Friday, December 31, 2010

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!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

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.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

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.

Friday, December 17, 2010

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.