2010 Recap

This has been a year of firsts for me and year of emotions. I have so much to be thankful for: a job, my health, and my family and friends. Here's a look at my spontaneous (haha), and eventful life:

• My cousin Ace got a "no cancer" report from the polyps they found in December 2009. However, he was diagnosed in November with a rare autoimmune disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis. It affects the liver, and it is so rare they don't know much about it. We accept it, pray without ceasing, and keep going.
• My aunt Tricia was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this fall. It has been such a rough battle, but ya'll...she is one tough lady. She has two more chemo treatments then will go back for a scan in late January. Please pray that it comes back clean. This is her third battle with cancer, and she is quite the fighter. You can read more about her progress on my cousin Callie's blog www.mostlysweet.blogspot.com.
• A first for me this year is teaching in a public school. Whoa and whoa. I go from the quiet grounds of CAC to excitement every minute (not always good excitement) at NLR. I have learned SO much this year. I've learned that I have much tougher skin than I ever thought possible and that although you may think you have a lot on your plate, there is always someone struggling more than you. I am so thankful for this job, and I am excited to see what next semester holds for me.
• My precious roommate, Haleigh, was attacked in our home in May. Talk about a tiger! Considering everything she went through emotionally and physically, she is doing remarkably well. I look to her with so much admiration, and I hope I can be that durable when I face my fears. Continue to pray for her as well. The trial is set for April 27th.
• I lost my first grandparent in August. Paw paw suffered from ALS and was so ready to go home. It was a strange feeling not seeing him or hearing his laugh at Christmas this year. Why there has to be death and sadness I will never know.
• My sister was married in November. Thank goodness I love her husband because I can be mean to people I don't like. That's just me being honest.

I am looking forward to 2011. I don't make New Year's resolutions because I never keep them. I just try my best every day. Hopefully that's good enough. I hope each of you has a wonderful beginning to the new year, and I hope to see you all this coming year. Peace and blessings!

Ashley in Wonderland

I was in my own little world for 3.5 hours. I took reinforcements (pumpkin muffins) to hold me over, but they would only last so long. By 2:30, I was starving and decided to end my search of books. I ended up with 37 books for only $133.78. I am so very happy about my new selections! The Ashley library is now open for business!

Ooh baby do you know what that's worth? Ooh Heaven is a place on Earth.

I am going to Heaven on Earth this very day--right after I write this. I have been anticipating this visit since I was there last March. I spent a total of five hours there last time and came out with two huge boxes of books. I'm going in for the kill this time. My "Books to Buy" list has 101 titles. I am so excited! It was so hard to sleep last night. So, in order to house all of these books, I bought a new bookshelf at World Market yesterday. It was 50% off. I actually had to go back and buy it online but I got a discount on shipping. I am so pumped because I have looked for 2.5 years for a bookshelf. I am sooooo picky about furniture. I want it to look classic to match my bedroom furniture, so my finding a bookshelf and actually purchasing it is extraordinary.

It's so great to be back in Nashville, TN. I drove from Nashville, AR to Nashville, TN on Sunday--a 7 hour drive. Not too bad. I have one big concert in the car. Don't worry Mom, I didn't film myself. She gets mad at me when I film while driving. It's better than drinking and driving or putting on makeup and driving. I've done the latter before and took off Mr. Littlefield's side mirror my senior year of high school. Oops.

More details on the trip to McKay's (a.k.a the Trip of My Life) to come. Stand by.

My Dad said that this girl reminded him of me...

Should I be concerned???

Hey Tell Highlight #1: Dooky Ball Face

This is a conversation between my friend Valorie and me. Hey Tell gives you the liberty to call your friends ugly names...like dooky ball face.

http://www.badongo.com/file/24861772

Hey Tell Highlights of 2010

I don't know if you have this app on your iPhone yet, but you MUST get it. So many moments in my life have been shared over this walkie/talkie-app. I, unfortunately, don't know how to post multiple media files in one post, so I will have to do so separately. If this persuades you to get Hey Tell, add me and we can make beautiful messages together.

It's Official: I'm LOST

Last night I embarked on a new journey...Season 1 of LOST. Why? I've heard so much talk about how "awesome" and "addicting" this show is for so many, so I thought I would see what all the hype was about. So I subscribed to Netflix which I'm so excited about. I had no idea how much I'd missed out on the last two years of my grad school/full time job career. Mind you, I won't graduate until May, but I am going to squeeze some TV action into my life.


So, my thoughts on this show: I'm a tad squeamish and freaked out after watching the first four espisodes. Ya'll, it's so weird because I used to ride roller coasters and watch horror movies with the best of them. Now? No way Jose. I got so sick to my stomach when I saw the blood. AND then I just got spooked. So spooked, my friends, that I had to do a walkabout the house and check rooms and bathrooms and the closet where the washer and dryer is located. For the record, I did not get the gun out to do this checking. Maybe I shouldn't watch it when I'm home alone? Just a thought...
It is very addicting. I watched four episodes straight in a row. I only have one concern. The realisticness of the monster thingie. I'm thinking, "Oh come on...really?" I have a feeling this show is going to have a lot of symbolism which I LOVE in literature so maybe I'll like it in TV as well.

I will keep you posted on my progress, LOST fanatics.

Mary Christmas and a Wedding

Yes, this is a 10th grader. And no he was not being funny. It was such a good thought though! I was grading essays today (for the semester exam), and one of the essays was about comparing the Day of the Dead or Christmas to the U.S. festivities. One girl answered, "We call mines holiday Christmas, and they call theirs Virgen Mary." aaawwww yes well...not quite so. It amazes me that even if I gave them the exact replica of the test, they still wouldn't study it. I feel things were so much different when I was in school and that wasn't that long ago. I would love your imput friends. Are students different today than they were even a few years ago or was I totally sheltered and oblivious? Be nice now...I know I'm oblivious to a lot of the happenings around me.

Brittany's not a little girl any longer. She's now a married woman! We absolutely love Waylan, and we are so happy for them both. The wedding was a bit chilly, but it was beautiful. It was small (small for our family is large for others) and intimate.

I feel it in my fingers...but not in my toes because it's so COLD! The worst three months of my life have offically begun. I know what you're thinking. It's ironic that a person who hates winter SO much was born in the coldest month of the year, February.

I think congrats are in order for...me! I just finished my last graduate class EVER! I will have freedom now. Instead of leaving school to go to class, I can now stay at school. This excites me because I am so behind in life...TV shows and more importantly books. SO SO SO behind. I'm making up for lost time because I: 1) joined Netflix to catch up on all the TV shows and movies I've missed the last two years of my existence, 2) checked out four books from the library, and 3) joined a book club. WHOA! I know, right? Excitingness is happening right here at the Chalet.

Jamison Road

To love a place so much...this is a difficult feeling for me to describe. The outside world pulled me, and I am now outside sitting on the tailgate of my Dad's truck. I couldn't escape this enchanting weather. The wind is perfect. The temperature is perfect. The sounds of bugs and the wind...perfect. The smells of the country. Oh the smells! This is the first time in a very long time that I've felt at peace with things. I listen and I look and see so clearly the way things are supposed to be. God is everywhere. I love this place. It always brings me home to where I need to be. I cry as I write this, at this very moment, because I know I will not feel this peace again for a long time. The cold will come, I will go back to the big city and get back to grad school and teaching. I will forget what this peace feels like. But for right now, I will feel it. I will bathe myself in it. I will think so freely for this one moment. I just had to share.

Wedding pics of Brittany and Waylan's wedding to come soon. Happy Thanksgiving!

Brush Your Shoulders Off

HAPPY FALL!

One of my best friends in the entire world got to come visit during my four day weekend. It is so wonderful to spend time with Meredith and Baby Chandler!



Ya'll, I'm not going to lie. The past few months, there have been a whirl wind of emotions. Love, hate, sorrow, self pity...you name it and I felt it. After a four day weekend, I am much improved and ready for Thanksgiving. Oh I love me some Pilgrims! God bless America and the Mayflower. Through all of these wonderful emotions, I have had to say to myself, "Brush your shoulders off." You said it straight, Jay-Z.

I said that to one of my students yesterday. She was a bit confused after we learned definite and indefinite articles. I told her that it would come with time and practice, and I also told her to "brush you shoulders off." Dead (I mean dead) silence...then LAUGHTER! We all got tickled, and I just had to stop teaching a giggle. They just took me down left and right. "Oh no! That's old school." "You said that sooooo white." "You are too white." "You listen to Jay-Z?" "She obviously don't listen to no straight (cool) stuff."

We just laughed and laughed and laughed until...I was the only one laughing. Those who know me well know that I laugh at myself more than anyone else. I just can't help it! I'm just so weird and goofy that I tickle myself. So I am laughing out loud, by myself, and that gets the kids going again. It is so GREAT to laugh with your students! There are those times when it's ok, and you can achieve so much more from your class just from laughing with them. There are many, many, many times when I want to slap them silly or as they say, "Boy, I'm gonna hit you upside yo head."
Caroline's first time to eat AND to cook deer steak. Everyone has to have the deer steak experience of eating and frying it up real nice :).


It's just so very difficult to form relationships with students in such a tough environment. I went into the school year thinking that I was going to help all the kids that needed help. Well let me tell you, I was WRONG. Maybe I am helping in some way. Maybe they haven't let their guards down. All I know is that I am just trying to survive mentally every day. That's all I know right now. I made a B on two grad school assignments. I told myself I wouldn't cry--it's just a grade--it doesn't matter. But then I realized I just have to survive (and of course, pass ).

So yes, I am good. Healthy as a horse. It's all about perspective, and that is a very hard concept for me. You always think you have it the hardest when, oh no girl and boy (if there are any that read this), there's always someone out there that has had a poopier day.

Dinner with Chance and Timmy B.




















Halloween party!

Updates:

Aunt Tricia--has taken two rounds of chemo. Read the latest here at http://www.mostlysweet.blogspot.com/. Please keep Trixie in your prayers! She started a new drug called Tarceva this week, so please pray that it's effective and that the side effects are mild.

Brittany and Waylan--they are getting hitched on November 20. I can't believe it's finally here. On a sadder note, their Maltese, Duke, was run over and killed yesterday. They are devasted! It's like losing a child. Duke was even in their engagement pics. Pray for them as well!

This my sister and Duke.

My Many Faces

Fall is here! So excited for a weather change. I hate winter but love fall so I will soak up every minute. The best part is wearing boots every single day. Yay for that! School is getting better; I'm getting used to the differences. So many funny stories. Grad school and full time job are catching up with me. I have no idea how people do this and have children. I think I would cry and eat terribly every day of my existence. It's catching up with me so much that I made B's on two assignments. That's not normal. One and a half more months then freedom.

I've had the past two days off. It has been so nice. Meredith and baby Chandler were in town, so I've spent these last two days with them. It has been so wonderful! I love them so much and wish I could see them every day.

Here's just a little preview of my life in pictures:

Me, Sarah and Jill eating at The House for Sarah's birthday. They have a pretty good burger.

Jonathan and Mer on their previous visit to Searcy.

Karson, my favorite red-head.

Lauren and me before the Boom Kinetic concert. Who's the pale one???



Loved seeing my Audra in Hot Springs over labor day weekend. It was such a wonderful surprise!

Little C and Big A :)

Halloween pics to come soon!

Tuesday's Trivia

Did you know...

...that celery is 95% water? Me either...hhhhmmm. I'm still not convinced to it, though ;)

long overdue

Hey everyone! I'm alive...barely. I tell you what. This public school thing is different, and I'm slowly acclamating. I know...shocking...I used to be blonde. Now? Now I have gray hair or so says my hairdresser. What do I deal with every day? Let's just say tomorrow, I have a conference with a mother who says that I wrongly accused her daughter of bullying. Oh did I? NO! I saw this woman's daughter teasing, laughing, and provoking a sweet girl to the point of almost fighting. Yes, I had to break up a fight in my own classroom. Bring it momma because I will not put up with that mess in my room. Oh just BRING IT! I may be a young white teacher but I have really really thick skin now :).

Enough about school...I could literally go on and on and on. Just letting everyone know that I'm alive. Much love to all!

Take Me Back to the Day

My cousin Tela said that her nieces and nephews had a burial the other day for a baby chicken. That reminded me when Herbie the crab died. It was so so sad. Wes lead a prayer and we all sang Amazing Grace. Here's a little pic to show you.

R to L: Tela, Brittany, Wes, and me. I know...I'm an Amazon.

Joy will come in the morning

Two weeks ago yesterday my Paw Paw passed from this life. I knew it would come sooner than later with him battling symptoms of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). I just wasn't expecting it so soon. There was more I was wanting to do and say, and it just makes me sad I will never get to say them. I am, however, so glad I got to spend one-on-one time with him and Grandmother in June. What good memories I have of that visit! My favorite was when he was eating the strawberry bread I brought them, and he said, "Well, I like Zucchini bread better." He was quite a character.

Psalm 30:5 says "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." It wil be so sad not to see him anymore, but as Angel, a three year old that goes to Grandmother and Paw Paw's church said, "Paw Paw Hester is perfect now. He can walk around up there." To see death through the eyes of a child!

Then the first day of school rolls around. It makes me ill thinking about it. I have two first days of school since I'm floating between two campuses. Thursday comes. It's my day to go to the campus that houses the 9th and 10th grades. I wake up extra early so I can be prepared mentally and physically. I get to school at 7:30 (school starts at 8:40) and make sure my cart is set up. For those of you who don't know, I don't have a classroom of my own. I have a cart that I move from class to class. Nothing was going right that morning. I take my cart downstairs via the elevator because that's where my first period is. My cart got stuck in the metal part of the elevator, comes apart, and papers fall off. I want to say curse words but refrain. I can't blend in with the students.

After first period, I go down the hall to a different classroom. That period was ok too. I'm just not used to the sassiness of those kids. By this time, it's 11:45. I am starving! And then it hits me...I have one more 90 minute class to go. I don't have lunch until 1:30. I don't have time to pee or eat a snack because I've got to move this blasted cart around. I resent the cart. I want to kick the cart and spit on it. But I can't. I have a class full of students waiting on me.

I make it. I'm late because I've got to go to the 2nd floor. I hate floors. I realized I'd left my poster with my objectives and agenda on it in the previous classroom. Boob. I hate posters. The bell rings to dismiss. My legs want to cry. I want to eat and pee. I don't know what I needed more at the time. I ate or scarfed is more like it. I sat down and melted into my seat. I realized I had not sat down since I'd gotten to school at 7:30 that morning. I didn't have a chance. Usually I rest in between classes but now I have to move a cart from classroom to classroom. My legs literally ached and felt swollen. I hate aching and swelling.

Overall, it really was a good day. The kids were pretty good--no major problems. The bad part was the cart thing. I really do not have time to pee, eat a snack, or sit. This could be a problem. I am going to have to buy a stool for each classroom I guess.

Next day...Friday. Should be a wonderful day. TGIF. Think again. I am at the other campus. First block was fine. I had to wake a kid up already. They were really quiet. 2nd block--not so quiet. Plus I'm in a room where the air conditioner is extremely loud. The kids have to repeat everything. They were a bit talkative and sassy. There are some sweet ones though.

Lunch time. I forgot my lunch, and I didn't bring any money. Hungry. I hate forgetting. Luckily I brought some dried apricots to eat as a snack. 4th block...if this is what hell is like I am for sure not going. IT WAS AWFUL! I have NEVER had a problem with classroom management before. EVER! There was one student imparticular that I had a huge problem with. He kept falling asleep. After the 2nd time, I tapped him and told him to stand up. He said, "No, I'm not standing up." I told him again to stand up. He said, "No that's stupid. Leave me alone." I said that there is not backtalk in my room. He asked if he could leave. I said no. I continued teaching class. As I taught, I wrote him a short form which is a warning. I had no idea what the discipline measures were at this school. I just knew he couldn't get away with that. I told him to stay after class. We talked and I told him to never do that again, that I was calling his mother, and telling his administrator.

It was a zoo especially when the last 15 minutes of class rolled around and I realized I had nothing else for them to do. I FINISHED EARLY. What. A. Nightmare. I was spent. I could think of nothing else for them to do. I let them talk but then it escalated. I got them quiet and told them no talking for the rest of the class.

After class, I went to the other Spanish teacher and cried my eyes out. What am I doing here?? Do I really want to be this stressed out? She was so sweet and said I did the right thing. She said, "At least he didn't throw his desk at you or call you a Mother $#$@#%." It's true. That happened to her. I spoke to the administrators who have been oh so helpful to me. They said not to put up with a second of that behavior. Send them to their administrator immediately. That made me feel better too.

What really gets me is my unpreparedness for that type of situation. I should have made myself more familiar with the disciplinary procedures so that I could have dealt with that more efficiently. This has definitely helped me learn the procedures. I'm sure I will have more of these incidents. Now I will be more confident in my ability to handle them.

I'm in the right place. I will find something good and great in every student. Who knows how long it will take, but pray for me Pray that the Lord lets me find those good things and wipes away the bad images. There is teaching to do!

Tuesday's Trivia

Did you know...

...that the average porcupine has 30,000 quills???

It's Peach Month!!

My friends, Caroline and Sarah, rang in peach month the right way--in Nashville, AR. I love to make peach preserves, so I took the girls down with me. We left Friday morning around 8:40 which was way too early for C. I think she wanted to punch me in the face. Nevertheless, we set out on our roadtrip. I pull out cd's from way back with songs like Mmmbop, My Love is Your Love, and Mouth. Please tell me you remember the song Mouth by Merril Bainbridge. She's an Aussie. We jammed and finally pull on Old Chapel Hill Road when Caroline asked, "What is that?" She was pointing to a chicken house. SHE HAD NEVER SEEN ONE! I was shocked, and little did she know that my cousin Seth has some. That story is coming later.

As soon as we got to the house, we began peeling peaches. Poppa and Uncle Bobby were sweet enough to pick the peaches for us Friday morning, and Granny and Poppa were kind enough to come help us peel peaches. We made 9 batches of preserves. That would be 36 cups of peaches and 49.5 cups of sugar. Sounds like a sugar coma to me!

The girls also got a tour of Jamison Road. I introduced them to most of the family including the newest edition, Asher Howard. That's my cousin Ace's baby boy. The girls also got to see the infamous gravel pit where much of my childhood was spent in a make believe "Land before time" adventure. It was also the place where my brother fell off the cliff. So many stories. Then I took them to the cow graveyard. We had to cross a fence. That's something Caroline has never done before. Caroline looked at the barbed wire fence and said, "I didn't know this was going to be dangerous." She thought she was going to get Tetanus. If she only knew how many times I've had run ins with barbed wire, she'd be shocked that I was still alive.

After that, we went to Seth's chicken houses. He just got baby chickens that were two days old. There were 10,000 of them in there. The girls were amazed! It is a pretty awesome sight. Then they got the rundown of how everything worked. For those of you who know my cousin Seth, you know he is a man of few words. It was funny to hear him answering all of their questions.


Saturday night, the girls had their first gun shooting lesson...ever. We decided dressing up in era clothing would be appropriate. My mom said, "Out of all of Little Rock, you found these two girls to play dress up with you." It's true. I was very excited that I wouldn't have to play dressup all by myself.











You can't wear a civil war dress without pantaloons. Come on!




It was a very fun weekend! I think I tired them out though. Anyone else that would like to experience the magical Jamison Road, let me know. Peaches, dressup, guns, chickens....now that's what I'm talking about.

Tuesday's Trivia

Did you know...

that the cardinal served as the mascot of the University of Arkansas before the Razorback hog?

Humilified

Ok so those of you who know me know that I tend to make up words without really knowing it. My friend Caroline now uses my word "humilified" so I felt I might tell you about the etymology of that word.

Once upon a time (November 2009) there were two girls (Lauren and me) trying on beautiful designer clothes (at the Limited). Lauren called to me, "Ashley, please show me the gorgeous red dress that you are trying." So Ashley, dying to show off her figure to Lauren and anyone else that wanted to look, sauntered out of the dressing room showing off the very tight red cocktail dress. As Ashley is walking down to Lauren's dressing room, a store employee has an approving smile on her face as she looks at me. "I look fab and sassy!" Ashley thought. The smile on the store employee's face quickly turned into disgust as she looked down towards my feet. "It must be my chipped toenail polish," Ashley thought.

As soon as Ashley got back to the dressing room, she takes off the very tight dress, contemplating purchasing the dress. She then pulls up her panties (sorry if this is graphic for some of you), and her...HER PANTIES!!! It suddenly dawns on her. The dress was so tight that to prevent a panty line, she just...you know. She suddenly yells to Lauren, "I'm so humilified. Oh my goodness! Girl, so humilified!" She quickly dresses, runs down to Lauren's stall and tells her what she's done. She realizes why the store employee gave her such a look of disgust. She knew that she HAD to buy the dress now. She bought the dress and very quickly left the store.

Will Ashley ever be unhumilified???

Yes, that's the story. Poor Ashley. Little did she know that she was showing her skivvies to the whole store. The moral of this story is...make sure your skivvies are cute if you are going to show them to the whole store.

Tuesday's Trivia

I've decided that since I love trivia so much, I will post a new one every Tuesday. If you have any thing interesting, please share. Ask my mother if my love for trivia is for real, and she will say "fo sho." I'm just so intrigued. So here's your first one. Shall we have a ribbon cutting? hehehehahaha. ok for real.

Did you know...

If Monaco's ruling house of Grimaldi should ever be without an heir (male or female), the country will cease to be a sovereign state? No more Grace Kelly family members. Poof! Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie--ya'll better keep spitting out those kids!

Trivia Oh How I Love Thee

SO, I was talking witht the AT&T Uverse guy today (his name was Joseph), and I noticed that he had an accent. I couldn't pick up on where he was from which is abnormal because I love accents. He was asking me if it was hot in Arkansas and I told him it was your own personal sauna. Then he said he'd never experienced weather like that so then I went in for the kill. I asked him where he was from. So here's your trivia...AT&T really is worldwide because Joseph lives in the (drum roll please)...the PHILIPPINES! I know, crazy. That reminds me of my penpal, Liezel Gara. She was from the Philippines. She never sent me a cassette tape of her voice, so therefore I couldn't detect Joseph's outfit.
My time in Dallas and Tulsa was fantastic! I loved spending time with my friends. As soon as I got in Tulsa Thursday I had a little fender bender. Oh well, right? It's just money. I have a money tree as well as my brothel in the backyard. It's all good.

Yesterday I began a 12 day rapid weight loss diet. Don't worry, I'm not anorexic; I just want lean muscle. This diet requires me to eat seafood because it is so high in protein. I bought tilapia which I did ok with. I also had to buy shrimp. I had a shrimp salad today or maybe I should call it an Ashley gag salad. I could hardly get through it. THEN I had to eat cottage cheese. Luckily I got to put strawberries and blueberries in it. It still didn't help that much. I ended up throwing the rest of the cottage nasty cheese away. I feel I am gaining weight. Why is this???? We'll see how long I last. I was thinking, "I can do anything for 12 days." I really want carmel right now.

Summer lovin!.

I wish summer was year round. I absolutely love the weather, the smell of sunscreen, the lake, never having to wash your hair because the pool does it for you, and the sun not setting until 8:30. LOVE it! I'm headed to Dallas after lunch to hang out with Meredith before little Chandler arrives. I can't wait to meet my new niece!
Meredith and me at Harding graduation 2010.

As much as I love summer, it's been a bittersweet. One of my very best friends and her husband are moving to Houston on Friday. I can't tell you how many going away dinners we've had with Val just to spend time with her. I'm so happy for them and the adventure they are about to embark upon, but I will miss her dearly. Pray for Valorie and Scott and their transition. Love you both! Sarah, Valorie and me at one of the many going away dinners.

I FINALLY (dum da da dum) got a job! It makes me want to jump up and down and sing songs from Oliver Twist. For those of you who know me well, you know I love the music from Oliver Twist. I'll be a Spanish I teacher at a nearby school district. I'll be a floater which means I won't have my own classroom. There are pros and cons to that. Of course, I'd much rather have my own room. The Pro is I won't have to decorate a room. Am I nervous? YES. They use a program I've never taught with before and it terrifies me. I still haven't gone through training for that yet. All in all I'm very excited, thankful, and relieved to have a job for this coming year. And at a public school to boot! Goodbye CAC...hello savings account!

Fun times with friends at a Boom Kinetic concert.

Over and out with a little shout!

Life interrupted

God has definitely tested my roommates and me. My roommate Haleigh was attacked in our home and almost kidnapped on May 16. Haleigh has fully recovered physically, but emotionally there is still much more healing. It's just so weird to find this happening to you. Our home, the place we find so safe, so fun, so girly...those feelings were gone. It feels so much more normal for Caroline and me now. It's still strange at times to think, "Oh that's where she was laying" or "He dragged her through here." It's like we feel the pain she was going through, and the prayers she was praying. Things will never be the same. God has pulled us through as we knew he would, but we have changed. The devil acts in ways we cannot understand, but he did not win. Please continue to pray for Haleigh during these upcoming months as she gains more strength from this crisis. She will have to face the monster who interrupted her life. We still don't know when the trial will be, but I will keep you all posted. God did hand us an interruption, and we are working through it. How do you handle life's interruptions?

Since March I have cut three inches off of my hair and might possibly have a job next year. I'll find out next Friday. If that's the case I'm off to Costa Rica for a couple of days to brush up on the good espanol!

I have been babysitting every day. That keeps me very busy. I have also gotten back into reading :). I am currently reading The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. Good so far. I'm reading a book a week. Trying to get in as many as I can before grad school starts July 12.

Have I ever told you what makes my world go round? Well, I'll tell you know. It's cream cheese and butter. With those things, food is so much more special. I've decided that I will never be a super model and wear bikinis in front of boys. Cream cheese and butter won't allow that!

*Spoof* Bachelor tryout video

A happy camper once again

Oh my! I've missed you blog world! I'm so glad winter is over. I really do hate it with all of my existence. I should probably move to a warmer year round climate so that I don't hate things as much. But who likes to move? Ya'll, I mean really. Could the blooming trees get any prettier? I just get so excited when spring comes. Sometimes I just want to dance in my leg warmers and video tape myself. Do ya'll ever feel like that?

Two of my best friends from college, Cali and Audra. We had to make sweet nothings of course!

Last week I went to Nashville, TN to see my best friends from college. I haven't seen them in a year so it was a wonderful reunion. We missed our other bestie Erin. Hopefully we will all be together again soon. Maybe for Cali's baby shower?? If you're reading this Erin, please say yes!

While in Nashville, I went to McKay bookstore. It's book store heaven for those of you who love to read. The picture to the left is how I feel when I'm walking in. I've been preparing my list since last May. I only spent $91 (it was better than last time)! Ya'll I just cannot tell you the happiness I feel when I enter that place. I smell books--the pages, the binding, the weird people. "Oh what joy! Oh what bliss! I feel so crazy I want to hiss!" (Another word that rhymes with hiss is piss but I didn't really want to do that. I mean, who wants to buy books with urine all over them?).
Another thing that was exciting was looking up pedafilitics (that's the fancy shmancy name for pedafiles) in my friends' neighborhoods. I have this app on my iphone called Watch Out. Type in the zip code and it gives you the name, pic and address. Cali had one that lived right around the corner from her. I won't say his name because if he googles himself then my blog will come up and then he will stalk me with his nasty medical mask on. Yes, he wears a medical mask at all times. Cali and Devin see him frequently in his yard, and he's wearing a mask. He's also wearng a mask in his mugshot. Creeper. Click here if you want to see http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?149303-15-Most-Unfortunate-Haircuts-for-a-Mugshot/page2 He was charged with solicitation of a minor. He probably drives a snow cone truck. There was also one that lived three houses down from Lauren Thompson. He was charged with aggravated rape. Even more gross. If I can be of any assistance to anyone in finding out about pedafilistics, let me know. My service is free.

Go enjoy the beautiful day! Thank you God for being the smartest being out there to create such prettiness.

Just call me Scrooge

This is awful. I HATE snow, cold, ice, beautiful blinding winter wonderlandnesses. My roomies and I went ahead and had our roommate birthday dinner last night. We were going to have it next weekend, but since we were all confined to the house, we decided to celebrate early. I made Delicious Cheddar Puffs (thank you Pioneer Woman). Haleigh made potatoes and chocolate cake, and Caroline made chicken in the crock pot and a Donnie Ferneau inspired salad. We ate high on the hog for sure.

Some of our guy friends came over last night and brought some games along. We played Apples to Apples first. LOVE THIS ONE! Then we played Scene it. I will say I'm not as good at this one because I don't watch as many movies as others. Fun time anyway.

Right now, I'm sitting on the couch with an illness called cabin fever. I'm watching my roommate do a Denise Austin video. I'm so ready to get out of the house!!!!!!!

Need a laugh?

Ya'll, sometimes I wonder about myself. Am I real? Am I competent? Should I be in charge of young children? Let's just say grad school has begun; I am taking three classes and teaching full time. My incident today will show that my mind is wearing very, very thin. I'll set up the convo: I get a call this morning while on duty so I check the voicemail. It's Linda from church. She said that Mr. Holmes had died just now, and she wanted to let me know that since I am in charge of the food team for January. I told myself I would handle that after school.

After school, I get out my church directory and look up the number to the deceased man's family. The following is the conversation I had today at 2:54 pm:

(Ring ring)

Mrs. Conway: Hello?

Me: Hi Mrs. Conway. This is Ashley Jamison from church.

Mrs. C: Well hello! How are you? (quite chipper seeing that her husband had just died)

Me: Well I should be asking you that. I heard about your husband this morning. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Mrs. C: SILENCE [She must be so sad. I mean her husband just died]

Me: I wanted to call and offer my condolences and to see if there's anything we can do to help out.

Mrs. C: SILENCE [Wow...she's so grief stricken she can't even speak.]

Me: Have you made funeral arrangements? Do you know when the funeral is?

Mrs. C: Well, I hope it's not for a few more years.

Me: Oh....ok. [I was thinking, "ooh gross. She wants to keep him for a long time. Think necrophilia at its best. Think A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. Should I report this to the police? No, she's just in mourning. Normal response...not quite but oh well.]

Mrs. C: You must know something I don't know because he's up walking around.

Me: Mrs. Conway, your husband didn't die did he?

Mrs. C: No, he's standing right here.

Me: Well, can you tell me who did?

Mrs. C: I have no idea I haven't heard.

Me: I wonder if it was Mr. Holmes. Well I'm glad your husband is alive!

Mrs. C: Me too! [At least she kind of laughed about it]. You even called us last week to check on him when he got out of the hospital.

Me: That's right. I did. Well, I'm glad everything is alright. See you tonight at church!


Yes, that really happened. Why I am the cause of such misfortunes I will never know.

Toot toot! Next stop: Infatuation Station

Ya'll, i watched the bachelor tonight. he's such a little cheesy goober, but i love to watch him. so fun. ok so please agree with me that tonight was probably the funniest episode ever. I watched it with my friend Valorie and we giggled (the kind where you hold your bladder because it might explode from so much laughter) about everything. A few observations: there are a lot of divorcees, big boobies, girls that look like men (would I say androgenous or just manly?), and then there are some pretty ones. Oh my the girls that got kicked off tonight were hilarious werent they? Ashley, the teacher wearing the blue dress, looked like she had a neck problem when she was saying by to him. bless her. and then the girl who looks hideous when she cries. so funny. sorry if she's related to anyone, but you might want to show her how to cry more prettily before going on national television. I called my daddy after the show and told him he should be thankful i'm not exploiting my body. I mean just think of all the fan mail ;).

Let me tell you about my day....only about 15 seconds of it. There's an exchange student from Mexico this semester. He speaks English poorly; he is in my Spanish I class. Many hispanics are under the false assumption that the grammar they learned is correct when in fact it is not. Well, my student decides to challenge me today in front of the class. He said that when conjugating this certain verb, it can be done both ways. I said, "No it can't." He said it could then I said it can't then he said that's the way it's done in Mexico. SO I SAID, "Never challenge me in front of my class again and NO it cannot be done that way. In my class, I teach correct grammar and obviously that is not the way you learned it. You will learn correct Spanish grammar here. End of discussion." He said yes ma'am and I went on with my class. While they were doing their course work, I gave him an instructional sheet and where he could find it in the book where I was correct. Though Spanish isn't my native tongue, I know what I'm teaching. Maybe he'll remember that next time.

Pawpaw made it out of surgery fine. He's in pain, but that's expected. Hopefully he will have better care this time or nurse Callie will get 'em! Also add to your prayers my friend Lauren Brennan. She was diagnosed with transverse myelitits which is inflammation of the spinal cord due to an infection settling there. She experienced paralysis from the waist down, and she is trying to recover from that. Prayer she has a full recovery and can be as active as she once was. She's such a beautiful woman inside and out! She wrote this on her facebook page the night she was admitted: "God is good, all the time." What a strong, Christian woman! Please pray for her, her husband and her family.

I might be getting new bedroom furniture. That's right.

Lauren and me at her wedding in 2006.

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great news friends! Ace does NOT have cancer! What a relief let me tell you. And to put icing on their cake, Ace and Morgan were finding out the sex of the baby today. I don't know it yet but as soon as they give me the ok I'll post. Yay! I'm sure it's a boy; that's all our family ever has. We need some estrogen! School started back today. I was actually kind of excited to see them :).

Ok so I MUST tell you about the hip hop class I've been going to. It's totally kick-butt. Tonight was my 2nd time to go, and the sad part is, I won't get to go anymore since I'll have class every Tuesday night :(. One more Tuesday and then I'll have to wait til summer. But oh my! Luwana knows what she's doing that's for sure. Last week she had this move where you have to pop your butt. I was doing the very best I could. Those who know me know that I'm not blessed in that area, so I was trying hard to pop it. As I'm trying to be ghetto, I hear Luwana yell, "White girl! White girl! You gotta pop it like it's hot. Put it out there!" And I yelled, "I AM! This is it!" After tonight's class she said that I have much improved the booty pop. It is such a good workout; i was drenched with sweat. She doesn't even give you time to catch your breath. For those who want a good and fun workout, go to the hip hop class at War Memorial gym Tuesdays 6-7pm.

Here are some holiday pics!

Tekia and me before she made my hair look like Cindy Lou Who

Daddy and me
The momster and me

Brittany and Waylan

Caleb's girlfriend Brook, me, Tela and Seth's wife Julianne at Jamison Christmas.

Lacey, Caroline, Sarah and me at Ciao Baci ringing in the new year.