Happy Halloween!!!

Hey Y'all!!

Happy Halloween!! and more importantly happy halfway through this week!!

I am glad October is over though - it has been kind of a rough month.

So ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, we closed on our house! 

I can't believe we have already owned that house 365 days - time sure does fly!

You can read the post I did right around that time last year here

The whole process was SO exhausting! 

Immediately after closing, The Husband went back to work and I went to shopping.

I bought all the flooring for the main part of the house and that night we unloaded it into the garage.
 And so the exhaustion began! We worked our tails off for about 10 days to get the house completely finished -...well we with the help of some dedicated friends and family! 

We have done so much to the house and recently we have started again! 

Tomorrow I will share the valances I made and then Friday the sofa table we built together. 

This year, we hadn't been prepared to go to any sort of Halloween bash so I hadn't planned out an outfit to dress up at work this year.  A couple years ago, I was a witch, and low and behold, the dress still fits =) So again, i am a witch - my shoes are better this year! AND when I did this at work three years ago, there were only 3 of us in the office and we have more than doubled in size since then sooo they should see the cuteness!.

Oh and the jacket isn't part of the original costume but it is 55* here this morning! brrrr for this Florida girl! Don't get me wrong, I am LOVING the weather, however, it is a little chilly for what I am wearing sans jacket.

Happy Wednesday y'all!

What are you dressed as for Halloween?
Do you have big plans for tonight?

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Hey hey! 

For those curious, I did in fact find an outfit to wear for this weekend's pictures =) YAY! I'm so excited about it! I will be wearing blue - I should own more blue.  There was a point when all I owned was blue and now it seems I only own a lot of pink! Not that I think there is anything wrong with that, I just really like how I looked in this blue shirt - DUH that's why I bought it!!!!

I am going to try to talk The Husband and family into taking some outdoor pictures after the studio shots since we will all already be dressed to impress...we'll see how that goes! My thinking is that it will probably be easier to convince The Husband to take additional pictures on Saturday than to dress up again for another couple house of pictures on a different day....I'll let you know how that goes next week.

Today I am linking up with The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting!  

I adore this link-up!!!

Source: addicted2decorating.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: glanerie-moderne.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: ebay.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: winebarrelproducts.biz via Ashley on Pinterest

AND this is our next project: 

Source: shanty-2-chic.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Go link-up! and browse other pinboards for ideas =)

Picking Out The Perfect Outfit....

Happy Monday! 

welll....maybe happy Monday.  it IS still Monday after all! 

My weekend was good - BUSY which means it FLEW by and I didn't get a whole lot of time to relax. BUT it was a good weekend spent with The Husband, which is always a plus =) 

I find that I am more sore today from my 9 mile run on Saturday than I was yesterday but that may be because we were doing so much yesterday? Regardless, I'm tired and sore and have a lot on my mind - the biggest (probably not more important) is finding a blue or purple shirt to wear for family pictures on Saturday. Every year, my parents, sister, and I always take a family photo (see here from 2010) apparently I didn't share last year's photo (which was awesome)...shame on me! This family photo is sent out with our Christmas poem every year. It is usually a lot of fun doing the pictures.  Last year was the first time we did a pro picture and it turned out beautifully! So this year we are going with a different studio.  I don't know if I love that it will be in a studio; i prefer outdoor shoots.  All I can envision is ending up on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com  or that episode of Friends where Chandler can't take a good picture for his and Monica's engagement announcement. 

Anyhow - my mother just scheduled a photo session for this coming Saturday.  So naturally this PAST Saturday was spent trying to find outfits. EVERYONE found an outfit EXCEPT for me! Of course! So now I am trying to figure out where I want to go to look for something. That my friends, is my deep thinking so far today lol =) 

Alright - time to get to work but FIRST, here is a picture from work last Friday.  We all wore pink for National Breast Cancer Awareness Day:

 

Aren't we so pretty?!

AND here is one of my favorite shirts I have seen so far this year for Breast Cancer Awareness/Find a Cure:

Posted by a friend on InstaGram.

Did you show your support on Friday?
What are your go-to stores for new clothes?

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

Hey Y'all!!! I've got stuff to love today! 

Not that it is any different than any other day but TODAY has been a really great day =) 

and week for that matter!

I'm Loving....

That the Tigers are up 3-0 in the ALCS games

This buffet from Target

still trying to decide on color for the living room...I'm really leaning towards red!

These tables for our living room - I think we can build them cheaper than buying:

That I will be running 9 miles this weekend! I'm so excited about that!! It will be the longest run in almost two years! woooo!!!  AND tonight we do our interval training; my mom and seeester do those with us =) 

That we don't have a whole lot of plans for the weekend 

That it is already the end of the day on Wednesday

That Jackie will be back tomorrow at work! She arrives tonight and I can't wait to hear all about their trip =) 

Game 4 is on tonight at 7:30 - so you know where I'll be with some pizza and a beer =) 

What are you loving?

Don't forget to link up here

Water Heater...

Or do you call it your hot water heater? 

Is this a trick?!

Or do you feel hot water heater is like saying PIN/VIN number?

Regardless OURS decided to stop working on Saturday.  BUMMERS!!!

Yes it is horrible to not have hot water BUT it was even worse because my hair kinda smelled like an ashtray.... I blame Anngela! HAH! no just kidding - I can't blame her she doesn't smoke!  Her birthday was last Friday and we went out and had a party! YAY! 

at Cowboys (woot!) and danced the night away (holla!) and while restaurants here in the sunshine state are smoke free, the bars are NOT. So when it came time to shower and the water never got cold....I hesitated.  I know - for shame! 

Nothing a little dry shampoo and hair 'fabreeze' can't help =) SOOO that is what I did for parts of my Saturday. .. thankfully I didn't leave the house at all on Saturday.   

When I did finally bite the proverbial bullet, it was THE most ridiculous thing. I stood as FAR away from the shower head as possible and only stuck my HAIR under the water.  I stepped away from the water, hastily washed my hair and did the same lean way back move to get the soapies out of my hair.

To wash the rest of me was even more pitiful and FREEZING! I practically just splashed water on myself from afar.

Needless to say, after getting out of the shower, I put on my slippers and a sweatshirt. I'm not joking - i was FREEZING! I even cuddled up under a blanket.   And let's be real, it was 85+ outside, so it isn't like we are dealing with cool Autumn temperatures or anything!

Thankfully, I have learned how to deal with one day worn hair and didn't have to suffer through another freezing cold shower this morning! Cold showers AND Monday morning work would DEFINITELY equal one unhappy Ashley and that is NEVER good for anyone.

The Husband did go out and find another tank-less water heater for a decent price and scooped that baby up.  Ideally, by the time I get home from my run tonight it will be all hooked up! Fingers Crossed!!  One thing is for sure though, had we forgone a water heater we would DEFINITELY save on our water bill and of course our electric bill.  This girl is NOT prepared to make that kind of sacrifice lol - it makes me grumpy to stand in cold water!!! Can anyone say first world problems???!!?

Could you go without hot water for any length of time?
Do cold showers make you cranky?

The Kennedy Wedding Extravaganza

We had SUCH an amazing time at their wedding this weekend! 

SHE was absolutely breathtaking! and he was so excited. 

There are so many moments that I loved.  

I can't wait to see the pictures their photographers took!

    

After the ceremony, we had about two hours of nothingness while the bridal party did their pictures.  The bride and groom wanted to be a part of the cocktail hour, sooooo we went to check into our hotel.  I would have never thought I would stay in a hotel IN the city where I live, BUT our thinking was that if we stayed at the hotel, we could shuttle back and forth to the reception and not have to worry about driving. It was nice - the room was cute and we had a nice view. 

On the way to check in, we stopped for some adult beverages and some Wendy's. Somehow, we had managed to skip lunch and dinner wasn't going to be for another few hours. oops! Good planning lol =) After eating and re-energizing, we opted for a mini photoshoot before finishing our drinks and heading to the reception. 

  

The cocktail hour centerpieces were so cute!

  

Reception Room

  

Right after the bridal party entrance =) Loved this moment <3 p="p">

 

Me and the stunning bride =)

 

They had a photobooth as one of the 'favors'.  Two were printed for the guests to keep and then one will be put in a book for the bride and groom.  I bet they are going to have some fun ones to look at! =) 

The DJ didn't play a single slow song and the dance floor was packed the ENTIRE night. I was so honored to be such a big part of helping make their day so perfect.  We were definitely the people who knew them the least amount of time but it was so fun to meet the people behind stories that we had heard. 

I can't wait for her to get back and hear all about their honeymoon! AND of course see all the amazing pictures and see their pro photos...which their photog told them would be done by the end of next week!!! eeeeek!! Hopefully he got a bunch of the detail shots of the projects I did/helped with so I can share =) 

Alright lovelies - I am partying tonight for my girl's birthday. So excited! Yay Friday! 

What are you getting into?

Five Years of Happy

Yep - That's how long The Husband and I have been an 'us'

It is crazy to think all the milestones we have hit together; 

all the memories we have made; 

all the things we have done in a few short years. 

You can recap from last year here

The biggest thing we did together this year was buy a house.

We bought a HOUSE people! EEEE! 

I can't believe it has already almost been a year since THAT happened!

We have been to two weddings - November last year and this past weekend.

We have spent a LOT of love and time on making our house a home.

We went on vacation for a few days.

We fished a LOT this past year.

Notice a trend? 

"WE".

There isn't much that we do without the other.

There are many who don't understand this. The idea of being in constant communication literally all day, sounds exhausting to some, ridiculous to others. That is just how our relationship is - that's how we love it. If one of us is tired, we don't stay the extra hour at a party, or go out alone.  To us, time together is THE most important thing.  At the end of the day, he is who I have, for better and for worse...its in our wedding vows. 

I can't believe today we celebrate five years of awesome together =)  When The Husband woke me to say he was leaving for work, he said "Happy Anniversary. I have loved every second of the past five years." Melts my heart! He is so sweet and I can't wait to see what many many more years has in store for the two of us 

Here is a teaser from the wedding we went to this past weekend - recap tomorrow 

The man standing next to me is incredible in so many ways.  I am so thankful every day to be a part of his life and he a part of mine. The past five years haven't always been a walk in the park and getting married didn't mean it all suddenly fell into place and everything got easier.  I do NOT have it all together and we are certainly not a perfect couple - we are perfectly imperfect but beautifully happy.  We wouldn't have it any other way.  

Happy Halfway Through The Week!!!! =)

Ode to Friday and the Amazing Things toWhich I am Anticipating

I am SOOOOO happy it is Friday! It has been a long week so far.  That is probably because I have been anticipating a couple things this week, including my girl's upcoming wedding! I'm so so excited about it! I have been working diligently with her to get all these amazing details sorted out and made.  I can't wait to see it all come together! =)  I will definitely be dedicating a post to the things we made for the wedding.  I'm so proud of all the things we did!

I am planning on a pretty chill night...oh who are we kidding?! I am going to get my bangs - yes only my bangs - trimmed and then I hope to get a little shopping done.  Just a couple things, maybe some cute accessories =)  That is if I don't work late - blech =/

Saturday is another long run - The past three Saturdays have started with an 8 mile run. The first was BRUTAL! The second was awesome and I felt fabulous -- of course that was the first time that I had not gone out, partied, or stayed up late the night before.  That MIGHT have something to do with it, no? Last week was rough; we only ran once during the week so we weren't really prepped for the 8 miler.  I don't know what distance we are planning for tomorrow..we may up it only a half mile - I'm afraid of 9 right now but hopefully we can push through tomorrow morning.

Sunday will be all about priming and going to the wedding. I. CANT. WAIT!!!! For reals I am so thrilled to have been such a big part of their planning and making all the little details so special for this couple. Oh and they are an amazing couple to be around! I'm excited to share everything next week!

And Now for my countdowns =) 

2 Days until the Kennedy wedding

4 Days until The Husband and I have been together 5 years

6 Days until an amazing Friday - can't wait to go play

11 Days until Save the Ta-Ta's Bunco at Corin's

18 Days until Kelley's Pinterest Party

25 Days until Halloween

28 Days until my Couple's Pampered Chef Party

35 Days until the Jr League Holiday Market

47 Days until Thanksgiving and the Turkey Trot

54 Days until Mommy's Birthday

56 Days until the Half Marathon for which I am training

63 Days until The Reindeer Run

80 Days until CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Happy Friday For Real!!

What are you looking forward to in the last 85 days of the year?

Oh How Pinteresting

Hey Y'all!!! I'm THIS close to being available again lol! I have been working my tail off with my girl Jackie to get her wedding stuff together and finished.  Tonight I have one more project and tomorrow is her last day at work before the wedding! I can't wait for Sunday! I have my outfit picked out, shoes, jewelry and jewelry made, and I am READY!  

I had so much fun linking up with The Vintage Apple last week, I thought I would do it tonight =)

All my favorite pins from this past week are food/beverage related =) YAY!

Source: cakefu.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: simplybephoto.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: creative-culinary.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: fitsugar.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: bakerella.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Go check it out and link up! AND make sure you have a Pinterest account lol - I LOVE having all my ideas/recipes/etc pinned in one place instead of clogging up my favorites/bookmarks.  Happy Halfway Through the week y'all!!!