Paisley

Monday, February 20, 2012

And the fun don't stop!

Whew! Guys, life has been crazy busy!

Like I have been so busy Michael has taken it upon himself to clean our house 3 times!! I haven't cleaned it in sooo long! But things have been good the past couple of weeks!

Yes, I am working 55 + hours a week...but I'm finding that work life balance they talk about except its like. Workkkkkkkkk 8-7 then hurry workout....then doing something fun...then go to bed...do it all over again!

So why not get caught up on what i've been doing?

I have a hefty amount of pictures on my phone so here we go!

- I have been running...well when time permits

- I have been trying to cook new recipes...well when time permits --- Tonight we made spaghetti squash with chicken, peas, broccoli, sundried tomatoes, and garlic and it was tastey and you couldn't tell it was healthy. Michael even gave me a high five.


- I have been patiently awaiting becoming an auntie! Michael's sister is due on the 21st!! whoop whoop! exciting!

- I have been trying to read but failing due to my busyness and trying to incorporate fun into my life.

- I went to the UK vs Ole Miss Basketball game on Saturday. Walked straight from work to the game. It was awesome and it made me a very happy lady.

- I have been taking full advantage of our free work meals on Saturdays. Um hello can you say Panera bagel + half a pumpkin muffin + fruit for breakfast?!?! So I definitely wasn't that hungry for lunch and filled up on pudding with bananas, cool whip, and nilla wafers!
- I have been having a movie night with my love Becca, with wine, and peanut butter m&ms and cuddling under blankets.

- I have been counting down the days until Michael's match day ---25 if you'd really like to know

-I've been mentoring my girl Adrielle. Bowling and getting our nails done all in one week?! super fun!
  

- I've been celebrating birthdays...you know...Kara's birthday...cause she's awesome


- I've been enjoying large margaritas!
 
- I've been playing scrabble with awesome friends...you know like real life words with friends?!


- I've been celebrating Valentines day (post to come about this wonderful day)


 -I've been enjoying the little things in life like Dunkaroos!


- I've been visiting Columbus to visit the very Cute Drew and Catherine Hamilton while enjoying a tour of the city and some fancy ice cream from Jeni's and yummy lunch from North Market (Columbus has reached the top of our list of places for Michael's residency)(this is gooey cake ice cream!)

I've been spending a TON of quality time with my hubby since I have been home the passed 2 weeks and it's been wonderful. Just the perfect work pick-me-up I needed!

 
It's been great! It's been crazy busy, but I'm young, I can handle this. At least I'm having a good time!!

Goodnight friends!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Griffey

In loving memory of my family's dog Griffey.

Lisa, my stepmom, found Griffey one day during my sophomore year of high school. He was standing in the middle of a fairly busy street near our house. No one claimed him. We were very excited to have him in our lives. We soon discovered that Griffey had the tendency to escape and "run away". Probably how he ended up with us. Oftentimes during the summer someone from the Ryle Marching Band would call to say they found our dog Griffey. He was so friendly he just wanted to hang out with everyone.

 He was super spunky. He liked to lick ...well... EVERYTHING. He had a favorite toy that made bird sounds.
(My brother, Dustin, whipped up this drawing in a day after Griffey leaving us, isn't it awesome?)

 He really loved Lisa a lot. He was a cuddler. He thought he was a guard dog. He was small yet mighty enough to scare the living day lights out of Willis.

Yet he was still like a puppy in some ways. How he felt comforted by sucking on blankets, towels, etc. while kneading them with his paws, kind of like a cat or a puppy feeding off it's mother. It was cute and gross at the same time.

He had bladder cancer for a year or more and was given a very limited time to live but he kept on keepin' on despite the bloody urine and doggy diapers. He lived much longer than we expected with the cancer but that doesn't mean we were ready to see him leave. He was only 8-9 years old.

It's never easy to lose a dog. They are so helpless. And so loving.

I saw this in a blog I was reading the other day and it made me cry. But I'm happy knowing he is no longer in pain.



A Dog’s Purpose
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “’I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.
He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”
The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher, you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

My sincerest apologies

Hello little bloggy

I’m Ashley and I’ve been a bad blogger as of late.

Can I make excuses?

Will you forgive me?!

Guys, honestly, my days have been packed.

Some of these days they are packed for the good and some of them, depending on the week, are packed full of icky.

And I mean I feel bad every day that goes by that I don’t blog. But it just can’t happen

Last week, well I won’t give last work week more than a few sentences. It just was not a good week. I’m not going to harp on it. Tears were shed but it’s over.

Now this week. I’m pretty happy with this week. My client is pretty low stress. I’m working in downtown Cincy. I have gotten to see my parents 2 nights this week. See my high school girlies (Bailey, Olivia, and Azra) for a chic sushi dinner in Hyde Park and ice cream at Bay’s after. I’ve been able to get in my parent’s hot tub. Michael joined my parents and myself for dinner Monday night. We visited ice cream heaven (Brusters). This week while working and living “on the road” I am a happy Ashley. And it’s allll good.

Optimism and Joy?! I think so!

And you know what else I haven’t even mentioned yet?! I haven’t exercised in a full week today. Ok that’s not good news. It’s actually bad. I had plans of starting my official half marathon training on Monday. But last Tuesday or Wednesday (can’t remember, week was a blur of ick) I was doing a circuit workout in the gym at like 6 in the morning. Sometime during that super intense and awesome workout I did something wrong. And now my back is jacked. Like I am constantly uncomfortable, even lying down I feel it. So sitting in conference room chairs that are built for 300 pound men does not do my petite frame well.

I have used a heating pad multiple times, refrained from exercise (which is IMPOSSIBLE for me), even had a licensed massage therapist work on my back, applied icey hot, Lisa rubbed it down for a while. And it just doesn’t seem to be feeling better. I’m going through workout withdrawals. Plus, I can’t give myself an excuse to eat that ice cream and not feel bad about it later, but since I’m used to working out all the time I’m used to burning it off relatively quickly by working out every day. UGH. So there, I haven’t been exercising and it’s so annoying. I really don’t want to get behind on my training plan but here I am already behind. And I guaranty I’ll feel out of shape on my first couple of runs!

But you know what? It’s hasn’t gotten me down! Not this week! I have my family and friends to distract me at night. And I think a cold came along to help me realize to chill too, so my body is appreciating the extra hour of sleep that I can get in the morning, or more work that I can get done in the evenings. I mean if you can’t hear out of your right ear and your back is feeling strained constantly I’m guessing its time to listen to your body.

Anywho…enough about my body.

I have so much to fill you in on and some pictures to post but this is getting pretty lengthy and well, I might just try to catch up on a little tv since I haven’t watched in a week.

Tonight on tap in Cincy fun?! Dinner with my good ol’ J-Boh.

Also, be looking forward to a recipe post. I NEED to make one this weekend and I have one in mind. Kinda excited about it. I failed at the whole recipe thing last week.

Also, need to get to reading my February book. I just haven’t wanted to read after the awesomeness that is the Hunger games, nothing can compare!

Well goodnight little blog and I hope to see you shortly!