The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can finally see it!  The light at the end of the tunnel...the end of this journey (better known as my summer anatomy class) is almost over!  I just took one of my 3 tests that I have this week.  So I am 1/3 of the way finished!!  & there are no words that can truly explain the weight that has been lifted!  I can't imagine how I will feel Friday!  The bad part is that, yes, summer school has almost reached it's end...and now in just a couple of short weeks I will be returning to school.  However, sitting in a classroom for 50 minutes 3 times a day is so much better than the same classroom for 4 hours EVERY day.  So I think I will be able to deal!

I have a lot in store during these next few weeks and I'm going to be SUPER busy but it will all pay off in the end...at least I hope it does!!!
I finally get my hair cut tomorrow....thank goodness...I'm starting to look Amish...or like a hippie...or something of that sort.
Friday, after I complete all my tests, I get to move into my dorm that I will be living in next year! and I'm going out to eat with friends for Brooke's birthday!
and Saturday, it's off to Nashville with Ben to see his family and spend time away from East Tennessee!  I am BEYOND ready!

Plus, I have just received an AWESOME opportunity that I will have to explain in greater detail when I have full details!  YAY!

xx - Ashley

By the Grace of God -- Finding My Purpose

Last night was my dear friend Kaley Schwab's going away party.  She is moving back to Nashville, Tennessee, from Knoxville (who could blame her?).  So I gathered with some of the wonderful women in my life (Sarah Stonier, Autumn Berry and her mom, and Kendall & Alisha Schulz) just to talk and see each other.  Kendall has just returned from a mission trip in Vietnam and had so many wonderful stories to tell us...some not as happy as others.

Kendall told us about an orphanage she visited in Vietnam where there were over 300 disabled children.  (The following pictures were taken from Kendall's facebook.)

 

Some of these children would have been able to live perfectly normal lives and would be out playing with all of the other children if they had received just one shot to fix their problem as a baby.  A lot of these kids can't even get out of bed and the orphanages are way under staffed so the nurses can't spend a lot of one-on-one time with each child.  These 300 lives will be spent laying in beds...

Another devastating reality is that the average ages of prostitutes in Vietnam is between 5-15...  There are places where women live and their job is to have kids as much as possible so that these baby girls can be sold into prostitution. 

I'm so happy Kendall was able to travel to this country to share Jesus with these people, even though she came back with the knowledge that not everyone has heard of Him.  Some people were completely unfamiliar with Christ...has never even heard His name.  People in that country that do know and share Christ can be persecuted...

As Kendall said, it is just by the grace of God that we were born in this country, with families that care about our health and know what actions to take to prevent further disabilities when possible.  It is by the grace of God that we weren't sold into prostitution as children.  and it is by the grace of God that we were born in a country where we grow up learning about Christ because we have that freedom.  I was born blessed with a life that a lot of other people weren't able to have...and I want to fulfill God's purpose for my life.

So I think I am going to read Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" for about the millionth time.  Simply because each time I read it, I take something new from it.  and now that I have a friend who has experienced these things, my eyes have been opened and my heart has been humbled to how blessed I truly am.  So I would also recommend this book to anyone else who is looking for a good book!  and as the first sentence in the book says.... "It's not about you."

xx - Ashley

Overcome Evil with Good.

Honestly, SO confused right now.  For the 2nd time this year, my car was egged last night.  This was actually the 2nd time in the past two months.  and what's worse is that I have NO IDEA who is doing it.  I'm not really the type of person that speaks out about stuff like this.  I feel it's better to keep quiet and wait because eventually someone will tell someone else that they did it and it will come out in the end who actually did it.

This happened to me a lot in high school.  The first time, my brother and sister's dad caught a former friend of mine sneaking around in my front yard around 2 in the morning while I was away visiting ETSU.  She left and when I confronted her about it, she basically denied it and said she was never there so I just let it go because no harm was actually done.  The second time, while I was in cheerleading practice after school, people put zipties all over my car and put a dead, gutted coyote on top of it.  I found it when I got out of practice and again...just blew it off because there was no damage done.  Just immature girls and I wasn't willing to let that get to me.  The third time, my mom found that my car had been wrote on and she just wiped it off before I woke up for school the next morning.  But when I got to school, I was called to the office first thing.  They had taken it so far as to write my name and various other things on our sign in front of our school.  This was it for me.  I was over it.

Since then, I have isolated myself from girls a lot!  But now that this is happening I don't really know who to point fingers at.  It makes me angry because before, it wasn't really anything that caused permanent damage but now it is.  I just don't understand who hates me enough to think about me this frequently when I clearly don't care enough about them to even have any idea who it could be.  So I'm just going to pray that God gives me the answers I need and the maturity to handle this whole situation with grace and maybe it will end.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." --Romans 12:21

xx - Ashley

It's a smile. It's a kiss. It's a sip of wine. It's summertime.

Yeah right!  I wish this summer was that easy!!  I don't think it has even hit me yet that it's summertime and it's already the middle of July!! I have been so busy with school pageant preparation that I haven't enjoyed a minute of summertime!!  My summer consists of:

Tons and Tons of homework!!  Studying almost every minute that I'm not in class.  However, I have to keep my dreams in sight.  I have to remember that I'm taking this summer class in hopes that maybe I will get into Pharmacy school a year sooner (which also means moving to Nashville a year sooner)!  So in the end maybe this will pay off.  Note to self:  NEVER ever ever in the history of everdom will you EVER take another summer class. 

And then of course there is plenty of working out.  At least two hours a day.  & yes, I realize that's really not THAT much.  But after sitting in class for 4 hours a day...my day is pretty much gone!  However, also have to keep my dreams in sight... These two hours of working out a day will help me reach my goal...going to Miss Tennessee and not to mention I feel SO much better afterwards.  So a healthy lifestyle isn't that bad at all.   You just have to commit to making time for it.  Yes, it is much simpler to stop at a drive through but your body HATES you for it!! 

and singing.  Talent may not be my strongest area of competition but...by the time I start competing, I'm hoping it will be.  I've performed on stage since I was young but not that I'm changing the style of WHAT I sing, it's a little different.  The hardest part is definitely choosing the right song but I think we have narrowed it down to what we want at this point.  and I am SO excited to perform my new song at whatever prelim will come first for me this year. :)

So, my apologies for all of the complaining....  I just miss my sweet summertime.  But all of this hard work will definitely make me appreciate it even more next summer.  Even though I'm sure I will get into something.  Just call me the Queen of Taking on More than She Can Handle :)

xx - Ashley

Miss Kingsport 2012

This weekend, I was able to attend my first Miss Tennessee preliminary pageant.  Okay, yes I have attended MANY!  but this was the first time I was in the audience watching.  I had two friends (Victoria Leigh Harr & Dakota Reynolds) competing and I wanted to go cheer them on!  These pageants are wonderful productions!  It was so interesting to see what is going on in the audience while I'm usually back stage running around trying to change wardrobe, jewelry, and do hair and make-up touchups!! 

I was of course mainly cheering for the two girls I knew, but after watching the other competition, I was very impressed!  I wasn't sure who the winner was going to be!  The judges definitely have a tough job, that's for sure. 

Miss Kingsport 2012 ended up being Dakota Reynolds.  I met Dakota at Miss Bristol last October and she is the most genuine young woman I have ever met. (Which may indicate why she also won Miss Congeniality the night of Miss Kingsport)!  So, this is the first of the 36 woman who will be competing for Miss Tennessee 2012! Congratulations Dakota!!

xx - Ashley

Baby Blues & Beautiful Angels

What is is about the South? Getting married and having kids before the age of 20? I mean...I know there's no set age limit or time that is appropriate for getting married or having a child, it just seems that everytime I log onto facebook or talk to one of my friends from home another of my friends is pregnant, or someone else is engaged!!

One of my best friends from high school had a baby boy a week before our Junior year of high school. He is almost 3 years old now and it has been so amazing watching him grow up and watching her grow into such a wonderful mommy!! She is so mature for her age, responsible, and she amazes me more everyday...somehow balancing being a full-time student (that makes straight A's might I add), working a job, AND being there at all times for Hunter!! I have NO idea how she does it.

I'm planning one of my best friends' baby showers! She is due in October and always asking me when I'm going to settle down and get married and having kids!!! I'm NOWHERE NEAR READY FOR THAT!!!! I still have my whole life ahead of me. I want to become a pharmacist, I want to find the perfect guy, I want to be Miss Tennessee, I want to do all these things that I couldn't do with a child!!

So, I have decided to make a scrapbook-type of book...that shows all of my dreams...all the things I want to accomplish BEFORE getting married and starting a family. I'm leaving it up to my friends to continue having the beautiful babies...and I will just spoil them if that's okay with everyone.... Until I'm like 30...and then you guys will hopefully be receiving some wedding invitations.

Now I want to take a minute to say goodbye to a very special young woman...

May Lacey Allen rest in peace. You were a beautiful 20 year old, full of life, and I'm still in complete shock that we lost you last night. Heaven has a new beautiful angel today. So many people are hurting today, and my heart aches for your family. You were soo special to soo many people, Lacey!! I hope you know that.

xx - Ashley

New to this "Blogging" Thing.

Hi, I'm Ashley Ingram.  I'm new to this...I actually decided to start blogging after a friend of mine, (also President of the sorority I'm in, also my roommate at the time) bought me a diary for my birthday and I soon realized I wasn't going to keep up with it the way I wanted to.  However, BIG THANKS to Alyssa Turnage for the diary, because it lasted until now. 

So I guess I will just start with a summation of who I am.  I was raised in Sweetwater, Tennessee, and wouldn't trade living in Tennessee for anywhere else!  Not to mention, I live right in-between Chattanooga and Knoxville, which is actually very convenient being the HUGE Vols fan that I am!  Anyways, back to the beginning...  I grew up living with my mom, my grandmother, and my grandfather.  No dad being in the picture made my grandfather my 'father figure' and a great one he was!  At the age of 5 months, I began competing in glitz pageants...not by choice obviously...but if I was old enough to make the decision, I definitely would have competed.  (I'm a die-hard Toddlers & Tiaras fan).  I competed until I was 7 years old.  I had lost interest due to my dedication to cheerleading.  I began cheerleading when I was 4 years old in my hometown as a Sweetwater Wildcat.  But that wasn't enough for me.  I began competitive cheerleading when I was in 4th grade in Maryville, Tennessee.  Soon enough, Gymnastics Counts became my home and I was a Mavericks 6 days a week.  It was my complete life and that's where my friends were.  I didn't have time for my school friends because I was never in town on the weekends or on weekdays after school.  But Mavericks came to an end at the beginning of my 8th grade year.  I had already missed my school's cheerleading tryouts but luckily, they held an emergency tryout this year and I was on the team.  Back to being a Wildcat.  I cheered all 4 years in high school and was captain for 3 of those years which was an honor.

But my high school years weren't all about cheerleading.  My freshman year, I began dating THE BOY.  The first boyfriend/first heartbreak.  Two year relationship with a bad breakup that you never talk to again once it's over!  So, got that relationship out of the way.  My friends were all that mattered at that point...but the problem was, I was friends with THAT group of girls.  The catty, backstabbing girls that your mom tells you to steer clear of...except my mom hadn't told me to steer clear, (with the exception of one of the girls).  I was blinded because I thought my friends were perfect and didn't see the other side...until Senior year when their true colors were shown.  I graduated high school and today I only talk to four of the girls I was friends with in high school. 

Graduation day (which I now refer to as 'the best day of my life') was perfect.  & just like people say...I haven't seen most of my classmates since that day.  Can't say I really mind either.  I graduated with excellent grades and was voted Best Dressed by my class.

I am now a student at Tennessee Wesleyan College.  A member of the Dance Team.  and joined a sorority (which I didn't see myself doing).  So, I immediately had a new group of girlfriends that proved that true friends do exist, and some confirmed my fear of having girlfriends!!  But I survived my Freshman year...and that's where I am today....  July before my Sophomore year of college begins.  Excited?  Not so much...  Exhausted??  DEFINITELY!!

xx - Ashley