Sunday, October 26, 2014

Pumpkin Patch!

We spent an afternoon at a local pumpkin patch with my brother in law, sister in law, & our 2 nieces. It was a relaxing afternoon & such a joy to see our kids enjoying spending time with each other. 

Here are some of my favorite moments from our afternoon... 

 There were sunflowers everywhere at this farm!! I absolutely loved it! 
Sunflowers can always make me smile!


 The kids enjoyed jumping in a cotton trailer & racing around the playground!


 These two melt my heart.. they sat like this the entire hayride to the pumpkin patch! 
Who would ever guess they have been separated for the past 2 years?!



Searching for the perfect pumpkin!!



While the kids were searching for their pumpkins, I was admiring the rows of sunflowers!!
I found a few bug friends... 



Before the ride back from the patch, we were each allowed to pick a sunflower to take home!!
My husband was super sweet & helped me find the perfect flower!!

 The littlest cousin searching for her flower... oh how i love her sweet, sassy personality!!


 A bouquet of sunflowers

 My love & I

 Cousin love



After a great afternoon, we came home to join in the fun of a pumpkin carving party!! 
We enjoyed drinking homemade hot cocoa, pumpkin spice s'mores bars (made by yours truly!), and spending time with my sisters (& their friends!). Family time is always good for the soul!


Happy Halloween!!

~Ashley~

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Tag, I'm it!!

so my fabulous mermaid friend, Julie tagged me for a game of "firsts"....so here we go!!




My First Time Tag

1. Do you still talk to your first love? Nope. The past is the past for a reason, i hope he has found happiness. I'm enjoying living my life in the present. :-)

2. What was your first job? at age 16 working at a Taco Bell/ Pizza Hut.

3.What was your first car? 1998 Plymouth Breeze.

4. Who was the first person who texted you today? my mom

5. Who is the first person you thought of this morning? my husband... he was already up & i woke up wondering what he was up too. :)

6.Who was your first grade teacher? umm... Mrs DePalmer? But then she had a baby, and i think our next teacher was Mrs Allen.

7. Where did you go on your first airplane ride? I have no memory of it, but i was a baby flying from Louisiana to Virginia. The first one i remember, is a trip to Louisiana to visit family.. I think i was 10?

8. Who was your first best friend and do you still talk to him/her? i have a few close friends from high school... We chat from time to time. I made a close friend in Turkey, and i see us staying in touch.... Aside from my husband, i would say my first best friend is Julie. she's the truest friend I've ever had and i'm so thankful for her. I'm not always the best at keeping in touch, and add in a crazy military life and i get even worse, but she has continued to offer me her friendship. We geek out together, and anytime we chat its like no time has passed... I miss her dearly, and am counting the days until we see one another again!

9. Where was your first sleepover? i guess when i was little and stayed over at my Noni and Papa's house.

10. Who was the first person you talked to today? my husband

11. Who's wedding were you in for the first time? i'm pretty sure the only wedding i've ever been in has been my own!

12. What was the first thing you did this morning? grabbed more blankets!! it was FREEZING!!!

13. What was the first concert you ever went to? a James Taylor concert with my mom.. i think i was maybe 9 or 10?

14. First broken bone? i fractured my growth plate of my right ankle in first grade. It was during a game of tag... girls vs boys.

15. First piercing? My ears.. i had to have them re-pierced a couple times due to allergies.

16. First foreign Country? The Bahamas on my honeymoon! We took a little day cruiser from Ft Lauderdale by the Sea down to Freeport. Such a fun little experience!

17. First movie you remember seeing in the theaters? Hocus Pocus!! & it remains one of my favorites to this day. I remember my Noni took me & my cousin. He was absolutely terrified!!

18. When was your first detention? I have never had a detention (boring!! i know...).. however, in 8th grade, i was in private school & we had demerits. two demerits would equal one detention. On April Fools I convinced one of my teachers to write up a fake demerit so i could prank my mom. My teacher wrote that I had used obscene language during class. When i gave it to my mom, she asked me "what does obscene language mean?"... and since i had NO clue... i was totally busted! LOL

19. Who was your first roommate? never had one

 20. What was the first lesson you ever took? The piano at age 7. I continued lessons until age 17.

21. Who was the first wax related person you watched on you tube? Umm... Not a big you tube person...



~Ashley~

Home is where the Heart is....

So as i am cruising at 32k feet some where over the Atlantic... hours into the long journey home.. & running on just a few hours of sleep... i find myself rather emotional & reflective. It's been 2 years since my feet have been on American soil.. 2 years since i've seen & hugged my sisters... 2 years since we've been "home".

The thought of going home has me thinking about what is home these days? Home is where my husband & son are... home is where my family is.. home has been Turkey, Florida, Virginia...

Home is where my heart is.. and I've left mine in quite a few places. We are blessed with such an amazing life! Traveling the world, experiencing new cultures, & living our dreams to the fullest!

Sometimes though, its nice to get back to our roots & 'recharge'. So that's where you'll find me for awhile... back home where my roots begin, making memories, & recharging for the long journey ahead... to our new home.. and the place my heart will call home.. for awhile at least.

So to my friends & family reading this.. you're always in my heart.. and where ever you may be.. that's always home to me! <3

I'm going home!!!

~Ashley~




*post originally written October 7, 2014*