I'm a Sneaky Little Rat

...according to Chinese astrology anyway.  I used to totally buy into the whole astrology thing - that stupid forecast just kept coming true!  Sure it was completely generic, but once every blue moon it would be spot on!  Like today, my horoscope said I would not be able to stop talking.  LOL - pretty sure that's true every day.  I'm only surprised it didn't also tell me that the world 'gullible' isn't in the dictionary...

I don't remember how it came up, but the other day we were talking about Chinese astrology and what our animals were.  Erin and I are rats, both born in the same year.  Here's a few of the comments that I will be internalizing a little later...

Rat Characteristics:
Smart, Magnetic, Well-liked, Affable, Quick-witted, Surreptitious, Selfish, Protective, Calculating

Rats are both charming and aggressive. They appear calm and well balanced on the surface, but underneath, they are restless and a little nervous. Rats are never without admirers. They are very appealing. They have a bright and happy personality.  Rats can melt hearts with their smiles.

Generally friendly and sociable, the Rat is one of the extroverts of the Animal Zodiac. Often, the Rat is lively and genial, and has a special gift for easing the minds of others. It is not surprising that Rats have a lot of friends. They are great speakers and intriguing conversationalists, and can generally find something to say on just about any topic or subject. To the people they love, Rats can be amazingly charitable, popular and supportive, and will go out of their way to be certain their loved ones are content. On the other hand, if the Rat does not like someone, he is considered fair game and can be used to achieve any and all of the Rat's desires. At the end of the day, though, the Rat is a loyal friend and will be there for his companions through thick and thin.

These are a few of my Favorite Things...

No literally, this is a list of some of my favorite things.  =)

Obviously not all inclusive as I am amused by the littlest of things.  But since we're getting into that time of the year where it's good to reflect and be thankful for all the awesome things in your life... I figured this would be my own personal way of kicking it off.  And in Tosh.O style, I'll probably create an "I Hate" list sometime in the not too distant future... but for now... *drum roll* Ashley's favorite things!!!  In one word or less... otherwise this would be the world's longest blog.

1.  Laughing
2.  Hugs
3.  Snow
4.  Blankets
5.  Family
6.  Friendship
7.  Penguins
8.  Movies
9.  Christmas
10.  Rain
11.  Vacation
12.  Dreaming
13.  Smiles
14.  Love
15.  Candles
16.  Surprises
17.  Sleeping
18.  Singing
19.  Relaxing
20.  Puppies
21.  Clouds

Just a few... I could go on.  Yay for whimsicality!

She Said Do Do...

Sometimes I crack myself up.  I'm pretty sure it's a gift... but I can't turn it on or off.  So it typically hits at an inopportune time...

Anyway, this afternoon I was able to laugh at just about anything.  Things like the junk email I got saying "Big penis is very cool!", snickering when a co-worker says "do do," or the bumper sticker on the car in front of me that said "I <3 DAR"...  I spent more than a little bit of time trying to figure out what DAR stood for... Daughters of the American Revolution?  Probably, but way too boring.  I <3 Dreaming about Ashley's Radiance... much more interesting!  That's actually not the first one I thought of... but I'm not going to post it, I'll let you try to guess, lol.

I also laughed at (with?) my friend Stephanie.  I'm pretty sure she and her stories get a little more awesome every day.  (Santa smells like sausage!)  So blog shout out - holla!!

Sometimes it's good to laugh at yourself... and at your friends.  I'm tired of taking everything so seriously, and laughing really is the way I'd like to spend 99% of the day...

I'm excited for the holidays.  We're decorating the house this weekend.  I missed Christmas last year because I was sick with the flu.  So this year I'm going to find the world's perfect gifts and spend a lot of time with family and friends, and hopefully get to play in lots and lots of snow.  I've got two weeks off work and it's going to be great, assuming nobody gets me sick again this year!

So, there's another random blog post for you.  To go along with that, here's a couple of really random pictures too.  The first one is of my hair after a hair cut (I try to take them so I can remember how to style it the next day), but I like the complete washed out, super pale look.  The second is my dogs. They're waiting to eat my goldfish crackers.  Yep, random, but that's all I've got for now!!

Hoses, Brackets and a Bedazzled Bump Cap!

So much to blog about, so little time!

Halloween happened over the weekend... as did my squirrel costume.  It turned out better than I expected... which is good since it took me about 5 hours to sew together (by hand).  But we had a good time at our house with some good friends and a bonfire in the backyard.  Below is a picture of me and my BFF and NUT, Krystal. Yes, I know, we're way too awesome for our own good!

This week has been really long and extra challenging.  I've been working in the shop assembling some giant tractors!  I know, I can't believe it either... I've been told I'm "too girly" and "too clean" and all sorts of other "too's" this week and it makes me very happy to prove them all wrong!  That's right, I got down and dirty with some massive pieces of cold steel between my legs... twss.

I'm learning to put together the front end of a tractor... installing hoses, brackets, fans, cores, etc.  I've learned all kinds of new words and I've even made some new friends... ok they're acquaintances.  And I can operate just about any power tool (pay no attention to the giant bruise on my hand)... not to mention a whole new appreciation for the people who do those jobs every day.  I've done it for four days and I'm exhausted both mentally and physically.  But I've got to say... I feel more than just 'kind of' a bad Ash!

Oh, and I bedazzled my bump cap. =)

The Ketchup to my Chicken Finger!

Friendship isn't a big thing.  It's a million little things...

I spent the evening with my BFF-est Carrie.  We met in college, became roommates, then best friends and eventually learned (and loved) everything about each other.  We're not great at getting together, even though we ended up living in the same area, but we're getting better.  And every time we do she entertains me with her stories and hopefully I do the same for her.  One of our 'quirks' is that we 'pretend' to get jealous (but we're really not pretending) of the other person's friends.  So tonight I told Carrie she's the ketchup to my chicken finger to make her feel better... and if you know me at all, you know that is a HUGE compliment.  Likewise, I am the marshmallow to her hot chocolate. =)  Hehe, we're so cute!

If you're oh so lucky enough to be one of my BFFs (and you know who you are), you've really arrived!  Ok well in my mind it really means something. =P  But I do have an incredible bunch of friends who have helped make me the person I am today (for better or worse - it's all your fault!!).  

So a big thank you to all of my friends for just being you.  You each bring your own unique awesomeness to the table and I sincerely appreciate it!  I'd probably be a lot more boring if it weren't for you!

FALLs for it Every Time

Today was another day where I was instructed to 'hurry up and wait.'  That's the craziest thing I ever heard.  I don't like being forced to wait on anything, and this is certainly no exception.  But that's another blog post.

So on a brighter note, it's officially FALL (has been for a few weeks now I think... lol).  I LOVE this cold weather.  I like that I can breathe and see it, I don't mind that it makes my lips chapped and it also means that the holiday season is right around the corner.  To celebrate, I participated in Fall Photo Shoot 2010 over the weekend.  Basically my mom wanted family pictures with my sister and I, so we obliged, and had a little fun doing it.  Here's one of me enjoying the leaves... if you look closely I'm pretty sure you can see a spider on my right arm... big thanks to Megan Mason Photography for taking the pictures and letting me jump in the leaves like a little kid. =)

In other news, I'm still in search of the perfect hobby.  Steph wants me to try scrapbooking, which I don't mind trying... but I feel like I need something that's going to take up more of my time.  In theory it'd be great if I'd get motivated to start working out or do something that requires a routine... but again, that also requires motivation, which I don't have a whole lot of.  I think my hobby should be trying to relax... I did buy that book and CD on meditation a few months back, maybe I should use it?  Some inner reflection might do me some good...

A couple of other unrelated notes...

• I apparently make flossing my teeth in the car look sexy...
• I get lost even more when I try to use my GPS
• My cat just stuck his head near my laptop, which is the only thing lit up in a dark room, so all I could see was his glowing eyes.  Even though I figured out what it was in moments, I still started screaming... you see why people enjoy going to haunted houses with me?  I tend to over-react. =)

It's a Dog Eat Dog World...

So I got a new puppy over the weekend.  I didn't plan it... also didn't plan to go on the Spoon River Drive with Jeff and Krystal... but I did that too.  Sometimes the best experiences are the ones you don't plan for... right?  Well for now I'm on constant dog-watch to make sure she doesn't pee on the carpet or chew up my furniture.  If it weren't for my sister living with me the number of animals would now outnumber the people.  But Sydney the Australian Red Heeler is adorable... and hard to stay mad at.  She snaps her teeth together to make a little teeth chomping noise at my other dog when she plays and nuzzles your neck when she's sleepy... ah, puppies.

I am looking forward to the showdown when my cat finally surfaces...

In other news, I'm learning how to assemble stuff at work.  I can tell you what a torque gun does and the proper pattern to tighten bolts in and more about o-rings and lip seals and a whole bunch more than I ever wanted to know.  On a TMI note, one of the guys that I'm working with is way too old to not have pants that fit.  If I wanted to see your tighty-whities from Banana Republic... I'd ask.