W-O-W

I should be smacked on the wrist for my inconsistency in writing on my blog. Shame on me.

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My mom and I are planning a vacation to New York City! I am so excited, yet overwhelmed at the same time. There are so many things in NYC that I want to do that I don't know how to pick my "Top 5"!

I definitely want to go to Magnolia Bakery and get a delicious cupcake. I also want to visit Serendipity3 and try some of their famous frrrrozen hot chocolate. Plus, this is the site of scenes from several different movies, including one of my favorites: Serendipity (go figure!). Sounds like I'm going to be ALL SUGARED UP! But I think that's ok...

Then of course I would like to visit Times Square at night to witness the magnamity of all the lights. I think it would be wrong if I didn't visit Ground Zero to really feel what happened there on that fateful day (although, I don't think anyone will ever be able to feel the same way it felt in the moment).

Well, I think that's all for now... I don't want to get TOO crazy as I re-train myself to the blogging world. ;) Actually, I have homework that I need to be doing before The Bachelorette comes on tonight. (Yes, I said homework. Come to find out, the workshop I'm taking through Rice University... yeah, I get a GRADE for it. We have homework, projects, presentations, and tests! So much for a relaxing first-half of the summer!)

Just call me the ghost of Christmas past...

I can't believe how long it's been. But that's ok, because it's a new year, and with new years come to-do lists. Here are some things that I would like to accomplish this ninth year of the 21st century.

1. Buy a townhome/condo/garden home.
2. Travel somewhere interesting. It doesn't necessarily have to be outside of the country (because, let's be realistic- if I wanted that to happen, I would have probably already needed to start planning that).
3. Use what I've learned during my first year of teaching to become that much better of a teacher next year.
4. Turn 23. I can remember years ago and thinking about people who were 23 and how "old" and "mature" I thought they were. I'm not quite sure that I will fit those two categories once my 22nd year is complete.
5. Stick with Jazzercise. It makes me feel so good, and I need that in my life.
6. Be a good friend. Be a better friend.
7. Completely let go of the reigns that I'm using to control my life and the plans that I have for my life. And with that comes...
8. ... commiting to a church community. I want to be actively involved.
9. Be a good maid of honor. I've never been one before.
10. I don't really have a 10th item, I just think lists look better in rounds of 10.

Mmmm.

You know what this weather makes me want to do?

Put Colbie Calliat on repeat.

Grab a good book.

Sit on the porch in a rocking chair.

... with a tall glass of lemonade,

curled up in my favorite sweater.

Yes, that sounds like a perfect afternoon.

-Ashley

Post-Hurrication

Whew! The week after "hurrication" is over! Can I just say it's been a crazy one? Plus it was the last week of the six weeks... which means grades are due on Monday. And we only have one test grade. So I have a few students failing. No bueno.

So, yesterday I joined Jazzercise! Teresa's a member there and this week was their Open House, so you could bring guests for free. Well, Sammi and I decided to go with Teresa for their Friday night Express class. It was so much fun! So, we joined! There was a special running that if you joined before the end of the Open House, you didn't have to pay the joining fee which is $75. Sign me up! We all just got back from our Saturday morning session, and I have a lot of energy now. I think I'm going to go clean the apartment! Well, maybe that's going too far.

[1 hour later...]

We have a clean bathroom! We couldn't take it anymore. So that's that.

I'm a bit famished, so I'm gonna go find some lunch.

-Ashley

I Can't Believe I'm Telling You This

Well, today was the last day of "hurricane vacation." I spent the day... in my pajamas. It was just grand! I watched several episodes of Veronica Mars Season 1 and played cards with Sammi. It's been kind of a surreal week. We just started school and then we got a week off. I feel like when we go back to school on Monday, it'll be the first day of school all over again. But I miss my students, so I'm excited to see them and (briefly) exchange Hurricane Ike stories.

Tonight, we're having a little get together at our apartment. Catherine and Josh are coming over and we're going to do a little wine tasting, chocolate chip cookie eating, and Apples to Apples playing. It should be really fun. We haven't seen them in about a month!

I can't remember if I've mentioned it, but I carpool to work with my co-teacher who lives about 3 minutes away from me. It's been such a blessing to have someone to share the drive with. In fact, the other night I went over to Carina's (my carpool buddy) house to hang out with her and her husband, Andy, and 2 of her other friends. We had so much fun. We played Pictionary, boys vs. girls, and the girls prevailed 2 out of the 2 games that we played. That's 100%. It was crazy! Tomorrow, Sammi and James are coming with me over to Carina's house because she's having another little get together. Her house is so cute. She sells Southern Living, so every room in the house looks like a room you'd see in the Southern Living magazine. I think I might duplicate all of her ideas when I get my own house. I hope she doesn't mind...

Okay, so now it's time for Ashley's embarrassing story of the week (I should really think about actually writing a blog about my embarrassing story every week because we all know that I have plenty of those moments every day):

So, Sammi and I went to the mall the other day specifically to go to New York & Company to spend the City Cash we earned by buying stuff a while ago. I had $45 of City Cash so I was grabbing anything and everything to take back to the dressing room with me to try on. As I'm trying on each thing (I only grabbed shirts because that's what I need mostly), I'm making mental notes about the shirt: whether or not I liked it, if I needed to go back out and get a different size or color, etc. After I tried on each shirt, I would go out of my dressing room to look in the big mirror in the "dressing room hallway." Okay, so after I finished trying on all the things I had brought back with me (I was still wearing the last shirt I had tried on) I was trying to recall all of the mental notes I had made. I still had my dressing room door open when I decided I needed to change back into my shirt to go get all the other sizes I needed. Did you catch that? THE DOOR WAS STILL OPEN WHEN I DECIDED TO CHANGE BACK INTO MY SHIRT!!! In my defense (sort of), my mind was reeling with all of my mental notes that I just... lost my mind. Thank GOODNESS Sammi was the person who walked by my dressing room as I was standing there in my bra. Yes, I really was standing there in my bra. She gave me the most CONFUSED look ever, and I think I gave her the most CONFUSED look back. I couldn't understand why she was watching me until, "Wait. What the heck am I doing???" "I was just about to ask you the same thing!" We laugh about it now. Actually, we cracked up then too. Apparently, I really feel myself in the New York & Company dressing room. Good thing, because I bought just about every shirt that I tried on!

***I hope no one random reads my blog. If you're reading my blog for the first time, I apologize that you had to get to know me and my blog in THAT way. I promise, the next time I post, it will be about something (relatively) normal.***

On that note, I need to go clean up before our company gets here!

-Ashley

A Dog's Life

**SIDE NOTE: I apologize in advance for my goofy laugh and random outbursts. I never really realized how I sound to the world... but now I do.**

Right after Ike went away, we let the dogs out because they were very antsy. Our neighbors had a bunch of their family staying with them because they're from Galveston, and they all brought their dogs. So that means for 48 hours, we had 10 dogs in our backyard, and this little video will give you a little idea of how hyper Abbey, Amber, Reb, Jaxxx, Jessie, Homer, Dixie, Duke, and the 2 daschunds (don't remember their names) were.

Also, I'll do a more thorough update tomorrow. Right now, the pillow is calling my name.

-Ashley

Houston, Meet My Good Friend Ike

I'm at my parents' house right now, ready to ride out the storm. School districts all over Houston closed for today. In fact, yesterday during 5th period, I completely lost my mind and said to my kids, "So, since we don't have school tomorrow..." They were like, "WHAT?!?!" Oh no. What did I just do? Luckily, my kids know me pretty well, and they knew that if they went crazy, I would not be a happy camper. But after that, the rest of my classes were a little rowdy.

My neighbors are boarding up their windows right now. The news said the wind gusts are supposed to reach 85 mph. I'm getting a little worried, but I'm a little calmer now that I'm at home. My parents aren't going to board up the windows, but I'm not sure if they're not going to tape them up. My dad just went to Lowe's to get some more screws to reinforce our wooden fence pickets. He might get some tape while he's there.

I haven't been in a hurricane in a while. Not too long after we moved to Texas, Tropical Storm Allison came through and our neighborhood flooded big time. That was pretty much the last storm that I've experienced. When we lived in Baton Rouge, we survived Andrew's wrath. I still remember that like it was yesterday. My family and I played Uno the whole time (we were without electricity for a few days) and listened to the radio. My dog, Kate, stayed in her crate that was wedged between the cars in the carport. My dad would have to go outside several times to let her out to go to the bathroom... during a hurricane... with tree branches flying everywhere.

Thankfully, Amber and Abbey will get to come inside to hang out with us when the storm comes through. Abbey will probably pace the entire house during the storm, while Amber will probably sleep through it all. She's much more mellow than Abbey. It's quite funny.

The storm surge in Galveston is already REALLY high. It hasn't even started raining there, and the city is already flooded. A reporter on the news interviewed some people she came across there who are refusing to evacuate. They kept saying, "Yeah, we're just going to ride it out. It won't be that bad." Uhh, I'm thinking if the mayor issued a mandatory evacuation, you might want to listen! They were saying that anyone who doesn't listen to the advice and instructions of the mayors and judges will face "certain death." Whoa.

In other news, Katie called me last week and surprised me by asking me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! I am so honored and excited!! And, she's going to be moving to the Houston area when she's married... possibly Katy! (You know I'm going to play up Katy, right Katie???? Haha!) I'll be so glad to have her close by again. I miss hanging out, drinking hot cocoa (even if it's not cold yet), and watching The Office. (Speaking of, when does the new season start??)

Well, I guess I should go get things ready for my good friend Ike when he comes to visit. Pray for us!

-Ashley