Happy Halloween!

via

I'm not dressing up (I haven't in years) since I work mostly alone I figured it would be a little ridiculous. I did wear salmon (which is as close as I get to orange) and black so festive of me. 

Garrett waited until the last second to get his costume (even though I offered to help two months ago) and so  he ended up getting a costume that was way too small (he's Luigi (he was actually supposed to be Mario) to fit into a theme at work) and it looked like he was wearing a leotard and made for quite the comical morning, sadly I didn't get a picture....

Kuddles has like 9,000 costumes (including a brand new one this year!) I can't decide what she's going to be but I'll probably bribe her with treats and take pictures of her in all of them. Garrett requested this one...

Whatever I choose she will be extra miserable tonight with the all the doorbell ringing. She really doesn't like people! 

Here We Go Again...

Well I failed the 31 days challenge, but I'm not giving up I signed up for BlogHer's NaBloPoMO so maybe I can make it through November blogging everyday!

November is going to be a busy month; a trip to Hawaii, finishing up my last semester of school, hosting a welcome home Thanksgiving lunch for my cousin who is coming back from boot camp, and trying to remain pain free while passing this pesky kidney stone. So why not add something else, at least there should be plenty to blog about.

And I’m already ahead in one area of life…my Christmas shopping is almost completely finished! I just need gifts for my uncles, and my teenage boy cousins. (the hardest ones)

Just because posts without pictures are sad...

Failed

Well I failed the challenge.

I do have a really good excuse though!

Monday night after class (and a really hard test!) I came home and Garrett was really bummed that he had lost his fantasy football game and I suggested we rent a movie to cheer him up. At 12:30 I finally told him I needed to turn it off because I couldn't sleep with it on and I was getting tired. Off to dreamland I went. For a minute.

Sometime around 1:45 I woke up in horrible pain and I was having trouble breathing. I stumbled into the bathroom and then came to back to bed. I woke Garrett up and he asked if I needed to go to the hospital. When I said yes he panicked (I am not a medical drama queen I don't go to the doctor when I'm sick until I've tried everything else) I was pretty sure I had ruptured some vital organ (and I might have been a little scared because first I was sleeping and then I was in pain).

I walked into the living room and was laying on the floor, whining and crying and moaning and telling him that it was getting better and I would be fine. Garrett called 911 (panicked remember) I was pretty sure even in that moment that it was overkill, but you know it was the middle of the night and I was in pain.

The ambulance and the fire truck showed up and there were 8 sweet men in my living room trying to find out what was wrong. Probably wondering why I was withering around on the floor....

They asked what my pain level was and I said "probably a 7 it's bad but not as bad as when I had Kidney Stones." (foreshadowing)

After a successful IV placement by the guy in training (ugh!) we were off to the hospital. Garrett was waiting when I arrived and Grammy and my Uncle showed up shortly after, and I kept saying I feel like such a drama queen. At this point it's 3:00am and I have three people sitting in the emergency room with me. When the guy came to take me to get a CT scan he said "Wow! You have quite the entourage in there" when I told him I felt like such a drama queen he told me I shouldn't feel bad at all I was so lucky to have so many people that love me. And he was right! I am so lucky that all of these people dragged themselves out of bed to come sit at the hospital with me. :)

The theme of the ordeal was this, they would come in and tell me it sounded like a kidney stone and I would tell them it wasn't because I have had kidney stones before and this pain was different, it felt different, it was in a different place. It was just different.

Joke was on me because it is in fact a kidney stone.

The good news is nothing is ruptured!

The even better news is that I am not in the unrelenting pain that I was last time I had a kidney stone. (the pain is there, I just have breaks from it)

The bad news is that pain is most likely coming (the stone is still very high).

The really really bad news is I leave for Hawaii soon and I am a little bit worried that I am going to end up with that unrelenting pain in Hawaii.

Right now we are waiting it out and praying I can pass it sooner than later, I am hoping to avoid surgery (last time that's how it had to be removed), and that it doesn't interfere with Hawaii.

I would not wish the pain of a kidney stone on my worst enemy. There are a lot worse things that it could have been when I got to the hospital, but I'm quite certain there is not much that is more painful than a stone!
  

Dear Ashlee,

You are awesome.

Love,

I'm not just saying that, it's true Ashlee

Dear Marching Band Ashlee,

Spend more time learning the game of football, Jeremy is a good resource, he'll draw you pictures to help you understand! :) You really love the game and it will save you some time in college. Plus it's always helpful to impress boys with your knowledge.

Love,
Can talk football with the best of them Ashlee

Dear Senior Ashlee,

Don't worry so much. Enjoy Florida. Go ahead and learn to drive. Don't stress out so much, really you have nothing to stress about. I mean yes your grades suck but now is not the time to worry about that, it's kind of too late.... Drive around aimless lots, have sleepovers, enjoy the people you love. And find a different prom date, yours gets in trouble and his mom won't let him go.

Love,
Thinks if your grades suck that bad you should have at least had a wee little bit more fun Ashlee

Dear high school Ashlee,

I know you think that you think your friends are mostly laughing at you, but soon you're going to learn that you're actually kind of funny. It's good to know and makes you feel happy, you like funny people. The thing is you're mostly funny when you're not trying to be.....try and remember that.

Love,

We will never be a comedian, but at least your friends aren't jerks Ashlee

Source: cmae-adayinthelife.blogspot.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Is it almost over??

Am I the only one cheering for October to end? This challenge has been....well challenging. Or maybe I'm just in a hurry for November because it means I'll be headed to Hawaii! :)

Anyway here's today's letter to me.

Dear June 18, 1991 Ashlee,

So, I have some news....you already know your mom is going to have a baby today, and you are mostly excited for that baby (remember back when you wanted a sibling?). The thing is the baby is not the brother that you have your fingers crossed for. It's a girl. A sister. Her name is not Nathan, it's Natalie. She's nothing like you imagined (first she's a girl) second she has brown hair and lots of it. She kind of looks like a baby animal. When you wake up tomorrow you're going to think it was a bad dream, that'll make everyone laugh. Except you. When you agreed to the sibling you only agreed to a brother, you spent nine months thinking of your little brother Nathan so this comes as quite the shock (guess what is going to be even more shocking? When your mom has another baby in 18 short months and that one's boy...) Anyway I'm getting off track, lots of people are going to talk about this new sister, and talk about how cute she is....she's going to get a whole lot of attention, your attention. You've been only you for 9 years 6 months and 4 days so sharing is hard. I'm here to tell you it gets harder, you tolerate that sneaky little girl, but really she's just kind of a brat. There are some good things though, when you're home alone (probably too old to be scared) you wake her up and she always keeps you company. You get better babysitting jobs because her friends parents hire you. And when you let her hang out with your high school friends you can see the excitement radiating off of her and that is kind of cool. But over all she's just not what you bargained for.

That is until you leave for college. I guess maybe it is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Some how that small little bratty attention stealer turns into one of your very best friends. Just tonight you walked through separate Targets half way across the country from each other and chatted while you shopped.

So even though tomorrow morning you're going to wake up and be disappointed and you might not quite think having a sister is worth it over the next 10 years, your heart is going to change.

Someday you're really going to love that little hairy animal. So try not to be too hard on her...

Love,

Thankful for that little sister I never wanted Ashlee

Dear 5th Grade Ashlee,

I know everyone is always telling you how smart you are. I know you love that recognition. You're always winning some contest or another. And I'm really proud if you. But I'm here to tell you that you can't get all that far on just smart. You have to set goals and work hard for what you want. Good news if you apply yourself (don't listen to me and you'll be hearing that a lot over the next 15 years) you can do anything. Also, don't be too bummed you didn't get picked to be captain of the patrols, you can't be winner of everything.

Love,

The Ashlee that wishes you would have worked a little bit harder so she didn't have to pick up all the slack



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Broken...no...Shattered.

Dear Ashlee,

Remember when your trusty Otterbox broke and was no longer protecting your iPhone? Remember how you really wanted a cute monogrammed phone case but you didn't want to spend the extra money on getting a monogrammed Otterbox? So you just got a cute regular hard case...and it was so cute you didn't even worry about it. Remember how you're the CLUMSIEST person on the face of the earth? And now you have a broken iPhone screen that makes you want to cry because you aren't eligible for an upgrade until January. Please just spend the extra money and get the otterbox it will save you in the long run, when you're replacing your new phone.

Love,

Heartbroken over a phone Ashlee

Dear Ashlee,

Most of the time it's better to keep your mouth shut than to correct someone. Especially if your in front of other people.

Love,
If you don't like it they probably don't either Ashlee


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Sleep, FTW

Dear small afraid she's going to miss the fun Ashlee,

Please your nap time wisely. You won't miss much and I could use the sleep!

Love,
Insomniac Ashlee


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You can't really carry a tune either....

Dear Sixth Grade Ashlee,

You're really not very good at playing the viola. And let's be honest you don't practice much so you probably won't get much better. I know you picked orchestra over band because band makes you take chair tests in front of everyone but I'm hear to tell you that when Kristen decides to join marching band in 9th grade you want to join too, so you don't get left out. So one weekend you and Kristen convince your Mom to buy rent you a clarinet (it seems like the easiest to learn). It works and you join marching band (you're awful at the clarinet too)  but maybe just maybe if you pick it from the beginning you'll be a little bit better. If not the good news is the band director tells you to focus on the first note and last note of each song and you're really good at marching!

Love,
The not so musically inclined Ashlee

Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew.

Dear Freshman Year of College Ashlee,

Do not take an 8:00am class your first semester of college. I realize that's later than your high school started but college is different than high school. You won't go. That's going to start you on a slippery slope of missing class. Honestly 10-12 is your window of actually making it to class. See if you can make that work. Why we're at it let's stick to 12 hours until you get adjusted and do not take Economics (or at least drop it when you realize you're the only freshman in the class. That is not a good sign, no matter how smart you are.) We'll try and add some more second semester. Good luck!

Love,
Oh the things I would change about that year Ashlee



 

Almost Missed a Day....

Dear 6th Grade Ashlee,

You're going to change schools this year, and of course you're going to pitch a fit. Remember you hate ANY change....I'm here to tell you that it works out. In fact it might not be a bad idea to just go at the beginning of the year it will save you from being suspended. You are going to make a lot of amazing friends. Just go with the flow. It will all work out.

Love,

Thankful for that change Ashlee

Dear October 10, 2006 Ashlee,

Please stop thinking and do in your heart what you know is right, what you want to do. Stop worrying about what other people will think. It doesn't matter. I don't know how things will turn out, but even when I try to imagine the worse case scenario (we're good at that) I know it's not worse than the feeling of not trying to say good-bye. The only thing I can guarantee you is that tomorrow will be too late.


Love,
Still no good at saying hard things Ashlee

Just do it!

Dear 7th Grade Ashlee,

Do your math homework!

Love,

Every Ashlee After you!

Dear 3rd Grade Ashlee,

Don't wish for glasses. Your wish comes true. No matter how hard future Ashlees wish our eyesight does not improve. Glasses are not so fun.

Love,
All future blind Ashlees


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Dear Ashlee,

Know when to take a break and just be with the people you love.

Love,
Should be studying instead I am cuddling Ashlee


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Nine Majors is Two Too Many.

Dear Freshman (in college) Ashlee, 

I have so much advice for you, there are so many things you should know. But, let's start here...nine majors is a little bit of overkill. I'm going to make it easy for you, in order to change history in the least amount I'm just going to say this. GO WITH SOCIOLOGY. It won't help you reach your goals, it's not actually where you'll end up, it's not even a little bit the choice, but it's the beginning step of the road less traveled. Avoid all science majors, business majors, journalism majors, education majors, and let go of the dream of minoring in French. I can tell you right now it's just not going to happen. Take the classes you enjoy try to do well in them and you'll figure out the right direction...eventually. 

I'll be back to talk to you, you need a lot of help!

Love,
I might choose to relive my freshman year if given the choice Ashlee

Not so brave anymore

Dear fearless (ha!) Ashlee,

Enjoy roller coasters while you can. I hate to be the one to break it to you but somewhere along the way in your old age you developed a fear of heights. This really makes roller coasters no fun. So ride as many as you can before it brings you to tears.

Love,
Afraid of even more Ashlee



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The cure for anything is saltwater.

Dear Lives in Florida Ashlee,

Enjoy the beach. I know you take for granted that it takes you five minutes to get there, but someday you'll long to be able to spend some quality time thinking while listening to the sound of the waves. So go as often as you can and just enjoy everything it has to offer. Remember to protect your skin while you're there, tan skin is not worth the wrinkles. I promise!

Love,
Land-locked-Ashlee

Wishy-Washy-Ashlee

I am already bored with my challenge choice...and questioning my decision to not just have less of a theme on the blog for the entire month. I almost quit or amended the rules. In the end I made a decision and chose a challenge topic and I'm going to stick with that. :)

Here is today's letter to me:

Dear Ashlee, 

Your inability to make a decision is annoying. I'm not quite sure when the constant waffling started but I do remember that time in 9th grade that Sir-Bob-a-lot pulled the car over and wouldn't drive us to dinner until someone decided where we were going to go. I remember that you would have rather gone home than been forced to make a choice (turns out SBaL couldn't make a decision either and that's why were were stopped in the first place). It's really strange because you are the most bossy person I've ever met (well tied for bossiest) and I feel like that should make you a good strong decision maker. It doesn't. You wait until the last possible second to decide where to go to college, you change your major 9 times (only to end up back in college (and changing your mind about what to do at least twice on the way back!), you miss out on great opportunities trying to make a decision. Frankly it's exhausting so please just don't worry so hard about making the wrong decision and stop trying to make sure your decision will make every person happy and just make a decision! Here's the thing I wish I could tell you that you grow out of it but you don't. IT.GETS.WORSE. Like when you are by yourself and trying to decide what to eat for lunch you sometimes have to pull the car over and try and make yourself decide that way, and lots of times that ends up with you turning the car around and just not getting anything because it is easier than deciding. So if you could just work on this problem, for us, I'd really appreciate it. 

Love, 

The older wiser smater  older Ashlee

PS you hung out with that other bossiest person recently and you remembered that she also can't make a decision to save her life. It made dinner a real problem when it was just the two of you since there was no one else around to decide....maybe it's a bossy people thing.  

Day 1

Dear 8th Grade Ashlee,

I have this vision of you crying in the cafeteria because life seemed to be going so well and it was all about to change as you headed off to high school, seriously you must have been having a really emotional day because that was ridiculous! I get it, change is scary, but sometimes staying in your comfort zone is way worse! All change is not bad, high school and college they will be so much fun! Life outside of 8th grade (or whatever change you are struggling with) is exciting! Sure you will have different friends (I don't know that you talk to any of the people from that 8th grade lunch table any more) but the important ones they are still there! Change is inevitable learn to get excited about it! Order something new at a restaurant every once in a while, it's worth it.

Don't be too consumed with the way things were to miss out on what's going to be!

Love,
sometimes-I still-struggle-with-change-but-I-would-never-cry-about-leaving-middle-school Ashlee

31 days of letters to Shlee

I had already decided to try to get back into blogging by committing to having a post every weekday in October all on my own. (actually I meant for it to be September but I lost track of time...) 

I have heard about Nester's challenge before but, I really thought I needed to have a specific topic to blog about and I just can't commit to that kind of blogging. Unless of course there is any interest in 31 days of pictures of the cutest dog, or 31 days of pictures of my hair not being fixed before I leave the house, or maybe 31 things I wish I had done differently the first time I graduated from college. All that to say I was perfectly happy to sit out and not be joining Nester's 31 Dayers.

 But, by the 57th post on the 31 days of blogging in my Google Reader I just couldn't resist I whipped up a quick amateur "graphic" (neglecting my work duties and homework) and decided to play along! 

I almost went (semi) themeless (I even had the paragraph typed up and hit publish) when it hit me, I can't do 31 things I wish I had done differently the while I was getting my undergrad, I just don't think I could think of that many things. But, I can do a twist on a popular writing topic and write 31 letters to the Younger Me. I'm coming up on a milestone birthday (30! eek!) with that comes lots of reflecting on all the years, decisions, and events that have made me, me. I have lots of good advice for that sweet younger Shlee. And if I happen to run out of advice for her I might throw in a few to future Shlee just for good measure. :)

  If you want to join in, or see who else is go on over to Nester's and check it out. 

Sometimes it takes me longer to think of a lame title than it does to write an entire post...

This is what the weekend looked like...

Lots of rain and cool temperatures.

Perfect weather for not doing much, except lazing around and watching scary movies. And that's exactly what we did. Monday came too fast (it always does!) and I cannot even begin to grasp the fact that it's October. I wanted time to move this quickly when I was younger always counting down to my birthday or the next big break from school but now I wish it would just S L O W down. I have lots of things to look forward to and lots of count downs in my head but the exciting times get here and then they are over just as quick as the started.

This little bit did not want to get out of bed this morning (probably because she woke us up at 4:00 to take her out, which she never does!) it took every ounce of willpower I have to get out of bed and make it to work this morning....

Here's hoping for a great week!