March: Maui, Hawaii

Day 1: Saturday, March 2, 2013

After months of saving up my bonus from work, I was actually able to join my parents for a week in Maui. I haven't been since 2007 so I was overjoyed when I actually had the plane ticket in my hands. It almost seemed surreal that I was FINALLY able to go back. I had dreamed about Maui since I left and always envisioned myself going back.

Our Saturday started off early. And by early I mean I woke up at 2 in the morning and absolutely did not sleep. We had a flight to catch at 8 which meant we needed to be at the airport at 6 to give us enough time to check in our bags and make it to our gate. Needless to say we had plenty of time to sit and wait but I wasn't complaining, I was on my way to Hawaii!!

My Mom and Dad rode a separate flight from me but we both ended up boarding around the same time. We said our "love yous" and "goodbyes" and boarded our planes. I dreaded the 8 hours there but I know once I stepped foot in the Kahuilui Airport, it would all be worth it. I arrived in San Francisco with plenty of time to make it to my next gate so I decided to go and get coffee and breakfast while I waited. I attempted to take a nap on the way to Maui but I figured I had slept enough on the previous flight and well, I was just too excited anyways. I got lucky and ended up sitting next to a really cute family...a husband and wife and their three sons. It was nice getting to chat with them but I was getting antsy and was definitely ready to make our landing.

Once we got closer to land I could tell it was windy outside because the plane was all over the place and it definitely made for a rough landing. I was no doubt feeling a little sick when everyone got off the plane but I needed to head to the baggage claim to get my luggage. I literally wanted to get on my knees and kiss the ground but I'm sure I'd have security called on me so I opted not to...but holy crap I was FINALLY HERE!!!

I waited for my parents a little over an hour to arrive and it seemed like an eternity. I was definitely ready to leave the airport and make our way around the island. After they arrived we picked up our rental car and made our way to K-Mart...yes, K-Mart. After packing I don't know how many swimsuits, I broke down and ended up buying another one because well, this one was a lot cuter than the ones I already had. After buying what we needed to buy it was time to eat. The airplane food just wasn't cutting it anymore so we made our way to Kihei and checked into our room.

Now here's the story behind the room. Because of the fact that my coming to Hawaii was so last minute, my Dad never managed to call and get anything bigger so needless to say, I slept on the floor. This wasn't a nice and comfy carpeted floor, this was tile floor. But again, I was in Hawaii so who was I to complain? My Dad felt bad, but I already knew that once my head hit that pillow...I would be out. An 8 hour plane ride will do that to you. So anywho, we were still hungry and decided to head to Fred's which was this REALLY good Mexican restaurant that my parents had already frequented many times. Our table was right outside and overlooked the ocean. I was happy and completely content with the sun in my face, a pina colada in front of me and a view of the water. This was already a perfect start to my vacation :)

After full stomachs, we made our rounds to the local shops and found some goodies to spend our money on. We ran across this sweet little asian lady who was more than obliged to give us some free stuff since we had bought a few other things from her. I think we humored her as well but it was nice to get some laughs from her. After leaving there my parents drove me over to The Shops at Wailea and showed me around. And of course I spent more money there too but hey, I was on vacation. It was getting late so we drove back to our room and made our way down to the beach to watch the sunset. I felt so blessed to take my flip flops off and sink my toes in the soft and cool sand. I was here...I was finally here in Hawaii and it was going to be a BEAUTIFUL and unforgettable vacation.

February: Galveston

Wow, how time flies! This entry was supposed to be done LAST MONTH but as you can see I'm just now getting around to posting it. Things have been crazy hectic at work and well, my personal life has done anything but slow down. But hey, that's ok because I honestly love staying busy.

Remember how I said I was going to do one exciting thing a month until I turned 30? Well, my "exciting thing" for last month was definitely my weekend getaway to Galveston with the best friend. Our last minute decision to head out of town for the weekend proved to be pretty fun and successful I have to say.

We left early on a Saturday morning, packed snacks, filled up the tank and hauled butt out of Austin. I don't know about you, but the idea of being by the ocean and hearing the waves crash is just enough to set the soul at ease in a world of chaos. Between the bestie and I, we needed a breather and this was exactly what we needed.

Even though our hotel was 45 minutes away, it was totally worth the stay. I completely forgot we were in a podunk little town because we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and it was really nice! I'll definitely be staying at another one again.

So we arrived to the hotel, took a little bit of a rest and got dressed to head to the Moody Gardens Aquarium and dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. We enjoyed seeing the penguins, seals, seahorses, sharks, turtles and other sea creatures. There were lots of pictures that were taken! It came time for the aquarium to close so we headed to dinner. I'm close to being 30 and the Rainforest Cafe has not lost it's appeal to me I have to say. It truly took me back to my childhood and Jen and I had a blast. It was fun getting to sit next to the waterfall and hear the "storm" inside the restaurant roll in. We ended up getting there the weekend of Mardi Gras and apparently they had a nice little celebration on the strand as well that we missed. But, we still had fun that night and got to talk on the beach before we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed the hot tub.

That next morning we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. It was pretty good and you can't beat free that's for sure! We checked out and headed back to Galveston before we had to drive back to Austin. There was a store by the name of "Wings" that we stopped by and did some shopping in. I bought some souvenirs (postcards, picture frame, shells, purse) so I was pretty excited. The beach was calling us so we decided to walk down and sit in the sand for a bit. It was nice getting to sit in the sun while we listened to the waves crash. We walked the beach for a bit and collected seashells and took lots of pictures. This was definitely the perfect getaway and I know we both dreaded heading back home soon. It was getting to be close to dinner time while we were out shopping again so we asked the shop owner what he would suggest as far as some good seafood places to eat at. We drove down to a place called Fish Tales which was super good and both of us ended up ordering the fish and chips. So tasty! Little did we know, it was also across the street from what's called the Pleasure Pier. Sitting on the deck of the restaurant we got to see all of the rides and the people having fun so we broke down and decided to head over after we got done eating.

I think we both convinced each other to ride the Texas Star Flyer which is the tallest swing ride in Texas that propels you 230 feet above the water. Even talking about it now brings back that sick feeling I had after I got off of it but it was so exhilarating and so worth it! We first rode the Gulf Glider and then the Merry Go Round and stopped by the Ferris Wheel before we got the nerve to ride the Star Flyer. Ask me ten years ago to have ridden that and I would have absolutely said "no"! And not just "no" but "hello no!" Since Jen was such a good sport and after scaring the absolute crap out of her, I promised to buy her some cotton candy. Needless to say she was a happy camper after that :) I also got great joy watching her ride the Pirates Plunge and seeing her get soaked. I'm telling you, she really was a good sport which is why I love her dearly.

The sun was starting to set but I wanted to stop by the Pleasure Pier gift shop and of course I bought MORE things to take home but I'm glad I did. It was a nice end to the weekend before we drove back to Austin that night. And of course we were both exhausted when we got home but it was EXACTLY what we needed to do that weekend.

Fun thing to do for February...CHECK!

Much love,

Ashley 

The beginning adventure to my 30s...

You know those times when you have this brilliant idea spark in your head at the most random time? Well I had one the other day and I absolutely loved it. The other night while I was at a wine bar with my parents and their friends, I had briefly mentioned how terrifying and awful it was that I was turning 30 next March. My Dad's friend had a good point and one that seemed to stick to the inside of my brain. He said to me "Ashley, you can't look at it that way. Instead of being sad and depressed you turn 30 next year, why not make the last year of your twenties count? Do something crazy or adventurous". I thought to myself, you know, that's not a bad idea! I like it! So I'm running with it.

My plan is to ultimately do one exciting and memorable thing each month until I turn 30 next March (2014). I'm not talking anything that will land me in jail or get me killed, this has to be something level-headed and inspiring, even if it is just for myself. So far, I think I'm off to a pretty good start...

Matisyahu - Accoustic Session at the Texas Music Theater

 

 

For those of you who are not familiar with this man's music, I highly suggest you check him out. He's a modern day Bob Marley in my eyes. This came at a perfect time when I really needed to hear something inspiring. You know, the type of music that gets into your soul and makes you want to cry and hug the world at the same time.

 

My best friend had asked me about a month ago if I wanted to go. At first I was hesitant because I hadn't listened to his music in forever but I thought you know...his music has always been spiritual and uplifting so I figured this was the perfect time to go. In addition to my best friend going through some pretty heavy stuff in her own life, I've really been battling those low days here lately so I'm extremely glad I went.

 

It was a great night and one that I'll most definitely never forget. We all stopped at a pizza parlor for a bite to eat before the show. One of the guys who had already planned on going before us was having his birthday, so it was the perfect ending to a great day.

 

I can't even begin to tell you the feeling and emotion that came over my body while listening to his songs. His encore song was a mash-up of "No Woman, No Cry" and a song of his very own and it took every bit of me not to tear up. It was an overwhelming sense of joy and an "I'll be just fine with everything going on in my life right now" type of feeling. This is the very reason why I cling to music so much. I want to hold it tightly and never let go.

 

During one of his performances, I managed to record about a minute worth of his song "One Day" which is just absolutely breath-taking and inspiring. Feel free to check it out here.

There are times in our life when we hit those speedbumps in the road, those type that just knock the breath right out of us. As hard as it is sometimes, you've just gotta pick yourself up off the pavement and keep walking. You do whatever it takes to get you to that point: blog, listen to inspiring music, experience things that you'll never forget and always remember or just take a quiet moment to do some reflection. One thing to remember is that in the end, everything always works out for the best. We have one life to live, so make it a beautiful one.

 

Much love,

Ashley



"We're all mad here"

Before I go any further, I think I may have forgotten to mention that I have a SLIGHT obsession with "Alice in Wonderland". As you can already see, I feel like I can relate to this character in a sense. A girl that is constantly daydreaming, gets bored with the every day monotony of life and way way too curious about things. Anywho, enough of my rambling!

I really couldn't have picked a better title for this entry because I really did feel "mad as a hatter" this weekend and a little bit into today. Typically Mondays are not as bad for me as they are for everyone else and it really wasn't that bad, but I did want to strangle the people at the car dealership.

I'd like to think of myself as a very optimistic person, but today I was just not feeling it. I think it started on Saturday when I dropped my car off to have it looked at. I was worried that it was leaking oil and my brakes were definitely squeeking. Around 2:30 in the afternoon I had dropped it off to have it looked at, much to my dismay they closed at 4pm. Did anyone bother to tell me that? No, because otherwise I would have just waited until this week to have it done. Dumbasses. And you know something? We really do take things for granted because I did miss not having my car this weekend. I absolutely HATE having to rely on other people but I truly do appreciate my parents helping me out yet again. I don't know what I would do without them.

So aside from that it has been a pretty busy day here at work. Let me tell you though, positive thinking does wonders! I got a call from the Service Manager where I dropped my car off and he said there was absolutely no spot of oil that indicated a leak, nor was there anything major that was going on with the brakes. *PHEW* Needless to say I was super happy to hear all of that news and that I'd be getting my car back.

All in all it was a great day though. I was thankful to have my Dad pick me up and drop me off at work this morning and I got to have lunch with my Mom. In addition to that, I got the pleasure of being visited by a red-tailed hawk yet again (I'd like to think this holds some deep meaning like the sign of it being a great year).

Moral of the story people: Trying to think positively during any situation definitely helps! I'm not saying it cures everything but putting those positive vibes out there can't hurt anyone, especially yourself.

Side note: Most of my blog entries won't be this boring, but it was a good day and I figured I would share it with you all. I hope you all had a great Monday. Here's to an outstanding week ahead!

 

Much love,

Ashley

Down, Down the Rabbit Hole...

To start off with, I'll give you a little bit of an insight into my life. I'm nothing special and thankfully I lead a somewhat drama-free life. However, for the past 10 years of my dating life, it's been anything but drama-free. Is this unusual? Probably not, but even at 28 years old and single I might add, I'm still trying to figure all of it out.

Before I dive deep into the rabbit hole of my life though, let me tell you a little bit about me. My name is Ashley and I'm 28 years old (currently, as I begin my blog). I'm an only child to two very loving parents that brought me up the best way a little girl should be brought up - with love, encouragement, humor and stability. I couldn't have asked for a better family if I must say so. As for friends, I'm happy to say that it's just as amazing. Most of these special people in my life I've known since high school. But if not as long, I've shared experiences with them that have probably tied them to me for life (or so I hope).

As for work, I'm the Social Media Manager for a credit union. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself being in this kind of position. I landed a job that I absolutely love and learn from each day and I couldn't ask for anything better. Well, I can only imagine what the future holds for me because I'm always up for new ventures. Once out of high school, I took a break and just worked until I got tired of not being in college like the rest of my friends. I applied to the Art Institute of Dallas, got accepted and attended for 1 quarter until I decided it was just not for me. The original plan of going for computer animation was shot down by my counselor shortly after I had started and I was told that graphic design would be a better fit for me. To my amazement, it was something that I was still passionate about and I learned to love it. After quitting AID, I moved back to Austin where I attended a community college and paid for all of my tuition and books out of pocket. Let me tell you, it was refreshing to not add anymore debt into the student loans that I had already incurred.

So with all of that said, the in-between stuff consists of my dating life which is not so great and as pretty of a picture. But honestly, who's is right? I'm just one of those people who took a little longer to learn from my mistakes. I'm 28 and finally feel like I have a grasp on things: what I want, what I don't want and what I will and will not tolerate from a guy. After 10 years of being in the dating world, I'm finally glad to be here!

Here I am though, starting yet another blog that I really hope to continue and stay up to date with. Join me on my journey to self-discovery. I'm sure this will be filled with nonsense, personal stories and other random tidbits about me. If anything, this will be something that I can keep for myself and look back on later in life. Something I can laugh about, cry over or just get entertainment from.

Last but not least, thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'll love writing it!

Much love,

Ashley