A Girl Can Dream, Right?

From Anthropologie.com

Remember When?

So, in the midst of a routine phone call with his mother, she let him know that she had sent me something in the mail. Jeff worried, and I anticipating what I knew she'd send, I was the first to snatch up the mail yesterday. The result? A school picture! Ignoring his groans, I bring to you Jeff in middle school :

And just to make sure I'm fair in all things, I'll post an equivalently embarrassing photo of myself ...

Ok... So I'm cuter, but we can't really help that I was terribly photogenic as a child, can we?

Happy Tuesday!

Home Improvements

 

After a LONG stint of construction, the house is finally starting to come together. Jeff and I have been spending every spare moment cleaning, organizing, repairing, painting, sanding, steaming, moving, etc to make our little space our own.  I don't think I really knew how much work goes into a true thorough cleaning of a place, especially when someone has allergies, but I can confidently say that's no longer the case! While we've got a long way to go until we are completely moved in and unpacked and settled the way we want, I think we are off to a good start! Here are a few pictures to share our progress so far!

This man can do it all, and does it with a great attitude. I am so blessed with such a fabulous work horse man for a husband!

The one thing i hated about these rooms is how dark the walls made them seem. So, I chose two paints that makes the natural light that comes in through the windows brighten and cheer the whole place up.

I did NOT consider how hard it is to cover up a dark color with a pale yellow... this is two coats in... sheesh.

After it was all said and done though the room is much brighter and calm. P.S. Jeff picked out the shower curtain. :)

The bed and the two fabulous windows. Still trying to figure out what I want to do for curtains. I'm looking for something creative that will match the room without having to spend a fortune. Suggestions anyone?

Like I said, we have a long way to go, we still have a book shelf to put together and fill, and a ton of other little projects. I wish I had the money to decorate the way I like, but in the mean time I'm looking for some crafty little projects and I know that some of you out there are already masters in this area. Any suggestions on ways to creatively spruce up the room without spending a lot of money?

Dear friends,

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and the path that has led me up to where I am today. I've been thinking a lot about life decisions along the way, and specifically the people that I have surrounded myself at different points. In my pondering I have been thinking a lot about a specific acquaintance that I used to be very close to who I am no longer in communication with. I keep puzzling and puzzling over the events that led up to our estrangement, and the more I think about it the more frustrated I become. The whole thing was so silly, and yet we took ourselves so seriously! Continuing to think about this over a period of time, I decided that I wanted to contact and apologize, gain closure, and possibly resuscitate an old dead friendship. This person won't answer or return calls, reply to email, and I can't help but feel like a terrible person.

Have you ever lost a friend or someone you cared about to something you said, did, didn't do, and regret it? Do you have any advice to give? I'd sure love to hear it!

Thanks and love,
Ashley

P.S. Hope you all are enjoying this AH MAZING weather!

Sunshine!

AH! I love days like today. Blue skies, cool breezes, and a skin warming sunshine make spring my FAVORITE time of year. I can take or leave the holidays ( except the pie), and will take the blossoming spring weather any day. I was so enamored with this weather today that I got to enjoy my favorite part of this season - I rode home from school today with the top down on the bug! As frustratingly expensive as my little yellow convertible bug can be to maintain, I so love driving it. I mean, I LOVE driving it! I love going on drives on back roads where it hugs the curves, top down with the sun on my shoulders, and the music up so that I can sing a long. After a good drive I feel like I can take on anyone and anything. Bring it on spring, I'm so ready for you!


What's your favorite thing to do when the weather is this beautiful?

Woops!

In my attempt to update, refresh, and reinvent my little corner of the blogosphere, I changed the URL as well as the title. Because of that it has put some kinks into the ability to follow me if you were already doing so. SO, if you had me on a list, or were following me using blogger, you may need to delete and re-add the blog so that you can
A.) Get to the blog without any error messages, and
B.) receive updates on new entries.

Thanks, and sorry for the trouble! It'll be worth it, I swear!

P.S. Let me know if it gives you any trouble and I'll come rough it up for you.

Showers of Happiness

First of all, I want to say that I am unusually lucky in that I have some of the most amazing friends. I say this knowing full well that I am not the easiest person to get along with. When I asked Ashley Fister to be my maid of honor, I knew that I'd get a lot of help and advice, but she blew me away with her amazing skills, tireless work, and dedication to making this wedding memorable. One might wonder where one gets these fantastic traits. Well, in the case of Ashley, I think it's safe to say that her mother is a huge contributor. Ashley and her mother planned a fantastic wedding shower, went overboard with food, graciously hosted and entertained my friends and family in their home. It was a wonderful afternoon full of laughter, satisfied bellies, lovely gifts, and entertaining factoids about Jeff and I.

Lori( my aunt), Karen Parker( my grandmother), Libby ( my mother), and I. Three generations all on one couch!

Lovely friends! Ashley, Kendall, and Vanessa

The whole affair was so much fun that even Jeff couldn't stay away ( or I gave him the wrong time, either way, he was entertaining and helpful, and could not stop talking about days later)

SO much good food! The delicious cake was just a small portion of what Nancy and Ashley did!