December 6, 2008

It was a Saturday. December 6, 2008. Three years ago.

I was sick. Really sick.

I had just chugged some cough medicine when Justin called me outside.

"WHATTT!?" I moaned. "It is SO cold out there!"

"Just come here," Justin said smiling.

He grabbed my hand and started walking me across the yard in the snow.

We were walking away from the car.

Away from his house.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

He just smiled. He said nothing, but that smile...I will never forget.

"What, are you going to write your name in the snow with your pee or something?" I asked.

Seriously, I am weird. I have no clue why I thought my boyfriend was going to pee in the snow for me. It's not like that wins me over or anything...I mean it's pretty cool. I certainly can't spell my name in the snow with the pee. Maybe it was the cold meds fueling my imagination.

We walked two houses down. Justin stopped for a minute and then guided me up to the front porch.

"Do you know where we are?" Justin asked.

I looked around. My first thought was "on a front porch of a complete stranger." But before I could even say that...I realized where we were....

"Yes..." I started and then smiled. "This is the house and the porch that we first met at!"

"You're right," Justin said and started to kneel down.

Now on one knee, Justin said, "And this is the house that I want to make sure we begin the rest of our lives at together. Ashley, will you marry me?"

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! Is this real life?

"Are you for real right now?" I asked.

"OMG, OMG!" I said again without letting him answer.

I was so excited that I stuck out both hands. I didn't know right from left...so I just stuck out both hands and PRAYED that the ring fit...we had never looked at rings together. I never knew what size of ring I wore...the only kind of "carrot" I knew of was an orange vegetable that I hated when it was cooked and only slightly enjoyed raw with LOTS of ranch dressing.

"YES!" I screamed back him.

He slide the ring on my finger and it fit PERFECTLY. And it was so beautiful. I couldn't have picked anything out better myself. 

So there we were...in the snow and kissing on a complete strangers front porch. It's moments like that when the world stops...and the only thing that matters is that moment. That person. That kiss. That emotion. That question he asked. That promised I made. That commitment we made on May 15, 2010. Til' death do us part...

I sealed my promise with a kiss.

Much love,
Ashley

My sister is engaged!!!

Finding Out

I was sitting at lunch with my best friend Toni when my phone went off with two text messages back-to-back.

The second text (which was displayed first) was this: " :) :) :) :) :) :)"

Without even reading the first text, I looked up and said to Toni, "OMG- my sister is engaged. That's way too many smiley faces to be anything else."

And with that, I read the first text, "Will just proposed!!!"

I'm so insanely happy for my sister. With two young children, finding a man to love not only her- but her boys was super important. The boys look up to Will so much...and he will be is an amazing father. And equally important, I know he will be my sister's best friend, husband and partner through all walks of life. He doesn't give up or walk away when times are hard. He puts my sister and boys first. Always. What else could a big sister ask for? Well, if his dad was the CEO of Starbucks - that would be cool...But, I digress!

The Proposal

Sarah had to run some errands on Saturday morning. While she was out, Will drove out to my dad's house and asked for his blessing. I don't know how that conversation went, but obviously my dad approved! :)

When Sarah returned home, Will called her into another room.

When she walked in, both Braxen (my oldest nephew -age 4) and Will were down on one knee.

Will was holding the ring and Braxen said, "Mommy, will you marry daddy?"

OMG- I was crying happy tears when she told me her story. How adorable? How special! How thoughtful!

And not only is Will a great guy, he has great taste! :)

Matron of Honor Duty

I got even more excited when Sarah asked me to be her matron of honor! Within 6 hours, I:

• wrote my matron of honor speech in my head (I'm 75% done and it will make everyone cry. promises)
• created a Pinterest board called "My Sister's Wedding"
• found her a wedding invite designer (me), a DJ (Justin), probably a minister (Justin) and a photographer (the talented Ann Semon)
• confirmed her wedding colors
• confirmed that Bandit would IN FACT be the best ring bearer EVER! Yes, I found a pillow for him and everything...she hasn't approved this idea yet though...I'm not giving up!
• found the number for the reception hall
• suggested the perfect location for the wedding ceremony (our dad and Beth's house!!!!)

Planned for this week is:

• going to David's Bridal to pick up a catalog of dresses
• creating a wedding planning binder
• stalking pinterest for more amazing ideas!

Oh, and a fun fact...Justin proposed to me the first Saturday of December three years ago.

Much love,
Ashley

My 146th Street Lover

My husband jokes that I have a secret lover on 146th street, which is the main road I take into work every morning. Before we bought our house, our apartment was only 3 minutes away from my work. Which was FABULOUS! I could roll out of bed at 7:15 a.m., sometimes even 7:30 a.m. and quickly get ready. Thankfully, I am not one of those girls who takes hours to pamper myself.


When we moved, my drive got become ten times longer…taking me at least 30-45 minutes to get to work – depending on the traffic, weather and construction. So my departure time of 7:50 a.m. – quickly turned into 7:15 a.m. Or earlier.

I would leave earlier, sometimes even as earlier as 7:05 a.m. to meet my lover. I actually have two of them. Ronald and Dunkin. I have a hard time resisting Ronald McDonald’s sausage burritos and the rush that Dunkin Donuts gives me is world-class. (Mr. Starbucks is not on an easy path to work).

Obviously, I am admitting that breakfast fast food and sugary coffee were slowing creeping back in my life. Not to mention, I 100% blame McDonald’s Monopoly for sucking me into the game and fast food addiction. You would think being in marketing I would know better. You would think being in marketing I would understand EVERYONE is only one piece away from a million dollars. But once I won a Redbook DVD rental, I was hooked. I thought this year would different. I think this year I would win it all.

But instead, the only thing I won was 10 extra pounds. No, I do not want fries with that….

So, within a month, my pants were tighter. My shirts were snuggier (yes, I think I made up that word). And my motivation was lower than it’s been in months.

I’ve joked about falling off the wagon before, but this time I fell off a jet plane. And it was long, hard fall to the ground.

So, I decided to take action this week. I’m proud to say I didn’t see my 146th lovers this week. I packed my lunch all week (except today I had a lettuce wrap from Jimmy Johns – only 191 calories!) But I did eat a bagel (and a half -- omg I know sooo bad) today from Panera. So I didn’t really save any carbs or calories with my lettuce wrap...Free bagels at work are the death of me. Anyway, I digress. The fact of the matter is I messed up. But that doesn’t make me a failure. It just means I need to try harder. Harder than ever before. Because now…I have 10 lbs to lose just to get back to my original weight loss for the year. And I’d like to say that in 2011 I lost 25 lbs.

So, today marks a new month. A new beginning. It will be SUPER hard with the holidays coming up. But I am determined to kick butt this month. And turn my lovers into long distance, faded friendships.

Much love,

Ashley

How to Have a Great-Bad Day

Life is simply how you interrupt it.

Everything happens for a reason. Or everything bad happens to me.

I’ll learn something from this event. Or everything bad happens to me.

My struggles will make me stronger. Or everything bad happens to me.

You get my drift?

Last week, I found out my credit card information got stolen.

Not sure where.

Not sure how.

Not sure when.

Not sure why, but it happened.

I don’t want to expose details about what they bought and where – in case legal action takes place…so until then, just know that this person stole my credit card information and bought something pretty expensive (and a few other things) under my name.

That wasn’t a day-maker, but thankfully my investigative husband took action. And the way I viewed the situation probably made a big difference in the type of day I would continue to pursue. I could have gotten mad, upset and felt sorry for myself. To be honest, I was a little mad. And I felt violated. I wondered what else this person taken from other people?

But I guess I really felt sorry for the person who stole my information. I found myself wondering, why did this person need money so bad? What would make someone steal from another person?

So if you want to have a Great-Bad day, look at the event from a different view point. Instead of letting that screaming voice inside your head say that “everything bad happens to me” – look for a bigger picture. Look for something you can learn.

For example, I used to ALWAYS lock in my keys in my car. Always. Side note: I’ll be super upset if I jinx myself and lock my keys in my car today. Anyway, I used to do this at least once a month. And this one time (at band camp –joking), I even locked my keys in my car when my car was RUNNING! Actually, I’ve done that twice.

I remember I would get SO mad at myself. Usually, I had somewhere to be and this incident made me late. Sometimes the cops came. Sometimes a locksmith would come. But all of the time, I was mad. So mad that I let it ruin my day.

But why? It shouldn’t. I should just learn how take control of my bad behaviors to make a difference. So I made some changes.

1- In the summer and winter both, I leave my windows rolled down if I am stepping out of my car for just a minute to drop something off or pick something up.

2- I always make sure I have my keys in my hand before I get out of the car.

3- I have key-less entry now, so if my keys are in my car…it will be hard to lock my car.

I haven’t locked my keys in my car for nearly a year. I know this is a silly example. And I know that much larger events take place…making it so much easier to say “everything bad happens to me.” But I urge you to take action instead of feeling sorry for yourself. Or at least have a close friend or family member who will make you do so.

Bad things happen every single day. To all sorts of people, the good and the bad sorts. It's not fair, but at the same time- it's not up to you to determine that. God- Mother Nature- the Universe works in powerful and mysterious ways.  So, it’s up to you to determine how you handle the events life throws at you. Only you determine how you can move on. How to keep pushing yourself. How to stop locking yourself out from your car….and maybe even the world.

Much love,

Ashley

Giving Like Grandma Kaye

Today, I was thinking about Christmas gifts for the children that I tutor with at Indy School on Wheels. I have to give something that I can give to all the children. No child will (nor should ever) be left out. I would like to give something creative. Something to pass the time. Something they can do together. Something to make them smile.


I thought of the gifts I received when I was their age…and then the perfect gift popped into my mind.

Coloring books and crayons.

Every year for as long as I can remember, my Grandma Kaye got us coloring books and crayons for Christmas.

“I don’t care how old you get,” Grandma Kaye would say. “I don’t care if you are married…both you and your husband will be getting color books and crayons at Christmas from Grandma Kaye.”

It made me smile. A perfect present from the one of the most giving woman I have ever met in my life. Seriously. She has LITERALLY tried to give me the shirt off her back before…

“Honey girl... I bought this shirt, but I don’t know if I like it,” she would say. “I definitely think it’s YOU!”

Oh me. Oh my. Have you ever tried to tell your grandma to keep her shirt on? Yes, I have. Grandma Kaye, God love ya!

Celebration drink with Grandma Kaye at my college graudation party.

Smiling with Grandma Kaye at Grandpa's 70th Birthday party.

Grandma Kaye dancing..and being the life of the party!!

Grandma giving me a hug after I became Mrs. Sieb.

So, for Christmas this year- I want to give the kiddos at Indy School on Wheels something special. I want to get each of them a coloring book, their own set of crayons and a candy cane or other Christmas inspired treat. Inside each coloring book, I will include an inspirational quote or message. Maybe I will write something different each time. Maybe it will be the same message. I haven’t decided what I will write yet.

I just want them to feel special. Because they are.

I just want them to smile. Because it melts my heart.

I just want them to understand that you can give someone something special without spending a lot money. Because the best things in life are free.

I just want them to believe that there are better days ahead. Because their future is bright.

I just want them to be a kid. Because too many of these children are stripped from their childhood and forced to grow up too soon.

Much love,

Ashley

Go Change the World

If I could take my own advice, I'm convinced I would be the most bloody brilliant person in the world.

I wouldn't give a darn when someone blows me off. Their loss.

I wouldn't get upset when somone says something hurtful or decieving. They're wrong.

I wouldn't stress about the future as much and live in the future more...after all, doens't the present determine the future?

I wouldn't be scared of sky diving because fear is always wrong.

I wouldn't worry about what the scale says...because it's just a number...because living a healthy life style and eating a healthy diet is way more important that being a size 10 or weighing 170 lbs.

I would strive for peace like Gandhi.

I would love like Mother Theresa.

I would believe in the power of dreams like MLK Jr.

I would fight for something I believe in like Sean Carasso (Falling Whistles).

I would take more chances. Do something impossible.

I just typed "Who did something impossible?" into Google and came across this Website: Start Here: Live Your Legend

The header of the site also said: "CHANGE THE WORLD BY DOING WORK YOU LOVE!"

So with that, I've pieced it all together.

A huge part about taking my own advice, finding peace, becoming a better - stronger - wiser person...is comes by doing work I love. It doens't matter if you are a mother, a politican, a journalist, a personal trainer, a writer, a teacher, a sky diving instructor, an accountant, a waitress, a contruction worker...no matter what you do...do it with love. Do it with ambition. Do it with purpose. Do it with hopes of a better future, not just a better future for YOU, but for a more positive future for those who come after you...those who are looking up to you...those who are counting on you to make this world a better place.

Steve Jobs obviously said this before I did...what an amazing and inspiring person. I won't try to say it better than him...To the 2005 Stanford graduating class, Jobs said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” Watch his complete speech here.

Now, go live your legend.
Go change the world.

Much love,
Ashley

My Birthday Morning

Email from my hubby reflecting on our morning.

Honestly, today has been amazing. One of my best birthdays ever and it is not even noon yet! I am so insanely happy to be where I am in life...with the people that I have in my life. 24 was a great year for me, but I know 25 will be even better.

Thank you to EVERYONE for your kind birthday wishes and sweet messages. I've never felt so loved in my life! :)

Much love,

Ashley