The Woman Under the Crown
Hi, everyone! My name is Ashley Rae Klinger, and I'm your Mrs. International 2020. My hope with this blog is for you to get to know the woman "under the crown" as the woman God created me to be!
As a woman of God whose life is centered around my faith, I try to live every day FOR HIS GLORY. Although there are many days when I fall short, I do my best to start each day with a renewed heart.
As the matriarch for my family, I'm a devoted wife to my husband, Andrew, a proud mom to our adopted, 3-year-old son, Micah (and our three younger foster children), and a humble servant to all the foster children who are welcomed into our home, regardless of the length of time that they're with us. Our family resides in North Dakota with our two puppies, Bella and Barklee. I am also the daughter of Randy and Gail Severinson, the 'big' sister to one younger brother, Dane, and the proud Auntie to my nephew, Ryker.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” Brene Brown
“Do you want to be pregnant, or do you want to be parents?” It was this question that God placed on our hearts while in prayer that changed the course of our lives forever. As a couple who has been impacted by infertility, this question reminded us that it’s not blood that makes a family as much as it’s LOVE that makes a family, and we are called to love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Infertility didn’t prevent us from answering our call to become parents. It just changed HOW we became parents and WHO we became parents to.
Truth be told, I struggled with my "story" for a while. As a woman, not being able to conceive children left me feeling like a failure in so many ways. I felt defective. I felt inadequate. I felt like I was letting my husband down. I felt like I was maybe being punished for all the "wrongs" I did in my life. Until one day, I realized that our inability to conceive was a BLESSING, as it simply reminded us that God had a different plan than we did for our lives and for our family. Our ‘inability’ to conceive was actually our ‘ability’ to OWN our story and to use it to make a difference in the lives of others. Will I always wonder what it feels like as a woman to carry and give birth to a child? Naturally. But, that no longer bothers me like it used to because I can now see that the one experience that we won’t have has opened the door to the many experiences that we will have. Again, not being able to conceive didn’t prevent us from becoming parents. It just changed the course of how we became them, and without our story, we wouldn’t have the children in our lives that we do (no matter how long that may be for).
Philanthropic at heart, I passionately represent the BE A FOSTER Movement as my official platform as Mrs. International 2020, which I'll share more about in my next blog. Before becoming Mrs. International 2020, I was Mrs. Central States International 2020, Mrs. Midwest International 2017, and Mrs. North Dakota International 2016. I am also a 2008 Melanoma Skin Cancer Survivor, the Founder of the Cope Well Foundation, and an active community member. I'm a true believer that we are meant to use our experiences in life to not only better our own lives, but to better the lives of those around us.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, I am also the proud owner of It’s Her Brand Enterprises, where I’ve built a career and a life around supporting and empowering other women. Since graduating from my alma mater, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2002, I've acquired 18 years of marketing and corporate|personal branding experience, 15 years of business development experience, and 10 years of nonprofit development and professional speaking experience.
Please know I am beyond grateful and honored for the opportunity to be your Mrs. International 2020. It's a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I look forward to creating a legacy that will hopefully long outlast my time here on earth.
Ashley Rae Klinger
Mrs. International 2020
The Need is Great - Make an Impact - BE A FOSTER
"Encouraging families to make an impact in the life of a child and be a foster."
As a woman of God whose life is centered around my faith, I try to live every day FOR HIS GLORY. Although there are many days when I fall short, I do my best to start each day with a renewed heart.
As the matriarch for my family, I'm a devoted wife to my husband, Andrew, a proud mom to our adopted, 3-year-old son, Micah (and our three younger foster children), and a humble servant to all the foster children who are welcomed into our home, regardless of the length of time that they're with us. Our family resides in North Dakota with our two puppies, Bella and Barklee. I am also the daughter of Randy and Gail Severinson, the 'big' sister to one younger brother, Dane, and the proud Auntie to my nephew, Ryker.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” Brene Brown
“Do you want to be pregnant, or do you want to be parents?” It was this question that God placed on our hearts while in prayer that changed the course of our lives forever. As a couple who has been impacted by infertility, this question reminded us that it’s not blood that makes a family as much as it’s LOVE that makes a family, and we are called to love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Infertility didn’t prevent us from answering our call to become parents. It just changed HOW we became parents and WHO we became parents to.
Truth be told, I struggled with my "story" for a while. As a woman, not being able to conceive children left me feeling like a failure in so many ways. I felt defective. I felt inadequate. I felt like I was letting my husband down. I felt like I was maybe being punished for all the "wrongs" I did in my life. Until one day, I realized that our inability to conceive was a BLESSING, as it simply reminded us that God had a different plan than we did for our lives and for our family. Our ‘inability’ to conceive was actually our ‘ability’ to OWN our story and to use it to make a difference in the lives of others. Will I always wonder what it feels like as a woman to carry and give birth to a child? Naturally. But, that no longer bothers me like it used to because I can now see that the one experience that we won’t have has opened the door to the many experiences that we will have. Again, not being able to conceive didn’t prevent us from becoming parents. It just changed the course of how we became them, and without our story, we wouldn’t have the children in our lives that we do (no matter how long that may be for).
Philanthropic at heart, I passionately represent the BE A FOSTER Movement as my official platform as Mrs. International 2020, which I'll share more about in my next blog. Before becoming Mrs. International 2020, I was Mrs. Central States International 2020, Mrs. Midwest International 2017, and Mrs. North Dakota International 2016. I am also a 2008 Melanoma Skin Cancer Survivor, the Founder of the Cope Well Foundation, and an active community member. I'm a true believer that we are meant to use our experiences in life to not only better our own lives, but to better the lives of those around us.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, I am also the proud owner of It’s Her Brand Enterprises, where I’ve built a career and a life around supporting and empowering other women. Since graduating from my alma mater, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2002, I've acquired 18 years of marketing and corporate|personal branding experience, 15 years of business development experience, and 10 years of nonprofit development and professional speaking experience.
Please know I am beyond grateful and honored for the opportunity to be your Mrs. International 2020. It's a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I look forward to creating a legacy that will hopefully long outlast my time here on earth.
Ashley Rae Klinger
Mrs. International 2020
The Need is Great - Make an Impact - BE A FOSTER
"Encouraging families to make an impact in the life of a child and be a foster."
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