30 Day Challenge

Alright, kiddos.  I'm trying this challenge thing... since we all know how great I am at updating and/or finding awesome things to blog about.  Cliche'?  Maybe.  Teener-Bopperish?  Of course.  Don't care.  Get ready for some greatness!


Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3: Your first love
Day 4: Your parents
Day 5: A song to match your mood
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite movies
Day 8: A place you've traveled to
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend
Day 10: Something you're afraid of
Day 11: Favorite tv shows
Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without
Day 13: Goals
Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?
Day 15: Bible verse
Day 16: Dream house
Day 17: Something you're looking forward to
Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself of ALL TIME Why?
Day 22: What's in your purse?
Day 23: Favorite Movie
Day 24: Something you've learned
Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding
Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in
Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Day 29: 3 Wishes
Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

Kbye, 2010.

Here's pictorial evidence I had somewhat of a life in 2010.  I did a post like this last year, too.

January was the month I took my very last class at Freed.  I spent two fun-filled weeks with Emily in the Priv House where we told each other ridiculous life stories, ate delicious cake, and discovered one of the most entertaining songs ever.

There aren't any pictures from February.  That was the month I begrudgingly moved back to NC.  

March brought about a 23rd birthday with more delicious cake and time spent with my family.  It was also month 2 of a never-ending job search and missing my love.  But hey, atleast there was cake!

In April, my love came to visit me.  He met my family for the first time and my brother commented, "It's like he's always been around.  I like him."  I like him, too.  :)  That visit brought MORE cake, koolaid, an afternoon of putt-putt, and a game of Cranium (in which our team lost miserably).  

In May I graduated.  Insane.  And then I moved back to Huntsville to try their job market.

June was mostly miserable with the exception of WAM time.  God has really blessed me with some awesome friends in this lifetime.  

In July, and we're talking at the very END of July, I was finally hired.  Yay job!  

August was a month of learning-- learning my childrens' personalities and learning how to best teach them.  An old friend of mine got married and this is really the only picture, while not with the bride, I have of that month.

In September we had our family Labor Day vacation in Gatlinburg... where we saw dinosaurs-- big boring dinosaurs.  'Twas fun.  However, September was also a month of sudden loss-- a loss of which I don't think I'll ever recover.

October... ahhh, what a good month.  The Sanderson sisters made an appearance in a certain haunted church building.  Unforgettable... let me tell you.  "...BoooOOOOooook!!!!"

November was Thanksgiving.  The weather was nice and we ate out on Grandma's brand new deck.  November was also the beginning of a second job.  Busy.  Busy busy busy.  So busy there are no pictures in my possession of November. 

December was also terribly busy.  I did manage to make it home to spend Christmas morning with my family.  It was a Christmas that quickly turned into a white Christmas, and a day-after-Christmas trek that landed me in a hotel room for the night.  Stupid slick roads.  

So, there you have it!  I actually did some fun things.  If anything you've learned I have a great love for cake.  

I spent New Year's Eve with my best friend sitting on the couch and watching the moon pie drop on TV at midnight.  I loved every minute of it.  With no one else would I have rather rang in the new year.  Year 2010, you sure did go in a hurry!

I'm not too sad to see 2010 go.  It wasn't a bad year overall.  2k10 gave me a lot of firsts and I expect 2k11 to be just as grand.  I think good things are ahead.  

Happy Ham Day

I've not blogged... in a really, really long time.  And don't let this post get your hopes up either.  This will probably be the last blog for a really, really long time as well.

I would say happy turkey day but I'm not a fan of turkey.  It's dry.... and just not that tasty.  I'd rather have ham.  So, happy ham day!  Ooooh, or dressing.  Happy dressing day?   Meh.  We'll just go with Happy Thanksgiving.  

As the holiday season has already come upon us (can you believe how this year has flown by?), I probably won't have a spare minute until after Christmas.  Let me tell you why!  Two days ago, I got a second job working in retail for the holidays.  I know, I know.  I've already questioned my sanity for making this decision about a million times already.  Who am I!??!?  I don't even know anymore.  The Ashley I know wouldn't be caught dead in a shopping mall on the busiest shopping day of the year.  Nope!  Not me!  Except for this one time I'm going to be working a 12 hour shift in a mall on Black Friday.  What have I done?  Hah, I think it will be good-- good money and good experience.  Let's hope so anyway.

It's Thanksgiving and I sure do have a ton to be thankful for.  This wasn't the Thanksgiving I thought I was going to have, but it has been good nonetheless.  Dad and Timbo came down and it's been nice to spend time with them.

You know what?  I'm thankful for my family.  I mean, really.  I've been blessed with 2 wonderful parents.  Parents who have not only taken great care of me my whole life, but have also given me great genes.  I know that sounds weird... but it's true.  I'm intelligent and pick up on things quite easily, I have a good memory, and I'm pretty cute.  :)   That's all because my parents are smart and awesome and gave me good genes.  My Momma is just precious and I don't know one person who doesn't like her.  I wish she could have come down here for Thanksgiving.  My Dad and I had a very good talk today.  He always has big plans, great ambitions and vision for the future.  He's already built one business that is successful and growing and always has more plans in the works.  I'm so thankful to have him to teach me to dream big and motivate me to do more.  I've got a pretty awesome little brother, too.  He's funny and is one of my favorite people to laugh with.

I'm also thankful for my James.  And for my job(s).  And for the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.  And for juice.  And for jam.  And for jellybeans.  And for jars.  And for jump ropes.  Couldn't help myself-- had to keep going with the J theme.  And I must confess, I lied about being thankful for jellybeans.  They're gross.  I also could care less about jump ropes.  Of course, I might decide I like jump ropes after implementing the "12 Steps to a Skinny Ashley" program.  I'm not exactly sure what the 12 steps are quite yet.  But a skinny Ashley needs to happen in the year of our Lord 2011, whether it be 12 steps or 190709234 steps.  We'll see how that goes.

Bless your heart if you actually made it through all that random mess.  Eh, I just did a stream of consciousness blog.  Didn't you love it?  Isn't that J picture cute?  J is for jaguar.  Atleast that's what J means in my toddler classroom.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with those you love.  And if I don't blog again before then (let's not hold our breaths) I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.  

Just Call Me Miss Ashley :)

A lot has happened since my last post!  The months of job searching finally ceased when I was offered a teaching position at a preschool.  Yes, I have my very first, real life, big-girl job.

I'm the lead teacher in the toddler room.  Yep.  1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year olds... approximately.  It's stressful.  It's wonderful.  It's a blessing to be employed.  And I really do enjoy teaching the tiny tots.  

It's weird to have my own classroom... especially since a few years ago I decided teaching small children wasn't for me.  Looks like God had something different in mind.  And so far I'm pretty glad.

Here is the big carpet where we have circle time.  The walls are pretty bare.  I plan on decorating.  Sometime.  Soon-ish.  

Here are the cubbies.  I basically forgot these ever existed.  I haven't had a cubby since age 6.  They're pretty handy though.  Notice the random objects on the very top of the cubbies-- this space is a catch-all for things I don't want the kids getting into.  If they can't reach it, it's not a problem any more.  Bah haha.

Here are my toddler-sized tables, toddler-sized chairs, and toddler-sized bookshelves.  When it's time to learn Bible stories, ABC's, numbers, shapes or colors, I tell the tiny tots to "line up on the purple wall" over there.  And after chasing a few strays and everyone is sitting on the floor, we sing about twinkling stars, hip-hip-hip-hippopotamuses, itsy-bitsy spiders, and Alexander alligators. 

 

Here are my sweet kiddos lined up on the purple wall "reading."  They are precious. Absolutely precious.

And on especially hectic days, naptime is such a nice break.  And look how adorable they are on their little cots!!

JINGLE BELL ROCK. Judge me. Don't care.

This is what sitting at home doing nothing on a Friday night looks like.  And sounds like, apparently.

I. Put your iTunes on shuffle. 
II. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. 

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? 
"I'll Be Seeing You"
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? 
"Boom Boom Boom" 

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? 
"Great Indoors" 

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? 
"It's Beginning to Get to Me" 

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? 
"Can't Repeat" 

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? 
"Sleigh Ride" 

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? 
"Maureen" 

8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? 
"I Need Love" 

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? 
"Cure For The Itch" 

10. WHAT IS 2+2? 
"If I Die Tomorrow" 

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? 
"Disciplined Breakdown" 

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? 
"I Wish (Skee-Lo)" 

16. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? 
"Believe" 

17. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? 
"Wishing Well" 

18. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? 
"O Sacred Head" 

19. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? 
"Honey Please Can't Ya See" 

20. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? 
"This Is It" 

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? 
"I Dare You" 

22. WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? 
"Two Cups of Coffee" 

23. HOW WILL YOU DIE? 
"Away From the Sun" 

24. DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? 
"Hang em' High" 

25. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? 
"She Don't Know She's Beautiful" 

26. WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? 
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" 

27. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? 
"Jingle Bell Rock"

I'm not so Casper after all

I am so not a fan of long distance relationships.  It's really not the easiest thing in the world, and it's just plain hard to go for long periods of time not seeing your special someone.  Thankfully though, the bf is only a few hours away and we get to meet up in the oh-so-wonderful town of Columbia, TN every now and again.

Last night we met at Cracker Barrel, which is one of my favorite places.  And the food, of course, was delish.  Who doesn't like to eat there?  If you don't, I'm going to assume you're a Northern loser of life and cross you off my friends list.  Jay-kay, homie.  Don't get yo panties in a twist.  As we were leaving the restaurant, I spotted one of my all-time favorite candies-- Candy Apple Sugar Babies.  They're fantastic.   And also only sold seasonally and I've only ever seen them at Cracker Barrel.  It's a shame.  So, you know I bought some.  On second thought, I probably should have stocked up.  Oh, well.   You should try them sometime.

Aaaaaafter that, we went bowling.  I don't know if any of you reading this have ever met me and bowling.  If you have, you know how ridiculously awful I am at it.  I have no technique.  And no follow-through...  but I promise you it's because the balls I have to bowl with (on account of my fat fingers) are always too heavy.  So I can't bowl the ball with any decent amount of speed.  And I'm sure your average on-looker thinks I just drop the ball in hopes it will hit a few pins over.   Which is partially true-- let's be honest here.  The athletic gene skipped me.  I think I got one spare.  The whole time.

The bowling alley was surprisingly very nice.  It even told you how fast you bowled the ball.  James would usually register around a 19 or 20 mph.  I think I was usually a 7ish, 8ish, and 9ish mph if I was lucky. 

We played 3 games and each game, the background of our screen would change.  After the cool galaxy backdrop, we had a sunset, then a waterfall.  It was pretty cool.  And yeah, yeah.  I know what you're thinking.  "Girl can't even spell her own name!"  Yes, I can.  They only let me use 5 letters.  The E had to go.  Sorry, E, it's a tough break.

Unlike me, James can actually bowl.  The above picture is what it looks like to "follow through."  Maybe I should have been taking notes.  It was fun to watch him.  :)

Before taking this picture, I said, "I hate taking pictures with people who are tan because I don't like to see how Casper I am."  Don't worry, James gave me a hard time about that one, so you don't have to.  But really now, we all know that's how I talk.  And in my mind, "how Casper (the Friendly Ghost) I am" equals "how pale my skin is."  Makes perfect sense.  You know it does.   And it seems I'm not as Casper as I thought I was, anyway.

This begins our series of crazy pictures.

This one is probably my favorite.  Because I love that our facial expressions are accidently exactly the same.

Scary.  Just plain scary.

In summary:  We ate.  We bowled.  We laughed.  And what a great night it was.

WAM Time

About a week and a half ago, one of my good friends, Matt, came to Huntsville to visit for a few days.  It was fantastic.  We went on many adventures, mostly unplanned, and dubbed our time together as WAM (Wacky-Ashley-Matt) Time.  We drove aimlessly around town listening to the best mix CD's ever.  You should be jealous.  Here is a pictorial blog of some of the things we did.  Looking forward to some more adventures with him in a few weeks!

Does this Jesus remind you a kitchen utensil?

Homemade pizza!  Yum!

You can sorta kinda maybe almost see Huntsville... through those trees.

Matt hates this picture because of his facial expression.  I love this picture because of his facial expression.

Glad there's someone else out there who's skin is as radioactive white as mine.  

This picture would be our Album cover, if we ever became musical artists.  We decided.