Tag: blogger

7 Easy Ways To Pay It Forward This Holiday Season

AshleyLeave a comment

It’s so easy to become wrapped up in ourselves this time of year, with all of the presents to buy, parties to attend and preparations to be made.  Wow, I’m totally guilty of being very self-centered lately.  With my broken ankle still on the mend, continuously trying to get our house organized from our move and our toddler, lovingly known as hurricane Gia, I just haven’t thought much about anything besides myself and my family.

I’m starting to take action so I can pay it forward for the holidays, instead of focusing on me, me, me.  I don’t want excuses thwarting me from helping another, so this is where my little pay it forward project comes in.

Today Gia and I ran a couple of errands before her nap.  Our first stop took us to Target, which was bustling all before 9:30 a.m.  We made the rounds for a few essentials and that’s when I got the idea to create a goodie box for our UPS, FedEx and USPS delivery people.  I cannot take full credit for this idea, but I definitely put my own spin on it.

I used an old box from our move and wrapped it in festive paper, filled it with Gatorade, trail mix, protein bars and other snacks, and attached a little note expressing gratitude for the hard work of delivering packages during the exhausting and lengthy holiday season.

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After feeling proud about my mini project, I thought about additional ways that I could continue to spread some holiday cheer.  Some of the things I came up with I’ve done in the past and some are new to me.  I thought I’d share with all of you in case you’d like to keep passing on good karma.

Here are 7 ways you can pay it forward with me:

  1. Donate your time to new or exhausted parents.  My sister-in-law, Michelle inspired this one.  Michelle, her husband Jeremy, and newly crowned big bro, Jarren, just welcomed baby Jack to the family in November.  If I could offer my time to her for free babysitting, I would!  (She’s in San Diego, so logistically I can’t.)  If you know a parent or parents who could use an hour to themselves then help them out.  Bring your own kids along as playmates and helpers.  Imagine being a new parent and having the chance to get out for a few hours to do a little (peaceful) Christmas shopping, have a coffee break, or simply take a shower!  This basic act of kindness means so much to parents who desperately need a break.
  2. Be kind to someone you dislike.  Children are always watching and listening, and this I know because Gia repeats every word I say these days.  Thankfully she is always hugging and kissing her friends, family, stuffed toys and even photographs.  (I must be doing one thing right!)
  3. Be a store angel.  Leave 10 (or any other desired amount of) $1 bills in random places in the local store.  If you’re feeling extra kind, leave a little bit more for tax.  😉  Imagine how happy the single mom or dad shopping for their kids will be — or the child who wants a toy but mommy and daddy are hesitant to buy it because of the tight budget they’re maintaining.  It sounds like so little, but it makes such a HUGE difference in the lives of others who really need it.
  4. Leave a homemade treat with a kind note for your mail person in the mailbox.  These men and women are always providing us with such a thankless service every single day, regardless of weather conditions, traffic and more.  Let them know you appreciate what they do for you.
  5. Visit those who are lonely.  Some of the best gifts are not “things.”  A cheery visit to someone who lives alone may be just the nourishment they need.  Visit a neighbor or family member.  Save artwork made by your child to take as a small gift to brighten their day.
  6. Remember the “unsung heroes.”  Our local police officers and firefighters serve us everyday.  Bake goodies for their departments and fire houses, or buy their coffee when you see them in line at the cafe.  Do something to show that you recognize and appreciate all of their hard work.  After all, they are the ones who run straight to the danger that the rest of us run away from.
  7. Adopt a soldier.  Adopt-A-US Soldier is a non-profit organization that seeks volunteers to help show the brave men and women fighting for our freedom that their sacrifices will not go unnoticed. It connects supportive civilians with deployed troops and offers a channel by which to communicate encouragement and express gratitude to those brave men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces.  I’ve adopted a few soldiers over the years and it was a great experience.  We regularly wrote letters to one another and I sent much needed care packages filled with reminders of home and other necessities.

I know it’s not possible for everyone to do all, a few, or even one of these, but please, give what you can.  Your gifts to others do not need to be elaborate, or expensive.  You can have a charitable heart even if you don’t have a lot yourself.

I hope I’ve encouraged a few people to pay it forward for the holidays.  We should all be thankful for what we have and not focus on what we think we don’t have enough of.  As long as we have our health, a warm home and love in our hearts, then that will be enough.

In The Loupe

Ashley2 Comments

For you non-jewelry folks out there – no, I didn’t spell loupe wrong. The title of this post is my attempt to show that I can be clever! I know, I’ve got some major room for improvement in that department. At least I tried! 🙂

With Thanksgiving only two days away, Christmas around the corner and countless holiday parties on the horizon, I wanted to talk about how to care for some of our most cherished possessions. After all, us ladies will likely be sporting our diamonds, pearls, colored stones and gold to some of these upcoming gatherings.

Like I said, jewelry can be one of our most intimate and cherished accessories. Understanding how to care for and protect our treasured jewelry can make a world of a difference in maintaining its beauty, while keeping it dazzling for generations to come.

First, let me tell you why I’m not just a random woman pretending to know what I’m talking about. My love for diamonds, colored stones and pearls really became apparent to me during my time working at Tiffany & Co. During the time I worked for the company known for its famed blue box, I wanted to become a Gemologist (I still want to, but have put it on hold to be a stay at home mommy). I took courses with the Gemological Institute Of America to get the ball rolling on a process that can be quite lengthy. Although I have yet to become a Gemologist, I did receive my certificate in diamond grading and can call myself a GD, or Graduate of Diamonds.

This picture shows me in action when I was with T & Co., and yes, I got the sale:

Why do you even care? Well, I have gained the skills to grade the color, clarity, and cut of diamonds. I’ve learned to determine proportions and estimate diamond weight. I have also studied diamond treatments, synthetics, and simulants, and understand the effect of fluorescence on diamond body color.

Mind you, I haven’t actively done this since my daughter, Gia, was born, so I have some brushing up to do. Looking at diamonds and knowing what to look for is a practiced skill that requires the right equipment too. Even though I don’t get to work with diamonds everyday as of now, I am still constantly reading and learning more on my own with the materials I have been given from the G.I.A. (It’s a complete coincidence that my daughter is named Gia, by the way.)

Anyway, I digress. Now let’s get back to caring for our jewelry.

Be careful around light and heat with your jewelry. Light and heat can affect a colored gemstone’s color and durability. Over time and in excess, some colored stones can fade and their durability can be compromised.

Pearls, which are very delicate, can bleach if exposed to extreme light. When heat is excessive or if there are sudden extreme temperature changes, some gems can actually fracture.

Look at these gorgeous aquamarine earrings:

This next tip is kind of a no-brainer….keep your jewelry away from chemicals! Chemicals can damage and discolor your precious metals, like gold, silver and platinum. Chemicals can even damage some gemstones.

Even everyday items like hairspray, perfume and lotions can permanently damage the surface of your pearls or other porous stones, like turquoise. As a rule of thumb, you should always remove your jewelry before washing dishes, jumping into a chlorinated pool, spritzing with perfume and setting that hairstyle with spray. It can be tough for some to break these habits, but I’d much rather take the extra time to make sure my jewelry is safe from damage.

Use ultrasonic cleaners with caution! Not many people have these machines in their home, as they are a bit of a luxury to have. Your local jeweler will probably have more than one though. Not all gems and jewelry can safely be cleaned in an ultrasonic. Organic gems such as pearls, coral, ivory and amber absolutely CANNOT be cleaned in an ultrasonic.

The vibration generated by the machine can also shake loose your stones if they aren’t mounted properly. Ultrasonic machines are great for your tarnished silver pieces. It’s best to let a professional decide what can and cannot be cleaned by using this method.

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so let’s make sure we always show them the love they deserve. I hate when I see people handling their diamonds the wrong way. What I mean by the wrong way is that they are touching the stone itself, instead of holding the band that the stone may be mounted on.

Diamonds attract the oil that’s naturally occurring on our hands and fingers. If you touch the diamond, the oil from your fingers will make dirt and dust adhere to it, dulling the fire and brilliance. Minimal handling of the diamond will keep it sparkling much longer.

Ultra classic round brilliant:

The key to a diamond’s sparkle lies in its facets – which work like a series of many tiny mirrors reflecting light in and out of the stone. Regularly cleaning the facets will keep your diamond sparkling and your diamond jewelry in gleaming condition, ready to shine for your next special occasion.

Pictured below is a gorgeous 2.69ct pear shape, D color and internally flawless. (I sold this ring a few years ago – It commanded a $155k price tag.):

If you have additional questions about how to care for your jewelry, feel free to comment or shoot me a message! I’m happy to help!

May your holiday season be bright and merry, just like your jewels!

Family Friendly Finds

Ashley2 Comments

The last two weeks I’ve felt a little bit less inspired when it comes to writing blog posts.  A lot of that is a direct result of not getting out much, due to my broken ankle.  I’m only on week two of wearing my hard cast, with two more to go before I hopefully will be in a walking boot.

The good news is that we are officially living in our new house now, but I still am very reliant on Craig and my family for help.  Being that Friday through Sunday are Craig’s work days, we decided it was best for Gia and I to stay at my mom and dad’s while Craig works his 12 hour shifts.

I’m able to put pressure on my ankle more and more, and I’m using one crutch instead of two, fairly regularly.  Yesterday I did get a little overly excited when I realized I could take a few very hobbled, unassisted steps.  I certainly paid for that afterwards – by the end of the night I felt like my ankle was swelling and had caught fire inside my cast!  Now I know to not push too hard and take the help I’m being offered.  Duh, Ashley!

All this sitting has led to some online shopping.  Uh oh, yes, online shopping can be very dangerous, but I promise everything I’ve picked out is super functional and will make for great Christmas gifts!  So here I am, ready to share some of my finds with you, because they are especially nice for families with children.

Find #1:

Guidecraft Kitchen Helper

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I’ve been meaning to order one of these kitchen helpers for Gia for quite some time now.  I’m big on letting her do a lot on her own and I think it’s really catapulted her development.  She loves doing everything that we do, so we like to encourage her and include her by cooking together, letting her help feed the dog, letting her throw things away, etc.

I like this Kitchen Helper because it folds up nicely, it’s sturdy and it can grow with Gia as she gets older.  It can hold up to 125lbs!  Crazy!  It has fun little cut outs and a marker/chalk board on the side too.

I didn’t buy ours through the Guidecraft website, only because I found it on Amazon where it was a better price.  I believe that some Target stores carry the Kitchen Helpers too.  There are many varieties and brands available, so what works for Gia may or may not work for your child too.

Find #2:

Restoration Hardware Luxe Faux Fur Bean Bag

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As if you needed a reason to purchase such a plush, cozy bean bag – I knew this one was a no brainer!  With a multitude of colors, these bean bags are the ultimate childhood dream turned adult reality!

This purchase was for me, as much as it was for Gia.  Although she already has a bean bag chair with an adorable star print and custom embroidery, I knew she’d love to sit on this in the family room.  As of late, she has enjoyed sitting like a big girl on our furniture.  Again – she wants to do everything just like us, so there’s no surprise there.

We decided to go with the “Wolf” faux fur, as it fit our color scheme best.  I even got my mom to order the “Sable” version for her house.  The best part about these bean bags is that they’re on SALE!  Even better yet, I’m a member with RH and I got a fab deal!

These bean bags normally retail for $249 and the sale price is $199.  If you’re a member you can score one now for $159!  That’s a $90 savings!  Go get one now!

Find #3:

ECR4 Kids Bentwood Multipurpose Table

 

A kids table and chair set was another thing I’d been searching for the last few months for Gia.  I had a few in mind and truly just stumbled upon this one while searching Amazon.  Yep, Amazon does it again!

This ECR4 Bentwood Table sold me right away with its multipurpose functionality.  There is such an added value in it because it can be used in a variety of ways.  This table and chair set is significantly more expensive on the ECR4kids website than it is on Amazon.  That is also probably the reason why it is currently out of stock on Amazon.  I believe I saw this set on the ECR4 website for $220 and I ordered it on Amazon for $161.40.  Go me!

Regardless of it being out of stock, I will be notified of when it’s available to ship and won’t be charged until that time.  I don’t care if I have to wait a little while, I think it’s worth getting the one I want for Gia.  I see lots of crayon coloring, snacking and reading happening at this table set in the future.

Hopefully if you’re in the market for any of these items you’ll consider the ones above.  I think they’re going to work great for our family.  I guess you know you love being a parent when you enjoy finding things for your child more than finding things for yourself!

xo

 

It Takes A Village

Ashley2 Comments

Since breaking my ankle last week I have never been more appreciative of the help from my family. It’s moments like this where I feel so lucky to live so close to my parents and in-laws. 

Normally, on weekends when Craig is working graveyard, I get my one-on-one time with Gia. We go to the park, run errands and play. Now that I’m helpless with Gia, I’m totally reliant on Craig and our family. 

This past weekend was the first small challenge we had to sort out because of my broken ankle. Prior to getting injured, my mom had planned to drive down to Orange County to help my brother. He has two herniated discs, and after lots of physical therapy and pain, he needed to get an epidural to help him. (We sound like a bunch of gimps in this family!) Zach certainly needed my mom there, as he wouldn’t be able to drive after the procedure. 

With Craig at work Friday-Monday morning, my mom gone, and me being useless, it was my mother-in-law, Gail, who came to my rescue with Gia. 

My biggest worry this weekend was, how am I going to watch Gia? I can’t even change her diaper with this cast and pain, let alone chase her and prepare her food! Craig obviously couldn’t help me when he was home from work because he had to sleep during the day. Our solution was that Gia would have a weekend sleepover with Nana and she would come hang out with me during the afternoon when Craig was up and getting ready to head back to work.

Only Homie is enjoying the fact that I can’t do much:

 

This weekend everything worked out great! What was especially nice about Gail and Harry watching Gia was that they got to have the whole weekend to share with her. In a way, it was good timing because they are heading to a wedding this week and then going straight to see my sister-in-law, Michelle, afterwards. Michelle is due with my second nephew on the 17th – so Gia got to have fun with Nana and Papa before they go to meet their new grandbaby. 

Picture of Gia helping Nana in the kitchen:


 I have to say, this whole ankle ordeal has given my anxiety a major boost. I have endless guilt that I’m not able to do much of anything for Gia, except let her sit on my lap. I am always asking everyone who is helping me with Gia, “Is that okay? Are you sure?” Not to mention the endless amount of  times I’ve said, “I’m sorry.”

I hate that people have to wait on me and that I’m not able to care for my own child without help right now. I know this is all temporary and that it’s just the way things have to go right now – I don’t have much of a choice!

I’m looking at this whole thing as a mental challenge for myself. It’s just another test that has been thrown my way. As always, this will teach me something new, making me a better mother, wife and daughter. 

Photo of G looking too cool during her weekend with Nana & Papa:

Mommy Has An Owie 

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Two days ago Craig and I loaded up Gia’s beautiful round crib and glider to bring over to the new house. These were the last “big” items that we needed to get in the house before we could officially start living there. 

As beautiful as Gia’s crib is, it’s a pain in the neck because it doesn’t breakdown at all. Almost every normal size doorway does not allow it to pass through, which spells out problems. We had to remove a small piece of wood from the doorway to get it into her new room, just as we had to do at the old house when we first got the crib. 

With the glider and crib being the final big pieces to move in, we decided to start off with the easier of the two and get the glider in first.  Craig was holding one end and I had the other – he was going into the house backwards with it so I didn’t have to. Once we got from the bottom of the driveway up to the walkway things went south. 

While holding the glider and not seeing where the walkway curved, I rolled my ankle off the walkway and into the grass. I immediately screamed out and collapsed to the ground. I’d like to think I’m pretty tough and tolerant of pain – after all, I made it through all natural childbirth of an 8lb. 15oz. baby in 30 minutes. (Yes, I’m proud of that!) Even though I’m tough, the loud snap that Craig and I heard confirmed in my mind, along with the pain, that I definitely had a broken ankle. Even the neighbors came running down the street to see if I was okay. 

Picture of me smiling through the pain:


Low and behold, after a trip to the ER, the doctor came in to give me the bad news. Yep. Broken. The absolute worst part about all of this is being completely useless with Gia. I’m pretty much bed ridden all day because I need to keep my ankle elevated. Anytime I get up I feel like my ankle is about to explode.  Things could have been worse though, so I’m thankful. 

Dr. G is taking good care of me:


I head back to the doctor on Tuesday for the real cast. The one I have is temporary because the swelling needs to go down and the doctor needs to make sure everything is aligned properly. 

I’m not sure how long I’ll be in a cast, or how long I’ll be using crutches. The other upsetting part about all of this is no working out. You never appreciate your health and mobility more than when you’re out for the count. 

Speaking of health – I found out that the blood I donated a few weeks ago went to use at a hospital in West Covina, CA. It’s pretty cool that I was able to find out where it went and that it helped someone in need. That’s just another reminder as to why this broken ankle is just a bump in the road. Life is still good!

Pumpkins + Munchkins

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I’ve been a blogging slacker for the last three weeks or so, but I think you’ll understand why.  First of all, with the horrendous amount damage and displacement caused by the fires in our area the last couple of weeks, it just didn’t feel right to blog or post much on social media.  I felt guilty going about my everyday life knowing that just up the road people had lost absolutely everything.

Photo from my mom & dad’s front yard on day 1 of the fires:

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Craig and I donated to our local church, Northgate Christian Fellowship, but wished we could do so much more.  Craig did work some mutual aid in one of the hardest hit areas of Santa Rosa – the Coffey Park neighborhood.  He showed me pictures of the neighborhoods and it was shocking to see how unrecognizable things looked.

On the brighter side of things, we closed on our house earlier than expected and started moving in.  It’s seemed like a never-ending transition from the last house to the new one, and we aren’t sleeping there just yet, but I’m thinking we will be next week.  We are so excited to be in our new house, in such a wonderful neighborhood.  Our street is full of little ones and friendly families.  We’ve already met four of our neighbors and I can’t say enough about how welcoming and nice they are.

What I’m looking forward to most about the new neighborhood is Gia being able to make friends as she grows.  I just have such a good feeling about all of it and I can’t help but feel so fortunate.

To cap off the busy week that we’ve had as a family, Gia and I went downtown to stroll First Street for the Halloween Costume Walk.  I wondered how much we’d actually get to walk with a 14 month old, but it was so much fun and Gia did great.  She loved waving and saying hello to all of the other kids who were dressed up.

The only candy she had interest in hanging on to was her mini crunch bar.  By the end of our stroll it was half melted in the wrapper.  Of course I wasn’t planning on giving it to her – not enough teeth and that kid doesn’t need a sugar jolt.

Our little pumpkin with her candy of choice:

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There were some really great costumes and cute families who dressed up together.  Gia wore the pumpkin costume that I wore when I trick-or-treated for the very first time.  I wasn’t able to get her to wear the little pumpkin stem hat that went with it, but hey, I tried.   I’m thinking that the next Bennigson baby will have to wear the costume too.  Looks like I’ve already got a tradition in the making!

I hope you all have a great weekend doing whatever it is that you have planned!  Happy Halloween to all!

Love, Marriage & A Baby Carriage

Ashley2 Comments

Today is as good a day as any to publicly talk about how wonderful my husband is, especially because it’s our wedding anniversary.  This year has gone by faster than the last, simply because we are always chasing our growing girl, Gia.  I now know what it means when people tell me to cherish special moments because time goes by in the blink of an eye.

It’s hard to believe that Craig and I have been together for seven years total, three of which are as a married couple.  This last year has certainly been one of the best because we don’t just share life as a family of two anymore.  Seeing how far we have come since our first days as boyfriend and girlfriend is pretty cool.  To some degree, you always imagine what your life will be like when you’re married – I couldn’t have dreamed up a better life or found a better partner for myself.  Marrying Craig truly is the best decision I’ve ever made.

Here we are on our wedding day:

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How our relationship began is a pretty good story too, so I’d like to share that with those of you who don’t know it.  For those of you who’ve heard this tale before, feel free to step away from whatever device you are reading this on and move on to whatever is on your to-do list.

I first knew of Craig when I was in middle school.  Yes, we happened to go to the same middle school, as well as live approximately one mile apart from each other.  I’m not going to say I “met” Craig then because we were like 10 years old and only passed each other in the halls.  What I do remember of Craig from that time was he always had a baseball hat on and had a big super hero type of grin (he still has that grin today).

This is the type of smile I think of when I see Craig smile:

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I do remember hearing my dad talk about Craig and his baseball achievements often though.  I mentioned in my last post that our dad’s worked together as police officers in the same city for almost their entire career – well, they would brag about whatever it was that their kids were up to to anyone within earshot.  For Craig and I, our dad’s liked to share our sports stories.

I played softball my entire life, all the way though college.  Craig played baseball through college and played with the Colorado Rockies system for six years.  I guess you could say we had some things in common.  I’m not sure if Craig will or will not admit to hearing about me growing up, but he does tell people that we had an arranged marriage.  He can be a jokester, just like his dad.  Both of them are really just kids in adult bodies.

Okay, so back to going to school together….Craig went to the local high school in town and I went to an all-girls, Catholic high school in another city.  We didn’t see much of each other during our high school years, but I do recall hearing sporadic sports stories about him.

We both went off to college, Craig was closer to home at Cal and I was a few hours away at the University of Nevada.  During our college years we both were in “serious” relationships, but clearly that didn’t work out for either of us, and thankfully so.

I remember I had just graduated and wanted to continue living up in Reno, where I had also found a job.  I got a Facebook message (sign of the times!) from Craig, and yes, it was very random.  He asked me if I was living back in our hometown and I said no, but I was getting ready to move back.  I wasn’t happy with the job I was in and knew there would be more opportunity for me back in the Bay Area.

I didn’t think much of the message he sent me until I was settled back in at my mom and dad’s, saving money.  Craig was home for the off-season from playing with the Rockies organization and wanted to meet up to hang out.  I thought, okay, why not?

Craig invited me and one or two other friends to go out one night to the local watering hole.  Looking back on that night, I realize we totally ditched Craig’s friends and sat at the bar and talked forever.  There was a scruffy man sitting next to us who butted into our conversation to ask how long we had been together.  Both of us laughed and said we were absolutely not dating and we were just out for the evening with friends.  That was the very beginning of our relationship.

Here’s an early photo of the two of us at my grandma’s:

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It took a few months for either of us to actually admit that we were dating.  At the time, Craig was adamant about not having a girlfriend, clearly that backfired!  I knew from our first time hanging out together that I really, really liked him.  I tried to play it super cool, acting like I didn’t care if he was interested in me or not.  Good thing I did because I totally won him over.  Who could resist me anyway?! – I’M TOTALLY JOKING!    🙂

Craig and I dated for three years before he proposed to me.  At the time, a lot of my friends were getting engaged, getting married, the whole bit.  I always wanted Craig to work at his own pace regarding engagement, but the little girl inside me was waiting for her forever love.  Of course we had talked plenty about wanting to be with one another forever, but I was starting to think the worst and that Craig maybe didn’t want to marry me.

Just before Thanksgiving four years ago, Craig gave me the biggest surprise of my life. We had a fun day planned at Artesa (where we are now wine club members) to do a wine and chocolate pairing.  At the end of our tasting and tour we went out to the terrace to enjoy a glass.  I didn’t even notice that there were two bottles of wine on our table, which should have given things away.  (I’m a lightweight when it comes to booze, so one bottle was more than enough.)

Almost immediately after sitting down, Craig grabbed the second, unopened bottle of wine and showed it to me while he got down on one knee – it said “Will you marry me?” on the label.  From there I just remember crying tears of happiness – I didn’t even see the ring he was putting on my finger.  I just kept crying and saying, “Are you serious?!”  Yep, I was riding high on cloud 9.

The day I said, “Yes!”:

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A year later we were married in St. Helena, CA in front of our closest family and friends.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding day.  Now, here we are – three years in and a lifetime to go.

Although I’m no marriage counselor, there’s one thing I do know:  The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person.  How do you know they’re the right person?  Well, you know they’re right if you love to be with them all the time.

I’m sure we will have our ups and downs on our continued journey, but I look forward to all of it.  After all, life would be pretty boring if it was perfect.

When Tragedy Strikes

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To my horror, this morning I, as well as countless others, woke up to news of the unfathomable tragedy in Las Vegas.  I picked up my phone upon waking and immediately saw news alert after news alert.  With each update, I saw that the death toll and injuries from this absolutely heinous act were climbing and climbing.  I couldn’t help but cry.  I’m so very saddened and shocked that this is the world we live in today.

I texted a friend who lives in Southern California, for I knew she had been in Vegas over the weekend, and I held my breath until I received a text back stating that she was okay.  After texting her, I remembered seeing via social media that a girl I had grown up with was also there with a friend of hers.  I messaged them as well – they were safe yet shook up.  I can’t even imagine.

I also cannot begin to imagine the pain, anger, sadness and grief that families are feeling right now.  Households that were once whole are now forever broken.  (I understand that this is not the only horrific event to happen as of late, but I feel compelled to share my thoughts and feelings.  I want everyone reading this to know that they should not politicize my words.  This is just me being human and feeling a wide range of emotions.)

So many lives are forever changed after what occurred last night in Las Vegas – people are without their parents, children, brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances.  It makes me feel sick thinking that these poor people didn’t know what to do when they heard gun shots raining down on them for over 72 minutes.

Based on the news reports, it was utter chaos at the concert venue where people were trying to escape.  I cannot go without saying that there were many first responders at that Jason Aldean show, as off-duty concert goers.  I believe that those first responders made a huge impact last night in saving lives, in obvious addition to those on-duty.  Police, fire and EMS ran towards the danger while everyone was trying to get away.  The help and bravery of the first responders demonstrates true heroism.  If it weren’t for these people, who knows how many more lives may have been lost.

It’s awful that it takes the worst in humanity to bring out the best in people, but this is something that I think of on a daily basis.  Many of you know that I come from a first responder family and some of you might just be learning that now.

My grandfather was a firefighter who passed away in the line of duty, due to asbestos and smoke exposure – his death was the precedent setting case for the State of California for firefighters who lost their lives on the job.  He is forever immortalized on the wall at the Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento.

My brother-in-law is also a firefighter, as well as some of our very close friends.

My dad was a police officer for his entire career, working in a very busy city.  My father-in-law worked side-by-side with my dad for the same department.  Now my husband is also a police officer.  I hesitate in even mentioning this here because I know that there is so much tension around law enforcement in this day and age.

I was finally able to grasp the true meaning of what it is to be a first responder when I was the one sending them to calls for help.  There was a period before my husband became an officer where I was a 911 dispatcher.  I always knew growing up that my dad had a dangerous job, but I never thought about it much beyond that.  After being the person talking to the officers through their earpiece, I was able to grasp just exactly what my dad and father-in-law did every single day.  Now my husband does it and I have another unique perspective about the job because I am a police wife.

My everything in one photo:

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As I was waking up this morning, my husband, Craig, was coming home from work to sleep.  I asked him if he had heard about what happened in Las Vegas as I got a teary eyed.  I knew full well that he was aware of what had happened, since he had been up and working all night.  I told him that this is the kind of thing that I’m so very afraid of.  Call it tragedy, call it terrorism, or call it whatever you want – all of it is disgusting.

Now that I’m a mother to a beautiful little girl, I am so scared of the world we live in.  I might think a little bit differently than others, but I am always preparing for the worst.  For example, my parents, Gia and I went to San Francisco for the day over the weekend.  On our car ride there I told my parents how that I think completely differently about the world now that Gia is around.  (This is totally normal to a certain degree, but I think I take it up a notch.)  Just driving on the Bay Bridge into the city made me think about how it could be a prime target for an attack.  Then I thought about how we were going to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero and how that is another potential target for a mass shooting or bombing.

Photo of my dad, Gia and I at the Ferry Building over the weekend:

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I know I cannot live my life in fear, but I am always on alert when I am alone with Gia.  Often I think of how I cannot let anything happen to me because I can’t leave her without her mother.  I’m so protective when we’re together and would jump in front of a moving train if it meant that she would be safe.  I know this is the feeling that many (hopefully all) parents have when it comes to keeping their kids safe.  It’s sad that I have to think about this on a such realistic level now.

I’ve only been to the movie theater one, maybe twice, in the last year, but even that experience has forever changed.  I think hard about where I should sit in case there is a deranged person who wants to harm everyone in the theater.  It’s just really very frightening that my mind even goes there.

I’m kind of starting to ramble on now, so I’ll wrap this up.  What I’m getting at is that there are people out there who go directly towards danger every single day.  They don’t think twice about it.  That is pretty amazing.  My hope is that you can walk up to someone wearing a badge and say “thank you.”  It doesn’t matter if it’s a police badge, a firefighter badge, a military badge, or an EMS badge – just thank them for what they do on a daily basis while we live our lives.  Many are quick to bash our first responders, but remember, they are the ones you call when you need help.

I know thoughts and prayers are never enough when tragedy strikes, but I offer them anyway.  My warmest condolences go out to everyone connected to the violence in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is in desperate need for blood donations.  Here is a list of locations where you can donate if you live in Nevada:

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Self Care Is Not Pampering!

Ashley6 Comments

When I talk about self care, I feel like many people tend to think I mean pampering.  They couldn’t be more wrong!  While pampering does fall under the self care category, not all self care is pampering.  You still with me?  To me, self care is being your own best advocate, setting boundaries, making time for hobbies – it’s simply creating time for what you need and doing what you can to make it happen.

That last part is key – doing what you can to make it happen.  Today I did a bit of self care and I’m so glad I took a small part of my day to make myself a priority.  It’s too easy in life (especially when you have the demands of family, children, a career and everything in between) to forget about what you need to do for yourself so you can thrive.  I tell myself when I’m feeling unnecessary mom guilt that if I don’t take good care of myself, I cannot take the best care of my daughter and family.  Additionally, I want to lead Gia by example and let her know that it’s important to be good to your mind, body and soul.

Forms of self care that I’m working on:

  • Unplug – Yes, I’m telling you to put the iPhone down!  It’s not that easy to do, especially with social media, e-mails, phone calls, face time sessions, etc.  I feel a sense of freedom when I take a break from my electronics, as hard as it may be in the moment.
  • Practice Meditation – Okay, this one I’m really, really bad at.  For the last few years my New Year’s Resolution has been to practice more yoga.  Want to know how much yoga I’ve done in the last few years? — that’s right, NONE!  Wait, I take that back.  I did go to a wine and yoga retreat a couple of months back with girlfriends.  Does that count for a mini meditation?  My point here is, it’s good to practice something that makes you feel that mind-body connection.  For me, I think yoga will make me more mindful and relaxed, so I’m holding myself accountable by talking about it here.  Minimally, I’d like to at least do some deep breathing and stretching once a day.  Hopefully you guys can keep tabs on me and make sure I follow through!

Photo Of The Last Time I Did Yoga:

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  • Sleep – You’d think sleep would be an easy one after chasing a busy toddler all day long.  Not so much!  I’m someone who suffers from pretty bad anxiety and have had a history of depression, which, unfortunately does not make for a sound night’s sleep.  Just because I have anxiety and have had depression do NOT mean that I don’t love my life and appreciate it.  It’s the perfectionist in me that puts me on planet crazy and keeps me from sweet dreams.

Gia Demonstrating What I Need To Get Better At:

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  • Talk To Someone – Psychologists, therapists and spiritual mentors can make some people feel a little bit uneasy, I get that.  I’m not into all that stuff either, but I see the benefit of it.  For months I’ve been putting myself on the back burner regarding my anxiety and today I finally said, enough.  As uncomfortable as it can be to talk to a total stranger about your deepest thoughts, it’s such a release.  Today that’s exactly what I did – I went and talked to a psychologist about my feelings of anxiety and feel so much better.  It doesn’t mean that all of my “problems” are gone, but it’s a big step in the right direction.  I have to say I’m kind of proud of myself!  🙂

Forms of self care that I rock at:

  • Energize Your Body – I do something to “move” every single day.  It’s not selfish, it’s good for me and good for Gia.  I go to the gym to train five days per week.  Obviously when things come up or if Gia doesn’t feel like playing in the child care for an hour then I reevaluate.  The days I don’t get a traditional workout in, I take Gia on a walk or we go on an adventure.  It makes me feel so much more awake and alive for the entire day.
  • Take A Bath Or Shower – This one sounds a little, well, gross.  You don’t always get to shower when you want to after having a child.  Sometimes you’re too damn tired and other times you literally cannot.  Maybe that’s TMI, but it’s the truth!  I make sure to use my favorite body wash and skin care products when I get cleaned up.  It makes me feel beautiful and refreshed to smell so nice and have hydrated, happy skin.

Even Our Dog Homie Needs Some Self Care:

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  • Read Something, Anything! – I’m a big book worm and I read anything I can get my hands on.  Lately my reading has been in the form of other blogs that motivate me to be the best version of myself.  I try and set aside time to read when Gia is down for a nap or after she’s gone to bed.  It’s the perfect way for me to wind down.
  • Enjoy A Piece of Chocolate, Or Glass Of Wine – Better yet, enjoy the chocolate and wine together!  I used to fret over anything “bad” that went into my body.  No more!  If your body wants a little treat, then by all means, eat the chocolate and drink the wine!  The gym and your regularly scheduled eating routine will be there tomorrow.  You won’t fall off track – it might even help you stay on track by not depriving yourself of what you want!

Gia says it’s okay to get chocolate wasted once in a while:

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I hope you guys can relate to some of that!  How do you self care?  I’d love to hear how others take care of their mind, body and soul.  Comment and let me know!

The Longest Week Ever

AshleyLeave a comment

It’s been almost a week since my last blog post and I’m beating myself up about it.  My goal is to try and post every other day, if I’m feeling inspired.  I’d hate to write just to fill the page to hit my personal quota.  I would much rather go without content for longer than I’d like, in order to feel like I have something I’m really wanting to talk about and share.  In today’s case, I have to update you all and let you know why I’ve been so absent!

As I’ve mentioned a few times throughout the last couple of weeks, we’re moving.  Now I can say “we’ve moved!”  Yay!  We are officially out of our old house and moved in with our new roomies – my mom and dad.  😉  This last week was kind of chaotic and most definitely would not have happened without the help from our families.

Here’s Gia with some great bed head, relaxing on bedding that needed to be packed up:IMG_0019

If it wasn’t for my father-in-law, and some of our friends, the grunt work of this move might have never happened.  Let’s just say they helped us move all of our crap into two, count ’em, two, storage units.  As of a couple days ago Craig and I were very seriously contemplating getting a third storage unit.  How asinine is that?!  Where did all this stuff come from??  We didn’t end up getting the third storage unit because the facility we are using is totally full.  I guess that’s a sign to start purging more of our things.

I’m so glad that we can get back to some normalcy in our lives now that we are in my mom and dad’s place for the next month and a half.  Gia had a fun time this week playing with both of her grandma’s while the Craig and I got things squared away with packing up.  G-girl had quite a few adventurous trips to the local park, as well as her first trip to the Nut Tree – – To this day I remember going there when I was little with my grandparents.  My grandpa even made me a replica of the giant rocking horses that they used to have there.  Don’t worry, I still have it stored away for Gia to use when she gets bigger.

Photo of Miss Gia having a blast at the Nut Tree:

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We ended our week on a really high note, celebrating our sweet friends, Sean and Jenn.  Craig and I had the pleasure of attending their wedding yesterday in Jenn’s parents backyard.  We had so much fun and thought it couldn’t have been a more perfect day.  Their adorable little girl Isla stole the show as she came down the aisle in her Radio Flyer just before her mommy (who couldn’t have been more beautiful) made her grand entrance.

Photo of the lovely couple after saying I do:

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Jenn and Sean looked fantastic and had a beautiful cake made by Wildflour Bakehouse, who I mentioned last week.  It was almost as stunning as the newlyweds!  Thank goodness Sean was a gentleman and didn’t shove the cake in his bride’s face after cutting into it.

Photo of the cake with signature macarons:

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As a sidenote, a few people have asked me this past week what the difference is between a macaron and a macaroon.  There is a BIG difference and I’m sure any pastry chef out there would cringe if someone called either of these treats by the wrong name.

A macaron is a meringue-based cookie made with almond flour, egg whites, granulated sugar and powdered sugar, then filled with buttercream, ganache or fruit curd.  It’s a delicate treat with a crunchy, yet chewy exterior.  To add the the confusion, it’s also called a French Macaron.

A macaroon is a totally different type of confection.  Mostly, this term is equated with a coconut macaroon, which is dense and moist.  It’s composed of egg whites, sugar and dried coconut, and sometimes dipped in chocolate.

I dunno about you guys but I like both!  I’ve never met a sweet treat I didn’t enjoy.

Speaking of sweet….I’ve got another pretty sweet collaboration going with a company based out of the UK, called Curly Ellie.  I found out about them through another mommy blogger who is based in the UK as well.  She has three daughters, all of which have beautiful curly hair.  I knew I wanted to try these products on Gia because taming her hair after bath time can be such a process.  Not to mention, I don’t want to hurt her little head getting those tangles out!

To make a long story shorter, I tagged Curly Ellie in a photo on Instagram with Gia in it, showcasing those curls in all their glory.  Curly Ellie said they would love to collaborate with me, as they mentioned how lovely Gia was.  I couldn’t agree more – obviously I’m biased!

I’m so excited to receive all of their products and try them out on Gia.  I’ll be sure to give you all a full report on what we think of them.  I might even try them myself.  After all, Gia did get her hair from me.  So for any of you mom’s out there with curly haired babes, stay tuned.  Or if you have beautiful curls yourself, you might want to think about looking into these products.  I hope they work wonders on Gia because I love discovering a brand or product and telling everyone about it.

I should also be receiving the leggings I got from the other company I’m collaborating with – Pineapple Clothing.  The shipping process has been delayed due to the horrible damage caused my Hurricane Irma.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Houston, Miami and Puerto Rico during these times.  May we all remember how lucky we are while others are facing such hardship.

To help efforts towards hurricane relief please visit the Red Cross.  There are many ways to help, donating through Red Cross is just one of those ways.