A day in the life

I like having the little counter on this blog. You can see who reads it and who comes back for more! Rather interesting! Now lately I have had quite the foreign audience. Greece, Angola, Asia, Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Denmark and Portugal! I'm not sure if I think that's cool or scary! Maybe they like the feisty American woman:) or maybe I was the next one to pop up when they were blog surfing! I did have a French follower for a while but I haven't seen them around for some time now. Oh speaking of blog surfing, I've been getting a lot of those lately and one of them even left a comment. I actually had it posted but then I deleted it because it irritated me. Here's why it irritated me....first of all the gal was 25 and I didn't even know her. No spouse or kids and probably not near the life experiences we've had. 2nd-Leaving a comment on someone's blog that I am not familiar with or know anything about their life experiences is definitely not something I would do. Now, I'm sure she is a great person. She's in in a bible group and a lover of poetry. (read her profile) But what irritated me the most is the fact that she had no idea about each individual situation I was even speaking of. She tried to give me advice on something she new absolutely nothing about. Completely frustrating. She compared our help to gas and groceries and the help we have rendered goes well beyond petty things. What's wrong with expecting some gratitude when you've done something nice for someone. I don't expect accolades and praises and a million thank you cards or a single thing in return but a simple thank you and the attitude of pay it forward....is that too much to ask? Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, expected gratitude when he cured the lepers. Only one of them came back to him to say thank you and he asks where the others were. So I don't think I'm out of line to expect a thank you when you have gone above and beyond what the Lord expects from you! But I appreciate your looking at my blog Susan from Toledo! But know what you're talking about BEFORE you comment on a stranger's blog next time.

So, I keep reading how marvelous running is for you. I have read it in magazines, I hear it from doctors, weight trainers, the list goes on. I know this information is correct. However, I hate running. I can ride a bike for miles, walk forever, train on the elliptical without difficulty and I love to swim but I just can't seem to be able to acquire a love for running. It hurts every thing on this body. Plus, everything bounces when I run and it's rather embarrassing. But I am determined. So I got out with my dog today, who loves to run, and she inspired me. I figure I will start small and work my way up. Today I ran about a mile and thought my chest was on fire and would explode out of my body. It may have been less than a mile but it sure felt like about 5 miles. I'll keep you posted on my progress but don't get too excited. And I promise you now, I will never desire to run a marathon :)

I tried......

NOTE TO SELF......if you're wanting to be positive, blog surfing is NOT a good idea! Some people are just way too ridiculous for me. Especially the ones that you know act like fools and they have bible verses all over their blog! Love those!

We've been having some serious tornadic winds around these Arizona parts lately. Tuesday night Charles and I were out in the front yard at 11 p.m. picking up all the recycle trash that had blown all over the yard. We had to get it picked up since the recycle truck only runs once a month and it was picking up the next day.

Have you ever been to the gym and seen one of those guys in there that has a huge beer gut but massive biceps? Ok, here's some Ashley advice, just because you have big biceps does not mean you're healthy. Besides, I'm not looking at your biceps because I can't get past your massive gut! There was a guy at the gym yesterday that was like this and he kept grunting loudly as he lifted his weights. It reminded me of the MadTV spoof where the guy is sitting at a bar talking inappropriately and everyone is staring at him and he gets pissed because they are all staring! He's calling them looky looks and asks what they are staring at. I mean, how do you not stare at someone grunting loudly as you are standing there right next to him on a treadmill? It's a little distracting to say the least.

You know, I continue to be stunned at all the people that are constantly looking for others to do for them. I look back through the years and see people that Charles and I have done big things for, as far as really helping someone. I'm not talking about doing yard work or baking some cookies for someone either. I'm talking about serious help where we have given up our resources to help another. Help that we have rendered and has involved serious sacrifice on our part. In all the circumstances when we have given of ourselves or possessions it seems as though every person has taken advantage of our willingness. Now there haven't been a ton of people but there has been a decent amount of folks that we have sacriciced for. A few circumstances have involved us helping people that claim they "just don't have the money" then the lifestyle they choose to live is contradictory to this. They'll take trips, lunches out, they'll make big purchases, etc. It really is infuriating. People that use up your resources so they can save their own, they're appalling. Then they sleep like a baby at night. I've had people stay at my home for a good length of time that have left without ever offering a thank you. We've had people take advantage of us financially. I guess I have expectations of people and think that they will do the right thing. Let me tell you though, not everyone will choose to do the right thing. Lots of people are only looking out for their best interest. It's the whole give and take mentality though. The takers will continue to be takers and vice versa. I just don't have it in me to take advantage of someone like that. If I have been that way to anyone out there reading this I sure am sorry! Now, we have had people come stay or helped others out and be very appreciative and show their gratitude. It's those people that make me want to continue doing nice things. That and also knowing that what goes around comes around! I truly believe that:) So those advantage takers will get what's theirs:)

So......

I've been thinking lately......about lots of things! One thing in particular is where life has brought me. Despite my rantings on here, I do have a great life. I remember feeling in my twenties how life just seemed to drift by without too many obstacles. I thought it was weird to just float along like that and nothing seemed to change. But as I got older and wanted more out of life I realized how many obstacles I had to overcome. Historically speaking, I have learned most of my life's lessons through hard and difficult trials. Things I would never have dreamed of happening while floating through my early marriage years. Now that they've happened I'm grateful for the experiences and the lessons that were learned from them. Even though they weren't at all fun to experience, now, I would have to say I would do them all again. I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to grasp that we will surely face disappointment in this life so that we will learn and become what we are intended to be. Often times people think that because bad things happen it's because we have done something bad, but we need to remember this isn't always the case. Sure, when we make bad choices we will usually have to face bad consequences but not every trial is because of a bad choice. Just thinkin'........

Well, I love cheese! Charles was coming home from work one day and was listening to NPR. There was a segment on there about a cheese maker in Wisconsin who had aged some cheddar cheese for 15 years and was selling it for $50 a pound. Well, this piqued our interest. We immediately went to the computer and looked up this company. We were thinking it was going to be some big time operation but it wasn't at all. You had to email them to get a price list and then when you call she doesn't say " hello, thank you for calling Hook's cheese, how can I help you?" She just answers the phone "hello" in her Wisconsin accent! So we ordered a variety of cheeses and have been pleased with every pound! They don't have credit card capabilities so they give you your total on the back of a business card when you receive your order! The cheese is delicious and cheaper than what you would pay for fancy cheese in a grocery store! It was well worth the $75 we spent!

Another thought I've had recently, well, really just last night, was this blog of mine. I'm thinking I need to be more positive. Why do I let people's silliness bother me? I mean if someone wants others to think their life is perfection who am I to stand in the way? If you want to name your child some crazy made up name that they will have to suffer with for the rest of their life go right ahead! If you want to be an ignorant, redneck buffoon I ain't gonna stop ya. From this day forward I am going to be positive--I think! It might take me some time to get in the swing of things, so bear or bare with me! It makes me nervous:)

Mission Accomplished!

Man, my last blog posting sure did create a lot of buzz! I was able to show my white trash to a bunch of people I know and also those I don't know! Sorry about that, it comes out once in a while:( But I usually try hard to have class. I slip up once in a while though.

So has anyone checked out the show Operation Repo? Oh my gosh, if you haven't you must. It is the best show on TV. Obviously, it's about this repo company in California that goes around repossessing cars for banks. Then the "owners" of these cars get so irate that they are having their cars taken away. I don't get how you can stand there and cuss someone out when you know dang good and well that you haven't been paying your bill! I'm sure they only show a fraction of what they come across and just put the most ridiculous cases on TV. It is quite shocking. And it is addicting. Charles and I will stay up all hours watching it. They're having a marathon of it next Monday and we're pretty excited about it. It's on TruTv for those interested:)

So yesterday, I hit my 40 pound weight loss mark! I'm pretty stoked about it! About 18 months ago I bought a pair of size 10 jeans I found on clearance for $3. I was determined I would one day fit into them. Well I tried them on the other day and was able to at least pull them completely up and get them buttoned standing up. Now zipping them was a different story. I had to lie down to get the zipper up! But hey, I got 'em on and that's what counts! 5 years ago I wouldn't have been able to get my right foot in a pair of 10's. I know some people are reading this thinking a size 10 ain't that small, but when you were once busting out of a 24 it's pretty dang tiny! So I'm pretty proud that I was able to pull them over my trunk! Charles also hit is goal weight. We're both feeling good about not being so chubby anymore:) That's all the bragging I have for now!

This whole facebook thing became amazing to me yesterday. Most of the people on my friends list are people that I have known for the last 5-10 years and some family members. I have a handful of people from high school but there just aren't that many people I knew so long ago that I care to be facebook friends with! However, an old childhood friend found my siblings and me yesterday! It was so exciting! He and his brothers are some of the fondest memories my siblings and I have from our childhood. I just had to share that. I was rambling on and on about it yesterday to Charles and he was ready for me to shut up about it but I was just so dang excited:)

So is it bad when you let your kid watch like 12 hours of cartoons in a day? Cody stayed home from school today and I have felt like crap for 3 days. We played about 3 games of Uno Attack and I finally had to get our living quarters in some form of order and other than that we've done nothing but watch cartoons. I have 5-6 loads of laundry that need to be folded and I am dreading that. It's all stacked at the foot of my bed waiting for me to tackle it. So I guess I should stop blogging, huh?!

Wanna know....

what I love? Well, I'll tell you! High heels, makeup, banana bread with lots of chocolate chips, blue cheese and I love love love when a mean person tries to get you down and you unexpectedly end up getting the best of him! You know you've gotten the best of him because he continues to try and say things that bother you and you just don't really care about his white trash tactics! It's my brother David again! He's a lot like my mother in the way that he loves to get trouble started. He likes to badger me about my religion and it ALWAYS ends up being quite comical because he's a huge redneck and is very misinformed and the information that he comes up with is always completely inaccurate. His latest info had something to do with mormons and rectums. Now my brother has had a super weird obsession with other people's buttholes for as long as I can remember. I can't quite find the correlation between his obsession and his latest crazy remark! Then he seems to be fascinated with the "mormon panties." He even went as far to say that he would like a pair if he could find them in a thong style! NOW I think I've heard it all! Thong style "mormon panties." I'm sure all my LDS peeps reading this are thinking what the? I told you... I hail from a dysfunctional family! The really funny thing about him expressing an interest in thongs is the fact that there ain't one adult at his house that could slip into thongs and look remotely decent! WOW! That's definitely an image I don't need this morning! Consider me the Taylor Swift of the blog world! When someone irritates her she writes a #1 song about it! When someone irritates me I write about it on my blog! Now if only I was as cute, lovable and rich as her! Now enough about white trash, bumpkin, overweight rednecks that have to pay $200 for someone to install a screen door for him!
Man, I was gonna try hard to be nice this year! Some people make it so hard! There's always tomorrow though.

Check out what my delicious husband made last night! A big, round loaf of cheesy foccacia bread!


You know Rachel Ray says there's nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen and I have to agree with her. My little Charles is really the jack of all trades. From dirt bike mechanic to the little baker boy, he can do it all! Plus he's so nice and makes up for the class that I sometimes lack:)

Well, I had debated taking my blog private but there's way too many email addresses to compile and it makes me want to twirl me head off my shoulders when I think of the hassle it would be. Soooo, I'm just gonna keep it open and let it be the death of my brother and his wife! They are always talking about my life when Davey gets so angry and since I haven't talked to him since I foxed his balls in October of 2008 the only way I assume he gets info about me is through reading my blog! I guess he loves to hate me! I mean, I'm not the most politically correct person, I speak my mind and I am far from a fu fu girl but I do think people enjoy reading what I write about! I say out loud what others think and it's like a car wreck, as bad as it may be you just can't look away! So if it bugs ya, STOP READING it! But I guess some people have a hard time prying their fat ass away from the computer!

Well....

It seems as though my blog postings seem to strike a nerve with some people. If you are looking for politically correct you will not find it here. I use my blog as a sounding board about things I would not discuss any ole' where! I have found that most people that come across it enjoy reading it and will tell me so. I know that I have a lot of faithful readers and I'm glad I can contribute to some laughs here and there. However, I will acknowledge that I have written some things that may have been offensive to some readers. To the innocent that I have offended I say I am sorry. Things sometimes bug me and I write about it. For those that read my writings often or know me well should know this about me.

I hail from an extremely dysfunctional family and have worked hard my entire adult life to overcome my raising. I am very blessed to have married a man who was taught values and was raised to be a real man who would never do some of the things I have seen men in my family do and say. I am thankful he teaches our 4 sons how to be men and respect women, children and follow in the ways of our Lord. I too, learn from him every day. Coming from where I came it is sometimes hard to break a certain cycle and I have Charles' example to look to. It is so sad when I see people in my extended family(my siblings) say horrible things and enjoy when terrible things happen to others in my family. I have family members who LOVE seeing trouble get started and this is why I have chosen to distance myself and our kids from these toxic people. One thing I do have to be grateful to my family for is what not to repeat and also for the relationship I have with my sister. Next to my spouse she has been my best friend my entire life. I love her and her kids dearly. I've probably said more than I needed to but in my true nature I like to get things all out:) I have certain family members that read my blog recently and rushed to get some poo poo started with other family members. With that being said I am debating on going private next week so if you would like to continue reading my blog send me your email address and I will send you an invite to be able to continue reading! I will warn that I will continue to write about things that irritate me and will not write to make others think my life is perfect. You won't see pictures of me baking cookies with my kids but you will hear me gripe about them from time to time. Just know that I still love them more than words can say! We are a close family and love spending time together, so keep that in mind as you read my RANTS! It ain't titled rantings of a mad woman for nothin'! Now the only thing you will find me bragging about is the weight I have lost and will continue to lose. I've been a big mama my entire adult life so finally getting to a decent size is something to brag about for me! Sorry if it bugs ya!

Sorry to get so personal in this posting. Those it is meant for will know who they are!

Hello again

Can someone tell me why everyone seems so pissed that Alabama won the championships? I mean come on, the Tide won that game fair and square. It makes me mad when I see fellow Alabamians getting pissed that an SEC team won that dang game! I have heard everything from "oh if Colt hadn't got injured Texas would have taken them." No Bama won. Then there's my brother who was a Tide fan all of his life until he went down to Auburn a few times to get high and now he claims to hate Alabama and says he always has. I can't stand that. I've been married to Charles for nearly 15 years and he has always rooted for Auburn and I have always been for Bama. It's ok to continue to root for who you've always rooted for even when your loved ones go the opposite. I still love Charles and think he's the greatest thing since Reese's cups even though he cheers for Auburn! I'm want to see Auburn win too just not when they are playing against Alabama. Please people don't hate us cause we're the national champs! Not to mention the Heisman Trophy winner is on our team! The damn team has to have some kind of skill to get to where they got.

We had a great Christmas! We got dirt bikes and a go cart for the kids and it seems that every time they get on the damn things they tear something up on them. Charles has spent more time repairing them than they have been ridden! As a matter of fact Charles took them out to the trails today and Ryan ran the go cart into a tree! I haven't gotten the full scoop from Charles yet but I'm sure he isn't happy!

I must clarify some things about my last post. I got a comment that made me feel bad and I realized there may have been some misunderstanding. I realize there are a lot of people out there that don't give compliments because they just don't notice things. As a matter of fact I am married to someone that doesn't dole out compliments easily. He didn't hear a lot of them growing up and he has spent our entire marriage working on this. Thanks to me, he's improved greatly! The people that frustrate me are the ones that do notice things and go as far to point them out and then say something rude instead of saying something nice. I know and have known people like this my entire life and I just get tired of it. There was a girl I knew in Tennessee that every time someone gave me a compliment she would come back with a subtle, negative remark. It would fire me up and then I just realized she had serious insecurities. There are still people that do this to me but now that I'm in my 30's and have gained enough confidence it doesn't bother me at all. Enough about that though!

I must give a little plug to Charles because he has managed to lose nearly 30 pounds in a short period of time. He does bug me a little because he has to put forth a lot less effort than me and still loses a lot more. He does look dang good though:) He also managed to lose through the holidays so I must give a shout out to him!