Reason #36879 to not come home from a vacation

When you run out of vacation days in the middle of your vacation and you have to take 'unpaid' days as a result. Coming home to the adjusted paycheck is all kinds of lame sauce!

Dealing with money after vacations always suck.

How much you spent while you were there, paying back people if things got split up, dealing with limited cash flow following vacations.

These are all reasons why you

1} shouldn't come home and stay in your vacay bubble

or

2} should win the lottery or rob a bank or just be insanely rich

Another reason not to come home.
Readjusting from jet lag!
I've been home about a week {it seems longer} and I still don't feel like I'm back on central time.
I'm constantly exhausted!
I'm going to blame the exhaustion on jet lag because the alternative is me being too lazy to go to the doctor, to have them test my blood and confirm my fear that I have a B-12 deficiency and will need B-12 shots everyday for the rest of my life.
But I'm pretty sure it's jet lag...

I'm not making up the B-12 thing. There is actually a lot of 'symptoms' to support that diagnosis.
But because of the statements above I don't want to deal with it.
So it's jet lag!

And lastly coming home from a vacation usually means you won't have another vacation to look forward to for a long time.
And that is depressing.


Moral of the story people-
Don't come home from your vacations.
It's just easier.
For everyone.
And by everyone I mean me mostly!




I was on facebook and found this little gem!
This is Kendra and me with one of our signature looks! ENJOY!
I thought this was fitting since I will be going to Austin this month {kinda a vacay} and seeing her!!!




Song of the day--
Off We Go--Trent Dabbs
perfection :)

A blog within a blog

Ever since I've been back from Hawaii I've been eating really healthy!

I've got a little vacation belly and I need to get rid of it ASAP!

But last night I treated myself to some mac and cheese from Just Mac in Houston!

I only ate half my meal and brought the rest home for the fam to try.

Moderation is key y'all!

Anyways!

It. was. amazing.

They have like 17 different kinds and mac and cheese.

Right away Stacy and I decided that going there was going to be a monthly adventure.

It comes out in this personal skillet.

Perfect portion!

I got the jalapeno mac and cheese last night and it was delish!

On another note I need to get my little blogger butt in gear.

I forgot my camera..

Even if I did bring it, we all know I wouldn't put pictures up for awhile!

I am seriously going to step it up here.

I was originally going to have a food blog  but I haven't found the time to work on it.

So I decided that I'm going to have a running series called "Foodie Fridays".

I've been cooking ALOT  lately so there's a ton of recipes I can put on here, as well as, the new restaurants I try!

The camera will be mandatory and I will try and post every Friday something I ate or cooked!

And my next blog hurdle is updating my look.

After reading some many amazing blogs, mine looks like beginners blog.

"Hi, I'm Ashley's blog and clearly I'm being written by an amateur."

Changes are coming friends.

Get.

Excited!

Song of the day--

The Sound of Settling--Death Cab for Cutie

I heart this song so much!

Food for thought Tuesday

Literally and not so literally..

Stacy and I are going to dinner tonight.

Joy :)

The best part is the restaurant.

We are going to Just Mac in Houston and the only thing on the menu is macaroni and cheese.

Heaven....I think so!

Here's the menu to you can drool over it!

drooldrooldrool

I have a slight obsession with mac and cheese.

Slight.

I might have the cheesiest blue box stockpiled in my pantry for such emergencies (i.e. a bad day and comfort food is mandatory) and it's always better if they are in fun shapes like Sponge bob!

So I am crazy excited for dinner tonight!

Also this week I made gazpacho!

I love gazpacho because it's so simple to make and because you serve it cold it makes a great meal in the summertime.

Oh and did I mention its insanely good for you!

Plus!

My recipe had tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, cumin, Worcestershire, balsamic vinegar and basil!

Cut everything up, add it all together and then put about half of it in the blender for 15-20 secs and then put it back with the rest and viola!



It looks more or less like this when it's done!

I hope this week I will finishing uploading my Hawaii pictures.

I have been super tired this week and can't seem to find the energy to do it!

And I hope to get my nails done because they look craptastic at the moment!

I was talking to Stacy the other day and since I am not that happy with my job we were talking about jobs we wish we could have.

I think it would be super-fantastic to be a columnist.

Or pretty much any job where I could write and make lots of money doing it!

This isn't such a crazy thought either because my degree is in Mass Communications. I took tons of writing courses.

It's definitely something to think about!

Song of the day---

We Found Each Other in the Dark--City and Colour

Enjoyssss your day lovelys!



Of Mice and Dogs

Happy  It's Monday.

4 more days till the weekend.

Luckily it will be a long weekend!

Saaaweetttt!

Let me tell you a what Lucy did last night.

Currently at my house we a teensy tiny mouse issue.

*fyi our house is very clean and nice...these little fur balls have managed to find a way down from the attic into our lovely house to eat my dog's food.

And by teensy tiny I mean they ate a hole in Lucy's plastic heavy-duty food container.

It grosses me out beyond words.

We can't spray the house because we don't want Lucy to get sick from the poison so we use handy-dandy mouse traps.

Lovely.

So last night it's 10 o'clockish and everyone is in bed except for me.

Lucy and I are watching tv when all of a sudden I hear the unmistakable sound of a mouse trap being set off.

**we have all the traps in places Lucy or even better I can't find except for the one in the laundry room.

Somebody coughmomcough forgot to shut the laundry room door.

Guess what Lucy did.

Just guess.

If you guessed it then I hope you understand the PAIN I went through.

She went and picked the whole damn trap up, mouse and all, and ran through the house with it.

All the while I am screaming bloody murder.

The best part...

the mouse wasn't all the way dead. It was squirming all around and I seriously thought I was going to lose my dinner.

Finally (in reality I imagined it was 30 seconds but to me it seemed like 10 long minutes) my dad got up to my screaming and managed to get the trap and mouse and dispose of it.

Thank god!

I am still shuddering.

ughhh!

Poor Lucy thought she did good and couldn't understand why I was freaking out.

So when it was all over she got a treat.

You know, for protecting the house.

Ha.

Mouse trap=1  mice=0

Song{s} of the day--

The entire Augustana CD

Friday Confessions and I'm back!

I'm back from Hawaii!

I know, I know...most of you didn't realize I was even gone!

But it helps the ego to picture you all cheering out loud when you see there's a new post by yours truly!

I have decided to link up with Impulsive Addict today and do a Friday Confessional!
**go read her blog...now! she is insanely funny!

I confess that I seem to be experiencing vacation depression.
This is a clinical term regarding the depression you get upon returning from an AMAZING vacation.
Sitting on the beach with a drink VS. sitting at my desk returning emails.
Doesn't take a rocket scientist people!


I confess that I uploaded the 500 pictures from my camera to the computer last night and then was too lazy to put them on Facebook. And I have no idea when I will get to this little task!




Scratch that! I did upload one picture! This is me and my SIL with a giant leaf!
Enjoy!


I confess that I still haven't unpacked!
Don't expect this to happen till mid-Saturday.


I confess that when I got home from Hawaii I had a "bill" from the EZ tag place because I forgot to activate my EZ tag and they think I like joyriding down the toll road without paying!


I confess that I misspelled aloha, not once but three times while texting/emailing/facebooking.
So the whole time I was in Hawaii my whole family said A-hola!
Apparently I'm speak Hawa-ish (hawaiian and spanish)
**Yes family who reads this blog...I wrote ahola on the email I sent to EVERYONE at work about my vacation!
Face meet palm!


I confess that I woke up this morning from a bad dream and it took me a good ten minutes to realize it was a dream. I hate it when dreams seem that real. Seriously I woke up with my heart racing and all panicked! It's not a fun way to start the day.


I confess it took me two days to catch up on all the blogs I read!
Job, what job! ;)



I'm glad to be back to blogging! I missed it while I was gone!
Happy Friday everyone :))


Song of the day--
The Show Goes On--Lupe Fiasco
*because it's fun to dance to in the car!
true story--did it yesterday on the way home from work! and yes several drivers stared...they were just jealous!

Happy with imperfections

I saw this quote on a blog I read today.

You can see it here.
Awesome post Summer :)

And it really made me think about things...
The last three years has been a roller coaster full of ups and downs.

The ups were unforgettable and amazing and rewarding and love-filled.
{graduating college, my brother's wedding, falling in love, getting Lucy, getting my teacher certification, going on vacations, being with my friends}

But the downs were challenging and heartbreaking and {unfortunately} lead to some dark times.
{car accident, losing relatives, dealing with relatives with mental illness, heartbreak, career challenges, financial obstacles, fall outs with friends}

There were days when I didn't want to get out of bed.
And there were some days when I cried a lot.

Even though I've been through a lot and I have always managed to make it out the other side still hopeful and optimistic.
I think this is why the quote really hit home with me.
I'm a big believer in what happened in the past {good or bad} brought you to be the person you are today.
You learn from the bad and grow with the good.
Everything has an impact on you.
All the downs shaped who I am today.
I still carry the heartbreak and the pain but all the ups helped me get past them and learn from them.

And even though it's hard sometimes I am still optimistic.
Life isn't perfect .
A lot of people waste time trying to be perfect.
That just sounds tiring and hard.
I am not a perfect person.
I have flaws. Trust me!!
But I own my flaws and I own my good traits.
I'm happy with who I am and I won't ever apologize for being myself.
Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey!

{enjoy the cheesiness my friends}


Song of the day--
Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
I am listening to it right now :)

super quick post today

Hey guys-

I don't have time for a real post today OR tomorrow!

I have two shoots today and one 12 hour shoot tomorrow

**kinda wish I was able to get overtime cause between today and tomorrow I will be putting in 8 extra hours!!

Oh and my shoot tomorrow is an hour away!

The shoot ends at 10:30PM....and then I have an hour drive home.

yay..



But, I am excited for these shoots!

This is the fun part of my job :)

Lights, camera, action!

Ya'll should be jealous!

Now the other 80% of my job...not jealous-worthy!

Have a great Tuesday and Wednesday!!

Song of the day--

Shakin'--Rooney

blah blah blah

It's Monday.

Boo!

But Hawaii is so so so close.

I can almost touch it!

_____

This weekend blew.

Hard!

I was just in a mood.

My cynical side has been in rare form lately.

Seriously guys.

I've been kinda bitchy...haha

In general, I've been acting bitchy, not towards anyone specifically.

(and no ladies it's not that time)

I got a lot done for Hawaii.

And I finished my DIY project.

{pictures to come as soon as I hang it}

But socially I did squat.

Nada

Nothing

Zip..

Partly because I didn't want to.

On Friday I went to bed at 10:30!

10:30!

On. a. Friday!

I'm usually just going out then!

I'm out-growing my teeny tiny town.

The bars are getting old.

Running into people from high school is getting old.

It's just getting old.

And I'm too lazy to drive all the way into Houston to go out.

It's like a 30 minute drive.

I don't want to drive home after I've been drinking, even a little bit, all the way from H-Town at 2 am.

Not happening!

A lot of my friends have been talking about moving away and I've been in love with this idea since I've graduated college! {2 years ago}

And I was seriously thinking about it last year {like if I hadn't got the new job I'm 100% positive I would be in a different city} but then my new job fell in my lap and it distracted me.

Consider the distraction gone!

So for the next couple of months I'm buckling down and getting all my debt paid off and money saved.

I've even been thinking about bartending again to help get bills paid faster!

Yay two jobs!

But I'm determined to meet my new goal to move.

:)

No specifics yet.

But this has been a huge chunk of what I've been dealing with lately.

Trying to figure all this career stuff out and deciding what I really want.

Part of the specifics to figure out is what I want to do.

If I want to go back to nutrition or find another production job.

There is still A LOT to figure out!

So.

It feels liberating to get that out there!

:)

Oh I did do something this weekend.

I bought season one of Glee.

No judgement!

And I'm kinda in love with!

No judgement!

And I'm in love with Cory Monteith, he plays Finn!

No judgement!

Hi handsome :)

Please don't judge me!

K, thanks!

:)

Song of the day--

Dog Days Are Over--Florence + the Machine!

{it feels like a summer song}

yo soy una escritora

In high school I didn't like writing.

I hated research papers and book reviews.

In college it was mandatory that I write.

A lot.

I had to write news stories and more research papers and scripts and yes, more research papers!

So based on all this I never thought of myself as a writer.

In fourth grade my creative writing assignment was published in the school paper!

I have attempted to write a mystery novel. (true story)

I have also attempted two screen plays.

I also used to write letters to people. I never sent them. But I wrote them.

I like writing...when I get to pick what to write about.

I gave a shout out to Stacy yesterday for saying how much she enjoyed my blogs.

In all honestly I was shocked that she though my writing was good.

I usually feel like I get on here and babble on and on about nothing.

My sister also said that she didn't realize that I could write like this.

Again I was shocked.

Initially this was suppose to be a quote in quote creative outlet for me.

I was a girl in my twenties frustrated with the pursuit of finding love and I needed to complain about it.

{I feel like I should say something cynical here.

Maybe?

Romantic comedies suck!

Does that count??

MOVING ON...}

I find that I enjoy writing on here everyday.

My day doesn't feel finished unless I've contributed to my blog.

So I guess really this is a passion of mine.

I am a writer.

It's not a novel.

Or a screen play.

Or even a research paper.

But it's a (somewhat) honest look into my life.

It may not reflect in the number of followers I have but I know people read this.

I have an audience tracker readers.

It tells me how many of you lovely people tune in everyday :)

But I just want to say thank you for reading.

I'm sorry if I'm cheesing it up but it feels good to know people are reading my words...no matter how lame they probably are!

Thank you!

Have a wonderfully exciting weekend!

Ready for more cheesiness??

Here it comes!

Do something you love to do this weekend!

:)

Song of the day--

Counting Stars--Augustana

weird

More specifically, my life is weird.

I pass the same car on my way to work everyday.

At the same intersection.

That's weird.



Work is weird.

Personal life is weird.

Typing the word weird over and over again starts to make it look weird.

I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop but with my whole life.

It feels unsettled.

 I feel unsettled.

I'm not sad or angry.

I'm a happy person.

I just feel like I'm waiting for something to happen.

I don't know.

It's weird.

Does anyone else feel like this sometimes?

__________

In other random news.

I've been writing notes for our dog sitter and I'm growing more and more anxious leaving Lucy for such a long time.

I'm going to hate being gone from her for almost two weeks!

 I feel like I should warn the dog sitter because I'm going to be blowing up her phone checking on Lucy!

One of the office stalkers (oh did I forget to mention that there are now two awkward guys I work with..yay me! I feel like I'm in high school trying to avoid these guys in the hallway to avoid future awkward moments)

tried to ask me out.

I shut it down.

Quickly.

Oh even better he tried to ask me out in a text message.

 After getting my phone number off the office call list.

(this is why work is weird!)

I understand now why some people prefer to work at home.

Screw less distractions and getting more work done.

It's totally because it's a lot less awkward to run into your dog or spouse or roommate in the hallway then some creeper with bad social skills.

And to wrap up the weird blog entry.
I want to shout out to Stacy for telling me over the phone that my blog is funny and she reads it everyday!

My best friend is not bias at all!

:)

Love you stacyface!

Song of the day--

Say (All I Need)--OneRepublic

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's been awhile since I've done WILW!

{1} I love that I might have played hookie for part of the day yesterday (don't tell the rents) and hung out with mis amigos! Fresh crawfish @ The Tavern on Gray and watched the Dallas/Miami game.

Great Tuesday! **I did not love the guy at the end of the bar that kept blowing his smoke in my direction..thanks for the emphysema!

{2} I love that on Friday I will be out of the office ALLLLL day on a shoot!

{3} I'm loving this old school polariod camera!

I want one now!

{4} I love that I FINALLYYY got my car washed this weekend! It's all kinds of pretty now!

{5} I love that Hawaii is only TEN days away!

I need this vacation like no other!

Anyone else notice how on vacations you think about what you want in life??

Is it just me??

Probably!

I have a lot of thinking to do career-wise!

{6} I love all the cute clothes I have for Hawaii :)

Can't wait to start packing!

I definitely tried to start packing this weekend...

Yes, I'm that girl!

I got a little carried away with all the excitement.

{7} Lastly I love that it's already Wednesday!

Seriously I think we should all advocate for a four-day work week always!

Song of the day--

Off We Go--Trent Dabbs