11 in 2011 Day 7

Thanks for all the awesome organization tips yesterday.....I just have to do them now:)

Day 7:Favorite memory of 2010

I have sooo many great memories.  I think the best memory was the way I felt when I graduated college.  It's such a relief, excitement, and happiness!!!  I had a wonderful graduation day spent with great friends and family!  I can't wait to see what 2011 holds.

11 in 2011 Day 6

Best Organization tips....

i have none.....please people post some good tips for me! i need help.

11 in 2011-Day 5

Places I hope to go this year.....everywhere.

One of my goals for the new year is to travel.  Thankfully both jobs that I work are incredibly flexible allowing me to take time off when I need it...my plan is to work my booty off so I can take off a big chunk of the summer. Unfortunately, unlike most teachers, I teach adults ESL which means we DO HAVE school during the summer...ugh.  haha.  HOWEVER, I def plan to take at least a month or so off.

I'm going to New York City in March with a group of friends..I'm REALLY excited.  I've never been!

I'm also may be going to North Carolina when my best friend graduates from college this may!  I can't wait to see the beach there.  I read way too many books set in NC so I'm excited to see it....

I don't have any other plans at the moment..but I hope to see a lot of other places too...i'll just have to wait and see:)

11 in 2011-Day 4

I'm still typing 2001 and not noticing until I almost publish this.....2011, 2011,2011.

Today...best leftover recipe. 

I'm more than unqualified for this seeing that I HATE HATE HATE leftovers.  Something about food sitting in tupperware in the fridge growing God knows what on them is enough to send me into convulsions.  I just cannot do it...at all. I know that is silly...especially if you heat them up the very next day for lunch, but I'm a VERY picky eater and just cant do it.  In fact, i have trouble going to many restaurants unless I know they wear gloves and hair net thingys.  Which is really not a whole lot of places...I can do it..I just don't LIKE to do it.  I guess that is the germaophobe in me, regardless....i can't tell you the best leftover recipe...because leftovers freak me out....

I CAN TELL YOU a really good healthy recipe though.  I posted this on here not too long ago..but I'll post again...it's super easy to make and SOOOO SOOO GOOD!!!! and heck...if you wanna get food poisoning and eat this as leftovers make enough of this for leftovers, go for it..:)

Prep Time:30 min


Start to Finish:30 min

makes:6 servings (1 cup each)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 can (14 oz) Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 can (11.5 oz) vegetable juice cocktail

1 can (15.5 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup Muir Glen® organic salsa (any flavor)

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In 3-quart saucepan, mix all ingredients except cilantro. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat.

2. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got bored last week and put together a sewing project.  I love scarves, but I want something funky and I didn't really have it! So I used some sequiny fabric to make an infinity scarf.  SO SIMPLE, cheap, and turned out pretty cute...



11 in 2011-Day 3

Workout tips.

For the past three months I have been blogging about my weight loss journey after putting on 60 pounds...30 pounds lighter and 30 more to go..i feel like there are several things that have worked for me. 

1.)  Work out at the same time everyday.  It becomes habit and routines are always easier to follow whether you really want to be working out or not. 

2.)  Go to the gym even if you are NOT feeling like working out.  I read a few months ago that it is better to have a really crappy work-out then just not working out at all.  I think that is true.  As long as you are doing something, you are doing better than you would be sitting at home in front of the TV.  If you have a bad workout, use it as motivation to do better the next day. 

3.)  Don't dress like a slob at the gym.  That sounds rude and I totally do NOT mean it that way...but I know so many days I want to wear a huge holey tshirt, but i know that i feel so much better when I put on a cute pair of workout pants and work-out shirt.  Running for an hour in front of large mirrors on the elliptical can be very HARD when you have nothing to stare at but your reflection, so it's better to look somewhat cute(as cute as one can look working out)

4.)  Find a workout buddy!  Having support is always helpful.  I work out with my cousin and my mom several days a week and the other days I just go at it alone! They motivate me and push me.  Not to mention the winner of our "biggest loser" competition gets an awesome day at the spa!

5.)  Set goals.  Don't be unrealistic.  Don't say "oh I'm going to lose 25 pounds this month!"  Start small....accomplish the goals...it'll be a huge reward!

-------------------------------



Today is the last day of my break before I go back to my students...I'm already dreaming of spring break in NYC! I started the day off with a workout then C planned a midwinter picnic on the lake. It was freezing but perfect!

11 in 2011-Day 2

I've linked up with mj @ teaching in heels and kit @ step into my life for 11 in 2011.  For some reason it is very difficult for me to type 2011...every time i blog and type the year I have to go back and correct the date...for some reason I keep typing 2001..im a little behind....2001

What is your favorite Christmas memory?

My favorite Christmas memory this year was just being with my family.  Nothing specific really stands out..i'm just glad that we were all here, healthy, and in the same place.  Last year C lived 3 hours away, I hated my apartment, roommate situation was beyond awkward and made Christmas eve, which is very important to me, a complete mess!  I didn't get to have a tree in my apartment last year either....NO TREE=VERY UPSET ASHLEY.  So this year I loved that C and I lived in the same town and we got to have the perfect Christmas Eve this year:)! 

One highlight of Christmas for me, besides what I have already said, was Christmas night.  My family, like usual, headed the movies.  Half of my family went to see Yogi Bear while C, my mom, and I went to watch Gulliver's Travels.  When the movie was over we walked outside and it was snowing very lightly.  It literally only lasted a minute or so, but it was a perfect ending to the day! 

My favorite memory of all time comes from 2004 though.  I know that is forever ago..but that Christmas really sticks out from all the others.  It doesn't stick out for being amazing or really special, but rather for being very difficult and sad.  My grandpa, who was the most special person in the world to me, passed away in October of 2004.  It was a complete shock and very hard!  It was the first time I had ever lost anyone in my life, and losing someone that really is one of a kind is never easy.  My family tried to go about things as normal, but we all knew nothing was okay or normal.  We all just slapped on smiles and tried to act happy basically.  About two weeks prior to Christmas the memorial established for my grandfather online was about to expire, meaning that any of the kind words from those who loved him would go away forever unless we printed them off.  I remember my mom getting on the website ready to order the book with all the families memories and such of him, but what she found instead was that the memorial had already been disabled.  We were all pretty upset over it!  The memorial had very sweet memories and pictures from family all over the united states that couldn't necessarily make it back for the funeral.  ANYWAYS, fast forward to Christmas night...we all begin to open presents and we were almost done with the printer started going off....i got up and walked over to find the memorial posts being printed out....I get chills even thinking about it because we were all pretty clueless as to how it could have happened.  I'm pretty sure that was my grandfather's gift to all of us. 

What was your favorite Christmas memory??

11 in 2011

Well, i've noticed that this year most people are saying that resolutions really aren't their thing...and maybe they are onto something with setting goals instead. In the past I have made resolutions, but it seems that no matter how many new years that I ring in...I'm so over the unrealistic expectations that I set for myself within weeks of making them. SOOOO, I will totally be a copycat this year and set some "goals" for myself.


1.) Stay on my health kick. I started my diet back in October. Everyone said that I picked the worst time to start a diet seeing that the holidays were about to hit. But, i'm SO glad that I went through with it. After putting on 60 pounds over the last 3 years..i was ready to get back in the gym and get healthy again. I'm almost 30 pounds lighter now and im feeling GREAT. I still want to lose about 40 more. I don't want to be unrealistic..but I do want to be healthy. Working out 6 days a week makes me feel great...so I would like to stick with that feeling.

2.) I would like to start running. I "run" about 6 miles between the elliptical and arch trainer..but i want to run ...i think im going to try a 5k in February! I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL. It is something I have never tried.

3.) I def want to work on having a better attitude toward things I cannot change.


4.) Being fearless! I know that sounds so cliche and i have seen it on many blogs..but I really would love to accomplish this. I hate that I let fear keep me from doing things. I hate the fear of failure because I believe it stops me from pursuing my dreams.

5.) Dreams....yeah....I want to write more. I tell myself everyday how many people write their whole lives and are never published..so once again I let the fear of that hold me back. But I'M GOING TO CONTINUE WRITING and getting better at it this year.

6.) Being a better blogger. Even if no one reads this I will be able to look back on it and remember things that I would probably otherwise forget.
7.) Travel. I bought a plane ticket to NYC with a friend and cannot wait till march to go. I've never been! I worry about spending too much money on travel..but traveling truly TRULY makes me happy. I want to make seeing places a definite priority.


8.) Continue making great grades in grad school. Even if i hate the program..i'm going to give it my all.

9.) Be a better teacher. I feel like I have slacked off and I DO NOT want my students to suffer because of it. Yeah, I never EVER thought I would be teaching ESL classes to people twice my age..but God blessed me with this job..so I need to do the best I can possibly do. I will be a GREAT teacher this year...even if that means staying late when I would rather be watching C coach his heart out.

10.) Be a better girlfriend. I have the world's best boyfriend...I don't know how he puts up with me.

11.) Being a better person in general(what does that even mean?) I just want to DO MORE..help out more....I don't know in what capacity yet...but I don't want to just sit around when I am perfectly capable of making a difference...even if it is small!!


What are your goals for 2011????

-a