Christmas

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas is on Friday. I am sure many of you are trying to finish that last minute shopping, preparing the house for family and guests, planning menus, and wrapping presents. The magical season that comes once a year is here. We are in the midst of it all. I am thankful that it is a magical time. It causes us to gather with friends we do not see often, reflect on the year and make resolutions for the one ahead. I do not think it is a coincidence that this is the time of year we celebrate Christmas. It is a time of celebration, joy, peace, love and reconciliation. I understand that for some it might not be as joyous as it is for others. 2009 has definitely had it's rough patches, hasn't it? I have had some of the highest highs and the lowest lows this year, too. But God never promised us a perfect life, did He? In fact, He TOLD us we would have trouble. But He also PROMISED us He would ALWAYS be with us. In times where we do not see God in our lives, it is most likely because He is probably behind us. We just have to turn around (and away from OUR way of life) to see Him.

The reason we celebrate "Christmas" is because we are celebrating the birth of a baby who came down from heaven to experience our way of life, to love on us, and to provide a path to the Father in heaven. Please stop and think about this for a minute. If you have had a rough year, even if yo have had a great year, and you have been distracted away from God, I encourage you to turn back to Him. Start 2010 right with God. Jesus was God's way of reconciling with us. We sinned and He provided a way for us to be with Him. Forever. Trust me, even though I have only been on this earth for 22 years, I have experience enough time without God to know that His way is truly the only way. Life with Him is an adventure. I never know what is coming next. I did not know that I would ever live in Asheville, North Carolina. But, I have been blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I am not the type of person that usually does this sort of thing, but God has laid this on my heart. If you are reading this and you don't know Jesus, I encourage you, no, I plead with you, start the new year right with God. He love you. He created you. Why would He want to hurt you? I promise you, 2010 will be the biggest leap of faith you will ever take. However, it will be the start of the biggest adventure you cannot even imagine. I am not promising you that the next year will be perfect. I know it won't be. But with God guiding you along the way, you will have strength, courage, and love you need. God created us. Wouldn't He know the TRUE desires and needs of our hearts?

If you are ready to commit your life to Jesus, all you have to do is pray this simple prayer:

Father God, I confess that I have sinned. I ask for your forgiveness and I ask for you to come into my life and to direct my life. Show me the life you have for me. Thank you for your mercy, grace and love. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family! Like any family, we are a crazy bunch, in every since of the word. :) If you prayed this prayer, would you let me know? You can send me an email, Facebook me, however you want. Also, if you don't have a Bible, I would like to give you one. For free. Just send me your address.

If you didn't say this prayer, but are still curious, I encourage you to find someone you trust and know to be a Christian and talk to them. If you don't know anyone, I would be thrilled to talk to you.

To all of you, if you do not have plans of Christmas Eve, go to a Christmas Eve service. I do not care of you are Catholic or Protestant. Below you will find information on several churches and their service times on Thursday. I have included some from several areas.

Nashville: 

The Church at Hope Park

Service times: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm.

8001 Hwy 70 South

Cross Point Community Church

Dec. 23rd: 6:30pm

Dec. 24th: 3:30pm, 5pm, & 6:30pm

4301 Charlotte Ave.

Los Angeles:

SOUTH BAY
Knob Hill Community Center Sunday 6:00pm
Toddler - 5th Grade Programming

Special Christmas Eve gathering- 12/24, 5:30pm
320 Knob Hill, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

PASADENA
William Carey University Sunday 9:30am
Mott Auditorium
Birth - High School Programming Sunday 11:15am
Franson Building
Birth - 5th Grade; H.S. Prog.
* No Jr. High Programming

Special Christmas Eve gathering- 12/24, 5pm- Franson Hall
1539 East Howard Street, Pasadena

North Carolina:

Biltmore Baptist Church
Service Times: 4pm & 6pm
35 Clayton Rd, Arden, NC 28704

If there is an area that I haven't listed and you would like help finding a church in your area, please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.

I sincerely hope that you all have a joyous Christmas. I hope that it is peaceful, relaxing, and magical.

Let's Talk

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

So, I feel as if I have caught up on everything that has happened in our lives most recently. If there is a topic I did not cover, but would like me to, please leave me a comment! I would love to know.

Starting this blog again has me thinking about the purpose of my writing, especially through this outlet. I actually read several blogs by ladies that had situations come into their lives and start a blog as a means to keep family and friends in the loop. But the number of readers grew and they continued to use their blog as a means to glorify God and point their readers to Him. I am not sure I feel, at least at this very moment, that my blog is meant to be used in as big a way as theirs. However, I do feel I should have a certain authenticity with my readers as they do.

I am not really sure how many people read my blog on a regular basis. I am sure most people just pop in and read. But, I do feel as if I am in a place in my life where I could possibly reach, or at least encourage, my readers within their own lives. I don't want this blog to be about ME. Of course, most of the posts will be about my life and experiences. However, these topics, hopefully, are tools being used to share my walk with Christ. My role changes day to day, and moment by moment. I know that my purpose in life is to follow God's will, as this is the only way to truly be happy and  fulfilled.

Now, this does not mean I fill happy and fulfilled ALL the time. It is a collected feeling that forms over time. Take my job for example. I work for the student ministry at Biltmore Baptist Church. I do a lot of administrative work as that is what I was hired to do. Does creating POs fulfill me? No. Does creating POs for a ministry I stand behind and feel led to be a part of fulfill me? Yes. Do I have "long" days at work? Sometimes. Does knowing God provided this job for me and equipped me with knowledge to do it well (or the ability to learn new skills if I don't know how to do something) and called me to serve Him in this way fulfill me? Most definitely.

So, my dear readers, I am promising you that I am determined to be authentic with you, if you will be authentic with me. Authenticity is one of the biggest characteristics I notice and appreciate in people. I don't want there to be a fake facade around me because of my blog and the things I focus on here. Life is messy, raw and unfair. I will tell you now that this moment in my life is just that. Messy. Raw. Unfair. I want my life to be an open book for questions and discussion. Life is a conversation. Let's talk.

Part 4: Living in Asheville

Friday, November 20, 2009

As I said a few posts ago, the move to Asheville was a quick one. Aaron moved to Asheville in June and came back to Nashville for the wedding in July. After the honeymoon, I officially moved to Asheville and into the apartment Aaron had been staying in for the previous two months. I didn't have a job lined up in Asheville right away. I started looking as soon as I got settled. There was lots to take care of around the house. Lots of boxes to go through from the move from Nashville and then there were the boxes that were shipped to Asheville from Los Angeles. 

As I looked for a job, I used the internet in my search. I used local employ-
ment sites, Craigslist and even the local paper. The jobs available in the areas I was looking were very slim. I would have found a great job, and fast, if I worked in the medical field. :)However, I was pursuing a job in the arts or something administrative. Craigslist would have several administrative postings, but most of them I replied to were spam. Over the course of August and the early part of September, I was very frustrated that I wouldn't find a satisfying job in time for when our student loans would begin to be due. 

For those who don't know how we are doing our finances, let me explain. We are living solely on Aaron's income. All of my income is going to paying off our loans and building up our savings. This was actually recommended to us by our marriage mentors, as that is what they did. We both agreed that would be the smartest plan for our family. So far, we couldn't be happier with how things are going.

Continuing on, I became very down with the situation. I really didn't want to go into a job that I dreaded every single day. I wanted a job that made me feel a part of something and that had meaning and purpose. In my heart, I have always felt a pull to the church. (The church meaning the body and purpose, not a specific church.) Deep down I was hoping something would come my way. 


One day when Aaron came home for lunch, he told me that Carl mentioned to him that the student ministry was hiring another assistant. Specifically, an assistant for the youth pastor. I felt something in my heart tell me that I must apply for the position. The next day I took in my application and the following week I was called in for an interview with Debbie, who is over HR, with John Mark, the Youth Pastor, and to take a test which examined my spelling, grammar and typing skills. The interview went well and I was told they had more interviews to do and I would know something in a couple of weeks. At the end of the next week, I received a phone call from Debbie offering me the job. I was so excited, and relieved!, to have the opportunity to serve our new church and help provide for our family. I know without a doubt that the Lord orchestrated this job for me. The people I work with are awesome and I have seen amazing things happen in our youth group since I have been there. I believe that I am more blessed by the people I am surrounded by and the young people I serve than they truly know. When I am at work, even though I work for John Mark, we both ultimately work for our amazing God. There really is no greater boss than Him. 

It has taken a bit of time for us all to feel comfortable around each other and to truly become a team as I came into the picture. However, I feel the Lord blessing us with trust between one another and a presence of a true team spirit where we help each other beyond our own job descriptions. I believe this is the most essential quality to a good team. We have been working together to better our ministry and to better reach our students in a way that makes them respond and meets them right where they are. 

At the beginning of this move to Asheville, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about this Biltmore Baptist Church. But, WOW! Talk about growing fast in one's faith. I have never grown like I have grown in the past three and a half months. And let me tell you, these past few months have been THE HARDEST in my whole life. The Lord has shown up everyday. Has met me at every step. And has been my guide. God KNEW that I needed an environment like this one. I NEEDED to be surrounded, not around, but SURROUNDED by people with a crazy passion for Him and for His people and reaching out and loving on those people. Asheville is so incredibly blessed to have a church that loves the city and community as much as it does. My heart overflows with His blessing, and this all in a very rough time in my life. I have never worshiped like I have been worshipping. When I get to church, I am ready to go. Start that music! And Pastor Burce, each and every week, plants a seed on my heart and challenges us all to water and cultivate that seed. 

The Lord continues to bless us every week in some form. Living in Asheville can at times be a blast, but it can also become boring at times, too. But we keep in mind that the Lord has brought us here for a reason and a little boredom isn't going to keep us down. (At least we try not to let it get to us. We realize it was only our friends back in LA that made us cool. :)  ) 
Asheville has actually been the perfect setting for Aaron and I to begin our marriage. Being in LA for two years (and Aaron for four years) we haven't had an Autumn in some time. It was so relaxing and truly breathtaking to experience the incredible fall colors and landscape the mountains have to offer. It has also allowed us to not have as much financial stress as we would have had in Los Angeles right now. Aaron and I feel that Los Angeles is in our future at some point, but we are satisfied with where we are right now. The Lord saw that we had a need. A need for a steady job, good benefits, meaningful work, and a peaceful setting for this time in our lives. He sure did provide for us. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve Him during this time as a way to give back to Him for all He has given us.

Part 3: The Honeymoon - Charleston, South Carolina

Monday, November 16, 2009

For Aaron and I's honeymoon, we decided to go to Charleston, South Carolina. we wanted somewhere that was "away," but not expensive. Aaron came upon Charleston and we both agreed that it would be somewhere we both would enjoy.

We got there late the day after the wedding. Since we had moved to Asheville and it was on the way, we unloaded our cars full of stuff which had been left in Nashville and gifts from the wedding. Then we continued on to Charleston. It was a day full of travel and we were glad to be in one place for a few days.

We stayed at The Vendue Inn. It was a boutique type hotel decorated in "period" style. It was fun to stay there as it added to the Charleston experience.

The first day we walked around the historic area of Charleston as that is where our hotel was located and Charleston is a walking friendly city. (Just so long as you don't trip over the hundreds of years old uneven sidewalks.) The city is filled with art galleries, restaurants, shops, historic buildings and churches. We especially loved the old cemeteries within the church gates. Loved seeing actual headstones.

Aaron and I also took a visit to the Charleston Aquarium. It was really cool to see all the wildlife from the area. We also decided to take a boat tour of the harbor and got to see Fort Sumter.

My favorite "site" was that of Boone Hall Plantation. It was actually in Mt. Pleasant, just a short drive from the historic area of Charleston. The house and driveway were actually used in several movies, one of them being The Notebook. It was thesummer home of Ally. They had beautiful gardens and many of the original buildings. It started to rain just before we started the tour of the house. When we got out the rain had stopped. However, it quickly picked up and were forced to leave because it was raining so hard.

On some of those rainy nights, Aaron and I caught a couple of movies. We tried to eat as locally as we could. However, we did save the nicer restaurants for dinner. One night we made reservations at this little Italian restaurant. Their food was AMAZING. Aaron got a cup of their Minestrone soup. He says it was the best he has ever had. He still talks about it until this day.

Aaron and I had a great time in Charleston. We will always remember the "scent" (a very old one). It was nice to get away after all the work on the wedding and it was also nice to come back to our new home and get settled.

Part 2: The Wedding

Thursday, November 5, 2009

On August 14th, 2008, Aaron and I got engaged at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. We had talked about getting engaged in December '08, so I wasn't expecting it until then. Needless to say, I was so very surprised when Aaron asked me to marry him on that day. The funny thing about that day, though, was that we had dinner plans that evening with one of Aaron's childhood friends and his parents. Aaron wanted to go to Cheekwood to "take pictures" and I was not happy about that as we didn't have enough time. I didn't talk to Aaron the whole way there. I was surprised that he kept insisting that we were going as, if I am that adamant about something, he will hear me out. But he wasn't this time. In the end, I was one very happy woman.

My whole senior year of college was spent planning the wedding. We decided on July 25th, 2009 as the day we would be married. I had a ton of help from family and friends. They searched for churches and made so many visits. They looked for reception locations and made so many visits to these places, too. They helped me find my wedding dress, hand make some of the decorations (like the chandeliers you will see later), and helped me get everything set up the day before the wedding. It was such a crazy year, but it made it made it even more special.

My goal with the wedding was for it to truly reflect Aaron and I and to not do the same thing everyone else does for their weddings. I was okay with the church being decorated a bit understated as the sanctuary itself was gorgeous. I didn't want my hair to be fussy. I wanted to look the way I usually do. I didn't want Aaron to not recognize me on our wedding day, but to see the girl he sees everyday.

The day of the wedding, I was much more calm than I thought I would be. Even after getting ready and having my pictures taken, I was calm. Up until the moment I was about to walk down that aisle, I was calm. I got a few butterflies right before I went down, but that was only because I was worried I would say the wrong thing, or trip or something.

The whole ceremony went off without any problems. It went by so fast. But I enjoyed it. I think that's all that matters.

With every wedding there is always stories about things that happen that people remember. With our wedding, we will always remember the Monday before the wedding Brenda, Aaron's mom, having to have emergency eye surgery. She is fully healed now and we are so thankful. God was so good to us during that time. She was able to come to the Bridal Luncheon, the Rehearsal Dinner, and the Wedding. Then there are the smaller things, like the hook on the back of my dress not being there on the day of the wedding. It had come undone and fallen off at some point. Tiffany (my day of coordinator) had to sew me into my dress. Also, one of my flower girls, Sophie (my cousin), almost didn't go down the aisle. She cried on and off during the hour before the wedding. She said she was scared. And, in her defense, that had been the first time she was a flower girl. I think at four years old, I would have been a bit scared, too. But she made it! I was so proud.

I had the most fun at our reception. It was so good to be with our friends from high school and college again. And to be in the same place with all of them was the best! I danced more that I ever did at a prom. It was such a fun evening. It was a bit hot :), but I didn't care.

It was a day that we will both remember forever. I could not have been any happier with how it went. It was a beautiful day and we are truly blessed by our awesome God!

Part 1: Moving to Asheville

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

So, I thought I would start out by filling in everyone about all that has happened over the past several months. And let me tell you, a LOT has happened. First, we have to start with how we ended up in Asheville, North Carolina.

In May, Aaron and I graduated from LMU. It was such a bitter sweet time as we were graduating (thank you Lord! seriously) and we were preparing to leave our friends and our second home behind. Aaron had been searching for a job in Los Angeles since March and when graduation time came, there had been no bites. Lots of people interested, but no money to make a commitment to him at the time. So we threw all our stuff into a storage unit (as we still were expecting to move to Los Angeles) and headed back to Nashville.

When we got back to Nashville, Aaron and I both started looking for jobs during the summer. We had been there a couple of weeks when one Saturday night as Aaron and I were watching a movie waiting on a pizza, Aaron got a phone call from a man named Carl from Biltmore Baptist Church in Asheville, NC. During that conversation we found out that they had gotten Aaron's name from Maurilio Amorim, a very close friend of Billy and Brenda's and the owner of The A Group. Carl pretty much made it seem like they wanted to hire Aaron immediately. We were completely surprised and overwhelmed at this phone call. Especially since it came on a weekend.

Aaron and I had not even considered North Carolina. I mean, why would we? The plan was for us to move to Los Angeles. But what we didn't know is that God had other plans for us.

Aaron continued to speak with Carl and a couple of weekends later were able to drive to Asheville to visit the church and to meet Carl and the Lead Pastor, Bruce Frank. They took care of our lodging, bought most of our meals, and even had a welcome basket waiting for us in one of our hotel rooms. It was pretty weird for us to be courted by a church; however, we felt so welcomed and felt the excitement and the passion of Biltmore Baptist. It was definitely not the "baptist" church we both knew.

While we were there, we learned exactly how the church had found out about Aaron. In Aaron's attempt to find work over the summer, Aaron emailed Maurilio to see if he knew of any churches that might need some help as Maurilio's business mainly works with non-profits, especially churches. Aaron was thinking a local church and doing some freelance work for them. Maurilio was actually at a lunch meeting with Bruce Frank one day and Bruce mentioned to him that they really wanted to up the quality of the video and technical department and wanted to find someone who could create videos for them that would tell a story. We were told that literally a little over a mnute went by when Maurilio received Aaron's email. Maurilio responded to Aaron that he might have a contact, but we didn't really think too much of it at the time.

Aaron and I had been talking a lot about this decision that we faced. Go to Asheville, North Carolina and Aaron work as a video director and leave behind LA? Or move to LA where our friends were and back to a city that we had both grown to love? After hearing from Bruce how they learned of Aaron, we were pretty sure what our decision would be if they offered him the job. They had seen his website and LOVED his work. They just wanted to meet him at that point.

A week and a half later, Aaron was offered the job, he accepted, and he and his father were on a plane to LA to clean out the storage unit and ship some stuff to Asheville. A few days after that, we were loading a moving truck and my family, Aaron and I were headed to Asheville to move Aaron into our apartment. It was such a crazy time. Aaron worked for a month and then came back to Nashville the Sunday before the wedding.

Even though moving to Asheville wasn't in our plans, we know that God wanted us here and directed our paths here. He has provided so much for us with this change. We truly felt Him calling us to Asheville. We do struggle with some things from time to time, like finding friends that are our age and dealing with a bit of boredom. (Asheville is a city BIG on outdoor activities, which we don't mind at all. It just starts to slow down a bit as it starts to cool off. Plus, we are not used to this "cool" weather.) But God has started to bless us with friends and we are on a list to be apart of a Home Connect Group (small group) since we aren't able to participate in the Connect Groups on Sunday mornings since Aaron works. The Home Connect Groups are for couples only and meet during the week. We are super excited. We haven't really been too involved in anything since high school, mainly because there was nothing offered, but we know we will be blessed by the great community Biltmore has created through their Connect Groups.

New Updates Coming Soon!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Hey there friends. I wanted to let you know that I am in the process of starting up this blog once more. I stopped blogging just before graduation as finals and graduation took up all my time. Over the summer I was staying at my parent's house and, because of the location of where they live, the internet connection was slower than I was used to and thus, I wasn't on the internet much when I was there. In July, Aaron and I got married and the summer was pretty much consumed by finalizing the plans for the wedding.

I have so many posts in my head right now. I am going to try to capture them and space them out a bit. So keep looking back for a new post soon. I have so much to tell everyone!

Healthy Eating

Monday, April 20, 2009

Over the past couple of months I have been trying to get in the habit of using fresh organic vegetables in as many meals I make as possible. I usually buy fresh vegetables, but don't use them in a timely manner and then they end up spoiling. Same goes for fruits. So now, I buy less fruit and use the vegetables faster.  I feel as if it is my responsibility to Aaron and my future family to prepare meals that are wholesome and are filled with vitamins. I also try to mix up the meals too so I don't serve the same meal over and over. But I am working on this also. 

Opening Reception

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Last night was the opening reception for the Senior Thesis Show. We had a TON of people there the whole two hours and there were people still in the gallery until 7:30-8pm. Here are a few shots I captured towards the beginning of the evening. 

Website Updated

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I just updated my website and put up my thesis photographs. I also included my artist statement. It is certainly not like seeing the work in person, but it gives you an idea. The images in real life are actually very small. You can visit www.audreyheatherly.com to view my work. More updates to hopefully happen soon.

Fade Out : Fade In

Thursday, April 9, 2009

After tomorrow, I will officially have only three weeks of classes and one week of finals left in this semester. It is exciting and very frightening all at the same time. I have been looking forward to this moment for four years and this is a huge accomplishment for me. When I started college, and the year leading up to it, I was not convinced I would pull through as well as I have. I knew deep down that I would make it out because so many others had done so before me. Looking back I think I could have studied a bit harder, been involved in more activities, and pushed myself to be more active in general. But, I believe that in the context of the last four years I did the best I could given the situations at the time. I made the best decisions I could, and pushed myself when I wanted to quit or crawl in bed and get some sleep or when if I got one more email I was going to delete my account. 

This past year has been the hardest year of my life so far, both physically and emotionally. I honestly can say I made it through last semester only by the huge graciousness of God. He also blessed me by helping me make the Dean's list. My mom showed me the letter I received only a few days after I had left Nashville for LA after Christmas Break. I want to have it framed as a reminder of what hard work will accomplish. I am very proud of that letter. 

In my mind I am preparing to go back to Nashville and hopefully work my little behind off so I can save us some money. I am also getting ready for the mental transition out of "student" and into career woman, artist, and wife. Three very loaded roles. I also have to start going through all of my things in preparation for Aaron and I's move to LA. I guess since Aaron will probably be staying in LA I will have to tackle his belonging too. Although, he doesn't really have too much. 

The senior exhibition will be opening this weekend. I am super excited. I was planning on getting my pieces fully installed this evening, but I have to get some of the wired moved around and to do that I have to take them back to the place I got them framed. I also noticed that one of the prints has something on it so I am going to have to get that reprinted in the morning and then have them replace the image with the new one. Something happened to the image at the framer and I just noticed it as I was cleaning the glass. 

I keep forgetting this weekend is Easter. It just isn't the same without being with family. We get Good Friday off from school which doesn't effect me because I do not have classes on Fridays anyways. In the South, religion is truly a part of the everyday. Here it is not. I miss that feeling. I hate that I am not continually thinking about Easter and what it means and celebrating with my family. My family always does something big for the holidays. That is one thing I will truly miss, but hope to continue with my own children, even if it is only with our church family or friend family. 

Raw Beauty

Friday, April 3, 2009

I have recently discovered some pretty amazing design blogs and I have begun collecting images to use as inspiration for my own home. I have come across a certain bathroom on two different blogs and though it should be shared. It is quite different than what one would see in the south, but its raw nature is simply stunning. I could look at these images all day. Especially the last image.