    coffee.JPG

    We started our morning like our usual Saturday morning, with coffee and breakfast made by my husband, always so yummy. Then we headed to the apple orchard after relaxing for a little while. The drive was beautiful and honestly made us both even more excited to go apple picking.

    tommy apple picking.PNG

    tommy-in-a-tree

    It was such a great time, the weather was perfect, and the apples were delish. We also had apple cider hot dogs (!), which didn’t really taste like apple cider at all to me, but were still yummy. But the most delicious thing we got was apple cider donuts. They were the.best.thing.ever. I already am wishing I had more.

    apple-picking-2

    me apple picking.PNG

    It really was a beautiful day and I’m really glad we went. I can’t wait to make apple pie with all of the apples we picked. What’s on your fall bucket list?

  • Marriage,  Wedding

    5 Months

    Today Tommy and I have been married for five months. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. It feels like just yesterday when we stood in front of all of our friends and family and promised each other forever. It has been a dream since that day but also not how I expected it in the least.

    God has done a lot of work in my heart since being married. He has revealed to me things about myself that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. One of those things was that I didn’t really believe that He was good. After getting married I had this fear that something terrible was going to happen to me. It was very subtle at first but over the months it became more and more obvious. And it wasn’t until God healed me of this anxiety that I even fully understood what I was even believing.

    I believed that I didn’t deserve to have good things happen to me. I grew up in a pretty broken home where it kind of felt like bad things happening were the norm. I think I just got used to this feeling and learned to expect it. So here I am now, the day after I get married and thinking this can’t last. It has to blow up eventually because that’s what always happens.

    But God has been ever so gentle with me and has taught me that this just isn’t true. Bad things don’t always have to happen. He desires to see His children happy and while I’m still learning this, I feel like I’ve had tremendous growth in the past week or so. I no longer feel like I have to walk around being afraid of what is going to happen next. I can cherish where I am knowing that God is here with me and brought me to this place. He loves me and He also loves you. He desires to see His children delight in Him but also in the good gifts that He gives.

    I just want to leave you guys with our wedding vows. We picked ones that our church had and personalized them a bit. They are very special because it signifies that we will promise to love each other through the good and the bad, and to ultimately follow God as the goal of our lives. But we get to do it together now. How awesome is marriage.

     I, Tommy, take you, Ashley, to be my wedded wife. I love you and know that this love is from God. Because of this, I want to be your husband so that we might serve Christ together. Through all of the uncertainties and trials of the present and future, I promise to be faithful to you and love you. I promise to guide and protect you as Christ does his church, as long as we both shall live. God’s Word gives us the perfect example of this love in Christ’s death for the Church. I shall try always, with God’s help, to show you this same kind of love, for I know that in His sight we will both be one.

     

    I, Ashley, take you, Tommy, to be my wedded husband. I love you. I prayed that God would lead me to his choice. I praise Him that tonight His will is being fulfilled. Through the pressures of the present and uncertainties of the future I promise my faithfulness, to follow you through all of life’s experiences as you follow God, that together we may grow in the likeness of Christ and our home be a praise to Him.

  • Life

    10 Things That Make Me Happy + An Update

    I have to admit, the hardest part about blogging for me is getting past what I think in my head of how my blog should look or what types of posts I should be posting. I forget that my favorite bloggers are the ones who are authentic and don’t worry about having the perfect post. I realized this week that this is the reason why I don’t blog that much. I don’t want it to be that way. I want this to be a place where we can all show up and be real with each other and I don’t want to be afraid to share with you what’s going on in my life because it’s not going to be the “right” post. I realize now how silly that is. I would love to start blogging more regularly so that’s my plan – with no strings attached. I plan to post about whatever my heart desires because this is my space where I get to share my life with whoever may be reading. I’d like to document what’s going on in my life better so I have it to look back on over the years too.

    So with all of that out of the way now, I’d like to reintroduce myself. Hi. My name is Ashley Zinhobl. I am a newlywed and married my best friend on May 22nd of this year. Life has been pretty much a whirlwind since then but I still can’t believe that God has allowed so much goodness in my life. I really want to share my wedding pictures and actually my engagement story as well, I realize I never did that. I also would like to share with you guys about our honeymoon too. In the coming weeks that is my intention. But for tonight I’ll wrap this post up with sharing 10 things that make me happy. Because that’s easy and who doesn’t like thinking about things that make them happy?

    1. Weekends with absolutely zero plans and commitments where I can lounge around for a full day and relax, and also have a full day to catch up on errands and cleaning and whatever else I feel like doing.
    2. Enjoying a delicious cup of coffee made by my husband, he always makes the best ones. Wouldn’t hurt to have a breakfast sandwich in there either. Yum.
    3. Holidays off of work, time to spend with friends and family.
    4. Changing of seasons, I love the newness to life that the new season brings and the motivation to get my life back on track with the things that I’ve let fall out of place.
    5. A perfect sunny beach day, complete with that feeling of warmth you still feel when you lay down at night.
    6. Following a recipe that comes out just perfect.
    7. Surprising my husband with something I know he really wanted.
    8. Those moments where everything connects and you really feel like God is there with you and for you.
    9. Working on a craft, there’s just such a peace to it that I don’t seem to find anywhere else.
    10. Being in the very middle of a really good book where you feel like you’ve entered into a different world.

    I’m sure I could keep going but I’m old and apparently get tired at 9:30 on a Friday night now. What makes you happy? I’d seriously love to know.