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A Letter From Ashley

Dear beloved reader,

First of all, I am so glad you are here.  I really appreciate you taking the time to visit Legos & Leftovers.  My name is Ashley Guntle.  I am a stay-at-home mom with two beautiful little boys (and one on the way) and incredibly supportive husband.  

I created this blog as a place for young women and young parents to come for encouragement, support, inspiration, and advice.  Though I am the sole author of many of the blogs you will be reading, I love to have others write a few words as well.  I am a true believer that God has given everyone gifts and different experiences, and each of those experiences should be shared to help others out in similar situations.

Let me start by telling you a little about myself.  I am a passionate and fierce woman.  I know what I want in life, and I go for it.  From a young age I have been obsessed with art and psychology.  One day, I found I could put the two together.  

About two years ago, I completed my Masters of Art in Art Therapy.  I love helping others find their own answers.  Teaching others to find themselves using specific skills to create a better life has always been something I have been passionate about.

My husband and I met on Match.com about 8 years ago!  I was working as a preschool teacher at the time, and I really didn’t feel like my husband was waiting for me at a bar.  So I joined, and after many dates with many men who were not my “One”, I found him.  My mom and I called him “the swarthy one!”  

He is gentle, kind, genuine, and passionate.  He didn’t start out the man he is today, but he became a fierce Godly leader in our family.  So as the story went, we married after 2 years of meeting and began talking about starting a family.  We took our time to settle in to each other first, but after another year we knew it was time.  And 9 months later, we held our little boy!  Life was great!  I had just graduated a few months earlier.  My internship site was begging me to send in my application.  We had it all.  We knew where we were going.  Oh, the peace I felt!  But sometimes, God has other plans for us.

Three months after our little boy was born, I began working.  It was okay at first.  I worked part-time, felt I had my own purpose, and came home to spend oodles of time with baby.  

Two months later, I started working full time.  This was difficult.  I loved my job, but it was emotionally draining.  I came home to a baby who, 6 months later, was waking up every 2 to 3 hours screaming and crying.  Little sleep and constant stress lead to disaster.  I wasn’t myself anymore.  I yearned to be home with my boy!  Five months later, I put in my two weeks notice.  I was crushed.  Why couldn’t I do this?  What do I do now?  We can’t afford for me not to work, but childcare is super expensive!

I wish I could tell you, God gave me the answers right away.  But He didn’t.  Eight months later, after trying to resell items online, searching for a new passion, applying for a few jobs, and running out of answers, I fell on my knees.  Where did my direction go?  God, what do You want me to do?  I want to please You, but I am so lost.  I pleaded for answers.  

And then, I began a leadership bootcamp for church.  We studied a book that took me on a new journey.  I defined my purpose statement and realized I wanted to change lives.  I wanted to support and motivate young women and parents using Godly principles and my own experiences.  So much in my life has been from learning from others.  I look at this blog as a way to pass it on.

So please know that this blog for me is not just a way to make money.  It is not an environment for me to use to rant and rave.  This is a calling.  This is my calling.  From the bottom of my heart, I hope you experience something.  I hope the writings here teach you, inspire you, encourage you, help you, lift you up, and demonstrate for you God’s love.  And if it does, would you pass it on?

Ashley Guntle

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