Our new little baby boy!

Aww...we have a new addition to our family! Meet..."NumChuck"!! I'm thinking I'll call him "Charlie" on occasion. haha

We rescued NumChuck from a Labrador rescue. His mommy died while giving birth to the litter, so another Black Lab took all the puppies in and fed them along with her own litter!

We are so excited and love him already!

Aaand We're Back

Wow. I don't even know where to begin! The last couple months have absolutely flown by with the wedding, honeymoon, setting up house, etc. It has been awesome!! I've decided I want to continue to update the blog so that everyone far away can keep tabs on whats going on in our life here in San Diego. : ) So...to catch us all up:

*The Wedding was awesome! John and I had so much fun, despite the "light mist" that graced us with its presence all evening. ha : ) It added character to the night and our photographer swears that we have some awesome shots because of it! I can't wait to see the professional pics and of course share them! So, besides the weather, everything was perfect. The desserts were awesome (or so I'm told), the flowers turned out beautifully, and it was FUN. One minor detour: figuring out that the ribbon to tie up the back of my dress was MISSING 30 minutes before we were to start taking pictures. Holy cow. I had no doubts, though, cause I have some stellar family and friends who took care of it immediately. : )

*The honeymoon was fantastic as well! We went to Maui for a week and had the time of our lives. (See the pics above : ))

*And now we're back home, in our little apartment, loving life together. We've got everything pretty much set up...only a few more pictures to hang and we'll be in business. It was such an awesome feeling to be on our way home from the honeymoon and to be able to say, "This is only the beginning! We have so much life to live and so much fun to have together!" So thats what we're doing!

More updates to come. Hint...we want to add a little fur-ball to our family. : )

Too Much for One Blog!

My co-workers took us out and gave us such wonderful gifts!

Shocked at all the gifts!

Bridal Shower

The AMAZING food cooked by my Mom, Kim, and the bridesmaids!

Johnny and I relaxing a bit on our porch!

...I just couldn't resist two posts in one night. I have to give a shout-out to all the amazing people who have blessed us SO much. First of all, my co-workers took us out to Joe's Crab Shack (um...amazing crab nachos btw) and surprised us with the ENTIRE 13-piece cookware set we registered for. It was so unexpected and such an awesome gesture. I'm so blessed to work in the type of environment I do; everyone is so supportive! We had a great time celebrating with the PICU staff. : )

The next day was my bridal shower up in Vista. Oh man - you put some of my most favorite ladies in the same room as delicious food - it equals a dream shower for me! My mom and bridesmaids worked SO hard on all the details and I'm so grateful for it. I felt SO very special all day.

I cannot even put into words how loved John and I feel in the midst of all this crazy wedding business. We thank you all so so so much for the support, encouragement, and gifts! The closer we get to the BIG Day (25 days to be exact), the more ecstatic we are to have all of our closest friends and family in the same place for a GIANT celebration! I can't think of anything better. : )

It's May Already!

Decorating Easter Eggs with Emma

Ready for Easter and opening some of our first gifts and gift cards!

I cannot believe we are already in the month of May! SO much has happened with planning and work and John's semester coming to an end....time is literally FLYING BY! I'm not complaining at the moment, though, because it means we are just a few short weeks away from being married! : )

To re-cap, here's what we've accomplished in the last month or so:

*Finalized things with the DJ

*My wedding gown came in and I've had two fittings already! LOVE IT! : )

*The bridesmaids dresses came in AND we found some super cute shoes to go along

*The apartment is slowly starting to show signs of life...still very messy, but we're figuring it out!

*John will be done with finals in TEN days! hallelujah

*I will be on "Getting Married Leave" in 18 days!

*And of course, we've been getting all the response cards and so many lovely presents in the mail! : ) SO Fun!

Really gonna happen!

OK this is John looking for another distraction from studying... and I have found it!

So this week has been a constant stream of saying "wow this is happening!". As of 2 days ago it was a month from our wedding, and today is 4 weeks... 4 weeks from RIGHT now I will be married. WOW! crazy. Also 13 days from right now my finals will be over.

Tonight Ash's coworkers took us out to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner- They are so cool. They were incredibly generous and made Ash feel so loved and cared about... which is awesome. They went so far and beyond what could be expected and that is something rare- coworkers who really enjoy each other and can love and support big times in each others' lives.

AAAAnd tomorrow is Ash's bridal shower. She is so excited... I'm so excited for her. There is nothing better than sharing huge times in your life with people who are important to you and that is what this weekend is all about! I, on the other hand, will study tonight and tomorrow. Killer Saturday.

Thank you all for your love and reading this! Sorry it's not very updated... we're just a little busy :-/.

Love.

Stalling!

So here I am sitting in Newbreak Cafe in Ocean Beach- I look out the window and see ocean. It's beautiful.

I'm here to write a brief. In an effort to stall, I'm writing a blog.

The new apartment is so cool- we can't wait to live there together. We're walking distance from the grocery store, the ocean, the gym... I'm stoked.

What I really want to write about is how excited I am for the wedding. I got to see a really good friend last night that I haven't seen for a while, and it made me think about how at the wedding, it will be a TON of really good friends that I haven't seen for a while, plus a TON of Ash's really good friends that she hasn't seen for a while, PLUS a TON of family from both sides, many of whom we will meet for the first time. How exciting is that? Give up? The answer is VERY exciting.

AND it will mean my semester is over! And it will mean we're going to Maui the day after! And it will mean we're maaaaaaaarried. Which is what I'm most excited about. I'm so sick of having to say "bye" to Ash.

I hope I see you all there! And you know what would make my day (and make it easier for me to stall in the future)? If you guys wanted to leave comments on here so I know this is really a "blog" and not something that I should be writing "dear diary" at the top of.

-the GROOM

Ps. I got my shoes for the big day! OK that was a big lie and a bit of a cheap shot at the bride. Love you babe.

Pps. Ash, this is kind of a weird way to tell you this, but I kind of want to keep my motorcycle for the summer. It's so much more fun when it's warm outside.

Ppps. In all seriousness though, I need to get some shoes...

Pppps. 52 DAYS!!

Lots of Updates!!

My FAVORITE part of our new place : the NEW kitchen. I should probably learn how to cook...

In the living room!

Our new "Welcome" Mat : )

So, as you can see we've made a HUGE step this week! We were really hoping to find a small place in Point Loma or Ocean Beach that we could call home after the wedding...and we found it! We weren't originally looking to nail down an apartment this early, but we found this one and it was the price we were looking for and the PERFECT location! It is in Point Loma, just walking distance from Ocean Beach. : ) Its a big blessing that we're getting it now, actually, because it will give us time to slowly move things in. That way, we can come home from our beautiful honeymoon in Maui to a beautiful new apartment!

Our NEW address is:

4350 West Point Loma Blvd.

Apt J

San Diego, CA 92107

We've been very busy lately with lots of fun aspects of the wedding. As you probably know, invites have gone out! That has been such a great relief...and we've already gotten lots of response cards! Its so fun to see a pile of cards on the Moss table every afternoon! : )

Also, we found an awesome DJ for the big day. In fact, they have a website where all of you can go to request songs to be played at the wedding! I thought that would be a great idea! Here's the link: http://www.djguyinc.djintelligence.com/request/

All you gotta do is enter the Group Name: jmiles and Password: djguy25 and then request away!!

Oh...and don't worry everyone - I found PERFECT shoes. : ) I know you were all worried about that bit on the check-off list.

Back at the homestead : )

It's official! We are one step closer to the reality of getting MARRIED! That means finding a new home that we will live in TOGETHER after the wedding! Wow. But first, it means that I, Ashley Renee, have moved back in with the fam. Yes. My poor parents had no idea what they were in for with my mounds of clothes and shoes...Oh yeah, and everything else I own. : ) But for better or worse, they have graciously agreed to let me stay with them to save some money before the wedding. This is awesome because it gives us time to look for a place we really like.


John and I have had lots of family time lately! My grandparents were able to come visit from Missouri last weekend, which was awesome! Plus, Johnny's parents were down in Vista to find a place for the rehersal dinner. They ended up finding a perfect spot at Shadowridge Country Club!! One more thing to check of the "to-do" list!


It feels like we have gotten SO MUCH done, but there are always more details to think about. Coming up we need to:
*Finish the invitations and mail them out **big one
*Pick music for the ceremony
*Pick a DJ
*Figure out all the elements of the ceremony
*Find somewhere to LIVE **bigger one
*Find shoes/accessories for me and my girls **biggest one...haha jk


Another big thing coming up for us is our pre-marital classes which I'm SOOOO excited about! We are taking a group class through The Flood Church here in San Diego. We get to do a Meyers Briggs test and I'm really interested to see how much John and I can learn about each other (that we don't already know), and how it will help our relationship. I'll be sure to share any morsels we get from the class that stick out! : )


79 days left! : )


P.S. The picture attatched to this post is of my darling little sister "helping" me move. haha.

Engagement Pics!

Last Tuesday we went over to Ocean Beach with our new-found photographer, Nathan Petty! He was awesome! We had a super fun time pretending to be models...haha Just kidding! We felt pretty dang awkward at first, but Nathan was really good at helping us to just relax and act like ourselves. : ) Here are a few of our favorites:

There are tons more pictures...I'm sure I'll randomly post them here and there. But for a slide show of about 15-20 of them...visit this link: http://www.nathanpetty.com/darkroom/share/?n=ashleyjohn

Things are still moving along with all the planning! Invitations are all printed and ready to be enveloped! I just gotta get my Martha Stewart hat on and finish the "Details" insert. Oh dear...haha

And something we're very thankful for at the moment: John has had three offers so far from law firms in San Diego for a summer internship! He was a little anxious about where he might be able to find some good experience and the good Lord has blessed him with plenty of options! Woo Hoo! Go Johnny!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!!!

Only 95 days! eeee! : )

Viva Las Vegas!!

This weekend Johnny and I are heading to Las Vegas with my mom, dad, and little Emmers! We're going to visit some close family friends, Pete and Nicole. It will be wonderful to get out of town for a bit and spend some quality time with people I love! : )

Well...first in the updates: turns out my engagement ring is a whole size too big! Sorry, Johnny for mis-informing you : ) SO that means that Robbins Bros. gets to keep my beautiful ring until Thursday. I feel nekked without it!

In other news...I'm working with the wonderful Darrin Roberts to get the flowers and decor all squared away for the wedding. Thank GOODNESS he and the company he works with (Embelishments) are so amazing and creative because Lord knows I'm NOT! : ) Things are definitely coming together!

So let me take a moment to acknowledge the fact that I am engaged to the most AMAZING man! Shall I give an example? Ok, so the other day I went to work just like always. However, on this particular morning, I went to get some coffee like normal and realized that I had no wallet. : ( Usually, this would be fine since I pack my lunches, but of course this day I had planned to buy lunch. Here comes the best part: my wonderful fiance drove home from where he was studying just so that he could put on boots (the military hospital won't let someone drive a motorcycle through the gates without boots and protective gear and such) and THEN brought me an iced coffee and food. He went through a whole-lotta trouble just for me. Its not just that he brought me food when I was a dummie and forgot money, its the fact that he is so willing to always do whatever it takes to make the people he loves happy. John is amazing, and I am reminded daily of what a caring, kind, generous individual he is. I just hope I can be half as giving as he is.

Ok everyone...3 1/2 months until the wedding! Wooo hooo! We're working on invitations, so expect me to start harassing you for your addresses.

And just to re-cap...I love John Miles SO much. ; )

Tiny updates.

So plans are moving along... nothing huge to report. Buuut I wanted to let you in on one thing I (the man of the relationship) am very excited about.

So June 1st, which will be like 3 days after our wedding AND our second day in Maui, is my BIRRRTHDAY. How awesome is that? Good luck topping this one Ash... you'll have to pull something out of your magician's hat to rival it in the future.

And I'm sure Ash will have some future posts with better information, but I'll give you the executive summary:

Bridal party attire?

check.

Registered?

check-ish.

Sweet music during the ceremony?

check.

Flowers?

no clue.

DJ?

no check.

Welp... that's as descriptive as I'm gonna get right now. Back to reading for my Criminal Law class... If anyone has any questions about Vicarious Liability or the Model Penal Code, feel free to post questions...

And I love Ashley Moss more than I did last post.

Sidenote...

This is John writing, and I just wanted to say something completely unrelated to the wedding... that is Ashley picks me up when I'm down. I think if there was any one thing that anybody could ask for in a wife, it's that, and I am so thankful for Ash.

On a bummer note, school started up again a few weeks ago. It blows my mind daily how different Law School is from anything else I have done... But it's an investment in the future! Or so I'm told...

I love Ashley Moss... so much...

Its SO fun to register!

Haha...yep, today John and I registered at Crate & Barrel and Target. The lists are not totally complete yet - we've got some editing to do (i.e. the 42 inch flat screen tv John scanned when I wasn't looking). But it was so much fun! As soon as the lists are complete, I'll put the links up on our blog. Woo hoo!

Its been such a productive week for us as far as wedding planning goes! Last week we went to our tasting at The French Gourmet - an amazing dessert/pastry place. We went ahead and booked them to cater the wedding! I won't give away too many details, but we loved everything we tried! Adding to the productivity...I went to my "trial run" hair appointment today. We basically practiced the updo I want for the wedding. Oh man, SO FUN! : )

Things are really starting to come together! At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this whole wedding business, but now - we get to start doing some of the fun stuff and focusing on the details since we have the big decisions made. Its great! And I'm so blessed to have a fiance who is incredibly supportive and willing to put in serious time debating if we want white or light blue place settings. Plus I have such amazing support from my family, John's family, and of course my girlfriends! I'm just a lucky girl.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Yum!

Here's a little preview of whats on my to-do list for Thursday....yes, friends, John and I will suffer through a tasting of desserts and cakes at one of the possible caterers. YUM! : )

And we've found it folks!

The VENUE!!! Hooray!!! And you know what that means? We have a date set in stone...drum roll please...May 29th, 2009. Holy cow! It always amazes me (and it shouldn't) how every time I get stressed out about things, or things aren't going exactly the way I'd like them to, I just let go and God takes care of it all!

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. We'll be having the ceremony and reception at Rancho Buena Vista Adobe in Vista, CA. Its a historic landmark for the city of Vista and has a gorgeous little courtyard with a huge tree and fountain. : ) So excited!

So...next step? Set up the caterer and find some amazing, flattering, not-too-flashy bridesmaid dresses. Oh and photography, flowers, dj, musicians...etc. No big. ha

From John

First, Ash encouraged me to use random colors and fonts. Enough said.



I am just gonna go on record to say that I am completely on board with everything Ash said... we're trying to keep the eyes on the prize, trying to get all these details figured out, and trying to avoid bride freak outs.



I write to announce the most important detail has been booked... Venue? No. Date? Ya right. My friends, we have just booked two flights to Maui for a week. Haaaaalelujah.

I Can't Help But Wonder...

As I sit here to put together our very first blog entry I can't help but wonder how long it takes the average bride to have her first "freak-out." So far, I've had 2. I think I'm doing pretty well. There are so many emotions that flood through a newly engaged person!

Right now, John and I are in the stage of serious planning. We're trying to secure a venue so that we can set a date and get the ball rolling. While it can be very stressful, we never want to lose sight of why we're doing all this. We want our wedding day to be a representation of our love for each other, for God, and for all our friends and family! No matter which venue, or food, or flowers we choose - the reason for it all is because we love each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together. We feel so blessed to have found each other and to be starting this journey!

It's my hope that this blog can be a place for us to share big decisions and moments as they come along in our planning process. So stay tuned...we've got a lot of good stuff coming!

On a slightly more girlie note : I found my dress today! Hooray! : )