1/30 — A Weekend of Love!

Vlog 1/30 is a what I liked to call #ProjectLove, where we spent Valentine's Day weekend loving on others by doing ALL KINDS of Random Acts of Kindness.

2/30 - Photo Adventure to the World's LARGEST Starbucks!

This year, we celebrated Justin's birthday in CHI-TOWN... (Exploring the city | Taking tons of photos | Drinking expensive coffee) Come along our ADVENTURE to the Starbuck's Roastery in Downtown Chicago!

3/30 - Free Books Find Good Homes

What was a typical evening walk around the block, soon turned into a mission to find hundreds of books good homes! All because my neighbor rescued two pallets of books from going to a landfill. Hear all the amazing stories in my latest Vlog! Seriously... SO many lives touched, all because the generosity of one man! Thank you Frank! Thank you Wanda!

4/30 - Up in the (Cubbies) Club!

Back to Chicago! This time...to the Wrigley Rooftops to watch a Cubs game! Unlimited food! Unlimited drinks! And the BEST part? We basically had the whole place to ourselves! This was a much needed day off with the best friends, lots of laughs and not a care in the world! Oh, and somehow, this Reds fan ended up in a Cubs shirt ;) LOL

5/30 - Got My (COVID) Shot!

In this week's episode of #30by30, I'm sharing my experience getting the COVID-19 shot. I received the Moderna vaccine, which is a two dose shot. So this video is split into two parts: Dose 1 and Dose 2

I share with you:
-The road to the vaccine (literally)
-Actually getting each shot (from the comfort of my car!)
-How I felt the days following (plus how I feel now)

If you're wondering where you can find a COVID-19 vaccine...
Visit: www.vaccines.gov

6/30 - Indy 500 with Michelle!

A story about... How a last minute, extra ticket to the #Indy500 turned into a super special day for my dear friend Michelle. This would have been her Grandpa's 61st Indy 500. Unfortunately, he passed away on January 31st this year. While he may not have been at the Speedway in person, he was definitely there in spirit. Grandpa Hays, this one is for you!

7/30 - Big Kid Sleepover!

My good friend Brooke (who I first met through Instagram, who I officially met in-person at a conference, who I later hired as our wedding photographer, who since has become a super close friend and we exchange voice memos about our goals on the daily) and I got together back in June for a Mid-Year Goal Review!

I started calling it a "Big Kid Sleepover" because essentially...that's what we did! Booked a hotel and chatted the whole night about all the things! With a big focus on our GOALS for the next six months. We also had quite a bit of fun along the way.... eating our "veggies" at dinner, getting locked into a backroom at Target (thank you, thunderstorm!) and consuming all kinds of yummy drinks (from coffee to smoothies to AHA's and the like!)

This was SUCH a fun night away and I felt so inspired leaving Dayton, OH! Can't wait for our next Sleepover at the end of the year to CELEBRATE everything we accomplish the next couple months :) Oh, and map out 2022!

8/30 - Wishing a Very SPECIAL, Happy Birthday to....

Miss Laura and Miss Ambar!

These two technically do not know each other but are connected in such a special way! Hear the story of God moving in our lives and how He brought the three of us together!

9/30 - Around the World in....24 Minutes! (HOME TOUR)

I love decorating the house for every holiday! But those months between the 4th of July and Halloween... what do you put up then?!

It didn't dawn on me until I was antiquing with my friend Heather that I could choose a THEME to decorate the house instead of a holiday / season. So I picked a TRAVEL theme (honestly by mistake). But it worked out PERFECTLY because I had PLENTY of decorations from my PAST adventures + lots of neat, NEW finds from treasure shopping.

Come on in.... Let me show you around! Around the World in 24 minutes...that is ;)

10/30 - The ONE MILLION Dollar Puzzle! *WINNER*

Where everyone is a WINNER! How much did we win?!?! ...watch to find out!

As of September 2021... the Milli is still out there! Buy your chance today! https://1millionpuzzle.com/ OR it's on Amazon!
Someone's gotta WIN!

11/30 - Starting a Treasure Shop! #PandemicProject

After COVID hit and majorly SLOWED life down, my best friend Jessie and I opened a Treasure Shop (which we later called our #PandemicProject). Having a booth at Gilley's Antique Mall gave us something fun to do and look forward to during these tough times. We weren't sure how long our booth would stay open... Our original goal was to make it 'til Christmas. But when Christmas came and went, and we were still selling things and making money, we decided to keep it open a bit longer!

Booth #823 made it an ENTIRE year before we said Farewell (for now, until we meet again). Check out our journey and what it looks like to be Treasure Shop Booth Owners!

12/30 - Sweetwater Flower Tour!

My friend Heather has been following @SweetwaterFloral on Instagram for quite some time! She told me I HAD to give them a follow...that she LOVED Kalin, her stories and the flower business she has built!

Heather and I actually started sending each other pictures of our coffee in the morning for *Clinks* (inspired by the one and only, K!) When Kalin announced Sweetwater was going on Tour this Fall, and one of the stops was Indy, you bet we bought 2 tickets within the first 2 hours of them going on sale.

Then... on Monday, Sept. 27th... the day came! We drove up to Lapel, IN (through all kinds of traffic and then cornfields) before pulling up to the beautiful Red Barn. Kalin taught us how to create beautiful flower arrangements, using the Focal Filler Flair method. (Check out her TedxTalk video for more on that: https://youtu.be/-onw8QkvmUk)

We had the BEST night with the BEST people in the BEST venue with the PRETTIEST flowers. It was so fun!
Thanks Sweetwater for creating an experience that will live on in our hearts forever.

13/30 - Making Easy Mac! (Halloween Costume)

I have been saving toilet paper rolls for YEARS in preparation for this costume! And the time has finally come! I present to you...Easy Mac! (SO MUCH FUN ...and easy... TO MAKE)

#CraftTheKraft #EasyMac #CheesiestCostumeOnTheBlock #WordOfTheYear #Create

14/30 - My "3-Day" Juice Cleanse

This summer during my Staycation, I decided to do a "3 day" juice cleanse. I thought this was THE ANSWER to "getting back on track" with my health. Turns out, that was further from the truth.

Come along with me on my juice journey to find out how it went + what I learned along the way!

15/30 - Trick or Treat! Gimme all the CHEESE to eat!

You know, I totally had to embrace the CHEESE theme after Kraft-ing my "Easy Mac" costume!

Instead of candy bars, we handed out the cheesiest treats this Halloween! From 9 different types of Mac N Cheese, Cheez Its, Cheez Its Snap'd, cheese Pringles, cheese puffs, cheese breadsticks and goldfish... oh my! #AllTheCheese I think you could say we were the Cheesiest House in town! People LOVED it! Parents and kids, alike!

#YearOfCHEESE #Vlog15 #30by30

16/30 - 1st Trip to Buc-ee's!

I've heard from so many people just how AWESOME Buc-ee's is! When I realized I would be less than 30 minutes from one on my last trip to Dallas, you bet it made the list.

Come follow me + Chris around the store to see ALL THE COOL FINDS we found! 1 hour and $75 later... we made it through the "gas station" that's WAY MORE than "just" a gas station!

17/30 - #SipsWith7s

In the SEVENteeth episode of #30by30… I bring you… #SipsWith7s !!!!!!!

Heather and I met 7 months ago, and ever since, we’ve gone to a new restaurant or coffee shop each month! It’s been a blast! And totally has been good for our adventurous #Enneagram7 souls.

Watch to see where we went… We share lots of yummy recommendations! And rate each place using Annie Down’s #TourDeTasteBuds scale 😋

18/30 - Daily Flosser!

About a year ago, my Dentist moved out of an office plaza into their own brand new (absolutely beautiful) building. They thought of all the coolest touches inside and out…. including this SIGN that inspired me to floss my teeth everyday! All I gotta say is my dentist (Kingseed Family Dental) is an absolute GENIUS. If this isn’t the most fun way to floss your teeth, I don’t know what is! #Vlog18 #30by30 #DailyFlosser

19/30 - Spreading Santa's Magic!

I almost pitched the Target toy catalog I got in the mail a month ago. But something was telling me to hold onto it. A couple days later, I saw a friend post on Facebook she was looking for one. I told her I would happily ship it to her! And better yet, I could make it come from Santa at the North Pole :)

And that's what I did! Well, what Santa did ;) Hehe It was so fun seeing Myla's reaction to Santa's letter and spreading holiday cheer. After all, that's what this season is all about, right?!

20/30 - Christmas in July! 🍪🎅🏻🏖

We just wrapped up our 5th Annual Christmas Cookie College Reunion! But had to flash back to this past July…. When we did #ChristmasInJuly since we weren’t able to get together last December!

Super grateful 2021 allowed us to meet in-person, again! Getting together really is SO good for the soul.

21/30 - Celebrating ADVENT! ✨

This year, I celebrated ADVENT with three different (totally unique) calendars + Hannah Brencher's 27-day email series to prepare my heart for Christmas! It can't be any coincidence that this might just be my favorite holiday seasons to date. This month never felt rushed. It never felt chaotic. I truly understood the #ReasonForTheSeason and I've never been happier.

22/30 - #21PuzzlesIn2021

If there’s one thing that doing 21 puzzles in 2021 taught me… it’s the generosity and thoughtfulness of others! I STILL have dozens of puzzles in my closet I haven’t opened yet because puzzles kept showing up at my doorstep all throughout last year! Who knew puzzles had such a way of bringing people together from all over?! To all my puzzles friends from near and far...thank you thank you thank! You totally made my year last year. I plan to keep puzzling and keep paying it forward :)

23/30 - Candy Cane Lane

If you’ve ever wondered how Candy Canes are made… Look no further! The Martinsville Candy Kitchen in Martinsville, IN makes nearly 40K candy canes by hand each year. They have a demonstration room in the back of their candy store to show it’s how it’s done! Absolutely fascinating. Check it out!!

24/30 - Learned the "Fancy Like" Dance!

When Pam told us her husband had challenged her to learn the "Fancy Like" dance while she was in Indy for training, we jumped right in with her to practice! I had never heard of Walker Hayes before... but soon started hearing his new viral "TikTok song" everywhere (including when driving past Applebee's). Haha! When I went down to visit my coordinators and wrap up their last bit of training, we danced it out like we did back in the Indy office last August. Love these ladies!!

25/30 - Friendship Bracelet for "My Good Friend Bob" Goff

After I finished Bob Goff's devotional "Live in Grace, Walk in Love", I knew I just HAD to make him a friendship bracelet! Bob (or should I say "my GOOD FRIEND Bob") felt like such a companion the past year by opening his heart, sharing his stories and encouraging me to Love Like Jesus.

26/30 - Painted a Bookshelf with CHALK PAINT!

For years, I've wanted to "refresh" a piece of furniture. I finally did it!!! Using an old bookshelf and a jar of bright YELLOW chalk paint. Literally took me 90 minutes! So EASY!!! So FUN!!! And best part?! It looks FABULOUS!

27/30 - 21 Days of "7" (Prayer & Fasting)

Every January, our church does #21DaysofPrayerAndFasting. This year, God placed it on my heart to do a modification of Jen Hatmaker's "7" experiment and re-read her book that explains it! For 3 weeks, I did "7" things...

Week 1: Giveaway 7 items each day
Week 2: Eat only 7 foods
Week 3: Stay off my phone 7 hours each day (NOTE: This did NOT count when I slept or worked)

I learned a lot during this fast... the greatest being to lean on God! He will get you through and then some!!

28/30 - The Road to THERAPY

Last summer, I knew I would probably benefit from therapy but I had no idea where to begin. This video walks through my journey to therapy! Along the way, I answer 3 common questions:

1. Where do you find a therapist?
2. How much does it cost?
3. What does therapy look like?

Link to Find a Therapist (mentioned in the video): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

29/30 - Cleaning a (NON-Self Cleaning) Oven!

If you have been avoiding cleaning your oven (like me, who pushed it off for 5 years.... *hides in closet*), I got news for ya! IT'S NOT THAT BAD! You'll even hear me say in the video, "If I knew it was this easy, I would have done it YEARS ago!!!" Get your gloves on!!! Let's make magic happen! It's time to get those OVENS CLEAN!!

30/30 - Looking Back Before... Moving Forward!

This! Is! It! The last #30by30 video... I know, bittersweet! We look back at the last year before I announce my next passion project! Thanks SO much for following along my Vlogging journey. It truly means a lot!!

You can catch me on IG Stories for What's Next! @ashley.noga.rice
#TheBestIsYetToCome #WeeklyRecaps #AlwaysAnAdventure