An Apology...

Day 13: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

An apology from the music industry:

We're sorry for all you pop lovers out there who have to listen to country music on your favourite pop station

*cough* Cruise *cough

We're sorry for all you country lovers out there who have to listen to pop music on your favourite country station

*cough* Taylor Swift *cough*

Let's face it, these two genres should never mix.

EVER.

Sincerely,

Us

~~~~~~

Love, 

Ashleigh

Something I Miss...

Day 12: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

Jake and I often talk and reminisce about our week-long honeymoon in the Dominican Republic in 2010.   Although the weather was not very nice--many teased us about being too white when we got back...there was sun for literally three days, people!-- it was still warm and so relaxing.  Neither of us had ever been on an all-inclusive vacation before, and we both enjoyed taking a 'real' vacation with our best friend.  We ate maybe a little bit too much food, got some sunburns, toured around the nearby village, and learned what it was like to live with each other and love deeper. 

It was a week that I will never forget, and one that I definitely miss.  I also miss all the honeymoon photos that I lost due to a computer crash.  Thankfully I had uploaded a good chunk to Facebook beforehand.  

Love, 
Ashleigh

Our favourite drink- Banana Coladas!

All dressed up for the fancy restaurant

Just an idea of what the sky looked like for the majority
of our trip.  We were just so happy to be together!

Sell My What?...

Day 11: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Can I just skip this one? No? 

Fine.  Here goes:

Friendly and fun young woman with a heart for change.

That wasn't awkward at all-except that I felt like I was writing an ad for myself in the newspaper.

Time for my morning cup of tea.

Love, 
Ashleigh

Just Don't Do It...

I had another pre-natal check-up yesterday.  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were kind enough to drive me and wait in boring waiting rooms for a good chunk of the day.  Jocie got to hear her little niece/nephew's (or nibling, as she refers to it) heartbeat.  Baby certainly didn't want to cooperate, and was moving all around when the nurse tried to find the heartbeat with the Doppler fetal monitor.  We all laughed when (I felt) we heard a kick as it tried to express indignation.  Eventually baby calmed down and gave us a nice, strong heartbeat of 140 BBM.  

Thankfully everything is going well with the baby's health and growth, but other news has left me feeling somewhat sad.  I told the nurse that running was uncomfortable this week.  The first time I went, I had to cut it short after 10 minutes because it felt like the baby was a lead weight at the bottom of my abdomen.  The second time was amazing-even though I was super slow!-and yet I felt the most excruciating pelvic bone/groin pain that night and over the next few days.  Both the nurse and my OB smiled and suggested I try brisk walking instead.  

Sadface. 

After feeling the discomfort of my second run, I had pretty much come to that conclusion on my own, but hearing it from a medical professional made it more concrete.  Although it will be difficult to give up running for the next few months, I'm happy that I was able to go this far.  I can tell my baby that "Mama ran a 5K when she was 8 weeks pregnant with you" and "You were my little running partner up until 32 weeks".  Who knows, maybe this wee one will enjoy running with me someday.  

I have plans to train for a 10-K race as soon as the doctor gives me the go-ahead, and have no doubt that Jake and our babe will be my biggest supporters!

Love, 
Ashleigh

Red in the Face...

Day 10: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 

I must confess, I actually hate questions like this. A lot. It's mostly because I can't remember any embarrassing moments. Perhaps there is a secret vault in my mind where I store the things I want to forget because, let's face it, who wants to remember the toilet paper trailing behind a shoe, or tripping in front of a crush? (Thankfully those things have never happened to me...oh, wait.)

There have been many times I've embarrassed myself in front of people, said things that brought high colour to my cheeks, made my friends laugh at me, and had many awkward toilet clogging moments over the years (trust me, you'll remember those too if it was at your house.)

I've decided to share with you one highly embarrassing time that I still remember vividly.  I was in Grade 9, and I was walking to Zehrs on a lunch break with a couple of my friends.  I can't exactly remember who was with me because the mortification of what happened shames me to this day.  It was a grey, cloudy day, but the anticipation of food spurred us on.  There is this church in my hometown on the main road with a big metal sign out front displaying the church's name and logo.  The sign is a significant size, it's black, it's wide, it's...yeah, you can't miss it.  Unless you're me.  Unless you walked into the sharp, black metal corner, gouging your head and requiring Nana to drive you to the ER for two stitches.  

Two stitches!!

Maybe the reason I remember it so vividly is that I can still feel and see the little white scar on my head when I make a part in my hair.  Maybe it's because I should have been watching where I was going.  Maybe it's because I lost cool points in front of my friends.  

Whatever the case, I will never forget that moment.

Love, 
Ashleigh

Knowingly Addicted...

Day 9: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)

I decided to wait until today to leave a lot of room for special moments.  This was it.

You see this right here?  At the beginning of yesterday it made up
about 3/4 of a zucchini-pineapple loaf.  I ate three pieces, so I
guess you could say this made up three moments
of my day.
Love, Ashleigh

Talk to Me...

Day 8: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

Communication is key.  

I bet you're rolling your eyes right now because you've heard this so many times.  I don't really care.  I'm going to say it again, because maybe the more I hear it, the more I will remember, too.  

This past weekend I had a chance to travel to my hometown.   My sister and her family, one set of grandparents, and my parents and siblings live there, not to mention many friends from my childhood and church.  Usually Jake and I go up for one night and two days, but we were there for three nights and four days.  Already things were unusual.  Add to that a little bit of confusion over who's preparing meals, where we're staying, when we're spending time with people...

Let's just say, it's never a bad idea to over-communicate.  It makes things much simpler when everyone knows what is going on, and eases the stress and tension of unclear situations.

Love, 
Ashleigh

Who's Afraid Now...

Day 7: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

In list format in no particular order: 

• Thunderstorms [Not sure why...I used to love them]
• Failing as a wife/mother/friend/daughter/student etc.
• Falling into spiritual complacency
• Being attacked by a shark while swimming in the ocean [Don't ask...]
• Never accomplishing some of my personal goals in life
• Hitting my head on something [maybe from all the times it happened as a child]
• Being drugged and held somewhere against my will [What is with all these irrational fears?! I watch too many movies]

That's all for now!

Love, 

Ashleigh

How We Do...

Day 6: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Funny how sometimes this can be the most self-defining question of our culture.  Sometimes we let the things we do define who we are.  If that were the case, I would be a 

time-wasting
movie-watching

food-preparing

kitchen-treading

book-reading

church-going

husband-loving

nap-taking

Jesus-serving

baby-thinking

Internet-surfing

picture-pinning

health-focusing

friend/family-visiting

Bible-believing

sustenance-feasting

worry-seeking

stress-deking 

MESS.

and let me tell you...

I love every minute of it!

Love, 

Ashleigh

Krystle's Kitchen...

Day 5: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member

There are some people from college/university that you never seem to lose touch with over the years.  Krystle is one of those people.  She and I met at Bible college in 2006, and now she is a health counsellor/owner at a Herbal One Weight Management Nutrition Centre.  As the years go by, not only have we gotten to know each other better and enjoy some similar hobbies (like eating delicious food, running, eating, cooking...did I mention eating??) but we've also become blogging buddies.  I have often found encouragement and inspiration from her blogs.  I love her short, to-the-point and meaningful posts that so eloquently express her creativity and zest for life.   We don't often get to see each other, but I can often find out what activity she's been into or what she's been cooking by checking out her colourful blog.  Whenever I see a new post pop up in my Feedly feed, I get excited, wondering what pictures or tips she'll have for me today.

So join me over at Krystle's Kitchen  as I drool over the Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad and that S'mores Ice Cream Cake. 

Don't forget to check out some of her Lifestyle Tips for getting the most of the life God has given each and every one of us.

Thanks, Krystle, for keeping the blogging world alive and for inspiring me to be the best that I can be, in every facet of my life!

Love, 
Ashleigh