Dear Energy, I'm so glad you're back. Love- Ashley

I don't know where it's been but I'm glad it's back. It's been one of those weeks where Brent has to be a Saint to stand me. Ouch.. I'm just a grump sometimes. I think it has something to do with the 9 game losing streak the Braves decided to go on. Lucky us, they already lost today while we were working so no need to waste a night on that! I think I may even ASK Brent if he wants to hit the gym tonight... that hasn't happened in a while!

My new toy came in today. I ordered a Hoya circular polarizer for my camera. I have No idea how to work it. I just took it from the box, put it on my lens and took my favorite subject out back to shoot. I can't wait to read up and see what all I can do with it. It was really inexpensive too. I love things like that!

Tell me he's not one of the cutest little pups you've ever laid eyes on...

-one of our blooming backyard plants-

bring it on weekend...One more workday. Hallelujah!

Please...Let's Rally!

Brent and I really enjoy watching the Braves. Unfortunately the last week has given us nothing to cheer for! I'm hoping that as I write this quick note the Braves will rally... so far they are up 2 to 0.

Here we go with a weekend recap-- I went to Hartselle and helped paint my grandfather's bedroom. All did not go as planned. The floor men did not complete their job so we had to work around their mess. We (My sister, G'ma and Keith) were able to paint the room. It looks great. Two walls are crimson and two walls are grey. We painted all the trim white and the room looks so much better. I will post pictures once my grandmother Carol emails them to me. I did not get to see the finished product. I left after we put his bed back together. I had to beat the storms home Saturday night.

This weekend we are hosting a "His & Hers" shower for Justin & Jenn (Brent's brother). I bought a new 6ft folding table to set up in the back yard. Hopefully the weather will hold out and we will have a fun outside/ mexican fiesta. If you plan on coming to the shower please bring your appetite. Brent's having fajita's catered in. Yum!

This week's all about straightening up and getting ready for the shower. Charlie's back home with us and our house now feels like a "Home" again. It's just too quiet when it's only me and Brent. He'd agree... he spent 15 minutes chasing Charlie around our living room and kitchen tonight before he went to the gym. Maybe one day I'll film a chase session and post it on the blog. Well that's all for now... I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures at the party. Have a good Tuesday!

Is it 4pm yet?

I am a little more than ready for 4pm tomorrow afternoon. I am going to Hartselle to help redecorate my grandpa's bedroom. My grandmother is also having new flooring installed while he is gone. He is going to be in shock when he comes home from Talladega (that's where we shipped him for the weekend). I hope he likes his room. We are giving it an "Alabama" theme. I will post pictures next week.

Charlie has also been with his Memaw & Papaw all week. I will finally have him back tomorrow. I've missed him so much! Usually we are off doing something fun when Charlie is away. Not this week...work,work,work. My Memaw is a member of a team that has participated in Relay for Life. They turned in over $27K at the bank night earlier this week. I can't wait to see their final total. If you are in Hartselle tomorrow night be sure to stop by the football stadium and get a cup of ice cream from the "Dynamic Dippers". I'll be there.. I have to support their cause! I hope to be a member of their team next year. I think it's amazing they are so passionate about helping to find a cure for cancer.

I'm also planning on tackling the problem that is my old room at my parents house. I've bought two huge storage bins to collect all the memorabilia that I'd like to store here at our home instead of taking up space at theirs. Hopefully I can work on that late tomorrow night. To top it off I have a bridal brunch to attend for my cousin Saturday morning. Call me crazy for trying to squeeze all this in but when you live an hour plus from home it's hard to get up there as much as I'd like.

Have a good Friday!

"What is that?" Wednesday

Due to the uneventful nature of our life I do not have any new personal information or stories to blog about. Instead, I am going to start my own weekly column. Hopefully you will find this interesting and learn a thing or two. I seem to find myself asking the same question over and over about random things I see or hear. The million dollar question: "What is that?" This will be my chance to share these thoughts and answers with you.

Today while pumping gas an ambulance was parked next to me. I had to fill up so I stood there a while. I kept staring at the snake wrapped around the rod on the ambulance logo... I thought to myself "what is that?". Why in the world would they put a snake, something I and millions of others are scared of on a vehicle that helps save peoples lives?

The Answer: This snake wrapped around a rod is known as "The Rod Of Asclepius". It's an ancient symbol associated with astrology, in particularly Asclepius (god of medicine & healing).

(statue of Asclepius)

Reasons wikipedia says the staff has a snake on it:

*snakes shed skin and this represents rejuvenation

*represents the dual nature of work: physicians deal with life & death, as well as sickness & health

*snakes can hurt you but their antidote can cure you as well

all of the above reasons & photos are courtesy of wikipedia and can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius

While researching I found this verse in the Bible and thought I'd share:

Numbers 21: 4-9
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I hope you enjoyed my first "What is that?" Wednesday. Look forward to "Flashback Friday".

Weekend in Review

We were extremely busy this weekend. I can't believe it's already 8:30pm on Sunday night. Friday we had date night at Superior Grill. It was so good. I'm embarrassed to say that it was my first time to eat there. Hopefully we will be back soon. Saturday we traveled to Hartselle for a wedding. My childhood friend Katie Brock married her boyfriend of approximately 10 years. I can remember when she met him. We were Sophomores in high school...crazy! Anyways the wedding was beautiful and the reception was so fun. My parents were there and Brent and I always enjoy getting to hang out with them. 

so glad we're already married!

Friends from Hartselle: Amanda, Katie & Myself

My dad & I at the Reception

Today we went to church and then down to Calera to visit with Brent's family. Jennifer (Justin's fiance) had a bridal shower at 2. It was a great shower but was cut short due to the tragic news that Jennifer's nana had passed away. The family was expecting the loss but it's still a very emotional time for them. Please keep her family in your prayers.

On a happy note our new leather chair came in today. Here's a picture of Brent in his new "happy spot".

Friday Eve

Thank goodness for Thursday. I can honestly say that this has been a long week. Nothing major has happened it's just gone by at the speed of a turtle. It may be because fun events are up ahead and sitting in a windowless office all day only enhances spring fever..or should I say summer fever because it is hot outside. That being said Brent and I are attempting to go the entire month of April without turning on the AC. It's a sauna up in here. We open the windows at night and sit the box fan in front to pull in cool air. It's not too bad.. hopefully the payoff will be worth it when the Alabama Power bill comes in next month. I worked on my 101 in 1001 tonight. The task: bathing the monster. Charlie's head looks like a squirrel when he's wet. It's hilarious. Next time I will take photos but luckily it's not my turn at bath night until May. The worst part of bathing him is attempting to dry all his hair. He bites at the hair dryer. I've learned to put the end of his hair brush in his mouth and dry him as fast as I can until he starts trying to bite me rather than the brush. I'm sure it's comical to watch.

This weekend we will be heading north to Hartselle for a wedding. I can't wait to see some old friends. Last time I saw them was at our wedding. It's so sad how you grow up and stop talking to people on a regular basis. It's not that you don't like them as much as before it's just there's no time. I'm going to make that a goal for 2010... reconnect with old friends and talk to them on more than on facebook. I've also got a bridal tea to attend. It's for future sister-in-law Jennifer. I can't wait! Brent's side of the family has been hit hard with weddings. Three in one year. Is that legal? Well as of May 29th we will have pulled it off. I can't wait for Justin & Jennifer's wedding.

Here's to Friday...and to the Braves winning a Road Series. Have a great day!

flickr

I started a flickr account tonight. I'm new at it (and too lazy to read the instructions) but I'm pretty sure that I can only upload 200 photos per month. I hit the max! Click here if you'd like to view the site. I uploaded all the photos from Michael & Moriah's Rehearsal & Wedding. Hopefully this will be an easy way for me to share photos with everyone. Brent bought me Aperture for our MAC desktop for Valentine's and it has a 1 step upload to flickr built in the program...so easy! Any flickr tips would be greatly appreciated...

Weekend Recap

Another good weekend. We did absolutely nothing Friday night. I cooked dinner at home to save a little money. I had no idea that Brent had intentions of going to Superior Grill until I'd already put the chicken in the oven (which I dried out by the way...) so we stayed up watching the Braves and then they lost in the 13th or 14th inning, I can't remember now. Saturday was spent working in the yard. We re-did all the flower beds, mowed, you name it-we did it. I think I stunned Brent by helping as much as I did. I actually mowed, weeded, and pulled up old mulch. We were able to put a new fern on the front porch and a hibiscus on the back patio. I'm hoping to have 1 more of each after this weekend to add more color to our patio & porch. We went to Olive Garden after working hard all day. My parents gave us gift cards as an Easter goodie (Thank you!!) so it was great to eat for free! We went to church this morning and the message was great. I love Church of the Highlands. Pastor Chris talked about making the Holy Spirit your best friend. Brent also picked up a copy of the easter message. If anyone wants to borrow it let us know and we will get it to you. After church we went and met Brent's parents and the newlyweds for lunch. It was a nice unexpected surprise. We stopped by Wal-Mart and then watched 3 hours of golf on TV. After we watched Phil win his green jacket we walked down to our track area in the neighborhood and ran/walked a few laps. Brent can run so much farther than me. It's really unfair. I was working on couch to 5K until I hurt my achilles and then came down with a nasty sinus infection. Now I'm back to trying to regain some endurance before I jump back into the program. The Braves are on TV and all that's left is a shower before bed. What a wonderful weekend with my sweet husband and precious pupples (my nickname for Charlie).

So far I have 3 items from my list moving towards completion! #17, #78 & #84 (Thanks new followers!)

I hope everyone has a great week. How can you not now that Baseball is back on TV every night. Go Braves!

101 in 1001

I gave in. I've seen a ton of bloggers who have challenged themselves to one of these lists and I just had to try it. It's taken me a week to come up with 101 things I would like to accomplish in the next 1001 days. Some are easy, some will be hard.. but all should be interesting. If you scroll down on the left hand side of the blog you can read my list. I will update it as the tasks/ goals are completed.

(I added the list to the side by using the "insert text" gadget. Does anyone know of an easier way? When I go to edit the text it is all distorted. I hope there's a super savvy blogger out there that can help me!)

Wish me luck! I hope my little list can inspire someone else to start their own. Have a wonderful weekend!

Let's Help Some Hartselle Girls

I'm from a small town. Not much goes on there... These two young ladies (both are friends with my sister) are in a contest to sing with one of their favorite artists. I think their video is great! Please take 10 seconds out of your day and vote for their video: Vote #1 Rachael & Briley (all you do is enter an email address & zip code). Please pass it along on your blog if you'd like. They need all the votes they can get by this Friday. Thanks!!

http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/videocontest/vote/

Almost a Meltdown

Yes, that is indeed what my husband almost had. He vowed to not hear, look, or ask about the Braves home opener today because he had it set to record on our DVR. He got home, changed clothes and took his spot in front of our TV. When he hit the play button it had only recorded 24 minutes. 24 minutes of the Cardinals opener at that. He lost it. He kept staring at the TV asking what happened. In the 24 minutes we were able to see that the Braves were down 3-0 in the first inning. He went in to his "don't talk to me I can't handle this" mode. Luckily he found a replay of the game while flipping thru the non-HD channels. We were watching the first hour but now it's time to cheer on the Butler Bulldogs. I'm assuming from Facebook that the Braves won... and hey, they will play approximately 180 more times this year and the Championship game only happens once.

Thank goodness for Baseball season. The world feels right again. Work, Dinner, Braves...Repeat.

Michael & Moriah's Wedding

The rain held off! They were able to have a stress free service & reception. It all turned out beautiful. I wasn't able to get as many shots as I wanted. I was running late, exposure was not cooperating and my camera battery died! Oh well, it was beautiful and that's why they had professional photographers :) Enjoy!

Stunning Bride

Bridesmaid Bouquets

Best Man-Groom-Bride-Maid of Honor

view from the back

Parker- the adorable flower girl

Michael & his Mom

Some of the Bridal Party

(I love this one)

Thomas Family

Wedding Party

Parker & Moriah

during the ceremony

sweet ceremony

cutting the cake

No longer the newest Thomas couple!

They are up next! (3rd Thomas Wedding in 1 year)

Us with Connor (Brent's cousin)

It was so nice to see everyone (especially those that we hadn't seen since our wedding last August). The happy couple is now in Jamaica for a week of fun in the sun. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Thomas! 

Mike & Moriah's Rehearsal

So that photography class did teach me something. Lesson learned: if you don't practice you forget everything you learn about exposure! I did the best I could...and after a few minutes of fun in Aperture I have a few images I'd like to share. Enjoy~!

The Happy Couple "Mike & Moriah"

hugs from her dad

The bridal party (waiting on instructions)

flowers at the ceremony site

Moriah & her sister

The Thomas's

Beautiful Bride

the wedding party

"practice makes perfect"

{Moriah: I love this picture. I can only imagine what he was saying}

That's all folks

who knew ducks did this?

Brent...being Brent.

The rehearsal dinner was fantastic. I enjoyed getting to visit with all our family. I can't wait until tomorrow. Hopefully I can jump in and take a few candids prior to the wedding. Brent and I are so happy for you two. Everyone pray for no rain. Goodnight ;)

Thankful for Thursday

I am so glad that it is Thursday. This week has beat me to death. Being sick and out of it was not exactly a recipe for the perfect week. Luckily tomorrow is Friday and it begins a very eventful weekend. Brent's brother Michael is getting married on Saturday. I can't wait! I'll officially have a sister-in-law. No more "Future" sister-in-law introductions. (Don't worry Jenn, your wedding will be here before you know it then I will have TWO sister-in-laws). Well back to the wedding, I'm praying for no rain. I do not want them to get married Jason & Molly style in a torrential down poor. I went by Belk this afternoon to look for a dress to wear to the wedding. (I promised myself that I would wear something out of my closet and not spend money on another dress because let's face it, I have five or so that would be just fine for the event) but this is a FAMILY wedding. There will be tons of pictures and did I really want to be in some dress that I will look back at and say "Why on earth did I wear that?" because there have been plenty of times I have did that. My fashion sense well, doesn't exist. I keep telling myself I'll work on it but I've come to realize I'm quiet content as a fudy-dud when it comes to clothes. The woman at Belk got sassy with me and made my mind up for me about purchasing the dress so I will be in something that didn't cost me a penny (well not this year anyway). I wanted to try something off the mannequin and she made a big fuss about she wasn't allowed and did not think a manager would walk upstairs for that task. Basically she looked at me like I was a problem. Really, me the person willing to shell out cash for your stupid dress and girl wants to go and start something. I stared at her until she called the manager. The manager came up and the sales lady points and says "That one wants something.." I'd already made my mind up prior to trying the dress on. No way I was helping her commission (who knows if Belk even gets that) but it didn't fit and made my decision even easier. I then went to other stores and purchased Brent's Easter Basket Goodies. I think I did good this time. Usually he blows me out of the water. I stand there looking at my adorable gift and get embarrassed to give him whatever random item I thought he'd enjoy. He's a good sport though. He always tells me how great it is when I know deep down he thinks "where did she get the idea that I'd like this?". Maybe marriage will help and some of his great gift giving ability will rub off on me. I can tell I'm still under the weather though because my two hours of shopping wore my legs out. I feel like Brent kicked me in both shins. 


Okay off to watch Mercy. I just love that show... all the love/relationship drama. If you haven't caught on  to it yet wait until season 1 comes out on DVD. It'd totally help you pass a rainy summer weekend.