Tag: love

Ashley’s 40 Things

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I finally finished my list of the 40 things I want to spend this year completing. Let’s talk about these.

  1. Re-launch blog – Well, here I am. I’ve worked on this blog, on and off, for years. Its always been something I wanted to keep up with. This year I’m determined to make it a priority.
  2. 120 books in 2023 – Pretty self explanatory. I have multiple challenges I’m working on. You can read about those here.
  3. More ARCs – This is one of my challenges but simply put, I want to read and review more advanced reader copy books.
  4. Post to socials more – I’ve gotten away from this since we closed our retail store but I want to spend more time posting to Instagram and Tik Tok.
  5. Fitness Plan – I would like to find something that I can stick to. I’ve spent the last few years in pain and that has kept me from moving my body the way I need to. I had surgery on both my shoulders during the 2021-2022 school year and I’ve spent a year in physical therapy. Now that my arms are mostly healed, I need to get back to working out regularly.
  6. Skincare routine – I do not typically wear makeup but as I age, I need to focus on at least moisturizing my skin more.
  7. Quarterly treat – When I was taking college courses a few years ago, I treated myself to a massage after each semester’s exams. I want to get back into the habit of treating myself to massages or pedicures.
  8. Bra fitting – Everyone needs a proper fitting bra, enough said.
  9. Hiking boots – I would like to invest in a quality pair of hiking boots.
  10. Comfortable shoes – I have serious trouble with my feet. Apparently I have tendonitis in both Achilles. So, I am constantly on the search for a pair of comfortable shoes.
  11. My color wardrobe – I want to slowly start incorporating more clothes in my wardrobe that are on my color palate.
  12. Better sleep – I rarely get enough sleep, I need to make quality sleep a priority.
  13. Re-pierce nose – My nose piercing closed up while I was in the hospital for my first shoulder surgery.
  14. More time outside – I love being outside but I find myself cooped up inside with way too much to do.
  15. Nashville, TN – I want to spend at least a weekend in Nashville taking in the sights.
  16. Camping w/Matt – I want to take a camping trip with my husband, no kids.
  17. 25 hikes in NC – I want to go on 25 hikes in various places in my home state.
  18. Monthly food spots – I want to check out a new food or coffee spot each month.
  19. Veggie garden – I want to have a huge vegetable garden this year.
  20. Porch herb garden – I’ve tried to plant an herb garden outside my front door before but I neglected it. I want to grow my own fresh herbs.
  21. Drink more water!!!!!
  22. Family Photo Shoot – Before my kids start leaving for college, I want to do a fun family photo shoot.
  23. Pay off loans – I have two loans (car and person) that I want to pay off this year.
  24. Clean out my closet – This pairs with #11. I want to throw out (donate or sell) anything in my wardrobe that does not look good on me or fit.
  25. Camping as a family – I want to go on a handful of camping trips with my kids this year.
  26. New front door – We desperately need a new front door and screen door.
  27. Attend a conference
  28. Do yoga on the beach
  29. Board game night – We have a few dozen board and card games and we usually only play them when we are camping. I would like to devote a night each month as a family game night.
  30. Watch the sunrise – This might happen on one of my many hikes or on the beach as I do yoga, but it will happen.
  31. Take in a play
  32. Try new teas – The title of this blog inspired this one. I can also possibly pair this with #18.
  33. Tattoo – I have been wanting to get a couple tattoos for a long time. This year, I will get at least 1.
  34. New car – New to me car! I’ve never bought a new car and I do not see myself doing that now. I have something in mind that I’ve been wanting for a while.
  35. Guitar – I wanted to learn to play guitar a few years ago and then I started having trouble with my hands. I had surgery on my right hand and shots in my left shortly after getting a guitar. Then, my shoulders started acting up.
  36. Go kayaking – My husband took me kayaking when we first starting dating and I loved it. Then, my shoulders started acting up. (Do you see a pattern here?)
  37. New phone
  38. More time on Etsy – Etsy SEO has always been a beast I haven’t quite figured out. I’m selling more handmade / upcycled items on there, so I would like to devote more time to figuring out how to best utilize this selling platform.
  39. Visit an art museum
  40. Stick to a budget

Well, there they are. As I start dissecting and completing these, I’ll be posting about how it’s going. Let me know if you have any questions or want more details. I remember my mom telling my once that her 40s were her best years. I’m determined to enjoy this year and I want to embrace getting older as my 40th birthday grows nearer.

Food Freaks and A Trophy Wife…

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The Beard and I get two nights per month  completely to ourselves (if we’re lucky). The last couple months we’ve been hunting down food trucks and enjoying local breweries. Tonight was no exception. 


Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of our food but I’m not exaggerating when I say it was phenominal. Food Freaks serve amazing 1/4 and 1/2 pound burgers and handcut fries. I got their House Burger – bacon jam and cheddar cheese served with a BBQ aioli. 😋

The Beard got The Mel – bacon jam, fresh jalapeño and pimento cheese served with Sriracha chili mayo. 🌶😵🤤 He seemed to enjoy it. 

This food truck travels all over the Triad and tonight we found them at Juggheads Growlers and Pints where they have 32 craft beers on tap, all from North Carolina. It was our first trip and we were happy with the cozy atmosphere. It was mild enough to enjoy our drinks outside, under the covered “porch”. 


I had Trophy Wife and 3rd Rock Jetty Session IPA. I’m no beer critic but I enjoyed the 3rd Rock IPA more, I liked the friuit kick (if that makes sense). The Beard really liked what he tried, the Fiddlin Fish Camel City Session IPA, a new brewery in Winston Salem that opened this week. I see a trip there in our future. 🍻

We were home and relaxing in bed by 9. We are so adventurous!! 😂

But since he wakes up around 3:30 am, for work, on Saturdays it isn’t hard to understand why. 

If you guys enjoyed my little review of these places let me know. And if you recommend any food trucks or breweries in the triad or Charlotte area please let me know. 

Night guys, I hope your weekend is relaxing and fun. I’m loving this cooler weather. 

Childhood

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I often hear or read that we are raising a “softer generation” and this comment always makes me smile because I don’t know about you, but I’m OK with that. What do you guys think about this?

When I was five, a kindergartner, I would ride the school bus home from school. The bus didn’t drop me off at my house, instead I would walk three houses up to my house, unlock the door and lock it behind me. I would stay in my home for two to three hours by myself until my parents got home from work. At 10, I did the same thing but with a five year old brother (Red) in tow. When I got my license at 16, I would drive from the high school to the middle school to pick up Red and then drive home. We were not allowed to answer the phone if it rang or the door if someone came to it, which they rarely did. If our friends were outside playing, we could not play with them until 5:30 or 6:00 when our parents got home. There were no after school activities because we were a package deal and we had no one to help us out.

Now that I’m a mother, I understand the struggles with being lower middle class and having children. I understand the struggles but do I want my kids to go through what we through, heck no!

I work in retail and recently dropped to part time for this very reason. My kids are going to be kids. I don’t expect them to take care of themselves, there is no reason for them to be alone and have to take care of each other. They should be allowed to play with their friends after school. They should be able to come to me if they need me. And if this means my kids are softer, fine, I’m OK with that.

This week, I was reminded of this. AJ (remember, he’s 7) went to summer camp with $3 for snacks for three days. Usually they put the money into an account but this was the last week and they did not want any money left in the accounts. I was unaware of this. My baby left his $2, after the first day, in his cubby. This is his cubby, he’s used it all summer. He has left water bottles, towels, glasses, sunscreen, you name it in this cubby. So, it didn’t occur to him his money would be any different. When he got home that evening and we were talking about their day it came to light that Potter still had his snack money. And when I dug deeper into the conversation I found out about the $2 left in AJ’s cubby. The first thing in my head is “His money is gone, there’s no way it’ll still be there.” But I kept this to myself and talked about their day. The next morning I sent AJ into camp with the instructions to see if his money was still in his cubby. Unfortunately it was not.

The look on his face made my stomach turn. He couldn’t understand where it went. Some things you must know about AJ:

  • He is just like me, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
  • He is honest, he has a hard time telling a lie even when it’s a joke. He has an easy to spot tale.
  • He expects the same from other people. He expects to be treated the way he treats others. (Imagine that!!)
  • He is loving, he loves everyone no matter their background, skin color, age, etc.

I gave him a dollar, a kiss, and told him we would talk after I got off work.

I thought about it all day. My stomach was in knots. His heart was broken. He got a glimpse at what this world is like. Someone stole from my baby, at a christian based camp!

So, we talked about it. I told him that kids don’t want to do bad things, but sometimes they do. We compared it to times when we are tempted and have a choice to make. I explained that sometimes people make a decision that isn’t always the best one. We talked about how just because it happens to you, doesn’t mean it’s OK to do it to other people. I pointed out that we all want to be good people, but good means different things to different people. We talked and we hugged. He’s very tender-hearted, he may have cried a little. He’s so easy to talk to.

I don’t want my kids to face the world without knowing what to expect but I also want to be the one to expose them to the world. As a parent, it is my job to prepare them and to show them how amazing this world can be. I think the world needs to soften up a little and love more but that’s for another post.

Birthdays

Today is The Beard’s birthday

🎂 🎉🎈🎉

To say he isn’t big on birthdays is an understatement.

He doesn’t like to celebrate, he doesn’t eat cake, he doesn’t want presents…

Who is this man? And why does he not want presents?

I’ve accepted this flaw trait, but that doesn’t stop me from going a little overboard.

Now, it needs to be noted that for my birthday he took me and the boys to the beach for the weekend and we enjoyed a bluegrass festival, food truck food, a boat ride to an island, swimming in the ocean, grilling out, and great seafood.

So, when my mom messaged me last week wanting to have a dinner for her husband’s birthday (August 1) on The Beard’s actual birthday (today), I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. But ultimately, it turned into a double birthday celebration and it was a way to have a party that didn’t put The Beard in the spotlight (too much). And he was OK with it – A Bonus!

It turned out to be a great day, despite the fact that I’m suffering from a sprained neck (no idea how it happened but it freakin sucks). My aunt and uncle came out and  my brother (Red), his girlfriend, and her son were there too. And Red’s lady made this amazingly beautiful and equally delicious cake for our step-dad.


Isn’t she talented?!

This was probably the most moist and tastiest cake I’ve ever had.

The Beard has taken care of me all day but he did enjoy his gifts.


Our kids pitched in and picked out a bag full of snacks and candy, which he would much rather have than a stinking cake (his words not mine).

And I found him a hammock we can take camping and paddles for his kayak.

I’m looking forward this weekend, we’re going camping without the kids and taking the kayaks for a weekend in the water.

But for now, I’m off to rest this neck of mine. Goodnight friends.

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My tribe

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I wrote back in November that I deleted all dating apps and here is why:

Meet The Beard. We met in early November and after four dates he had completely swept me off my feet. He’s funny, hardworking, honest, and incredibly gorgeous. We started living together a few months ago and this blog will explore bringing our families together and the life lessons we face along the way.

The rest of our tribe:


My oldest, Potter or P for short, is strategic, passionate, and fun. He loves to read, anything mysterious, non-fiction, or fantasy; he loves to play chess, put together puzzles, and play cards; he also enjoys nerf guns and legos. We have been struggling with behavior issues and anxiety with him for a few years. Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, and ADHD have also been brought up and are being explored. It’s a huge learning process for all of us. I kick myself regularly thinking these things should have been discussed earlier in his life but that bridge has been crossed and all we can do now is figure out which path works best for us.


My youngest, AJ, is spirited, adventurous, mischievous, and extremely loving. He has a huge heart and is tender hearted. He recently started to wear glasses and lost them the second day he wore them to school. But we have since found them and we are figuring out how to keep up with them and getting used to wearing them. He is the typical youngest child (he has step siblings from his father and they are all older). He doesn’t know how to play alone and is very close to everyone.


Lastly, we have The Beard’s daughter, Cat. Her mother doesn’t want her photo online so her photos will always be distorted. She is a year younger than P and she has adjusted well to my boys. She is patient, fun, and a typical girl. She loves barbies, baby dolls, unicorns, anything emoji, and watching YouTube videos. She’s surprisingly quiet, unless all three of them are together.

We are enjoying our summer. Stay tuned for more about our lives and adventures.