To Do

I have a LOT to do this weekend. I thought it was going to be an insane wedding weekend - and it will- but that's not so much the major stress anymore.... So here's to my sanity, organization, and time management.

~Run 4 miles.
~READ Poverty and Grace and write a 2 page book report
~Write a five to eight page paper called "The Causes of Poverty and its Solution"..... Go ahead try to answer that one.
~Learn how to sing in Latin
~Watch Nate try on tuxes.
~Pick one.
~Get a new driver's license... when I need another new in
four months anyway.
~Look through a million wedding invitations.
~Pick one.
~Meet with premarital counselors.
~Send information and deposit to honeymoon coordinator
~Find out how many more wedding favors we need.
~Play with my dogs
~Play with my family?
~Play with Nate's family?
~Play with my friends?
~See my beloved Princess Sparkles?


DON'T FORGET.
passport.
save the dates.
comfort movies.
tequila?

Welcome to my head.

So... All day, I've been wanting to update my facebook status. Not because I have anything particularly amazing going on, but because I do it every day. Barring the ones that I would never say out loud, here are all the "status thoughts" I had today.

Ashley......
is not wanting to get out of bed
slept through her first class
is cleaning house
picked a good day to give up facebook
is cleaning up an explosive diaper.... poop everywhere
is getting way too excited for Costa Rica
wants to check her facebook
wants to play
is mad at Dora
is learning how to be a wifey
is picking the spring pink for her "winter's almost over" pedicure
is being pampered
is studying for psych
is cleaning out her closet
is missing those littleones
is watching the Biggest Loser.... and trying not to cry.... freakin' show.
is wanting to check her facebook
is chronically homesick
has waaay too much to do


Currently, I'm wanting to go to sleep and still watching the Biggest Loser... and trying not to cry... freakin' show.

Facebook it is....

Starting tomorrow, myself and two of my friends are giving up facebook for lent.... My out is that catholics take off sundays from whatever they're fasting from.... that way I can get whatever wedding business/ catch up I need to done on my cheat day which I've officially decided is Wednesday. Save your judgements. This is my thing. I am soo over breaking promises to myself... so we'll see how it goes.

Lent is on the way........

here's what I'm considering giving up....
Facebook - I HATE it... but I love it... you know?
Shopping - not going to happen... especially when spring comes.
Class - Probably not the best idea if I want to graduate in 73 days.
Diet Coke - I may be able to stand a headache or two...
Nap time - not if I'm giving up diet coke
Blogging - what would my faithful readers have for entertainment?
Randall Littleton - Probably too easy... and who would get all my random text messages?
Twisting my hair - that is a must if I want to have any hair for my wedding...
Driving - if only...
Chick Flicks - they stress me out anyway

Here are some things I refuse to give up... Does that make me a bad person?
Nate Aucker - he's too pretty.
Chocolate - I don't need a reason
Showering - it's only polite.
The Bonnie Hunt Show - soooo good.
Snuggling - yes I am a snuggler



So.... those are the stipulations.... you pick.... Go....

Sweet-ness.

I had a realllly good week. I need to reminisce... with none other than, yes.... a list.

1. I got to bring a doggie back to my house for a little while. She was sooo sweet and only puked twice.
2. I got this giant wedding book in the mail from my aunt and uncle. I LOVE it. It's like a wedding magazine on Steroids.
3. I went to see the site where I am getting married with the wonderfulness of my life. We also got a good chunk of our wedding organized.
4. My Fiance made me a pink box with hearts. I keep it on my dresser and will put Nate and Ashley things in it... Ticket stubs, love notes, locks of his hair, you get the picture...
5. I woke up to an AMAZING.... and I mean AMAZING care package. My roommate had found a package for me on the porch and set it next to my bed.... I woke up and it was like my very own Christmas morning. Handmade cupcakes that last forever, the cutest mugs I've ever owned and much, much more. I have the best BFF on the planet.
6. Some of my favorite people came to visit me for a couple of days. They really came to ransom their dog from from me, but we had a wonderful time.... Lots of laughing and intriguing conversations... When they left (and yes they won their dog back), I cried like the time my parents left me at college my freshman year.
7. Today, I realized that I graduate in 74 days.

God is so good. I am sooo blessed. It's good to be reminded.

Goood Morning Little Debbie!

I'm Not Ashamed...

Have I ever mentioned that I have a plethora of guilty pleasures? The only problem is that I never feel that guilty about them.... So, in case you're wondering, today's guilty pleasure (or I guess I could just say pleasure) is that High School Musical 3 comes out on DVD! I really enjoy cheesy movies, but honestly, I'm not sure this one fits in that category. I went to see it on a whim in theaters with my roommate, and who knew it would be pure awesomeness. Anyway, I highly recommend it.... And I might be a little ashamed of that... but I do what I want.

Princess Sparkles.

So my friends let me borrow their dog, Tabby... I'm trying to change her name to princess sparkles, but every time I say it, she perks up like someone is coming and starts barking.... Today I gave her a bath. She miserably obliged. She is realllly funny. And smells kind of good.

Happy Valentines Day!!

Today has been a wonderful day. Nate and I arrived in Branson super late last night, woke up early this morning to get a game plan for our wedding meeting. After we ate pancakes the size of Texas, we headed to Dogwood to meet the property manager, the maintenance manager, the caterer, and the wedding planner; None of which I had ever met. They were great. Norm and Tim (the managers) were my total favorite. They reminded me of my uncles. They made it seem like my wedding was as big of deal to them as it is to me. They also showed us TONS of wildlife: Deer, trout, eagles.... And when we saw the mink, my mom recognized it first saying "that looks just like my coat!" We got a lot done and I am feeling much better about all of it. I think that's what has been secretly eating away my sanity lately, so I'm excited about that.... And I betcha my sounding boards are too. We literally went straight from the meeting to the airport.... I got trapped in security because my stupid license fell out of my pock. (as nate abbreviates it) in Chicago yesterday. Long story short, we missed our flight. We watched it fill up with bags, back away from the jetbridge, and leave us here. Sad. Soooo.... we are spending our Vday at the airport in Springfield.... listening to news reports of the recent plane crash. Oh well... We'll go on a hot date next weekend to see the Celtic Woman.

Something to Look forward to....

I recently made a "things to look forward to calendar".... Solely things that I am excited about... Here are a few excerpts.

A hot V-day date.


A visit from these boys!!



An April Wedding Shower!



Brings A May Graduation!!



A Fourth Of July Celebration....



And then a wonderful vacation with my best friend.

Back in the Game.

Today....... I began training for my FIFTH half marathon. You would think it would be easier by now. It's not. I got my new shoes last week that were just an upgraded version of the old ones that lasted TWO big races and and a ton of training. My run today was miserable. My socks kept falling down in my shoes, my headphones wouldn't stay in my ears, and the stupid softball team was on the track where I was hoping to run two of my miles. But I was outside, I could breathe, and I was moving a little faster than I'm used to. I'm running this one with my hot almost husband. I love him. He means everything to me. He's got a lot on his plate this week and I am praying for him to find peace. We are resting in God together and it's awesome. That is something we've never really had to do before... But for the next few days it's about all we can do. Who knew there was so much comfort in brokenness.

Becoming Learn-ed.

So... I'm about five weeks into the semester (reallllly? Only five weeks???).... But I thought I'd go back and reflect on what I've learned so far. I can almost guarantee it won't have to do with my classes.

~No matter how much sleep I get at night... I get sleepy during the day.
~A bad dream can ruin my day.
~Nate Aucker is my best friend.
~Having a dog around is way more therapeutic than I realized.
~I am completely motivated by competition or a good dare.
~Old People make me cry.
~I am more qualified than I thought.
~Laughter really is the best medicine.
~I will always giggle at "that's what she said"s and things of that nature.
~Cancer is a terrible, terrible thing.
~I am in desperate need of community.
~Taking Human Sexuality and Psych next to each other is mind-boggling.
~Not knowing makes me nauseous.
~My future is uncertain... it always has been, I just notice it now that I don't have a plan.
~My dad is my hero. Forever.
~I never understood why grace was such a big deal.... and then I looked at myself and my screw-ups... Covered. Forgotten. Redeemed. For real. I think I'm starting to get it.
~Everything else I've learned comes from sex class and is rated PG-13 or better.

Is that 25? Did I just do another stupid 25? No way. I'm cooler than that.

OOOOOH.

So... true confessions... I never watch youtube videos on people's blogs.... but you really should watch this one.

Slumber Party!

Last night I had a slumber party with my roommates.... Best decision ever. We ate junk food, drank yummy things, and put glitter tattoos in funny places. We also watched The Women... which is all about a married woman of 13 years whose husband is cheating on her. I don't recommend it. But other than that... Lots of fun, lots of laughter.... much needed.

Wedding Nightmare #746

I had some super vivid nightmares last night.... One of them I would entitle: Al Qaeda meets WinterBlast.... but we won't go there. Another one was of course about my wedding. [Cue dreamy music and foggy background now] We went to Branson totally ready for the wedding... But after I did my hair and got ready to put my dress on, we realized it never even came into the store we ordered it from... I begged my mom to postpone the wedding another few months until we could get the dress and she looked at me and said "Ashley, this day is not about you." Then we found a whole bunch of closets full of gorgeous wedding dresses, but when I went to try them on.... they were all size 2... I started to cry because I didn't understand and my bridesmaid, Kayleigh, looked at me and said "Ashley, most girls can fit into a size 2" After I decided to wear one that only zipped half way (which would never happen in real life), I walked down the aisle to a groom that was NOT Nate. It was my friend, Rob, who is (in real life) definitely married to a girl that could kick my butt and would probably look fabulous in my half-zipped dress. Anyways, when I got to the alter, Rob looked at me and said... "See I told you I would be in your wedding." In real life, He's been asking to be my maid of honor since I got engaged. Luckily, I woke up before the kiss.

So Joseph, do your thing and tell me what's wrong with me.

My 25.

My aunt tagged me in the 25 random things phenomenon so if you read this, consider yourself tagged...

In no particular order...

1. I love cheese.
2. I am getting married in 152 days.
3. I hate wedding planning.
4. I am in a sex class.
5. I have no idea where I am going to live come July 5th.
6. I watch Home Improvement every day.
7. I nanny for a two year old 25 hours/ week... and he is slowly but surely stealing my heart.
8. I have never mowed the lawn.
9. I weep every time I watch a save an animal commercial... but the ones with real people don't usually get me.
10. I hate Alec Baldwin.
11. I name inanimate objects... Sparky, Lola, Bitty, Pinky, Old Blue, etc.
12. I love the Bonnie Hunt Show.
13. My fiance emails me Bible verses on a daily basis. Recently he's been encouraging me to get fit by putting workouts into the Bible emails.... hmmmm.
14. I asked Nate to add a workout per day to the Bible verses.
15. I don't like ice cream... that doesn't mean I won't eat it, but I don't like it.
16. My dream job is to work in a good church.
17. Kids scared me until my friend Isaac was born.
18. I find cleaning therapeutic.
19. I have a couple of chronics... insomnia and bronchitis.
20. Sometimes I wish I was a lip kisser instead of a hugger.... but not even a hugger.
21. In the past couple of months, I have felt more stressed out than my entire college experience put together.
22.I am currently listening to the Cars Read-Aloud CD.
23. I can still stare at my ring for hours.
24. I really really reallllly want a puppy.
25. I have recently discovered that grace is for me.

Sledding, Ikea, and Competition.

On Friday, Nate and I drove to Orangeville, IL to spend some time on a friend's family farm with some of Nate's soccer guys and their girlfriends/fiances... I was pretty anxious about getting to know the girls (as I'm usually anxious about getting to know girls... because I'm in middle school and because they're all Taylor kids... and then me)... Nonetheless, it was a great weekend. I forgot life could feel that good. There is something gratifying about spending time with a bunch of couples on the verge of entering the real world. With the exception of two guys, we are all graduating in May... and three of the six couples are getting married this summer (Way to go Christian School Marriages). It was fun to spend time with girls who are going through similar things to me. It was fun to sleep in a mansion and have my own huge room and bathroom. It was amazing to have homecooked meals three times a day. Our host family gave us the royal treatment and I felt extraordinarily blessed. I also slept through the night for the first time in a couple months. Needless to say, it was much needed and I didn't even realize it. The best part: No distractions. I left my computer at home and took a break from my phone for a good three days. We talked about doing it again and how in a few years, our conversations will switch from weddings and honeymoons to diapers and Dora.

In other news, Nate and I stopped at Ikea on our way home today. It was Nate's first time. We also stopped five times (that's once an hour). During one of those stops, my Ipod fell out of the my front seat pocket onto the ground without me knowing. We either ran over it... or someone is going to have a new Ipod.

I'm ready for a new week.