Let it snow...

After having several days in the 40's and 50's this weekend we got the biggest snow storm of the winter. I measured 9.5" of snow on top of our car. Here is a picture of the road leading to our duplex.

Cruising with the Houck’s! April 06

Last April Ryan & I joined the extended Houck Family for Ryan’s uncle retirement party. It was a four day cruise over Easter weekend. The picture in the below is all the Houck's ready to charter up to the cruise!

Church b-ball games

every tuesday evening i am involved in a church basketball league. we're 2-2 four weeks into the season. team is made up mostly from our small group guys and a couple others from the church.

our work station

this is a picture of us working on painting. we use our living room as our "work station".









okay, it might not all be "work" ;-)

wedding

here is a couple of pictures from our wedding. enjoy!

makin' Christmas Cookies

making christmas cookies with nicole, jen & jen! one wednesday day afternoon we made cookies and brought them into work for others to enjoy! I think Cathy was more interested in the left over frosting than the actual cookies! :-)

Ryan turns 26!!!

the main reason I decided to start a blog is because ryan and i have terrible memories when it comes to "what'd we end up doing for your birthday last year?" or "what'd I get you last year?" so , to prevent that from happening again, we decided to document our "story."

since his birthday fell on a saturday i took full advantage of it! We started off the day with meeting his parents for breakfast at the grove cafe downtown. then, headed to lanyon & his good friend Red & wife Molly were expecting us for lunch. Molly made some AWESOME spaghetti and chocolate cake (Ryan's favorite) then hung out with them for the afternoon and got some pappa murphys pizza and headed to the huhn farm where we would be meeting up with six other couples from our small group from church. We had a GREAT evening played some games and just took it easy. it was a great birthday!

my momma always said...

my momma always said its got to look worse before it can look better...well take a peak...if that saying is true, it's going to look GREAT -- we hope! :-)

we've gotten to the point where we don't know where our silverware, pots & pans are, but we still know where the dew can be found!



(our kitchen in its current state, you can see on the right hand side ryan took our a door and is patching it up.)

B-I-N-G-O!

if you need something to do on a wednesday or sunday night...playing bingo downtown with the social security generation! we didn't win anything, but came close!

golf

2006 golf outing with the guys from our small group

(left to right)

jeremy jordan, brian henderson, ryan houck, will goertzen, tim hibbing, & troy macdonald

Christmas Letter 2006

* picture of us right after we got baptised*

This year has gone by very quickly for us. In February Ryan celebrated his first year with Heartland Appraisals. He really enjoys the challenges and rewards that come with the job. Ashley continues to work at Hickory Park. God has continued to show us His grace and humor throughout the year. In April we ventured out on a cruise over Easter weekend to Mexico with nearly the entire Houck clan. We had a great time and even came back with a tanbut it didn't last long! This past year our life group with Stonebrook church has really grown. We are up to 18 couples and still counting! In January we stepped up to the plate and began to co-lead a life group with our dear friends the Hibbings & Jordans. It has been awesome to see these friendships grow. To this day we still enjoy looking back and seeing where God has lead all of us this past year. In July we bought our first investment property. It is a duplex in Southern Ames. We live on one half and rent out the other. We really enjoy being Landlords & have the best tenants someone could ask for. We have been busy the last few months giving it a face lifting & remodeling the side we live in. In December (of this year) we teamed up in yet another fixer upper house to hopefully put on the market by April of 07. Also in December we went to Branson for a family getaway before my sister (Carly) leaves on a two year missionary trip. Much fun was had by all! We would love to hear from all of you, and the blessings you've had throughout the year! May Gods grace and love, through His Son Jesus Christ, be with you this holiday season and throughout the New Year!! Love,The Houcks

Christmas Letter 2005

December 2005

Dear Family & Friends,

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate our King and Savior and exalt His name for the love, joy and peace that he has given each of us. With the Christmas season fast approaching it is nice to take time and count our blessings. This year Ryan & I were blessed in my many ways;

Ryan: In February Ryan left Putco and joined the family business. He is currently training to become a residential appraiser under the guidance of his father-in-law, Keith. When he’s not out appraising, you can find him sharpening his carpentry skill in Gilbert. In July Ryan ‘hit the road’ with our local youth group for a 10 day missions trip. He had an amazing time. God did awesome things on that trip.

Ashley: In December Ashley will graduate from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Housing and the Near Environment. In the fall she completed an 8 week internship at Martin Property Management. Ashley’s future plans include working at Hickory Park, decorating, painting, & rearranging their duplex!

Ryan & Ashley: Ryan and Ashley continue to stay busy with their local church. In the fall they joined a couples Bible study and have really valued the friendships they have made. In June Ryan & Ashley celebrated their one year anniversary. While doing so, they discovered the 1 year anniversary cake is not all that it’s cracked up to be! In September the Huhn & Houck family ventured to Williamsburg, Virginia for a family vacation. What an amazing place to visit! This past fall Ryan & Ashley moved to a duplex in south Ames. They really like the additional space it provides!

We would love to hear from all of you, and the blessings you’ve had throughout the year! May God’s grace and love, through His Son Jesus Christ, be with you this holiday season and throughout the New Year.

Much Love,



Ryan & Ashley

our workload DOUBLES

on july 31st, 2006 Ashley & I bought a duplex in Ames from her grandpa. however, the tenants who lived there before lived, lets say to a lesser standard. we were disgusted by what we were left with. the fridge full with expired contents, carpets that were convered with cat urine, and in places it looked as if they didn't clean since the day they moved in! With ALOT of sweat we worked daily for two weeks to get it into "liveable" standards. I'll tell you the truth, there were alot of times we thought, "what'd we get ourselves into!"

our engagement story

In my opinion, there are two ways to tell the story; there is the
boys’ version and the GIRLS’ version. So, let me spare the guys some
details and ‘girly stuff’ for those of you who want the full detailed version
keep on reading!

Boys Version: He got down on one knee, I said yes.
GIRLS VERSION: For those of you who don’t know it’s my mom’s side
parents it’s their 50th wedding anniversy tomorrow. So, my mom’s four siblings
their spouses and kids met at Brookside park tonight to have a family
gathering. Well, about five minutes after we started to eat two girls approached
our group with two bundles of flowers each one dozen of roses. They asked
for my grandma and asked her to read the card out loud. It was a poem Ryan had
wrote them for their 50th wedding anniversy. Then, after my grandma finished
reading it everyone clapped. As I was clapping the other girl came around to
where I was and handed me the other dozen of roses and asked me to read the
card out loud too. I opened it up and it said ‘Will you marry me?’ I was barely
able to get out the words because I was crying very happy tears. When I looked
over at Ryan he was there on one knee and I said YES! He nervously started
putting the ring on my right finger, and then put the ring on my left finger while
his hands were trembling. It was amazing that I was able to celebrate this
once in a lifetime occasion with my family! After all the hugs were give my
Riley came up and asked to see the ring and left. It was so cute. My mom and aunts were
all crying. It is something I will NEVER forget!

our first Christmas

Christmas 2004

our first Chrismtas as newlyweds was alot of fun. To the left you can see our wee little Christmas tree. For some reason Ryan decided to wrap my presents in tin foil... still haven't figured that one out. We didn't have much money, but we had alot of love. Looking back, I can't remember what we got each other, but I remember the evening perfectly. We decided to start a tradition of having "our Christmas" last. So, it was. It was Christmas night, and we had alot of left over Christmas food, so we hauled it into the living room on the floor with candles and Christmas music in the background. The glow off my husband's face from the candle glow was priceless. it was an amazing first Christmas.

how it all began...

five years ago, jan 15th 2002 ryan & I met. He "claims" it was love at first sight (still don't know whether to believe him or not) we met at a go-cart track in des moines, iowa and hit it off right away. knowing ryan NOW i still am SHOCKED he asked for my number! :-) For our first date we went to a movie and and out for pie later on.