Goodbye

I'm going to make this short and sweet. Whether that's a better way to do it or not, I'm not sure.

I'll be closing out this blog sometime soon, probably within the next week or so...I'll continue posting at my new blog, here. The reason for this is that Russell and I are getting a divorce, hence I don't want to keep my "Russell and Ashley" blog...I would just change the title, however the blog address also lists both of us, which is why I'm switching. If you're on Russell's side of the family and reading this, please talk to him about the situation, as I don't want to cause any unnecessary drama by giving my input on it.

Thanks for reading, and follow me over to my new blog, I have a post up there already!

We Sold the Truck!

Woohoo!!! It's definitely comforting having cash in our pockets rather than a hunk-of-junk truck sitting out in the parking lot. I'm very excited about that.

I've taken up cross-stitching again, mostly at work. I love cross-stitching, I don't know why society considers it an "elderly woman" hobby.

This is the pattern I'm working on right now. It's so cute, I love love LOVE Precious Moments.

Travis visited last night, he and I had a good time catching up on things (even though I just saw him less than two weeks ago). I'm gonna see him again when I go up to my grandma's house for the Super Bowl (GO CARDINALS!!!), but it's definitely fun to get a chance to hang out with him whenever I can.

More posts on the way...I have IDEAS!!

Pondering

So, my brother Travis says "it should be a crime" that I haven't posted on here in so long. We've been busy and I just haven't really felt like posting lately, so it's been a while. But for Travis, here's a post...

I met one of my neighbors in the laundry room the other day. I've never seen him before, but apparently he's lived in our apartment complex for a while...weird that I've never seen him, but whatever. So we started talking (he was taking clothes out of the dryer, I was loading clothes into the washer), and he seems like a nice guy and all. We were just making small talk, and then he asked if I'm religious. Russell and I don't go to church on a regular basis, but we're Christians and we do have beliefs and opinions and such. So I told him yes, I'm a Christian, etc., etc. He then asks if I'm familiar with the Jehovah's Witness beliefs. I'm not a huge fan of Jehovah's Witnesses (I don't really think of religion, or beliefs in general, as something that should be a door-to-door salesman's pitch), but I honestly don't know that much about exactly what they believe (or how it's any different from what I believe). So I just told him yes, I've known Jehovah's Witnesses, but I'm not very familiar with their beliefs. He then starts going into how my belief focuses on guilt and fear of death (fear of going to Hell at death), and his doesn't. How they interpret the Bible "figuratively," rather than literally, as I do. They believe that there's no Hell, so we don't need to go through life worrying about every little mistake and if it'll end up landing us in Hell. He was a nice guy, and one of those types that seems like they'd be a great motivational speaker because of how enthusiastic and committed they are to what they're saying when they want to persuade you about something. So I listened and nodded to be polite (and couldn't really get a word in edgewise), and he went and grabbed a copy of the Watchtower newsletter from his apartment titled "Should You Fear Hell?" I took it from him and said okay, I'll check it out, but I really don't see the logic in their belief system. I read some of the Watchtower just to have a better understanding of it, but it seems like a skewed way of thinking, to me. If there's no Hell, why did Jesus say there was one? The Watchtower explains that he wasn't really meaning literally when he talked about the lake of fire and all that, but I don't see why he would've said that if he didn't mean it, you know? And where's the motivation to become saved, if there's no Hell for you to go to if you don't? Not that Hell is anyone's only motivation to become saved, but it doesn't make sense. Also, how do they believe in Heaven if they don't believe in Hell? It's like believing in light, but not in darkness (the absence of light)...it doesn't make sense. I guess it's all about how we interpret the Bible. It amazes me how many different "religions" there are who all base their beliefs on one little book, but they all take what it says in completely different ways. I believe if God didn't want us to interpret it literally, he wouldn't have had it written it the way he did. Like, for instance, if there wasn't a seven-day creation, he wouldn't have said there was. Anyways. To each his own, but as I said, it's strange to me that so many people read the Bible and get completely different things from it. What do you guys think about this?

I'm hanging out with Travis tonight and my co-worker Angie tomorrow! I don't usually have so much planned for my weekend (plus, I don't have to babysit tomorrow), so I'm quite happy.

PS- We're selling my old truck, so check it out and let me know if you know anyone who'd like to buy it!

Double-Dose

Okay, so normally...I'd split this into two posts. But neither of my subjects can wait. Soooo, you get a special double-post!!!

To start, I'd like to wish my parents (mom and stepdad) a happy anniversary. I'm not sure if they read this, or know I have a blog, but (as of yesterday) they've been married 7 years now! It really doesn't seem that long...but they got married at Black Canyon Community Church on December 15th, 2001. I know this is a bit belated, but it's the thought that counts. (I'd include a picture, but I actually don't have any digital pix of them on the computer, only regular printed pictures at home.) Happy Anniversary!!!

Secondly: For the last week, an inanimate object has controlled nearly every spare moment I've had. Especially here at work. "WHY would she let something control her like that?!?," you ask? Well, it's because that object is a desk. And I love it dearly. And there's this little thing called a contest. And I want to WIN.



Not that I'm at all competitive, you know...*wink*, *wink*. To give you some idea of my dedication, I've even sacrificed my back and my backside to the cause. In the time I've worked here, I've probably stood on hundreds of desks (okay, maybe that's exaggerating a little...most likely more like forty or so) to decorate them, as a part of the birthday committee. They've never given me any sign of complaint about my standing on them, they seemed to not mind at all-I figured it was because they knew I was making them beautiful with decorations.



Anyway-this desk wasn't grateful to me at all. In decorating, several of us had already stood on it with no problem (possibly loosening it up for me), and as I stood on it Friday evening, it decided to collapse beneath me. It was just one small section of the desk (probably about 2' by 2'), so we were able to pull through and overcome this obstacle. But with the desk trying to sabotage our chances in this contest, I'm now even more motivated to win!!



So, if you could please go to the 2008 Holiday Office Decorating Contest hosted by azcentral.com, either register (if you haven't yet) or login (if you've already registered), and go down to the one titled "Krystina's Gingerbread House," and VOTE, I'd appreciate it! The voting's supposed to start today, I just went on there and it's not allowing me to yet, but it should soon. I'm not sure when the voting ends, but each person's able to vote once per day (and if you have more than one email, you're able to register under each one-giving you one vote per day, per email).



Krystina (whose desk we decorated) is giving $100 each to Childhelp and Crisis Nursery, two charitable organizations that help abused and neglected kids, if her desk wins (the prize is $500). Also if she wins, she's taking all of us (the helpers) out to dinner as a thanks. So by voting, you'd be helping me as well! (I like free dinners) So, if you have the time in your busy holiday schedule, please stop by there and vote each day. Thanks!

Oh My Goodness

Christmas is just over two weeks away. Luckily, we (I) have (almost) all of our gift shopping done. I really hate shopping for gifts for people.

Some people are easy: My best friend, Krystina? She's obsessed with...pirates (#1 obsession, by far), Mickey/Minnie Mouse, true/fictional crime books, Law and Order SVU, and the list goes on. EASY to buy for. Then, on the other hand, there's Russell. Who really doesn't want/need much, and other than politics, has no "obsessions" to speak of. So I got him a political T-shirt (as he likes making sure everyone's aware of his political opinion, what better way to express it than to have his clothes speak for him?). (Russell doesn't read this blog, by the way...just in case you were wondering...) But even worse than Russell, there's his family (on his dad's side). Who I've never met. How do you pick an appropriate present for someone you've never even met/spoken to?? So I ask Russell: "What's your dad/brother/sister/etc. like? What're they into?" His reply "Umm...I don't know. They like stuff." (Thanks, honey, that's sooo helpful). So, guess what they're getting? GIFT CARDS.
As much as I dislike them (sure, you open it on Christmas, it's great and all, but then you stick it in your wallet/purse and forget about it until it's expired), they're pretty much my only choice, other than cash. And I don't like sending cash in the mail (call me paranoid). After debating back and forth on the gift card idea (both in my head and with Russell), I realize something wonderful: Discovercard has gift cards. And you can use them anywhere that accepts Discover! (I used to work for Discovercard, and like to take advantage of everything I can get from that card, since I'm more familiar with it than my other cards). So, this is a wonderful solution, because the main reason people (I) never use gift cards is because it's something that always slips your mind, to go to the store the card is for, and then you go there one day and pay cash because you forgot you had the card. If you have a Discover gift card, then you can just use it, wherever you go, whenever you want! Awesome! So I think I've found this wonderful solution, I go to their website, but their cards cost money (in addition to what you're putting on the card)! I've never heard of a company doing that, much less my precious Discover, so I was very disappointed. They start at $3.95 per card (with a minimum of $20 on the card-I wanted some $5 and $10 cards, so that wouldn't have worked anyway)...that adds up fast when I'm buying 5+ cards! What did I decide to do? I went to Wal-Mart, my good old Plan B for all purchases (I'm not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, looking at things from a sweatshop perspective and all...but I like their prices/variety, so I resort to buying there every once in a while).

So there you have it, my gift-giving ordeals. Thank God they're almost over!!

Etsy!

I know it's been forever since I posted. I feel bad, but with such low readership I don't think it bummed too many people out :)

Sooo...once again, I'm inspired by another blog. The internet is a wonderful thing, providing me with not only my inspiration (the blog), but also my obsession (the site that I'm blogging about). I probably don't have as big of an "Etsy problem" (I've decided to coin this term in reference to the condition that affects so many all over the world) as a lot of other people, I'm sure, but it's pretty bad. I could spend hours (and $$$Hundreds$$$) on Etsy (it's probably good for me that I don't have internet at home, as I'd probably have much less in my bank account if I had that much more time to find things I just can't live without).

Etsy is a website somewhat like ebay, where you can buy and sell things...it just has a few little (wonderful!) differences. In the words from their site, it's "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade." The handmade items are definitely my favorite, but it also includes vintage items as well as supplies (to make handmade items). Sooo cool! Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!? So, basically, it's one big site full of lots of little "shops." Each seller has their own shop, full of all of their merchandise. This comes in handy, because if you see something you like (by itself-for instance, after doing a search for something you're interested in), then you can see who the seller of that item is, and go into their shop. Chances are, you'll like their other stuff, too!

I know I'm over-enthused about this, but it's definitely amazing. I love the idea of buying handmade (to support small business owners rather than big corporations), I love the idea of selling handmade (I'm working on getting inventory together before I start selling on there-I'll let you know when I get my shop up and running), and I love how great it is to have all of it consolidated into one wonderful website!

Just to give you an idea, I'll do a few random searches:
Browsing categories, I found this:

I LOVE the checkerboard pattern on anything at all, including this purse.

Using their color search, I found this:

This bead is adorable!

Doing a search under Shop Local, I found these:

These very pretty earrings are close enough for me to drive over and pick them up! (you gotta love no shipping!!!)

So, that's just some examples of what glorious things they have on there, and just a few of the many ways to find them. Each of those items only took me about 30 seconds (maybe a little more) to find. Think of looking at it for longer! The treasures you could discover are endless! If anyone buys me anything from Etsy for Christmas, I'll probably love it (hint hint).

Dealing With It

I'm sorry if this is obvious to others, but I'm learning new things. I've never had anyone who was very close to me die before...therefore I've never seen how other people deal with someone who's grieving. So, consider this as an open letter to anyone who has, or wants to, awkwardly try to comfort me. (And, I apologize if this is offensive-it's your choice to read it).

My thoughts on being in mourning:

-I want to scream at everyone and tell them what happened...and ask them why they're going about life as if the world's still spinning.

-In contrast to that last thought, I don't really want anyone to know. If I say it out loud, that'll make it true...if I don't, I can pretend it didn't happen.

-Also, I don't want anyone to know because they'll feel sorry for me. I like attention, but not pity. Pity isn't going to change anything, and just makes me feel bad for myself.

-If I don't bring it up, please don't feel it's necessary to say anything to me about it. If I want to talk about it, I will.

-Don't act like you care just because you think you're obligated to. Fake sympathy is worse than no sympathy at all.

-Don't ask me: How I'm doing, How I'm dealing with it, If there's anything I want or need, or any other pointless question. If there was anything you could do, I'd let you know...but nothing you can do will change what happened.

-Lay off. Please.

-If I seem in a good mood, it's probably because I've distracted myself with something else for the time being. Don't ruin it by mentioning your thoughts on what happened.

-Similarly, if I seem to be in a bad mood, don't ask why. It's obvious.

Quite negative, I know, but these have been my thoughts lately. My tolerance for people is a lot lower now than usual, and I've been feeling like if I didn't get these feelings out, I'd explode. Probably at someone who had nothing to do with any of this. So...I blogged.