Adventures of Newlyweds

My Phone Was Returned!

2012-02-25T13:10:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it?? I still can't believe it! Thursday afternoon I got an e-mail from my husband that said "your phone was just located in the building one hour ago, but it has moved". The dumb stealer turned the phone on and thanks to apple's genius programs (Thank you Steve Jobs), it automatically updated its location. We had already locked the phone the day I "lost" it so we knew that the person who had it could not get into it and gain access to everything. And I do mean everything because I run my etsy shop, blog, emails, facebook, and almost everything from my phone. In the e-mail you can see the gray dot showing the phone, below.....

When I got it, I got really excited because you can see that the building is shaped in such a way you can tell exactly which apartment it has to be in...the problem was not knowing which FLOOR it was on. It was late at night and I didn't want to go banging on doors and upsetting people who had no idea what was going on. My husband said "Print out flyers and offer a $100 reward!" So, I did and I put them up in the elevators. I decided to call the police too since we could basically see where it was, but they said unless you see who takes it that they do not come out for cell phones. Well it didn't matter because yesterday a weird number kept calling my husband's cell phone and when he answered a russian woman came on the line saying "I think I have phone, I found by pool, was all wet". Great, I thought...... they dunked it in water to ruin it. She told us where her apartment was and we went down to the second floor to get it back..... she ended up being in the EXACT apartment shown by the dot in the picture above. So obviously she had it in her apartment since Thursday when icloud located it. I had to basically grab the phone out of her hand because she didn't just hand it back to me when she answered the door, but she never asked for the reward money and couldn't really explain how she had it, except that she found it down by the pool...and she thought it was her daughters. I don't know, and I don't care because I have it back --- and I turned it on and it was perfectly FINE. Thanks to us locking the phone nothing was accessible so nothing had been tampered with! And it was still at the same battery level it had been when someone swiped it. Our guess is that they finally realized they couldn't use it, and then saw the signs for a reward and thought to cash in. But again, who knows and who cares----- I got my $600 phone back and don't have to pay for another one. Hallelujah!

Now, I can enjoy my weekend!

Over & Out,

Friday's Letters

2012-02-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Dear Husband, Thank goodness the weekend is here. It has been a tough week on so many levels. And then my phone got stolen, and then we were worried we might be evicted since our landlord is illegally sub-leasing to us. Let's do something FUN, okay? I love you. Dear Bella, It makes me so happy to go back through old pictures and see some of my favorite ones of you, like the one above from your first time swimming in Colorado. Dear Phone Stealer, I have been really really upset at you, whoever you are. I can't ever imagine stealing someone's things so I think you probably have to be a really low person. Regardless, its a material object and it is replaceable. I still hope you stub your toes everyday though. Dear San Francisco & Grand Canyon, I can't wait to cross you off of our bucket list in the next few weeks. Dear Friends, If you are really working on getting fit and healthy I have two websites to share with you: endomondo.com It uses your phones gps to track outdoor workouts and also calculates calories burned in workout classes as well. Even better, you can sync up your heart rate monitor if you have one for extra accuracy. The second is myfitnesspal.com ; you input your current weight, weight goal and it calculates how many calories you should be eating (broken down by fats, carbs & proteins) each day. Add workouts as well. These both have apps for your phone too. I am on both (ashleyjps on myfitnesspal and Ashley Slater on endomondo, find me!) Dear Husband, I am so excited about our tax return this year. Not only did we think we were going to have to pay (we're not), but we are getting way more back than we thought. All of this money is going to straight to the credit card... we are going to have it paid off by this SUMMER. I can feel it. Can you feel it?! Believe!!!!!

A Plague On Your House!

2012-02-23T00:32:00.001-05:00

A fork in your eye! A hoard of locusts in your yard! Boils! Hives! A nasty rash in an unmentionable area! UGH! These are all the bad things I am wishing on whoever swiped my beautiful, precious, wonderful Iphone earlier today. I wanted to cry. I went down to the pool and came back up to the apartment, went down the hall and picked up the laundry, came back and realized I didn't have my phone. I went straight back down to the pool (not even five minutes later) and my phone was no where to be found.....and the girls who were out at the pool had mysteriously vanished as well. It hasn't turned up, and I have located it via find my iphone, locked it, suspended service and now... I may just cry. So if you stole my phone and somehow found my blog through my e-mail I want you to know that you are a very bad person and I hope you stub your toes every single day for the rest of your life. Like the really bad stub that makes you hop on one foot, fall to your knees and cringe in pain. This is going to be one expensive loss.... I am so sad. And I feel so lost without it! I thought I felt alone before, but now, being stuck here all alone without any connection to the outside world (minus the computer) is really terrible. Ughhhhh. Give your iphones a huge for me, everyone.

Over & Out,

When The Grass Is Greener...

2012-02-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

Will you laugh at me if I tell you a secret? (Say no.) Okay, here it is--- we are living here in sunny, beautiful, perfectly temperate California and all I have ben doing these past few days is searching for homes for sale in Michigan. What is wrong with me? I have decided that I am just never satisfied. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade the winter for the glorious weather we are living in right now, but I am also getting so excited to have the adventure of searching for and buying a home. It makes me kind of giddy to think about husband going out to do "yard work" (that is man talk for tinkering with a lawn mower and walking around, hands on hips surveying the property). I could finally make use of the hundreds of home ideas I have pinned on my pinterest boards. A downside to this traveling thing is the fact that we haven't had time, money or space to start collecting pieces of furniture for when we finally do get around to buy a home. Literally, all we "own" (and I use that term loosely because we actually don't own anything) are some random pieces from husband's college days. But, like I said, we don't actually own those. So technically we have nothing as far as furniture goes, OR major appliances like washer, dryer, fridge, dishwasher, stove, etc. You may also think that since I am talking about buying a home that we have everything all lined up and ready to go, which is also not the case. We are doing this traveling thing to get to that point and hopefully it will be soon! We found a really awesome tool (amazing, actually) at mint.com It is a website that syncs all your accounts, debts, financial goals, and so on to give you the big picture. It automatically tracks spending, tells you which credit cards would be the best for you based on what you purchase and also tells you when you will meet financial goals. I can't say enough good things about it, and I would suggest you check it out! For those of you who ARE home owners, I am curious: did you spend more on a home that was already finished to your taste, or did you spend less and use the excess money to upgrade and replace things? What do you think the most important things are to look for when buying a home? Please, tell me everything!

Moving on, I have to introduce you to the cutest lady ever--

She is super sweet and super talented, and well.... I will let her introduce herself to ya'll.

***

Hello, friends and fellow lovers of Ashley’s blog! My name is Amy and I am the author of the Charming. My blog is about life & love : love of the world & all of it’s charm. I am a born and bred Georgia peach with big dreams, two cats and a new puppy, a dorky hankering for learning something new, one too many mugs for a coffee or tea fix, & a Nikon camera with several lenses “just in case.” Stroll on over to my blog for art, fashion, recipes, wellness tips and discussions, adventures, and just my little ole spin on life – I’d love to meet you! Have a wonderfully charming rest of your day!

Blog/Twitter/Shop

Over & Out,

Things To Do In...Los Angeles

2012-02-21T00:28:00.001-05:00

Though the news report had called for a rainy weekend, we woke up and pulled open the shutters hoping for sunlight. A few rays were peeking through the passing clouds. I started the coffee as the husband came out to survey the sky, his fingers quickly moved over his phone screen and within 10 seconds the radar and forecast was up. "It doesn't look like its going to rain, Ash" he said. Perfect.
"Well. Then we should go hiking. Somewhere with waterfalls."

And so, we did. With Bella in tow we headed into Malibu and found a tiny parking lot right off the PCH. We followed the road back through a neighborhood of fancy homes overlooking the ocean and found the tiny trail leading to Escondido Falls.

The hike took roughly 2 hours and we totaled nearly 5 miles. At one point the trail dropped off entirely and dozens of hikers lined up to grab a lone rope and walk themselves across a rock face to get to where the trail widened again. Obviously, this required both hands and I couldn't carry Bella with me across, so into the backpack she went. She was more content than I imagined she would be and even started falling asleep. The "falls" were covered with moss and very pretty, totally different than the colorado waterfalls though! Afterwards we decided to grab a sandwich and enjoy the last few specks of warmth on the beach. We found a popular surfing spot and watched the amateurs and a few pros ride the waves.

One thing I have noticed is that Malibu has some of the cleanest, most gorgeous beaches of anywhere we have been. I walked along the waters edge and marveled at the colors under the clear water. I was so excited to spot a starfish, a few crabs and even some fish.

I know that when we leave this place and I think back on California, I will think back on these beaches and all the beauty in such a tiny place in the world.

Over & Out,

Overheard in LA {Part 4}

2012-02-20T14:19:00.001-05:00

It is that time again... yes, time for more idiotic things

overheard in this crazy city of LA.... you will feel smarter after this...

::at Santa Monica beach::

guy: Sand is rocks that disintegrated over time cuz of volcanoes.

::while hiking runyon canyon::

girl #1: but seriously, you need to surround yourself with positive light.

girl #2: totally.

girl #1: like even if it is only one person who is your actual friend.

just have at least one person who just like, builds you up.

girl #2: absolutely.

::at the griddle, skinny blonde with far too much makeup on::

girl: I think she has like, definitely become a better person since I have been friends with her.

other girls: *fervently nod*

::at coffee bean and tea leaf, santa monica blvd::

middle aged woman to other middle aged woman: if you get the frap, make sure its a white frap

because the dark part of the chocolate is where all the calories live.

::On the Santa Monica Pier::

homeless person: come on people! how about yous put a penny in my bucket

and I'll go back to Venice and leave you the f*** alone!

::in the park:

girl: yeah I am not a big fan of like, orange juice, unless I am in like florida

and its like, fresh squeezed. otherwise, there is no need for that.

::in beverly hills, 10am:

guy#1: want to meet me for dinner tonight

guy #2: I can't, I have to go to the valley for work.

guy #3: oh gawwwwd. that is so far!

guy #2: I know, it is BS.

Ah, Los Angeles....you never cease to amuse me!
also, it is that time again! sponsor AON & be an awesome person!

email me: ashley@adventuresofnewlyweds.com to set up your sponsorship!
It's gonna be an exciting month!

Over & Out,

The Friend You Need To Have, Today! Like, Now!

2012-02-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

Don't fret, if you are here for Friday's letters you just need to scroll down below this post. I know what you are thinking, two posts in one day? Well, sometimes you just gotta go crazy. It's so funny how my version of crazy has changed in the past few years of my life. Seriously, a friend from Atlanta is in LA for a visit and he texts me last night to come out to a party... it was twenty minutes until Vampire Diaries and Bella was all snuggled into my lap and I just had to laugh out loud. Me? Party? The closest thing I get to a party these days is picking up shreds of toilet paper (courtesy of Bella) and throwing them in the air like confetti. There was no way I was going to brush my teeth, hair and change out of my husband's soccer shorts to go to any kind of party that didn't include my couch and my puppy. I know. I am old and crotchety. I have digressed--- the reason I am here for a second time is because I love this girl so so much and I just can't let another weekend go by without you knowing her too. She is the most adorable thing in real life. I mean, perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect outfit, and so fun. I wish we lived next door to each other and could share a backyard fence. We would throw blog worthy summer parties and take too many pictures. Our dogs would love each other and wear themed halloween costumes together. I can see it all. I am not even kidding a little bit.

***

Hi lovely readers of Adventures of Newlyweds! I'm assuming if you're a reader of Ashley's blog, we must already have the same amazing taste. Seriously, I had the pleasure of meeting this girl a couple of weeks ago and she is just as darling in person. And man is she funny. Like quick-witted-make-you-laugh-long-after-her-clever-remark-is-over, funny.

I contemplated kidnapping her but wasn't sure how my husband would feel about living with two bloggers. However, instead of focusing on what a creeper I am for stating that I essentially want to keep her locked up in our guestroom, let's get back to why I'm here. My name is Amira and I blog over at Shades of Gray. I live in Southern California with my husband and our little dog Lucy. My blog has more or less become a place for me to share the joys (and challenges) of being a newlywed, graduate student with a full time job. Sometimes I like to pretend I can cook and I'll even share recipes (they're guaranteed to be fool-proof.) But more importantly, I love networking with other smart and creative women through the blog world. I would absolutely love to meet you! Pop on over and say hello :-)

Xo,Amira

***

She is the best. You will just have to trust me on this one, okay? I rarely suggest you LEAVE me on this blog here but really, click over to Shades of Gray and make a new friend. A really great, genuine, down to earth friend. (come on, you know half of these bloggers are certifiable in real life! It's gotta be nice to know the ones who are really REAL!) Have a fabulous weekend with lots of adventures!

Over & Out,

A
p.s. I have a poll up, on the left sidebar at the very bottom.
I would love your feedback!

Friday's Letters {Beauty Edition}

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends, The following are my absolute, gotta have, beauty basics, I usually wear this stuff every single day. +1. Mac Mineral Blush: (huge color punch, these blushes last forever), +2. Mac Liquid Eyeliner: I prefer Clinique's Quickliner in Black/Brown but if I am feeling sassy I love a classic black liquid liner, +3.Bobbi Brown Eye Color Palette: I have found smoky, plum colors look best on me since I have blue eyes and a medium skin tone. Don't be afraid to play with colors! +4. Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer: although I miss Prescriptives concealer every single day this is the next best thing. sweep it underneath you eyes down to the cheekbone and all around. Instant perfection,+ 5. Sonia Kashuk lip color: find it at target on the cheap, I am loving the tangerine for this spring!, +6. Clinique Superbalanced (currently wearing cream chamois since I have to wear 70+ sunscreen on my face!) I can't tell you how perfect this foundation is, wether you are oily or dry skinned. TRY IT, +7. Mac Studio Concealer: although I wouldn't recommend this much (because it is full of oil and doesn't let your skin breathe causing breakouts); for emergencies this stuff covers anything. So if you have a zit on picture day? choose this!, +8. & 9., Clinique Lash Primer and High Impact Mascara: seriously the best two products you can ever buy for yourself. The primer makes a huge difference in length lash and fullness and I have never found a mascara better than the high impact in over 5 years, +10. Clinique Loose Powder: I love a pressed powder on the go, but you can't beat a loos powder that smoothes skin and gives a picture perfect finish, +11. This is Clinique's bronzer brush. Worth EVERY.PENNY., +12. Clinique Bronzer: honestly, best bronzer I have ever used. So natural, perfect coverage. Can't get enough. I wear it every single day! Dear Husband, I hope we have some really fantastic adventures this weekend. Let's just play it by ear and see where the days take us. Dear Bella, I am sorry the groomer cut your hair short all over and made you look like a boy. This seems to happen everytime. AND they were out of bows. (To see pictures, follow me on instagram!) Dear Everyone, Your comments on my post "something personal" were both amazing and humbling. I was overwhelmed with encouragement, prayers, your personal stories and more than anything, hope for the future. You all really mean so very much to me and I can't say thank you for the outpouring of support enough.

Just Lemons Today

2012-02-16T10:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, when I am in an especially good mood, or a particularly sad mood, or no mood at all, I will cut up lemons, salt them and devour them. You are cringing your noise and cocking your head to the side right now I am sure. It is one of my strangest habits, but one of my longest running. I remember being in, maybe first grade, and the dentist telling me I was banned from lemons because it was eating all the enamel off my teeth. I kept eating them. I was seven, and who needed enamel anyway? Nineteen years later I am happy to report that while I do not have perfectly enameled teeth, mine still work plenty fine and my lemon eating habit, (while subdued), still remains.

Lemons sort of scream summertime to me in the way watermelons, water slides and freshly mowed lawns do to others. Some of my favorite memories include sitting in bare feet and shorts on the front porch watching a thunderstorm roll in making the pavement steam and lift the heat of the hot Georgia summer. I would sit and lean against a post, one foot up, the other dangling out to feel the cool drops make muddy streaks on my dirty legs. A mason jar of sweet tea with little slices of lemon in one hand, me chomping on one of the lemons I had fished out in the other. My younger brother would usually always be buried as far back as he could in a closet under the stairs in the house, panicking that a tornado was going to touch down and destroy us all. Because of his panic my parents would be in and out and I would find myself alone to take in the summer storms all by myself. It was perfect and magical and simple.

This morning I woke up and felt a little of that nostalgia and grabbed a lemon out of the fridge. Today will be spent taking in the sun after days of feeling unwell. The in between moments will be spent snuggling little Bella and getting lots of wet noised kisses that only puppies can give. Today I will count the immeasurable blessings in my life. --Lemons, a sun that bravely rises each and every day, a sweet puppy, lovely memories and the ability to appreciate them all in the small ways, medium ways and large ways they shape my experiences now and the person that I am today.

Over & Out,

Things To Do In...Los Angeles

2012-02-15T18:05:00.004-05:00

Why, Santa Monica Beach & Pier of course...

if you leave Chicago on Route 66 and keep driving, until you can't drive anymore...

you end up HERE. So as you can imagine, there are all kinds that wind up visiting.

Overall, the pier was fun. It has a cool atmosphere, and lots to see.

It was a little dirty, compared to some of the other beaches and areas we have visited however.

We ran along the ocean, watched the waves, walked the pier and had lunch at Bubba Gump's!

santa monica beach

see the surfer swimming out?

serious waves!

I made a new friend!

this man just takes donations and lets people pose with the birds

lots of homeless people...made me wonder what their stories were...

this is husband's "bubba gump" face

Over & Out,

Something Personal

2012-02-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

I have thought about writing this for a while, but as I sit down to do it there just doesn't seem to be any words. When I wrote my year-end review post I mentioned that the husband and I were ending the year in a bit of a rough patch but didn't elaborate much further than that. I got several e-mails and sweet comments and they really meant so very much. I knew that some of you had experienced the same thing we were experiencing but couldn't bring myself to talk about it. Some things you just can't mentally prepare yourself for until it happens. And when it does, you try your best to process it, pick up the pieces and move forward. My husband and I can move forward because we have a great faith that underlies everything else, we trust and cling to the Lord and that truly is the only thing that makes life--and everything that brings-- okay.

A few days before Christmas I drove up to Michigan-- I had made an appointment with my rheumatologist and husband couldn't get out of work so I decided to make the trip solo. I needed to have blood work done to see how "active" the lupus was in my body and also, I wanted to talk to my doctor about the possibility of starting to try to get pregnant. Back when I was diagnosed, one of the first things my doctor in Denver told me was that it was fairly difficult to get (and stay) pregnant with lupus. Lupus views the embryo as an "invader" in the body and attacks it and tried to get rid of it. When a lupus patient is symptom free for a while, and blood work shows the lupus is "quiet" in the body, it is the perfect time to try to conceive and I really wanted to discuss all of this, including what a high risk pregnancy would entail with the extremely talented doctors at University of Michigan.

The day before my appointment, on a whim, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I saw a barely visible, faint second line and internally freaked out. I raced to the store and bought several more tests and they all came back with a faint line. My appointment was the next day, and I swear I spent half the day waiting for the official blood work to come back confirming it--- and confirm, it did. I was beyond excited. I cried tears of pure happiness and probably looked like a crazy person. I knew I wanted to tell my husband in person and he wouldn't be flying in until Christmas Eve. While at UofM I bought a baby shirt and socks and wrapped them up. On Christmas Eve I told my husband and I will never forget his reaction. It was perfect and wonderful and a moment I will always, always treasure. Although it was soon, we decided to share the news with our families on Christmas Day and we were all so excited and so happy and the possibility of the future--more moments that I will keep with me, always. As the days passed it became more and more real and we got more and more excited.

The morning came for us to drive back down to South Carolina, and I woke up not feeling very good. We loaded the car, got Bella ready to go and I ran to take one more bathroom break before we hit the road. I saw a small spot of blood right away. Alone in the bathroom I started to cry-- I had read that sometimes this is normal, but I think we know things sometimes subconsciously and I knew that this was not a good sign. I told my husband and his parents and we weren't sure wether we should stay or go... we decided to get on the road because a lot of the time it is normal and can signal implantation and we didn't want to jump to a negative conclusion.

The next few hours were nothing short of hellish. Somewhere in Ohio it got so bad that we headed to the ER. All I could do was cry, and at triage Jonathan had to sign me in and tell the nurses what was going on because I couldn't speak. It's funny how quickly I had attached myself to the idea of being pregnant. And how I knew what was happening even before a doctor confirmed it. I won't go into the details of being in the hospital--- but I would not wish that experience on anyone. On top of the pain, you get poked and prodded at and stared at when the staff isn't sure what to say. What hurts my heart the most about that memory is my strong, sweet husband. He was completely helpless in the situation and just as devastated as I was, but the entire time he remained positive and strong and just held me while I cried. The doctor came into the room after a few hours and gave a kind of shrug and told us we might have had a miscarriage and my hcg levels were below 5 meaning there was no active pregnancy.

I had already known that since I had woken up, but hearing it, and being handed papers saying it made it even worse. We silently left the hospital and got back in the car to complete twelve more hours of driving to get home. As you can imagine the drive was terrible. I just wanted to curl up in a bed somewhere and go to sleep and not think about it, but we had to get home and we couldn't stop.

In the week following I went through a slew of emotions. I remember feeling embarrassed that we had told our families, I felt like I had let everyone down and it was somehow my fault. I felt mad at myself, like my body had betrayed me, and I ached for my husband who had gotten so excited. In the end, we had to keep reminding ourselves that God was in control of our lives and had a plan for everything. We knew that something wasn't right with the baby that was forming and it was better for it to happen sooner rather than later. I know many of you have experienced that type of loss further down the road and I can't even imagine going through that after hearing a heartbeat and seeing an ultrasound.

We clung to each other and to our faith and resolved ourselves to try again, and trust God. And we did.

And in January the same thing happened. And honestly, I got mad. I couldn't understand why this was happening. And my lupus started to flare a little bit. We just were so disappointed. But during the time between finding out I was pregnant and then not pregnant, we had checked on our insurance and discovered we do NOT have maternity insurance like we thought. Basically, if I was pregnant right now, we would be paying for everything out of pocket (and high risk pregnancies have several more doctors appointments and testing done), so I can't even fathom the debt we would be going into right now. We honestly were not prepared on every front, and as painful as these experiences have been, it has also been a blessing in disguise.

For one, we know that we desire to start a family very soon. We now know that its not going to be as easy as we thought, and because of my lupus I am going to have to be extremely careful. And we will also have insurance.... kind of a big deal. We have decided to wait a while and enjoy our time traveling and just having "us" to worry about. We know that God is going to bless us in whatever way He chooses and we trust that, and we find peace in that. And honestly, we are in a very good place right now. We will soon be looking to settle down permanently in Michigan and pursue starting a family and in the meantime, we are loving the time we have just as husband and wife. We know that chilren change everything and this is a precious time we shouldn't take for granted or rush through. So we are soaking up the sun in California, and may try to head to Texas before calling this travel thing quits.

I know that so many of you have gone through something like this, or similar to it-- and the more I share it with people privately I am realizing that this is such a common thing. I wanted to write about this because I want us to all find strength amongst ourselves and know that nothing is wrong with us or our bodies. And more than anything, God is in control and His plan is perfect. Our faith in Christ anchors us and truly is the only reason we can get through life and be so positive and hopeful. I have been extremely thankful for this blogging world and the friends I have found and made within it... I truly feel like you all have been a direct blessing from God and I treasure you all more than you know.

Today, on Valentine's Day and in the midst of some of the trouble we have experienced in the past few months, I would like to take the time to thank my husband above anyone else. I can say he is wonderful and amazing but it will never do justice to his character. He is truly a man of the Lord, strong and unwavering. Faithful and loyal. I would never choose to navigate this life with anyone else but him. I am a richly blessed woman to have him in my life and my life is made whole because I have him by my side. He impresses me every single day-- I am so thankful God created marriage and love, and I am thankful He chose my Jonathan for me.

Over & Out,

Dr. Phil!

2012-02-13T19:19:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been MIA today......I was just hanging out with Julie & Dr. Phil all morning! I went to my very first show taping ever and it was so fun! We got up bright and early to head to Paramount Studios where the film both Dr. Phil and the Doctors and after a bit of a wait we finally headed in. We got great seats (2nd row, right behind the expert/family) so hopefully we will be on TV! I made sure I made extra "shocked" faces and hoped one of the camera men would single me out and put a shot of me on the show! Our show was called "Held Hostage by my Father" and was really graphic and sad... not sure when it is going to be in TV but I will keep checking the website so you can try and see Julie & I on the show! We are practically famous now..... when we were leaving we got VIP tickets to the Doctors! So excited to go to another taping with Julie and hopefully the husband can go as well! We had to leave our cell phones/cameras in the car so we only got a few pictures outside the lot!

Julie and I killing some time at astro burger.
please note our pile of dollars and change....
the restaurant was cash only so we were pooling our funds ($3.76 total)
to see what we could get. :)

julie!

me!

Over & Out,

Friday's Letters

2012-02-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog Friends-- yesterday I put up the short story challenge and after receiving over 45 sign-ups" I was so excited... and then only five of you linked up. I tip my hat to you five, you had great stories and were very brave! Dear Husband, You got me sick and I feel worse than ever today. I had big plans for the weekend and they are not looking so good at the moment. Dear Bella, You are the best little bebee ever. I love that I can let you off your leash at the park and you only chase toddlers and squirrels for a minute and then come running back over. Dear Santa Monica Pier, You did not disappoint yesterday: I got to hold a parrot, watch a belly dancer, hear live music and see a police rescue. and then I got to go eat a huge, juicy cheeseburger. You are kind of dirty, but I like you. Dear Husband, I hope you are ready for a disney movie marathon because I can't really swallow without cringing in pain and that is probably what we are going to do for the rest of the day, okay? Dear Police Chase Suspect, Yesterday you stole a car, crashed and then holed up on top of a roof a few blocks away. The seven helicopters, police sirens and firetrucks whizzing by all day made it extremely noisy and I was pretty annoyed. However, I love that you were "brought down" by bean bags. amazing.

Short Story Challenge Link Up!

2012-02-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

It's here, it's here! Today is the day to link up your short work of fiction. I am so excited to read what you guys came up with! And don't worry, if you forgot, the link up is open through next Tuesday so you can post it sometime soon! Here is my little work-- can't wait to hop around the blogs and read stories today! I chose the starter sentence (from the original post, found here) "It was one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong"... here is what I came up with (while watching american idol and eating a loaded baked potato, because I am a procrastinator!)

***

It was one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong. Since the alarm had rang at 6am that morning it was one disaster after the other. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and wiped the dripping sweat from his chin. "Figures", he muttered to no one. He worked to produce some spit but his tongue stuck to his cheeks and the roof of his mouth. Heat rose from the pavement in fuzzy ripples and small particles of sand whipped against his face. He walked into the middle of the highway and stared down at the badly faded line running down the middle.

The car had broken down four hours earlier and try as he might, it remained dead on the side of the road. He kicked the tire and immediately recoiled his foot in pain. "Add it to the list", he spat. Just for kicks, he stuck the keys in the ignition, and held his breath. The old Chevy strained, and the engine worked to turn over slowly-- and then kicked into high gear. A sound of disbelief and joy escaped his mouth and he hurriedly slammed the door and pulled onto the abandoned desert road. He caught his hand reaching for the air conditioning knob. "Better not chance it" he thought and pressed a little harder on the gas. He had no idea where he was, where he was going and how much gas he had until he found himself in the same scenario. The sun was setting and he figured he had maybe an hour left of daylight. He would have to hope he could make it to civilization--wherever that was-- before the sun went down.

About fifty miles down the road the engine started to groan and sputter. In the distance he could make out a few lights of what looked to be like a small city. The engine just needed to hold out a few more miles and then he could try and find someone to fix the heap of junk. And maybe get some food... he tried to recall the last time he had eaten. He couldn't remember. He thought it had been somewhere outside of Chicago just before he headed onto Route 66. The waitress in the diner had convinced him to to buy two pieces of apple pie. She'd had a little whisp of blue hair that she kept tucked behind her ear and had winked at him as he walked out the door. Amy, or Alison was her name...he hadn't payed attention. Had he even told her his name? He was thinking about the butterfly tattoo he had seen peeking out from below the hem of her pant leg when the car jolted and rolled to a stop. He was only about a mile away so he jumped out and started walking. He pulled a wad of cash and cards from his pocket and thumbed through to find his ID. Thomas Carthill, Pennsylvania, organ donor. Good, he hadn't lost it. The sun had been down for a while and the coolness of the air stung against his cracked lips. His knuckles were bloody from the fruitless attempts to fix the car.

The road curved and the small town came into view. The town, if you could call it that, consisted of a handful of buildings along the main highway. One cross street headed into a canyon where he could make out a few more lights of what he assumed to be homes. A cement building without windows was to his left. He hopped up the steps and raised his fist to knock when he spotted a bent metal sign that read 'Sheriff's Office'. He hesitated and considered his options. Glancing down the street his eyes darted back and forth looking for somewhere else to go, and when nothing stood out he went ahead and pounded three times at the door. After 10 seconds or so he pounded again and this time the door pushed open at the force. Inside a small box television was playing an old episode of Andy Griffith. An undershirt was hung over the bent antennae with plastic clothespins. In the corner a fan was running full blast. Blue foil strips tied to the fan rattled as the fan circulated hot sticky air. "Hello?" he called. The desk to his right held stacks of old yellowed folders and a desk calendar from over ten years ago. A half full coffee pot sat on an uneven counter next to a rusted sink. He glanced around again and yelled another hello as he walked across the room, twisted the sink knobs and ducked his head under. The pipes whined and yellow-brown water trickled out. He gulped the water up with his hand and choked down the metallic tasting stuff. Despite being filled with rust, the water offered a sweet relief to his dehydrated body. He splashed some on his face and a thin film of mud appeared on his hands.

He wiped the dirt on his jeans and headed down a corridor in the middle of the building. Small jail cells were on both sides. Small flickering bulbs lit the hall and one cell towards the back of the building was slightly cracked. "Is anyone here?" He came to the end of the hall and stood there puzzling over where everyone could be. A small movement out of the corner of his eye made him jump. Inside the open cell a man crouched in the corner clutching a Bible so tightly his knuckles were white. His eyes were bloodshot and he stared into the hall shaking his head back and forth. "No, no, no, no..." he was barely whispering and didn't seem to notice anyone was there. His eyes darted to the right hand corner and fear shot through his body.

Thomas turned and ran from the building as fast as he could... (to be continued, maybe!)

***

Okay now it's your turn, add your link so we can all blog hop and read stories today! If everyone really likes this, please leave a comment and I might consider doing this monthly or something. I think it is always good to do things to keep us creative, and we are all writers after all (yes, a blog counts!) Hope you had fun with this, thanks for linking up if you wrote something! If not, you still have until next Tuesday to post your short story and link up! Find the story starters here!

That Time I Ran Into Someone Famous

2012-02-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

Monday I went running.

I was feeling especially froggy (I have no idea what that means, but a lot of people say it).

I decided to run from our apartment to husband's job---6 miles away.

and guess what?

I MADE IT.

and I also ran into someone famous.

literally. slammed into.

the thing is, I am not sure who it was.

But she had a bodygaurd, waiting car and was coming out of bently/astin martin of beverly hills.

at first I thought, it was a RHOBH, and then I thought it was stevie nicks.

but I googled them, and that is not who it was.

so, it has been eating me up, trying to figure out just WHO I ran IN to.

the second part of the story is that it was cold out,

and I have been home sick ever since then.

But don't worry, I am leaving you in the

capable hands of the fabulous Anna...

go meet her and be her friend! She is pretty fantastic....

***

Hi! I’m Anna from Owls and Lace. I'm a twenty year old love of fashion, bright colors, cats, owls, laughter and owls. Newly single, and a college sophomore. We talk about all of the above in my part of the bloggy world. I also sometimes talk about dying my hair, and fighting off kidnappers. Equal opportunity for whatever craziness comes around, you know? Come join the fun, I like new friends!

Over & Out,

p.s. tomorrow is the short story link up challenge!!!!!

are you as excited as me?

I haven't even written my story yet!

GULP!

So-Cal Blogger Meetup!

2012-02-07T10:33:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to a southern california blogger meet-up. A few weeks ago when I signed up, the list was around 30 and I was overwhelmed by meeting so many girls (and at that point I didn't know anyone). Well, if I thought thirty girls was a lot, you can't imagine how nervous I was when the final guest list had well over 65 bloggers PLUS a waiting list to come to the event. Yes, event. Not hang out. The event was put together by a handful of seriously talented (and patient!) ladies. Tammy, Hollie, Olivia, Kelsey, Stephanie & Kai delivered in a huge way with over $3,000 worth of prizes (everyone won something, how cool is that?) as well as swag/grab bags for everyone. The venue was an amazing little sushi place called Roppongi's in La Jolla, California. It was amazing--- to say the least. Before the meet-up I had the opportunity to to drive down with my newest real life friend Britney to meet up with Julie from Smitten Minton's! I also got to meet Stephanie, Meg, Selma and Leann at brunch in Del Mar! Del Mar is a pretty beautiful spot--- green grass, cute boutiques, ocean. Amazing. Let me quit rambling and show you some pictures from the day. There may or may not be at least 30 pictures in this post. I couldn't help myself.

Brit, Julie & Stephanie (who is from Michigan! Represent!)

brunch at Pacifica Del Mar (if you live close, this little city is definitely worth a trip!)

julie's french toast....amazing, right?

julie & I

horse sized dog we ran into...

group picture by the ocean.... everything was fine until Leann yelled "a bird just pooped on me!"
we didn't believe her....until...

she showed us the poop! ah, crap. literally.

Oh, Britney is a model. No big deal.

closest thing to an outfit post I will ever get.
shirt: j.crew, jeans: target, boots: aldo

del mar living

AND THEN, we headed to the meet-up! As soon as we rolled up I knew that it was going to be intense, so many ladies, a professional photographer, and everyone was dressed to the nines. INSANE!

amazing appetizers

amira from shades of gray! I just love love LOVED HER.

handing out presents!!!

from left to right: tammy, kelsey, stephanie, kai, olivia

ashley krieger, do you see I am wearing your b-day gift to me?!

I won a cuteeeee dress from SHOP FRANKIE'S. Check out the online store!
I won the leopard buckle dress!

There was an awesome little photobooth spot too!

And then after heading to Smash Burger for some fries (obviously), we headed down to take a peek at the beach before rolling out. So glad we did, because not only is it insanely, picture perfect gorgeous, there was also a whole beach of seals (some giving birth) and it was an amazing sight to see!

look at this one smiling at the camera.... SO CUTE.

If you wanna ~~stalk~~ see more pictures of the blogger meet-up my the professional photog, you can see them all right HERE.

Over & Out,

p.s. are you getting your short stories ready for the link up thursday?!?

Valentine's Day...

2012-02-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

I remember being in high school and the handfuls of carnations that would be given out on Valentine's Day. You would know who was the most popular, the prettiest girls because they would have handfuls. Handfuls from secret admirers and not so secret admirers. The more carnations you got, the more desirable you were. It was a currency, and those who got them knew it.

I remember the awkward girl I was when I was 14. Frizzy hair, skinny limbs. No butt. No boobs. And I had a hard time. Honestly, I am still really figuring out how to put myself together. My two year stint with Clinique thankfully taught me how to flawlessly apply liquid eyeliner, and what shades were just right for me skin tone. I discovered a straightner, but have come to love my natural curls. I am okay with pale skin these days, because it means I am protecting it from damage.

I guess I am finally happy with the person I am. And I thought I was then, too. But those years are such a hard time, trying to figure out who you are, what you like, what you stand for. I don't ever remember feeling particularly envious of the popular girls who always seemed to be loving life, getting attention and flaunting perfectly styled hair. I just remember feeling uncertain of my place in all of it.

I love that Valentine's Day these days is much simpler. I don't have to fret over wether a boy is going to publicly announce he likes me via carnation gift. I have a very wonderful husband who loves me well every single day. I imagine I will get a heart shaped pancake with whipped cream and strawberries. Bella Louise will open her gift (yes, she is getting some themed stuffed animals to play with and a few really cute iced treats with sprinkles). It will probably be a day mostly like any other, and it will be perfect.

Maybe you want to do something extra special, and extra cheap for your honey. And I have just the thing-- these are called almost famous pancakes. They have cheesecake in them. Yes, this is real life.
What man doesn't love stuffing his face? Ultimate way to say "I Love You"... recipe below!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
11/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake
Cooking spray
Butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Directions

Mix the strawberries, jam and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl; set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.

Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve the pancakes topped with the strawberry sauce; top with butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, if desired.

What are you doing for your husband/boyfriend this Valentine's Day?

Were YOU one of the girls who got all the carnations?!

Over & Out,

Friday's Letters

2012-02-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog Friends, I haven't learned how to do a collage of pictures in photoshop yet, so you get to stare at a picture of me today that isn't related to anything from any of my letters. #fail Dear Husband, every night we go through the same thing... you get into bed, pull all of the covers out of the bottom and tuck the sheets under your feet. and then you try and tuck the blankets on both sides of you so you feel like you are in a sleeping bag. This has got to stop....we are not camping. And you are stealing all the covers. Dear Bella Louise, lately you haven't been satisfied with your milk bone treats. I think the PETCO treat bar really spoiled you. Dear San Diego Blogger Meet-up, you are tomorrow! I am so excited to meet so many fun girls and see a new city in the process! Dear California, We are kind of loving living here, but I still dream of the day when I can unpack all of our things (including never used wedding gifts) and have our own home. I am getting really tired of living "out of a suitcase" so to speak. Dear J (husband always gets two letters), last week when you were being a turd and you didn't get sweet letters you stared at me and said "you didn't write me any letters!?" You were so offended and it was pretty hilarious. Can't wait to watch the superbowl with you this weekend (oh wait...yes I can.) :)

Over & Out,

p.s. did you join the short story challenge?!

800 Degrees!

2012-02-02T23:03:00.001-05:00

After spending an amazing day at Disney (more pictures to come soon!)

We got the chance to meet up with our new LA friends Britt and her husband Marco.

We decided to try out a new place in the area called 800 degrees.

One of my husband's patients from Naples swore it tasted extremely authentic....

here is our night in pictures!

long line for pizza, but totally worth it!

upon entering the line you see your individual handmade fresh dough being shaped.

fresh sauce, and fresh cheeses (like the mozzarella pictures above) is added next

after going through and picking out gourmet toppings like proscuitto, pine nuts, arugula and caramelized onions..
(britt and her husband picking out their "extras"!)

THEN the pizza's get popped in an 800 degree wood-burning oven to be cooked to perfection.

I love IZZE

I got a proscuitto and arugula pizza....it WAS as amazing as it looks.

our pizzas! and can you believe these are $6-$10 bucks. crazy!

okay don't look at me, I was just the decoy so we could take pictures of timothy olyphant who was sitting right behind us.
celeb spotting! I am so LA now.

husband's margherita pizza...yum.

and then we went to a candy store, most amazing candy store EVER!

I wanted everything...... but had to keep reminding myself of my "get fit" goals. UGH.

I love rootbeer too......

and then to finish off the night, we headed to Diddy Riese (yes, we have been there about 8 times now)

nothing better than slapping some ice cream in between to cookies for a buck fifty. amazing.

It was a pretty fantastic pre-birthday celebration.

Pizza, celeb spotting, candy store, great company and ice cream and cookies?

I mean... what could have topped that?

also, you should head over to Britney's blog,

--she is the sweetest ever and my newest real life friend.

Over & Out,

p.s. do you like my new "pin", "tweet" & "facebook like" buttons?!

so. fancy.

p.p.s. don't forget to link up tomorrow for friday's letters!

Disneyland!

2012-02-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

I am so behind--- so today's Disney recap is coming to you in the form of photos.

I plan on doing a part two and talking about it in detail and showing you even more photos!

(These are the first pictures taken with our new camera-- obviously in auto because we didn't have time to

figure it out, and its our first canon so everything is backwards from the Nikon, but I am really pleased at the quality, even in auto!)

classic castle picture

flowers on main street, u.s.a.

new orleans sqaure

mint julep in new orleans sqaure

mickey ice cream sandwich in paradise pier

it was frozen solid but I was so hungry I kept gnawing at the edges as it melted

poor bella hated the kennel club. hated.

midway mania at paradise pier

paradise pier at california adventure

disneyland train

in line at splash mountain, like my middle school-esque shoes?

big band parade

fireworks show, disneyland

world of color watershow, california adventure

Pin It

Short Story Challenge, Sign Up!

2012-01-31T12:34:00.000-05:00

I got a pretty good response to my crazy fiction writing idea from yesterday. So much so, that I am going to go ahead and get the party started. I loved your reasons for wanting to sign up--some of you have gotten away from creating because you love it, others are choosing to write intentionally and not give up on something so important to them. Others have just never tried anything like it so they want to give it a go--- and I think that is amazing. You should always try new things, that push you out of your comfort zone. Like I said yesterday, I betcha some of you are amazing fiction writers and have no idea.

The Details:

So here is the deal, instead of partnering up and giving story ideas, I am going to list twenty five story starters below. These are the first sentence to your story, and you go from there. Let's all try and do a minimum of 500 words, if you want to do more then go for it. It's your story after all! You will have a little over a week to write your short story (fiction!) and we will all post them together on February 9th. I will have a link up here on this blog so we can all go from one blog to another and read everyone's short stories! (I AM SO EXCITED!)

Story Starters:

Shadows quivered on the wall as the candle flickered, then fizzled to nothing.

I could just make out the windows high in the castle wall.

She SO did not want to be here, especially when. . .

He slammed forward as the brakes screeched and the car . . .

It was the strangest thing I had ever seen, with tubes and wires . . .

The lane was night-dark, even at noon.

He stared at the credit card, numbers blurring in front of his eyes, wondering if . . .

She ducked as the plate smashed against the wall behind her.

She hesitated at the post box, not knowing if she should really send the letter.

It was one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong.

My hand trembled as I punched the number into the phone.

She knelt on the tile floor, carefully picking up the shards of glass. Why did it have to be this one that broke?

Colors swooped and swirled behind his closed eyelids as the music soared, taking him back to . . .

The chattering birds made her smile, until she heard a growl.

The dream last night had seemed so real, but it was just a dream, right?

The storm whipped the trees outside and she huddled into her quilt.

Sun, sand, sea—total relaxation. So why couldn’t he let go?

She watched his lithe body saunter away. “You’re engaged,” she reminded herself.

She tore through the alley, ducked into a doorway, and tried to squeeze into nothingness.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but somehow she had to confront her mother.

Trapped. A rat in a maze, a tiger in a cage, every cliché he could think of—he was trapped.

The building shook, lurching and jumping, and the little china horse fell off the mantel.

The prickles on his neck told him he was being watched.

The sun was soft and the boat rocked gently. It wasn’t so bad running out of fuel, until . . .

Damn. She didn’t know passports even had an expiration date.

So if this seems interesting to you then go ahead and sign up so I can get an idea of how many people are getting in on it---- and feel free to copy and paste this post and direct your blog friends to come back here to "sign up".

Over & Out,

p.s. so many of you are dying to know the celeb I sat next to Friday night....

so, drumroll please....

timothy olpyhant--- ow ow!

p.p.s: tomorrow I will have disney pictures up!

I'm 26!

2012-01-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

My whole week/weekend of birthday celebration has not disappointed.

Friday, we went and picked up our new Canon Mark ii 5d!

Saturday, we went to Disneyland & California Adventure and had a blast!

Yesterday we met new friends and had the best pizza and icecream...and we sat next to a celeb.

true story.

Today, is my ACTUAL real birthday and so far I have had a nice cup

of coffee and am cuddling with my baby Bella. Husband gets home in a few hours

and who knows what we will do, maybe take a stroll to the farmers market? eat some cupcakes?

we'll see, but I have to say that my birthday this year has been pretty grand.

Thanks for your texts, tweets, e-mails and facebook birthday wishes.

It makes me feel very loved!

Now I have something fun to pitch to you.

Ready?

I have been throwing the idea around about posting some short stories/fiction here.

Many of you know I am an English major but that doesn't mean I often get to be creative with my writing as I'd like. Most of the time I am writing mandatory essays and boring stuff. I know several of YOU are really great writers as well and last night I had a dream--- what if, anyone who wants to post a short work of fiction, sign up on this here blog.... Then, you will get a partner---- your partner will send you no more than 5 story "suggestions" or writing ideas that you can choose from (to get your creative juices flowing) and then, a few weeks from now we will all post our stories the same day and link up so we can blog hop and read fun short stories! I know to me, a english/lit/writing dork this sounds like the most fun thing EVER. I hope some of you will show some interest and then I can do an actual "sign-up" post. SO, if you followed all of that (its still early, I just woke up), please let me know by leaving a comment. I hope that some of you might be interested. Even if you have NEVER written anything before, it might be really fun to try your hand at it---- you might surprise yourself!

Over & Out,

Workout Playlist

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I am doing THE DISNEY. California style.

oh yeah.

I thought, while I am away I would share what has been getting me through

my workouts this week. (Yep, I started running...again.)

Speaking of, if you are on Edomondo.com look me up!

Okay, playlist time:

Obviously, I like some songs more than others...and some are newly added. So there ya go.

I hope it inspires you to push that one more mile.

Friday's Letters

2012-01-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

Dear Bella, Yesterday you had to get a distemper shot and since then all you have done is slept and not wanted to play. You are making me nervous, why don't you want to play like usual? Dear DISNEY, If everything goes right, I will be splashing down splash mountain this time tomorrow. Dear Husband, You don't get sweet letters this week because you have kind of been a turd (keepin' it real here ladies.) Dear Husband, even though you have been a turd, I kind of loved when I woke up in the middle of the night and you were curled up against me. That never happens. Dear Bella, I love giving you tastes of my lunch, just look at how much you are enjoying that goldfish in the picture above. I know I sure don't eat goldfish with my eyes closed....you are so cute. Dear Birthday, You are in 3 days but I will be celebrating you alllll weekend long. Dear Friends, You don't ever make a dang single one of the recipes I put on here do you? Well guess what, someone finally did. And they blogged about it. And they LOVED it!

And Dear Blog Friends--, last week I requested prayers for a young man lost on mount fuji. Here is the latest update from his family: This is Matt’s Mom & Dad: From our whole family, thank you for your prayers and support during this difficult time. The two mountain climbers yesterday made it to the top of Mt. Fuji, but unfortunately, did not find any signs of Matt. We really felt like finding Matt in/around the shelters high on the mountain was our last hope of finding him alive. These were the only shelters that were not already searched by foot. Due to the 13 days of sub zero temperatures, severe winds and extreme quantities of snow and ice, we feel that there is no longer any hope of a miracle. We know that Matt is in heaven with Jesus and we will now be focused on recovering his body. Our objective from the beginning was to maintain the hope that Matt would be returned to us in full health. Your prayers and the overwhelming support of family, churches, Facebook, co-workers and the community truly demonstrated the love of God and allowed us to keep that hope until all viable options were exhausted.

We received a pleasant surprise yesterday, January 25th, 2012, when a post card from Matt arrived. It had been sent to a friend and stated that he was having a good time in Japan and was sending the card from the 5th station on his way to the top of Mt. Fuji. He said, “It is cold and windy, but the sun is shining! :) A beautiful day for a climb! Have a great day! –Matt”

Matt was doing something that he loved and we are comforted knowing that we will see him again in heaven someday"

So heartbreaking. :(

* please make sure if you link up that you a)are writing letters on your friday post and b)link back to this page with the fridays letters button, found on the right sidebar ----->>> and then scroll down. :)

Overheard In LA {Part 3}

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got the link to this youtube video sent to me several times and its sooo funny and sooo true. And just for kicks, I have new "overheard in LA" conversations for you!

::during an evalution, courtesy of my husband::

woman: so my other doctor told me like, weight lifting is the only way to lose weight

husband:....ookkay?

woman: but not, like, any cardio. It's just all about diet. and maybe weights a little.

husband: well, cardio is still a good way to lose weight, really any combination--

woman (cutting him off): um, no. not cardio. I am just going to listen to my other doctor.

husband: well I am not going to argue with you. but you can lose weight with cardio.

woman: no you can't.

::at Trader Joe's::
woman: I don't think you are supposed to eat stuff that is inflamed.
man (with look of horror): it was inflamed?!

::at the park::
girl #1: so I moved in with Richard.
girl #2: ew. so you sleep in the same bed as him?
girl #1: well its like a king size bed so we don't touch.
girl #1: he is a serious actor you know. he is going to be rich.

::outside of CVS::
edgy girl #1: I am so glad I got my period.
edgy girl #2: what you aren't on the pill or anything?
edgy girl #1: no, I don't put chemicals into my body. *takes drag of her cigarette*

::at the park::
girl #1: I am sooo hungry. like starving.
girl #2: me too.
girl #1: want to split like, a small fro-yo?
girl #2: yesssssssssss.
girl #1: its got like no calories.

yes, these conversations really happened.

don't forget to link up your friday letters tomorrow!

OVER & OUT,

In Love With...

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

santa monica pier, dusk. (nikon d50, ISO 100, 10s, f/2.8)

Photoshop CS5... just, in love.

I don't even know what is going to happen when I get my Canon this week.

SO MUCH HAPPY DANCING.

I also have a secret to spill--- I might be getting to go to Disneyland

this weekend for my birthday celebration. My fingers are crossed that my husband

can work it into the budget. Because, I mean, going down Splash Mountain is my

HAPPY PLACE.

(I am serious. It is.)

and then, next weekend I get to meet some fantastic ladies

at the san diego blogger meet-up. There are a lot of girls going and

I am pretty excited to meet new friends! (and also extremely nervous...

its like the bachelorette or something!) Husband and I are making a weekend out of it.

and that is where all you san-diegans(?) come in.

We will have 48 hours in the city and we will have Bella with us.

What should we do? Where should we stay? What should we eat?

I am counting on YOU to tell me so I can make the most of those hours!

leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail, I am ALL EARS.

ashley@adventuresofnewlyweds.com

Turning 26...

2012-01-24T10:42:00.001-05:00

My birthday is next Monday...only 6 tiny days away.

I will be 26, officially on the the "late" side of the twenties.

Kind of scary how short life really is... I mean, what have I been doing for twenty six years?

How did it creep up so quickly?

NOW...

Now; check out Shauna Veasey's photography if you haven't already!

AND THEN...

my pretty momma and me (sidenote: spaghetti is not one of my favorite things anymore....)

***

So, I also have been getting tagged a lot in these "get to know" bloggers posts,
and I have not done a single one. But then I figured, with so many new faces
around these parts, it might be kind of fun and a good way for you to get to know
me, owner of this here little blog, a little better.

Okay, so, Raquel over at Dream Out Loud (love her) tagged me, and I have to answer her
specific questions.... so heeeeeere weeeeeee gooooooo.

1. If you could have any superpower what would it be?

So, I kind of think those people who train and qualify and participate in Iron Man challenges
must have superpowers. I would love to be able to push my body to accomplish something like that.
So I guess I would be an ultra-athlete (that is a super power, kind of...right?)

2. What's your biggest pet peeve?

My husband has this terrible habit of leaving every cabinet he gets into WIDE OPEN, so
when I go into the kitchen all the cabinets are just opened up and he also leaves all the food
he uses OUT, even stuff that needs to go back into the fridge, like MILK. It annoys me to no end.
And just to be fair, he is working on it and doesn't do it quite as often these days...

3. If you could do or be anything (career wise), what would you be?

I have always felt that eventually I am going to run my own business-- although, I have
so many interests that my problem is going to be honing in on ONE project at a time
and giving it my all. This probably won't happen until we settle down somewhere.

4. If you were given $5,000, how would you spend it?

Ready for a boring answer? I would put it towards paying off our LAST credit card.
We have been paying of credit cards and wedding costs the entire past year and with the end
so close, having that last little bit to finish it off would feel fantastic.

5. Favorite clothing/makeup item?

I really haven't been allowed to do too much shopping since I got married (see: credit card debt), which brings me to a very serious piece of advice for all you engaged/single ladies-- stock up on clothing, makeup and other frivolous items before you get married. Trust me. One thing I haven't given up is my Clinique makeup. After working for the company I will never use another brand, for so many reasons. I can't live without my lash primer, high impact mascara and black/brown quickliner!

6. What is your favorite thing to do on your free time?

Um. Blog? hellllooo! and take pictures, and play with Bella, and cook fancy dinners.

7. Who is your guy celebrity crush?

Ian Somerhalder. Hands down. No contest.
Okay, I also think Rob Lowe is pretty cute for an older guy too.

8. What's your favorite song at the moment?

Jason DeRulo-Don't Wanna Go Home (perfect song to run to, lift weights to, feel like a BA to...)

9. What are your favorite clothing stores?

Forever 21, H&M, TopShop, Banana Republic, JCrew, ModCloth

10. What's one thing you want to do before you die?

It used to be skydiving until we did that really terribly STUPID thing in Colorado.
Now? I would just love to somehow, make my mark and do something bigger than myself.

11. If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

In the WORLD? well, I have never been out of the country, besides going to
Jamaica for my honeymoon. If I had to choose within the U.S. I might say Utah.
I always think it is just the most beautiful scenery with great hiking and outdoor activities.
I have been loving L.A. but I am not sure I would ever want to live here permanently.
Michigan will most likely (unless God has other plans) be our permanent home in the very near future.

Over & Out,

Meet My Friend MEL!

2012-01-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

So, when I found that one of my dear friends from my middle school and high school days was blogging I was really excited. Melanie was seriously one of my ~~only~~ best friends throughout school. I can't ever remember being around her without laughing. And not just regular laughing, I mean like cracking up, snot running out of your nose, RIDICULOUS laughing. She is living in Boston now and making her way in the world. Her blog highlights her writing skills (seriously, amazing writer) and humor. Basically, check her out.... is what I am saying.

Hi! I'm Melanie of Lord knows, I love to dance (points for knowing the reference!). I am an amateur/avid baker, blogger, writer, and seamstress. My days are spent looking for new things to make, whether it's crocheted, knitted, sewn, handwritten, or mixed. (Well, my weekend days and week nights, thanks to my day job as a production editor...) I've been blogging about all of these things for almost a year now, and it's become my favorite way to track my progress and challenge myself to be better. I've become a bit of a blog-reading fiend, making time each day to scour Bloglovin', so I'd love to meet other bloggers! Come on over and say hi!

BLOG

isn't she the cutest?

I know!

***

Second, I couldn't let you go without sharing with you one of the most hilarious things that I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I really am not being dramatic when I say that-- it truly was one of the funniest things ever, EVER. And of course, my husband has to take the shame---

---(although I think he thought it was funny and wasn't embarrassed at all).

Okay, SCENE: We went to the closest Red Box to return a movie.

please note the people in the line in front of my husband (husband is wearing the plaid button down)

okay so there is a teen in one of those awfully tacky shirts with swirls

and glitter and skulls and crap... then his dad.....then a little boy.....then? his mom?

what I need you to find is the man leaning up against the right side of the red box....

do you see him back there? see him? good. He is holding a cup. You need to know that, its important.

SO, my husband is standing in line for what seems like forever,

because we always seem to get behind the people that insist on scrolling

through the ENTIRE catalogue of available movies to rent-----

even though they know all you want to do is return a movie.

They still take their sweeeeeeeeet time.

So husband was standing there. and standing. and standing.

then, I see him move.

husband, what are you doing? where are you going?

he heads around the group of slow poke movie renters and moves towards that man I pointed out to you in the background.
His hand goes into his pocket.

What IS he doing?

He takes out..a dime? And goes to drop it into this "homeless" man's cup.

"Homeless man" blocks the dime.

"AAARGHHHMMMOWWWWWWW!" says the homeless man.

What is going ON over there?

At this point a strange dance is occurring between my husband's arm which is trying to dodge

"homeless" man's arm blocks , and "homeless" man is starting to freak out.

That homeless man is going to stab my husband.

Husband turns around and gives me the funniest look.

The slow poke movie renters are gone so he returns the movie.

The homeless man has walked away and husband comes back to the car.

me: what was THAT all about?

husband: so that homeless man's cup?

me: yeah

husband: it had coffee in it.

cricket. cricket...............

me: you tried to put change into a COFFEE cup full of coffee? (I start laughing)

husband: yes. basically I just told a man he looks homeless and he isn't.

At this point I have tears in my eyes and am hyper-ventalating laughing.

husband: and he had a turned in wrist and he was trying to block me with it,

and he was mumbling something and I was so confused.

husband: see? that is why I never give homeless people money.

You try to help someone and see what happens?

Ohhhhhhh man, it was the funniest thing that I have ever seen. And of course we re-enacted it the whole way home (I got to play the role of my husband AND the homeless man).

Only in LA I guess....

Over & Out,

I Want YOU.

2012-01-22T12:37:00.001-05:00

Is that too forward?

We all know February is the month of love, so I am spreading some love around the interweb and offering 20% off all of my sponsor packages! If you are interested in pricing or have any questions please shoot be an e-mail. (Currently there is only one large ad available, three medium and 5 small spaces!) I would love to work with you! ashley@adventuresofnewlyweds.com

over & out,

A

*update: large ads are taken, a few medium and small ads are still available.

Sunday Series: Your Spiritual Health, Part 5

2012-01-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

We are continuing on with the Sunday Series, again these books are called The Homebuilder Couples Series (click to order). They are meant to be led devotional style together or in a group of couples. My husband and I choose to do them together once a week. It helps us understand each other and improve our communication. Marriage is something that should always be changing and growing stronger. This takes actual work. It doesn't just magically happen. Couples have to decide that complacency isn't okay and strive to become everything God intended for them. This is just one way to start and continue that process in your own relationship or marriage.

Today we are going to discuss:

Freedom To Fail

so grab some coffee, grab your bible, and grab your honey to participate with you!

warm-up: Big Dreams
discuss this question between yourselves or your group. Yes, this is an icebreaker! Go with it!

What is one of the riskiest things you have ever tried?
If you knew you couldn't fail and money wasn't an issue, what is one dream you would pursue?
What failure in your life can you look back at an appreciate in some way?

Blueprint

Failure is inevitable in life. No one does it right every time. Our spouses can give us perspective and help us confront a challenge or deal with painful times--wether we have lost our keys or our jobs. Failure can be divided into two categories:

failure that is sin (such as lying, lust and greed)
failure that is not sing (such as an honest mistakes, misunderstandings, and forgetting something).

While all sing is failure, not all failure is sin. During this session we will look at the impact if sin and at some steps you can take to help each other deal with failure. The primary question is, how do you respond when your spouse faces failure?

The Impact of Failure

1. As a culture, we have developed success syndrome that says only people who are healthy, wealthy, and powerful have worth and value. What do the following scriptures say about this philosophy?

1 Samuel 16:7
Matthew 6:33

Six Steps to Giving Your Spouse The Freedom To Fail

During the remainder of this session, we will look at the six steps that you and your spouse can take to give each other freedom to risk failure and the strength to recover from it.

Step One: Offer forgiveness and restoration.

Read Luke 15:11-32.

2. From the story of the prodigal son, what can we tell about

the son's feelings of worth in the midst of his failure?
the father's response to his son's humility and desire for restoration?

3. What does this parable illustrate about God's love and acceptance of you? What is the lesson here for you on responding when your spouse fails?

Step Two: Assure your spouse of your commitment, loyalty, and love regardless of performance.

Read 1 John 4:18.

4. How can the assurance of your spouse's love help you when you are going through a difficult time?

Step Three: Remind your spouse: "Your with is not in what you do but who you are".

Read Ephesians 1:13-14.

5. How can a person fail without being a failure? When your spouse fails, how can you send the clear message that he or she is not a failure?

Step Four: Comfort your spouse with the truth that God is in control.

Read Romans 8:28.

6. Share an incident in which God brought good out of one of your failures.

Step Five: Join with your spouse in giving thanks in all things.

Read Thessalonians 5:18.

7. Why should we thank God even amid our failures?

Step Six: Encourage your spouse not to lose heart when failure occurs.

Read Corinthians 4:16-18.

8. How can your spouse best encourage you during your difficult times?

Answer these questions on your own.

1. What is failure you have experienced during your marriage?

2. What effect has this had on your marriage?

3. Which of the six steps does your spouse do best? Give an example.

4. Which of the steps do you need to use more to help your spouse?

5. In your life right now, how willing are you to take risks, despite the fear of failure? Evaluate your current risk factor on a scale of 1 (no willingness to risk) to 10 (freely willing to risk). What ranking do you give yourself and why?

6. Where do you fear failure? Choose the top two:

at work
as a husband or wife
as a parent
in managing finances
in managing the household
in a new venture
as a friend
in your emotions
as a christian
other:__________

7. Review the six steps, make a note of the ones that you need the most from your spouse: Forgiveness and Restoration, Assurance of commitment, loyalty and love regardless, Reminders that "my worth is not in what I do but who I am", Being comforted with the truth that God is in control, Joining your spouse in giving thanks in all things, Encouragement from your spouse not to lose heart. For each step you chose, write out a practical way your spouse could meet this need for you.

okay, now you two can come back together to answer the final questions together!

1. Share the following with each other:

What do you most remember wanting to do or be when you grew up?
As you grew up, what things either encourages or discouraged you from achieving your dreams?
What is one dream you have now---now matter how far fetched---that you would like to try someday?

2. Discuss the questions you answered on your own.

3. How can you make your marriage a safe place in which each of you can risk failure?

4. Together read 1 Peter 4:8. What perspective does this verse give you on your spouse's failures?

5. Pray together. Thank God for giving you the freedom to risk failure. Thank God that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you and your spouse can express the same freedom to each other. Thank God for your spouse.

Mark your calendars for next sunday when we continue the series with Part 6!

Read Part 1, Here.

Read Part 2, Here.

Read Part 3, Here.

Read Part 4, Here.

Over & Out,

Things To Do In...Los Angeles

2012-01-21T13:43:00.000-05:00

Diddy Riese...

Need I say more?

These bad boys are only $1.50--- that is right ONE DOLLHAIR and fiddy cent.

You get to choose two different flavor cookies and your flavor of icecream to create

custom ice cream sandwiches. We have been twice, in two weeks.

I am thinking it will be a weekly thing. You cannot beat $3.00 bucks for a date, right?

In other news, did you all hear picnik.com is closing?

I for one, am sad-- I pretty much lived for that airbrush and mascara effect!

(Oh don't act like you didn't use it to!)

Because of this devastating news I will spend today really trying to learn my photoshop

program. This is going to include a lot of googling and tutorial watching.

WISH.ME.LUCK.

Happy Saturday!

Over & Out,

p.s. do you like the new blog layout?

or the old one?

let me know!

Friday's Letters

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Husband, What do you think the chances are that those two creep-tastic men we saw while hiking the hollywood trail last week had something to do with the severed head found a few days ago? Y I K E S. Dear Britney, I loved meeting you last night. Sorry if I talked to much or acted like a weirdo. What can I say, blogger meet-ups make this girl nervous. Plus I haven't much real life friend interaction in a while. Dear Bella, When I am going about my business and I look up to see you staring at me from across the room I get really creeped out. (see above photo). Dear Griddle Cafe, with the forecast calling for rain this weekend I think it will be perfect opportunity for husband and I to indulge in your amazing breakfast offerings like Kahlua and Bailey's swirled pancakes and hot chocolate french toast (yes britney, I looked it up, yum!). Yes and YES. Dear Canon Camera, I can't wait to get my hands on you! Dear 26th Birthday, you are only 10 days away! YAY for birthdays! Dear Husband (who always gets two letters), I can't wait to see my special surprise for my birthday... you are getting me a special surprise, yes?

grab the button and link up your letters below!

Dear Blog Friends, I have a very serious request: A friend of a friend named Matt Johnson is a man who went to Japan on business last week. He decided to hike and camp last Saturday on Mt. Fuji. A storm blew in and he never reported for work on Monday. His car was found at the base of the mountain, the snow has been so intense search and rescue teams have had a hard time going up. By the time you read this he will have been trapped on the mountain in freezing temperature for more than 6 days. Matt and his family are christians and like me, believe God is a BIG and powerful God. I sincerely covet your prayers for Matt and his family-- specifically pray that the search and rescue team finds him (there will be more hikers this weekend, so pray that someone sees something). Also pray that Matt has been able to be resourceful and find shelter and keep himself warm enough to survive this. I can't say why certain tragedies occur, but I do know that God works for our good. I also believe that through him miraculous things can happen. Please take 5 minutes out of your day to cry out for this man and his family. It has been on my mind night and day, and I can't even imagine his families fear, anxiousness and sorrow over this. Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them". +For updates on the situation check out the "please pray for matt johnson" FB page, HERE.

Skillet Style Tilapia

2012-01-19T11:32:00.001-05:00

First, I know that today I was supposed to post my husband's answers to your sports injury questions, and I promise it is coming but he has just been taking his sweet time in answering them (something about working 10+ hours a day? Hmm, I wouldn't know anything about that!) I promise it will be up next week. Lots of you asked about shin splint prevention and rehab so be prepared for a lot of detail on this area!

Moving on, I thought that it had been a while since I shared a recipe with you all. Since we moved to LA I haven't ben able to use our stove because some identified piece of food is lodged somewhere in the oven and sets off the earsplitting fire alarm every time I have tried using it. Our landlord said she just never used the oven.....ha, great option landlord. Geez. Needless to say I have been doing a lot of stovetop ~~and microwave~~ cooking. We have tried to be extra vigilant about making healthy dinner choices since fresh food is so available here.

One of our favorites is tilapia (or really any white fish-- I just find tilapia to be the most economical choice and it tastes great). We usually also buy a bag of frozen fillets. Again, more economical and wallet friendly. Fish is so easy and so quick, and honestly, if you are not a "fish" person you should at least give tilapia a chance. It is the least "fishy" fish around. Tastes like chicken....kind of.

Like I said, get creative! If you choose asian inspired flavors serve fish over a bed of brown rice with a side dish of softened veggies like kale, mini corn, carrots and snap peas. With Italian flavors serve over a bowl if whole wheat noodles. Chop up fresh tomatoes and basil to sprinkle over the top. Add a dash of parmesan to the top! One of our favorites? FISH TACOS. Instead of using a zest I sprinkle salt, pepper and chili powder, garlic, paprika, and a pinch of salt over my fish. Once cooked I crumble it up and serve in whole wheat wraps, avocado, sauteed: green/yellow/red pepper and onion, fresh tomato, lettuce and a sprinkle of mexican cheese. Serve with light sour cream and salsa on the side.

Seriously, you can dress fish up in such a way that it will taste an awful lot like chicken. It is a great source of lean protein. And subbing regular flour tortillas/white rice/regular pasta with whole wheat will make such a huge difference in your waistline and health. I know some of you claim that whole wheat anything tastes a lot different and takes some getting used to, and that may be true. (Personally, prefer the taste). If you are trying to lose weight or just get in shape and lead a healthier lifestyle then the excuse of a small taste difference is...quite honestly...laughable. It comes down to priorities and what is the most important to you-- why not indulge in full fat pasta when dining out save CLEAN, healthy eating for home? It's small steps and subbing out things that will make a huge difference. TRUST ME. (Seriously, trust me. I live with a doctor you know. <<<---instant credibility).

Over & Out,

p.s. be sure to link up tomorrow for the triumphant return of Friday's Letters!

p.p.s. welcome new followers, you rock my world.

Things To Do In...Los Angeles

2012-01-18T12:24:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed a theme with my Things To Do In Los Angeles posts yet? If you haven't-- the theme is freeeee. Gotta love that. My latest greatest "free" find in LA is the Original Farmer's Market and The Grove. When I heard "farmer's market" I thought "super, we can pick up some fresh veggies to use for lunch!" --but when I got there I was so surprised. It wasn't what I expected at ALL (in a good way). Not only were there fresh veggie and fruit stands, there were also meat markets, bakeries, eateries, clothing & jewelry vendors and EVEN a dog bakery where you can bring your pup to pick out fresh gourmet treats! I was a little overwhelmed with all the ethnic food surrounding me. I wanted to make the best decision because husband said I could buy lunch there (sidenote: husband is a stingy dutch person who hates spending money on food because he feels it is a waste, so when he says I can buy food at a restaurant I kind of freak out. Also, what is he thinking? Food is pretty much the reason for breathing.)

I seriously made at least 4 laps around the entire market and even almost stopped to ask random strangers what they were eating and where they got it. After about 30 minutes my hunger took over and I got in long line (hey, if it has a long line, it has to mean that the food is phenomenal and everyone wants it, right?) RIGHT! Turns out, I got in line to La Loteria, one of the top 50 "budget" restaurants in LA. My nachos were $10 dollars of heaven. I literally watched them wash the dirt off the tomatoes, chop them up and sprinkle them on my dish. So, so fresh.

On the way out I spied a Brazilian BBQ stand and I cannot wait to make a return visit to try it out. We will definitely be returning. Right next door is an outdoor shopping center call "The Grove"-- you get two hours of free parking and the third hour is $3.00 and then $1.00 every 20 minutes after ($15.00 max). There are shops, restaurants, a cinema and a TROLLEY. It's a beautiful shopping area and with so much to do you could literally spend the day there. Loved it.

Oh and then we got stuck in nightmare Golden Globe traffic.....

this would be fun to be in the middle of, except you can't even SEE the celebs because they are in their limos and there are crazy protestors, crazy fans, and crazy amounts of security. Next time we will

make sure we know when these things are going on so we can choose a different route home. OYE.

Overheard in LA...Part 2

2012-01-17T00:10:00.000-05:00

First Things First--I am linking up with one of my favorites to show off my tattoo.
Head over to Raven's @ A Momma's Desire and Pacifiers to see blogland's INK!

One of two tattoos I have...the wrist tattoo. So original, I know. I was 18 and rebellious, what can I say?

Now onto the ridiculous things I have overheard while living in LA...

::working with a patient at the gym, discussing the nice vehicles in the city::

Guy: Oh, the BMW 3 Series is the Honda Civic of LA.
(*Courtesy of my husband)

::at the beach::
girl #1: the marine layer is so bad today.
girl #2: no, that's just smog.
girl #1: what's the difference?
*both shrug*

::at the beach::
(at the beach, 10yr old little girl runs up to her dad-- who by the
way looks like he is 24 and is drinking a beer with his friends)
girl: dad, do you have a band-aid?
dad: aw, F@&#^@&! what did you do?
little girl: I cut myself on a rock
dad: the beach is NOT a playground! sonofab*@#*!

::at the original farmer's market::
Guy #1: I then I went to Fresno,...
Three random people: HEYYYYYY!
(*I still do not understand this, someone please explain?!)

::In Target::
Girl #1: So what are like, good, like, mixers?
Girl #2: OMG, get Vitamin water because then we will get, like, vitamins
and electrolytes and stuff.
Guy: So we won't be hungover?
Girl #2: TOTALLY!
All Three: *high-five*

::while walking the dog::
Girl: and my parents won't put a pool in even though like everyone else has one!
Guy: omg, why?
Girl: Because they said we live on a fault line or something gay like that.
Guy: *Uh-NOY-ingggg!
(*annoying)

Feel better about your life now?

YOU'RE WELCOME.

Over & Out,

p.s. I am also over HERE today!

Find Part One Here

Things To Do In...Los Angeles

2012-01-16T12:01:00.003-05:00

I have been so lucky to get lots of e-mails and suggestions from you all about things I need to see and do while we spend our three months here in Los Angeles... I especially have been relying on Megan (from Across The Pond) because she knows the city like the back of her hand and has given me some great suggestions on what to do.....including heading to Malibu to Zuma (beach, that is). It is a fantastic and beautiful area--- so clean. And don't worry about the online warnings of "no pets" because there were no less than 20 dogs when we went last weekend. You can do this beach for FREE if you park along PCH, or you can drive in and pay to park for the day-- but free parking is only a mile away, so get some exercise and save your money! Once you get there, you will see a HUGE rock formation called Pointe Dume. There are usually always rock climbers here, and if you go around it there is a hidden little beach called Paradise Cove. So beautiful and so worth the 25 minute drive from LA. We were fortunate to be there past sunset and HOLY TOLEDO BATMAN, the sunsets were incredible. It honestly didn't look like real life. It was amazing. Be sure to grab breakfast/lunch or a quick cocktail on the beach at Paradise Cove & then head back towards LA and make a stop at Duke's. We did, and we will be going back! It was amazing! I am going to start with the sunset pictures because...well, you'll see...

Dinner at Duke's---overlooking the ocean! And the food was AMAZING. I scarfed by fish tacos DOWN.

Perfect way to spend a Saturday? Oh, yes...

///

Week at a Glance:

Tuesday: Overheard In LA Part 2; Post over @ Across The Pond

Wednesday: Things To Do In La--Original Farmers Market & The Grove

Thursday: Your Sports Injury Questions answered by the husband!

Friday: Friday's Letters Link-up Returns!

Over & Out,

Things To Do In... Los Angeles

2012-01-14T00:33:00.002-05:00

This week has been just a whirlwind of change-- good change, mind you but change nonetheless.

Adjusting to a new city, traffic patterns, people, and life in general.

The have all been really great changes, and as fun as our time in Myrtle Beach was, we are really

enjoying California and all it has to offer. Fresh food, warm weather and lots to do--like

Hiking Mt. Hollywood & visiting the Griffith Observatory!

If this looks familiar to you, its because you have probably seen it. It has featured in the Terminator movies, Transformers, Rebel Without A Cause as well as things like Paula Adbul's "Rush Rush" video (I used to kind of love Paula Abdul...straight up now tell me), and even an extra special date on ABC's The Bachelor. Yup, it's seen all kinds of movie stars-- and guess what? It's all FREE!

That's right--- F R E E. The grounds, parking and entry to the observatory are all free and they

even host twice monthly "public star" parties where anyone can come and use the MASSIVE telescopes (with an astronomer) to view stars, planets and constellations for-- you guess it-- free.

Gotta love that right?

view from the top of the observatory, looking at downtown Los Angeles

view from the same area, but at sunset

You can turn around from here and get a great view of the Hollywood sign--- but unless you have

a zoom lens on a camera this is about as good a shot as you can get (the angle is tricky)--

without zoom lens (although this is a lot closer than it appears here)

WITH zoom lens..... and no, you can't climb on the letters. they have it under surveillance. I checked.

The observatory is located inside Griffith Park which has over 53 miles of hiking trails.

The trails reminded me a lot of being in Colorado-- high desert feeling, a fair amount of elevation increase (aka-- jogging these would be a fantastic workout, a brisk pace got our heart rates up!) If you head to the observatory the trailhead for Mt. Hollywood is marked clearly, and hiking up this way will give you a fabulous 360 degree view of the downtown LA to the southeast, hollywood to the south and the Pacific Ocean. I absolutely plan on returning to these trails for some exercise and a trip to the planetarium at night for some star gazing! Here are a few pictures from the actual hike itself!

and a little video of the 360 degree view from about halfway up the hike--

It is definitely a nice afternoon trip to make, or a perfect spot for a date too!
Over & Out,A

Well That's Impressive California!

2012-01-13T09:33:00.003-05:00

When my husband mentioned that McDonald's was giving out free coffees through January 22nd I got a little more than excited. Free? Coffee? What words could sound more perfect together? Unfortunately (or fortunately, I guess) there aren't too many Mickey D's in the area. BUT there is one on Santa Monica Blvd that I pass everyday while driving husband to and from work 3 times a day (more on that later). I finally stopped in and bounced inside to receive my free cup of deliciousness when I saw THIS SIGN.....

Oh yeah. California requires this sign be displayed in all fast food joints that "brown" or "fry" their foods. I am not sure why this poison ends up in coffee but all I know is that it is not natural and not something I am going to be putting in m body anytime soon. I have developed quite the distaste for fast food over the past few years and this just put the final nail in the coffin for me. I am not sure how anyone can choose to ingest stuff like this whenever there is proof that it can kill you--- if not immediately then at some point through diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, etc. It's just not worth it.

Naturally, right after this I hightailed to husband's new place of work and let him be my "personal trainer". It went pretty well, but I met an actual trainer who looks and acts JUST like Eddie Murphy (no joke), except super buff. He is going to meet with me and start doing some things so I can get all big & swoll. And hopefully tanned while I am rooftop as well because Lord knows I am pretty much glow in the dark in that picture up there. Embarrassing. (but not enough not to include it in this post. duh).

Now, for the fun part! I have talked my husband into doing a VLOG with me answering YOUR questions about: sports related injuries, injuries and recovery in general, health, training (working out, running, etc.) Any and all questions are welcomed. Shin splints? IT Band pain? exercises on the go? opinion on when you should get an MRI? Seriously, let him have it!

Comments on this post will be private so if you have a question you feel is embarrassing the whole world won't see it. I can't wait to see what you come up with, I would like to see if you can stump him!

over & out,

ashley

Overheard In LA...

2012-01-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

These are just a handful of the conversations I have heard while being in LA...

::girls pulls up to cedars sinai to drop off male passenger::

Guy: Just drive a few blocks over and find somewhere to park

Girl: You mean there is no VALET? *rolls eyes, speeds off*

::at a starbucks in beverly hills::

Guy: If you live in Riverside, you can, like, get cancer from the air.

Girl: I know, it's, like, so depressing.

::Outside Tao Athletic Club (husband's work)::

Girl #1: I got invited to that valley party next week so I scheduled botox for tomorrow.

Girl #2: such. a good idea.

Girl #1: I know, right?

Girl #2: Tooottaaallly.

::Walking along Wilshire Blvd::

Girl #1: Let's hit up the beach tomorrow.

Girl #2: Okay, but I have to go tan first.

Girl #1: Me too.

(because the sun at the beach probably just won't cut it?)

::on the elevator in my building::

Me: So, do you know if there are any wal-marts around here?

UCLA student: what's that?

::while walking the dog::

Guy #1: OMG, I think I am getting sick because of this cold weather.

Guy #2: I knooowww, I had to get out like, an extra sweater this morning.

Guy #1: SO inconvenient.

Guy #2: Not cool at all.

(the "cold" weather was 63 degrees today... and I am pretty sure it warmed up to 70...)

****

Pretty hilarious, right?! Every single time my jaw just dropped. I would be irritated by the entitled attitudes but its amusing because it is just. so. ridiculous. That is what is nice about living here and not just vacationing-- we are really getting a taste of the locals and the people that call this place home. Speaking of that, I got stuck in traffic because the People's Choice Awards was going on about 7 miles away from where husband works. It's weird that it has been going on since the afternoon here, and my parents on the east coast have already started watching it and its not even on tv here yet. And its also weird that the people I see on tv and film every day are right down the road. I thought I would be a little more star struck, and I do think its cool to be seeing some "celebs", but at the same time I am not getting into car wrecks and freaking out because someone famous is sitting at a cafe eating lunch and I happen to pass them on a drive. It's just neat to be around, the city is so energetic and full of life. You can't help but get outside and start the day because everyone else seems to be up and awake! Any of you SoCal dwellers, if you have any "must-see", or "must-do" things while we are here let me know!

here are some photos from the "sky gym" where husband is working--

I know I look like I am going to fall asleep standing there.
and I felt like it...I haven't recovered from the drive yet!

see the hollywood sign?

oh hiii husband!

I am planning on getting pretty buff at this gym. Starting tomorrow.

Husband is going to be my personal trainer. That could go WELL or not so well.

I hope it goes well or I will have to find something else to do to entertain myself

when he is away at work. Like drinking lots of the California wines-- which might result in

me acting like this---- just like this, in fact..

(no really. ask my husband..)

yes, I am watching toddlers and tiaras right now.
Don't judge me.

Greetings from SoCal!

2012-01-10T17:26:00.004-05:00

We MADE it, we're alive! We successfully drove over 2,500 miles in less than 72 hours. It was intense, but because we split up driving it was do-able. The drive west of albuquerque was beautiful too--- we just wish we would have had more time to stop and see some of the sights along the way, but we decided to take some time after this job is over and travel back to the Grand Canyon and spend a long weekend. Problem solved. If you follow me on twitter or instagram you got to watch our trip unfold over the course of the weekend. It was so fun to be able to keep ya'll updated that way! If you missed it, I am going to share some of my favorite pictures and a few videos below!

DAY ONE: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas

1. Filling up in Myrtle Beach, Bella wondering whats going on, and a weird thing I saw on the highway

Early into our drive my husband received a call from a facility in Dallas wanting to interview with him--this had been the position we had been holding out for because we have some friends in Dallas and thought it would be really fun to be near friends (plus, there a handful of bloggers I would love to meet there!) Anyways, he got the call and we were like crap---here we are driving to California and another position has come up, so we weren't really sure what was going on. We decided to wait and see if Texas called back to offer him a job while we continued driving towards my grandma in Alabama....that is when I took this video.

Later in the day, we still hadn't heard back from Texas so decided that at that point, we would have to say no to them and just continue on our original plan to move to Beverly Hills...and thats what we did!

entering georgia, more filling up and jonathan behind me in the rear view mirror

atlanta!, seeing my grandma for dinner and to drop off husband's car, a creepy mcdonalds employee staring at me.

arkansas, potty breaks, and finally in the hotel room past midnight in little rock, AR--

DAY TWO: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona

This day was brutal. We left little rock at the crack of dawn and decided to make a huge push that day.We figured we could at least make it the 15 hours to albuquerque, NM but husband pushed 5 hours further to make it to Flagstaff-- making it a 20 hour driving day.

waffles!, hello little rock!, and I always think a log will fly off and impale me thanks to the final destination movies.

can you spot bella?, weird clouds, and maybe amarillo, tx? it's hard to say, that day was a blur

scenery-----

historic route 66

new mexico to arizona

DAY THREE: Flagstaff to Los Angeles

breakfast, our view from the hotel in flagstaff, the final push to LA!

arizona, stopping right on the border, little bella checking things out

bella's favorite spot, in-n-out, my first taste of in-n-out! and not my last! NOM!

LA, Beverly Hills, palm lined streets

OUR FIRST DAY HERE

our apartment pool, me LOVING the 75 degree weather, our first lunch of sushi & moscato!,
trader joe's shopping, palm trees, and our view of BH from our apartment at night,

And I took this video last night as husband was coming out from his first day of work!

My first thoughts so far on California? Everyone here is beautiful and thin and super stylish. The grocery stores don't really sell many unhealthy things, you mostly have to choose from fresh ingredients which is probably one of the reasons people are so in shape. I mean, if you can't buy it, you can't eat it right? Also, besides neighborhood areas, main roads don't really have speed limits posted. I take Santa Monica Blvd to get husband to work in the morning and you basically go with the flow of traffic. And I haven't seen any cops yet (knock on wood). Also, its really fast paced here. Everyone is on the move--places to go people to see and all that. It feels a little like New York and Atlanta but 10 times cleaner, and ten times more glamourous. This city seriously holds a monopoly on glass front windows and buildings... everything sparkles and shines and I am not even exaggerating a little bit! The weather is fantastic and I just can't wait until husband gets out of work Friday so we can head over to Malibu and put in some quality beach time. Our studio apartment is so much better than we expected. We prepared for the worst and were pleasantly surprised. It's clean and the building is full of students and physicians/lawyers so its relatively quiet. Bella is allowed in and out and can even come sit down at the pool with me. I can walk to Trader Joe's and do my shopping which is ideal because traffic gets pretty thick from about 10am to 5pm. SO-- to recap?
So far, so good!

On The Road-----

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday and last night, things happened really quickly. As you read this we are on the road from myrtle beach headed to the next job...... Beverly Hills, California! Insane, right? Well, it is. And we have no idea what awaits us, and we are nervous about the TINY studio we will be living in. But we are taking a huge leap of faith and fulfilling a dream to live and be in California one time in our lives! We would appreciate lots (and lots, and LOTS) of prayers about the 40+ hour drive we will making (we have to be there sunday evening to get our studio, husband reports for work monday morning!), prayers that his job is great and prayers that we don't vomit when we see our new living arrangements. We are nervous, but excited.... its going to be an adventure for sure! If you want to follow along our trip this weekend, I will be on twitter and instagram. Not sure when we will get internet when we get there, so until then those two places are the best places to keep up with me!

Over & Out,

The Bigger Picture

2012-01-05T09:21:00.001-05:00

I have to be honest with you all. Since this little blog has started to grow and grow I have begun to feel an overwhelming sense of wanting to use this space a lot better. As much as I love talking about myself (let's be honest girls, we all do or else we wouldn't have blogs, right?) I can't shake the feeling that I should do something important here. So the wheels have been turning in my head. After such a strong support for my etsy shop, Fetch & Co., I realized how much POWER we have in this blog world of ours. Do you all realize what a huge audience we have, amongst ourselves? I am talking thousands upon thousands of people, even hundreds of thousands. Yes, US... us single young girls, housewives and new moms. I think that is pretty special, if you think about it.

It is a new year and this year I want to do at least one thing to change someone else's life. And, if you read this blog I know your heart is probably the same as mine and that is something you aim to do as well. But what can we do? What project should we pour ourselves into? Where does God want to use us? I haven't been able to figure it out....until last night. I found a more than worthy, life saving, important, and POSSIBLE project. And this weekend I am going to be working out the details...but once they are worked out, I can't wait to share this with you.

And its going to be something you can do, your kids can do, your spouse, friends, family--- its going to be that easy to make a huge difference. a life and death difference. I hope you all stay tuned, and start to pray about this. Pray for the project, pray for the lives it will touch and pray and ask if this is an area God is pulling on your heartstrings to get involved with. I cannot, cannot wait to share this with you all. I am so stirred up and excited about the impact I know we are going to make.

Here is a sneak peek of what is to come:

Over & Out,

You So Fancy

2012-01-04T16:23:00.001-05:00

Breaking news: I got my hair cut today...which is kind of a big deal because, last time I had it professionally cut it was in Colorado. As in, 8 months ago---It was such an expensive salon visit that I made a deal with my husband that I would not go pay to have it done again until 2012. Girls with long hair-- have they ever charged you more because you had more hair to work with? That is what happened to me at Aveda in June, I went in expecting to pay $75ish and walked out paying over two hundred dollhairs. So, maybe you understand why I had to promise not to go again until the new year.....

BUT, I didn't go today because I hadn't gone in 8 months.

The reason I went today was because of a sweet e-mail I got from my husband this morning. And sorry if this embarrasses you husband, but I am going to share it with my blog friends here, because I think you are just the sweetest thing...

"Ashley, I was thinking about it and since you had a rough couple of weeks i want you to go get your hair and nails (mani/pedi) done, maybe get a facial, massage... Whatever you want. I want you to feel fresh, beautiful and rejuvenated and ready for our next adventure. And I love you and just because you deserve it. "

Pretty sweet right? Too bad he doesn't realize that ALL of those things would cost a lot a lot of money, so I won't be getting all of that done. But I did take him up on the haircut offer, because LORD knows I needed it. It was perfect and I feel fantastic--- amazing what a little trim, shaping and a blowout can do right? Also, a few days ago Bella got a haircut as well! I decided to save the $40 bucks that petsmart charges and do it myself. She thinks I made her look like a little boy dog and has been pouting about it. I told her it would grow back out, but she was still upset. Poor little Bella.

I also would have loved to announce where we are moving next, but things are just all over the place and so uncertain. Husband was officially offered the job in Beverly Hills, Ca but for some reason it just doesn't feel right. Not to mention the going rate for housing is about $4,000 which would mean we would be in a great area, but not have much money to do anything while we were there. That, and the drive is pretty intense. But you never know, we may end up going there after all. All I know is that I am ready to have some kind of a plan. I have started packing and getting things as ready as possible for us to roll out of the dirty myrtle, but it all feels a little out of control not knowing WHERE we will be driving in less than 48 hours. That is partially the nature of these travel jobs. Something could come up in the next day that we absolutely love and we could be on our way. It's just hard to say right now. And we really had our hearts set on Dallas--- I am just going to take several more deep breaths and let things play out. They have always worked out in the past and I know we will be fine no matter what, even if it that means we head back to Michigan to see our families and re-group. If nothing else, being on this travel job adventure has taught me to be a lot more flexible and laid back. I can't freak out and plan every single detail, I have to trust my husband, trust the process and let go of the control. And that has been really good for me. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some news (any news!) to tell you, but until then I would welcome the prayers that the Lord leads us to the exact location He wants us. Not the coolest spot, or where we "want" to be--- just where we are SUPPOSED to go.

oh, and one more thing. I am selling this here fossil watch. If you like it, message me for details. You know you want it. (no, nothing is wrong with it-- its just a gift from an ex-boyfriend and its time to get rid of it!) Here is the link to the watch at fossil.com--> CLICK HERE!

p.s. I haven't heard from the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway!

Message me girl, or I will have to re-draw a winner!

Over & Out,

Meet The New Girls...

2012-01-03T09:07:00.001-05:00

I have some beautiful new sponsors to introduce you to this month...

Of course, you will hear more about them personally but for now, here is a glance.

Meet Tori of Keep Calm & Carry On

BLOG/ TWITTER/ PINTEREST

She is a smokeshow isn't she? Listen, you NEED to go visit her blog

because she puts up the most WEARABLE fashion that I have seen.

You know lots of those "fashion" blogs and the outfits are super, SUPER

expensive and impossible to create? Well, Tori doesn't do that. She pairs

things together perfectly, and is generally really inspiring. Plus, she is a doll.

Go say hello to this girl!

***

Meet Stephanie from Stephanie & Such

BLOG/ TWITTER/ PINTEREST

Stephanie is one of my favorite girls ever. You can't FIND a more down to Earth

gal. No kidding. She had such a crazy year and she powered through it,

head held high. I am so inspired by Steph too-- her new year's goal?

Run a half marathon! Please pay her a visit and cheer her on!

***

Meet Amira at Shades of Gray

BLOG

So, I am only ~~slightly~~ extremely obsessed with this lady.

She is so adorable, and I love reading her blog every day.

She is hilarious and gorgeous and I love that I could see myself living her life.

(Hey, if we move to Beverly Hills this weekend then maybe I can even go MEET her.)

anyway, she is just all around cool, without even trying which is why you should

hurry over and check her blog out, and stalk her pics like the one above (amazing, no?!)

Go say hello!

***

Meet Liz from Here's to Handy Andy

BLOG/TWITTER/PINTEREST

Liz is a daily DIY inspiration. Seriously, she is crafting

faster than you can pin her photos on pinterest! She comes up with

THE most clever ideas that are pretty inexpensive too. Her blog is bookmarked

for the day when I own my own home! And of course, her husband Andy helps

out on her bigger/power tool requiring projects...hence the blog name!

Go check her out now and show her some love!

***

Meet Jeanine from Wayfaring Girl On A Mission

BLOG/DESIGN

I will tell you why I love this girls blog.... because we could be best friends

in real life. Why? Because she has the best taste in television and I could

just sit with her and watch all my favorite period piece inspired shows......

So amazing. PLUS, she does some pretty amazing work in her business...

graphic design and photography just to name a few. Head over and

say hello, fall in love with the amazing pictures on her blog and become a follower

(because that is probably what will happen!)

GO!

***
Meet Amy over at Oh So Charming

BLOG/TWITTER

Amy is one of my newest reads--- she has so many fun things to choose from
on her blog. I am talking crafts, wellness, beauty, photos-- she really has it ALL.
I don't know how these girls like her have it all together like that! Amazing! :)
She is a Georgia girl like me, so I already love her to pieces. Isn't she a doll?!
I would love it if you would join me in getting to know Amy even better.
Go say hello to her RIGHT now!

***

INFINITY LINE!

I am really excited to talk about Infinity Line-- and while this is just a little blurb, I can't wait

to introduce the owner and creator behind this fabulous line. SO what is it? well, SOY candles for one.

And also super luxurious body whip (its like a souffle of moisture....ahhh.) and so affordable.

I can't stress how affordable it is! Just check it out for yourself!

PLEASE visit these ladies and leave them some love!

*******************

crazy blogger

Now let's get down to business. I KNOW you all watched the Bachelor last night. Don't pretend like you didn't! My husband even gets in on the bachelor/bachelorette action these days and I don't blame him-- it is like a train wreck that never ends. Let me first establish that I think Ben is a big 'ol BOOB. He is not funny, charming or witty. He is pretty awkward and looks like a hobbity cave man to me. I just had to get that out because I do not know what the draw is with him. I know Ashley H. turned him down and it was sad (oh wait, no it wasn't!) but really? There are so many more actual eligible bachelors I am sure. And I am starting to get annoyed that they pick the next person from the previous season. [end rant] My next issue? The BLOGGER they had on the show, Jenna Burke aka little miss hot mess. Is she serious? She must have some serious acceptance issues if she broke down over one ugly girl saying she didn't like her. I mean, really? JENNA, girl-- get it together. You are giving us bloggers a bad name. And by the way, I visited her blog, the over analyst, and I can't really find much a blog, just a lot of pictures and things to click. I think its under construction because it, like her, is a hot mess.

I also have an update. Husband has been offered a job in Beverly Hills. Pretty cool, right? Well, cooler than THAT? He would be working at Sky Sport gym, the same gym where the Bravo show workout was filmed with trainer Jackie Warner..... yeah. go ahead and CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Insane, right?

If he takes this job, that means friday when he is done working we have to roll out of myrtle beach and drive, drive, drive, DRIVE because they want him to report for work Monday morning. Oh yeah.

and we would have to find a place to live in the next 4 days. It is the only real offer he has right now,

and honestly we weren't even trying to GO to California (we were trying for Texas), so maybe this is God just giving us a very clear path instead of giving us a choice. Maybe He wants us there.

So, if that is the case, everything will work itself out but I am still a little anxious about plans

coming together. And you know, the 42+ hour drive isn't that appealing either.

But California for three months? That would be a nice adventure I think!

Over & Out,

A

p.s. the winner of the shabby apple necklace is...
Lisa from two nowaks and one gabezilla
congrats girl!
e-mail me to claim your prize!

Worry, Birthday Cake and a New Year

2012-01-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated husband's 29th birthday. I worried throughout the day though...which is something I have never had to deal with. That tugging, creeping, pit-in-the-stomach feeling. This past week we have faced many challenges and asked "well, what was that for?" one too many times. Worry. Husband's job ends here in South Carolina on Friday and we have no idea where we are going after that. Worry. The only job offer he has received so far just doesn't feel right, but it might very well be where we go. Worry. And finally, last night after having a lovely birthday celebration, tension came to a head and we got into a medium sized argument. And then I was unhappy, and husband was unhappy. Worry, worry, worry.

We went to bed, argument resolved, but still--- that small, nagging feeling of worry turned into full fledged dread as I drifted off to sleep. And that is when I had the most terrifying and vividly realistic dream I think I am have ever had. And I still feel that scary pain of anxious worry in my chest this morning, which is why I am sharing this with you.

In my dream, I was dying. Not a painful blood and guts kind of death. Something that could actually happen to me: my lupus was flaring out of control and the medicine wasn't working. My lungs were hardening and I was ultimately being slowly suffocated. Morbid stuff, I know. It wasn't a dream with random, crazy details like most dreams have. It was so real, and every event that occurred is something that I feel like could (worst case scenario) happen in real life.

So, I was dying and the people I loved most slowly started to pull away from me-- since, I wouldn't be around too much longer. And I was getting worse and the doctors urged that I should just choose my time of death instead of "drowning alive" (their words in the dream). I chose to follow their advice and then was terrified at the prospect of actually dying. ---and what that meant.

I started to wonder, even though I think I would go to heaven, would I? really? I didn't know. I couldn't say. I was panicked, frightened and completely helpless to what was going on around me. This part of the dream was hazy, I just remember thinking how much MORE I could have done. I could have prayed more, and meant it more. I could have done more for others, and I could have treated my husband better. Worry. Could have. Should have.

And then, finally my dream came to a close with my precious baby bella dying. And my friends, family and husband had left me because I wouldn't be there soon. I don't think I can explain how awful it was. And how real. And how important... for some reason or another.

As I sit here this morning I can't shake the feeling of how fleeting and temporary our lives are. And I am not going to go all crazy on you and say that God was speaking to me in a dream, but I am not going to say that its not possible either. Perhaps a not so gentle reminder of what is really important-- and how none of us, not me or you, really have that much time here on Earth.

I know, I am being a debbie downer over here, and what a great way to start the week--- but it feels so important I had to share it. I have been asked maybe ten times in my life "what would happen if you were to die RIGHT NOW?" Usually its by some pastor in a sermon, and you don't really think about it, or its a little more serious and you maybe say longer prayers for a few days and eventually you forget it, and return to your everyday routine. So I don't expect my random dream to make any of you actually ask that question of yourselves for real-- but maybe you will think about it.

I am not sure why I had the dream I had. But I think it was because I need to quit worrying about very small things, and focus on the very big life or death things. Like my relationship with God, and growing and cultivating it every single day. Not letting it be crowded out by worry and fear and anxiousness. Or maybe it was so this morning I could be extra thankful for the blessings that I do have, the ones that are surrounding me all the time. Because I can tell you that I did hug my husband extra long this morning, and squeeze baby Bella extra tight.

For the first year ever, this year feels like a fresh start. A clean slate. And as scary as my sleep was last night, I appreciate that I can start this year out shedding the "worry" that doesn't really mean a thing at the end of the day. I am sorry to be so heavy so early in the week but it was on my heart in such a huge way that I couldn't ignore it.

[awkward segway]And if this post was too morbid, you can scroll down one post and I am still giving away a really cute time keeper accessory from shabby apple. and here are a few more pictures of our New Year's weekend-- because I am not ALL gloom & doom today!

picture on left is totally for erica @ young & fabulous. :) and on the right? I always tend to touch

my face and pooch my lips out to distract from what I think is a big nose. my husband says I am crazy.

We are our own worst critics though--

Did you all have a fun NYE?

What did you DO?

oh yeah, and go below to enter the giveaway!

Over & Out,

It's 2012! Let's Celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!

2012-01-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012!

Are any of you awake right now or did you party hardy last night?

Today is also an extra special day here because its my husband's 29th birthday!

Happy birthday husband! YAY!

Now onto business... a giveaway New Year's Day Giveaway!

***

When I was contacted by Shabby Apple to host a giveaway, two thoughts went through my mind

"did they accidentally e-mail me?"

and

"how can I rig this so I can win some jewelry for myself?"

HERE IS WHAT IS UP FOR GRABS:

your choice of ONE of the following necklaces handpicked by yours truly....

----or----

I absolutely LOVE these oversized watches.

So hot right now! Winner gets their choice!

So how do you enter? SIMPLE,

(open for US readers only, runs through midnight monday 12/2)

Mandatory (1 entry):

just Follow Shabby Apple on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.

Want more?

(+1 additional entry): visit shabby apple and tell me what piece of jewelry you like the best!

(+1 additional entry): follow shabby apple on twitter

(+1 additional entry): follow the shabby apple blog

so there you have it, a possible 4 entries...

maybe you didn't get exactly what you wanted for Christmas.

so this is my gift to you.

You're welcome!

p.s. don't forget to wish my husband a happy birthday!
It MAY just count for an additional entry!