thoughts that should probably stay in my head. oh well.

Random people that tell me how awesome my big ball of curls are.
Lets trade?! Pluh-leeeze.

Early morning workouts.
You will be the death of me.

My heart.
Please make up your mind.

Healthy eating.
You are changing my life. Thank you.

January 2014.
I'm counting down until you make your grand appearance. #bigthingspoppin

His voice.
Lawd have mercy.

People who make me laugh.
Like holding my belly, almost pee in my pants laugh.
I love you.

Wishy washy people.
#aintnobodygottimeforthat

My sweet baby nephew, Gabriel.
Seriously. This kid melts my heart.

Mean people.
There's a special place in youknowwhere for you.

Squats, lunges and dead lifts.
You betta make this ass grow.

Sleeping in King size beds every other week.
I'm selfish, and don't ever see myself sharing a bed.
Like, ever. Again.

Fitting into my size four pants.
Booooo--yaaahhhh!!!

 40 year old people that are still clubbing.
God, I hope that's not me.

People who use social networking sites to send subliminal messages.
Grow the eff up and just talk to the person.

Kettlebells.
The best thing slice bread.

Hearing from someone you haven't spoken to in a long time.
Hello rush of emotions.
Damn you, heart, damn you.

 Delta Airlines.
Layovers. Suck big balls.

life of a traveling girl.

My life is about to consist of living out of suitcases, talkin' to random strangers, and becoming verrryyy familiar with multiple airports across the country.

This will occur every other week, y'all.

Let’s get a few minor details outta the way, shall we? Technically, I’m an auditor. Yes, what a glamorous job! Jealous, right?

The company I work for has store locations in 28 states. Twenty-friggin'-eight. Luckily, I’ll get to travel to states I’ve never been before. I guess that’s the plus side of my job. Along with rackin' up on frequent flyer miles and those sweet Hilton Honors points. Pretty soon, I’ll be taking vacations at no cost at all. Hawaii, here I come!! Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Hells yeah!!

These are the states I’ll be traveling to: (red)
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.

Doesn't that make you exhausted just thinkin' about all of that traveling? My lawwdddd. 

I'm pretty excited to step into this role and learn lots of new things. Yes, the traveling part sounds fabulous at first, but trust me it gets old. At least this is what I hear from all the veteran travelers. Whatevers! Ha! How in the world am I suppose to meet Mr. Right?! Ha-ha.

I've had the privilege of meeting three gorgeous, talented and sweet fellow blogger gals.
Ashley, Amie and Brandi. Maybe you know them? Gosh, I adore these chicas.

Hopefully, I’ll get to meet up with some fellow bloggers and friends during my trips. I'll be traveling to Texas alllotttt, so maybe I'll get to meet some of the famous bloggers we all know and love. Jenni and Shay? We’ll see. (fingers crossed)

the test of patience.

One thing I’ve learned in the past year and half is patience. No, I have not mastered the art of patience. I don’t think that’s humanly possible. However, I am a firm believer that God gives us “life lessons” that sometimes require patience.

I entered a new period or chapter (whatever you want to call it) in my life in September 2011. This is when I truly became an adult.

For the first time in my life, I was living completely alone and had to learn how to be independent. Several hours away from what once was all I knew, I had to learn to walk again. I like to think this is when my walk with the Lord truly began. I’m still learning balance and what it means to be an adult. Most of my life, I lived at home with my parents and for almost two years lived with an ex-boyfriend. I feared that I would never get to experience living on my own, but He had other plans.

Since living on my own, I’ve discovered an appreciation of the process of being an adult. You’re forced to learn how to manage money and be independent. This was something I never knew or understood in the past. This whole process required patience. At times, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. You can imagine what an eye opening experience this has been for me. I love my little apartment, although I’ve yet to really decorate. That could be because I’m rarely home, but it’s mine. Life of a traveling gal. 

I often think about making a house a home with my future spouse one day. Sometimes, it does get kinda lonely living alone, but it’s nice at the same time. I wouldn't take back this experience for anything! I think it's important for everyone, especially women to have the experience of living on their own. This is where that little thing called patience comes in. I feel like God’s working through me and in my life as I continue to grow into the best version of who I am now. I’ve always been told that He will never put a dream in your heart that will not come to past. Sooo until then, I'll continue to be patient and enjoy my little nest. At least, I'll try my hardest. Ha-ha.

So many life lessons. Everyday. You gotta laugh sometimes, but what an amazing teacher we have.

I want a man that...

loves God more than he loves me.

will make silly YouTube videos with me.

knows I'll love him as much as humanly possible, but God will always be my #1.

has goals for himself, us as a couple, and dreams big.

plays golf with my dad.

is kind and respectful to others.

understands my obsession with Lifetime.

knows I’ll be his biggest advocate.

will take me to sporting events and explain the rules of the game to me.

can make me laugh until I pee my pants.

likes to brag about what a good woman he has. (I promise to do the same)

knows how to use a set of tools.

knows his way around the kitchen.

pays attention to my wants and needs.

will love my huge head of messy, curly hair.

won't get mad when he sees strands of my curly hair on the wall in the shower.

opens doors and my chair for me.

will hold my hand when I’m scared, or just because he feels like it.

let’s me put my cold feet on his, so mine can get warm.

has manners.

will tell me I’m beautiful, especially on the days I feel ugly.

will let me sleep-in on Saturday mornings sometimes.

prays with me.

be understanding that I am not a morning person whatsoever.

can handle my corniness.

will stay by my side during the good and not so good times.

cuddle with me. everyday.

can deal with my crazy family during the holidays.

will understand he should have expectations of his own.

knows i will always respect him and those expectations.

will workout with me.

lives a healthy lifestyle.

won’t be afraid to open up his heart to me and let me in.

will accept my friends as his own.

fixes me breakfast in bed.

will support, motivate and challenge me.

respects my mind, body and heart.

understands my obsession with taking tooo many pictures, and doesn’t mind being my subject sometimes.

realizes I’m human and will make mistakes sometimes.

will forgive me when I make these mistakes, and I promise to do the same.

will just love me for me.


------
being that i'm currently not dating anyone, i frequently get asked what kinda man i want.
i'm a simple gal and i don't ask for much. these are just a couple of my thoughts...

a thankful heart.

1. laughing so hard my belly aches
2. strawberry pancakes
3. my Savior, Jesus Christ
4. full tank of gas
5. six hours of driving through four states just to see my love ones
6. my health
7. experience of living in another state
8. home cooked meals
9. making new memories and remembering the old ones
10. my job
11. traveling to places I’ve never been
12. seeing old friends
13. passing the Mason-Dixon line
14. my co-workers that make me laugh all day
15. tight hugs
16. first loves
17. daily conversations with my Heavenly Father
18. singing at the top of my lungs while driving
19. cup of coffee first thing in the morning
20. all the bloggers I’ve connected with…y’all are seriously amazing
21. someone telling me that my loud, annoying laugh is contagious
22. long, hot showers
23. making new friends
24. baseball games
25. dance parties in my kitchen while doing the dishes
26. freshly brewed sweet tea
27. my sweet Baby nephew, Gabriel
28. having dinner with my family
29. freshly painted nails
30. my first apartment
31. my sisters awesome sense of humor
32. answered prayers
33. possibility to relocate this year
34. gentlemen that open doors and pull out chairs
35. honest and genuine friends
36. spending time with myself
37. getting lost in a really good book
38. discovering a new blog
39. feeling the suns warmth on my skin
40. a good hair day
41. butterflies when you begin to like someone
42. skype/facetime dates 
43. sharing a laugh or smile with a stranger
44. barbecues on a nice summer day
45.  quotes I can relate to
46.  road trips
47.  falling asleep listening to the rain
48. freshly made guacamole
49. cupcakes
50. my past, my present and my future

life lately.

my first trip to San Francisco via instagram pictures.

although this was a work trip, i got to do tons of sight seeing. #win

 1 // my nautical themed hotel room
 2 // chili topped with mac-n-cheese
 3 // Napa Valley wine country
 4 // Alcatraz island
 5 // delicious seafood restaurant
 6 // IN-N-OUT (my first one)
 7 //breakfast of champions
 8 // cute lil' boats
 9 // silly little me

annddd my precious lil' nephew, Gabriel.

i miss this little fella like whoa.

life gets in the way of blogging. or maybe i just haven't been in the blogging mood lately. hopefully, my love for this blog will rekindle soon. ehhh...i dunno. for now, i'm just keeping my thoughts to myself. we all choose to share what we want on our blogs anyways. my mind and body are just physically exhausted from traveling and this is just the beginning. overall, i'm anxious to see what the future holds in my current position. on another note, i'm just keeping hope, faith and my fingers crossed that He'll answer my prayers with whats going on in my life right now. we all know His timing is the best, so that's what i'm holding onto right now.

Just call me Auntie Ashley...

My little nephew finally blessed us with his presence.

Mommy and baby are doing just fine :)

I'm sooo in love :)

New Years Eve.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Cheers to a fabulous new year filled with endless opportunities :)