The Biggest Loser

Zachary and I have just recently started a competition between the two of us... and it's quite a SHOCKER! Who can lose more weight?! I am always up for a challenge, and I hate losing, so I'm hoping this will help me get my butt in shape! (LITERALLY!) lol. I did the dreaded seasonal bathing suit shopping last Saturday and lets just say it wasn't pretty! I hadn't bought a new one since July '06 - seriously. None of the ones I had fit/looked the least bit appropriate so needless to say it's time to shed a pound or 25 (one of his family members is going to give us a monetary prize if we succeed lose 25)!

On a more positive note - I started training for a 5k last March, but severely sprained my ankle and lost all motivation to keep running/dieting after that - but while I was training I was keeping track of my food in a food journal online. I signed in yesterday to start doing it again and much to my surprise, after entering my weight, they congratulated me for being down 2.7lbs from my last weigh in! What?! Woooo hoo for not gaining anything in the past year (I'm down 12lbs from when I started last year)! I guess that's better than being the other way around!

Z promised to do this with me after he pigged out on his cruise so here we are - ready to get started! We are both supporting one another and we are hoping to change our eating habits around as much as possible. I'm not saying I'm cutting all junk out ALL the time, but definitely cutting back and making healthier/wiser decisions. We have joined a co-ed softball team together and we will be playing every Tuesday night! I'm so excited and hope he keeps me on track, while I do the same for him! Wish us both luck - we'll need it!!

-Ashley

Zachary's Cruisin'!

Just wanted to wish Z happy sails on his cruise this week! He leaves tomorrow morning and will be back Friday... He will be stopping in Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West! I'm pretty jealous, but know he will have a great time with his brother (and 13 other 21 year old frat boys - eeeek!) lol!



Stay safe, be good, and see you soon! I love you hubby!

-Ashley

Kahlua: The Hunter

After 5 minutes she had managed to destroy the poor duck... cotton everywhere and its "voicebox" was dismantled. She was so proud!

-Ashley

Proud Mom

Ever since we got Lacey 4 years ago she has slept IN the bed with us... and then 2 years ago we got Kahlua and she joined our happy little family IN the bed as well. We would put them in the crate, but the spoiled little brats they are would whine and be out of there only after a few hours because we'd cave in and let them out. So while we lived in OK they took up more room then we did and it made sleeping just plain awful... Well, recently we got fed up with 4 living objects in the QUEEN size bed and decided to give the crates another go around. The first night they were in there until about 3am, but the past 3 nights they've slept until the time we let them out... 9:30 this morning! I am so proud they are finally sleeping through the night - I feel like my babies are finally growing up!

The other day I found them like this...

Even though the other crate is connected - they were SO close to eachother! :)

Thanks Lacey and Lulu for letting mom and dad finally get some good sleep! We love you!

-Ashley

One of THOSE days!

Earlier in the day a girl came up to me and told me her neighbor (a boy every teacher cringes at when she hears his name - sad, but true) .... had wrote "fuock you" on her paper. Pardon my french, I was just quoting him! lol. This is 1 of 4 notes I received at the end of the day with "tattles" on them. Ohhhh goodness. Life in third grade!

-Ashley

Britt's Birthday Celebration!

Happy Birthday Bestie!

Last night I got to go out and celebrate one of my BFFs birthdays! Britt - my MOH - turns 24 on St. Patty's Day, but decided to go out last night with EVERYONE! because her actual day is on a Wednesday and us working folks couldn't be out until 4 (thanks to that dang time change we lost an hour of partying and got home pretty late!) so she is going to party twice (lucky lady!). She seemed to have a great time and there was an amazing turn out! Love ya B!

It was a fun, but super quick weekend and it's back to the grind tomorrow! My Spring Break isn't for another FOUR weeks and it can't some soon enough!

-Ashley

Mrs. S. - The "Sub"

Lately at work I have been the go to girl when it comes to needing a substitute. So many teachers have called in due to a nasty stomach virus going around (my poor mom missed THREE days and she's never sick!) so some days it's hard to have enough subs to cover (there are a ton of classes at the school I work at - I pull from 7 first grade classes and 7 2nd grade classes!) Last week I spent time in 5th grade and 2 2nd grades, and then this past week I was in a 3rd grade, a 2nd grade, and then with the special needs students in a program our school has that includes 3, 4, and 5 year olds. That was probably the hardest, even though there was an aide in there. Most were in diapers/pull-ups and it was just sad to see for example, a 3 year old with the mentality of an 18month old in the classroom...

I haven't had much time with my own students and the teachers that I pull from are getting a wee bit frustrated, but I'm doing what I'm told and I'm getting a lot of good experiences! I'm being flexible and kind of enjoying going to work and not having any idea what I'm going to be thrown into for the day. This experience is also giving me a chance to meet a LOT of the students and I'm known to most of them as just another substitute... One of the teachers joked that I was probably the highest paid sub ever! :) lol.

Where I'll end up next week - nobody knows! I guess we'll find out when we get to Monday!

-Ashley

Taylor Swift Concert!

Heather and I had such a BLAST at the Taylor Swift concert! We were surrounded by 5-15 year olds and their moms, other twenty-somethings having a fun girls night, and just girls, girls, girls (ok, there were the occasional guys walking around with their wives/girlfriends, but they were def. the minority that night)! I can't even begin to explain how loud an area full of GIRLS screaming can be, but it was super fun!

Heather and I left for the concert prettty early to get to my brother and his fiancee's apartment downtown to have a couple glasses of wine before the show and to hangout with them. That meant free parking, a FREE sandwich, AND not having to walk far at all to our cars before/after the show - so thanks J and M! :) We sang, we danced, we laughed, we cried (ok, that was a lie!), and really just enjoyed a night out! At one point we looked at each other and both said "wow, she sounds amazing!" and she totally did...

The concert was at the same place Z works so during the Pickler to Swift intermission we went and found him and said hi... He came home with a T-Swift shirt for me - thanks babe! :) Anyway, still havent found that dang camera cord so it looks like I have to go spend 3$ on ebay and wait for one in the mail so all I have are the two pics I took from my phone... LAME!

I promise that's a girl... and it's Taylor! lol.

Waiting for TAYLOR!

-Ashley