When The Sun Goes Down, We Be Groovin'

Last night I went to the Kenny Chesney concert with some friends. The weather prediction was dismal to say the least. I fully expected to be standing in mud in the pouring rain. But the weather was perfect! And as a nice bonus, there was a breeze that lowered the temp so much that you would never know it was a May night in Texas.

I love going to concerts as the sober one. It is so fun to sit and watch drunk people act a fool. We were sitting next to some characters. One lady was so drunk that she fell into the group in front of her before Kenny Chesney even started! The guy next to us was so inebriated that he told me his whole life story. I did not need to know that this guy is separated from his wife (who he was at the concert with) and that after 16 years and 2 kids they were breaking up. I mean seriously guy, TMI!

So moral of the story is that it was an awesome concert. :-) I attempted to get some good pictures but didn't get any good results! Oh well!

Rancho De Vielle

We went to the ranch....and then it was a little muddy....and then we got stuck....and then we got a flat tire....and then we tried to fix it....and then we had to call AAA....

No but seriously it was still a good day at Rancho De Vielle

A Little Piece of Movie Reviews

While on my trip to Seattle I had the occasion to watch quite a few movies during the 5 hour flights and 2 trips to the theater. Thus I am going to offer you folks, my expert opinion on these movies.

Marley and Me-

OK, this movie was playing on the plane....honestly I didn't watch it because I didn't want to watch a sad movie. I mean, seriously, a dying dog...no thank you!

Ashley Rating- ZERO STARS

Ocean's Eleven-

I rented this movie on iTunes; I had of course seen but it is still a really good movie. I couldn't help but drool over Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Plus I love Las Vegas so that was another benefit to watching the movie. I like that this movie offers subtle quick wit along with the decent plot line.

Ashley Rating- TWO 1/2 STARS

Twilight-

I know I mentioned a little about this already but I really really liked this movie. I was VERY resistant to the whole Twilight phenomenon, however I wanted to see what the hype was about so I thought for $2.99 I could watch the movie and deem the fanatics as crazy! I am not too proud to admit I am hooked. The movie was very well done and the acting was fantastic. The casting director for this movie should win an award. The actors were a PERFECT choice. So now I am firmly placed on the Twilight/Edward Cullen bandwagon! I even purchased the first book and will hopefully have the whole series read by the time the second movie comes out.

Ashley Rating- FOUR STARS

Hannah Montana: The Movie-

As far as cheesy teeny bopper movies go, this one was awesome! It all the elements that make up a good cheesy movie.

• Family Drama-- CHECK!
• Love Interest-- CHECK!
• Learning Something New -- CHECK!
• Life Lessons-- CHECK!
• A Villain to be defeated-- CHECK!
• The heroine wins in the end and gets the boy-- CHECK!

So I give Hannah Montana

FIVE STARS

17, Again-

Oh Zac Efron...I wish you were a few years older. ;-) But in all seriousness, this was another really good movie. I was very impressed with the acting. The beautiful Zac Efron is actually a really good actor ( And no, I didn't ever watch High School Musical). There were some elements of perviness because of teenager/adult/parent/child weirdnes but not so pervy that you wouldn't want to watch it. So go see this movie!

Ashley Rating- FOUR STARS

Deal-

I am not even going to bother with a review for this one. Don't watch it.

Ashley Rating- ZERO STARS

The Holiday-

I had seen this movie and really liked it, so I bought it on iTunes. This movie has Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black; while this is a random conglomerate of actors, they surprisingly worked well together. Such a good romantic comedy and definitely a good chick flick!

Ashley Rating- THREE STARS

See I told y'all I watched a lot of movies!

A Seattle Photostory

If you go to Seattle you can:

Go to an Indian casino and come home with 22 cents

Take pretty pictures from a boat on a harbor cruise

Put your toes in the sand at Alki Beach

Take silly pictures with your best friend

Visit the very first ever Starbucks

Get lost in the crowds at Pike's Place Market

Support your BFF while she tries on wedding dresses

See Dory and Nemo at the Aquarium

Marvel at the views from the Space Needle

Drink a giant Icee while seeing 2 teeny bopper movies

Key To Having An Empty Theater

If you desire to see a movie with a completely empty theater....

Go see Hannah Montana at 10:10

Oh yes, me and the Unit are seeing the Hannah Montana movie and there isn't another soul here!

Love me some Hannah Montana!

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This....

I've never given much thought to how.........

Much I would love Twilight. I can't believe it, I tried to dent the lure of it but it finally happened. I rented Twilight on iTunes to watch on the plane to Seattle. And Lord help, I thought the movie was fantastic. I'm totally hooked. I'm going to buy all the books and see all the movies.

I fully admit I have gotten suckered into the craze!

Long live Edward and Bella! Hahahaha!!

Now I'm off to explore Seattle :-)
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Wordless Wednesday- Grand Champion Steer

Why Do You Look For The Living Among The Dead?

Luke 24:5-6

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; he has risen!

Let This Life Within Me Cry

"That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive and
There's an empty grave.

And I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer. "

Redeemer- Nicole Mullen

Luke 24:46-47

46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Oh The Glory Of It All

David Crowder Band- Glory Of It All

"Oh the Glory of it all is:

he came here

for the rescue of us all

that we may live for the glory of it all"

Wordless Wednesday

I Don't Even Know Where To Start!

Things have been busy lately and I am not even sure why. I guess its because I have been trying to get out and about more. I am such a homebody so I am really making attempts at pushing my boundaries. Between my Dad's birthday, road trips, engagements, baby showers, and regular life stuff my little bloggie here has been neglected but here is.......

A Little Life Overview:

I have hit the road to-

• Huntsville/Navasota: to see the Texas Bluebonnets, reminisce with my Mom at her alma mater, get good country food, look at some cows, and have quality girl time with friends.
• The Ranch: to check out the new gate; ventured into a small town hardware store on a Saturday and made a mental note not to do that again! (Yikes it was crowded)
• Pearland: a friend from school's baby shower. While still in the Houston metro area, Pearland is still in an hour away so I count it as a road trip! HAHAHA! Houston is too big sometimes! :-)

Things I am looking forward to-

• Buying my motorcycle: On the way back from the ranch my Dad and I stopped at a motorsports shop where I found a dirt bike that is perfect for me. I am so excited; I have been agonizing over which one to get, and this one is a great price and I can pick the color. I mean, seriously y'all, I can have a hot pink bike made for me! HOT PINK! LOVE IT!! I am going to order it this week, so maybe after Easter I can take it to the ranch!!!!
• Going to Seattle: The weekend after Easter I am going to visit Best Friend Laura in Seattle. I am excited to go on a "real" trip and I have never been to Seattle well I have never been west of Las Vegas so this is a completely different part of the country for me to see! I haven't seen Best Friend Laura since my graduation in December so I am thrilled to just see her!

Praises for me and my loved ones-

• Best Friend Laura got engaged this weekend! I helped a little with the planning and scheming so it was fun to know before she did! HAHA! I am so happy for her and Jeremy. I pray that God blesses their lives and marriage.
• Daddy is another year older and we are blessed to have been able to celebrate his birthday. Love you Daddy!
• I have been able to keep my house clean for 2 weeks. And while that doesn't sound like much but for me it is a total miracle! I am by no means a natural housekeeper and since I am single and live alone there is little motivation for me to keep things neat and tidy. :-) Character flaw, yes I know, but I am working on it. I am not going to catch me a husband with a messy house! ;-)

Prayer Request:

• Jobs Jobs Jobs.... I am still looking for a job in my field. Tomorrow I go to a job fair so hopefully that could lead somewhere. I am so ready for a permanent job! (Not that I am not incredibly blessed and thankful for the job working for my Dad, but I want to use my education)

Whew....that was a lot of info.....anyone make it to the end?!

Yikes!

I have so many things I need to catch up on. Hopefully tomorrow, I will get some posts done!

A Little Bit Of Housekeeping

I have a few things to catch up on:

• Anyone who wants a blog re-design should check out my blog friend, Becky. She has started a new bloggy design business!
  
  

• I love the country and I love good friends!

• I am really close to pulling the trigger and buying this.....
  

• I am still looking for a job, so prayers please! Also please be praying for some of my close friends and family who are going through some tough times.
  

Wordless Wednesday

Mckmama and Baby Stellan

Seriously y'all, be on your knees praying for this sick little baby.

A Non-Hannah Montana Post

Since my last 2 posts told of my unfailing love for Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, I thought I should post something that has nothing to do with that.

Last May I cut my hair and donated it to Locks of Love and since then I have kept my hair short. I LOVE having short hair; it is easier to manage and it takes so much less time to get ready. But lately I have been feeling convicted about growing my hair out again to donate. I haven't been growing out my hair simply because I am lazy.

I truly feel that God has been placing it on my heart to help others and donating my hair to Locks Of Love is a way that I can help others. My hair grows really fast and it is selfish of me to keep my hair short just because I don't want to hassle with long hair. But I have decided that I am going to do it, long hair here I come.

So basically this post is to say that I could use some prayers. Any woman who has grown their hair out knows that it is a long process that has some annoyances. I really want to succeed with my new goal and 10 inches is going to take a while to get to. Please pray that I don't give in to my selfishness.

The 11inches I donated last time.

My very first short hair cut

I have seriously forgotten what it is like to have long hair.

In Keeping With My New Theme....

I love this song...and yes I have added it to my iTunes library! **Skip the 1 minute mark to start the song.

I *HEART* You Miley Cyrus!

Lord Help Me.....

I can't help it, I just saw the trailer for this movie and....I want to see it! Y'all, someone please tell me they want to see it too! Lord help me, I am perpetually a 12 year old teenie bopper!

Not Even A Not Me Monday......

The following is a post of life updates in bulleted form. Please feel free to skip this post and tune back in for more exciting blogging in the future.

• I passed my second (and last) TExES mandatory teacher certification test so now I am "officially" a certified Texas teacher!!!!
• It has been raining here for what feels like forty days and nights, and it has been COLD. I know I shouldn't complain compared to the people who are having blizzards....but I am SO ready for Spring.
• Me and the family went to Saturday night church for the first time. Me and Pick loved it; Daddy not so much. It was nice to go to church and then have all day Sunday to do whatever you want. Plus I am always down to change my schedule as to not have to wake up early. ;-)
• I succumbed to pressure for Pickle and watched the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie. I have to be honest and admit that it was a really good movie! I tried not to love it but I just couldn't help it. I love me some Chihuahuas!!

I guess that's it...for now....more creativity or awesomeness coming back soon....hahaha....I know my blog has never been filled with awesomeness....but it could happen one day....

Tide Loads of Hope

I have recently felt the wrath of Hurricane Ike and spent 11 days with power. While the 11 days were beyond hard, I know that my family and I were extremely lucky. So many people around us were not so lucky. But thankfully, there are people, places, and even giant corporations out there that are there to help others in their greatest time of need. Tide Loads of Hope is one of those organizations who has stepped up to help others.

From Tide's Loads of Hope Website:

Tide Loads of Hope helps in the aftermath of a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. Partnering with Feeding America, we travel to disaster affected neighborhoods with the Tide Loads of Hope truck or vans, our free mobile laundry service.

Tide Loads of Hope truck:
32 high-efficiency washers and dryers stationed on the truck can do 300 wash and dry cycles a day -equal to one year's worth of laundry for a single family Will wash about 9,000 loads of laundry over a four-week period Leveraged during massive disasters where electricity is unavailable in the region.

Tide Loads of Hope vans:
In partnership with a local laundromat, the Tide Loads of Hope vans provide free laundry service at the same load rate as the trucks Leveraged during disasters where neighboring communities still have a source of electricity

To date, Tide Loads of Hope has washed more than 35,000 loads of laundry for over 20,000 families. Most importantly, the Tide Loads of Hope program means we're equipped to take action whenever and wherever there is a need in our country.

Tide Loads of Hope can be supported through the purchase of a Tide Vintage Tee. All profits go to support families affected by disaster. Shirts can be purchased through this link: http://tidetshirts.pgvillage.com/c-9-show-all.aspx?_vsc=tide4

Take a minute to help others.

A Rodeo Story

Once Upon A Time, this nice lady invited me to go with her friends and family to the kingdom known as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

This fine kingdom held the sights most Houstonians only see once a year.

There were horses, cowboys, and dirt.

There was men doing crazy things like riding a 1000lbs bucking animals,

and men tying themselves to 1000lbs animals while making three attempts to ride this animal even after busting their nose.

There was even the tiniest cowboys you will ever see,

these tiny cowboys rode on the back of bucking sheep for a little mutton bustin'.

And then finally, the Queen for the night came out to serenade us. Queen Reba McEntire gave us a thrill to end the magical night in the Rodeo Kingdom.

Wordless Wednesday

It's Not Me! Monday Y'all

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I DID NOT get busted by my Pawpaw (while at church) about my Not Me Monday! confessions. And he DID NOT tell me that he would be checking up on me via my blog! (HAHAHA! Love you Pawpaw!)

At no point this week did I steal a pair of socks from my Mom. Wear them. And then I DID NOT wash them this weekend and put them right back in my drawer with ZERO attempt to return them to her.

While at Sunday Brunch I DID NOT: run into my cousin and her husband who I only see maybe once a year, learn that there is a professional gambler in our family, and order mini corndogs off the kid's menu at the fancy restaurant. That was NOT the most random brunch/lunch ever.

AND FINALLY:

I DID NOT enter this AMAZING give-away over at Profoundly Seth. The prizes ARE NOT beyond awesome and the money DOES NOT go to some great charities.

"The Ranch"

I went to our family's land out in Magnolia this weekend for the first time. This piece of land has been in our family for a LONG time, and with my grandfathers passing my Mom and Uncle are now in control of it. So on Saturday we had some of it cleared (not completely cleared, just maintenance clearing), along with a driveway and trails cut through the acres so that we could access more than the perimeter of the property. Now that the land is accessible I have affectionately named it "The Ranch". Right now there is nothing there but what God put there, but we have plans for it. I was so glad to go out there; my Grandfather loved that land and was the last one in his family to hold on to his acres. I know he was looking down from heaven with a big smile on his face when he saw us taking care of it and enjoying being out there.

For some reason we took the Cadillac instead of the Jeep...not a smart idea

Trails through the cleared area

Big tree that was down from Hurricane Ike.

This what I want for "The Ranch"

(*Authors Note: Pawpaw tell Daddy we need some dirt bikes out there)

But Of Course, It's Another Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My mom DID NOT get new custom drapes and I DID NOT stay home from work just so we could jump up and down in our excitement over these drapes she did not get. And I was NOT so tired from that jumping up and down excitement that I had to take a nap before bible study.

There was NOT two incidences this week that my SUV was stuffed to them brim with home decor items that my mom bought and we most certainly DID NOT have to fib a little to my dad about these purchases we DID NOT make.

I DO NOT now have 3 frog lamps, two of which are new, and I am NOT so happy about these lamps that they are the favorite items in my house.

And of course I DID NOT just write a whole Not Me Monday post about interior decorating and home decor shopping.

Somewhere In The Middle

A fellow Sunday told Angie over at Bring The Rain about a Casting Crowns song called "Somewhere In The Middle". I had this Casting Crowns CD downloaded but hadn't listened to this song yet. As I was reading what the Sundays were saying about the song and how Angie needed to listen to it, and it was like God was waving in my face saying " Hey, hey you, they are talking about you too. GO LISTEN TO THAT SONG". So when God is so blatantly trying to teach me something, I like to think it is a good idea to listen. ;-) I played that song and boy was God teaching (preaching to me) with it. Teaching as well as comforting. It really is an AWESOME song. Here are the lyrics:

Somewhere between the hot and the cold

Somewhere between the new and the old

Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right

Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense

Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is

But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle

Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands

Somewhere between my faith and my plans

Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar

Somewhere between the altar and the door

Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more

Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side

Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

Casting Crowns- Somewhere In The Middle

Point taken Lord. Thank you. I'm glad I had my ears open to hear You and thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for loving me even when I'm in the middle.

Prayers Please

I found a couple of jobs that would be AMAZING and where I would be able to use my education and interests, as well as still being able to teacher the little ones.

Please pray for me on this one. Pray that I get either job if it is God's will and if these job's are not in God's plan for me then pray I see God's grace and will.

I Am Sew Crafty

I totally made this skirt last night at my Sew Crafty Houston class! It is by no means perfect but it is wearable and it still looks cute. I am quite proud of it if I do say so myself. :-) I so want to be crafty, but it doesn't come naturally to me, hopefully with practice I will be a DIY genius! I am probably going to do a sewing bootcamp next. Sew Crafty Houston rocks, y'all. Totally check it out if you are in the Houston Area!

Wordless Wednesday- The Two Loves Of My Life: Mr. iPod Touch and Mr. Blackberry Curve

No, Not Me!

Since I have been a blog slacker lately, I thought I would do a Not Me! Monday to get me back into the swing of things. Head over to MckMama's to see what other people didn't do!

I DID NOT get a french fry stuck under my stove and then spend 5 minutes with the broom trying to unsuccessfully get it unstuck.

I DID NOT watch a movie on my 4 inch iPod screen with my computer sitting right beside me. That would be silly to watch a movie on the smallest screen known to man when I could have watched it on my much bigger computer screen.

I also DID NOT convince myself that it was Saturday and go back to sleep when it was really Friday. And I was NOT late to work that morning.

And I would most certainly NOT admit that I watched the E! True Hollywood Story of Mario Lopez because that would be a waste of an hour.

And finally, I DID NOT shamefully ignore my blog, Facebook, and Twitter last week. And I DID NOT contemplate shutting them all down. I love all these modern social networking technologies. And I DID NOT feel the pressure to update and I DID NOT feel guilty when I didn't update.

Still Slumping

I feel like I have nothing to say and a lot to say all at the same time. I'm not sure that makes any sense at all.

I'm sending this question out into the cosmos of the blogesphere: does this make any sense or am I crazy, is it possible to have nothing to say while still having a lot to say?

Blogging Slump

I am in a blogging lull. Sorry for the lack of content.

Hopefully inspiration will strike soon....

Wordless Wednesday- Maddie On The Hunt

Project 365

One of my resolutions for this year is to complete a Project 365. Which essentially means that I take one picture every day; it is a really neat way to document your life. But here's the thing, my life is pretty boring and I am running out of things to take a picture of. I mean, I do basically the same thing every day so there is only so many choices for me to take a picture of. I am afraid that my 365 pictures will be redundant. Oh well, I am still enjoying it thus far and my photo editing skills are getting much better so I am going to continue on and who knows what the next 324 days will hold.

Oh Boy Not Me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not once again procrastinate on my bible study homework only to do it at the last possible minute again this week.

I did not meet a friend for lunch at noon last week and then just go home after instead of going back to work.

And it was Not Me who had laundry so piled up that it took ALL day to get it done. And there is not still a load of clean clothes in the dryer getting all wrinkled.

There is no way that when I came out of the shower last night, and saw that my cat had ripped open the trash bag and had proceed to chew on a chicken bone, that I just turned around back towards my room.

I did not have to Google "Benzedrine" to see what it meant when I encountered it in my book.

I am not really excited that tonight Secret Life Of The American Teenager comes on. Because I am way too old to watch that show.

And finally it was Not Me that slept late, left late, and got to the office late today and has now proceed to write my Not Me post and done no actual work yet this morning.

Casey Wants To Know What This Blogging Thing Is All About

Psalm 139

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart

Wordless Wednesday- I Want A Puppy!

Pickle, Don't Freak Out...I Won't Get A Puppy, But I Want One....

A No Good Very Bad Day

Ok well it hasn't necessarily been a bad day, but more of a self depreciating pity party kind of day.

I'm so beyond ready to have a job. A real job in my field. I'm ready to get my career started. Its not too much to ask, in my opinion, to want a job. I'm starting to feel useless and its a horrible feeling.

I'm stuck in this holding pattern. I'm ready to start my real life!

I know I need to trust in God's plan and give my job search to Him. But honestly its hard. I have faith but it is the truly letting it go part that I have trouble with. And it is the part where I give the control to God and then need be content in where I'm at, that gives me issues.

Please pray that I get some peace about this and I am able to give it all to God.

Serious.Life Magazine

I wanted you to know about this publication I’m a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the February issue today, and I am in their Featured Blog Directory. It’s a very high quality magazine… you’ll really like it.

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is free, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

It Doesn't Get Any Cuter Than This

Me, Aunt Patti, and Pawpaw