Football Time in Tennessee!!

Well...not today but only 7 more days until I will be sitting in Neyland Stadium watching the Volunteers run through "The T"!  There is no other feeling in the world like sitting in the third largest stadium in the United States (sixth largest in the world), sporting Orange and White, and cheering for the Vols!!  [[Win or lose!]]

So, I saw this article in the September 2011 Southern Living magazine, and am posting it in honor of a new football season and being a part of the wonderful SEC :)

The 10 Commandments of College Football Fandom.

1.) Thou shalt wear team colors.  But think twice before adorning yourself with body paint - you don't want to be the Internet photo that goes viral.
2.) Thou shalt know - and sing - your team's fight song from beginning to end.  Sure, you can "watermelon watermelon" your way through the alma mater, but not memorizing the fight song is a fan failure.
3.) Thou shalt keep your language clean (unless, of course, the quarterback fumbles on fourth and goal.)
4.) Thou shalt support the coach.  Even when his calls are questionable.
5.) Thou shalt be respectful to visiting teams.  Remember: Southern ladies and gentleman never boo.
6.) Thou shalt set up a tailgate no fewer than three hours before kickoff (six if it's a night game).  Table linens and matching huggers encouraged, but not required.
7.) Thou shalt theme your tailgate food around the visiting rival.  Gator bites, anyone?
8.) Thou shalt stay through the fourth quarter - rain or shine.  That's what ponchos are for y'all.
9.) Thou shalt respect the solemnity of Game Day by planning weddings, births, and other life events around the football schedule.
10.) Thou shalt not covet other teams' bowl games, national championships, or Heisman Trophy wins.  There's always next year.

So...that's my early...GO VOLS!!  Hope everyone makes it out to Neyland Stadium Saturday to watch Tennessee take on Montana!!  :)

xx -- Ashley

Toddlers in Tiaras & crazy pageant parents.

This weekend, I directed my very own pageant for the first time!  I did it as a fundraiser for Miss Tennessee USA 2012, to pay for my entry fee and my dress.  At first, I was expecting to recruit around 25-30 local girls that were interested in competing in an inexpensive, natural pageant...instead I pulled about 60 [give or take a few] girls, some local, and some girls that compete nationally in high glitz pageants.

The pageant was overall a success...I met my goal and I was personally very happy with it.  Unfortunately, we had a late start due to door entries and ended up with some angry parents.  Once we got started...it flowed pretty well.  The competition was FIERCE!  I can't believe I managed to pull so many talented and beautiful little girls! 

I now have 7 beautiful queens, a very handsome little king, 2 mini supremes and a wonderful high point supreme.  My judges picked wonderful girls but I'm just SO happy it's finally over with!  My future as a director is definitely unknown...  I had a lot of fun with it and I love being a part of pageants and helping the little girls but....the parents...aren't always your number 1 fan.  Which I, of course, realize that there will never be a time when you can make EVERYONE happy but...I guess I always try.

I will post pictures of my winners soon :)

xx -- Ashley

One Step Closer!

Made a trip to Nashville yesterday!!  I had my headshots done with Kristy Belcher and the wonderful hair and makeup artist Joel Green!  I have been waiting for over a year for these headshots so I was SOO excited.  They are both so talented, and I ended up with so many great shots!  [You will have to check out my facebook for the pictures but here is a sneak peek!]

So the pictures went awesome.  Kristy and Joel were SO MUCH FUN!  I had a blast!  I left and went straight to J.S. Fields to purchase my Miss Tennessee USA 2012 dress!!  and wow, did I find the PERFECT dress!  With the help of Steven Fields, Kaley Schwab and her wonderful mother, and of course my own superwoman of a mother...we found the most gorgeous dress.  I couldn't be happier!!  It's only two months away from the big day!  All the preparations are so exciting.

I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life...  I don't know who I would be today without their guidance in my life!! Love you all!

xx - Ashley

Happy August! :)

Finally sweet summertime for me...for the next few days anyways!!  It's so hard to believe it's already August.  I have two weeks until Fall semester begins and next week, dance camp will rule my life.  UGH. 

I spent the weekend in Nashville with my boyfriend and his family.  It was our first official meeting so I was admittedly a little nervous, but I had a great time and he has a wonderful family!  I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful guy in my life. 

I almost didn't get to make the trip to Nashville!  I got really sick last week and being the scaredy cat that I am, I put off going to the doctor for an entire week.  I finally broke down and went Thursday afternoon, since I was leaving Saturday morning.  I sat in the hospital for 6 hours.  Had blood drawn.  and several XRays.  Still nothing.  No answers.  Everyone thought I needed my gallbladder taken out.  I had to be back early the next morning for an ultrasound, which showed that my gallbladder was fine, no stones...nothing.  So I did get to leave.  Then I was perfectly fine all weekend....so strange.  Hoping it doesn't end in my gallbladder being taken out!!

But moving forward... I'm home for a few days and then back to Nashville and I couldn't be more excited !!  Headshots with Kristy Belcher & shopping for my Miss Tennessee USA 2012 dress plus seeing Kaley and Ashley who will finally be back in the country!  Another wonderful weekend ahead!

xx - Ashley

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can finally see it!  The light at the end of the tunnel...the end of this journey (better known as my summer anatomy class) is almost over!  I just took one of my 3 tests that I have this week.  So I am 1/3 of the way finished!!  & there are no words that can truly explain the weight that has been lifted!  I can't imagine how I will feel Friday!  The bad part is that, yes, summer school has almost reached it's end...and now in just a couple of short weeks I will be returning to school.  However, sitting in a classroom for 50 minutes 3 times a day is so much better than the same classroom for 4 hours EVERY day.  So I think I will be able to deal!

I have a lot in store during these next few weeks and I'm going to be SUPER busy but it will all pay off in the end...at least I hope it does!!!
I finally get my hair cut tomorrow....thank goodness...I'm starting to look Amish...or like a hippie...or something of that sort.
Friday, after I complete all my tests, I get to move into my dorm that I will be living in next year! and I'm going out to eat with friends for Brooke's birthday!
and Saturday, it's off to Nashville with Ben to see his family and spend time away from East Tennessee!  I am BEYOND ready!

Plus, I have just received an AWESOME opportunity that I will have to explain in greater detail when I have full details!  YAY!

xx - Ashley

By the Grace of God -- Finding My Purpose

Last night was my dear friend Kaley Schwab's going away party.  She is moving back to Nashville, Tennessee, from Knoxville (who could blame her?).  So I gathered with some of the wonderful women in my life (Sarah Stonier, Autumn Berry and her mom, and Kendall & Alisha Schulz) just to talk and see each other.  Kendall has just returned from a mission trip in Vietnam and had so many wonderful stories to tell us...some not as happy as others.

Kendall told us about an orphanage she visited in Vietnam where there were over 300 disabled children.  (The following pictures were taken from Kendall's facebook.)

 

Some of these children would have been able to live perfectly normal lives and would be out playing with all of the other children if they had received just one shot to fix their problem as a baby.  A lot of these kids can't even get out of bed and the orphanages are way under staffed so the nurses can't spend a lot of one-on-one time with each child.  These 300 lives will be spent laying in beds...

Another devastating reality is that the average ages of prostitutes in Vietnam is between 5-15...  There are places where women live and their job is to have kids as much as possible so that these baby girls can be sold into prostitution. 

I'm so happy Kendall was able to travel to this country to share Jesus with these people, even though she came back with the knowledge that not everyone has heard of Him.  Some people were completely unfamiliar with Christ...has never even heard His name.  People in that country that do know and share Christ can be persecuted...

As Kendall said, it is just by the grace of God that we were born in this country, with families that care about our health and know what actions to take to prevent further disabilities when possible.  It is by the grace of God that we weren't sold into prostitution as children.  and it is by the grace of God that we were born in a country where we grow up learning about Christ because we have that freedom.  I was born blessed with a life that a lot of other people weren't able to have...and I want to fulfill God's purpose for my life.

So I think I am going to read Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" for about the millionth time.  Simply because each time I read it, I take something new from it.  and now that I have a friend who has experienced these things, my eyes have been opened and my heart has been humbled to how blessed I truly am.  So I would also recommend this book to anyone else who is looking for a good book!  and as the first sentence in the book says.... "It's not about you."

xx - Ashley

Overcome Evil with Good.

Honestly, SO confused right now.  For the 2nd time this year, my car was egged last night.  This was actually the 2nd time in the past two months.  and what's worse is that I have NO IDEA who is doing it.  I'm not really the type of person that speaks out about stuff like this.  I feel it's better to keep quiet and wait because eventually someone will tell someone else that they did it and it will come out in the end who actually did it.

This happened to me a lot in high school.  The first time, my brother and sister's dad caught a former friend of mine sneaking around in my front yard around 2 in the morning while I was away visiting ETSU.  She left and when I confronted her about it, she basically denied it and said she was never there so I just let it go because no harm was actually done.  The second time, while I was in cheerleading practice after school, people put zipties all over my car and put a dead, gutted coyote on top of it.  I found it when I got out of practice and again...just blew it off because there was no damage done.  Just immature girls and I wasn't willing to let that get to me.  The third time, my mom found that my car had been wrote on and she just wiped it off before I woke up for school the next morning.  But when I got to school, I was called to the office first thing.  They had taken it so far as to write my name and various other things on our sign in front of our school.  This was it for me.  I was over it.

Since then, I have isolated myself from girls a lot!  But now that this is happening I don't really know who to point fingers at.  It makes me angry because before, it wasn't really anything that caused permanent damage but now it is.  I just don't understand who hates me enough to think about me this frequently when I clearly don't care enough about them to even have any idea who it could be.  So I'm just going to pray that God gives me the answers I need and the maturity to handle this whole situation with grace and maybe it will end.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." --Romans 12:21

xx - Ashley