Color Me Ashley

DRATS!

2009-09-27T19:23:00.005-04:00

I just wrote a blog entry and then the internet was dumb and did not publish it and only half of it was saved and I just did not want to write it all over is again.

So I am just going to go watch Amazing Race.

Oh Grammie What Fun You Are

2009-09-26T08:27:00.002-04:00

I have the best Grammie in the whole wide universe. This past Thursday she took me to a doctor's appointment and I was reminded why I cherish her so. After my appointment
she said "Let's do dinner."
and I said "Let's eat at IHOP!"
then she said "I have a coupon."
So we went and both had pumpkin pancakes. YUM!

After dinner I asked if she wanted to drive by our new apartment and she said "sure thing."
So we went.
While we were driving she was telling me which roads lead where [even though I lack any sense of direction I listened and tried to understand and when I won't remember I will call her and she will tell me where to go.] and where the good restaurants are and then she said "If you follow that road it will take you to the Basilica. I want to see the Basilica before I croak." I cracked up and said "Grammie lets go together before you croak."

I also love my Grammie because:
*I can talk to her about anything and she listens closely
*She is a very good housekeeper
*She has a lot of friends
*She gives good advice and if you have a problem she will think of solution

If I had to rate my Grammie from 1-10 I would pretty much give her an 1,000,000,000!

P.S. My hubs has a blog now. Check him out! [not like that...he's already married!]

Change of Address

2009-09-20T15:48:00.002-04:00

We are moving to Hamburg and I simply cannot wait! Here are the reasons why...

*The apartment is actually a cutie little brick house with our apartment on the bottom level and only one other apartment upstairs.

*Hardwood floors.

*DISHWASHER! and a BRAND NEW refrigerator

*The landlords just redid the bathroom and it is simply beautiful! The bathtub is also BRAND NEW which means no one else has ever taken a bath in it. I will be the very first one. HORRAY!!

*A great back yard for the pug to run circles in.

*There is PLENTY of space in the basement and GARAGE for storage.

*There is a washer/dryer hook up so we might be in the market for those...

*LOCATION! We are so close to all stores, entertainment, my sister Amanda...anything we could possibly need or want. (including schools and might just want a job in one of those) Yet, our home is in a residential area that is quiet and calm.

*The landlords are AWESOME! When we were looking for a place yesterday we did not really have a plan. I was just driving down random streets and saw the sign in the yard that a two bedroom apartment was available. We called the number and Jonathan chatted with Ann Lorraine. She told him what the rent was and he told her that he was a chaplain. When we meet her at 2pm that afternoon she told us she would like to lower the rent for us because she understands that people in ministry do not make a lot of money. I had to ask her to repeat herself because I thought I did not hear her right. She also offered to pay for some area rugs since it is all hardwood floors and when I asked if I could take down the blinds (I hate cleaning those darn things) she said "oh I will have my husband take those right down. You shouldn't have to live with anything you don't like." And she said "Let us know if you need any curtain rods." We are so blown away by their generosity. What a blessing!!

I am so darn excited! (hence the multiple uses of capital letters and exclaimation marks) We will probably start moving stuff the second weekend in October. I hope Jonathan can stand me the next couple of weeks. Pray for him as I go into super organizing and cleaning mode.

P.S. I think I want this desk for our new office.

Don't Be Selfish...

2009-09-16T18:10:00.002-04:00

I love to read blogs. Clearly, I am not very diligent in updating my own. That is kind of selfish I guess. I anxiously wait for one of my friends to update their blogs and I get so excited when they do. Maybe my friends out there do the same with my blog and I let them down time after time. So I am going to stop being so selfish and and try to blog more....Let's get started shall we?

This past weekend we traveled to Syracuse for a wedding. Before the wedding we went to the farmer's market where I discovered that cabbage and eggplant are beautiful and that sugar plums are real fruit! We also bought some gala apples and I made my first apple crisp of the season. YUM! (Side note....gala apples always remind me of my friend Andrea because when we were in college she introduced me to the sweet crisp delight that are these apples.)

In other news...Jonathan got a job as a chaplain at Sister's Hospital in Buffalo. [I am so proud of my husband!] We are strongly considering moving closer to Buffalo because his commute is not fun. I am also on the prowl for a teaching assistant job in a public school now that I am certified.
I enjoy my job at the preschool so much. (Where else would you hear at the lunch table "Ms. Ashley! I fart at home.") I only wish it could pay more so those dang student loans could be out of my life!!

Dear Philly, You Are Fun. Love, The Morans

2009-08-23T12:23:00.004-04:00

Dear Philly, Jonathan and I think you are fun. Here is a list of reasons why we think this is true..

1.) Kelly Ann Nelson lives within your city boundaries...in a great house...with a great family...with a little doggie named Kent.

2.) Independence Hall is pretty dang great. Thanks for letting us walk around where our founding father debated, agreed, and signed pretty dang important things.

3.) You have some pretty great vintage shops. NEAT-O!

4.) You have the original Philly Cheese Steaks. We ate some. They were okay. But hey...it was the original!

5.) Cobblestone streets.

6.) You allow people to dress up in colonial garb. I am jealous.

7.) You are the home of a wicked cute french bull dog that we got to pet. [Sorry Lucy...we still love you best.]

8.) You have some really old graveyards which I think are beautiful.

Thanks Philly for being fun....

Love,
Jonathan and Ashley

Freakin' Out Here....

2009-08-16T10:54:00.002-04:00

Here is a list of things that has my mind all a buzz this Sunday morning....

a.) I am trying to become a certified teacher's assistant. I working on the application online but it seems like the system is always down and it really does not make any sense to me. In addition, every single step I must do to get this stinkin' certificate costs money...what the hades is that about??

which brings me to the next thing...

2.) The town Jonathan and I live in, Gowanda, was flooded last Sunday night. The heart of the town is covered in mud. It stinks. Families have lost EVERYTHING. Houses are condemned. We are in a state of emergency and the National Guard has been called in. It is a big mess. The hospital where Jonathan worked was also completely flooded. Therefore he is currently unemployed. Eek!

III.) The flood also destroyed our town water reservoir so we are conserving and boiling all our water. This has me all in a frenzy because it is such a hassle to do the dishes and I am so paranoid about bacteria and parasites that could be in the water. The fact is I love cleaning and with the water being potentially contaminated I feel like I cannot get my apartment to the pristine state I simply like living in.

***I realize that Jonathan and I are so fortunate and blessed to have survived the flood without any damage to our place and belongings. I am just freakin' out here about the other results of this blasted flood. [I wish God told us to build an ark before it hit. I would have let all the townsfolk on and then we could've lived on the ark until everything was cleaned up...]***

Finally) I am missing my Uncle Lert. He lost his battle with cancer on July 3rd. I just want to talk to him and be in his calming presence. Sometimes I forget that he is not here anymore.

oh dear. what is a girl to do?

Updates And Props...

2009-06-22T10:38:00.003-04:00

I have some updates to some previous posts friends....

1.) Olivia is no longer engaged so I do not have to worry about being a bridesmaid...or really telling her I did not want to be one. One day she will find someone who will treasure her and in the meantime maybe we can get to know each other more.

2.) I am on a two week vacation from the pre-school!!!! During this time I plan to work at the restaurant, read, make cards, visit Uncle Lert, and clean. [exciting I know.]

3.) Uncle Lert had his bone marrow transplant on Friday. He is in the ICU at Roswell Cancer Institute because the night after the transplant he stopped breathing. So he is sedated and on a ventilator. He needs to get off the ventilator and come off the sedation so he can move and build his strength and accept the new bone marrow. I don't know all the medical terms or really understand everything that is going on but I do know that Uncle Lert is a champ. He is a fighter and has defeated the odds in this battle before. And I rest in the idea that "the battle belongs to the Lord..."

Props to my college roommate Kelly and my friend Fan. They both really encouraged me to start a blog. Kelly is a kind, wise, and beautiful person who loves children, teaching, and the Lord. She also will give you lots of advice...whether you want it or not. :o)
Fan whose name is really Alicia, is an artsy gal who sees beauty in nature and friends. She loves watching birds and interpreting them in her art. She is an inspiration to me and I love talking to her because she accepts who I am.
Check out their blogs at philadelphia-filly.blogspot.com and forthaloveof.blogspot.com.
Both these friends are so special to me so three cheers for them! Hip Hip Hooray!

Becoming A Lert

2009-06-16T16:50:00.003-04:00

My Uncle Tony, who I affectionately call Uncle Lert, is a man I admire and respect. Let me count the ways...

1.) I have a sister, Amy, who is 16 months younger than me and when we were younger we were often asked if we were twins. My Uncle Tony could not keep us straight so he called us both "AmyAshley." Last summer my Aunt Liz and Uncle Tony got 2 kittens that looked similar. They named them Frankie and Lily but he could not tell them apart. He suggested they change the names to "AmyAshley." He is now able to tell us all apart...kittens and all.

2.) Uncle Tony and Aunt Liz have a love that is evident. They love and respect each other. They laugh with each other and learn from each other. They work as a team and take care of each other. They are a great example of a joyful marriage that I am so blessed to have in my life.

3.) Uncle Tony is a great photographer and took many beautiful pictures at my wedding that Jonathan and I will cherish forever.

4.) A year and half ago I got pretty darn sick. During this time I would spend a lot of time at the resturaunt I worked at and Aunt Liz managed. My Uncle Tony also would come down to see Aunt Liz. Uncle Tony and I would sit and drink tea, talking and discussing the important things in life...like trees. We spent one afternoon talking for 4 hours! It was bliss to have him all to myself. It was during one of these chats that Uncle Tony gave me some great advice to get through my illness and gave him his nickname. He told me that even though I had to slow down and take a "break" from life it was just a way to become more alert to things in life. So we were boths "lerts" as life threw us monkey wrenches. Which brings me to the my next point...

5.) Through this whole battle, Uncle Tony keeps on keepin' on. He keeps fighting hard. He doesn't give up. He is an inspiration to me to keep on keepin' on...

6.) Uncle Tony loves to read and has a lot of knowledge and wisdom.

7.) I can watch something on PBS and then call him up and talk about it.

8.) Uncle Tony loves the outdoors and is great with his hands. He even built his own house!!!!

9.) He likes my banana nut muffins and apple crisp.

For a few years Uncle Tony has been battling cancer and for the past few weeks he has been in Roswell Cancer Institute preparing for a bone marrow transplant that is scheduled for Friday. Lift him up in your prayers and thoughts...

I love you Uncle Lert!

Preacher's Wife

2009-06-07T18:10:00.004-04:00

Today my husband, Jonathan, started at the Brooklyn Free Methodist Church in East Otto. It is actually the second Free Methodist church that was built. It is so exciting that he is finally doing what he actually wants to do. It is a summer gig at the moment. When school starts in the fall he will decide if he can work at the hospital, pastor this church and go to school. (It also depends on if I get a job as a teacher's assistant at the elementary school.)

It is also exciting that my husband helped me clean today AND he is making waffles with strawberries for dinner! What a man...

They Do Say The Darndest Things

2009-06-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

I work at a preschool so my days are filled with eleven 3-4 year olds. At times they make me want to pull out my hair but there are times when they simply melt my heart. For example...

*The preschool is designed for children with special needs so one of the swings we have is much like a car seat on chains. Our kids love to be in it. One little boy who does not speak clearly (he does not say the beginnings of his words and he always sound hoarse) was swinging and said "I'm a bird. Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!"

*Another little boy in our class recently had his teeth fixed. He had pointy teeth that were eroded away because he drank too much juice and slept with a bottle. He came in on Monday with a brand new smile and when I noticed he said "My new teeth make me see better."

Even though they make me laugh...I am thrilled that there are only two weeks left before a two week vacation!

Already A Bride Don't Want To Be A Bridesmaid...

2009-06-03T18:31:00.000-04:00

In honor of the month of June, the most popular month for weddings, I will share with the blog world a story about the wedding planning taking place in my own family.
First, I must explain that my family is made up of many different types of folks...some that just kind of showed up. At a family Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago I had to ask who were the strangers. Lo and behold the new faces were my grandfather's long lost son Bob, Bob's wife Phylis, and their daughter Olivia.

After a few holidays with Bob, Phylis, and Olivia we hear the news that Olivia recently became engaged. This was a big surprise for my family because we were not even aware she was dating anyone. Olivia is planning an June wedding for 2010 and has been sharing in her facebook statuses the progress of the planning. I sent her a message letting her know if she needed any advice or just wanted to vent about the stress of it all to let me know...after all I it was only 9 months ago that I was all done with the planning and became a wife. In response, she ASKED ME TO BE A BRIDESMAID?!?! This is not the wedding planning sharing I was talking about. I only see her during the holidays and I do not even know her that well. And she popped the question on facebook...so I am trying to think of a way to let her know that I will not be able to do it...in a facebook message of course.