PCOS

Hey ladies! I thought this was very important information to share. Even if YOU don’t think you have this syndrome… 1 out of every 10 women do, so it is likely someone you know, or maybe even someone in your family has it! I am sharing this information because I have come to learn that there are countless woman out there that suffer from something called PCOS, and never even know it. It’s VERY important for PCOS to be treated. If it is not, it almost always leads to Heart Disease, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure.

I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) when I was 18. At the time, all I was told is that I needed to eat healthy and exercise in order to prevent health problems in the future. BUT… as the months and years went on, my symptoms began to worsen, and I began to put on weight even when exercising and dieting. I had a friend at church who had been going to a PCOS specialist in Carrollton… so I decided to set up an appointment. I went to this Doctor yesterday. He explained to me exactly what it is that causes PCOS in women, and what can help to reverse and improve the condition.

Please, please, please check out this website. I wish I would have known back when I was 12 and began to see symptoms how important it is for this to be treated. Now that I have prescriptions, diet plan, and workout plan from my doctor (which btw, is ONLY walking 2 miles, 5 days a week) I have a chance to change the hormones in my body that cause all these issues, and for the first time be able to lose weight, and be healthy without starving and killing myself over it. And by the way—the prescriptions given to me came to $24! Only $24 a month to reverse 21 years of messed up hormones.

It’s SO worth it to check out the symptoms, and find out if you have it. You could not only feel a lot better about yourself, but you potentially stop a horrible health problem from developing!!

There are tons of sites you can go to but here is the one from WebMd:
http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview


There’s no harm in checking it out! It could end up being a GREAT thing for you, or another woman that you love!

If any of you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them! After having my doctor draw it out for me (literally) I think I have a deeper understanding of this issue that is becoming a big problem for women across the world!

We're Married!

On July 11th I married the love of my life, my best friend, the only other person in the world that fits me perfectly. We will have been married one month next Tuesday.




Our First Dance.

Daddy giving me away.

First picture as a married couple.



Unity Candle.



Married life is SO much fun. I highly recommend it! <3

I belong to you... alone.

I recently sang this song at my home church. I was asked at rehearsal that week if I would speak before the song. It’s always been funny to me how nervous I get when I have to talk. I can sing in front of hundreds of people, but if I have to talk I get so nervous!! But, not wanting to seem nerved, I gladly said yes! All week I prayed about it, thought of what I wanted to say, and tried to calm my nerves. Every once in a while I would forget about the coming Sunday and then bam! It would come back to my mind and my stomach would get queezy. I would tell myself it was okay, and then close my eyes and pray.

Then, for once, I wasn’t searching for words… they were pouring out! Now I just didn’t know which story to use, what lesson I learned, or what my heart was screaming out every time I heard the song. I decided that God was going to show me what I needed to say, and that I no longer needed to stress! This worked for the most part but, being a perfectionist when it comes to my music and ministry, it wasn’t always easy! Finally Sunday came. I was excited… nervous…anxious…happy… worried… It was a very confusing emotional morning!! :)

Back stage, I practiced what I was going to say—and I started to cry! "No, no, no, Ashley" I thought. You can’t CRY in front of hundreds of people. You can’t let them get that close!!! But then, it was as if Jesus came down and wrapped his arms around me. I felt him hold me. I heard him whisper in my ear “Share your heart my child. Let them see your heart!” All of the sudden I was no longer worried. I went out on stage sang a few songs and when it came time for my song, I felt complete peace.

I told them what I learned. I told them what was in my heart. It went something like this:

I absolutely love this song. It’s like singing the ultimate love song for Christ.
I shared a line from a TV show I had recently heard; Feeling inadequate has a universal zip code. It had been on my mind all week. I went on to say that despite what the world thinks, we are not called to be perfect. Perfection is not possible. Jesus loves us even when we fail. We live in a world where women are not beautiful unless they are size 2. We are told we must “change” who we are by “fixing ourselves.” We get our hair done, cake make-up on to hide our face, we get plastic surgery, and diet constantly. We live in a world where we must be strong, and never let them see us cry! For men, we live in world where being a man means never having feelings. Your worth is measured by how much money you make. And if you’re not financial banking, you’re not doing anything right. It’s NO WONDER that we feel so inadequate. It’s no wonder we hide. But, there is someone who loves us no matter how much we don’t measure up to the world’s standards. There is someone who finds us beautiful ALWAYS. Someone that doesn't care how much money we make. Someone that we can trust, and we belong to him. Nothing in this world can take that away. Not hunger. Not hardships. Not weakness, or faliure. Nothing can take his love away.

We do not belong to this world. We are called to live in it, but not to be of it.
We belong to Jesus. I belong to Jesus.

I cried.
I would not trade that moment for anything.
God gave me a word to share, and I shared it.


I belong to you
I belong to you
Nothing can take me from your great love
Forever this truth remains.