A running story

For those of you who have known me for years, you've probably heard this story.

It's something that people inquire about - especially those who do not partake in this activity themselves.

This is the story of how I became a runner.

I get asked a lot if I ran cross country in high school. Negative. I hated running in high school. Freshman year track was torture but growing up with a father who was a high school all star in basketball, football, and track I didn't want to let him down by quitting (even though as the greatest father in the world he still would have been proud).

So I attempted to be a sprinter - because distance was oh-so out of the question - and sucked at it - terribly. Someone should have told me that the short legs that prevented me from being a decent basketball player also hindered my speed on the track.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Thankfully, good genes meant I didn't have to work too hard to stay slim. (Thanks, mom and dad). That is, until college.

My first week in the dorms included chips, soda, candy, beer, and pizza from every place in EL that would deliver. I gained 7 pounds in one week.

SEVEN pounds.

I'm just over 5 feet tall - that's a LOT of weight for one week.

An article like this really would have helped a girl out...

So I decided to take action and start working out, at the gym, for the first time in my life.

it. was. painful.

And for some reason, the treadmill seemed like my only option. But I kept at it, through the long winter, and when the weather turned nice in the spring I hit the running trails. Just like that, addiction.

I joined the running club, started racing, endured foot and back injuries along the way, and am still at it. I'll admit, I've taken time off out of pure laziness - but as I've said before, I run so I can eat, so I always come crawling back.

Watch out, because one day that fat kid inside of me may just get out and steal your cookie.

So tell me dear readers, how did you get into your most cherished hobbies?

Cheers!

-A

Come back

Oh what I would give to have the weekend back.

This one was one of the best I've had since my return to the Midwest.

Intrigued? I hope so, because I'm going to tell you all about it!

This weekend was one of those rare fall weekends where I stuck around town. Fall is a great time to travel and go back home for tailgating with friends and college football watching with my pops, but it was wonderful to have a lazy couple days to myself for a change. Though it was a fairly active lazy, if I do say so myself.

Friday night was sushi date night - and not with my girlfriends this time. I actually went out on a date.

*gasp*

I know! Stepping out of the comfort zone, ladies and gentlemen.

What's even better...I accepted a second date with him for later this week. I'm just as shocked as you are.

Ultimate laziness ensued on Saturday. Sleeping in, running a couple errands, watching movies alone in my apartment all afternoon, a quick workout and some Saturday night grocery shopping. Yep, I'm that cool.

A late night trip to Target was the most beneficial as I picked up a few pumpkin spice and Glade apple cinnamon scented candles. These things are amazing - the scent fills the entire room (highly recommended)! Now my apartment constantly smells of fall and I love it!. I can't wait for my trip to the cider mill next weekend for some apple cider and pumpkin donuts...mmmmm.....

Sunday included brunch with a long lost girlfriend, a trip to a local national forest with a friend for some hiking and photography, cleaning my apartment top to bottom (I even vacuumed the couch cushions) and finishing the weekend with some yoga.

And now, sitting here at the office preparing for a hectic four day work week, I can't help but look back and wish that I could do it all over again.

A great weekend indeed.

Aside from Alexa, who's weekend was also awesome, and CC who managed to carve out an entire day to herself, anyone do anything exciting this weekend?

Cheers!

-A

New habits

They say it takes 21 days for new habits to congeal.

YIKES!

So you're telling me that when I start a new routine with the best of intentions it's going to take 21 days of will power and determination to make it stick?

Now I'm no expert, and for all I know they aren't either, but that seems like a hell of a long time.

Who the F-word are they anyway? And since when can they tell me how long my habits are going to take to form. They don't know me! Unless of course, they read my blog - ha! Who am I kidding!

From experience, when new habits are consciously entered into my life they really begin to set in when I see results - running more means I can eat more, which is a great incentive to keep it up! I'll take any reason I can get to eat. Deep down, there's a fat kid inside of me, just waiting to get out and steal your cookie. I'm sure there are other examples but I don't feel like thinking of them. It's Friday, give a girl a break.

In thinking about it, 21 days is probably an average. Some mathematical calculation that the collective they came up with to sound smart, while in reality they watched people for a few weeks and said "yeah, I'm bored, 21 days is probably about right. We'll say that, people always believe us!"

So tell me dear readers, what are some of your new habits? Have they stuck? How long has it taken for your habits to congeal?

Cheers!

-A

(Editors note: this post is really stupid - probably the worst yet. It should be Photography Friday and I've been slacking so this is what you get. Come back Monday for some crap that's only slightly better.)

Another Football Post?

Yeah, I know, there are a few of you - or at least one of you - who have probably already quit reading because so many of my thoughts lately have revolved around football. What can I say, this time of the year gets me all nostalgic over my college days and tailgating with the 40,000 other undergrads at my alma mater.

Which is exactly what I got to do this weekend!

Party it up at the tennis courts, student style, with my girls from college and even some friends from high school.

(The crew, minus a few, at the tennis courts - a student tailgate hot spot)

Then I got to watch my Spartans kick some Fighting Irish booty in style, with one of the biggest MSU sports fans known to man, and one of my favorite people in the universe - my dad.

(Not bad seats, eh?)

Let me tell you, it was a fantastic weekend - as you can see.

And I get to do it all over again in two weeks when homecoming rolls around. I'll be home for four days to partake in more tailgating and joyous fall festivities including a trip to my home town cider mill and some much needed photography time - it's bound to be rather beautiful in Michigan that time of the year.

So tell me dear readers, what fall festivities have you enjoyed so far this year? What are you looking forward to most in the remaining months of 2008?

Personally, I'm getting excited for the holidays. But then again, not so excited for the snow and bitter winds. Again with the catch-22 - I'm full of them this week!

Cheers!

-A

Being scared isn't a weakness

Okay, so maybe it is. But just like everyone else, I don’t like admitting weakness. And I suppose, just like most other 20-somethings, I’m freaking scared.

Scared of growing up, being an adult, scared of being out on our own, scared of losing our jobs in this roller coaster economy, scared of the wrong candidate getting elected into office. Scared of being alone, yet scared of commitment. It is the latter, my dear friends, that scares me the most.

Sure, I’m scared of all of the above from time to time, and probably a whole host of other things – but I recently uncovered my current fear, being alone and being part of a couple.

Gotta love a good catch-22.

This, of course, leads me to hang onto my single-ness for dear life, purley out of comfort. It’s what I know, and for some reason I’m more comfortable with myself than with someone else.

WHAT THE…

Why the heck is this?

I mean, it’s not as if I have that much trouble finding a date – it’s just that I have trouble going on them. Recently the BFF said something to me that helped, briefly, “c’mon Ash, it’s not as if you’re marrying the guy – give him a shot.”

Point taken.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m even remotely capable of wiping away my fear that going on a second date might eventually lead to something great, yet something that has the potential to take away my independence. After all, if there’s one thing in my life that I’m proud of, and that I’ve worked so hard to become, is a strong, independent woman.

More than changing things, though, I’d like to figure out what exactly I have to be afraid of. Going on a date is not making a life-changing commitment – as proven by the BFF above. Is it that I’m just not finding the right guy from whom to accept a second date offer? (If you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to send them my way!)

Or is it about getting hurt? Better yet, is it about letting someone else in? Or maybe, fear of letting go of the past?

Maybe I should just accept that next date invite, and see where it goes…

Who am I kidding, I don’t even like talking about it, let alone acting on it.

Anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation?

What are you scared of?

Cheers!

-A

Editor’s note: I was even scared to write this post. But then I realized how great my readers are – and if anyone is willing to listen, it’s you.

Friday Frivolity

I stole the title of this post from the weekly Friday column of my good friend Luke Armour. I hope he doesn't mind - it just suited today so well. Thanks, buddy. If I ever manage to write anything good, you can borrow it too!

Yesterday sucked.

A big steaming pile of elephant dung.

Seriously. And this wasn't just the case for my little corner of the world. It was a trend. See here, here and here for proof. C'mon, you didn't think I'd expect you to take my word for it, did you?

But it's Friday now, and that's fantastic! That means tomorrow is the big day - MSU vs. Notre Dame.


It's a white out game - I love those! More than that, tailgating starts promptly at 10 a.m., at the tennis courts, with some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Turns out, this is an unplanned reunion for the girls I lived with freshman year. Guess that takes care of this problem. We're missing a few of the gang that became our Lou Ha's group every Thursday senior year, but plans are in the works for a later date.

But that's not the point.

The point is that I'm taking a long weekend to enjoy my time at home and soak up every ounce of Michigan State in the fall that I can. I'm counting on an Autumn-tastic weekend and getting to partake in all my favorite fall past times.

Therefore, I will not be posting for a few days. I know, you're heart broken, I'm sorry. And I'm not cool enough in the blogosphere (yet?) to have a guest blogger on the scene to fill your need of bad stories. But I promise, I'll be back with plenty of crazy encounters to share with y'all on Tuesday.

Until then, enjoy your weekend. It's supposed to be beautiful in the north!

Cheers!

-A

I love... a good story

It has come to my attention recently that I am a bad story teller.

I think this comes as no surprise to some of you. If you've ever found any of my written thoughts to be scattered, just wait until you talk to me in person!

(Though I'm not nearly as awful as this man when it comes to stories...thankfully!)

Most stories start with me getting the listener all worked up, "you're never going to beelieeve what happened to me last night!"

Followed by a part of the story, then me realizing that I missed an important detail," wait, but before that, this happened, and then we went to meet up with Steve."

Oh and of course when I realize you have no idea who Steve is, I have to give you the back story of our friendship - if you're even still listening at this point. By the time I've finished explaining all the mundane details, the story really isn't all that great (which it probably wasn't to begin with), and I walk away perplexed, "well I sure that it was funny."

But that's not even the point of this post.

See, tangent, before the story even started - and you're probably so tired already you don't even want to read on. It's okay, I understand.

What I'm really here to write about are my loves - those things in my life as it stands right now that I cherish. As a people, we don't take enough time out of our day to appreciate all the wonderful things happening in our lives, and all the people we are blessed to share it with. Thanks to Jenn for her Addicted to Love post that inspired my positive outlook today. So without further sappiness, here's a quick snapshot at the current loves of my life:

Crisp fall morning runs, changing leaves, reunions with college friends, laughing, weekends with the family, thrill seeking, feather pillows, nightly walks to the park, pumpkin flavored everything, blogger friends, sushi, Miller Lite and cornhole, clean sheets, photography outings, meeting people everywhere, fall colors at dusk, green tea with blueberry, impromptu brainstorms with coworkers, reading in the evening, planning my week on Friday, Home Improvement reruns, honesty, organization, thinking about the holidays, libraries, Michigan State's campus.

It's very autumn-esque.

So tell me dear readers, what is it that you love?

Cheers!

-A

-A is for Ashley

Seriously, it is.

After some serious thought, I've decided that I'm sick of writing under an anonymous handle. -A is just too impersonal, and you deserve more of me than that. As time goes on and my blog continues to evolve into this amazing ongoing conversation (thanks, for that, by the way), I feel closer to all y'all out there who are reading and commenting.

And let's be honest here, it's not as if I was all that anonymous anyhow. My Twitter, 20SB, and Facebook friends are well aware of this.

So I'm out. It's official. I'm Ashley.

(I know, we're just as surprised as you are!)

To all those who have followed me for so many months, to my regular readers and commenters, and to all those who are new or just stopping by: nice to meet you - finally.

Cheers!

-A

(It's out of pure laziness that I will continue to sign off as -A, but you can call me Ashley, or Princess Ashley, if you feel the urge - I'm okay with that.)

The easy way out

(They may be lazy, but at least they're doing it together)

I have an opinion – shocker, I know.

This is something I’ve eluded to before in tweets and posts (that unfortunately, I can’t seem to locate right now).

The world around us today is making it easier and easier to get results without hard work or taking risks.

In today’s society, we don’t have to interact face to face with one another to get things done, heck, we don’t even have to speak to start dating (thanks, eHarmony). Text messaging makes it easier to flirt with and even ask people out without fear of staring rejection in the face. Diet pills are making us lazy, and video games are making our children lazy.



Of course, we can't forget about the Internet. Oh the interwebs, with your glorious tubes of information, how you help us so, and yet, your evil side lurks closely under the surface, waiting for the next, easy pray.

These conveniences are making us softer human beings. Why? Mostly due to perceived increased connectivity from online groups and social networks that ultimately lead to an increase in isolation and loneliness. Not to mention the fact that face to face conversations are becoming obsolete and communication skills (such as eye contact and forming complete, coherent sentences) are faltering.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easy to fall prey to the dark side of social networking. I get wrapped up in talking with my blogger buddies, Facebooking high school and college friends – sometimes, that’s the only way to stay in touch – and tweeting with fellow professionals. Between Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, del.icio.us, Skype, Linkedin, YouTube, Friendfeed, flickr…it’s no wonder our generation is connecting online more than ever.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful each and every day for all the wonderful, talented bloggers I’ve met through online groups, but I’m also looking forward to the day when I can meet you in person – especially those for whom I have some serious blogger crushes. What can I say, I ♥ you all, with all your talent and your charm. When I grow up, I wanna be just like you!

I also think it’s something that we need to make an effort to do more frequently, think tweetups and regional blogger gatherings, follow through with those planned events with friends and colleagues.

Needless to say, it has become a personal goal of mine to step away from the screens (computer, cell phone) and interact on a personal level whenever possible. I continue to look forward to the day when I get to meet my colleagues from around the world that I’ve only spoken to via phone and e-mail, and my fellow 20-something bloggers who validate my opinions every day – which I must admit helps make me feel a little less alone in this world - *sniff sniff* thanks guys!

But I want to hear what you think – are modern conveniences making us lazy, or are they challenging us to employ our willpower, resist temptation for greed and gluttony, and grab the virtual bull by the horns and make something of ourselves? Regardless, I like me a good challenge!

Cheers!

-A

A blessing and a curse

As I've mentioned before, tailgating season is one of my favorites. There's nothing like going home, catching up with old roommates, friends from college and even high school. It seems that no matter how long it's been, we always pick up right where we left off, Miller Lite in hand.

Homecoming weekend never ceases to amaze me as I run into old friends along Grand River (Mike B. if you're reading this, I expect nothing less than to see you in EL again this year, bow tie and all), bounce from tailgate to tailgate, and attend kegs 'n eggs three days in a row to catch up with my dearest fellow alumni.

At the end of the weekend we all jump in our cars or head to the airport to make it back to our real world jobs, hangovers and all. This, my friends, is always a sad reality.


A strange phenomenon happened the year I graduated from undergrad - my friends and I all got big kid jobs. After going through four years of college, wondering what would be in store for us (given that our older siblings struggled mercilessly to find employment after the bubble burst), we all moved on to new places and new adventures - spread far and wide across the country.

(great times were had by all)

Within weeks of graduation I was off to Texas while my dearest friends were packing up and moving to LA, Denver, Chicago, Madison, Indianapolis, Florida, Detroit, North Carolina, Minneapolis...the list goes on. Most of us went on to explore our new worlds alone, sole Spartans on a mission. Others went in pairs, at most.

The situation seemed great - I can visit my friends all over the country, whenever I want. But as the years pass, and I continue to move around the country in search of the perfect city, I wonder if in fact this was a blessing, or a curse. And each year, as the number of friends that return for homecoming festivities dwindles, I continue to lean toward the latter.

The question becomes, then, how does one keep these vastly divided groups of friends as close as they once were while meeting, growing, and thriving in new social circles in this ever so hectic 'adult' life?

What has worked for you, in keeping those friends as close as ever?

For now, it's back to social networking in an attempt to plan the best homecoming tailgate ever.

Cheers!

-A

Autumn-tastic

Fall.

I love it.

I get all excited just thinking about it. Much thanks to Narm for his Autumnatic post providing the inspiration.

There are so many elements to the season that make me happy. The cooler weather - if I can wear jeans and a hoodie outside and be comfortable it's perfect - the smells, the colors, the spirit.

Every year I look forward to fall. The changing leaves, the crisp morning air, cider mills. The unending opportunities to capture the beauty of the changing landscape. And of course football season, which brings a host of other amazing autumn traditions like tailgating, cornhole (or Bags, as we Michiganders call it), spiced cider and hot chocolate to stay warm in the stadium, 'couch Sundays' to recover from tailgate Saturday.

Heading back up to East Lansing to tailgate with my dearest college friends each fall is one of my favorite past times. Though Michigan State's football team isn't the top of the Big 10, our fans are some of the best. We stand by our team (though we're not shy to fire our coaches), and every year Spartan Stadium is proven to be one of the loudest and most difficult stadiums to play on the road. Go Green!!

(Tailgaiting with one of my bestests, Josh!)

See, I'm already getting all fired up!

So tell me, dear readers, what are your favorite fall past times?

Cheers!

-A

Photography Friday

It's official - I'm completely obsessed.

With this picture:


Tuesday's post discussed the most recent trip to Michigan and the incredible photo shoots that ensued. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like without this creative outlet.

Shhh, let's not think about that. Shhh.

Instead, I'm going to praise myself for being able to capture this beautiful piece of nature. While walking along a wooded trail during the heat of the excruciatingly hot late summer day (apologies for the overwhelming number of adjectives in the previous statement) my dad happened upon the greenery you see above and graciously pointed it out.

So I got down on my knees and elbows - which I'm sure was an ever so attractive image in itself - adjusted the camera to a semi slow shutter speed, reduced the depth of field, and *snap.*

Thanks to the shade provided by the lush trees above I was able to capture more mood than anticipated. I was completely amazed upon first view - shocked at how well it turned out. Why? Because I'm really not that great of a photographer. Call it luck and good lighting, call it a miracle for all I care - I'm still proud to call it my own.

I'm heading out again this weekend, in hopes of capturing something even better to share with y'all next week.

Cheers!

-A

'Find out what it means to me'

In this crazy, mixed up world of ours, it seems as though we are losing a quality that [to me] is one of the most important of them all: respect.

Respect for ourselves, respect for our environment, and respect for others.

Why is it, that more than ever, people in this society seem to be so consumed with themselves that they disregard their fellow man and his surroundings?

Of course, I have a number of theories on this (would you expect any less, dear readers?), spanning from how our generation was raised to be independent - think about our schooling and careers first - before adding others to the picture, to the way that being online each and every day is corrupting the way we behave face to face with one another, creating a highly connected society that is more lonely than we've ever been, allowing us to lose all sight of what it means to have respect for anyone or anything aside from ourselves.

But this isn't about me - it's about the billions of other people walking the planet.

Isn't it possible to love yourself and treat those around you with the same amount of respect that you expect in return? I like to think so.

Respect for the time, space, and ideas of other living beings and the world around us. It's the little things in life that really make a difference. Because in the end, if you don't respect the people in your life, how can they, in turn, trust you - and vice versa.

The moral of the story - have a little respect, for everyone and everything. You don't always have to agree be in agreement with the thoughts and actions of others, but making an effort to accept others for who they are and what they stand for can make all the difference.

How we've gotten so far off track - beats me, I'm just a 20-something blogger hoping to find my way.

Cheers!

-A

Random Ramblings

After a long weekend spent back home in Michigan with the fam., I feel refreshed and ready to be back at the office. Either that says something about my job or my parents (just kidding mom and dad!).

Regardless, it was a very relaxing weekend. The weather was beautiful, though a little warm for my taste, especially this time of the year. But the cloudless sky provided the perfect backdrop for a couple photo shoots around small-town America.

(Editor's note: the picture above is from this weekend's shoot. I'm proud to say it's an -A original rather than a Google Image result from keynote "cornfield.")

Some great shots came out of the shoot around MSUs campus as well. Looks like I'll have plenty to share with y'all on this upcoming Photography Fridays. Or, if you just can't wait, go here.

In recent conversations with acquaintances it seems there's a trend of life listing going around. You know, like the Bucket List, only not quite so morbid or depressing. It's really got me thinking about the things I want to accomplish over the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Here's what I've got so far:

1. Go skydiving.
2. Learn the dance to "Time of my life" just like Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze do at the end of Dirty Dancing - and perform in public.


Is it sad that those are the only two items on my "must complete before I kick the bucket" list? What are some of your must dos - in the long or short term?

Some thank yous are in order:

Thanks to Alexa, at Cleveland's a Plum, for thinking of me on Blog Day. I love reading her blog every morning, hearing her tales from around the Cleve. - and I'm honored that she enjoys mine as well.

Thanks to my Dad for trying to teach me how to play golf on Monday. I'll get there some day, dad.

Thanks to Starbucks for providing me a much needed pick up this morning after spending half the night reading the latest paperback in my life.

And of course - thanks to my loyal readers!

Enough with the mushy stuff, it's time to get a move on with this short week. Here's to it being Tuesday when it only feels like Monday.

Cheers!

-A