Nose to the grindstone... and in books

Do you know how work can sometimes be slow and you have plenty of time to get your work done (plus a little time for blogging and Facebook)? Then, how all of a sudden you get slammed and have little to no time to breathe at work? Yea... well this has been my life the last few days. I've been a little sparing with my blogging due to an influx - no, let's say tidal wave - of work. I am in no way shape or form complaining though. I love to be busy and needed at work. I think the tidal is over and now I'm just dealing with a steady high tide of work. Which leaves me a little time to catch up with you....

I have been reading a lot lately. I read John Grisham's The Appeal last week. It was a great read and dealt with a favorite issue of mine: political corruption. There is indeed so much. Let me ask you a question: why do we elect judges in this country? That is so out of line with their calling. Plus, they are busy convicting our criminals... do you think they have time to campaign? I'll answer that for you - NO, they do not. Yet they are forced to neglect their duties to be able to hold their own seat. AND - they have to pander to the very people they must rule over. Who do you think funds their campaigns? Many states have gone away from this practice but a lot of states (especially southern states... we like our corruption down here) are still heavily steeped in this practice. Sooo... I'll get off my giant soapbox that most people don't care about. But it does affect you. You can go here to learn how your state selects judges. Take a look at Alabama while you are there. Sad.

As you may remember, I won a giveaway from Sydney not too long ago. I finished reading The Appeal and was really in the mood to keep reading. In her box of goodies, I received Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. How I made it through all my schooling and honors literature courses without having to read this is a wonder. I read it over the weekend. Lucas says I'm a dork for reading Pride and Prejudice for leisure in two days.... but what does he know.. and well maybe I am. Anyway, it is a-ma-zing. I love it!! What an awesome love story. Thank you, Sydney, for delivering a classic to my doorstep and opening my eyes to the world of Jane Austen. I think I'll go pick up Sense and Sensibility from the library soon.

I'll save some more of my updates for a later date. Until then I'll be working and getting to your blogs as often as I possibly can. If I have missed something important or really interesting in the last few days please let me know so I can fast track it to your blog!

Countdown: one week to Mexico!!!

My Husband and His Stupid Job

Okay, I'm only kidding..... kind of.

Can I preface this by telling you that our entire relationship was long distance before we married and that I should be stronger than this but I'm not.....

Don't get me wrong. I am very thankful that Lucas has a great job - one that he absolutely loves. But it is getting on my last nerve. He is returning tonight and hopefully won't have to travel too much for a while (by this I mean only one day a week hopefully). But let me just tell you. My husband has been gone the last 6 weeks! I'm not kidding! He leaves early Monday morning and comes back late on Thursday or Friday. He's been gone to Kentucky, Indiana, and even to Canada once. Gosh! I believe when he took this job they told him he'd travel once or twice a year. Ha! I laugh every time I think of that. So here is my simple plea...

Dear Husband's Employer,
Please let my husband stay home and be with his wife - who has suddenly become incredibly needy through all this. That is all.
Thank You,
The Wife

NIAGARA

One of my favorite - no - MY FAVORITE Sarah Evans' song is Niagara:

Standing at the edge of this cliff
Gravity being what it is
I'm afraid that I might stumble
'cause I... I've never been this high
I'm so carried away by this place
And the simple beauty of your face
And the walls start to crumble and I'm
Helpless to fight

'cause you can't, ask the sun not to shine
And no one's ever, found a way to stop time
Oh baby it's unstoppable
I can't resist at all
I would never, try to slow down the wind
Baby it just, has to be what it is
And asking me not to love you
Is like asking Niagara
not to fall

I can't, worry my heart with what if
Oh maybe I should just give in
And wrap myself around you and
Let you take you down
Take me down

'cause you can't, ask the sun not to shine
And no one's ever, found a way to stop time
Oh baby it's unstoppable
I can't resist at all
I would never, try to slow down the wind
'cause baby it just, has to be what it is
And asking me not to love you
Is like asking Niagara
not to fall

No you cant, ask the sun not to shine
And no one's ever, found a way to stop time
Oh baby it's unstoppable
I can't resist at all
I would never, try to slow down the wind
'cuase baby it just has to be what it is
And asking me not to love you
Is like asking Niagara
not to fall

Rain Rain Rain down on me

Wash wash wash over me

Fall fall fall into me

............ okay, Sarah and I just had a moment there. Anyway, point of this being - my husband just returned from a work trip to Canada and while there he made a visit to Niagara Falls! How Cool! I wish I could've been there!

Dear Abandoned Readers,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have been missing for quite some time and have no doubt missed much of your life and many of your creative ideas. I try not to discuss work much but I no doubt have some 'splainin' to do so let me just say this - WORK IS CRAZY!!!! Oh my, goodness! This has been the first time in my short career (2 years in January) where I really felt entirely overwhelmed for an entire month. Yes, I've had my days - but an entire month? Never! Oh, it has been crazy. While I am still not beyond this craziness, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. As that light draws nearer I hope to see all of my blog friends waving and welcoming me back with open arms - although I may not deserve it after deserting you all for so long!

Soooooo - I'm back! There isn't really a whole lot to catch up with on my side. I'm still working a lot, playing tennis, and training for my marathon in December. I ran a 15K race last weekend! Woohoo! As a warm up I ran 2 miles - that may have been stupid - bringing my running distance now to just over 11 miles. I am about a month and a half out and really need to step up my daily running.

Also, I got my barn star in the mail yesterday! I am going to have to find a special place for it then show it off to all of you.

And guess what? 3 weeks from today I'll be at the beach!! Yea!

So now I'm back to work. I have another pretty heavy task to complete before a Friday morning meeting. I hope to finish it up as quick as possible so I can start to catch up with all of you. I'll do my best.

Sincerely appreciating your patience,

Ashley

Why I Have A Head Ache

Today was the first day of renovations on the building next door. Apparently, even though the wall is brick it isn't very insulated because we hear everything going on over there. So this is what I've heard all day...... times 20. Pair this with a very busy work day and you get one very aggravated employee (actually I'm sure several of us are but I'm only speaking for myself on this one). I hope this doesn't continue much longer (I say, knowing that it will).

Labor Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. No glamorous getaway but it was packed full of excitement. I'd love to update everyone about how great it was but unfortunately there is no time today. I'm sorry to all of my bloggers that I normally visit daily. All browsing and commenting will be on hold until tomorrow. I hope to be back with a full update tomorrow and some pictures, too!! Back to work.....

Bad Day at Work

I am just having a bad day at work. I worked until 10:30 last night and was here at 8:30 this morning and I'm just grumpy. Campaigns suck sometimes. I wish I had something fun to post about but since I have just pretty much worked straight through the last couple of days there is nothing to report. Good news is that my husband knows I'm dragging a bit and is taking me for 'buy one get one free entree' night tonight at Guadalajara. I think I'll need a margarita with that.

Please, God, Just a Few More Hours in the Day.....

Random thoughts and happenings

• Did you guys see the men's gymnastics team last night? They ended up with a Bronze but what a great Olympics they had considering their circumstances.
• Huntsville's own Margaret Hoelzer took Bronze last night in her 'other' event
  
• Russia is pulling out of Georgia. Great news! I wonder if Medvedev is doing this at the behest or in spite of Putin's wishes. I do not like Russia too much.
• We lost our tennis match last night. We had some close matches but didn't pull any of them out. We are now 3-1 (1-1 against this team). We have got to pull out some victories against them. I would really like to win.
• Lucas isn't going out of town this week! (At least we don't think so.) That means he is teaching tennis this afternoon and I don't have to! I have a work event I'm going to after work but it should be fun.
• I slept on clean sheets last night. Aaaaah!!!
• I set my alarm early to work out but I didn't. I am bad. I might do it tomorrow but I have a tennis match tomorrow night so we'll see.
• Rafa was quite energetic and a bit ferocious this morning. It is time for a little snip, snip and obedience training.
• We found out the dates for the Cabo trip! Yay! February 26th- March 3rd! And Lucas may actually go with me! This is going to be a crazy year. Colombia for Christmas and New Years. Cabo at the end of February, first of March. And Spain, France, and possibly others in July! It seems a bit surreal to think of myself as such a world traveler. Does this count as a world traveler? I'm classifying myself as such.
• My parents booked our condo in Gulf Shores for Thanksgiving. Yay! Midnight madness shopping at the outlet malls? I'm in!
• I signed myself up for the Mixed State so I may actually go with my team to Dothan. I thought I would stay with Debbie at her sisters but now she isn't staying there so I'll have to get a hotel room. Sigh..... tennis is expensive.
• Brandon is staying with us several nights a week. His house is almost finished and then he'll be out. I think I'll kind of miss having someone else to cook for (even though I didn't do much last night.... sorry, Brandon)! (Last night was cesar salad and the guys had some leftover pasta.)
  

YAY!!!

They're here!!

Guess What I'm Getting Today?!?

Yes! My Pantone guides are arriving today! I'm so excited. I know this is a very basic thing but I've worked without it for 2 years (with a few interesting surprises along the way). Now, I'll know exactly what colors to use and can even present these to our clients for them to help me choose their colors. So exciting!!!

And He's Gone Again

We knew Lucas might have to go to Indiana Wednesday and back on Thursday but he went to work on Tuesday and they sent him on his way. He has been really busy there and will probably stay until Friday. He is traveling all the time now. I hope they remember all the hard work he is putting in when it comes time to evaluate his performance (and salary).

Speaking of salary, a lady just approached Lucas about teaching a weekly group lesson. And guess where it is.... Lake Forest! I take it as a sign that we need to be there. So I called up this realtor who had gotten some information on lots in Lake Forest for us and he is sending us over a price list. If the prices are right then we may be buying a lot in Lake Forest! It is my dream community. We almost bought a house there initially but it was at the top of our price range at the time. By hanging onto a lot for a few years then building ourselves (a house that we can actually design ourselves) we will have a much, MUCH nicer house. I can just see us raising a family there. During the summer we'll take the kids to the pool to hang out with other neighborhood kids, they can ride their bikes around the community and be safe, we can run around the jogging/nature trail, we can teach our children to play tennis. I see it all in my head and it is the perfect place! This will be my dream home in my dream community. I can't wait! I hope it all works out.

So Lucas will be at Lake Forest giving lessons every Tuesday now. If he has to go out of town like so often he does I may fill in for him. I think they are all beginners so it shouldn't be too hard.

I had a match last night after work. Mom came and got Rafa so he could play and watch. He was a good boy! We won then afterwards mom and I took Rafa home and went to eat Mexican. We sat there and talked for a long time in the restaurant then in the parking lot. It was nice to do that. I don't think we have done much with just us lately so it was a nice treat.

We were discussing our trip to Colombia for Christmas. My parents have decided to postpone their trip until next year but Lucas and I are still planning on going. Originally I had insisted that we stay here for Christmas then leave but mom was encouraging me to go be with his family on Christmas since we haven't had that experience and may not for a while once we start having children. I still think it will all depend on the price of tickets. We are going either way but I would like to go as cheaply as possible. It is so expensive... and they better not give me any of this 1 bag crap! 1 to 2 weeks in a foreign country... I need lots of clothes (even though their house keeper does all of our laundry while we're there... even folding underwear).

See ya later

Lucas and I were woken up this morning at 6:45 by Huntsville Utilities. (In all reality we had already been awake the last 30 minutes or so but neither one of us wanted to get up. Actually, I had already gotten up to take Rafa outside to do his business.) Next thing you know we have no water and a big hole in our front yard. What a way to start the morning.

Lucas couldn't find his keys when he got ready to leave so we were both scouring the house looking. Seriously, I don't know how hard it is. There is a hook near the entryway from the garage.... come in the house, hang your keys up. This all would have been avoided. So he rushes out the door once he finds them.

I get ready to leave for work and have to chase Rafa around the garage to put him back inside. He is so sneaky... gets out every time. Huntsville Utilities men are standing waist deep in our yard when I left. Great!

Not long after I got to work this morning Lucas calls to tell me he'll be leaving for Indiana in a few hours and won't be back until Wednesday night or Thursday. And I am leaving Wednesday after work to go to Mobile until Sunday. So I guess we won't be seeing each other for a week. He did stop by work to tell me goodbye but I'll kind of be sad not seeing him for a week. I mean, we have gone much, much longer but it still feels weird. Oh, well.

One good thing that came out of this trip is that Lucas got to rent a Toyota Tundra to drive up to Indiana. He has been eyeing this truck for a while now. But he filled it up on his way to IN at $90 and decided maybe that is not the vehicle he wants. At least he learned something!

I Made It

Now it is time for tennis, husband, friends, and drinks...... It's the weekend!

Busy Day

Today was a busy, busy day at work. A good part of my day was spent taking pictures around Madison County for one of our candidate's upcoming television commercial. I also got to eat lunch at Tellinis with mom. I found out today that I do not get to go to DC in a couple of weeks like I was planning. I'm pretty bummed out because I really enjoyed that trip last year. I was looking forward to learning more about what's going on in DC and socializing with other people from Huntsville. I was also looking forward to visiting with Candice. I need to plan a visit to see her one weekend now that I don't get to go with work. I had a match today and got to play doubles with Amy. I really enjoy playing with her and we won pretty easily. I like her and hope we can become better friends. She is my age and she and her husband just recently moved here from Virginia. I am going to try to get her husband on Lucas's soccer team. Well, no tennis match scheduled for tomorrow (surprisingly) but I am trying to set up a mixed doubles practice. If that falls through maybe Lucas will play with me. On the other hand, it might not be such a bad idea to relax for a day. I have a lot to do at work tomorrow plus I need to get some more TRC sponsorships. I am only a few contracts short but Jennifer still has a ways to go before she gets her trip so we still need more. Hopefully I'll have time to write more tomorrow. We're going to bed now. Goodnight!

It's Pay Day!

Every Pay Day is a good day!

Today has been super busy at work. I couldn't even go to our Chamber luncheon today because we were too busy at work. It is ashame because I was getting a check and I think I came in 3rd for this weeks top producers so that usually means a little gift. None of us have ever won so I don't know what happens but hopefully I can get it next week.

I talked to mom and she and dad just left the house a little while ago. They came and checked on Rocky and Rafa since Lucas and I are both going to have a long day today. I am working an event until at least 6:00 but I'm hoping I have time to run home before I go to my tennis match at 7:30. Lucas is playing soccer until 7:30 or 8:00 then maybe he'll come by and watch the rest of my match. We'll see.

Last night we had a surprise. Lucas heard one of his old tennis friends was getting married so he called to congratulate him and found out he was actually in Huntsville visiting relatives. So his friend, Sam, came over to the house last night and had a beer while we caught up. It turns out, Sam is a rising musician and is in the works of getting signed by a record label. Awesome! I checked out his music on myspace and it is really good. Check it out for yourself: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=119556950

Like I said, I have a tennis match tonight at 7:30. If we win this match, we will be in second place. Our captain is trying to get us a wild card to go to state. However, I already signed up with the 4.5 team because I didn't think we would go to state. I am going to be in a predicament if we win and actually get a wild card. I would like to go to state as a 4.0 and win more matches. But I have more friends on the 4.5 team and would probably have a better time with them. I am just going to wait it out and see what happens. There is no point in getting worked up about it now when the future of our 4.0 team is uncertain. But I'm sorta hoping we don't get a wild card so I don't have to make this decision.

The dogs are doing well. We had a little scare yesterday and thought Rafa might be sick. He had a little green mucusy stuff coming out of his eye and his eye was a little swollen. I gave Rafa a bath and poured water over his face and eyes. It seemed to be getting progressively better and this morning he seemed back to his normal self. Mom didn't mention anything about his eye so I guess she didn't see anything out of the ordinary either. Rocky seems to be settling in, too. He seems more at home and at ease around us and Rafa. But I know he is going to be very excited to see his momma and poppa. We are over half way through our baby sitting!

Cabo San Lucas

So, I went to the meeting at lunch today and got my $$$ for the blinds! Yea!! Maybe that will be a weekend project. Also, I found out the place we are staying in Cabo. For those of you who don't know about this deal... I sell about $21,000 in Chamber sponsorships for events throughout the year and in return get a trip for 2 on the yearly trip. Last year it was a cruise to Jamaica and Ocho Rios. It also happens to be during our anniversary. So if I work hard every year I will earn a trip for our anniversary. Pretty cool! Except this year Lucas may not be able to go b/c of work. I'm pretty bummed out about it but if he can't go I'll probably just take Aida (if she can go). This year it is also going to be even better b/c it is at an all inclusive resort so we won't have to pay for anything! Excellent! We spent sooo much money on the cruise (still a good deal since we didn't pay for the trip). Anyway, we are staying at Riu Palace in Cabo San Lucas.... here is a photo!
Ohhh! I'm sooo excited! I'm still about $11,000 short and 10 months away but I can already feel the sun on my skin and the sand in my toes!

Also, I just got the photos from the tournament this past weekend... here are some of the highlights and lowlights.....

What form!!!!

Front Porch Revitalization

Yesterday was such a busy work day! I had a little work but mostly I was organizing my mixed doubles team. The top 2 teams have folded so now my team becomes the top dog and all the good players from the other teams want to play on our team and I have to make room for them. This is what I hate about captaining a team but after this part is over I get to enjoy having one of the best mixed doubles teams this state has probably ever seen! It is going to be a great season.

So Lucas had a match last night. His team played Abbas's team. They were 2 and 2 so whoever won the match last night would go to state. I kind of wanted Lucas's team to win b/c I am going to state with the 4.5 team so we could go together. But then Lucas probably couldn't have gone anyways b/c of work and Abbas will carry a stronger team to state so it is probably best that Lucas's team lost. Lucas lost, too. Which is rare. But he played doubles with a guy who was pretty bad.... or was at least having a bad night (can't say much... I've been there). They won the first set easily but then just as easily lost the next two sets. Rafa came with me to watch him and my mom met us there to watch Lucas, too.

She brought with her the cushions for our front porch furniture. She bought a few flowered ones and then made some striped ones so it looks really neat with two patterns and the colors coordinating. I snapped a few pictures as I was backing out of the driveway this morning. I'll try to take some better ones later. Anyway, in this picture you can see the yard work we did a couple of weeks ago. We ripped out everything in the front flower beds, planted new azaleas, put down liner, installed some edgers, and then put rock down. Rocks are so expensive! You wouldn't think so but they are! Lucas said anytime we go somewhere that has rocks we have to pick up a handful... thats a handful of gold! I'll put some before and afters up... here you go!
This picture was taken before we bought the house with the other guys furniture but you can basically see the disrepair that was our front flower bed.... just unmanaged wild bushes and ugly monkey grass....
And here is the new flower bed with our new furniture (there are still a few of our old chairs mixed in that need a new coat of white paint... that will be done soon) and our new cushions... thanks, mom!
I'm not really sure if you can see the cushions very well b/c of the angle (remember I was backing out of the driveway when I took these shots). I'll try to get some better photos one night or this weekend. I am playing tennis tonight so it will be another rushed night!

I am about to go to a rewards luncheon for this Chamber of Commerce volunteer thing that I do. I should be getting a good check for all of the sponsorships that I've sold and Lucas said I could use that money to buy blinds for the rest of the windows downstairs. Yea! So I'm very excited to go eat a free lunch (which is very exciting next to the lean cuisine that I would eat if I stayed here) and collect my money!!!