Featured Friend: Friday

So I've decided to do a Featured Friend Friday! Today I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Ashleigh. We met at Mizzou in 2002, and I have always wished we lived closer since. When we are together real conversation and laughter fill our time. She and her awesome husband Ryan live in southern Illinois with their beautiful children, Elle, Cece, and Parker. She answered some questions for me below.

1. What are you passionate about? 

My children! Someone once told me that the one job you would do for free is what you should do. I LOVE my "job" as a stay at home mom. My kids light up my world!

Orphans I also love orphans and often think about how we should care for the least of these. I got to help with orphan sunday this past week at my church. I love helping with different organizations and hope to one day be able to adopt a child of my own! 

Crafting: I love making crafts from pinterest...especially when they turn out..I give myself a 50 percent success rate ;)

Reading:  I'm also passionate about reading and love getting lost in a good book! "Same kind of different as me" is my all time fave read! 

Good Cuisine: And lastly I'm passionate about good food...I can't imagine life without enjoying great food! 

2. Tell us about your adorable family.

My husband is Ryan. May will be our ten year anniversary! He's my best friend and knows me better than anyone. I have twin girls that just turned four in October..CeCe and Elle. They are best friends and we are the three musketeers! We always talk about the "girl trips" we are going to plan when they get bigger! And our newest addition John "Parker" just turned one in September. He adds so much life to our day I am not sure what we did without him! 

3. Ryan's a bit obsessed with hunting, right? What is his most prized possession/best hunting trip? (Hasn't he, like, killed a bear?)

Oh yea, if its "brown its down" is his motto! He hunts all types of things...but deer hunting consumes him...I look forward to the glorious day of January 12th every year when bow season is over. During hunting season he's so busy taking "non scent showers" and soaking his camo in dirt wafers and sprinkling doe pee everywhere he walks that the quality time gets cut back a bit...and no i'm not kidding..LOL

Do you have a favorite quote or scripture that has stuck with you?

Up until this year my favorite passage is one my mom would comfort me with as a kid..Matthew 6:25-34 on worry. But this year the Lord has matured me some. I have had the awesome privilege of having a godly Sunday school teacher that is training our class how to "fight" in this fallen world. Our struggle in this life is against so much more than what we see..BUT we are NOT helpless for God gives us power to change circumstances through him!  Have faith for it can protect us...know the word so we can be on the offense..This is what I am trying to apply to my life right now! 

Ephesians 6:10-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Thanks for sharing with us, Ashleigh! 

Love ya!

Kristyn