ashley b.

Vibram 5 fingers

2010-07-07T09:50:00.005-04:00

In the spring Jeb and I purchased our very first pair of Vibram 5 Finger shoes. We Started using them to run and exercise in and we both have noticed a difference in our performance. We also have less aches and pains after working out!

On our trip last week we pretty much wore them all day every day. I even have a sweet tan line from them. They were awesome to hike with. Going down any slopes felt much better when wearing my 5fingers versus my Salomon hiking shoes. My feet felt as if they were one with the earth. Only down side? Any grass gets caught between your toes. :)

I am thinking that when fall hits I will need to purchase a pair that cover the tops of my feet. I don't want my feetsies to be frozen when I run. :)

camping trip

2010-07-07T09:44:00.004-04:00

Our camping trip this year was a lot of fun. We did so many things. From fishing to hiking to riding ATV's. We had a blast. One thing we really enjoyed was going out on the canoe.

birthday schmirthday

2010-07-06T16:08:00.005-04:00

Birthdays.

I used to enjoy birthdays.

Well, I guess I still do.

But, this year was not one of my better birthdays.

Major downers about this weekend/my birthday:

I lost my wedding band (at least it was a simple band with no diamonds!)
Our really nice tent got run over by an atv.
We went out to dinner last night to celebrate and ended up waiting for over an hour at a japanese steakhouse for our cook to come out!
This week is my brother pre-deployment leave :(

But, I guess this birthday wasn't horrible.

I was lucky enough to be surrounded by many loved ones. And for once in a long time, my whole family was together.

That probably outweighs all those downers.

back to the grind

2010-07-06T15:32:00.005-04:00

As I was putting things away from our camping trip this weekend, I realized that I have neglected my home lately. Not in a cleanliness sort of way, but in a creative and decorative sort of way. As long as I have time this weekend, I may take on some painting of furniture projects that I wanted to accomplish months ago. Starting with a little hutch/cabinet in my kitchen. It is currently white...and I think that I want it to stay white. But it is in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint and possibly some stylish hardware.

Next on the list is a really ugly brown bookshelf I took from my work when they were going to throw it away.

Key words "throw away"...

...meaning it is pretty junky.

But, I think some wood putty, some sanding, a couple coats of primer and a lot of semi-gloss white paint might just do the trick.

I need some lighter things in my life.

Maybe some lighter furniture will help.

Anyway, today was my first day back to work in 11 days.

It wasn't as bad as I though it would be.

home sweet home

2010-07-05T18:51:00.002-04:00

Home never felt so good. Jeb and I headed back from New York last night at 9:30 p.m. Why so late? Jeb was just ready to be home I guess. He drove the whole way. And we didn't hit any traffic. Took us 8 1/2 hours.

As soon as I get some pictures uploaded, I will post them.

two more days

2010-06-24T13:09:00.003-04:00

I cant wait to be here in TWO DAYS!

new

2010-06-21T15:53:00.002-04:00

I am getting ready to go through something I thought I would never have to go through again.

My brother Jake is getting ready to leave for Afghanistan in about a month.

I have started a new blog. But, it is not public. I need to write my way through this. But I am not ready to show the world. Not just yet at least.

We leave this Saturday for our annual camping trip.

I cannot wait.

It's been a while

2010-03-30T16:20:00.004-04:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted here. I don't really have much to write about, and when I do, it usually involves my animals, so I post on my other blog. I have been getting a little bit of traffic there, which is good. I feel as though I have some more content and what not on there, so I can start pointing people there more now.

In other news, I have been pretty darn busy every weekend with either stuff around the house, or wedding planning with Brittany. We are getting down to the wire now! Less than 2 months! I am so very excited. Major things I still need to do to prepare (here I am talking like it's my wedding. hehe):

1. plan and host shower
2. get dress for rehearsal
3. purchase shower and wedding gifts
4. figure out bachlorette party!
5. complete tanning process

Woot!

I lied

2010-03-05T14:42:00.001-05:00

We have not gotten back into the groove of running. GO AWAY COLD WEATHER!!!! Dang wind will make it feel almost 10 degrees colder outside in the morning. So lame!

getting back into the groove

2010-03-01T16:39:00.000-05:00

I think that Brittany and I are finally starting to get back into the groove of running. We ran 5 miles on Sunday, and ran 4 miles the previous Sunday. We are going to run tomorrow morning also (weather permitting). I am ready for this cold to be over with! It is messing up our running! We gotta get back into shape for Brittany's wedding the end of May. Our goal is to run 3 times a week. I probably should start doing some exercises at home as well. Gotta have toned arms by May too.

finally coming together

2010-03-01T16:30:00.004-05:00

My new blog is finally starting to come together. I am excited to have something to write about. And I feel pretty professional with my .com and I even have a host and everything! I have to thank Alicia for helping me out with getting started. Not sure if I could have done it without her help!

So, everyone (if anyone even reads this!) please check out the new blog. Leave comments. Give me any suggestions. Anything!

new beginnings

2010-02-23T13:19:00.002-05:00

I have been working on a new blog. However, I am worried I may have messed up! I went ahead and purchased a domain from wordpress because I thought it would be simple enough to have everything the same (blog is on wordpress too). But I can't even do simple things! I have added Google AdSense to this blog, but cannot figure out how to add it to my wordpress blog. Everything just seems to be way over my head. Maybe Jeb will look at it with me sometime. Or maybe TCC offers a class on blogging?? HA!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T16:42:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is a silly holiday. Shouldn't you show your love for someone all year round? I guess when I was a teenager and didn't have boyfriends while my friends did it was a big deal. Everyone wants to feel loved! But seeing since Jeb and I have been together for 7 years and married for 5, all I really care about is celebrating our marriage on our anniversary. But, I guess you could say Jeb and I kind of celebrated the holiday. Friday we ate at Otani with Tommy and Marie. And Sunday we bought ourselves some new jackets. Soooo, all in all, good weekend.

dreaming of warmth

2010-02-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

I love snow. I really do. But I think we have had enough of it here in Virginia Beach. And I am sick of the cold. I am ready for warm weather. I am ready for spring and for summer. Bring on the HEAT!

etsy

2010-02-08T11:15:00.004-05:00

I rarely look on Esty.com because I usually see tons of things I want but cannot buy. Well, lack of work and the need to find a gift for someone has led me back...

[Can be viewed here.]

Bluebirds. Another obsession.

two loves.

2010-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

crossfit

2010-01-25T10:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Brittany and I did a crossfit "class" with Jeb. We ran up to the park by our house, which is only about 1/2 a mile...then we got started on our workout.

We then proceeded to do the following:
25 full squats
25 reverse pull ups (i guess thats what they are called)
25 burpees
short sprint
repeat

Of course I could barely do the work out. Of course my arms felt like dead weight when we were done. Of course I could barely walk back.

And let me tell you. I knew it was going to be hard...but I had NO IDEA it was going to be as hard as it really was. And I had NO IDEA how sore I would be today. Holy Hell.

I get more sore every minute.

too long

2010-01-20T14:45:00.002-05:00

It has been too long since my last post. My posts have been lacking lately too. I guess my life is just not that interesting.

Anyway...Brittany and I have started running again. woo! go us! We may have Jeb teach us crossfit soon, which would be fun. Maybe. I have desperately wanted to try out crossfit, but I am scared too! It is such an intense work out. However, when I look at people who do it on a regular basis, I am way jealous of their results. And I have to be super fit by May. I have to look good, being Brittany's matron of honor and all.

yikes

2010-01-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

I have a new obsession...

owls.

And I desperately want one tattooed on me.

back to school?

2010-01-07T09:51:00.002-05:00

Soooo.....I am thinking it might be time for me to go back. HOLY CRAP! I am undecided however if I just want to get a certificate in something...like office work or health care billing or something or if I want to get an associates. An associates would probably be better and I could continue school further if I wanted to....BUT a certificate would be cheaper...and I may just take classes to do what I want. Or maybe I should look into that Art Institute they just put in at Town Center? I just don't know. I probably should start with meeting with a counselor.

new years

2010-01-05T13:01:00.002-05:00

Okay. Maybe if I write them down, I will actually go through with everything.

New Years Resolutions!

1. Get back into the groove of running (despite this horrible cold)
2. Eat better
3. SAVE SAVE SAVE $$$ (after I get some new jeans maybe? hehe)
4. Be more POSITIVE (especially at work)
5. Be more patient
6. Be more social and spend more time with friends/family

I think I can handle those 6 things.

I am excited for this new year!

back to work

2010-01-04T12:42:00.000-05:00

Back to work today. And I am sick. I feel like crap! At least Christmas and New Years was good.

The Bedroom

2009-12-20T20:17:00.007-05:00

I have been doing a lot of talk lately about moving my house around. Well, this weekend Jeb and I actually accomplished it! Well, almost. The only rooms that are completely finished are our bedroom and bathroom. I think you all remember the before (no need to post pics of bathroom, all I did was organize and move the kitty litter box under the shelf) :

Annnndddddd the aftttteeerrrrr:

Oh, and remember our sad little closet that we used for laundry as well as some of my clothes??

Well, the clothes are gone!

We moved it into the old office. Well, it is still kind of the office. The computer is still in here....but so is our wardrobes, and Jeb's dresser. The next step is moving the computer into the dining room. Which after moving the other bookshelf in there is beginning to become a wee bit cramped. But, I feel much better without so much clutter in my bedroom. And, the dining room won't be THAT bad. I think once I paint the dark bookshelf an off-white to match the other bookshelf, it would look much better. Or maybe by then we will be able to get the large bookcases we want from Ikea?????

2009-12-16T14:36:00.001-05:00

This is my inspiration. Can't wait until spring to make some changes in my house.

time for a change

2009-12-15T15:12:00.003-05:00

I have been reading lots of decorating blogs recently and I think it is time for a change. Our tiny little house has two bedrooms. The second one is fairly small, so we use it for our office. That is also where the only decent sized closet is that acts as our main storage closet. However, lately, I have been thinking of moving the computer out into the dining room, seeing since we rarely have dinners in there... There is also a tall book shelf I would like to move out there as well. Then I could turn the second room into a HUGE CLOSET. Only downer is that the kitties litter box is in the storage closest, which is in the 2nd room. And sometimes that causes that second room to smell funky... Hm...Maybe I can hide the litter box under the metal shelf in the bathroom? I don't know. I just know that I am sick of clutter and over the past 5 years, Jeb and I have picked up quite a bit of stuff. I was always trying to save everything for when we had a decent sized house. Well, I am sick of all our junk taking up so much room! So, come spring time I have decided we are getting rid of junk. And for now, maybe I can just move some stuff around to make space.

We desperately need to go to Ikea.