Award

Thank you Amanda for my latest award...

This award means a lot to me, especially coming from Amanda at Mom of Two Boys.  She is an amazing person, her posts are so well written and touching, you can't help but keep going back for me.  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you most definitely should.

Here are the rules for this award...

~Thank the person who gave the award to you...

Thanks so much Amanda you made my day!

~Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using 5 words...

1. Friendship

2. Outlet

3. Learn

4. Share

5. Amazing


~Pass it on to 5 bloggers...
 
Erica at Fashion Meets Food

Star at Star's Pink World

Beth at Just Me and My Life

Sarah at Why is that weird

Dancy at Beer Budget Bride's Musings

These 5 ladies are definitely a few of my favorites and I encourage you to go and check them out.  I could keep listing blogs, but that would defeat the number 5 - so just go check out my blog roll.

Thanks again so much Amanda! x

Jillian, Weekend Plans, Childless

Things are going well so far this week, I have worked out with Jillian everyday except Sunday (we got home quite late) and I am really enjoying getting that little bit of exercise.  I feel less tired, more motivated and just so much better after it's done each evening. 

Saturday we went to a beautiful wedding for our friends T&J, what an absolute blast it was.  We had so much fun and it was so great to see all of our friends.  The music was great, it was a band that is well known by our friends called Cherry Suede.  The guys are amazing and from what I remember the dance floor was packed all night long.  Below are a couple of pictures from the day.

Sunday we went to my sister's house and made homemade tomato sauce with her husband, her and their two boys.  Cole had spent the night there while we were at the wedding and he had so much fun with his cousins, as always.

This weekend will be the Shawville Fair, which is one of the largest county fairs in Canada.  It's always a great time.  There is great entertainment, loads of sinful food, plenty of games and many, many rides for all to enjoy.  My favorite is the evening ride we like to call the Twister (otherwise known as the beer tent!).  It should definitely be a great weekend, however, come Monday when all is said and done I thank God that it's over for another year.

Today my parents called and asked if they could have Cole over night tonight and tomorrow night.  They live an hour away so we will meet them halfway and do dinner.  It's a huge help as we were going to have to get daycare for him for Friday (the boys normally do 'Daddy Daycare' on Friday's as Ryan is off) but this way he will get to spend sometime with my parents, which both parties will LOVE.

This post is a little random today, I'm all over the place.

What are your plans for the long weekend?

Ouch

Just a quick update - I am 3 for 3 days of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred!  Yay!

The first night wasn't terrible, although she definitely gave me a run for my money.  Yesterday I actually didn't feel all that terrible, don't get me wrong, I was stiff, but it wasn't unbearable.

Until last night when I snuggled up in Cole's toddler firetruck bed with him.  I had full intentions of getting up after a quick cuddle and doing a list full of stuff, however, apparently I fell asleep.  Ryan came and woke me up and when I went to walk downstairs to work out I thought I might die.  I toughed it out and made it through and once I got into it I felt great.

Today is another story, my muscles are aching!  Cole came to hug me and I almost vomited because he pushed on my thigh.   I almost decided to let me body rest and not work out but then I thought, heck...it's only 30 minutes.  So off I went.  Now I feel great but I am dreading tomorrow morning.

All in all, it's going well and it feels great.  I have a calendar going and a lady I work with gives me a sticker if I workout (I feel like a 2 year old potty training - but hey, whatever works!), it's really nice to have people who care and only want you to succeed.  I just want to say thank you to all of you who sent me lovely e-mails and left me such motivating comments the other day, I really appreciate it.

Tomorrow we have a wedding to go to and it should be an absolute blast.  The bachelorette party for this bride was last weekend and it was INSANE.  From a house party with a stripper (yes a stripper - it was TERRIBLE but hilarious) to a limo-bus tour to two different bars.  It was soooo much fun!  30 women on a limo bus dancing and singing away, champagne was flying (along with bags full of jello shooters - mmmm)...what a blast.  So tomorrow should definitely be a good party and I can't wait to celebrate with T&J as they become man and wife, they are such a fantastic couple and such great people.  I am debating between two different dresses and I am equally torn, oh well, I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Off to do more stretching before bed so I can dance my ass off tomorrow!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Work It Girl

Tonight was the night.

I have done it all...

I have started tracking food again and upping my water intake

I have printed out fun calendars for tracking purposes

I have continued to get weighed monthly with Weight Watchers to see if I am still at my goal (which I am currently 5.5lbs over)

I have been talking and thinking and planning on how or when I would get back to working out with Jillian

and tonight I finally did it.  Jillian and I got it on with her 30 Day Shred.

I have a love/hate relationship with working out.  I love how it makes me feel and look but I hate doing it.  Unfortunately, I am not exceptionally skilled at any one sport, I am not a runner and I gave up my gym pass when I went back to work.  I started doing the 30 Day Shred at the beginning of this year and I really enjoyed it.  I had finally found a workout that fit into my schedule.  Between working full time and then coming home and running wild to get supper, lunches, bath, bed and housework done, everything else gets forgotten or put on the back burner.  I had first heard about it through the Weight Watchers' boards and I thought it was worth a try and it most definitely was.  For 30 minutes every night I would go downstairs while Ryan took care of bathing Cole and in no time flat it was over.  I noticed a difference in my body within the first month, just slightly though - mostly in the stomach area, but than again, I wasn't doing it religiously but at least 3 times a week.  Lent came and I decided to give up chocolate...well apparently I gave up working out as well and even though I had no problem going back to chocolate after Lent was finished, working out was a little tougher.

I eat quite well and for the most part stick to a pretty healthy diet/lifestyle if you exclude the weekends full of drinks.  My breakfast normally consists of a breakfast sandwich (egg whites, Weight Watcher thin, tomato) and a cup of fruit and then lunch is a salad with chicken breast or egg or avocado.  Supper is always a smaller than Ryan's portion of whatever we are having with either veggies or a salad, however, some days I do overeat at supper and then of course there is snacking.  We do not eat many processed foods at all in our house and I am not a huge carb person, but I most definitely love to snack and I do have a soft spot for fast food.  I am drinking anywhere between 2-5 litres of water a day and other than water I only drink tea.

So I am making it official and making myself accountable to all of you.  I am going to continue to workout, starting with at least 3 times a week and hopefully working my way up to more.  I need to do this so I can stop feeling sluggish and so that my clothes will look and feel good as they once were before.  I'm not focusing on weight (although if I can lose 15 more pounds I will be thrilled), but mostly on inches.  I want to see the difference and record it.  Tomorrow evening I am going to have Ryan take some pictures and my measurements and hopefully I will be able to come back here with some great numbers soon enough.

What are your favorite healthy lifestyle tips and tricks?

Seriously?!

Tonight has been a busy one.

Normally R picks up C after work as he is home earlier than I am but tonight I was off earlier than usual and R decided to get his hair cut so I offered to pick up C at daycare. Sometimes every single time when I pick C up he has a bit of a temper tantrum.  You see, he's a little particular.  He likes things his way and only his way.  He likes to choose what shoes he wears, which of his 6 BBs (blanky) he wants (clean or dirty), what glass he drinks from, this week he does not like pajamas, and he loves his Daddy frig Mom and the fact that you carried me around in your body for 9 months, gained 65lbs and are still struggling to lose the last 10.  You get the idea...
We actually made it all the way to the front door of the daycare building when he decided 'nope, I'm not going to make this easy on mom' and turned and fled all the way back to his class room.  When I finally caught up to him (running after a 2.5 year old in heels on slippery floors is not fun!) I picked him up and it started.  All the way to the car, once in the car, all the way home, in the driveway for 5 minutes and then again inside.  FINALLY when I decided to ignore him he came to find me in my room and was ready to start the evening over.

After dinner (which he really didn't eat a whole lot of) and bath, R took off to training for the evening.  C asked to watch some 'yardigans' (Backyardigans) so we did.  10 minutes into the show he is crouched down in the corner doing his business and then he comes up to me and says 'look mom, a booger'.  Only it wasn't a booger.  My dear, sweet, innocent, loving, perfect child had stuck his finger in his diaper.

Are you kidding me?!

Thankfully he is sound asleep after 15 minutes of diving in and out of his firetruck bed window.

I am off to chew a bottle of vicodin  have some tea, hopefully tomorrow is a little less 'eventful'.

Love

I have fallen in love and am absolutely addicted to...

Kraft Low-Fat Creamy Poopyseed Salad Dressing, it's delicious.  Go get some and try it out today.

What's your favorite salad dressing?

Wordless Wednesday (sort of) & Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my dear sweet husband who is 32 years old today.

C showing off his mad biking skills (although he has not figured out how to peddle)

My niece L, she is seriously adorable!  She reminds me of a little fraggle (Fraggle Rock anyone?)...I could just eat her up!

Thank You

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who have sent recipes to me for the cookbook.  Your help is sooooo appreciated.  For those of you who have not yet sent me your recipes...please do...now. :)

Have a great night!

Happy Friday Tuesday everyone!

Last weekend (now two weekends ago) was a long weekend for us and we spent it up at camp cottage with all of my immediate family.  The weather was great, the food delicious, the company fantastic and the drinks heavenly.  It was so nice to be away from the busyness of reality and to spend some time with my parents, siblings and nieces and nephews.  We haven't done anything like that since I was a child so it was overdue for sure.  C had such a blast in the boat and on the beach.  He fished for the first time and caught the second biggest fish of the weekend (Hubby caught the biggest at 13.5lbs).  The whole way home C cried for his fishing rod and kept asking if he could go fishing again please.  So adorable (and so overtired).

This week (now last week) was a short one which was nice, but it was also quite busy. R's birthday is on the 18th and I got tickets for us to see Alan Jackson at an outdoor concert last night.  We went with some friends and we had so much fun.  I love outdoor concerts, they are always a blast and this one was no exception.  We had several drinks and lots of laughs.  The crowd was huge and it cooled down just enough outside to make it enjoyable.  I apparently need to invest in some plaid and a pair of cowboy boots as I was one of the few people wearing neither.

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I need your help.  My friend's sister was diagnosed a year ago with breast cancer and has since undergone surgery and treatment and is on the road to recovery.  She has been through hell in a hand basket over the past year and has still managed to keep on top of things, including her 3 children all under the age of 10.  Her first surgery was a lumpectomy in July 2009 and then she had a mastectomy in August 2009.  She started chemo in September 2009 until December 23, 2009.  Radiation was next and was 25 treatments or 5days for 5 weeks, ending March 8, 2010.  K started back to work 1 week before the 1 year anniversary of being diagnosed and she will be back to a full work week in September.  How tough is this lady?!  She is so lucky to have her sister who has helped and continues to with her children.  The two girls shaved their heads together (along with other family members and some friends) and they totally rocked the look.  I'll have to ask for a picture because they both looked incredible.

In an effort to give back to those who have helped her, K and K are making a cookbook to sell and all proceeds will be donated.  I know that they have put a lot of effort and hard work into the cookbook so far, but they are hoping for more recipes, especially focusing on appetizers, desserts, drinks, salads, pickles and preserves.  If you could send me one or several under those categories it would be greatly appreciated.  Include your name as it will be published with the recipe.  Thank you so much in advance for your help.  My e-mail is listed at the top of my blog and if you have any questions please don't be shy.

Thank you again so much!

True Love Rocks

Have you ever had a flash back to when you were younger, wild, carefree and really didn't have any responsibilities?  I do often, but more so lately.  I'm wondering if being married is sucking all of the life out of me and this is my wild inner self trying to escape?  100% kidding with that last comment but some things do bring me back to those days.  I wasn't a bad teenager, but I was definitely outgoing and a little ridiculous at times.  Growing up in a small town of approximately 2000 people was always a bore when we were young but thinking back now it was such an amazing experience.  Most people assumed that since we weren't a large city we were all 'hicks', that was definitely the case most days, but let me tell you we had fun.
Sometimes random things bring me back to my teenage years, it could be a smell, a picture, a piece of clothing, a type of car, etc. and when it happens oh my.  I can't describe the feeling that overcomes me.  I almost feel as though I haven't changed a bit.  I could go on and on listing all the things I have done with all of my wonderful, crazy friends but that would take an extremely long time so for now I'll give you some examples.

-Playing 'Cat and Mouse' (Hide and Seek in vehicles, if you spotted the other you flashed your brights) on our small town streets at 1a.m.

-Breaking into a chip stand in the middle of the night cooking food, cleaning up, paying (and tipping) and leaving.

-Stopping the car on the side of the road to get out and dance because our favorite song (or album!) came on the radio.

-'Borrowing' signs, lawn ornaments, construction tape from all over town and decorating random lawns to our liking.

-Road tours, my goodness did we tour.  We would fill up the gas tanks, grab some snacks and drinks and drive all over God's Country for hours on end.

-Car rallies, organized treasure hunts in a car on back roads (sometimes with alcohol...obviously not the driver) sometimes with up to 40 car loads.

-Packing a cooler, grabbing some snacks and spending every Summer Sunday on the beach with these lovely ladies.

I love to reminisce and believe me when I tell you I am such a lucky girl to have been raised where I was and surrounded by those who live there.  You will never come across a community so full of love and this is proven almost every time we are there.  It's a place where people pay it forward because they care and they know that some day they may need the same help and it will most definitely be there.  It's a community where more than just your immediate family has a hand in raising you and that means that everyone knows everything but in the end, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I most definitely smile when I think of my younger years and my heart swells with all the love I have experienced, but then this little one grabs my hand and I know that my life is so complete now, more so than ever before.

A demain

I will be back tomorrow with something exciting...I promise.

Ashley
P.S.  The stupid movie Paranormal Activity freaked me out and I only saw two minutes of it.  Now I am scared to go to bed.

I am here...barely

I apologize profusely for my lack of posts lately, but I am still here.  Work has been terribly insane which is great at making the week days fly by, but the weekends are just twice as busy.  I feel like my life is a blur and promise to get back to you all next week.  I have 2 posts started and for one I need your help, but more about that next week.

We are off for a long weekend trip with all of my immediate family (my parents, 2 sisters and brother and their families) to a cottage for the weekend.  Should be interesting and loads of fun.

Have a great weekend!

T2T - Favorite Summer Recipes

It's Tuesday which means it's Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's and this week it's your Favorite Summer Recipes.

I love food and even more, I love summer foods.  It's so easy to throw together salads or dips and they are perfect eats for a hot and sticky day.

1.  Mango Salsa with Blue Corn Chips

Ingredients:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
red onions diced (your preference how much)
fresh cilantro chopped (your preference how much)
1 tbsp lime juice (or more if desired)

Mix and serve with Blue Corn Chips...delicious!

2.  Chili Dip

1 package of cream cheese softened
1 can Stagg Homestyle Chili
1/2 c (or more if desired) shredded cheese

Spread cream cheese on pie plate, top with chili and cover with cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes (or until golden and bubbly) and serve with corn chips.

I can't wait to head on over to Taylor's to check out some fun summer recipes, link up and play along!

Music Questions and Would You Rather?

Andrea over at Life In Dawleywood tagged everyone in this fun 'beauty' quiz that she completed and why not.  As you might be able to tell, I love random facts and all of sorts of quizzes/questionnaires.  Hope you will all play along.

1.Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up or nice hair and no make-up?
- I would have to choose the nice hair with no make-up.  If my hair isn't styled it is limp and stringy and has a million fly aways (not that it's even close to perfect when done), I'd rather go a day sans make-up.  I can always pinch my cheeks and wear a cute lip gloss (that doesn't count as make-up I hope?!)


2.Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
- I have to 100% agree with Andrea - Definitely my lashes falling out. I could always wear fake lashes, but drawn on eyebrows look awful!


3.Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?
- As per many of my previous posts, I wouldn't mind being forced to shop only at MAC for the rest of my life...I'm a MAC addict.


4.Would you rather wear lip gloss/lip liner look or 80's perm?
- I would rather lip gloss/lip liner look than an 80's perm...the 80's were not good to me.  Haha!


5.Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?
- Definitely the overdone blush, I can't stand the line...frig!


6.Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?
- Bike shorts HANDS.DOWN.


7.Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
- Weird tan lines, I have them now...ha!


8.Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?
- Bad hair color...haven't we all had a bad haircut?!  It takes forever to grow out and just looks terrible.


9.Would you rather have YouTube or twitter taken away forever?
- YouTube, I'm not really much of a fan


10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?
- Makeup brushes for sure, you can always find something else to do the trick.


Join the fun and fill me in on what you would rather...

Just updating my iPod and am looking for any song suggestions you might have.  Songs that will get me motivated to get my ass back in gear and shape.  What's your favorite work out song?

10 Random Things About Me

Star tagged all of her readers to share 10 random things about themselves and seeing as I am sitting on the couch sick with a flu bug which my lovely husband passed on to me and I love to participate in these things, why not?!

1.  I watched 'New Moon' for the first time today (Star, I know this will please you)

2.  My favorite foods are anything Mexican and Chicken Shawarmas

3.  I almost always have a bottle of water, my cell phone, lip gloss and my camera

4.  I love white wine

5.  I am planning on becoming 'crafty' some day soon

6.  I love grocery shopping and do it several times a week

7.  I am a Jimmie Johnson fan

8.  I don't own a watch

9.  Flip flops are one of my favorite things

10.  I took 1.5 years of nursing in college

I love random facts so share yours!

Have a great Saturday night!

Damn the Man

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
I am a pretty random blogger, that, I am aware of.  I think the reason being that some days I just have nothing to write about.  While I could chat the ear off of a brass monkey, I cannot for the life of me find something interesting to write about.  Am I really that dull?!

I don't have anything overly exciting going on right now.  The wedding and honeymoon have come and gone and I am happy to be married and happy to relax for the summer.  You see, last summer we had a total of 10 weddings/receptions to go to.  Yes, you read that right - 10, ten, 1-0, dix.  That means that there were showers, stags, bachelor/bachelorette parties (R was in one wedding and I was in another) dress fittings, rehearsals, etc.  Needless to say, last summer was unbelievably busy.  We were booked solid from mid-April to the last weekend in October with the exception of one weekend.  One weekend that we were at home and were able to get things done around our house.  We have a list of things that we would like to get done around the house, however, we have not yet set dates and organized anything we might need to get said things accomplished.  I was talking to my sisters today about a baby shower that we are planning for a cousin of ours and when trying to decide on a date I realized that we are slowly but surely getting all booked up.  We have 1 free weekend in August, the month of September is gone and we are starting to book into October.  It is pure craziness!  I don't know if or when we will get the work done to the house that we want to do.  For the most part what we want to do is purely cosmetic but it's high time that it is started as we have been living in our house for 3 years and have done very little to it. 

I guess it's time to make the list in order of things to get done, set dates for each project, buy supplies and get to it.  Any suggestions on where to start? 

Plans for this weekend include supper at my in-laws this evening, relaxing and doing small things around the house tomorrow and then up for a visit with my parents.  There is a golf tournament up home to raise money for Heart and Stroke and some of my friends are playing.  While I was asked to participate, I knew it would be ANOTHER day away from home.  I will be meeting the girls in the evening tomorrow night I hope so that way I can get stuff done around the house and get my girl time too.

What are your plans for this weekend?

Ohhh, also...our wedding pictures are available.  Here is a sneak peak at a few...

The boys

My Dad & I <3

My Mom & I <3

C (and us with out nieces and nephews on my side)

The girls

My favorite picture...haha...R loves when I do this to him (as you can clearly see by his facial expression)

True love rocks

Have a great weekend!

Follow Back Friday

It's Friday (finally!) and NYC Island Gal is having a 'blog hop' so head on over to her blog and join in the fun.  I absolutely love her blog, she always has something interesting to write about.

For the blog hop you are to give some random facts about yourself, so here goes.

1.  I strongly dislike when people are not polite and make it known

2.  I snort when I laugh really hard

3.  I love tequila

4.  I have a son who is the love of my life

5.  My favorite scent is vanilla

6.  I am a tea junkie

7.  I hate to iron, I burn myself EVERY time

8.  I love milk chocolate and chocolate milk

9.  I wish Derek & Meredith were a real-life couple

10.  I love Isla Fisher

11.  As of Saturday I will have been married for 3 weeks

There are some random facts about me, now link up and play along.

Have a great weekend!

Blog Design/Header

I have been playing with my blog design (as you can probably tell), although, apart from downloading a free background I haven't really done much.  I am not talented when it comes to all things computer like, heck, who am I kidding, I am not talented in a lot of things.  Possibly only eating and drinking...is that a bad thing?!

I am looking to create a new header/banner/watchyamacallit and would love any ideas, suggestions, etc.  Oh and maybe a signature too, if that's not asking too much.

Even if you have nothing pop in to say hi, I love the comments.

Top 2 Tuesday & Weekend Recap

It's (almost) Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's blog and this week is your top 2 reality t.v. shows.  This is definitely an easy one as I am a reality t.v. junkie.  Who doesn't love to watch a little bit of drama every night now and then?!

Number 1 - BIG BROTHER...this is definitely one of my favs!  I could not turn the channel or miss an episode when Evil Dick and Danielle were on the show.  Then there was Jeff and Jordan - how cute are they?!?!

Number 2 - THE HILLS...now I know that this isn't a 'reality' show, just a bunch of drama but for some reason I still have to watch it.  And every single time after it's over I ask myself why I still watch it...again, please do not judge.  Haha...

Since Lauren left it's just not the same...

I also love the Bachelorette/Bachelor, America's Next Top Model and The Biggest Loser...but I am just supposed to pick 2. :)

Head on over to Taylor's to link up and join the fun.  All of these girls have me curious about The Real Housewives shows, which I have never seen.

Okay, on to weekend recap.  Friday night I hung out with C and got some housework done and then Saturday was an early start.  I met Jamie and Katie for breakfast and we headed to the Fire Fighter Games for the day.  Erin came out for the day and we had a great visit, it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Here is a picture of all the fire wives/girlfriends and our shirts for the year, we are the only ladies who do it and there were a lot of comments on our shirts this year.

The men gearing up for the games to start.

Friday night I came home to C with a new hair cut!  We figured that with it being so warm outside we should get his hair trimmed, also he's been constantly pushing it out of his eyes.  We decided it is time he has a little boy hair cut and it started out that way, but then he got a little excited and apparently he started flailing around in the chair and well, it's a little butchered.  While we still aren't used to it we will have to wait it out and see, but we both prefer his 'surfer/hockey hair'.  Regardless, he's still damn adorable and hilarious!  Here he is with my dad on Father's Day.  We went to visit my parents yesterday afternoon with all of my siblings and it was nice to see everyone.

Hope every one's week is going well so far!

Friday Five and Blog Help

This week over at Just Me and My Life, Beth is hosting Friday Five and it's your 5 favorite songs ever.  This is my first time participating in Friday Five, not quite sure why it's taken me so long as I love Beth's blog and read it often.

So, here we go:

1.  Radar - Britney Spears

I am a little bit of a Britney addict, she, along with reality TV, are my 'guilty pleasures'.  I mean who doesn't love themselves some Britney, she's one hot mess.

2. Chasing Pavements - Adele

I love this song and I don't know why, it's been one of my favorites for some time now.

3 - Britney Spears

Once again, how can you not love this girl?!

4 - Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

I grew up listening to this music thanks to my sisters and my brother, it's a classic and a fantastic one at that.

5 - If You Seek Amy - Britney

I'm sure this comes as no surprise, so please don't judge.

There you have it, my top 5.  I could go on and on with songs I like, but these are 5 that I just love to dance/sing along to on my drive to work.  Yes, I'm that girl...

I am looking at getting a blog 'makeover' as the current design isn't very 'me'.  Any suggestions, tips or tricks?  All are appreciated!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Mrs. Johnston Is Back!

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

That is the only way to sum up the past week and a half of my life.  Our wedding and honeymoon have both come and gone and I do not have one single complaint.  It was one of the most wonderful days from what I can remember.  Has anyone else found that the day just flies by and it all seems to be a blur?  All went well, no problems at all, the weather was perfect, everyone had a blast and I really couldn't have imagined a better day with almost everyone that means so much to us.

This is a picture of our wedding party that someone snapped when we were doing our pictures after the ceremony.  From left to right (ladies) Christy (my brother's wife), Meegan (my sister), Shannon (Ryan's sister), Moi, Erin (MOH - my bestest) and Melissa (my sister)...(men) Robert (my brother), Chris (friend of Ryan), Mark (friend of Ryan), my HUSBAND, Lee (BM - Ryan's Brother-in-Law).  By this time C was running wild and was so tired of being what told what to do that we just let him be.  He was sooo well behaved all weekend considering nap time was non-existent.  Here are a few more pictures take by guests, I can't wait to see the ones from the photographer.

My Dad and I. I just love him so much. We did a little grove before heading down the aisle when the music started. He cracks me up!

My immediate family, this picture is golden as I cannot even remember the last time we all got a picture together, possibly 2 years ago at my brother's wedding.  L-R.  My brother, his wife and 2 girls, Ryan, Mom, Dad and I, my sister and her husband, my other sister, her husband, 2 boys and C.  It's such a great picture even though not all of the kids are smiling and looking in the same direction, it's so us.

Another fun wedding party shot

Our drive away from the ceremony (R's a volunteer firefighter)

Our first dance and Mr & Mrs (I Want To Grow Old With You - Adam Sandler, R's pick)

The crazy twins and C (who looks less than thrilled) love this picture!

Awwwwwww

On to the honeymoon...ahhhh...refreshing, beautiful, amazing.  Sailing, snorkeling, starfish, dolphin, sea turtles, sting rays, barracudas, drinks, great food, bright blue water and hot white sand.  Need I go on?  Here is R and I on a sailing trip we took one afternoon to 'Iguana Island'.

And here is me ready for a night out, please ignore my hair as it was very unruly in the humidity.

Well that's all for tonight, just wanted to say hi and I'm back.

Ashley xo

T-3 Sleeps!

I know I have been a terrible, terrible blogger but I really have been doing nothing but running around lately and finalizing everything, therefore, all thoughts in my mind have been a blur and you don't want to read that mess - really!

So, just a quick note to say 'Hi!', 'Bye!' and 'I am getting married this weekend!' Wow...

I am super excited and not at all stressed - yet.

Also, my sweet, sweet husband to be ended up booking us a honeymoon to Turks and Caicos...we leave Monday.  Please be very jealous while I am gone and I promise to fill you in after.

Can't wait to read up on your happenings upon my return!

Opinions Needed

I spoke to the hairdresser that will be doing my hair the day of the wedding (along with all 5 bridesmaids and 2 mothers) and she informed me that the other lady whom she works with is off sick and won't be able to do some of the hair.  Then she told me that she has someone coming in to replace her while she is off and when I asked if she does updos I was told, 'she said she does' and then when asked if she is good at styling short hair (my MIL) I was told 'I think so'.   I am really not sure that I feel confident with those answers.  I am not picky, but I want everyone to be happy with their hair and to feel their best that day.  That being said, do I want to 'chance' it? 
The replacement does not work Saturdays, but has offered to on that day, but one of my girlfriends K has offered to step up and help out and even offered to rent the chair for the day.  I feel like I should give my hairdresser's co-worker the chance but at the same time, this isn't just a routine hair cut or style, it's a wedding.

I am looking forward to your suggestions - please help!!!!

Chubby Bunny Bridezilla

I am such a terrible, random blogger...there is no consistency, I look at my blog every day and tell myself that I will post something new today and...I don't.  It's not that I don't have the time to write something quick and witty, because I find the time to read all of your fabulous ramblings and God knows that I am witty (note the sarcasm).

There are just under three weeks left until the big day.  I know, I know, you will be glad when this wedding is over so you can stop hearing about it, truth is - me too!  I think about it day and night, especially at night.  My dreams are all focused on wedding junk and are really twisted, causing me to wake up panicked about something new everyday.  The biggest panic being that I am not nearly stressed enough for a bride-to-be with such little time left, so I decide to stress myself out.  I haven't pulled out the bridezilla card just yet, which in reality may be odd for me and I'm sure some of my close friends and family agree.  I never really planned on getting married.  I wasn't a girl who dreamed about her wedding or knew what color her girls would wear, or heck, who I would choose to stand for me.  Some girls are so organized and dream of this day from the time they were children, not that there is anything wrong with that, in fact...that might have helped me out a little.  When Ryan asked me to marry him, I (obviously) said yes.  That was big...then we moved on to choosing who we would like to stand for us.  I have 2 sisters that are so fantastic and are so important to me (M&M), a sister-in-law to whom I am very close with (C), Ryan's sister (amazingly, sweet-as-pie chicka S) and my best friend E (THE best and most entertaining, off-the-wall girl I know), so that was easy.  Next on to a dress...I went shopping with E one day because she made me just for fun to find a dress I might like.  I expected this to be the best part of it all...nope, not really.  No one tells you that almost all of the dresses come in sizes 6, 8 or maybe if you are lucky 10 and when you are in a size 14 it's really not so much fun.  So the hunt continued...we found a dress at some random little spot one day and I bought it off the rack (it was discontinued) in a size 8 and joined Weight Watchers soon there after.  Thankfully (and 30 pounds later) my dress fits perfectly and I absolutely love it and can not wait to wear it on the big most expensive and tiring day.  On to the girls dresses, now that was fun!  The girls (minus C who was sick with the flu) went to Sinders (a popular bridal house in the area) and took up a room with their ten dresses each and got to trying them on.   The poor consultant...I was standing back watching dresses randomly fly from one room to the next over the top of the stalls, one girl would run out with a dress, everyone else's heads would poke out and the opinions would fly.  So after about 30 minutes (yes that is all), the girls picked a dress and then I asked them to decide on a color...yup, you read that right...I let my bridesmaids pick my color scheme.  I then met with the decorator and she does amazing work.  I have worked with her on numerous occasions as my Father owns a catering company and she goes above and beyond and I never really realized it until I booked her for my own wedding.  She is a decorator, a wedding planner, my right hand woman and my decision maker...as you might be able to tell, I am SUPER indecisive.  She asked what our theme was, what ideas we had or any styles that might interest us.  I told her to do what she does best and decorate the hall and basically that I would see it on the day of the wedding.  I don't decorate, I don't have an artistic bone in my body and VERY little fashion sense (sad but true) so really, when our cake maker (D - she is the SWEETEST thing!) asked what I wanted I was prepared, I gave her a picture and then said...if you think you can do it, great...if not do whatever.  Seriously, what is wrong with me?!?  The one thing I keep saying over and over again to people is that 'It doesn't matter, it will look great no matter what and heck, if something goes wrong, who will know?'  OBVIOUSLY not me!  My point being...three weeks to go and meh...no big deal (right?).

I had my bachelorette on Saturday night and what a blast.  My girlfriends are fantastic.  We partied it up at a hotel and then headed out to a bar for the night.  It was just such a great night out, until we got out of the bar.  Some of the girls had left a little earlier to go back to the hotel and apparently we had been kicked out of the hotel (at 2 a.m.!!!), needless to say, 15 girls squealing in the lobby of a hotel can be cause enough for the cops to show up (who were both mighty fine and thought the situation was ridiculous).  Apparently you are not allowed to smoke on the balcony of your room?!?!  WTH?  And apparently the 20 of us who started the night out were a little loud...not shocking at all.  Oh well, all in all it was a great night and a big thank you to everyone who came and for all of the hard work they put into it.  Pictures to come shortly.

R should be home any moment from his weekend-long bachelor party.  Some of the boys from the fire department (and his best man/brother-in-law L) took him to Dover Delaware for the Nascar race this weekend and by the sounds of it, they had a blast.  They are all raspy voiced, so much so that I didn't know who I was talking to when R called yesterday to say goodnight to us and I am pretty sure that C didn't know it was his Daddy.  I am excited to hear all about it and see what kind of Jimmie gear he bought for me (love #48).

I am feeling super chubby lately and this is a slight worry as of course I want to look my best on 'the big day' and to be quite honest (with myself) I quit working out a while ago and just haven't been able to get back into it.  I just don't have the drive and you think our wedding would be drive enough.  What motivates you to get you butt back in gear?

1 Month To Go, Give Away & Cinco de Mayo...mmmm

Let panic mode begin!  Our wedding is exactly 1 month away, oh my goodness.  Reality sunk in yesterday and I got into full planning mode again (like I haven't been for the past 5 months?) and started to finalize all of the little things.  There seems to be several little things left to do, but overall, we are ready.  I can't believe in a month I will be Mrs. Johnston...sounds so strange.

Head on over to Taylor's and check out the fabulous giveaway she is having from Paisley Pineapple, they definitely have some super cute things.  I am absolutely smitten with the Mocca Reversible Maddox Tote Diaper Bag - so adorable!

Today is Cinco de Mayo and I had a delicious celebratory lunch let me tell you.  There is this place called Mucho Burrito near my work so I ran over to get a burrito for lunch for me and my co-worker (they are delicious) and the line up was out the door.  Totally worth the wait though.  How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  I am heading out for supper tonight with 2 of my favorite girls, Lisa and Erin.  Can't wait to see them!

Sorry for being all over the place today...I'm just a little excited I guess. :)