Are you a dreamer?

What's New

2007-10-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

Hello all-
Check out what's new at hellodaydream.blogspot.com

I'm launching my "small business"! Let me know if you need Christmas gifts for family and friends!

Love, Ashley

Our Niece, affectionately known as...

2007-05-19T13:52:00.000-05:00

A-Rae (Grandpa), Pretty Girl (Mom Karen), Miss Priss (Grandma), Buddy (Dad Marty), Baby (Uncle Josh), Pumpkin Pie (Aunt Ashley)

We just returned from a trip to Tampa/St. Pete to visit Josh's parents, sister & brother-in-law, and our niece, Arianna. Of course, Little Miss Thang stole the show! Arianna is quickly approaching 8 months old and we had just a great time with her. She played, laughed, cooed, crawled and was so much fun! Here are a few shots:

Fashionista Arianna with mom, Karen

Arianna is currently teething and wants to put everything in her mouth,
including the camera. Cell phones are her favorite.

Playing on the floor at Grandma's house with Uncle Josh
(mysteriously out of the picture or lost from the camera for a better subject?)

Look at those eyes!
I really don't mind having my picture taken, which is a good thing since
Grandma took over 100 during Uncle Josh and Aunt Ashley's visit...

I know these are not pictures of our apartment that I promised some time ago, however, pictures of the apartment seem lame-o compared to sweet baby Arianna! Hope you're all doing well!

Sunday morning, Rain is falling

2007-01-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

Hello to all! First, a happy late birthday wish to my husband (Jan 10), my sister (Jan 13) and my dear friend Jessica (Jan 10). I really should stop sending birthday wishes via blog because inevitably I'm going to forget someone (Lacy: Dec 4, Jamie: Dec 11, Jesus: Dec 25). If I were more disciplined with updating my blog, it might not be a problem...but alas, I'm not. So, let's just move forward, shall we?

In the news: we're moving into our own apartment! Yippee! We found a cute little place in a lovely neighborhood for less money than we'd planned on spending-- all around, a great deal! We're moving stuff throughout the week this week and then next weekend, Josh's parents are coming to help. Pictures are forthcoming. I'm trying to resist the urge to purchase yards and yards of fabric for curtains, pillows, dust ruffles, etc. I have a wish list of about 100 home goods! It will slowly come together, I must be patient!

Speaking of patient, we think we found a church! We've been going to Christ Community Church for all of the new year, and today we're going to join a small group. We'll see if it sticks. Please keep praying that we're doing what God wants us to do, where He wants us to do it.

I know I've been woefully bad at being in touch the past few months-- this is not the pattern I wish to set! As things get settled down here in our new town, I'll have more energy to devote to things other than settling down!

There are too many exclamation points in this blog!

Happy Birthday Karen!

2006-11-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

A little birthday shout out to my sister-in-law! Karen is 24 today! Many happy wishes for many wonderful years!
Well, while I'm here, I should chat about Wilmington a little. We're having a great time! This was Josh's first full weekend here (he came last weekend, but we had to unload the truck). We spent the weekend in our usual style-- on the go! We saw Little Miss Sunshine on Friday night at the Hollywood East Cinema Grill-- funny movie, fun venue. On Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer's Market on the river front and to the Kite Festival on the beach! Today we went to church (twice...more on that later) and to Greenfield Park for a walk around the lake. Whew!

Downtown Wilmington, NC

...with my wonderful husband (and yummy coffee from Java Dog)

Kites on the beach (oooo, the wind was cold!)

Only 20 minutes from our front door

Now that Josh is here with the computer and we have internet access at home, I'll try to be much better about posting! Hope you're all well!

The Eagle has landed

2006-10-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm writing you from my new home in Wilmington, N.C. looking out over a beautiful backyard with the sun glinting off the leaves and the birds chirping as they light on my windowsill (not really). My host is an older, single, southern lady, Mary Lou, certainly one of a kind. I'll be attending a few appointments today and Friday, but otherwise I don't officially begin work until Monday, October 9th. Today is a day for exploration (and finding a grocery store that isn't as expensive as Harris Teeter). I hope to have more exciting news with my next post or two.

Oh, Baby!

2006-10-02T07:58:00.000-05:00

We went to Florida this weekend to welcome the newest member of our family, Miss Arianna Rae Howell, born Wednesday, September 27, 2006. She was born at 11:24 am, weighing 8 lbs, 8 oz, and was 20 inches long. Proud parents Karen and Marty were a little tired, but beaming with joy. Josh and I were so thankful to share in welcoming our first niece! I feel the need to spoil her rotten...do babies like Godiva?

Don't cut the apron strings

2006-09-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

My mom came over to Decatur on Monday and we had the best time! She taught me the basics of sewing machine usage (I should have sat still for this lesson long ago), and she talked me through making an apron from a pattern. It was great fun! In light of our upcoming move, I think I'll be able to apply the tricks of the trade to made a few home accesories. The best part of the whole day was spending hours with Mom, just visiting and laughing. So, here's the silly picture to go with a fun (successful!) day...

All Souls Fellowship

2006-09-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Have I told you about our church in Decatur? We tried only one church in Decatur and that was even before we moved in...All Souls Fellowship, a community of faith only about 3 years old and a church plant of Intown Community Church. Josh and I were immediately impressed with the depth of Scripture covered during the sermon and the reality of the Gospel we met that Sunday morning, so we decided to look no further. Let's face it-- in the Bible belt you could visit a different church every day of the week, or you can drive an hour to the flashiest hip church, or you can watch your hologram pastor bring The Word...or perhaps you can join a relevant community of people within walking distance.

We've been so blessed by our time at All Souls. The church is certainly still working out some very human growing pains, but they are also doing some very divine work. Our small group that meets in the middle of the week has been our social and spiritual connection for the year we've been here. We've met some amazing people...from all over the country, all different theological backgrounds, all kinds of love to share. Our church truly helped keep us sane in the months following Hurrican Katrina.

We know that God planted us here for a particular time-- in the same way you may plant a seed in a pot and then move the flowering plant into the yard. I will be forever thankful for the friends we've made and the example set by the community of believers at All Souls Fellowship. I can't wait to see what God has in store next!

Here we go again...

2006-09-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

The time has come-- as some of you already know, I have recently accepted a job offer from New Hanover Health Network in Wilmington, NC as a speech-language pathologist, so we're moving to the beach! I interviewed last Tuesday and was offered the job on Friday. Josh and I are so excited about this new opportunity! This is a great position in a hospital with acute care, inpatient rehab, and outpatient therapy, all working with adults. The other speech therapists I met were young (like me) and seemed to get along really well. Josh is going to be pursuing freelance writing opportunities and working part time. If you know anyone in Wilmington, or you want to book a vacation to come see us, let me know! (For those of you who are unaware, South of the Border is a ridiculously offensive gas station/restaurant/tourist trap on I-95 between North and South Carolina. It will be a permanent fixture on our drive from Wilmington to Atlanta.)

One Year Later

2006-08-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

So, one year ago yesterday Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. And one year ago today the levees broke, flooding 80% of New Orleans. This is a picture of our apartment (green, on the right). How strange it remains to me that we are not at all where we thought we'd be...but who is, really? The past year has been full of change, full of newness, full of processing and analyzing. Where do we go? What do we do? When do we get to start our lives again? And, heaven forbid, Why did this happen? Some days the answers to these questions seem closer than others.

I know for sure that God is directing our paths and I know for certain that He sent all of our amazing friends and family to take care of us-- without whom we would not be here today. So, thank you for all you've done and all you do. Thank you for trying to understand as we've walked this road. We're looking forward, not back.

Hurricane Party!

2006-08-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

To commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Katrina, we had a low key gathering of friends over last night. The party was a blast! Here's a little taste (although surely not as strong a taste as the Hurricane's actually were...).

Josh and Victor kick it off

Stephanie and Natalie complain about the number of flashes on my camera

Our friends Brett, Jeff, and Valerie (I cannot think of a pithy comment at the moment)

The opaque red cup with mysterious contents

A sisterly moment at the Icehouse

Grow

2006-08-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

Well, as most of you now know, I'm on a little sabbatical from speech therapy (very temporarily) and I'm working in a fabulous salon owned by my friends, Rick and Heather. It has been super fun getting to know a new crowd of people and enjoying less responsibility. I've been assisting the stylists by shampooing hair, sweeping, doing dishes, and laundry. Working in a this capacity has been a great reminder to me of how I should always serve others--even when it isn't listed in my job description. Everyone's work place would be a little happier if we would go out of our way just a teeny bit to make someone else's day a little easier. Anyhoo, check out Grow Salon; they're fabulous at what they do!

Ocracoke Pictures

2006-08-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

Josh making a lovely pirate face while on vacation...Aargh!

"No, no, stop. I hate having my picture taken," says the Ferry Diva.

These glasses have so many uses...

Wow, that's a lot of forehead for one picture.

Another summer come and past...

2006-08-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

And what a summer it has been! The past few months have been pretty interesting to say the least. Josh and I just got back from a week long vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (okay, "just" is relative...it's been a week). We had a fabulous time hanging out with our dear friends Rhonda and Terry Blevins. (See above.)

We went to a little remote island called Ocracoke. Ocracoke is only accessible by ferry and has a permanent resident count of about 600. That increases exponentially during tourist season and so we joined the tourist in their exploration of this uncharted territory. All restaurants and shops are locally owned and are full of fun funky gifts, as well as the obligatory made in china vacation souvenirs. We had a marvelous time reading, hanging out, playing at the beach, riding bikes, playing games and cards, and shopping. Our favorite restaurant: The Flying Melon (oooo, those sweet potato chips). Our favorite hangout: Ocracoke Coffee Company (the locals know to visit the self serve carafe on the side of the coffee bar and not wait in the HUGE line). Our favorite pub: Howard's (At least a hundred beers to chose from). Ocracoke's claim to fame is the favored hang-out of Blackbeard the Pirate, an actual person named Edward Teach. You can visit Teach's Hole with a fabulous pirate specialty store. And have your picture taken out front...more of that to come.

I've been absent...

2006-07-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

Hello all-- I'm sure I've lost my 3 fans by not having updated my blog in SOOOO long. We have a new member of the blog community-- Mrs. Laura Whelan. Welcome, welcome dear friend. If you too would like to see La and her family, go to her blog and check it out. Josh and I have had an interesting summer so far. We attended 4 weddings in six weeks (BIG Congratulations to Brett & Alison, Karen & Marty, Daniel & Michal, and Stephen & Catherine!) We were a little road weary, but we've no plans until late July. We're hoping for a quick month because we're going to the Outerbanks of North Carolina the first week in August! (Yippee!) In family news, my mom and her siblings rode in the Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG), clocking 200-435 miles each. After months of hard work, my lovely sister Jenna got a job at a pharmaceutical technology company. She could tell you better what she'll actually be doing... I'm just really proud of her! Josh's parents were in town this weekend and are the newest owner/operators of a Chick-fil-a store in St. Petersburg, FL. If you think of it, pray for Jamie and Matt who're in Peru on a mission trip. That's all for now...maybe I'll have fun pictures to post later. XOXOXO-

Trying something new...

2006-05-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to post this image to my profile. Can I delete the picture, but have it still exist in my profile?

The Newlyweds!

2006-05-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

My sweet sister (in-law) got married this weekend! This is the beautiful bride and her new hubby, Marty. We had a wonderful weekend visiting with Karen and Marty and the rest of the Spilker fam. I was so encouraged by the love Karen and Marty show one another and the vows they took on Saturday. I'm glad to have another newbie in the family (and I'm even more glad that it's Marty!). Best wishes for a long and beautiful life together! I love you guys!

Congratulations, Caroline and Johnny!

2006-05-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

Baby Mondello has arrived! William Joseph Mondello was born on Wednesday May, 17 and both Mama and Baby are healthy. For those who might not know, Caroline is a sweet friend of mine from New Orleans. She and her husband lost their house (and everything in it) in Hurricane Katrina and they are getting back on their feet in Baton Rouge. Caroline is a fabulous OT and now, a fabulous MOM! They have an amazing faith in God and they have been a source of encouragement to us in the short time we've known one another. We went on our first couple date as married folks with Caroline and Johnny! Congratulations, dear friends, on your new baby boy!

For whom the bell tolls

2006-04-28T17:54:00.000-05:00

Something incredible is happening in our country. A group of 3 young men uncovered a tragic story while traveling in Uganda and are creating a documentary to tell the tale. This, however, is not the amazing part. These guys and their friends have organized a huge network of people to help the children who are literally running for their lives-- every night. Please check out Invisible Children and get involved. I could tell you about beautiful 8-14 year olds who leave their home and family every night to walk 1-10 miles to flee the rebel army there in Uganda. I could try to relay descriptions of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) that has been terrorizing northern Uganda for 17 years and has killed thousands of people and abducted thousands of children to be soldiers in their unholy war. I could describe the ways these children are forced to perform heinous acts of torture and murder under the threat that the same will happen to them. I could try, but my words would fail. As I sit comfortably in my home with my every need met excessively, my heart is pulled from my chest by the pain and suffering of God's children all over the world and right here in the US. Can we truly live our lives as insular and as seperate and as blind as we try?

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee. -John Donne

Easter in the garden

2006-04-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

We had such a lovely time with my family this Easter. It was so great to spend time with my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, sister, and grandparents. I often take for granted what a wonderful extended family I have. My cousin Haley sang "Why?" by Nicole Nordeman in church on Sunday morning and she sang beautifully! I really am so blessed by my family becuase they are so talented...and funny, too! My mom and her siblings have gotten into bicycle riding (30, 50 and 100 miles). My cousin Jennifer will be graduating this May and going to Mercer on a full ride. My grandparents are going to Italy next weekend (which is smart in that they get a break from their crazy family!). I think it is good to stay connected to your roots-- where you come from, so to speak. I don't have to live right up under their noses to stay in touch and keep up with how they are growing and learning. Family is such a gift-- be it by birth or association. God has given us a dynamic, vital family of faith to depend on and to learn from. We should continually seek find His reflection in our own family as well as our Christian brothers and sisters.

A fun surprise

2006-04-07T13:16:00.000-05:00

So, Josh came home from work with a bag from Ann Taylor Loft yesterday and yes, he definitely purchased an Easter dress for me! What a sweetie! I was floored. He even remembered which dress I liked from the catalog. The dress fit and was super cute...except that my hips looked gargantuan (spelling?). He said I could pick out another one. I'll take Ann Taylor over flowers any day.

Newest Whelan

2006-03-27T08:18:00.000-05:00

When Laura sent this sweet picture of Jackson, I had to post it (although most of you have probably already seen it...). Isn't he precious!? I'm so glad Mom and baby are doing well at home and that little Luke is enjoying his new brother. If Jackson is anything like Luke, these 2 are going to be a mess! I can't wait!

He's Here!!!

2006-03-15T18:20:00.000-05:00

Jackson Lee Whelan!

Born 3-15-06 at 1:10 pm!

7 lbs 14 ounces and 21 inches long!

Shane says both Laura and Jackson are both doing great! Welcome to the world new little Whelan! You are one of the luckiest kids I know-- your parents and big brother are first rate! (I'll make the little guy famous as soon as I can figure out how to post pictures...)

War in a Manger

2006-03-11T08:40:00.000-05:00

The 14th Street Playhouse is currently staging the above production and we attended opening night last night with a few friends from our community group. The play was commissioned by an organization called Art Within who is attempting to do interesting work with script and screen writers of faith. The events of the play are taken from an actual hostage event that took place in Bethlehem in 2002 at the Church of the Nativity. While I believe the event to be riveting and cataclysmic, the play struggled to capture the intensity of the moment. Here we have Palestinian Muslim militants seeking asylum in a shrine to the birthplace of Christendom while being pursued by Jewish Israeli troops. The play attempts to raise a few questions of faith: Am I willing to sacrifice my life for what I believe? Is what I live my for worth dying for? Would the Holy Land be less ravaged by war if it weren't so holy? The play did succeed in this: I've thought about this issue much more than I ever would have on a typical Saturday morning. How can the events taking place in the Middle East become real to us in our comfortable, extravagant lives? How should we live our lives in response to the faith we profess?

Paper anniversary

2006-03-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

My marriage will be one year old on March 19. I am not mentioning this to receive well wishes. I say this more out of wonderment, bewilderment, amazement... To think that God can bring two people together who are physically, emotionally, spiritually worlds apart until one striking moment that changes every other moment forever. It seems like a lifetime since I was standing at the alter-- not in a negative way, just in the way that means I cannot believe all that I didn't know when I made this choice! "And the two will become one flesh" means you become inextractable from one another and had I really understood that a year ago without the beautiful context for which I know it to exist, I don't think I would have taken the leap. The Lord is brilliant in revealing to us only what we are able to handle, because of course now I know that who I am is made up of as much of Josh as it is me and I understand that and wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, I welcome it. He makes me a better person!

Speaking of marriage, all who are married, going to be married, or ever want to be married, should definitely read this book by Mike Mason, The Mystery of Marriage. If you plan on reading nothing else, read this book! Josh and I read it during our engagement and are re-reading it as a gift for our anniversary. This is the most helpful book on marriage that I've ever read (and I've actually picked up quite a few). The language is beautiful and he cuts so deeply to the heart of the matter. Lots of self-examination here folks, so get ready.

Music musings

2006-03-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

Currently listening: Are you a dreamer? by Denison Witmer

Now you know the short history of my blog title. I have been listening to this album non-stop and I suppose it has stuck with me. You can find me singing a different track throughout the day. The lyrics are full of hope, heavy with expectancy, and resonate with sweet melodies that I haven't found in a long time. His style is storyteller acoustic, and a little folksy in the singer/songwriter way. Okay, I'll stop reviewing...I'm beginning to feel like Josh who gets paid to write music reviews, but of course, I'm not getting paid. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy yummy melodies and dreamy lyrics, pick this up. You won't be disappointed. Have a great day!

Blogs of Note

2006-03-05T14:33:00.000-05:00

Since I haven't yet mastered the coding for a permanent "links" section, here are some links you may also be interested in:
Jenna
Josh
Holly
Matt and Jamie
Beth
I think I'll have to ask Jenna to help me...she does have a degree is this sort of thing! If I should know of your blog, or any other interesting website, please let me know. Enjoy!

A new leaf?

2006-03-04T14:42:00.000-05:00

I must confess- I have been anti-blog for the better part of the past 3 years. It's true. I became instantly disenchanted with what I saw as a egomaniacal cry for attention. Isn't that so like me? Alas, my views have evolved. A blog seems to offer an opportunity for connection among friends who are far away from one another or just a fun way to chronicle events of the day. So, call it a pulpit, a diary, a soapbox, a waste of time...let's just have a good time. And please, post comments often so I'll feel validated and my egomaniacal cry for attention will have worked.