Where am "I"?

Most people fear the thought of diets. In our society is has become either a fad or a short-term resolution for a long-term problem. I get it that it’s hard to be the perfect size and be healthy. Healthy foods, gyms and trainers are all expensive. Well, more expensive than not eating healthy foods or working out… But since I know that paying up for prevention is critical to saving money long-term, I did learn something in grad school, we need to take care of our bodies from day one, and spend the extra time and energy now to ensure we are our healthiest before we regret it one day (or don’t have the chance to regret it).

With that said, I have been on a weight-loss yo-yo since high school. I have had four personal trainers in the last nine years, not to mention being on some sort of weight loss program on and off in this same timeframe. That’s just crazy… They all work the same things- the body, and all the nutritional programs preach the same things- make smarter choices and consume less calories. So what’s the issue!?

Like many others, I am an emotional eater. I eat when I am sad and depressed. I eat when I’m happy and want to celebrate. I eat when I’m lonely. I eat when I’m with others. I eat standing up, sitting down, in the car, on my head too- If I could… My point is… I LOVE food. I adore food really. But with that said I don’t love the reflection I see in the mirror every day. 

In less than 8 months I will be walking down the aisle to marry the most amazing man in my life, and while he has seen me through all of my weight fluxuations over the last 11 years, and I know he loves me now matter what, I refuse to allow myself to be sad looking back on pictures and memories. I have been working since May to loose weight, and I’ve lost about 16 pounds so far, but I have 35 to go. The reason I am writing this is to be held accountable to myself, if no one else. I have been going to the gym, and eating “better” but its CRUNCH time. Quite literally. No excuses. No time.

I plan to keep a continuous update on my progress to ensure I have no issue finding myself on my wedding day in May. I WILL be at GOAL. Can’t wait to find me!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Where ya headed???

SoOoOo… I was going to post about a fantastic stir fry recipe that we found and made last night, but since I ruined it by adding a scorpion pepper to the mix (which is, by the way, the world’s HOTTEST pepper), I don’t really have much to share with you since I cannot vague for the taste because my taste buds HATED me!

So instead, I thought I’d switch up today’s post a little and talk about something more legit: Vacations!!

As many of you know, my mom, Shelley, has bought into a resort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic that is absolutely phenomenal (and it’s so great we are getting married there in 8 months!). Because of her membership, she can rent rooms on the resort out to others. Not only can she rent out accommodations to this particular resort, but she can rent to Sister Resorts and even RCI resorts! The process is simple… Just contact her directly, and she can help you with any travel destination (in the U.S. or International!!). You can save TONS of money by going through her, and you’ll help out her business, as it’s still in the newly advertised stage.

To see more information on the resort in the DR go here: www.vacaydr.com

Keep the love local ya’ll!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Back at it.

 

Some of us are a little bit more cheery than others on days like today. I think we should develop a new rule in this country... If it’s raining outside on Monday’s then you get to continue the weekend for one more day. (Kind of the same philosophy as Groundhog’s Day…)

Anywho, no need complaining, let’s just enjoy it! How was your weekend? 

Mine was great! I found THE wedding dress after trying on way TOO many. Now I just need to be patient for 8 more months so I can wear it! I also started at the gym this weekend, and conquer Spin class. Now my butt is super sore, but as I was told in high school volleyball, “Pain is Weakness leaving your body.” BRING IT! I also enjoyed some MUCH NEEDED R&R with a facial. 

To top the weekend off, I laughed so hard (again) during Bridesmaids. HILARIOUS! 

 

A great start to an amazing week to come- Happy Monday everyone!

~Ashleigh XoXo

A-B-C

Do you all remember those blocks we use to play with as children that said A-B-C, and we all thought that they were the greatest things in the world?! (Maybe this was before magnet fridge letters…) But anyways, because Pinterest never seizes to inspire me, I saw these super cute blocks a long while back and couldn’t wait until one of my friends got married so I could make them for her.

After searching high and low for 2” x 2” wooden blocks (and some decoupage, a glue stick, and some cute scrap booking paper) I was all set. I simply cut the paper and some fun pictures of the couple to the same size as the block, glued them on with a glue stick, and then decoupaged over the paper once it was dry. Super easy and super cute!

Here’s my final product:

***P.S.- Congrats again to Lauren and Michael! SUPER Cute couple!!! <3***

…I had some cute pictures of the final collection, but when I get a new phone, they got lost… Sorry L You’ll just have to make them for yourself to see how adorable they are. I plan to make some for Halloween décor (using some old Halloween photo favorites). Can’t wait to share those in the coming weeks! (Can you believe Halloween isn’t that far away?!?!)

Well, happy decoupaging everyone!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Get Up & Dress Up!

Happy Hump Day to all of you! Super excited that we are all here and well to blog it up today. :) Here’s a little bit of inspiration I wanted to share with you… 

 

The biggest thing that hit me when I read this quote this morning was “FIGHT FOR YOUR DREAMS.” Many people think if they blow out their candles and *WiSh* REALLY hard, all their wishes will come true. I think for the most of us, unless we are a character from Disney like Cinderella or Pinocchio, we must go out and FIGHT to achieve our dreams and ensure they happen. Sure it was consist of trial and error, lots of sweat and a lot more tears, but it will be SO worth it! I certainly believe in Karma, but I’m skeptical about "Miracles" and "Chance" since I am a strong believer that there is an explanation for everything. ...If you want to be skinny, exercise and eat well. If you want to be rich, get creative and get to the grinding! If you want to have love in your life, LOVE others from the bottom of your heart. 

No matter what it is that you dream of, just keep FIGHTING and pursuing, and you’ll get there!

...On a side note, I am SUPER EXCITED that my summer night classes for me end tomorrow, which means back to PINTEREST PROJECTS it is!! I guess you know where I’ll be this weekend. (In the office with the hot glue…) Stay tuned!! :)

~Ashleigh XoXo

I hope you have the Opportunity to Fail!

Were you scared to push that next button? Did you push it?

 

Do you fear failure? Have you ever NOT done something because you were scared of being rejected or not succeeding? I’ll be the first to admit it, I have! I chose to not apply to medical schools, because I didn’t want to get a letter in the mail that said I was rejected. It’s true, and it’s so Pathetic, huh? I spent my whole adolescent and college years focused on attaining a goal that I never even strived for (technically). I’ll never know if I would have been rejected or not, but the real issue is: SO WHAT if I got rejected! Doesn’t everyone?! At least I tried. 

I use to have the self-confidence of a Greek mythology God. I thought I had total control over everything in my life, and that’s because I did. I wasn’t scared of being let down, or losing a game, or getting a letter in the mail that said “DENIED”. What happened to me? What happened to you?

I am motivated today, and want to share with you some powerful NEW thoughts… Failure should be exciting! It should be an opportunity! If you fail and do not succeed, figure out how you can do better or what you have to change to make it happen. Everyone is where they are because of failure. It makes you try harder, it bringing out your weaknesses (to which you can improve on), and it also highlights your strengths. You learn more about yourself when you fail, than when you succeed. 

So my end of summer challenge for you is to think about something you gave up on, or you failed at. Reflect on how you grew from that experience, and maybe there is something you still haven’t done because you were too scared… Go! DO IT!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Guess Who's Back... Back Again... Ashleigh's Back... Tell A Friend!

Hey world! It’s been entirely TOO long! I’d love to catch you up on life, so sorry if it bores you… MICROBIOLOGY. Yup, that’s been my life since Fourth of July. Ok, now that we are all caught up… I thought I’d take a new spin to my blogging for the next 30 days…

My mom went to a Tony Robinson convention in Cali a few weeks back, and even though she got major blisters on her feet from walking on fire (still not too sure why people do that…), she came back with a truly new outlook on life. It’s amazing, inspiring, and contagious! She bombarded me with some love the other day, I mean umpteen million CDs and DVDs so that I can experience “The Power of NOW..” To be honest, this morning was the first morning I’ve had a chance to pop one into the CD Player, but I wanted to share today’s message…

“EVERYONE is CAPABLE. Only a select few CHOOSE to UTILIZE their capabilities.” This is so simple but so real. Successful sports players are really good, and get paid really well, and they TRAIN and PRACTICE REALLY HARD! (think about it…) For anyone who lives local to me and travels the lovely Shady Grove to Rt 355 journey (as I do), you may know who I am about to refer to… There is a man who stands on the corner at the stop light EVERY SINGLE weekday, and collects trash from people’s car, and obviously accepts monetary donations. He is always well put together, smiles and gives the PEACE sign to EVERY single car that drives by, and I always think, “If I was an owner of a company, I’d employ him!” He’s NEVER late. He is SO CHEERFUL. He is diligent and a hard worker. And today, even though its pouring raining outside, he was there! As I was listening to Tony’s message in the car, I drove by this man thinking HE IS CHOOSING to UTILIZE his capabilities. How awesome! Are you using yours?

~Ashleigh XoXo