Why so silent?

Another wonderful song from another wonderful (and longest running since CATS closed) broadway show, Phantom of the Opera!

So, people. Why so silent? 42 followers, and a good bit of hits everyday, and no comments! Come on, people! Get involved!

No, no. I'm not an attention whore...I swear! =) I know you have thoughts, so share away!!!

Save the Date!

It's the middle of October, and wedding plans are in full swing!!

We have gotten some big things out of the way.

We set a date! October 26, 2013. I always dreamed of a fall wedding, especially around here with the GORGEOUS mountains we have. 

We booked the venue for the ceremony and reception

It's an old 18th century barn that they turned into a ballroom. It's even prettier in person if you can believe it! It's located on an 167 acre farm and has numerous historic buildings we can utilize for the wedding! My favorite part? The bridal suite is WAY up high, actually right from where this picture was taken from. They have an old train the runs throughout the entire top of the barn, and the groom will usually put a little note on it and they will stop the train in front of the window to the bridal suite. It's cute little touches like that, that really make the day!

We booked our photographer! We have used her before, when we had some pictures done while I was pregnant. She does amazing work and we are so excited she is able to capture our special day! she will also be doing our engagement pictures the first week of November.

Our Save-The-Dates are all addressed and ready to go out! I was so excited when they arrived. It made it all feel very real.

I have been waiting for this moment for so long, and it's actually happening.  I don't think I have ever delved too deep into my prior relationship on this blog....But it is true I was engaged once before. Between the ages of 16-19. I was RIDICULOUS. My poor Mom. She was so gracious, and tried to be happy for me. I know inside she was screaming at me. But she needed for me to make my own decisions, and realize for myself how wrong it was. We were going to get married on April 18, 2008. We even went as far as booking a gorgeous mansion in the area, making plans, etc...Then one day something hit me. And I told him I thought we should postpone it. We continued our relationship, I moved to Florida and then on April 19th 2008, his step-dad, who I was very close to, passed away at the tender age of 40. I remember thinking...."Holy crap. If we had decided to get married yesterday, this would have been all we would be able to associate our marriage with. The death of someone we loved so much." It just reaffirmed my belief that I had made the right decision in calling it off. Throughout the rest of our relationship, we entertained the idea of getting married. Even considered going to the courthouse.We tried having a baby together after suffering a miscarriage from a surprise pregnancy (stupid decision # 2. I was so very blinded by him). We tried for 5 months and could never get pregnant again. There was always *something* that stopped me from committing fully to our relationship. And I truly believe it was God telling me "No, Ashley. Wait. You have a man in Maryland waiting for you who is going to give you a beautiful daughter, and a life you truly deserve." I thank Him everyday for helping me to be strong and for His guidance.

Okay, enough sap! I am a giddy, excited, blushing bride! I need to get a wedding binder. As it stands now, all our wedding plans/paperwork are cluttering up our kitchen table. I can't wait to blog all about the journey of wedding planning! So we will start with this:

September 24th, Eastern Standard time....

I can't believe a year went by so fast.

Ahhhh, RENT. You always have a quote that fits so perfectly!

In about 6 more hours, Mackenzie Paige will officially be 1 year old. My baby isn't a baby anymore!! We had her birthday party yesterday, and it was AMAZING. Our closest friends and family were there (minus a couple, sadly) and it was such a beautiful turnout. A friend of mine is a budding photographer and we had her come in and shoot the whole thing. We got some WONDERFUL shots!! I will get the full shoot back tomorrow, but I do have a couple of teaser photos for you! Another friend of mine does cakes, and made perfect cake! Yummy too!

I can't believe how much my little girl has grown. You don't really see it as it's happening before you. But when I go back and look at her pictures from last year, and yesterday, the difference is astounding.

From a little redhead, to a beautiful blonde! She never really had that "newborn" look though. She never looked like a scrawny little wrinkly thing. But her eyes are the most gorgeous shade of blue, and her skin is so delicate. I could stare at her all day!

I have been so blessed this past year. I treasure every moment, even the not-so-great ones. She has her days when she tests me, and pushes my buttons, and by the end of the day I want to "send her back" (not really, it's a joke my dad used to make about me when I was a baby!). But She has truly changed me as a person. She's made me a better person. And she will always be loved.

Happy birthday my little Philadelphia Miracle!!

I"'ll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

It happened.

For the last 3 years, it's something I have written about a lot. Something that I have been impatiently waiting for since I knew that J was the love of my life. And tonight, it finally happened.

WE ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Not only was today my birthday, but J asked me to be his wife!!

We were getting ready to leave for dinner. I was holding Mackenzie in my arms and asked Josh to get her diaper bag which was in front of me. He knelt down on one knee, which I thought odd, and never stood back up. Instead, he grabbed my hand and held it and said:

"Ashley, I was going to wait to do this at dinner, but I couldn't think of a more perfect pace then in our home where we first met and you holding our beautiful daughter. We have so many memories here, and I can't wait to make even more. Will you marry me?"

Then he pulled out the ring, and the tears started flowing. I couldn't freaking believe it. When he first started, I thought he was joking. I was going to KILL him. But no. This was real. It was really happening. It was like a dream. And it was completely NOT how I imagined it. It was so much better.

I am still reeling over it. We celebrated tonight with all of our friends and family. This has been such a perfect day.

The only day that could be more perfect will be on October 26th 2013, when I officially become his wife. Let the wedding planning commence!!!

Tag! You're it!

So I tag all of my lovely followers, if you keep a blog, for the "I love your blog" tag!

Onto the questions!

I Love Your Blog Rules:
1. Pass this award on to everyone
2. Answer the following questions using only one word. One word? Yeah right!

A:1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Where is your significant other? Fast asleep in our bed
3. Your hair color? Dirty blonde
4. Your mother? Amazing <3 span="span">
6. Your favorite thing? Money! HA!
7. Your dream last night? Weird. Involving a drunken J vomiting all over the place. Yuck.
8. Your dream/goal? Get back into the field I went to school for.
9. The room you're in. Dining room
10. Your hobby? Blogging & singing
11. Your fear? Losing J or our daughter, vomit, failure.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Married, another child (boy, hopefully!) working in a Drs. office or hospital, and in our house on our 3 acre lot!
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Perfect. I do the best I can, and be the best person I can be. I speak from the heart, I love with everything in me. But I make mistakes.
15. One of your wish-list items? All the fall decor I can get my hands on!
16. Where you grew up? Philadelphia <3>
17. The last thing you did? Take a sip of my Diet Coke
18. What are you wearing? Pink and white polka-dot nightie.
19. Your TV? 52 inch Mitsubishi....I didn't even know they made TV's!
20. Your pet? Our 7 month old shepard/lab, Cash. And our twin boy tabby cats Rocky & Rambo
21. Your computer? A complete POS I got after my GOOD laptop was ruined beyond repair. But it'll do!
22. Your mood? Chilled out, excited and impatient!
23. Missing someone?  Always.
24. Your car? Don't have one =( Hopefully I will soon though!  

25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Yankee Candle, and any store where I can get home decor/holiday decor.
27. Your summer? This summer was weird. I am glad it's over.
28. Love someone? Beyond what words can express.
29. Your favorite color? PINK!!
30. When is the last time you laughed? About 20 minutes ago while watching a Jenna Marbles video.
31. Last time you cried? A few days ago.
32. Are you a bitch? I don't try to be, but sometimes I am.
33. Favorite Position? Administrative! HA! Too personal to answer the *real* question!
34. Favorite Past Time? Singing
35. Are you a hater or a Lover? Definitely a lover. I do not like it when someone is mad at me.
37. Are you genuine or fake? Genuine.But I guess that is really up for you to decide.
38. Any Vices? Giving in to my food cravings, shopping!
39. Pro Life or Wire Hanger? I lean more toward Pro-Life. But I don't really see the point in making abortion illegal. Just let a person make their own decision. They are the one's who will have to live with it for the rest of their life.
40. ROMNEY or OBAMA? Romney all the way! I am not thrilled with his position on social issues like abortion and gay marriage. BUT- I think economical issues are WAY more important, and he has a better plan in place to get this country back on track. Obama is just digging us into a deeper hole then we started out in.
41. Pro Plastic or Natural? Do whatever makes you happy!
42. Dream Job? Administrative Assistant for a hospital.


Now go! I tag you all to do the survey!!

Ramblings of a young Republican

Can you tell I am SO ready for Fall to begin?! Hopefully it will be here sooner rather than later. The high is 91 today with a heat index of 99. YUCK.

Anywho- Onto the important things! Election time is upon us, and it brings out the crazy in all of us. We all think we are right....I just happened to actually BE right! Haha- Get it?

It's no secret that I am extremely Republican. Now, I say Republican and not Conservative, because I have always felt there is a big difference between the two. I am 100% completely a staunch Republican in regards to fiscal issues. Social issues? I do lean more to the left there....But not entirely. Do I think EVERYONE has the right to get married, whether you are black, white, gay, or straight? Sure. But I don't honestly care enough about it to let that sway my decision in the election. It doesn't affect me because....Well, I'm not gay. Do I think making abortions illegal is a little extreme and opens up a whole can of worms for the rape/incest/medical complications aspect of it? Yes. But I don't condone abortion either. I personally think it should be left the hell alone, and if a person wants to have an abortion for any reason, that's on them. THEY have to live with the decision, not me. I wouldn't do it, under any circumstance. If I were told I would die unless I had an abortion? I don't know....Part of me wants to say yes, I would do it. But the other part of me believes that God does have a plan. And when people are taken from this earth WAY too early, it's because God has a bigger plan for them in Heaven, then here on earth. As for rape- Again, I think it should be left up to a personal decision. I wouldn't do it, EVER. There are details of my life that I am not going to put out here. But I will say this- I have personal reasons for why I feel the way I do. If a woman is raped and becomes pregnant- That is absolutely horrible and I can imagine the emotional/physical pain of it. But that baby- that INNOCENT baby who had no choice in the matter either, is still part of that woman. Who is to say that woman can't grow up to love her child. regardless of who the "sperm donor" was. Just because the father is a complete monster, doesn't mean the child will grow up to be. That's the beauty of the father NOT being in the picture. It's a chance for the Mother to watch her child grow up, and teach them how to be a decent, caring, and moral person.

And then, there is always the WONDERFUL gift of adoption. So many people forget about that. About how many people there are in the world who can't have a child on their own. It makes me sad, because I used to think I would be one of those people. *hugs daughter tight*.

But what *really* matters right now, is the economy. That is the biggest issue and should be TOP priority. Democrats don't want to make it the top priority. They think social issues should be dealt with first. I can't for the life of me, see the logic behind that. Like. At all. I kind of feel like grabbing one and shaking them, slapping them across the face screaming "Are you crazy?!?!" So...You're gay and you are now officially allowed to get married anywhere you want, anyway you want. You want the big dream wedding that everyone dreams of. But oops.... The economy is still shit. You lost your job 6 months ago because your company went out of business because they couldn't afford the cost of Obamacare. You can't find a job paying the same salary, so you're flipping burgers at McDonalds to try to scrape by. Too bad you can't put that OH SO IMPORTANT social issue of legalizing gay marriage EVERYWHERE to use and you know, actually get married. Oh darn.

It would be great if we lived in a perfect world where everyone's view and beliefs were the same. But it would also be kind of boring, dont you think? Are Romney/Ryan my ideal candidates? No. None of the candidates this year really were. Until a Republican candidate comes along and is in favor of legalizing gay marriage and leaving abortion up to a personal decision, AFTER, of course, focusing on the economy, I will never have an ideal candidate. However- I just can't stand behind Obama after all the lies he has told, and all the deceit. He is a scary, scary man. He seems like a wonderful person, outside of politics. But as a politician and Commander in Chief? I am scared shitless of him and what he has done already/could do in another 4 years. There are so many "unknowns" about this man, and it is terrifying.

If you've reached the end of this, depending on your party, you are either applauding, or wanting to ring my neck. Feel free to leave comments! I love a good debate =)

=)

I will have exciting news in the next few weeks! Stay tuned!