work.

is your job this fun?
california trip.
Yup, I'm on a business trip in orange county right now....and I thought I'd share with you what I've been up to.

does anyone have good restaurant recommendations for the Anaheim, Newport, orange county areas??

crafty things

it's true...this girl has tried becoming crafty.
this whole entire week has been prep for CHA
(see previous CHA show posts here & here & here)

i was asked to help out with getting some fun projects ready for CHA.

here's a little glimpse of some of the projects i worked on this week:

oops. that york peppermint heart wasn't something i made.

i actually ate one while i was crafting.

it was delish if you were wondering....

well, we officially fly out to Anaheim tomorrow morning to get all set up for the show.
the thing i hate the most about CHA?
packing!
i hate packing for ANY kind of trip.
i get paranoid at what to pack and i always worry that i'll not have enough accessories, socks, undies(TMI?), or shoes...

so, any suggestions on how to make a successful packing list?
i always freak out.
oh, and i don't like to FLY...actually i don't like when the plane takes off the ground.
it scares me to death.
but, oh well...

so, give it to me straight...i need help with packing.
any tips, suggestions, etc?

good morning my dearest readers.
guess what, you're probably sick of hearing me talk about sponsorship, but i still have some sponsorship spots left.

does anyone want to claim a spot?
going once, going twice....

email me: ashley.warner88@gmail.com if you're interested in snagging one of the spots left.
i love sponsors and am so glad that i've had such a great response!

you guys are seriously the best.
i'm so serious that i am hosting a giveaway...

hooray for giveaways, right?

i am giving away the above FRAME (ikea)

the valentine's day Crate Paper garland (handmade by moi)

the dusty canyon road print (taken by moi)

so there are THREE different items to win my dears....

to enter:

1 - must be a follower of ATA (mandatory)

2 - you can blog about this and link back to me

3 - you can facebook it and link back to me

4 - leave a comment on your favorite Valentine's day tradition

5 - refer a friend to my blog (and comment about it) (unlimited)

6 - become a SPONSOR of ALL THINGS ASHLEY

you can enter 6 times

but the more friends you refer, the more chances you have of winning.

giveaway ends on February 4th at 12:00 AM

best of luck

some more vegas.

sorry for the photo overload, but i had WAY too much fun with my gal pals over the weekend.

i think the highlight of the trip was going to see phantom...well, maybe it was the few hours spent in H&M...or maybe going to Serendipity and stuffing our faces with delicious goodness...well, ok, i can't choose one thing i loved most.

i love my gal pals and how much fun we have together...we even made music videos on the way home from vegas...maybe i'll show them to you...

maybe....

what's your favorite thing to do in vegas?

or on vacation?

sponsors

hey ladies (and gents...)
i am offering FREE SPONSORSHIP for the month of February.
are you interested?

please email me: ashley.warner88@gmail.com for more information.
i am willing to do button-swapping as well.

ATA gets 800-1200 views PER WEEK y'all.
that's pretty impressive for such a 'small blog' if i do say-so myself.

so, if you're interested, please let me know ASAP.
spots are very LIMITED this time because i've had so many people interested
in being a sponsor.

hope to see you as a sponsor of ATA.

lots of love.

x - ashley

vegas road trip pt. 1

the gorgeous bunch (nickname we call ourselves)

we on a road trip to Las Vegas.

we were there for a total of 36 hours (to be precise)

it was a short trip, but jam-packed with a lot of fun.

we left my condo about 5 pm and the journey commenced.

we drove straight to st. george and stopped off at nielsens for dinner/and a treat.

then we met up with one of the guys' dads to drop off the saw (see first photo)

then we made our way to the bright lights of vegas.

when we got there, we checked into our hotel and went to the room.

we freshened up and went out for the night (ya, we went out at 12:15 AM)

we hit up this karaoke club in the hotel and ordered soda.

the bartender looked at us with disgust since none of us drink alcohol.

it was actually pretty hysterical. 

we were all so exhausted that we giggled out of control and people must've thought we were drinking...hmm it's the Mormon way to have fun y'all!

stay up late and you'll be a giggling and acting like a fool.

we went to bed around 3 AM.

the first night of our trip was a success.

how was YOUR weekend?

what did you do?!

calling all sponsors

hey my dearest reader.
I hope you've had a marvelous weekend!
I'm actually in the passenger seat of the car driving home from the girls weekend in Vegas. No big deal, right?

well...January is almost coming to an end and I thought I'd give fair warning to those who are interested in doing a sponsorship for February.

The month of February is going to be FREE! I have several sponsorship slots available for February so if you're interested in being a sponsor, please email me: ashley.warner88@gmail.com to reserve your spot ASAP

and on that note, I'll leave you with a few photos from my weekend in Vegas......

guest blogger: aiukli:because life is beautiful

Hello beautiful readers of all things Ashley! My name is Mallori. I blog over at aiukli: because life is beautiful!

It's my personal blog about life. A lot of my posts are random, and I tend to blab on and on about the little things that occur in my life day in and day out. I've owned my blog for a while, but I just started blogging a little more consistently, and so I like to say that my blog just turned a year old.

I currently work for a local bank, and am trying to figure out what I'm wanting to do as far as a career goes. I love my job, and I love the opportunities I'm getting as far as promotions go. Who knows, I may end up doing this as a career and never being happier!

As far as aiukli, I got the inspiration for it in my first semester in college. Back then, I wasn't as happy as I am now, and looking back I know that. The word "aiukli" means beautiful in my Native language, Choctaw. My perspective on this is to look for the beauty in everything in the world. Someone makes you angry, breaks your heart, bad mouths those you love? Try to find the positive somehow. Don't get me wrong, I have my days where I just rant on my blog. But on those days, I try to end the post with at least something positive or something in the near future I'm looking forward to. It's all about perspective. To remind myself of this perspective, I got it forever ingrained in a place I will see every day:

A little more about me:

I talk about my family and my friends all the time. I don't participate in too many memes because I hate feeling like I have to do x meme on Monday, xx meme on Tuesday, and so on. So you'll see memes randomly. I'm in my mid 20s. I'm obsessed with the color purple, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Love Actually. I'm freakishly tall for a girl. I really like Ke$ha a lot (no judging!). I'm in a committed relationship with my DVR.

 

I hope to meet many more of you soon! I've enjoyed following Ashley for some time now (she has been a part of my blog for a majority of the year I've been a more consistent blogger!). Thank you Ashley for letting me be a part of your blog!

i workout

well, since i've been slacking on my fitness blog (oops) i guess i'll just keep you in the loop here.
as some of you know (from previous posts) i decided to run a half marathon.

i am currently 20 weeks away from race day and i am feeling great.
tonight i went running alone, which is something i love.
i love to just run and have time to think (and jam out to rock music)
i ran for 3 miles straight.
no stopping.
no slowing down.
no breaks.
about 13 minutes into my run the sweat commenced and that was that. (waterworks)
(sorry if that's ultra nasty TMI to the max, but whatevs)
i finished strong and was running at 5.7 on the treadmill (give me a break, you runners out there)
i felt great and tonight i am feeling so energetic and pumped.

i came home and grilled some chicken.
cooked some broccoli, carrots, and onions.
my dinner was delish.

there's something about being in healthy habits that makes me so happy.
i just feel healthier and happier.
oh, and this is one of my proud moments...i've lost 10 lbs. thus far!

yippee!  i am so happy about that.  my jeans are starting to sag a little bit, but it's ok.
my goal was to drop 30 lbs overall, not necessarily for the weight issue, but i realized that being 'lighter' would make it easier for me to run the half marathon.

and let me tell you.  watching my caloric intake, running, weight lifting (toning), and using myfitnesspal.com really does WONDERS.

i might start posting my "progress" photos (if i'm brave enough) because i am just feeling so good y'all...but i am thinkin' it might scare the children
(or gross your babies out if you're preggo - again, thanks GLEE for the reference)

information for sponsors

information for sponsors:

1 - email me a button to post on my blog (it needs to be no more than 200x200 pixels)
2 - i need an address (web address) to link your photo to (your blog!)
3 - if you're interested in doing a guest post, let me know!

it's really as simple as that.
my email address: ashley.warner88@gmail.com

remember, sponsorship is FREE!

giveaway: life as i know it

Greetings readers of All Things Ashley, it is I, Amy from Life as I know It.

Come over and check me out!

Miss Ashley has been kind enough to invite me for a guest post giveaway, and I am very excited.

Seriously, I love this girl.

What you ask will I be giving away today?

TWO lucky winners will receive their choice of hand painted canvas done by yours truly.

Here's how to enter:

1. Be a follower of Life as I know it (mandatory)

2. Leave a comment telling which canvas you would choose.

3. Blog or Facebook about the giveaway with a link so I can see

4. Be a follower of ATA.

5. and just for fun... what do your socks look like today?

5 ways to enter my ladies (and maybe gents)...5!

Leave a seperate comment for each entry.

The winners will be announced on January 28th.

Here's to winning!

love.

guest blogger: contemplating beauty

hello all.
it's wednesday and it's time for a guest blogger on ATA.
today, my guest is Gina from the lovely blog contemplating beauty
her blog is full of all things beautiful.
she is an inspiration and i highly recommend you go show her some blog love.

Hi there! I am Gina and I blog over at Contemplating Beauty, and I am so so excited to be sponsoring All Things Ashley! I have been blogging more often for the last 4 months or so; my blog isn't really a specialty blog, it's a variety of all things family, all things spiritual, and all things beautiful. I have always been a writer, but realized the reason I love to blog is because I love to share and I adore the connection with people!

When I'm not blogging you can find me walking my little apricot-bichon poo, managing my teenage daughter's hectic schedule, exploring new cities, writing (pen and paper style), reading, or playing board games with my family. And I just recently opened up my shop on Etsy, The Vintage Violet Shop!

I love to thrift (it's where I feel most comfortable), my church, art, travel, and all things nature.

Come by and say hello, I'd love to meet you!

i can do anything (with God)

(pinterest)

this morning as i was driving to work, i was listening to my "country lovin" playlist.
 reader, do you ever get like me...in the sense that you sometimes get into a "lovey dovey" mood?  where it's ok to listen to mushy love songs.
singing at the top of your lungs "it's a love story baby just say..YES"


well, as of late, i've been in one of those moods (the past few days or so...)
where i just enjoy thinking of being in love.
it's taken me 23 years to realize that in order for me to be in love with someone, i need to first, love myself.
and guess what, i have come to realize that i really love the person i am today.
perhaps that sounds a little conceded or arrogant, but it's the only way i can describe it.
i spent the other night home alone.
alone.
before (in my freshman college years) being alone meant you were a loser.
that you had no friends, no plans, and therefore, you were a lime-a-loser (thanks, glee).
but being all alone is so refreshing to me now.
it's time to unwind, to do things for me, to read a good book, to meditate and just think.

i guess, what i'm trying to say, is that for the first time in a long time, i've come to the realization that i need to just have patience with myself, that i need to truly love being alone, that i need to appreciate myself before i can love someone else.
and i am happy to say, that i am on that road.
i had the 'ah-ha' moment.
my life isn't perfect, but it's never going to be.


life doesn't usually pan out or go the way you want it to.
God has a better plan for you.
He knows the best thing for you.
in my scripture study last night, i read this verse:


"But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen." (1 Nephi 9:6)

and i realized (again) that that's all i need to know. that God "knoweth all things from the beginning" and that He knows my life is going to pan out the way He intends it to, because He knows better than me.  He knows better than me what is going to be best for me.  He knows what I need to learn. He knows that even though i might complain about not being this or not having that...that in the end, it'll all be the way it needs to be.

i just had to get that thought out tonight to share my feelings.
i am seriously so blessed.
i am so thankful for the life i've been granted.
for the breath that God grants to me daily.
i am nothing without God.

"two men can do anything, as long as one of them is the Lord" (Neil L. Andersen)
i am a firm believer in that.
i can do ANYTHING as long as i keep the Lord in my life.

life is truly a gift and is so wonderful, my dears.
i am so thankful for another day to be alive.
to be able to learn, to grow, and to share the love of the Lord with others.
i have a long ways to go, but i am happy with the path i am on.

and i really feel like i've been given this time to become a better person so that one day in the future, i can be the best wife/mother/friend/daughter/sister i can be.

guest blogger: everyday is a new adventure

guess what?
it's mondayyyyyy (again) hooray!

guest what that means?
it's time for another guest post from a lovely ATA friend.
this gal is one of my newest blog friends.
i adore her blog.  her life is seriously the coolest.
reader, meet Alyx.




Hello, readers of All Things Ashley! 
Allow me to introduce myself - my name is Alyx, and I blog over at Every Day is a New Adventure. My super amazing hubby and I are currently livin' it up in the good ole land of beer and Lederhosen [that's Germany if you couldn't guess], and so far we are loving it! Feel free to come by and say hello - I love meeting new people! 

We are obviously very sophisticated adults. Anyway, I'm so excited that I get to be a guest here on Ashley's blog - it is one of my daily reads! As I was trying to channel my inner creativeness [which is almost non-existent] trying to come up with a worthy guest post, inspiration high-fived me in the face [okay, not really... but it sounded cool].  

Baby Fever: the Incredibly Contagious and Easy to Catch Disease that Comes upon You When You Least Expect It 
Beware: it can happen to you. Yes, you. The girl sitting at her computer thinking to herself what is this chick smoking? I'm young and have my whole life ahead of me. No way will I get baby fever anytime soon. PUH-LEASE. I was you once. Heck, I was you a month ago. But then... something happened. I caught baby fever. I caught it bad.One day I was telling my husband how I was going to take over the world with my awesomeness and super woman powers go to school and get my PhD in Economics, travel the world doing guest lectures, and teach at the university level. The next day, I saw these all over the place. No matter where I went, little pinchable baby cheeks started popping up in my face.  

This is how you catch the fever:- Your friends all start getting pregnant and having babies.- You see other people's New Year's Resolutions, and they include having babies.- Your younger siblings start beating you at having babies.- You see adorable babies on TV, Facebook, billboards, blogs - EVERYWHERE. It's like they're taking over the world. - You watch Season 6 of How I Met Your Mother and start to bond with Lily in her baby craze. - Eventually, you are overcome by the cuteness of those little monsters and decide that you need one in your belly. 

This is how to avoid catching the fever:- Don't have married friends. Or friends that forget to use protection and end up with an illegitimate child in their belly. - Don't watch season 6 of How I Met Your Mother.- Don't let your siblings have children. Nieces and nephews are the #1 cause of this deadly disease. - Only look at ugly babies. Here, let me help you: 

Sorry if your eyes just burned out of your head. But on the bright side ... My baby fever is cured.

HOPE NECKLACE

alright, it's monday morning and you're thinkin to yourself...
i wonder who won that pretty necklace that ashley was giving away on her blog.

wait, you didn't think that this morning?
whaaaaa?

maybe you should've, and it would've doubled your chances to win the necklace people.
just teasin...kinda.

i am seriously so jealous of Megan (see her blog here)

Megan, you're the winner of the HOPE NECKLACE GIVEAWAY

Megan said...
My hope for 2012 is to work on loving myself (inside AND out) and to work on strengthening my relationship with Christ.

January 3, 2012 10:02 PM

megan. please email me your mailing address and your little gift will be on it's way in the mail this week. (ashley.warner88@gmail.com)
congrats again.

and thanks to all those who entered the giveaway.
i was so happy to hear that all of you are so hopeful and optimistic.
it makes me so happy.

anddddd....i love free stuff, don't you?!

ps. i am wondering what would you absolutely just LOVE to win?

jewelry?

food?

clothing?