All done, both of us!

I, Ashley, finally graduated from college! I was talking with my friend Stacey last night and mentioned that at times it felt like I would never get to say that. Thinking back to all the changes that have happened during my time at Western Oregon it is awesome to think that our God had every piece planned out and I wouldn't change one bit of it, even if I took an extra year to complete my studies. Thanks to all of you who accompanied me on the journey!

Now what? Well, I am waiting for my license to be issued from the state. The school has told them that I have completed everything and so I am waiting for the state to send me my license. I can't teach with out that piece of paper and so I am hoping to have it by the end of December to start substituting when school starts back up in January. I decided to sub for a couple reasons; 1) it is hard to fine a full time teaching job in the middle of the year, and 2) I will get to know more school districts and schools.

Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Hard to believe the end of November is among us. Next Monday my big work sample is due and then it is smooth sailing till December 8th when my graduation will take place. I am so grateful to have this section of my life almost complete. It has been a long road and I have enjoyed the ride, but am ready to move on. Teaching has been wonderful and it is going to be hard to leave the students and faculty. There have been a few fellow staff that have been diagnosed with life threatening things and it is wonderful to see everyone come together to support them.

We are staying local for Thanksgiving, spending it with the Spence family and a few other friends in Corvallis. My oldest sister and nephew are coming from Portland, my twin sister and husband, and my grandpa will all be there. We will miss the Hynes' during this time, but are excited to see them around Christmas!

Praises that Paul doesn't have any more traveling to do this year; Praises that Ashley will be able to work a few more hours during her time off from school; Praises that Andrea and Jacob are expecting their first baby! About a week ago I was able to celebrate the upcoming birth of our friends Kari and Conrad's twins, Mila and Nolan. Here is a picture from the shower, which I had a blast seeing my long time best friends also.

God is Good!

Life has been busy since we last posted. Paul's job at Jeld-Wen continues to be a blessing we praise the Lord for everyday. Even though it can be stressful at times we have really enjoyed the company and the support they give Paul. Ashley is also enjoying her final term of student teaching in a 5th grade class. She starts full time teaching on Tuesday the 16th for 15 days and then will graduate in December.

Paul finished his first Marathon! He ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours 15 minutes and despite a trip to the ER for dehydration he is already planning his next adventure. On the 11th of October was Paul's 24th birthday and it was nice celebrating with friends and family.

Life in Albany continues to go well. Our house is fitting us perfectly, the driving is tolerable, and only on a few occasions does Albany smell bad.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of months:

I've been tagged...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Random Facts about Ashley:
#1: I was on the Hoover Hop-To-Its jump rope team for five years.
#2: I don't like it when I have to take off my shoes at other people's houses because then my toes get cold (I guess this one only really applies in the winter).
#3: I an identical twin sister, but I think most already knew that about me.
#4: I have been married one year to a very adventurous man, some know him as Paul, and I love it (most of the time)!
#5: I am a vegetarian, but I try not to make it a big statement thing. I went hunting with my dad and grandpa one year and I thought it was sad when they killed one. Sorry Dad...
#6: I love dalmatian dogs. I have a whole box filled with dalmatian things (like pictures and little trinkets) at my parents house; they are so cute.
#7: I am kind of picky about others driving. I may be kind of snobbish, but I think I am a pretty good driver and it bothers me when I feel like others I am riding with aren't paying good attention to the rode. Just ask Paul, I am a good backseat driver!
#8: I am almost done with school! But now I have aspirations to get my Doctorate, so someday you might have to call me Dr. Hynes :)

Those moments...

Paul and I rode, along with 20,000 of our closest friends, in the Portland Bridge Pedal this last Sunday. What an amazing event! 10 Portland bridges were closed along with a few freeways, highways and local streets for us to ride our way around town. We did this with our friends Nate, Leanna and Krista. I have to say that I am glad we survived the race after seeing a few crashes and enjoyed eating at the Bite of Oregon afterwards.

Before we started...
That's our gang on our second bridge.
Krista and Leanna showing off their pink vests they so generously wore for some boys instead of the red ones.
Look at all those people! This was one of the times we had to get off our bikes to walk because of so much congestion.
We made it to the finish!

Beach Campout

Paul and I went with our church on their annual Southbeach Campout this last weekend. It was a good time of relaxing, playing volleyball, eating, talking, and playing on the beach. Here are a few pictures:

Lots going on!

Here are some pictures of events that have kept us very busy over the last few weeks.

Paul graduated with a Business Management Degree from OSU on Saturday, June 17, 2006. He is starting his job with Jeld-Wen on July 2nd and we are moving to Albany to cut down on the commute for him.Paul finished 22nd out of 95 athletes in the Lebanon Sprint Triathlon and got third in his age group!!!!!

Once a month?

I guess maybe we are only going to be making these postings once a month. Anyways, we were very lucky to go on a ski trip with our friends at the end of April! The snow was nice, sunny weather, and hardly anyone else on the mountain.


We could really use your prayer over the next month as some big changes have the potential to happen. Paul is actively searching for a job and is feeling the stress of finding time for applying and interviews. We are still only using one car, which doesn't make the situation any easier. We are praying for the Lord to show us where he would want Paul to work and where we should live. Thanks!

Camping for my birthday!

Paul took me camping at the beach this weekend for my birthday. We had such a good time at Devil's Lake campground and stayed in our yurt while it was raining. We tried some fishing, but didn't even get one bite! It was a nice and relaxing weekend, I don't think either of us were ready to come back. We met a lady who is biking from Vancouver, B.C., to L.A. California! I think this gave Paul the idea that he should do something like that.

A break...

We are winding down this week, finals week, after a busy and successful term. Praises that Paul only has one more term of eight credits and that we get to spend a week serving others in San Francisco in the name of our awesome Lord. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through prayer and finances for the trip. We leave Friday at 1pm and return the following Friday, just in time to start Spring Term. Sorry, no pictures this time, but we will have plenty to share from the city.

We can't wait to spend some time with family and friends in Gresham over Easter weekend, but until then peace!

Paul's Conquests of Mt. Hood

My wife has built this beautiiful blog for us with her own two bare hands and the raw strength of her mind. Here are my contributions of a trip to the top of the world. (almost...11,250 ft to be exact.)Am I blindingly white or what?

We were so lucky to have so many of our close friends share in our special day. You will never know how much it meant to us.

We did it!

After much encouragement from our friend Laura, we have created a blog. Our hope is that we will be able to stay in touch, even better, with our friends and family who live miles away from us.