High Five Friday

/ ashleyeileenp / 1 Comment

I’m always glad when Friday arrives, but this week it seems to be extremely welcome.  It’s been a long one…

 
1.  Wedding memories.  I loved looking at these pictures all week on our coffee table.  Fun times with some great friends.  It’s always fun to get a little silly in our “old” age.  My sister thinks I should use them for the Christmas card, but I’m not sure they will make it that far!

 
2.  I always enjoy an evening spent with the littles.  This time I had the chance to fill in for their mommy for a while (which I love to do) and pick them up from daycare, do the homework routine, snacks, etc.  I have to say my sister has an EXTREMELY difficult job every afternoon.  Trying to keep little man occupied while helping sister with her homework.  Almost impossible!  It was melt down after melt down with him.  I tried to make it better by giving him his own “homework” of coloring and making him feel a part of it.  I do love my time with them, even if it’s got a melt down in it here and there. 
 
 

 
 
3.  As I cam home one evening this week I stopped on the road to get a photo of the place we call home.  It’s not “ours” but we love it.  With the bean field turning yellow I just couldn’t help but take this photo.  It looks like a huge halo surrounding our home sweet home.  This is where our story began.  Eventually we will have to leave here (not knowing when that will be) and I gotta tell ya…I’ll be pretty darn sad.  I’ve been dwelling on that quite a bit lately because I know all good things come to an end.  For now, I’ll bask in it’s beauty each day I come home. 

 
 
4.  It’s my favorite time of year.  Fall, unofficially.  Harvest time.   I’m so excited to see them out and about doing what they do best.  They are right across the street from us this evening and couldn’t help but take a snapshot of the beauty that is harvest!

 
5.  This picture deserves a high five simply because I’m just about done with these stinkin pills.  You see, my “too much fun” at the Rascal Flatts concert may or may not have caused a lovely outbreak of poison ivy.  First time ever that I’ve had it, that I can recall.  It lasted for a good week before I finally gave in and got some medical attention.  They put me on steroids.  Since then I’ve felt all sorts of out of whack.  I’m so glad tomorrow is the last day for these pills.  Physically, emotionally, it all is not feeling right.  Hopefully next week I’ll feel a little more stable!
 
 
Now it’s on to dinner with friends, a fantastic birthday weekend with the love of my life (and Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan), and some relaxation at home.
 
High Five to Friday!
 


Where were you?

/ ashleyeileenp / Leave a comment
I know where I was.  I’ll never forget. 

I shared these memories today with my cherubs and my niece.  My conversation with the group of 10 year olds quickly turned to looks of shock and horror.  Only two of them were even alive.  One was one day old and the other was a little over a month old.  I tried to help the rest of them understand the impact those events had on everyone, including myself, that day. 

My niece said, “What those men did was not nice and just rude.  They made a bad choice.”  That sweet little six year old couldn’t have said it better. 

I told them this story.  My story…..

I was a 17 year old senior in Mr. Adam’s government class in the southeast side of MVHS.  He received a phone call and quickly turned in the TV to CNN.  Shortly after that we watched the second plane hit the twin towers. 

There was silence.  A room full of arrogant and invincible seniors immediately became hushed with silence.  Everyone knew the world just changed forever.  Boy, did it ever.  One of my best friends Jen was in that class.  I can’t even remember the conversations between all of us.  Sometimes I wonder if we even had conversations or if we just sat there in shock and awe of what we were witnessing on the TV. 

Then an announcement came on for the entire school to tell of the events that just occurred.  They asked the teachers to leave the TV’s off.  There could have easily been a riot after that announcement.  We wanted to see what was happening.   We needed to know what was going on.

Immediately we went on a lock down.  No one in and no one out.  More planes were crashing, so who really knew if our little town would be next?  It wasn’t impossible, unfortunately.  Thank the Lord that never happened.

The next period I went to the office to serve as office assistant and Madelon let me call my mom immediately.  She was crying.  Saddened by what she was watching but happy to hear my voice.  She had talked to my brother and my sister and everyone was okay.  I wanted her to come get me.  They wouldn’t let her.  Can you imagine not being able to pick up your own child?  That’s when we all knew this world we lived in would never be normal again.  You’d have to have your ID checked to get into your child’s school.  You’d have to have your body patted down to fly on a plane.  All because some idiots decided killing 3,000 people would get us back for whatever we had done to them. 

I was worried my brother would have to go to war.  Would they do a draft?  It was on everyone’s mind.  One thing was for sure.  You crash into our country and we’re going to fight back.  So who was to say they wouldn’t do a draft and my brother wouldn’t have to go fight?  I thank ALL of the military men and women who stepped up and volunteered to continue fighting for our freedom. 

So after sharing this story with my cherubs and my niece I pondered on their innocence of these events. 

It’s unfortunate that my students know what a “lock down” drill is and why we have to do it.  Isn’t that sad? 

It’s heartbreaking that my niece knows that four planes flew into places and killed 3,000 people.  Isn’t that sad?

It’s sickening to know the world that my sweet littles have to live in is so much different than the world I grew up in.  I use to be able to ride my bike whereever I wanted and whenever.  Now we have to worry about creeps stealing kids.  Everyone is on edge.  Everyone is overprotective.  It’s no longer human nature to just TRUST someone. 

What has this world come to?

It comes down to this.  We were attacked and we fought back.  When you get defensive you put up a guard and a shield.  Since September 11, 2001, we as Americans have not been able to put that guard and shield completely down.  Will we ever be able to?  We hear about a man killing men and women at a temple and in the back of my mind I’m always wondering….couldn’t that have happened to me? Couldn’t that have happened here? 

I want my trust back in this world.  I want my life to feel at ease.  I want my littles and all the cherubs to live in a world where we trust and love and the word “terrorist” doesn’t even exist. 

After this long day of constantly pondering about where I was 11 years ago those are the things that I couldn’t wish more for. 

One of the many pictures that brings tears to my eyes. 

I am thankful for the men and women in our military who fought or are still fighting.  I’m thankful for the police officers and firefighters and any public safety members who risk their lives to save others when the bad guys try and take over. 

I’m heavy hearted tonight, but thankful.

Thankfully yours,

25 Ways to Respect My Love

/ ashleyeileenp / 1 Comment

We all know that actions speak louder than words.  And if you know me you know sometimes I just have TOO many words.  I need to focus on my actions a bit more.  I can say that I respect Mike and all that he does for me, but do I always show it?  Honestly, probably not.

I found an article that talks about 25 ways to communicate respect to your spouse.  Although he isn’t my spouse, I felt like I could focus on showing him respect considering we plan to spend forever together. 

After a recent falling out that we had I felt called to really reflect on these 25 steps and what I need to work on. 

Now you may start reading these (like I did) and just begin to chuckle.  It almost comes off a bit anti-feminist.  After some serious thought I chose to read them a little differently.  To read them with an open heart.  To read them with the anticipation and hope that we have a successful relationship and some day a successful marriage with a successful family.  There are some that will always be easier than others.  There are some I may not be good at….ever.  But, ideally I would like for him to always know I respect every piece of his sweetness. 

1. Choose Joy

We all choose our moods.  In fact, for me, there are days (particularly one week a month) where I tend to be mega B.  Those days are rarely ever his fault.  Even if I feel like they are and I feel the need to blame someone then I need to focus on my own mood and improving it.  Choosing joy. 

2. Honor His Wishes

In general I don’t ask enough what his wishes are.  When he surprises me with plans I should be excited, not perturbed because I didn’t make them.  This section definitely needs some work. 

3. Give Him Your Undivided Attention

When he walks in the door from a hard days work I really must drop what I’m doing to say hello, give a hug, and a kiss.  It’s really not that hard. 

4. Don’t Interrupt

His stories are some of the best.  I need to be his best friend and a good listener.  Even if I’m not interested in what equipment he worked on that day I still need to give my best and not interrupt. 

5. Emphasize His Good Points

He has so many.  I don’t always remind him of those.  A simple text during the day telling him how cute his butt looks in those jeans he wore on our date.  Or even a how hard of a worker he is to take care of me. 

6. Pray for Him

I pray for myself.  I pray for my cherubs.  I pray for my grandma.  I pray for my dad.  I pray for my brother and sister.  I pray for their littles.  I pray for my colleagues.  Do I ever take time to pray for him?  Not enough…  Typically I pray that he’ll put up with my butt for the rest of his life. 

7. Don’t Nag

One I could really use some work on.  Instead of him walking in the door to a reminder of what he didn’t clean up before he left for work I could probably wait and say something later.  Or just not say anything at all.  I’m a little OCD about the cleaning up around the house.  Nagging just seems natural in that sense. 

8. Be Thankful

I’ve dwelled on this a lot in the last few days.  I’m not nearly thankful enough for this wonderful man God placed in my life.  I have to say thank you more.  I have to say thank you to God.  I have to say thank you to his momma and pops for raising such an amazing man.  Thank you isn’t said enough. 

9. Smile at Him

He says he loves my smile.  Why not show it to him more? 

10. Respond Physically

I’m sure he’d appreciate this.  What man wouldn’t?  That book 50 Shades sure helped.  Anyone else agree? He would like to know, as would I….is there a fourth one coming out? 🙂

11. Eyes Only for Him

He knows the love of I have for Eliot on SVU or Derek on Criminal Minds or Zac Brown and his beautiful beard.  Do I really need to voice it?  Probably a little less would help. 😉

12.  Kiss Him Goodbye

This we do.  We kiss goodbye.  We kiss goodnight.  We always kiss goodnight.  It’s a deal we made way back in the beginning.  Never go to bed angry. 

13.  Prepare His Favorite Foods

You can ask him to be sure….but the boy loves my cooking.  I love cooking exactly what he loves on his special occasions and try and do it at least once a week.  He always tells me there isn’t anything that I cook that he doesn’t love.  I’m sure there’s a little fib to that because I’ve burnt a few things in my day, but at least he’s being nice!

14.  Cherish Togetherness

Even though we are kidless we like to spend a lot of time with family and friends.  On those very special times where it is just the two of us I could for sure put the cell phone up and focus just on him. 

15.  Don’t Complain

Really?  Do you know me?  I’m not a constant complainer but I definitely voice my opinion.  This is where I felt the article started turning a little super religious or cultish.  If I never tell him how I feel then things won’t get fixed.  I think I could certainly complain less, but not complaining at all would make for a pretty bland relationship with little positive change.  I just need to remember there is a time and a place for everything. 

16. Resist the Urge to Correct

I’m a teacher.  Do you get that?  I correct all day long.  I grade papers all night long.  Sometimes he kindly reminds me that he’s not one of my students.  God love him. 

17.  Dress to Please Him

I dress to please no one but myself…for the most part.  I know what dresses he likes.  I know what tops he thinks I look good in.  So you can bet your sweet cheeks that when we have a date night I’m going to wear something that will only want him to look at me!

18.  Keep the House Tidy

As said before, OCD helps with this.  I like to do the laundry and make sure his work uniforms are ready to go and clean.  We clean house together when we do a major cleaning though.  He takes care of the bathrooms and me the rest of the house.  When I cook, he does the dishes.  Really I have a pretty sweet deal worked out. 

19.  Be Content

Working on it.  I have sad days.  I have days I miss my momma and it seems so unfair that I can’t share in whatever it is I’m doing with her.  These are days I’m less content.  I’ll work on it. 

20.  Take His Advice

He does have some pretty great advice.  He’s almost always right.  Lord, I hope his head doesn’t swell when he reads that!  One thing I may not always go to him for advice in is clothing.  He’s a tad bit color blind.  Again, God love him.  🙂

21.  Admire Him

I do absolutely adore and admire him.  I admire the man he was when I met him and I admire the man he has become in the last two years that I have known him.  He’s something to be proud of, that’s for sure. 

22.  Protect His Name

Well those of you that know his last name are probably already giggling.  I’m old-fashioned and some day I will have his last name.  No.  Matter.  What. 

23.  Forgive His Shortcomings

We all have shortcomings.  My love has a few.  Those shall remain nameless as I want to admire and protect him in each way I can.  I could list all of my shortcomings for you but I’d probably have to write a novel.  I’ll forgive his…and let’s just hope he forgives mine. 

24.  Don’t Argue

Well, we have our days.  We are getting better at talking.  I’m getting better at picking my battles.  I will say this…we don’t scream and fight.  We talk calmly and if we have to step away then we do.  We come back when we’re calm.  We cuddle when things have calmed down and hold each other.  Then we tell each other everything will be alright. 

25.  Follow His Lead

I’m a natural born leader.  I get it from my grandpa’s side of the family.  Some say it’s stubborness.  I like to call it being a leader.  Call it what you will.  I need to hand him the ropes and follow his lead.  I will work on this.

What are some things you could do to respect your man a little more? 

Loving my man,

2 years

/ ashleyeileenp / 2 Comments

2 years ago I met Mike. 

2 years ago I had no idea I was meeting my best friend for life. 

2 years ago I didn’t have a clue that driving 4 hours away was where I would find a guy who literally lived 20 minutes from home. 

2 years ago I went to the world’s greatest tractor pull and came home smitten in love and a fortunate gal. 

Our first photo together. 

On the way to the tractor pull I can remember the other girls who knew him telling me how great we would get along because we were both so funny and personable.  They showed me a picture of him and I could tell from the photo he was my type.  Country boy through and through.  Infectious grin.  Heavenly blue eyes. 

We arrived and they didn’t even have to point him out.  I knew which one he was.  There was a slight problem though.

This guy was not talkative.  He said nothing.  He wasn’t smiling.  He just stood there like a bump on a log. 

Little did I know that he was nervous.  And when he gets nervous he doesn’t say much.  Plus, he didn’t really know me yet so I couldn’t blame the guy.

After a few hours we were enjoying gorgeous weather at a tractor pull.  Later that weekend we were practically inseparable.  It was depressing when the weekend ended and we had to ride back home separately. 

I knew when I got home late that Sunday that my life was about to change.  For the better.  Finally.  We took things nice and slow those first few months.  Harvest helped that a little bit.  In the end I think that was the best way to start a relationship.  Look at us now.  Look at how far we’ve come. 

2 years has flown by.

Here’s to 100 more baby!

I’m the luckiest girl alive to live and love with my best friend.

I am truly,

High Five Friday

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1.  Zac Brown Pandora radio station is always what I turn to as soon as the cherubs leave at 2 p.m.  It never fails me.  This station, by far, is the best Pandora station I have ever found.  It’s classic rock and amazing country all mixed together.  And currently, my favorite Zac Brown Band song is “Cold Hearted.”  Listen to it.  You’ll love it too. 

2.  I love this necklace.  But, truthfully, it’s not technically mine.  It should be mine.  My sweet sister bought it for me for my birthday forever ago.  Then she decided to keep it for herself.  Then I borrowed it and haven’t returned it.  So, this week I sent her a little text message with this photo telling her to have a Happy Wednesday.  Her reply, “I’m going to report that stolen.”  Oh sister 🙂

3. Scotty’s Lakehouse.  Scotty’s Brewhouse.  Scotty’s period.  We love Scotty’s.  I could eat dill chips with every meal.  They are most certainly not on a diet plan.  Not that I’m on a diet. 

4.  My sweetie pie’s work shorts.  I love that he is so joyful now in his new job.  I love his smile each day that he comes home from work.  I love washing his new uniforms.  (ya right!  I mean, really, who loves laundry?!?)  I love my working man in all his glory.  I’m so proud of his new position.  It’s certainly a wonderful thing for our future together.

5. Turquoise love.  Aunt Cathy loves me.  She gave me the ring long ago because it didn’t fit.  I wear it daily.  Then she saw the bracelet this week and bought it for me!  She’s way too good to me.  There’s nothing better than being loved AND getting a new piece of turquoise jewelry out of it. 

Looking forward to a fun Friday evening with some gal pals.  Heading to the Rascal Flatts concert shortly!  I’m ready for a girls night out with a SUPER fun sister clan. 

High Five to the 3 day weekend,

A piece of my summer

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For as long as I can remember a piece of my summer has been dedicated to our county fair and my love for 4-H.

4-H has taught me so much through the various projects that I took and the events that I was a part of. It shaped friendships that I will have for the rest of my life. It brought me closer people that I would have never brought had we not been brought together by that special week each summer.

Even when my 10 years was over I wanted to stay involved. Somehow I’ve found a way to do that.

Fortunately the littles are finally old enough to start partaking in the fun. Little nephew #1 took mini wildlife, collections, and crafts. Little niece took mini wildlife, sewing, crafts, foods, and cake decorating. The littlest little just whined and cried while his sister worked on projects because he’s too little to do anything. Pretty sad really.

Our week of fair fun is only about to begin on Friday. Friday’s always a mix of emotions for me. It was a day my mom and I always took part in together and now we honor her memory by raising money for her scholarship.

I will always wish she was there. But the only way that makes it easier is to be a part of it with her best friend and try and step in to help fill her shoes a bit. I’ll never be as amazing as she was but I will always take a piece of my summer and give it to 4-H because it brings me joy to be a part of something so amazing. A part of something she was so involved in.

Below are some photos of judging day for the littles.

Pickin Berries

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The older I get the more I learn that the simple things are the most enjoyable. For example, yesterday I went with my sister and niece and nephew to pick berries at a local farm. I just thought it would be something to do on one of our summer days.It was way more than that. It was spending the day with my favorite people. My favorite part of summer. After about five minutes into it I realized that something as simple as picking berries with your favorite people is something to get excited about and not just something to do. Who knew

It’s so simple. It’s enjoying the beauty of a farm and mother nature on a perfect day in beautiful Indiana. It’s loving life and not worrying about the million things on my to do list or who’s updating their Facebook page.

Sure, there were thorns and bugs….but those little things didn’t outweigh how much I enjoyed just taking it all in.

Truth is, I don’t even like blueberries or black raspberries. But, the littles do.My dad does. Someone will eat them.

My sister has this marvelous plan to freeze them and then make yogurt smoothies for the littles. Isn’t that a great idea?

Sure, we could have stopped at Kroger and been out with the same amount of berries in no time. But, do you know where those berries come from? Do you know who picked them? HECK NO! These are fresh picked, Indiana grown berries. I would much rather eat them than something I can buy at a grocery store. Picking berries will officially be on my spring and summer bucket list. It’s something I will forever do with my future littles and continue to do with the little loves in my life until I have my own.

Peaks, Pits, Praises, and Prayers

/ ashleyeileenp / 3 Comments

Here’s the deal.  Once a week I’m going to try something new to start the week.  I love the routine of High Five Friday.  So why not get something going to start the week off right?

I’ll be sharing:

1. Peaks of the Day: the highlights. The good moments.  Something overall positive that happened during the day.

2. Pit of the Day: the low point of the day.  But, rather than just complaining about it, a way that looking back at it can be positive or a blessing in disguise.

3. Praise: Simply praising God for specific things that happened.

4. Prayers: Prayer requests that may have arose from the new day or that have been lingering. 

So, here we go:

Peak – A great workout with some wonderful ladies.  Lots of laughs and reminiscing on a wild Friday night.

Pit – A disagreement with someone at work that really got my blood pressure going.  We all have control issues.  I get it.  I’m a control freak too.  However, when it comes to my cherubs I get a bit defensive. 

Praise – Praising God for a wonderful morning coffee with my love.  A good chat and a great start to the first day of the week leaves me smiling as I walk out the door.  Thank you Lord for him and for him loving me. 

Prayers – Prayers for a special little one in my life who may be misunderstood.  Prayers for my Uncle T as he travels this week for a special mission with an American hero.

Love and Hugs to all this Tuesday,

Labor Free Weekend

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I had such an enjoyable, relaxing, labor free weekend. 

 The weekend started with the Rascal Flatts concert and a girls night out.  This quote about the evening sums it up well, “I’m not proud of it, but we had fun.”  I mean we only live once, right? 

Before the concert with the Whelchel gals and friends!

Then Saturday was quite a lazy day until I was surprised by an evening date with the love of my life.  He shocked me when he said, “We have reservations at 8:30.  Get ready.”

I don’t do so well with surprise, but I try and go with the flow the best I can when he has a love spark!

Before date night….and I still don’t know where we are headed. 

A little stop on the way to our date night.  I won $55 on these tickets!

Sunday was a nice trip with my aunt and cousin to visit with my grandma.  I don’t know if I just didn’t understand my grandma’s humor when I was younger or that she has just gotten more hilarious with age.  We had a nice lunch and a nice drive through a local park even though the weather was gloomy from Hurricane Isaac.  On our drive through the local park we found some interesting creatures….and signs. 

What the truck? A one legged duck?

Slow Sbeed Bumps Ahead….but what you can’t see is the picture of a car popping a wheelie!

Then we traveled on over to a sweet little place called The Rodeo Shop to do some boots, jeans, and jewelry shopping. 

I fell in love with these….

It’s always good to “get out of town” even if for a day!

And we ended our lovely three day weekend with some comfort food.  I would have preferred to grill out one last time but quite frankly the weather led me to cooking up some comfort food instead.  Ya know….the kind of food that weighs you down and keeps you on the couch all night?  And it cooked all day in the stove so by the time it was ready our mouths were just salivating. 

cubed steak, green bean casserole, mac n cheese, and cornbread
Meal idea courtesy of Aunt C!

So now we are on to just a little bit of a work week.  I’ve got to see my littles sometime real soon.  My life feels a little incomplete without their hugs and kisses!

Have a fabulous four day week!

Time is Love

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Ever have one of those songs that you hear and just think, “Yup, that’s my life right now!”?

I’ve heard one recently and although it has yet to actually change any of my actions….I’m hoping it does soon.

My guy got a new job.  His new job has him extremely busy.  It’s a busy time of year for the ag business because fall and harvest are upon us.  So, I fully expected to not see him a whole lot.  I really thought I was quite use to this time of year and the lack of time we get to spend together.  However, it’s starting to really get to me. 

On top of that, my job has me running circles as well.  You would think after six years at it I would have everything down pat.  Unfortunately the “powers that be” have decided to challenge us by requiring much more.  Documentation.  Documentation.  Documentation.  I love creating valuable lesson plans.  I love what I do.  I do not enjoy the paperwork.  Enough said about that. 

So, when I hear the song “Time is Love” by Josh Turner I am instantly reminded that I need to step away from my desk at work.  I need to step away from my numerous commitments.  Heck, I even need to step away from this laptop. 

It’s hard to remember those things when he’s home.  Our evenings together are rare.  Our time together is precious.  Time is love…

i know i gotta put in the hours,
make the money while the sunlight shines
but anything i gotta get done,
it can get done some other time

time is love, gotta run,
love to hang longer,
but i got someone who waits,
waits for me and right now
she’s where i need to be,
time is love, gotta run

i only get so many minutes,
don’t wanna spend ’em all on the clock
in the time that we spent talkin’,
how many kisses have i lost?

time is love, gotta run,
love to hang longer,
but i got someone who waits,
waits for me and right now
she’s where i need to be,
time is love, gotta run.

time is love, gotta run

Gotta run,