Ashley to Ashes

Remember?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:31:00 +0000

Remember when I used to blog?

Me too...

On the road

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:40:00 +0000

I had to race home after seeing my Bunkie this weekend.

And while I hate waking up at 6am

there is something about being there when the sun rises that is wonderful.

I call this segment...

Photos on the road

Happy Trails...

remember?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:14:00 +0000

Remember when I left my job and went camping for a whole month?

Today someone was BBQ-ing outside

and the smell reminded me of our month long adventure.

I wonder what it would take to talk Abbie into doing it again...

shame on you!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Shame on any reader that didn't comment on yesterday's post.

THESE aren't my babies

THESE are my babies

I gotta keep you guys on your toes, so during 2012 there will be quizzes.

for those of you that caught this one- you get an A!

Employed

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:02:00 +0000

I know you've all been wondering about my job situation...

I can tell by the hundreds of comments I receive a day.

so i'll let you know.

I tried to convince Abbie that I needed to be a stay at home mom

but since we only have these 2 dogs- and no real babies- he wouldn't buy it

so...

I got my ass on

Not only did I get a job... I got 2!

ok- so now I'm working 7 days a week...

and I'm not making more than I did with the job I quit

But its been exciting.

One job is for a local women's magazine.

As of now I'm in a I-still-don't-know-what-I'm-doing- phase

but it looks like it can be exciting

and definitely a new aspect of marketing

The other job is only part time, but I'm marketing for a guy who teaches meditation

I LOVE this job

AND I think that I might have an opportunity to learn organic farming

Ashwii

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:42:00 +0000

Gather 'round folks time for some show n' tell!

(after all- that is what Christmas is about right?)

This is a lovely new addition to our kitchen wall

then Santa Boyfriend

got me this!

(I know I'm scary in this picture- I changed it to sepia to soften it a bit - ha)

Then I had a birthday...

and got something 11 year old Ashley would have been so jealous of

a swatch watch!

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

Did everyone party their butts off last night?

We had a party for two last night

playing wii boxing

but with red lipstick on... it was a celebration after all.

I love the new year and making resolutions.

This year I decided I wanted to have more fun that everyone.

Being the Capricorn I am- I did a little research on the topic.

Turns out - when you Google how to have more fun than everyone the following pops up:

since it offered no real solutions

I decided on the following resolutions instead:

Meditation (it's my job after all)
Start an Etsy store
Become a certified spin instructor
Work on my 5K race times
Develop my style (notice the new fashion blogs on my Who I'm Stalking side?)
"Read" 30 books

What are your resolutions?

2011

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:40:00 +0000

Like every other blogger in the world... I wanted to do a year end review

mostly for myself

it's nice to reminisce over the good times and remember everything that happened.

so here we go...

This year I...

Joined Toastmasters

Ran not 1,

not 2,

but 3 half marathons!

discovered juicing

Became an aunt

Took a trip to Dallas

Played in NYC

Survived a hurricane

Toured Charlotte

Quit my job

Went camping for a month!

Visited Savannah...

the Panhandle...

Georgia...

Charleston...

and Asheville

went to the Macy's Day Parade

Laughed

Loved

oh... and saw Brittany

all in all... it was an AMAZING year.

Cheers to 2012!

Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Enjoy!

He see's you when you're sleeping...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:03:00 +0000

I love Santa ornaments

Bunks in the Trunks

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:41:00 +0000

While we were gone

my mom

(who is the best mom in world BTW)

agreed to watch our fur babies for us

Unfortunately

Bunkie has torn both of her ACL's

leaving my mom stuck with vet appointments and added stress

I took her to the vet when we got back

and they said that she has to build up her hind leg muscles

(which have completely deteriorated)

before they do surgery

(this is an actual picture I took at the vets- she loves all the smells and people)

It breaks my heart that

Since my place has a lot of stairs

I have to leave her at my mom's

It breaks my heart that

she can barely move and every time I see her "walk" tears fill my eyes

It breaks my heart that

there is a large possibility that she may never get better

and it breaks my heart that the vet offer little to no support or solutions.

if there is anyone out there

who has been in a situation similar to this

and your dog ended up living happily ever after- I beg you to share your story

(however if you have a sad ending story about your dog- please don't share)

Before I go home...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:00 +0000

We had to make a quick stop to see my two favorite nephews:

Dylan

Thunder

I'm a survivor!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:14:00 +0000

I did it.

I lasted 3 weeks camping.

Or should I say WE lasted 3 whole weeks camping.

What I will miss about camping...

Campfires

Waterfalls

Friendly wild animals

Not wearing makeup

Beautiful sunsets

being disconnected with the rest of the world

one on one time with my man

Things I won't miss about camping

Sleeping on the ground

Having dinner at 4pm

Being away from my babies

Freezing cold nights

my fear of large mean animals

All in all- this was an amazing experience and I'm so happy that we took the time to make this happen.

Now it's back to the real world...

I would hike 500 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Our last day in Ash Grove Abbie and I went for a 6 mile hike.

3 miles up a mountain

I have never in my life felt so completely out of shape.

But getting to the top was so completely worth it.

These pictures can't capture a 1/10 of its beauty.

You also can't tell what an incredible slope we are on.

One slip and we would have been goners.

With this being our last night of camping we decided to have a little celebration

with champagne, cheese and crackers

(that's how campers celebrate right?)

Ashley in Asheville

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Along with Charleston, another city I have been dying to see is Asheville.

We arrived in time to see the Asheville holiday parade.

Once again- I fell in LOVE with this city

(this is how I would rule Ash (ley) ville)

Asheville is full of these cute little art galleries will art from locals. Super fun and funky town.

Stopped for an almond milk latte

and later had a veggie burrito with some Asheville Brew

Then we ended the perfect day with another camp side fire

Exploring Ash Grove

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:57:00 +0000

Day 2 in Ash Grove

Woke up with all of our water frozen and frost on the ground

(these pictures were taken at 9am btw- still cold out)

Ash Grove is located in Brevard, NC.

There are a ton of waterfalls around so we decided to do a little hiking and exploring

We started at the campsite's waterfall

(lame)

Then we moved on to bigger and better.

The pictures really speak for themselves.

Hooker Falls

Triple Falls

High Falls

Ashley at Ash Grove

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:50:00 +0000

So happy to be away from Edisto and on to North Carolina!

Next stop:

Ash Grove

Such a beautiful campsite!

We were the only ones there.

First night was freezing- with a low of 25!

Thank god for the Turd Tomb to keep us warm!

and a great camp side fire of course :-)

Charles Town

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Today I was so pumped to see Charleston

I've heard that it is such a great place to live.

We took a quick tour to learn a little history of the city

then met with my friend Michelle for lunch

(unfortunately I took no pictures!)

We explored the city and fell completely in love.

Unfortunately when you camp you are a slave to the sun

and since it's winter- the sun sets by 5

forcing our tour of Charleston to end sooner that we would have liked.

We'll definitely be back though to see what the nightlife is like.

Exploring Edisto

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Up again with daylight- ready to explore Edisto

Unfortunately,

(and this may seem like a stupid thing to say when you are camping)

the site was just so dirty.

Dirt was everywhere.

in the tent.

in my car.

it was gross.

Also, the beach was covered with shells

so that you couldn't even walk barefoot.

We decided to just read on the beach for awhile instead.

takin' it easy.

tomorrow = Charleston!

S. Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:21:00 +0000

We left GA and headed to Edisto Beach, SC.

The drive was long and we only got to the campsite in time to set up our tent and hang out.

Didn't have the chance to buy firewood- so we were cooped up inside playing endless games of rummy.

True story:

since Abbie isn't currently reading my blog

I can share with you

that when we arrived it was pitch black at the campsite.

I thought we were next to the beach so we grabbed a flashlight and walked down a little path

that I thought led to the water.

I was in front and quickly saw a small furry animal move

(raccoon I think)

I look back and Abbie has ran so fast in the other direction... leaving me behind.

my hero

ha.

Cloudland Waterfalls

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:52:00 +0000

Our last day in Cloudland we hiked to their two waterfalls

Waterfall #1

The hike to the 2nd waterfall took a little work.

Abbie and I didn't care for the 2nd one.

Cave Hiking

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Day 3 in Cloudland and we signed up for a group hike into a cave.

With me being very claustrophobic I was a little nervous going in- but ended up being ok throughout most of the tour.

Gear on and ready to explore...

Opening of the cave

Made it to the first level.

There was a lot of crawling taking place.

Bats

Sometimes you can hike caves and be sexy... other times you can have mud on your butt like the dude in front of me.

There were so many bats and I was the only one in the group that thought they were absolutely disgusting rodents.

The start of the crawl out... the space got smaller and smaller so that we were all crawling on our bellies to get out.

This was the exit point of the cave.

We survived, but the poor poncho (to Abbie's delight) didn't make it- (neither did my shoes or jeans).

Hikes

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Up with the sun and on our first real hike.

Cloudland Canyon is beautiful.

Ended the night with another beautiful campfire...

Campsite #2

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Back to our camping adventures...

After St. Joes we headed to Cloudland Canyon State Park for another 4 nights of camping

This time we had a walk in campsite and had to hike our gear to get set up.

The drive into the GA mountains was beautiful. Our last chance to see the changing leaves.

We got in late so we just had to set up and get our fire going. It was the coldest night of camping yet- with temps in the low 30's. I doubled up with our sleeping bags and Abbie had a super duper sleeping bag that we dubbed the turd tomb.

Macy's Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Ashes) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Guess where I was Thursday morning?

Avril Lavigne

Cee Lo

Neil Diamond

we had to wake up super early, and stand in the cold for quite a bit, but it was totally worth it.