something to ponder

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

© 2003 by Donald S. Whitney

haley

haley & I looking at Carly's new pictures on facebook! haley leaves in two weeks to stay with Carly til JUNE!

workin'

visiting ryan while he's workin'

carly

WE miss you carly, ALLOOTTTT!!!!

rileyism

a couple of weeks ago we watched my little brother for 13 days while my parents were overseas visiting my sister. although he is a little older since this picture was taken he had two "famous" quotes.

1st: my boppa, grandma, riley, me, & ryan were sitting around the dinner table after being trapped on the farm due to our first ice storm of the winter. boppa had just said, "its real nasty out there, the ice is real bad" there was a slight pause and riley said (like he was 75 years old) "i've seen worse" when he's only 12!

2nd: as some of you know ryan took his state of iowa exam while we were watching riley as well. ryan was especially nervous for the test, as was i. it lasted 4 hours. sometime during the test i looked at riley and ask "do you think ryan will pass?" riley looked at me serious as could be and said "no, he's not. he wasn't comprehending what he was reading. " i kinda sat there stunned, and one second later he looked at me (before i had a chance to say anything) "and yes, i am serious." i couldn't help but getting a good laugh out of it, and so did the rest of the family! but yes, ryan did pass the VERY first time, and ryan hasn't let him forget it! :-)

venting our childlike anger

a few weeks ago ryan had to get some colored copies made. Going into copyworks he had in his head it'd probably cost around $30 dollars. It was 5:00 am so he didn't really have any other options. He needed 3 appraisals copied, which are multiple pages themselves. he had them copied and was told the bill was $290.00! he must of looked like he was going to faint because the store clerk immediately could tell he wasn't thinking it'd be that much. since only a few of the copies were colored she was able to knock it down to $130.00. since then ryan has boycotted copyworks. he has taken the $1.25 colored copy personal in a way only Ryan can :) ... in the meantime we found this youtube video of this little kid getting VERY mad he can't make it down this slip 'n slide. he goes this fist like motion toward the slip 'n slide ( click below to see the clip then continue with the story) SOOOOOOO...going back to the story a few days after the copyworks episode we were driving by it and ryan did the "fist" ever since then if we get mad or frustrated we pull the "fist" enjoy!

(its the last kid on this little segment with the slip 'n slide!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMqLVmCQLi8&feature=related

Christmas Letter 2007!

• Merry Christmas!
  
  

  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
  

  
  The verse listed above was our motto verse of the year. For us, 2007 was a year of working hard, making sacrifices, building a foundation for our entrepreneur future, and completely relying on God’s strength. Even then, to be completely honest, we sometimes wondered if we bit off more than we could chew. However, we serve a Great God and no prayer was left unanswered.
  

• Ryan: (written by Ashley) In February Ryan turned 26, and celebrated his second year with Heartland Appraisals. He is still in training (under Keith) until the end of December. He passed the State of Iowa Board exam just a few weeks ago! (his first time, yahoo!) In June he took on a part-time job for Real Estate Service Group managing 70+ apartment units in Boone. When he’s not out appraising or remodeling houses, you can find him playing 6 a.m b-ball with his father-in-law & friends.
  
  Ashley: (written by Ryan) Ashley probably learned more than she ever wanted to on remodeling houses, putting in long hours and being my little encourager. I couldn’t have done any of it without her optimistic, loving, and “go get it done” spirit. When I stayed busy with my various jobs she was busy mowing lawns & shoveling snow for our duplex’s, not to mention painting, tearing out carpet, and learning how to “do the books.” One of her newest hobbies is online karaoke. You can easily find her singing her little heart out!
  
  Random things we learned this year: (in no particular order)
  Make sure the paint can lid is on tight before you move it
  At 3:00 a.m. its best to use a flashlight when you use a table saw outside(so your neighbors can’t see where the noise is coming from! :-))
  We have amazing friends & family who we couldn’t have finished the remodeling projects without!
  Ashley is a walking advertisement for “grease lightening” cleaning product which gets ANYTHING OUT
  Ryan can sing every word of the lion king Broadway soundtrack
  Financial Peace University is changing our lives (daveramsey.com)
  God is faithful
  We went to Lowe’s more than the grocery store in 2007
  If you have a trampoline in your yard you’re a hero to everyone 10 years and younger!
  While Haley lived with us for three months we couldn’t believe how many sandwiches she could pack down!
  
  
  
  Our remodeling Secret Weapon:
  Ceramic tile $0.08, Air gun nailer $40.00, fire place $90.00, having a mom who works at Lowe’s …priceless! :-)
  
  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 Houck
  311 South Walnut
  Ames, Iowa 50010
  
  ryanhouck@hotmail.com
  ashleyjhouck@yahoo.com
  
  515-291-7926 Ryan Cell
  515-291-4944 Ashley Cell
  515-233-2748 (Home)
  
  
  
  
  
  

listed below

for the past few weeks i've really gotten into reading postsecrets.com, below are just a few postcards.

post secret 3

post secret 2

my websites

so something i find completely interesting, and addicting is a website called postsecrets.com, here are just a few

new updates!

hi friends & family!

my goal this week is to update our "blog" so check back in a few days!

love,
Ryan & Ashley

nursery duty

We had nursery duty at church today with some friends. We each had a child to “man.” Ryan was lucky and got this sweet adorable little girl who was an angel. Her name was Leslie (like from the sound of music) he tried to pronounce it but it came out as leslie, lesel, lesiel until us girls (who are very familiar with the movie) corrected him. :-) Ryan has self admitted he is terrible at remembering a new name especially if he doesn’t already know someone who has the same name. For instance when we first started dating he didn’t already know another Ashley, and he had to think a minute every time to remember my name. (he told me this after we were engaged.) so to remember this little girls name, later on that day he shared with me how proud he was for remembering her name. I asked him how…and he responded "I thought of something it rhymed with, weasel.” :-)

netflix

had it a little over a month, love it!