2015 in review (A little late)

Hi all - I know this is kind of delayed and I haven't blogged in a few months, but I just wanted to get this out there before I forgot. :)

January -- To start off the New Year, Zach and I got to housesit in Ames. Being the party animals we are, we were in bed & asleep at 10:30. A few weeks later, we got to enjoy Iowa State win against Kansas (!!!) with some of our good friends at the Boone Valley Brewery. 

February -- To start off this month, we got to celebrate Abram's second birthday with a SuperBowl party during a snow storm. It was a lot of fun to spend time with everyone in Clive. Another fun thing we got to do was go sledding at the Meyer house. For Valentine's Day this year, we had the Iowa State Men's Basketball tickets. Before the game we went to the Ames Public Library (which is so cool by the way!) and had lunch at The Spice, our favorite Ames restaurant. Lastly, we were able to celebrate our 2 year anniversary by having a fun-filled day together and welcoming Zach's new nephew Tommy into the world. He is so precious! 

March -- March was a big month for me, seeing as I got braces this month!! I, also, got to go on a roadtrip to Kansas with Zach, Nic, and Penny to see my sisters and Mom. It was really good to spend the weekend with them. 

April -- A lot of big things happened this month. We got to head to Roland to have Easter at the Meyer household, we celebrated Penny's 5th birthday (?! what), and I got my wisdom teeth taken out. 

May -- Zach and I moved into our very first apartment together this month. It is crazy to think he will (hopefully) be my last roommate, ever! To celebrate moving in together, we went on a date night to Proof (thank you Alex & Barb.), got to go on a mini-road trip to Wisconsin for Tommy's baptism and I got to go to Walt Disney World with my nanny family. Along with all of those fun things, I got to throw a bridal shower for my sister, Maddie.


June -- My baby sister, Maddie, got married to her dream man, Ethan, this month! We got to go to Kansas for an extended weekend full of getting our nails done, rehearsal dinners, a sister sleepover, getting ready together, a beautiful wedding and an excellent reception! Later on in the month, I got to throw a bachelorette party for my best friend, Missy, in Downtown Des Moines. We started the evening with dinner at RoCA with some of our closest friends then bar hopped for the rest of the evening. It was fun to get the old "crew" back together. 
 

July -- We got to celebrate the 4th of July with some of my favorite people that I don't get to see very often. Joe and Alyssa threw a big party at their house, complete with an engagement! We were 5 minutes late to witness the engagement, but we got to celebrate with them afterwards. It was fun to see everyone again. Another big wedding took place this month - my best friend since 5th grade, Missy, married Nate. The wedding and reception took place at the Simpson Barn in Johnston. It was a night full of funny speeches, lots of dancing, and great memories being made. 

August -- I got to celebrate 1 year with my nanny family by taking the 3 kids to the Iowa State Fair with Zach. It was fun to see Zach around them & see how much they look up to him. One of the last weekends, we took Julia and Ellie to Ledges and the High Trestle Bridge. 

September -- One of my favorite memories I have with Zach is going to the Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow. It was REALLY hot that day but we made the most of it. We got to throw daggers, ninja stars, and knives. It was so much fun! We went to Pufferbilly Days to hang out with some of my high school classmates as well. We also went on vacation to Colorado as well this month, but that's a different post for a different day. (I know I'm way behind!!)

October -- During my favorite month of the year, we got to celebrate yet another marriage. My first friend ever, Alicia, married her long time boyfriend, Aaron, and we attended their beautiful reception at Toby K's Event Center in Boone. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen since I graduated in 2007 and it was great to catch up with all of them. 

November -- Yay for birthday month! We got to celebrate my 27th and Zach's 26th birthday this month. To celebrate our birthday's, we got to attend the Iowa State basketball game together. Along with celebrating our birthday's, we got to celebrate our 3 year date-versary!! It was fantastic to be able to have another reason to go on a date. :) (No picture for this month, sorry!)

December -- Zach and I got to attend the Iowa State vs. Iowa game where we WON!!!! Another memory of ours that I will never forget. I found out that I am at the halfway point of my braces, we celebrated Jon's graduation from Iowa State University, and spent Christmas with our loved ones. My sisters, mom, and brother-in-law came back to spend time with us! 

We are excited for 2016 -- I have a feeling it's going to be a BIG year for us!! :) Thanks for checking out my blog and I will update it more often.

xoxo- Ashley!

Lloyd Christmas goes on vacation

Zach and I decided to do a little something different for vacation this year. Instead of always taking pictures of just the two of us, (which we did as well, oops!) we chose to build-a-bear to have something a little different! His name is Lloyd Christmas. :) (His name comes from Zach's favorite movie and goes along with where we decided to go on vacation, Aspen.)

We would carry LC in our backpack and people thought it was the cutest thing ever. If Zach was a single man, he would have picked up so many girls! LC was just like a brand new puppy, ha. We thought it was funny when an older gal said, "Well, now I can say I saw a bear on our hike today!" but when we heard it for the 40th time, the joke was kind of dead. But we still laughed along with every person anyways. It was a great topic starter and people loved how adorable he was. Definitely a tradition we will keep up for many vacations to come. And we decided that someday, we would pass LC on to our children to do the same thing. :) 

 --> Here's LC at the Maroon Bells in Aspen, Colorado.

--> Here is LC at Hanging Lake. He had quite the time hiking up the trail, but was thrilled when he made it to the top. The view was impeccable. 

--> Lastly, here's a picture of LC with Zach and I at Hanging Lake again. :) 

Mid week date nights are my love language.

Yesterday after a long day at Adventureland yesterday with my A & D, I really wanted to do something relaxing for the evening so I asked Zach to go on a date downtown. We had already planned a date night, but I decided to switch it up a bit. We were walking around the East Village trying to figure out where to eat. We've eaten at a few places down there but just couldn't decide because we weren't that hungry. We finally decided to go to Miyabi 9 for our sushi fix. If you've never been there before, I highly suggest you grab your significant other and go as soon as possible! Definitely a must do in Des Moines. After we ate our wonderful sushi, we walked over to UpDown. (It is a new bar-arcade in the East Village next to Wooly's. A barcade if you will.) We met up with Missy and Nate while we were there as well. We played on a few different pinball machines, life size Jenga, connect 4, MarioKart on the big screen, Ms. PacMan, Frogger and 4 vs. PacMan. It was a really great time, we will most likely be going there again in the foreseeable future. They even had Not Your Father's Root Beer and I got to try it last night. Now I see what all of the hype is about, it's good stuff!
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

A look back on the past few months..

Hi ya'll! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. A lot has happened and quite frankly, I kind of forgot about my blog. This summer I have been working 50-60 hour weeks, my baby sister got married, I moved into a new apartment with Zach, my bestical got married, and I've been spending a lot of time outside with A, D, and J. (My nanny kids initials for the sake of privacy.) Yes, I still have my braces on and my teeth are starting to really straighten out. It's crazy how much they have moved in 5 short months. I'm excited to see what happens in just another month!

 -I got to throw a bridal shower for my baby sister.

-I had the most handsome date at the Schultz/Rust wedding.

 -I got to be the maid of honor at Maddie's wedding.

-Zach and I had a lot of fun at the Schultz/Rust rehearsal dinner.

-Zach and I got to go on a fun date at Jordan Creek.

-My baby bro got to walk me down the aisle (as well as Maddie).

-I got to throw my best friend's bachelorette party in Downtown Des Moines.

-Zach and I got to go on a super fun date night at Proof.

-I have the world's most adorable siblings, ever!

- My best friend of 16 years got married!

-I was lucky enough to be the maid of honor in her wedding!

-I got to see some old friends on the 4th of July. (And one of them got engaged on this special day!)

-Once again, I had the most handsome date at the Gunion/Duncan wedding!!

It was a wild, crazy summer but it was all worth it. I can't believe it's all coming to an end though. So many things Zach and I have on our to do list before the year ends. 

I promise to write more often on here, sorry it's been so long! I hope you enjoyed my life update. Love you all!

xoxo - ash

Girls, if you're going to settle, settle for more.

Hi guys, sorry it's been so long since my last post. My computer charger died again so I've been waiting for a new one to come in the mail. Anyways, here we go with a new blog post!

Growing up with a single parent, I've always wondered what true love looked like. I watched a lot of romantic movies and watched couples fall in love on screen, but never anything in real life. All throughout high school I was on a "mission" to find my high school sweetheart and failed miserably. I "dated" a few boys in high school but it was never anything serious because I wasn't willing to settle. I wanted that can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of stuff. Hey, a girl's got to have her standards, right? Well guess what folks. I have found that feeling with Zach. I can't imagine my life without him and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life. I don't know what I did to deserve someone so out of this world, but I am SO thankful for him. He gives me butterflies EVERY time I see him and I get just as excited to see him as our first date. I never thought I would find this feeling, but it is here and I can feel it deep in my soul. But this is not the reason for my blog post..

I don't understand why people settle. Be patient, God will provide.

As of late, I have noticed more people getting into relationships, getting engaged, and getting married. I am so happy for each of them but I just want them to know that they don't have to settle. In today's society, people are dating because it's convenient and they don't want to be alone. I totally know the feeling but I want to have that blown away, swept off my feet, head over heels feeling with someone. I want to meet the one who makes it hard for me to breathe. I want to be lost in love. I'm willing to wait, but I'm not willing to settle. Girls just think that they can date until someone better comes along. Which is true, but you're hurting more than yourself in that situation. I know it's hard, but good things come to those who wait.

Another thing that girls seem to be doing more of, is being in relationships where they are putting all of the effort into it and not getting much in return. Don't make things work, let them work. If you don't aim for the best, don't be surprised when you get less than you feel you deserve. If you constantly have to question his intentions and feelings, MOVE ON. Someone else would die for the opportunity to give you the world. If he's worth it, you shouldn't be chasing him. He should be chasing you. Girls, you should never chase a man, you're worth being pursued. I could go on and on here, but the bottom line is - eventually one of two things will happen: he will realize you're worth it, or you'll realize that he isn't.

Lastly, a topic that really bothers me is girls who feel like they have to stay in a relationship because they don't know what else to do. If he's cheating on you, there is a reason he's cheating. If he's sharing his emotions with another girl, there's a reason for that. Never love anybody who treats you like you're ordinary. You are worth your weight in gold. If you think your boyfriend is cheating on you, always, always trust your first gut instincts. If you genuinely feel in your heart and soul that something is wrong, it usually is. If you know he's cheating on you, why stay in a relationship where he has a physical connection with someone else? I know it can be hard to get out, but in the long run, it's definitely worth it. Don't tie your heart to a person that has nothing left to offer you. Like Elsa says in Frozen, let it go. It might hurt for a while, but when you get over it, you'll see that it's better. Never settle for having feelings for a feeling. The right person will make the wait worth it. If you don't feel it, you don't feel it. Simple as that.

Me? I'm refusing to settle until I find a man who gives me butterflies with just a look and I can't imagine going a day without kissing. And I have found him. It has been a long and lonely road, but he has made the ride worth the wait.

You should be with a man..

1. Who promises to make you laugh, even when you don't want to.

2. Who tells you how proud of you he is every day.

3. Who puts your happiness on the same level as his. If not higher.

4. Who uses positive, kind words when describing your relationship.

5. Who uses "when" not "if" when talking about his future and where you fit in.

6. Who does things out of his comfort zone (sometimes) just to prove to you that he loves you.

Well, this post was much more lengthy than I thought it was going to be but now it's out there. I hope every single one of you women find the man of your dreams and never settle for anything less than your best. He is out there! Sometimes you have to be patient, but the wait is worth it!!

Enjoy your Thursday all.

xoxo.

I seem to have lost all my wisdom...

Hello all. I hope everyone is enjoying their (humid) month of May thus far. The first 3 days of May for me, were spent in my bed.

On April 30th, I went to the Oral Surgeon to get my wisdom teeth +2 taken out. I was very nervous for the weeks leading up to this day, but I knew I had to get the surgery. That morning, I went to work as normal and tried to not think about how the rest of the day was going to go. As I was driving to drop the kids off at school, my hands began to get a little clammy and I started to think about how much pain I was potentially going to be in. So I went home, got everything together, waited for Zach to come pick me up, went to the orthodontist to get my top wire taken off, walked around Target to kill a little bit of time then arrived at the Oral Surgeon's office. We checked in and waited about 10 minutes before they called me back. I walked back to the first room, the gal put the laughing gas on my face and put the butterfly IV needle in my arm. It all happened sort of fast. I will have to say the worst pain I felt that day was in fact the butterfly needle. I talked to the nurse for a little bit, she put a blanket over me and in walked the surgeon. I had met him before at my consultation so we chatted a little bit then he said he was going to give me the medicine. I tried as hard as I could to stay awake and remember everything, but within 3 seconds, I was out cold. I have no idea what time I went back for the surgery and I have no idea what time I woke up. I remember waking up in the waiting room, talking to the nurses about morel mushrooms???, then waking up again when it was time to go. I kind of remember talking to the surgeon, the nurse, and Zach. I also remember getting into Zach's car but after that, I was out again until we arrived at Walgreen's. Apparently while driving to Walgreen's, I was telling Zach the wrong directions and just being very stubborn. (Shocker, right?) I woke up at Walgreen's to go in and fill my prescription. I walked in with the ice pack around my face, went to the Pharmacy, sat down for a few minutes, got dizzy, went into the bathroom and got sick, pulled out the gauze a few minutes early, and we left Walgreen's. After driving a few blocks (from what I remember) I had Zach pull over so I could get sick again. It was not fun but I figured it was going to happen.

After doing all of that, I came home and took a nap (or two) while Zach took care of me. The rest of the day, I kept on top of the pain pills (1/2 of a hydrocodone every 4-6 hours) and felt pretty good. The next day (Friday) was okay because I spent a lot of the day in bed eating vanilla yogurt. That's it. Saturday was the worst day yet. I was in a lot of pain and the pain pills just didn't seem to help at all. I had no energy to get out of bed to get anything to eat and Zach was at a basketball tournament. I spent a lot of my day just laying in bed, crying (I know, what a baby!), and trying to sleep. When Zach got back, he made me chicken broth and I could finally fall asleep. Sunday was a lot better. I wasn't in as much pain, I was able to get out of the house with Barb and Tommy, and I only took one pain pill in the morning. It was incredible.

Today, I got to go to work and only took ibuprofen a few times throughout the day. The only thing that causes me any discomfort in my mouth is the upper right side where they took out two teeth, but other than that, I feel pretty great. Just another step in getting the straight teeth. :)

Have a good rest of the week everyone and thanks for reading! :)

xoxo.