Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Merry Christmas from Ashley


Some of my favorite Christmas cards when I was younger were the ones that included letters about all the adventures different families had gone on throughout the year. I thought I'd do the same for you now. So pretend you've just walked out to your mailbox, opened it up, and this is in a red envelope. And I wrote your name and address with a silver sharpie so it's really pretty. :-)


To our friends and family:

Merry Christmas! We hope this note finds you and your family immeasurably blessed this Christmas season. Since it's been a year since you last heard from us, here's a quick rundown of things that happened this past year in our lives:


  • No, we still do not have any children, thank you for asking.
  • In April we welcomed a new little nephew. He continues to be adorable and cute and fun to hang out with. His parents are quite overjoyed. :-)
  • In May, Henry celebrated his birthday. There was nothing particularly exciting that happened here, just that he got another year older. Yay!
  • Also, my wonderful dear friend Topanga got married in May. I call her husband Darcy, and it fits. They are so good for each other. I love it.
  • In July we celebrated our two year anniversary in Aspen. It definitely doesn't feel like we've been married for two years. Sometimes it feels like it's been forever. In a good way. :-)
  • In July and August, I got my very first stamp in my passport when I went to Guatemala to meet my Compassion child, Brian. I'm pretty sure that was the best thing I've ever done in my life to date. That kid may as well carry my heart around with him in his backpack.
  • In September I went back to camp and hung out with my very favorite camp friends. Then I went to the Baltimore Aquarium and was pleased to find that it is exactly as I remember it when I was six. 
  • In October Henry and I went to a real live pumpkin patch. This is significant because I'd never actually seen pumpkins growing on the vines before. It was pretty cool.
  • Also in October, we acquired a pet guinea pig. Her name is Charlee. She has a mohawk. 
  • In November, we were adventurous and tried our very first turducken for Thanksgiving. We are also rather sure this will become a tradition.
  • That brings us to this month when we will celebrate Christmas, and the wedding of my very dear friend K! 
Well, that about brings you up to speed on our year. Though I didn't have the chance to write all this out by hand, print out the picture, and mail it directly to you, I hope it puts a smile on your face. :-) 

Merry Christmas, friends!

4 comments:

Bare Naked Blog w/Bekah said...

Merry Christmas to YOU!!

emii said...

I'm almost crying. I read your posts of Brian and Brian and I am so sorry, Ashley. I'm also so thankful to God that He loves us so much and blessed you with little Brian. The picture where he is running toward you made me so happy that I almost cried again.

I'm glad you had a good year -- I definitely learnt a lot in my year, that's for sure! -- and I hope you have a great Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Luv the pic. :-)

Ashley N. Mays said...

I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for fun Christmas wishes back to me. :-)

Emii- I'm so glad you were able to take the time to read about Brian and Brian! It's such a special story, and God's hand is so evident to me through it. I'm so excited for the day when I'll see my friend Brian again and for the day when I may get to hang out with my sponsored child Brian again.