Monday, February 28, 2011

Europe bound baby!

My dates are finally set! I'm going to western Spain and Portugal June 12-June 19 with my friend, Brian.



After he leaves, I'll attend a language school in Málaga in southern Spain on the beach. I'm looking into taking a weekend excursion to Morocco. If you've been to Morocco, let me know what you thought about it.

I can't even begin to express my excitement! If you want to come along, come on! The more the merrier :).


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LOST update and another important annoucement

I've got three more episodes before I finish season 3. I don't know about your feelings towards Juliet and Jack, but right now, I hope a wave sweeps them off into the ocean in the dead of night so that a shark can have his dinner. Jack is being a turnip! Juliet with all of her calmness and crap. Well, you know what? Just go be calm ALL BY YOURSELF Juliet because you are a boobhead. I so wish I could say that to her face. But for now, I will just say it to myself. And to ya'll. AND how in the world did Locke's dad get there? This is just too weird. About Juliet, I do hope my feelings change about her because she is so pretty. I'm not being shallow or anything, but her bone structure is pretty darn awesome.

It's true. I could have found just a picture of Juliet, but Sawyer is so handsome. I mean, COME ON!

It's National Tooth Fairy Day!! I knew all of you would want to know about this day, so that you can celebrate it. It's February 28, and it makes me really excited because...it makes me thankful that the tooth fairy doesn't have to come get my teeth anymore. That would be pretty bad if I was still losing teeth at my age. Nasty, rotting, decaying teeth is not what the tooth fairy had in mind, happy people. Did your parents keep all of the teeth you lost? Mine did. My dad still has them in film canisters marked Ashley, Brittany, and Caleb. Maybe he wants to make a necklace. Hhhhhmmmm.


Me circa 1985. Even then I knew I loved my teeth.
 Go brush your teeth and floss. Let's fight periodontal disease! Woohoo! To end this wonderful post, I will leave you with a Bernice quote. My mother, or G Unit as she is lovingly known, is famous for being funny and not realizing it. Here was a conversation we had yesterday about whether or not I should join the junior league:

Me: Mom, do you think I should joing the junior league?
Mom: What is it?
Me: It's a women's philanthropy group. (Here, I branch out into the pros and cons). So Mom, what do you think?
Mom: It would sound really good in your obituary.

Have a great Monday, and remember, anything you do today could go in your obituary.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Adventures of Ashleyberry Finn

Wasn't it just a gorgeous day! I wanted to roll around in the grass like a dog, but I decided to go sit on a patio instead. Jill and I went to U.S. Pizza and let the wind blow through our hair. I may never get my hair brushed out tonight. Then we went to the new Brazilian bakery Rosalia's. Talk about melting in your mouth! Jill got a chocolate cupcake and I got a Carolina. Carolina must've been a fluffy lady because this pastry was stuffed with all kinds of wonderful mousse. Whoa.







And then, we did something bold. Something so daring I freaked OUT. We trespassed! There's this awesome house for sale on Lookout, and we drove around to see the back. Well, friends, the gate was open. It wad saying, "Come in. Your life wont feel complete." So we did.




Have a great Saturday night! Do something daring.

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Apple Cider Vinegar

My sweet neighbor brought me some of this and a book on the benefits it has on your health. Does anyone drink this daily? I think I'm going to start. It definitely won't hurt anything, but if you've seen changes I want to know. Report back. Over and out.

I got teary eyed today in a parent conference. My excuse? Allergies. Do you think apple cider vinegar cures those too?

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Do you ever have those moments when you are in the middle place of emotions?

So I had lunch with my parents, Brittany, and Caleb today at Dixie Cafe. Not my choice, but I didn't complain. I even drove all the way to Cabot to eat because I hadn't seen my dad yet. I haven't seen my parents since Christmas or been home to Nashville since Christmas. I've been a very bad family member. I'll make up for it--I promise. By the way, this was the first time in a very long time that it has just been us five. No Waylan or Brooke this time. It was very strange but nice. Me likey.

I hug the parents bye, and no sooner than I drive out of my parking spot, the tears flow. Cry me a river, why don't ya. I was caught in this middle place of "little Ashley" and "big Ashley". It never gets easier leaving my parents whether it's in the parking lot of Dixie Cafe or driving down my dirt road back to LR.   The tears always come. Of course they don't know this (I guess they will now). I remember my mother saying this when we would leave Memphis, how it was so hard to leave. In college I couldn't wait to get back to my friends, but now? Now I want to go back, but I want to stay. Those of you who don't live in the same town as your parents, please tell me you know what I'm talking about. There's just something about driving away and leaving. What if I never see them again? What if something happens to them? Sometimes I just wish I had my parents here all the time. Those of you who have that privilege, you have no idea how fortunate you are. To have people that can love you in person. That's life though. UGH! I'm not complaining. I'm just stating my feelings. A statation of the feelation.
Some think we look alike...
The Outsiders had their second meeting tonight, and I must say it went quite well. We actually discussed the book, and we did so quite thoroughly. We discussed House Rules by Jodi Picoult which turned out to be a very good discussion because it deals with Asberger's. Those types of issues can be very controversial and lead to very heated discussions. I hope we were that table that was annoyingly loud talking about awesome things. I'm sure we sounded intelligenter (or is it more intelligent?) (I do think it's more intelligent...) than everyone else talking with really big words. Our next month's read is Push by Sapphire. That will be very relevant to my students, and I'm very excited to finally read it. I saw the movie and was naseauted at such behavior. Truly naseauted that things like that happen. Every. Single. Day. 

I thought my sweet little old lady neighbor died today. Caroline said she saw an ambulance and a police car there this morning, and there were tons of cars there this afternoon. She was however, sitting up on the gurney when they willed her out. Hhhhmmm...I will try to unfold the myster tomorrow. But just in case she did pass away, pray for her family. She was (or is) a sweet old lady. Either way, prayer is good and ambulances are bad. If you don't remember the one time when I called a woman from church about her husband dying, you must read this.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A little disturbing and then some

Does this mannequin look a tad inappropriate to you? Close your legs young lady! How preposterous! My sister and I could NOT stop staring. In Dillard's btw.



My parents stopped through on their way home from Memphis, so I met Mom and Brittany for lunch. It's always an event with my mother or lovingly known as G unit. I got to witness my sister hop a curb. Let me tell you, she toe it up! Did you get my toe it up instead of tore it up? I wanted to sound cooler.

About my previous post, Jay is just a fan I met last night. He stalks my blog (creepy) and wanted me to give him a shout out. Whoa.


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Friday, February 18, 2011

Big Jay

This is Big Jay. He is the man I want to marry in my dream life.


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Thursday, February 17, 2011

I once knew this girl...

...who cooked mashed potatoes for her roommate dinner. She got so hungry that she ate a bowl of cereal to help tide her over. 30 minutes later her roommate still wasn't home, so she ended up eating the entire (large) bowl of mashed potatoes. Can you believe that someone, a GIRL, would do that?

(It was me, and this is my "wow, I just ate a lot of mashed potatoes so stop judging" face)
Peace and blessings!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Birthday Extravaganza (and my award)

It was a blast! Caroline and I had our joint birthday party at Ferneau again because it was such a success last year. Being in a place with all of your friends is so awesome, so why not do the same thing again. Nine of our friends had dinner with us in the private room at Ferneau. This is where the fun began. As I was opening my presents, I flung a piece of tissue paper out of the bag and it landed on a candle. Flames shoot up. I calmly poor three glasses of water on the fire. My friend Valorie was amazed at my calmness. I just have to remind her I put out "fires" every day at school, and I must be calm and collected.

Besides the fire, I had a wonderful time. Wearing a mask and getting all gussied up is so much fun! I even wore fake eyelashes! 

The Birthday Girls--Caroline and me

My favorite part--cake!


My fabulous friends--Valorie, Sarah, Caroline, Jill, Carla, Emily, and me.


The roomies--Caroline, me and Kristi.
Lastly, I must tell you about something. This will sound indulgent, but it truly was shocking. I got an AWARD today at the faculty meeting!! I know, right? I got the I Challenge Students award, and I was chosen by Mr. Allen, the principal.   He said that when he came in to informally observe my class, I was differentiating instruction.  He talked about the rap I created, how I got the students to give me the beat, how I let my hair down, and made a fool of myself just to get my students' attention. I was shocked for a number of reasons: 1) When it is a day I am at the other campus, we aren't required to come back over for staff meetings at the other campus. Mr. Allen emailed me and asked me to be at this one. I thought I was in trouble.  2) I am the new teacher on the block. 3) I knew deep down in my heart that I was differentiating my instruction but I was just trying to prevent my students from falling asleep...again. I have to think on my feet. No wonder my voice is so hoarse.

So yay for me! That gave me motivation to finish the race...which will be over June 8. Poop.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day for single people is...

Chance and Ashley--two big boys at one tiny table.

AWESOME! Who's wallowing in their own sorrow? Not me, little lambs. My friend, Chance, decided to have people over to his house tonight for a little duck and deer time. I loved the idea because I love me some deer meat fried up real nice. A little mashed potatoes with gravy and of course some gravy and ketchup mixed up for my deer steak dipping sauce made my my evening complete. Chance grilled duck kabobs that were out of this world. I'm now a duck fan for sure. And we had cupcakes to boot made by sweet little Anna. I had a wonderful day with friends and good food! You know I'm a sucker for good food :)
Chance, Patrick, and Ashley

Do you have a boo thang?

Y'all. My students speak an entirely different language; some days I need an interpreter. Today I learned the following:

1) a person who sings really quickly to a beat, throws their hands around in a punching fashion, sags their pants, and wears bling is NOT a rapster. It's rapper. I guess I've been hearing incorrectly all these years.
2) One of my students asked if I had a "boo thang". I said, "No." She asked, "Why not?" I said, "Because I don't need any butane." Then did she begin to speak more clearly so that I could understand. A "boo thang" is a boyfriend, in case you were wondering. I could have swore on homemade macaroni and cheese that she said butane.

And who says learning stops after college? Pish posh!


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Sunday, February 13, 2011

A little Valentine's Day trivia for ya

• About 3 percent of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets. (This is why I don’t have pets. I thought this percentage would be higher.)
• Some people used to believe if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a gold finch, she would marry a millionaire. (Seeing that I have no idea what kinds of birds those are, I guess I’ll just be surprised.)
• The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day. (I can say with confidence that I have NOT sent one of those.)
• The first televised tour of the White House aired on February 14, 1962. First Lady Jackie Kennedy hosted. (Two words: elegantly appropriate.)
• Hallmark has over 1,330 different cards specifically for Valentine’s Day. (Again, I can say with a crazy amount of confidence that I have NOT sent one of those.)
• Valentine’s Day has a higher percentage of male buyers than any other seasonal occasion. Fifteen percent of all valentines are purchased by males, compared to most other holidays, in which 90 percent of cards are purchased by women. (so overrated…I’m not bitter. I promise.)
• The oldest known Valentine was sent in 1415 A.D. by the Duke of Orleans to his French wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. It is still on display in a museum in England. (Bless his heart…don’t you wonder what it said. I just can’t imagine what romance you can fancy while being in chains. I would want clean clothes, pizza, a cheeseburger with grilled onions, and crystal lite. Love? Hhhhmmmmm)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! And if you don't have a Valentine and love being single and sassy, come join the fun at our "It's so awesome being single" party. I'm cooking deer steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. Don't want to miss it!

House Rules


My latest read was a book about a boy with Asbergers being tried for murder. Jodi Picoult (I found out it was pronounced pico as in pico de gallo) writes about very controversial topics. I love reading her books because I become more knowledgeable about certain issues like Asbergers or leukemia. She'a always a good read, so yes, I recommend this book. Fo sho! Now I am on to read The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan. Please don't ask me to pronounce that name.

By the way, did you know that dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible? I know. Me either.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Roots

I love art, and I especially love teaching art. That's why I love spring semester so much. I tie in more culture, and although I love music, it's hard to do higher order thinking (something the state pushes) with songs. SO...I do art. I wanted to really draw the students in and get them interested in such a vital part of a culture, so naturally I began with Frida Kahlo. She is by far my favorite. Yes, I know, she was a bisexual. But I think that makes her work so much more awesome. I believe we would have been friends...though I would've had to make my views very clear to her.

Roots by Frida Kahlo

I only showed five paintings, but this one is one of my favorites. It's called Roots, and it really speaks to me. My students loved it because they can relate to being connected to something. To being grounded to something even they may wish otherwise. I could read it on their faces...some were wishing they weren't born and raised in the projects or to have parents that deal drugs. I saw it in their faces because I know their backgrounds. And it makes me think of my background, my roots. Being raised on a farm in Nashville...I have no words to describe the feeling it brings to me when I think about it. Every wonderful word you can think of describes how I feel about my roots.

My roots--Solid Rock Farm


My biological roots. Mom and Dad in high school. Weren't they lovely? Dad + Mom = ME



Have you thought about your roots lately? (and I'm not talking about your hair)






Wednesday, February 9, 2011

When life gives you snow, make food!

My neighbors that live directly across the road asked us to come over and eat lunch with them today, so of course I make a bee-line for the food. I was a little reluctant to go because I hate being out in the cold and hate the snow. But food always brings out the best in me, so I went. There were six guys and then Caroline and me. Word got round that I make a mean chocolate chess pie, so I told the boys that if they could round me up 2/3 cup Crisco, I would whip them up a pie.

Low and behold, 20 minutes later I get a knock on my front door. I get the Crisco and the baking begins. Ever since my momma taught me how to make my own pie crusts back in the day, I have never, ever used a pre-made one. Homemade crusts taste so much better (in my lowly opinion).  I remember when I first began making pie crusts, I would ruin them. I would tear the crust or add too much water. But now I've got it down to an art. It's quite therapeutic. I put on Lisa Hannigan and The Format and work away.

I made the pie. With the extra crusts, I smeared butter on top and then sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon. I baked that and took that over there as well. I think that treat might be one of the finest tasting foods that's ever melted in my mouth. It truly does melt if you eat it right out of the oven. When I say right out of the oven, I don't mean right out. Let it cool just a smidge or it'll melt your taste buds :). 

We all ate soup then chowed down on pie and crust. We played Apples to Apples then some other random game that was super fun. I love me a good game! We spent a good five hours over there. I'm sure we will be seeing more of them tomorrow since we are snowed in...again.  

All of this snow makes me want Jeremiah Johnson to knock on my door and tell me that I make really good biscuits. Ooohhheeee! He. Is. Fine.

September 22, 2004

This is my first journal entry in my first diary ever! Yay! Audra and I ate at Mi Pueblito before Hart church. We asked the nice Backyard Burger man, Phil, to church.  He didn't come but gave us his number so we could call him next week. But we won't. Clay Kiihnl said he exposed himself to some girls (supposedly) so I'll just not ask him. 

After church, Audra and I went for a walk. Right in front of Harding Academy, we saw a naked man, penis and all, standing by a tree.  He was just standing there silent, not even moving.  We couldn't see his face because it was in the shadows.  Audra and I ran to the nearest apartments and yelled for help.  I yelled, "There's a naked man in the trees! There's a naked man in the trees!"  I think that was the first and only time I will ever outrun Audra. The man streaked across the street, got in an unlicensed silver car and peeled out. 

We reported it to Harding Security, Dead Huckeba and the Searcy police who literally laughed in our faces. Now isn't that the weirdest story ever?!?

From the diary of Ashley Jamison, junior year of college

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Say HEY for my BIRTHDAY! Hey!

 
My 3rd birthday with the cake my mother made and the dress my mother made. She's pretty awesome!
 So yes, it's been a while since I"ve last posted. Which means, yes, I have so much to tell you. First of all, I had a FABULOUS birthday. It was just a normal day...I know. How can normal be fabulous? I was at the good campus first of all. They are such little blessings to me. I love them so much. Even the ones that can be stinky sometimes. Not as in their actual smell but their behavior.

Side note: listening to Rogue Waves cover of "Every Day", the James Taylor song. I just needed to tell you. And it's ssssooooo good.

Back to the birfday (that's how my students' say it), I was also observed for the first time by my UCA professor. It went stupendously. I couldn't have asked for a better lesson or better students. She said she was very impressed, and then in her email to me later that day she said, "Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your classroom earlier today." I might have given myself a pat on the back. I get observed all the time but coming from my college supervisor, I was impressed with myself. Maybe I just had the big head because it was the day I came into the world. Who knows but I spanked it.

At lunch, my colleagues surprised me with a cookie cake. I was so like, "OH MYLANTA!". So shocked. I loved it. It took me back to college when one of my best friends, Erin, would get a cookie cake for her birthday every year. We loved it when her birthdays came around :). 

It wouldn't be a birthday without my heroicness.  My friend, Libby, called and said she was stuck around the corner. Her car was smoking...literally.  I went to save the day. Bless her heart...she was just trying to bring me my birthday present.

The smoking gun.
For dinner Caroline, Julie, and I went to eat at 1620. Since we are having my big celebration on Friday, we didn't want everyone to pay for two expensive meals. It was just the three of us. It was yummy! I'd never eaten there, and C and I had a groupon. Yeah we did. Just call the bargain hunting virtuoso.

Then the snow came. No school on Friday, so I went to my babysitting job early. I sat for a family with two wonderful kids from Friday until Sunday night. It was nice money for my travels this summer. Look out Europe! I'm coming to see ya!

No school tomorrow. Look out for posts from the past--the journal is coming out. Beware.