November 07, 2019

Wedding Update: 1 YEAR Until the BIG DAY!

November 07, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Today is November 7th, 2019 which means there are 365* days until our wedding day!
That’s, right, we are getting married in ONE YEAR on November 7th, 2020.
*Actually 366 days instead of 365 because not only is 2020 a new decade, it’s also Leap Year!

If you were to ask me how the wedding planning is going, here’s what I’d tell ya!

WEEKLY WEDDING MEETINGS

Justin and I meet every week to plan our wedding. This was actually Justin’s idea and wanna know something? I absolutely love it.

When we first got back from Florida (where he proposed to me), my mind was racing with thoughts and ideas. I was spending every waking moment researching venues, thinking about the what if’s, wondering what he thought. I wanted his input. After all, when you’re getting married, it’s not only all about you. It’s about the BOTH of you.

But Justin did not want to spend every waking moment talking wedding. And at first, I didn’t understand why not. But me, now I totally get it. It’s a lot! So instead of talking wedding 24/7, we do two things at each wedding meeting:

Cover a Topic!
Topics so far:
- General Location (IN or OH) and Time of Year (2019 or 2020)
- Our Top 5’s
- The Bridal Party
- Wedding Venues
- Wedding Dates
- Guest List and Food + Drink
Answer Each Other’s Questions!
If we think of questions during the week, we’ll save them for the meeting! I’ll jot mine down in the Notes section on my phone or the Excel spreadsheet I’ve started with all things wedding related.

These meeting are great because not only are we super productive for a solid hour or two, but we also bond with one another even more as we plan this special day together.

EACH OTHER’S TOP 5

I can’t take credit for this idea — I got it from my BFF Alex! She told me she did this exercise with her now husband at the beginning of their wedding planning and it helped tremendously.

And that’s this — Each person gets a sheet of paper to write down their Top 5 things for the wedding. It’s important you do NOT do this together, but rather separately so you each have a voice. Once you’ve both written down your 5 things, share your answers with each other!

The purpose of this is for later down the road when you’re making all the decisions, you’ll know what your top priorities are to decide what things really matter!

Here’s what we came up with:

Justin’s Top 5:

1. SWAG

2. Pals

3. Drinks

4. Good Food

5. No Driving

Ashley’s Top 5:

1. Photographer

2. Videographer

3. Grandparents are there

4. Do NOT go into debt

5. Involve RICE somehow!

PICKING THE VENUE + DATE

What comes first, the venue or your date?

If you have a date in mind, just know your venues may be limited. In my opinion, your venue kinda picks your date! Depending how far out you are, you may have plenty of dates to choose from, or you have just a few left on their calendar.

For us, the venue came first! We knew we wanted to do Fall 2020, but decided once we found “THE” venue, we’d look at the dates! And that’s exactly what we did.

THE VENUE

So how did we land upon The Benison? Great question!

1st — I actually heard about it from my sister and brother the Monday after Justin and I had returned from our engagement weekend in Florida. I was back home to Hamilton to pick up our puppy Manny (he stayed at Justin’s grandparents). While I was in town, my mom offered to have a family dinner at my Grandpa’s house. I said, “Count me in!” Not only would it be good family time, I could also catch up with them and the exciting news in-person!

At dinner that night, Erin and Alex were asking me if I had any venues in mind. I told them we honestly hadn’t thought about it. We decided not to worry about the planning until we got home from Florida! (Guess what, Ashley? You’re home now! Haha) My siblings told me about a couple new event venues in Hamilton. One of those being The Benison — an old bank building that my brother Alex actually worked at!

2nd — Y’all. I did so much research. I mean, I was up late every single night for at least two weeks researching venues and thinking “what if this” or “what if that”. Part of my issue (which wasn’t really an issue) but I had no sense where Justin wanted the wedding (IN or OH). I was really all over the place until we finally sat down and talked it through at our first wedding meeting.

3rd — During all that research, I stumbled upon a Bridal Expo at The Benison! It was two weeks away on a Sunday afternoon — I text my Mom and asked if she would go with me! Two weeks later, her and I drove up to the beautiful building downtown and got a tour of the space. (You could tell I was more so there to check out the venue than I was to attend the bridal show — Hahah). My mom really liked the space, and so did I! I brought the folder of materials + a ton of photos / videos back home so Justin could review it, too.

4th — Once we decided Ohio was the location, I got more serious about venues + scheduling site visits. Justin and I would he back home (in Hamilton) the 3rd weekend in October (for a wedding actually), and I thought, that would be the perfect time to do a couple venue walkthroughs! On October 19th, that’s just what we did.

Though I should have thought through that more…I had a feeling Justin might kill me because there were 3 spaces to check out throughout the day, on top of going to a wedding that night. I thought by the end of it, he may be sick of wedding planning. Haha.

But oh gosh, that wasn’t the “mistake” I made. The “uh oh” was when Justin found out I made 3 site visits on college football Saturday. Hahah — I thought I was toast. Luckily, the timing worked out! We were able to get lunch after the first visit, squeeze in first half of the Gators game right before our 2nd visit, and leave and finish watching the game before the 3rd wedding visit.

VENUE WALKTHROUGHS:

1. Lodge at Veteran’s Park

2. Houston Woods Conference Center

3. The Benison

5th — You know that saying, when you know, you know?

After seeing all three venues in person, we just knew The Benison was the one! One thing Justin really wanted was to make sure of was that I (or really anyone) would not have to worry about much of anything the day of the wedding. And The Benison would ultimately take care of everything for us! They had the help that the lodge didn’t provide, and organization that seemed a little lacking at Houston Woods. I especially love the venue because: (#1) it’s super unique, (#2) it’s right in the heart of downtown Hamilton, (#3) there’s ALL KINDS OF NATURAL LIGHT, (#4) there’s a bridal suite and a man’s cave, (#5) like I said…when you know, you know!

THE DATE

When we knew the venue, we asked Yvonne for the dates it was available Fall 2020. Then, we went through each date. We wanted Fall for a couple reasons (one I just love this season, but two so we would have enough time to save up).

The other thing that happens during Fall = Football. So after navigating the open availability with that, birthdays, already planned weddings….there were only a couple Saturday’s left. Mainly early August or November. We went with November and picked the first weekend so it wouldn’t interfere much with the holidays!

And while I’d love to have the wedding earlier cause I’m that ready to be married to my man, this will give us enough time to save completely. Cause that’s another thing….we are NOT going into debt for this wedding. Every last penny will be CASH FLOWED!

November 7th, 2020 is the day!!!

ASKING MY BRIDESMAIDS + MOH

Y’all! I had so much fun coming up with packages for the Bridesmaids and I’ve been dying to share them with you.

Since I’m the Queen of sending snail mail, I knew I wanted to ask my bridesmaids by mailing them a package. A few Pinterest scrolls and suddenly I had a vision! I would send them a BALLOON and a safety pin! And a note that instructed them to POP the balloon. Once they popped it, a note would be inside asking them “the” question.

Now when I get an idea in my head, I run with it!
I stopped at the Dollar Tree the next day to get:

6 Boxes
3 Bags of Decorative Shred
A Pack of Balloons
Safety Pins
6 Frames
8 mini cube containers

When I got home, I started making my boxes! I love a good craft and this was right up my alley. I found a really neat washed paper that my Grandma actually gave me from their old business, Pen and Ink. I used that to write the notes to each Bridesmaid + my Maid of Honor. The notes read:

I also put rice in the little containers, cause I feel the need to involve rice in everything since that will be my new last name ;) Lol — inside those containers of rice was a note that said, “Get ready to throw the rice…” and then on the back had one of our hashtags (#JAndAWeddingDay) and the date + city!

I shipped the packages out on a Tuesday and by Thursday (the night of our wedding meeting that week), my Bridesmaids started getting their packages! I got YES’s from all of them! It was so fun getting their texts / phone calls / FaceTimes / photos!

The next day, my sister sent me this ADORABLE video of her saying YES to being my MAID OF HONOR
<3 <3 <3

I’m so lucky so have such amazing women standing up by my side!

Side Note: I asked Justin if he wanted me to ask his peeps ;) Hahah he’s just going to text them!

OTHER RANDOM THINGS WE’VE DONE SO FAR:

I asked my pastors if they would officiate our wedding!
We started a guest list because the venue needed to know an estimate # of people. We aren’t having a super HUGE wedding. Justin’s goal was 50-80 people, but after I added my peeps, it looks like it will be closer to 100.

Put a budget together. It’s very rough and needs a bit of cleaning up. More to come soon, there.
Got a little bit of photography information!

Inquired about a wedding cake (and other sweets) from one of my old softball friends growing up, Jesi! She made the cake for Justin’s dad’s wedding and it was tasty. Plus, we love Jesi and how sweet she is <3
Updated our Wedding White Board!
IN or OH? (INDIANA)
2019 or 2020? (NOVEMBER 7th, 2020)
Plus our Top 5 so it’s still fresh in our minds!

NEXT UP:

Firm up the budget!
Decide on wedding colors!
Schedule our food tasting!
….and whatever else I discover is important (right now) that I haven’t realized yet! LOL

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!!!!!

And the planning commence!

<3 <3

November 05, 2019

Life Update: Covering (ALL. THE. THINGS.)

November 05, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Holy smokies — Life has been FLYING by!

SO many BIG exciting things have happened in the last couple months — literally one right after the next. It has honestly been hard to slow down long enough to soak in each event and savor the moment. I’m hoping with this update, I’m able to pause long enough to process much of what’s happened.

You see, the beginning of the year was incredibly slow and rather difficult for me. A friend reminded me about this recently, because somehow in all of the excitement lately, I had forgotten how lost and motionless I was earlier this year.

I lost my Grandma back in January. She was the first person I have lost that I was close with, and to make matters worse, her passing happened rather unexpectedly. I really didn’t want to do much of anything after that. I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to post on social media. I was in a season of keeping to myself, sleeping when I wasn’t working and watching Netflix on repeat (if you know me, you know how not like me that is — I never watch TV).

But the one thing I did do during my “down time” was create a Vision Book for 2019. And I’m telling you what, that’s where everything changed. This vision book took me weeks to complete, but it allowed me time to grieve as I filled the pages. I dedicated several pages to my Grandma, and the rest?

They are filled with thousands of magazine clippings that relate to one of twelve goals I set a couple days into the New Year. The goals I created were challenging but realistic (for the most part). I didn’t just put things on the list to put them on there, or because I thought they looked cool, or because I thought they might impress someone else. I did it for me, myself and I.

You can read more about the entire process here, but to recap, this is what I came up with:

I paid off Pearl! (Bonus: I tackled my FedLoans)
I documented 2019 with 1SE (the “one second everyday” app).
I found #FoodFreedomForever.
I spent more time with Him <3
I earned $10,000 in additional income.
I loved on others <3 like they have loved on me.
I learned my Enneagram #.
I read 12 book.
I did exercise I enjoy.
I learned how to curl my hair. (Bonus: I figured out how to REALLY do my makeup)
I created a bullet journal.
I launched “A Day in the Life”.

You’ll notice each goal is written in past tense. I was once told by the brilliant Rachel Hollis, you are more likely to make a goal happen if you’re in the mindset you’ve already accomplished it. Your brain will figure out a way to actually make it a reality.

And you know what happened? Life started shifting.

My body awoken from its winter hibernation and come Spring, I started making movement. One day at a time, I took baby steps, and before I realized it, I was out of the slow season I was in. Hallelujah!

If my Grandma were to look down from the gates of heaven right now…

First off, “Hi Grandma!”

But secondly, she would want to hear what I’ve been up to lately. So Grandma, here’s what’s been going on. Pull up a chair because this may take awhile!

THIS MONTH: NaNoWriMo

I’m currently sitting at Platform 24 on the night of Halloween. Well actually, it’s now November 1st. What am I doing out past midnight?!? (I’m normally in bed by 9PM these days). Well, I am participating in NaNoWriMo this month!

You see, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month and the goal is to write 50,000 words within the 30 days of November. If you do this, you WIN!

My co-worker, Rachelle, is the ML (municipal liaison) for NaNo. She’s talked about it the past couple years, and this year, I decided I would give it a shot!

While most of the participants work on one project or novel, I’m actually working on several pieces:

Replacing some of my 365 chapters with things I’ve learned since I finished the passion project in 2016
Writing quite a few blog posts — I have many things I’ve been dying to document!
Creating content for two digital courses — (1) Finding Financial Freedom and (2) Finding Food Freedom

This is one of the reasons you’ll see me writing a ton more this month! I’ll also be posting more than my bi-weekly blog posts (‘cause #50K words)

;)

PAYING OFF PEARL: No more car payment!

On October 18th (payday), I made my final car payment! And this Friday, I received the title in the mail. Pearl is all mine!

My original goal was to have Pearl paid off by the end of the year, but after successfully completing Dave Ramsey’s $1K challenge (LINK) in August, I made a stretch goal: I would have Pearl paid off BEFORE I go to the RISE Business conference in November!

Guess what?! I will be driving down to Charleston, SC this week with a PAID FOR CAR!

It’s crazy — I’ve been working toward this for SO long now and to see it finally happen…there’s honestly no words! Just pure happiness. (Oh, and I totally did a photoshoot with Pearl to celebrate. I mean, would you expect anything less?)

NEXT UP: RISE Business Conference

Speaking of RISE, in less than 24 hours, I will be hitting the road to go South!

I’ve been a Rachel Hollis fan since before she became famous ;)

Back in the days of RachTalk, the Chic Site and her cookbook launches. Back before Noah and Austin and the extensions in her hair. Back when the Made for More Facebook group was created for the first Last 90 Days. Back when I was on her book launch team for Girl, Wash Your Face, received my first ever “Advanced Readers Copy”, went to her book tour in Chicago, saw her “fail” making the NYT Best Sellers List when the book was released and then see it explode later down the road!

I also have been following along her conference journey. From her going to Tony Robbins, seeing it spark a fire in her, Dave being scared crap-less what this conference did to his wife, her creating her own conference, it being a total financial flop the first year (not even selling 300 tickets), and then coming back and making the next one bigger and better! To where the third conference that she hosted in Minneapolis (the one I was planning on going to with a couple of my best girlfriends) sold out in 27 minutes. To THOUSANDS of people.

When she launched the RISE business conference and I saw it had ALL of my favorite people, I just knew THIS WAS THE CONFERENCE I WOULD BE GOING TO! I wasn’t going to get bamboozled like I did with RISE x Minneapolis when it sold out in 27 minutes. Haha!

The night the conference was announced, I emailed my bosses to ask for those dates off. When the tickets went for sale days later, I was one of the first people to purchase! Gosh, this was back in June and here we are…almost six months later…and I’m ready to learn all the things!

You may ask, Ashley, you have a business? And the answer there is no…not yet. Yet being the keyword. I have had an entrepreneural mindset for as long as I can remember. Heck, entrepreneurship was even one of my minors back in college. I absolutely love my current job and have no plans to leave anytime soon. In fact, I think I’ll be to bring a lot of what I learn from the conference and apply it to the position I am in today! But as I was explaining to a friend, I also want to take some time now to see “what else” I can offer the world! I feel a passion deep down to help other with their goals and dreams…which lets me to…

COMING SOON: Digital Courses + Life Coaching

At the beginning of October, Justin and I finished another round of Whole30. I’ve been on a mission to find my #FoodFreedom since last June. I’ve realized that this is so much more than weight. It’s a lifestyle, not a quick fix. I’ve found many things that I have found helpful over the past year and a half to make me FEEL GOOD with my relationship with food, and while I’m not perfect and never will be, I feel like I have a bunch of knowledge to share with others.

The other things I’ve learned a ton about lately? Paying off debt! I owe it to Dave Ramsey and the practices he preaches. When I paid off my car a couple weeks ago, I did a little photoshoot. Looking back at those photos, I realized just how proud I am of my financial transformations within the last couple years! I mean, three years ago I had more money in my piggy bank than my bank account. And now, I have a good sense of my finances and working toward becoming financially free! Some people me messages recently, asking what the “secret” is.

Truth be told? There’s so much I have learned and know, but it’s really hard to give someone ALL THE THINGS in an Instagram message. I did a poll on Instagram and asked if people would be interested in one of two of those topics, and then if they would consider taking a course / life coaching from me. I got good response!

It made me realize what I’ve been thinking about all along: I want to help people set, work toward and achieve their goals. I’ve had people tell me before I should be a life coach, and got a lot of positive feedback. The things is, I have no idea what I’m doing, but what I’ve learned with everything I’ve done in the past is you don’t need all the answers. You just need to begin.

WEDDING UPDATE: One Year Until the BIG Day!
November 7, 2020 — Justin and I will be getting MARRIED!

Since becoming engaged in August, we’ve made a bit of progress toward our wedding next year. I’ll share all of these details in my next blog post, cause it’s a lot!

But here’s a quick summary of what’s happened:

Weekly Wedding Meetings
Choosing a Venue
Picking a Date
Asking the Bridal Party
Other Random Things :)

Stay tuned for that!

TRIBE: All. The. Things.

I’ve shared a lot lately on the blog about Tribe. The past year and a half has been hands down, the most life changing and life giving experiences I’ve ever felt. You can read more about my recent 5 for 5 talk and baptism moments here!

Two other things that have happened recently:

Women’s Retreat
Planned by the one Tribe comedian and lady with a heart of gold, Hilary Grady! What started as an idea to get together to have a sleepover and do each others hair / makeup, turned into an overnight retreat that was amazing in more ways than one. I am forever grateful for bonding with a community of women, growing with Jesus and learning how to “Be Still and Know.”

(PS — staying in a hotel that was less than 2 miles away from home, was honestly an awesome feeling. Getting away but being close enough where we didn’t have to travel super far!)
Also, staying up until 2AM chatting with friends…it never gets old…no matter how old we get.
1 Year Anniversary = Performance of Seasons of Love
Something I don’t think I mentioned that happened at Tribe’s 1 Year Anniversary was a special performance of the song: Seasons of Love. You see, LOVE is the basis of everything that happens at Tribe.

We’ve got shirts that say…“Loved People Love People” (And even dog shirts that say “Loved Puppies Love People”). We end every service by saying…“Love is the Best Thing We Do”. We carry these thoughts and sayings with us through the week. We act with love!

LOVE.
LOVE.
LOVE.

Love is something that has been on my mind lately, especially with the engagement and all!

And you know how every year I come up with a new passion project? Well friends, I decided, that the song that was sang that day would be the basis of my 2019-2020 Passion Project!

SNEAK PEAK: 2020 Passion Project

As I mentioned, seeing the performance of “Seasons of Love” at Tribe’s one year anniversary really resonated with me. I recorded part of the production when they were on stage and went back and watched it later. I immediately downloaded the song. I’ve been playing it on repeat for weeks.

Since all of my Passion Projects have involved time in some way / shape / form, I had this thought…SEASONS. That’s one I haven’t done yet! I’ve done weeks, days, months, seconds. But seasons! That’s something unique AND I could tie it back to the 2020 wedding!

I have NO other framework for it other than I know I want to love on people, and I’m thinking I start it in December 2019 and go to November 2019 (the month J and I will get married — to wrap up the ‘seasons of love’) . If you’ve got any other ideas, please send my way! I’ll be getting the details down here soon!

That’s All…For Now!

Okay, while I’m sure there’s way more I could talk about, I’m going to wrap it up here! I’ve got a puppy to take on a walk before I pack the car, head into the office and hit the road for Charleston after work! Stopping in Lexington tonight to visit with my Dad and get a head start on my drive down South!

RISE BIZ, here I come!

October 16, 2019

5K Training + St. Jude Fundraising

October 16, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Last month, I set a goal to run a 5K without stopping. It may seem difficult for some, and others may think it’s easy breezy to achieve. But for me? It was the perfect goal. (That’s the thing about goals — they shouldn’t be about anyone else but you!)

I had been hitting the roads almost everyday since the beginning of summer. I started out walking and getting in the habit of moving my body every morning. And now? It was time to take it up a notch. At the beginning of September, I ran for as long as I could without stopping to set my 5K training baseline. I barely made it to 1 mile without stopping. But each day, each week, I kept training. I would get faster and I would go longer.

I remember sitting on the couch a week before the race and thinking, “Ashley, your running is impressive! But girl, your fundraising is lacking…you’ve got to do something more.”

You see, I had been so focused on the training for the 5K that I didn’t focus much on raising money for the cause. The cause? It was for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude is a cause near and dear to my heart <3

In college, I was in ESA, a service sorority at Ball State. One of our three philanthropies was St. Jude. We did a lot for the hospital over the years! And then toward the end of my Junior Year of College, I was actually asked to become the Executive Director for Up ‘til Dawn. A new organization on campus that would host a fundraising event, specifically for St. Jude.

That summer before Senior Year began, St. Jude flew me down to Memphis for a leadership conference, to tour the hospital and also do a mock run of the new event. In the past, the event had been a letter writing campaign. But that became boring and outdated. Now, though, it would be a series of challenges where you would get texts throughout the night on where to go and what to do. Essentially, a huge scavenger hunt…which was right up my alley! We raised a record breaking amount that year and far surpassed our letter writing totals out of the water. It was incredible!

So here I was, sitting on my couch, thinking….what could I do?

For those of you who aren’t aware, my day job is working with a company that helps nonprofits with their fundraising events. One of the features we offer organizations is what we call a Heart Crawler. Essentially, it’s a tool they can use the night of the event to help raise donations. Groups will set a goal (say $10,000) and then as people donate, the heart will fill and the names of the donors will scroll on the right of the screen. Every single time it’s used, it’s incredible seeing how people respond to it. The response? People LOVE to see their name on the big screen.

I thought….that’s what I’m going to do! In my own way! Only for me, the “heart crawler” would be a blank shirt. And as people donate, I would write their name on my shirt! That Sunday after church, I went to the Old Navy in the outlet mall and bought a light pink, purple-ish tank top. I just needed a couple fabric markers, and then I would be good to go!

What happened next is far bigger than anything I could have dreamed….

I started talking about my goal. People started donating. I first set the goal was for $100. Very quickly, that goal was reached. I set a bigger goal. We met that one! And then a bigger goal. And we met that one! Until finally, I knew we could get to $1,000. Justin thought I was crazy dreaming that audaciously, but I KNEW it was feasible.

Together, we raised $1,020 for the kids and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! And on that morning of the race, I wore my shirt proudly, knowing that 61 people would be running “with” me as we finished 3.1 miles together (WITHOUT STOPPING) <3

Fundraising 101

If you have a cause you’re raising money for, here’s some tips I have for ya!

Make this Bigger than You — Invite Others to Participate!
You are only one person and can only do so much. Get others involved! If you never ask, you’ll never know.
Add Your Own Personal Touch
I tied my fundraising efforts to the 5K I was training for and back to my love for St. Jude / the work I did with this incredible organization while in college. Make sure people know why it’s close to your heart! People want to see you succeed and reach your goals, especially when they see why it’s so close to your heart.
Ask. Ask. Ask.
I used to think people would be bothered by the fact that I would keep asking, or they thought I was super needy. What I’ve learned though, is every time you ask, you make an impression. Make a final call. And then, make your FINAL final call before time is up!
Keep Your People Involved
Update them on your progress! Talk to them! Keep them in the loop of where you’re at. It makes it so much more than you!
Set a Goal. Reach it? Set a bigger Goal.
Don’t stop just because you reach one #. Keep going until you’ve exasperated all of your resources!
THANK your Donors!
Send them a special message soon after they donate! Give special shoutouts during your fundraising campaign! Thank them after the event! It’s never too late to say ‘Thank You!’”

October 02, 2019

Tribe Church: 5 for 5 + Baptism

October 02, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Back in July, I received this text from Pastor Matt:

Me?!? Was he really asking me?

I was excited to be thought of for this role — but also a tad nervous! I hadn’t spoken publicly in a longgggg time. Then I thought back to I something Rachel Hollis said that she actually heard from Oprah, “Nerves are a selfish emotion because you're making the experience all about you.” It should be about the AUDIENCE. Not you.

Duh! The answer was laying right there in front of me. After giving it the night to think on, I text Matt back the next morning, “Count me in!”

Later that afternoon, I took an afternoon stroll and started to think about what I would talk about during my five minutes. I had just finished an application for a Christian book publishing company weeks ago — and one of the questions I answered I thought would make the PERFECT outline.

(It’s funny how life works out. I actually withdrew my application — decided to go another route to publish my book — but it’s almost like I “needed” to apply to get my layout for 5-for-5.)

Little Reminder: No work that you do is ever wasted. It will eventually help you in some form or way!

This was Question #19 of the application that I was referring to:

This is what I came up with for my outline:

How Life Has Changed Over Last Year

What brought me in? Branding (Ha!)
Tribe Gathering: March 18th, 2018 (Review story from above + Important note: SIGNS)
Pastors Matt + Carrie: “Give Tribe 1 Year of Your Life and You’ll See How it’s Changed”
Me: “Life seems pretty good right now as it is — we’ll see!”
What kept me? The people!
Used to travel a lot for work. That changed at the beginning of 2019. Could come to church more regularly on Sunday’s!
On January 9th, 2019 — my Grandma passed away. It crushed me.
Matt was in the parking lot when I broke down crying (Note: How important the Welcome Team is!)
Joined several Life Groups (FPU led by Travis + TribeHer with AMAZING women I call friends)
1 year at Tribe? Matt + Carrie were right. Completely changed me!
Now I’m outside, holding the signs I saw at the Interest Gathering, greeting people as they come in the door!

A Thing I’ve Learned About God

Little things happen that I can’t begin to explain. But I know I don’t have to, because it’s the man upstairs.
It’s all part of a bigger plan. Far greater than anything we could ever imagine. Thank God!

And this, my friends, is that outline put into action:

PS - My best friend Jessie from college and Holly came that morning to surprise me! Thank you, Jess, for recording this. You’ll never know how much it meant to me — driving 45 minutes to be there to support me on this special day!

After service, I came home, speechless. What an incredible morning! All 5 speakers did AMAZING and I was truly moved after hearing from everyone.

During my 5-for-5 talk, I actually went over the 5 minutes (just a tad!) and didn’t completely finished what I wanted to say. And that was this:

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about God over the past year... It’s that things happen everyday we can’t explain. Things that blow our mind. Good things. Bad things. Big things. Small things. I used to think we needed a reason. An explanation. An answer. Or maybe thought, it was a coincidence.

But what I’ve realized — we don’t need an answer at all. Everything that happens is part of a plan bigger than any of us could imagine. It’s part of His plan. And for that, I look up and say thank you.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for today. Thank you for the past year. Thank you for bringing me to Tribe. Thank you for this incredible community of friends I call family. Thank you for creating a place I call home. Thank you for moving me in ways I didn’t even know were possible. You are the reason behind all of this and I owe it all to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tribe,
Happy First Birthday!!!! What a year it has been! I am so grateful for Pastors Matt and Carrie. I’m also incredibly thankful for the community of people I’ve met along the way. Y’all are the thing I didn’t know how much I needed in my life. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by each and every one of you. Not only on Sunday’s, but throughout the weeks and months and now years.

Here’s to Year #2! I have a good feeling...the best is yet to come. ♥️♥️

Speaking of the best is yet to come, something else that happened that day:

Tribe announced they were planning to do a Baptism Sunday on 9/29/19.

I was sitting next to Hilary — she was the first 5-for-5 speaker that day! Hilary leaned over to me and asked, “Have you been baptized yet?” I told her no (well technically yes, when I was a baby but not as an adult), but I had been thinking about it. She had been, too! She mentioned we should totally do it together.

I saw this as a sign from God. Pushing me in the right direction to take my faith to the next level!

You see, for the longest time, faith has been “fuzzy” to me. It’s not that I didn’t believe in God, but I almost wondered why should I? I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. The thing I love about Tribe is you feel like you BELONG before you BELIEVE.

And after a year at Tribe, I began to feel something. I could FEEL His presence. I could FEEL Him moving in my life. Things kept happening that I couldn’t explain. My only answer: It’s the man upstairs doing what he does best! I began to BELIEVE.

On Sunday, September 29th, I was baptized.

I made a decision that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior — and I don’t plan on looking back 💛💛💛

MADE NEW — What an incredible feeling. I am so grateful for Pastors Matt + Carrie for launching Tribe. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

And to top it off? After I was baptized, I walked out of church and it started to sprinkle. I’d like to think God opened the gates of heaven for my Grandma to say hello, proud as could be.

September 18, 2019

How He Asked <3

September 18, 2019/ Ashley Noga

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM!

And of course, I said YES! (After a bunch of XOXO’s)

I still can’t believe it!
We are finally ENGAGED!!!!
Definitely on Cloud 9 over here :)

You see, Justin and I have been together for SEVEN years now! Over the last couple years, we’ve taken several BIG trips. During each of those trips, I thought he MIGHT just ask me “the question” (Vegas, Gainesville, Nashville). But the trips came and went, and no question was asked. We totally had a blast!!! But I decided to stop thinking about when it might happen so I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

It’s funny….you know how the saying goes…
”Sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect it.”

I shall continue 😊

THE “DAY”

My only rule: Please don’t ask me on a holiday!
(So if he listened — I knew Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day and birthdays were out of the question)

I selfishly wanted our “own” special day. And that’s what I got!!!

On August 23rd, 2019 <3

But before I tell you about this day, let me backtrack to our first FL trip together!

2018 TRIP TO FL (Gainesville)

Last year, Justin and I went to our first Gators Game in Gainesville (UF vs. LSU). Justin loves college football and I love a good adventure — so needless to say, we had an amazing time! It was one heck of a game and the Gators won, too!!!!

We found some of our favorite “spots” in Gator-land:

FOOD: A burger place called Relish! The best chicken ZINGERS you’ve ever tasted at Miller’s Alehouse. Biscuits for Breakfast at Maple Street Biscuit Company!
DRINKS: Swamp Head Brewery was AMAZING. They had awesome beers and had a sweet setup! Miller’s Alehouse also had margarita pitchers that were on point!
GEAR: Alumni Hall had ANYTHING you could ever want in terms of Gators Gear! We went a couple times on our trip and bought everything from shirts, a bottle opener, a Loki bracelet, a collar for Manny, a UF YETI-like bottle. All the goods!

And a couple of my favorite “things”:

THE ATMOSPHERE: The campus was full of school spirit (and scooters). Hahah. I’ve never seen anything like it! People in the South take both of these things seriously! And I’m allllll here for it!
THE TRADITION: Gators’ Walk! Albert and Alberta! CHOMPING! Chanting “It’s Great to Be a Florida Gator”. A blue out (this time). A Tim Tebow appearance! Singing “I Won’t Back Down” with all the Florida fans in the stadium between the 3rd and 4th quarter!

I remember Justin saying we should get season tickets. I told him, “Until we can afford that, let’s instead try to go to one game every year” 😉). And that’s what we were doing this year — the weekend before Labor Day! Going to our annual Gators game!

2019 TRIP TO FL (Orlando)

This game was special because college football season technically hadn’t started yet. It would be the first game to kickoff 150 Years of College Football — the Florida Gators vs. Miami Hurricanes at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL.

Since the game wasn't in Gainesville, we needed to come up with a new list of fun things to do in Orlando :) The Tuesday before we left, Justin pulled down his whiteboard from the wall and we mapped out what we planned to do! I was actually in Orlando for work back in May, so I had seen / eaten at a couple places I thought we should check out!

Here’s what we came up with:

FRIDAY, August 23rd

As you can see, we had an EARLY flight on Friday! Our morning started at 2:30AM when our alarms went off. We caught a Lyft at 4AM to catch our 5:45AM flight. Before you knew it, we were in Florida!

First Thing First: Get the rental car
We got a Versa. It wasn’t the most luxurious car ever. It didn’t have a backup cam. But it got us from Point A to Point B. It also cost less ($19) than the tolls we had to pay ($25) — so I’ll consider that a win. Thank you, Qtego for the Hertz points I’ve accumulated over the years :)

Then: We had some time to kill before we could check into the hotel. Justin had hear about a place called Old Town that looked neat! (But he wouldn’t let me listen to the song “Old Town Road” on the way there hahah) We headed that direction. When we got there, we learned we were there about 45 minutes early. We left to get breakfast at Holler & Dash and went to the Nike Outlet! When we returned, the shops were starting to open. It’s basically a long strip full of “touristy stores”. They also had outdoor rides (but we were there a bit too early for that) Haha.

Next Up: About this time, Justin realized he left his sunglasses at home! It’s tough being in Florida (of all places) without sunglasses. We decided to leave Old Town and go to the Florida Mall to look for a pair.

Justin also wanted to check out the Dick’s Sporting Goods down here to see if they had any FL gear. I also wanted to get some THIN socks because I realized the only socks I brought were thick ones and I didn’t want my feet to be super sweaty all weekend in my tennis shoes. (Funny story, if you’re familiar with Nelk and their shenanigans, this is the Dick’s where one of their pranks was filmed!)

I got my socks! J got a GREAT deal on a pair of Oakley sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut! We split an Auntie Anne’s pretzel! (Well, the bites!) By this time, were getting closer to hotel check-in time. We both desperately needed a NAP. We left the mall, got lunch at Rock & Brews (across the street from the DoubleTree we were staying at) and then it was….NAP TIME!

We took a two-hour nap! Just what we needed to re-fuel before getting ready to go out!

1st = Played Putt Putt at Pirate’s Cove

Last time I was in Orlando, I drove by this Putt Putt place and it looked AWESOME. I told Justin we should totally check it out!

Plus, I think the last time we played Putt Putt together was in Gatlinburg about 4 years ago! We were due for some friendly competition ;)

It definitely lived up to its appearance. We played the Blackbeard’s course! It was SO FUN!!! Justin got THREE hole in one’s! I got ONE! He beat me by just a few points. It was super close!

While we were playing, it began getting dark. We noticed The Wheel down the street was starting to light up! What do you know?!?! The colors were the colors of the teams that would be playing the next day! Blue + Orange for the Gators and Orange + Green for Miami. (So! Freaking! Cool!)

2nd = Ate Dinner at The Whiskey

Justin found this BBQ joint with a ton of fine whiskey when we were doing our Orlando research! It was just a couple miles down the street, but in reality, it seemed to take FOREVER to get there with all the traffic / construction. Once we got there, I’m pretty sure we snagged the last parking spot in the lot! It was in a little strip mall which was SUPER PACKED.

It was crazy busy inside, but we found a place to sit. Justin got the tallest burger I’ve ever seen! The onion rings on top made it stack SO HIGH haha. I got a burger with pimento cheese (my favorite to order when I’m down South) plus a Caesar salad. I’m telling you what! I think that Caesar salad wast the most delicious Caesar salad I’ve ever eaten.

The service wasn’t the best. At this point, we’ve either had GOOD food and OK service. Or OK food and GOOD service. Justin told me I needed to pick the next restaurant because he was striking out on getting both at the same time 😂

3rd = Rode The Wheel at ICON Park — AKA WHERE HE PROPOSED!!!

After dinner, we went back up to International Drive to check out ICON Park. This is where The Wheel was! The Wheel is basically a HUGEEEEE Ferris Wheel that you can stand up in! It doesn't have seats, but there’s a ton of standing room for up to 15 people!

We walked up to pay for our tickets — Justin asked the guy about getting our own cabin. The guy working told him he’d save us some $$ and still give us our own because it was super slow. We just had to pay for admission for 2 instead of renting out the entire car!

Then we went through security and into a room to take photos on a green screen. It’s so funny looking back, because in the photos, Justin had the tickets / receipts / cash in his hand. That’s because he had taken his wallet out of his pocket to put the ring box in there! Haha! The photo lady had us take three different photos (one sitting with our hands up, one standing and one looking up). They put together a photo package so after the ride, you could see your pictures!

Before you went up into the sky was a bar! I asked Justin if he wanted a drink for the ride. I got a mango White Claw and he got a Coors Light! We were soon stepping into our own cabin and up we went! Slowly! The entire ride takes 22 minutes.

I remember walking in and thinking, this thing is really big on the inside! If you wanted to sit, there was a little stool in the middle. On each side had a video board where you could scroll through to read about the different attractions you can see from up above. Though at this point, it was dark, so it was hard to make those out.

HOW HE ASKED!

Justin and I were nearing the top and I remember thinking, holy smokes, we are high up here! He had made a couple comments like “I love you lots” in which I replied “I love you too”. I figured once we got to the top we would kiss!

Well ladies and gentlemen! Justin had other plans 😉 I turned around to kiss him, and he got down on one knee and asked to marry me! The next 11 minutes coming down seem like such a blur. I was so excited!!!!! Later Justin told me after he asked, all I wanted to do was give him a hug and a kiss (Haha — sounds about right). He finally got me to a place where he put the ring on my finger. It is absolutely beautiful!!! Literally everything I could have ever wanted and more. The ring was perfect. The “spot” he proposed was perfect. My man is perfect! He did amazing and made it such a special night.

When we stepped on The Wheel — we were boyfriend / girlfriend!
When we stepped off The Wheel — we were each other’s fiancés!
Still so crazy to say!!!!!

Once you walk off the ride, you walk into a room that has your photos they took in the beginning of the ride. I immediately told Justin (without even seeing the photos), WE HAVE TO BUY THESE!!!! I never say that with those photos but this was too special to pass up. Justin agreed, but told me I couldn’t post on social media. Hahha. Fine :) Then we asked the lady to take a couple photos of us in front of the backdrop there :)

I also like to collect shot glasses — so before Justin went to pay for the photos we grabbed a couple shot glasses! They had some with different colors on the inside and that’s what we got! One orange and one blue! Just like the golf balls earlier in the night, just like the Gators colors.

Simply PERFECT <3 <3 <3

TIME TO CELEBRATE = Drinks at Bar Louie

We were both EXHAUSTED and thought about just going back to the hotel to crash, but it’s not everyday you get engaged! Near our hotel was Bar Louie. We wanted a place that wouldn’t be super loud and obnoxious. This was a great find! We got celebration drinks and an appetizer — and I stared at my ring THE WHOLE TIME.

This is also when we decided all wedding planning would be saved for when we got home! We were going to ENJOY the weekend :D

Instead of turning to post anything to social media or immediately call or text family / friends, I decided to wait. It was our little secret we held onto for the night <3 Soaking up every minute as our first evening as an ENGAGED couple! Plus! It was like 11PM when it happened, so I figured I would also wait because it was late.

That night before bed, I had two thoughts:

The first day down here has been AMAZING but the BEST PART?!?! The weekend is just beginning!
Wait, do I sleep in my ring?!?!? After a quick Google search, I realized I probably shouldn’t sleep in it all the time. But I decided while we were down in Florida, I would <3 <3 <3 I “held” it like a baby all night long. Felt so amazing! Felt so complete!

SATURDAY, August 24th

The next morning, I woke up before Justin and went downstairs to get coffee. The DoubleTree we stayed at had an AMAZING pool area. I grabbed a coffee for me, and decided to go outside and soak up the sun and take a couple moments to myself. (The introvert in me needed some solo time to recharge). I decided it was a good time to make a couple calls! I called my Mom, my Dad, text my siblings and a few close friends <3

It was a moment I will forever savor. Sitting in the cabana. Sharing the story with my loved ones. Seeing my ring sparkle in the sun by the water!

While I was downstairs, I decided to take advantage of probably one of my last trip’s this year as a Hilton Diamond Member (OMG, GET IT! DIAMOND. HAHA — Ashley sit down). This meant using our Free Breakfast coupons! I asked the hostess if I could get breakfast To Go and she said yes! She handed me two boxes and I went to the buffet to build us a nice little “breakfast in bed”.

J had SportsCenter on when I went back up. They were live at Disney! After breakfast, we both showered and got ready. First stop would be Miller’s Alehouse! It was our favorite place for chicken ZINGERS in Gainesville and we discovered there was one less than a mile away from our hotel. SCORE! They also have awesome pitchers! It was time to Pre-Game!!! Because today was the day!!!! The day of the game!!!!

We ate and drank, and then caught a Lyft to the Dr. Phillips Center in Downtown Orlando. This was the “official” location for the Gators tailgate put on by the school. We got a couple beers (one from a lady that kept calling everyone DUDE — Justin’s pet peeve haha). Walked around a bit! Found a spirit shop!!!! Got our hands on some Jordan hats — including a new bucket hat for Justin! Got a couple ‘free’ “BEAT MIAMI” t-shirts in exchange for a small donation to the University. And then headed to the game!!!!

The game was at Camping World stadium. When we got down there, I really had to pee. I saw some guy that looked like he knew what he was doing and asked him where the closest bathroom was. He pointed me in the direction to the stadium or the porta potties — but the funniest thing was Justin actually followed that guy on Twitter! Hahah! Totally crazy he “knew” the stranger I asked.

Then, we lined up for the Gator Walk so we could see the coaches + team when they arrived. The marching band was also there! Of course while I waited, I took pictures of my ring. If you haven’t been proposed to yet, one day you’ll know ;) And if you have, you know what I mean! I swear all weekend I would just STARE at my hand hahah.

Soon after, we were able to go into the stadium!!! We learned they sold beer inside. SCORE! Justin made friends with the nice, fun old lady at the concession stand. He told her he’d buy her a drink if she wasn’t working but said he’d make sure she’d have enough $$ in tips by the end of the game to by herself one 😉

Then we found our seats! It was one section over from where they were filming the SEC Nation. That was fun to watch — Tim Tebow was down there! My favorite thing about it was they kept bringing these long tubes that looked like dryer ventilations but I’m pretty sure it was cold AC to cool them down for TV!

The game began, and we all stood to our feet! There was a flyover and three people in parachutes that jumped down — one with the football and the other two with flags for each team.

The game was fun! The teams didn’t play very well BUT the Gators pulled out a win! Man it was close!!! Now Justin and I are 2-0 for our FL trips!!!!

So a couple things about Camping World stadium:

It’s kind of near the ghetto
When there’s THAT many people (like 50,000 people) leaving the game at once, your cell phone service won’t work

Which wouldn’t be a big deal if we didn’t need a ride home!!!! OMG we learned our lesson — never take a Lyft / Uber down there because getting one back home will take FOREVER!

You were suppose to go to Jones High School nearby for the Ride Share pickup. But we couldn’t get any service to even request a ride. So we kept walking…but that meant we were getting further and further in the ghetto. Finally we stopped at a Wendy’s, hoping for a ride to come through with what little service we had. No luck. Eventually, I told Justin we needed to walk back to the stadium and get on the Free Shuttle that would take us downtown. Then when we got downtown, we could figure it out. That’s what we did.

I’m pretty sure we made it on the last bus of the night. Traffic was so bad downtown, the bus driver actually pulled over and dropped everyone off a few blocks early. Justin and I started walking toward downtown. We both kept requesting rides on both our phones. It was a waiting game. (Oh, and the surcharges were insane. There were totally too many people needing rides and not enough people to give them). We had gotten to the point where we almost bought a hotel room downtown so we could sleep. We were exhausted and ready for bed!

By the Grace of God, Justin got a ping on his phone! Seriously, we had been waiting for 2+ hours so it was such a relief when we stepped inside the Uber’s car.

But wait! The rock! The Gators #KindnessRock I painted…..we almost forgot to hide it! Justin set it on a large planter and I quickly snapped a picture before we hopped in the car. It wasn’t how I envisioned we would hide the rock, but golly I was happy to be “hiding” it quickly so we could get back “home” to our hotel!

SUNDAY, August 25th

Our last day! Wahhhh! Totally bittersweet.

Justin and I had originally talked about going to the beach on Sunday, but the more we thought about it, the drive there and back didn't seem worth it. I told Justin I could get my water fix by going to the pool! So that morning while he slept in, I got my suit on and went downstairs. It seriously felt like a tropical oasis out there!

Only one couple was there when I got there. I took my ring off, dipped my feet in the pool and then dove in! It was so refreshing and felt so good to wade in the water. I swear, deep down I am a water bug! (Like our doodle, Mister Manny)

After I got my water fix, I went back up to the room to shower (Ha, more water!) Justin and I discussed what we should do the rest of the day! Our flight wasn’t until later that evening. On our original list was Lake Eola. We read it was a neat place to check out, and I was also intrigued because I had a client that hosted a very large walk there every October!

I did some research and guess what I found?!? Lake Eola also had a Farmer’s Market going on Sundays from Noon-4PM. Seriously PERFECT!!!! Justin made the comment I was in heaven because today would be filled of my two favorite things: Brunch and a Market (LMAO — he’s so right).

We had originally talked about going to get brunch with a mimosa bar at Café Tu Tu Tango, but I decided I didn’t need all that. But what DID sound good was a smoothie! There was a fresh smoothie bar on the way to the lake that looked delicious and had great reviews. We stopped! The guys running the store were so sweet. And the tops of our drinks were so cool, too. Instead of lids, they actually seal them with plastic and a heat press!

Lake Eola was so neat! We parked on one side and then walked halfway around to the market. On the way, we saw a PIG ON A LEASH. Haha. Justin and I got a couple beers to enjoy while we walked around. We tried some hot sauce from a hot sauce truck, bought Manny an embroidered Gators bandana for his collar and checked out all the cute shops.

We were getting hungry — there was a restaurant nearby called Graffiti Junction. It had awesome reviews and I know why! Their food was delicious. Justin and I ordered an appetizer — Buffalo Chicken Bacon Tater Tots. Literally to die for. The chicken pieces were so good! I honestly filled up on this, I couldn’t even make a dent in the salad that came out after.

We definitely needed to burn some calories after that meal! We went back to the lake and walked around the other half to go back to the car. Probably one of the coolest things is they have these swan paddle boats you can rent!!! I totally wanted to do it, but we were super full, hot and exhausted. Maybe next time!

We got back in the car, and had a couple more hours to kill. We decided to go back to ICON Park one last time! There’s a place there called The Sugar Factory. I’ve actually wanted to go to the one in Chicago, but the timing never worked out. We decided to check it out!!!

We ordered one last celebratory drink: a watermelon goblet. They bring a glass of dry ice with the candy inside + a glass of your drink and pour it right in front of your eyes. This was, you can see the smoke come off the dry ice. We also got a cookie dessert! Literally HOLY SWEETNESS. The treats were good, but I’d say my all-time favorite part of the entire experience was when the crew came out and sang birthday songs. Apparently, if it’s your birthday, you can pick from a list and the entire restaurant will sings / dances with you! We saw performances of everything from In My Feelings to the Baby Shark song.

The other thing they have at ICON Park is this GIGANTIC swing set. I really wanted to do it! Justin wanted no part in that though haha. I almost went and did it solo, but unfortunately, we were out of time. It was time to head back home! (Well that is, after I ran back to the Sugar Factory to get the car keys I left behind — whoops — thank goodness they had them).

We caught one last glance of The Wheel before we went bye bye! Such a special place. Such a special weekend. (Babe, I hope you know, Ferris Wheels are totally “our thing” now and I’ll want to ride one from now on, wherever we go on our next adventures!)

And that’s a wrap to our engagement weekend!

Justin and I both agreed that while we LOVED our weekend getaway, nothing beats being back home with our boy, Manny <3

Side Note: Justin did get Manny’s approval of the ring + asking me! ❣️ (It was super cute, when I went to pick up Manny from his Grandparents’ house, he immediately jumped on me and sniffed my hand. He totally knew! How do dogs always know?!?)

Anyways, I’m super stoked for this next chapter!

Let the wedding planning begin!!! I’m sure I’ll update y’all more with that, as it gets underway :) But probably the thing I’m most excited for, is that soon (probably Fall 2020) I’ll finally be able to call Justin my HUSBAND. XOXO

(If you know me, you know I like to document everything so I can vividly remember it later down the road! I took SO MANY PICTURES while we were down in Florida and I WROTE DOWN ALL THE DETAILS because I never want to forget these special moments <3 )

August 19, 2019

#KindnessRocks

August 19, 2019/ Ashley Noga

LONG STORY short!

I found this lovely lady bug kindness rock while on an afternoon walk with Manny. It brought me so much joy! Almost instantly, I knew I wanted to re-hide it for someone else to find. Then I thought, I want to paint more rocks to sprinkle around town! And then I wondered, what if I make this bigger than myself? Before you knew it, I was hosting a kindness rock paint party at my house! People from all walks of life got together to create beautiful masterpieces + spread more kindness. The rocks are fantastic, but the best part? The community behind the painted rocks <3

LONNNNNG story explained!

If my sister didn’t text me on May 18th, we may not have made plans to visit Dad for Father’s Day. If we didn’t travel together, I wouldn’t have picked her up in Hamilton. If I didn’t go to Ohio, I wouldn’t have stopped by The Studio to see my Mom while I was in town. If I didn’t visit my Mom, I may not have invited her to Indy the following weekend to have a girl’s weekend. If she didn’t come to Indy, we wouldn’t have gone swimming at Splash Island. If it wasn’t so crowded, I wouldn’t have noticed the trail near the overflow lot. If I didn’t take Manny to explore that trail the following weekend, I would have never found the lady bug kindness rock. If I didn’t find that rock, I wouldn’t have had the idea to start my own kindness rock party. If didn’t have a paint party, I wouldn’t be sitting here today thinking about the amazing community that’s being built on love, rocks and kindness.

People from all different walks of life got together in my little backyard. We painted many beautiful masterpieces, which I’m SO EXCITED to hide for other people to find. But more than that, we jammed to some music, the kiddos played with the doodle, snacks were eaten, stories were shared, we giggled, we laughed...SO MUCH, we felt a sense of belonging and togetherness. It was the most INCREDIBLE feeling. I mean, that’s what we all want, right? A place where we belong? It’s WILD to me how everything builds on top of another. You make 35,000 choices EVERY DAY. Somehow, all those decisions link together to a much bigger picture than you could have ever realized.

And that my friends, is the full story behind how the #KindnessRocks Paint Party came to fruition!

Where do we go from here? Great question!

PAINT more rocks — Come to the next paint party! Because one just wasn’t enough :)
HIDE the rocks — To make more people’s days!
Use + Follow our HASHTAG — A way to stay connected with our masterpieces — to see who finds them and where they end up next!

1. PAINT more Rocks

After I hosted the first #KindnessRocks paint party, I realized one party wasn’t enough.

We had SUCH a fun timeI The painting was super relaxing! The group of people coming together was the best! The energy in the air was simply unexplainable!

Plus, I had a several people tell me they wish they could have made the last party because they had prior commitments. Sooooo….I decided let’s have another paint party!

Mark your calendar! The next paint party is in exactly ONE week!
Wednesday, August 28th, 2019 from 6-9PM (Stop by anytime!)

Want more details?! Click here for more information!

If you can’t make the party but still would like to participate, I’ve included kindness rock painting instructions below! It’s super duper EASY. You could even host your own paint party if you would like! (Just make sure to invite me 😉)

2. HIDE the Rocks!

After the first paint party, I had a friend on Instagram send me a message. She told me she wasn’t able to make the party but would love to help hide some of the rocks if I needed some help. YES. YES. YES! You see, Sarah was a friend from Instagram, but we hadn’t met in person before. This was the perfect opportunity to hang out, share stories and spread kindness within our community! We went to the Farmer’s Market and had a BLAST.

When you’re hiding your rocks, here’s some tips:

Go solo or bring a friend!
- Going solo can be nice because you’re on your own agenda!
- Having a buddy makes things twice as fun!
Get creative with your hiding spots!
- Find colors that match your rock
  (Ex: We hid a pink rock on a pink megaphone on a playground)
  (Ex: We hid a rainbow rock on top of a giant rock the night the sky was painted in similar colors)
- Look for places that are fitting to your rock
  (Ex: We hid a strawberry rock on a Farmer’s Market sign)
  (Ex: We hid a Tribe rock outside of the AMC theatre where Tribe has church)
- Hide high and low!
  (Ex: I hid a Dream BIG rock under a TALL sunflower. Fitting, eh?)
  (Ex: We hid a tiny turtle rock on a see saw for a kiddo to see at eye hight when playing on the playground)
Have FUN! 😁
- After all, that’s what it’s all about!

If you need some inspiration on hiding spots, check out the pictures below!

3. Use + Follow our HASHTAG!

Did you know that if someone uses a hashtag on social media, you can easily find that content by searching the hashtag? So if someone finds your rock and uses the hashtag in their social media post, you could see whose day you made and where your rock has traveled! If you’d like to follow along your rock’s journey, make sure to include our hashtag on your rock before you hide it :)

Which you’re probably wondering….What IS the hashtag?!?! Another great question! Before the 2nd paint party next Wednesday, I’ll be collecting hashtag ideas so we can VOTE on our favorite one to use. (Don’t worry, I’ll add the WINNING HASTAG to this post so you know was it is!)

Here’s some of IDEAS so far:

#KindnessRocksIndy
#IndyKindnessRocks
#JustBeKindIndy
#JustBeKindRocks
#RockOnIndy
#RockArtIndy
#IndyRocks
#FindMeHideMe

Do you have a hashtag idea?!? Leave a comment below! Keep in mind we want to try to use something that hasn’t been used a TON already, so it’s much easier to follow our rocks :)

UPDATE: The winning hashtag is #KindnessRocksIndy

:)

Before you go, Remember….

May 01, 2019

Spring Cleaning

May 01, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Y’all, I have started SPRING CLEANING in my house.

I don’t know about you, but my Spring Cleaning isn’t your “standard cleaning.”

My “standard cleaning” looks like this:

Pick up (the easy part)
Do a light dusting (sometimes)
Sweep the floors (or have Rhonda…our Roomba…do this for me)
Swiffer WetJet (if time allows)
Laundry (I don’t mind doing it, but gosh do I despise putting it away)
Bathrooms (AKA use that Toilet Wand)

I am no longer one who gets on all fours to deep clean each week (I used to do that until I learned to "bless the mess” — More about that here!). And I definitely am not using much, if any, elbow grease. Half the time, I’m only doing a couple rooms at a time. It’s a miracle if my ENTIRE house is GLOWING all at once. Because let’s be real, that’s not reality.

If you’re a mama, your kiddos have probably already destroyed one room as you’ve move onto the next. (Trust me, I remember doing it to my Mom — My bad, Ma!) In my case, @MannyTheDoodle has usually gotten into his toy bins and has left a trail of toys across the house. Or worse, he’s tracked mud in from outside, right after the floors have been swept + mopped. And we can’t forget the men, or significant others, or roommates in our lives. Love them to death but that blanket you’ve folded? The clean sink? Yep, no longer.

Spring Cleaning takes your weekly (or who I am kidding, monthly) cleaning to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. It’s something that happens once a year (maybe twice, if my house is lucky) and it involves all the “standard cleaning” items above, but also:

Thoroughly going through the STUFF in EACH ROOM of the house
- AKA - if you don’t use it anymore, toss it or put in the yard sale pile.
- In the kitchen, you’re checking expiration dates. In the bathroom, you’re swapping out the moldy shower liner for a clean one. In the office, you’re filing or pitching (or better yet, recycling) the mail that’s stacked up from the past half year. In the toy bins, you’re going through unused or broken toys and clearing house!
The light dusting? Yes, let’s rename this to INTENSE SCRUBBING.
- We’re getting off the crud that’s built up on the….shower, sink, cabinets, fridge, walls, baseboards, etc.
- Yes, I said baseboards. They will no longer look gray from the dust coating them. Their white paint will soon come back to life. Oh and the windows? Who knew how much black stuff came off those bad boys until you spray them down with Windex + take a cloth to them. A black handprint will show on your towel and you will feel real grody. But good. Grody good.
The fun part: REORGANIZING + REARRANGING
- At least in my eyes, this is the FUN part. It’s my cup of tea. Once the room is starting to shape up, you can “change it up” a bit by moving things around. It can be BIG changes, like moving furniture. Or it can be MINI changes, like putting away your toaster + blender (since you haven’t used them in awhile) to give yourself some more counter space.
- Before you turn off the lights from the room you’re working on, you’ll get a real sense of pride! It’s spotless! It couldn’t look any better! Onto the next….

And then you repeat this for…
Every. Room. In. Your. Home.

Spring Cleaning is a LOT OF WORK, as you already know. It’s not something you can do in one day (unless you’re Superwoman… or have a ton of help!) And even then, getting it done in a weekend is stretching it. At least for me. If you think otherwise, though, can I hire you? :)

My Dad always taught me, “If you’re going to do a job, do it right or not at all.” More about that here! So with Spring Cleaning, I like to take my time in each room of the house to make sure I’m doing it right!

However…the thought of “EVERYTHING I MUST DO” really started to stress me out. This coming weekend is the neighborhood yard sale, and I am in no way / shape / form ready for it. The last couple year’s, I’ve have my house spotless and clutter free. I’ve taken all my “junk” that others may consider “treasures” and sorted it on tables, for them to rummage through at the garage sale. That’s usually the “deadline” I impose on myself for when my Spring Cleaning needs to be wrapped up. Before the community sale!

This year, though? It may not happen. It may happen. But probably not.
(The clock is ticking, it’s two days ‘til Friday and I’ve got 2 rooms + a bathroom + a garage to sort through).

But you know what? I’m totally fine with it taking longer. And after some thought…

My mindset shifted from:
HOW AM I GOING TO GET ALL OF THIS DOWN BEFORE MAY 3RD?

To:
WHY DOES IT NEED TO GET DONE BEFORE MAY 3RD?!?

And here’s the kicker:
IT DOESN’T!

If there’s anything I’ve taken away from my 2019 Spring Cleaning adventure (other than a couple clean rooms, so far!), it’s to enjoy the journey. (Who says cleaning can’t be fun?!) Enjoy going through each room. Just like you should enjoy each and every day of life! If you have something else going on a day during the week, or over the weekend, it’s OK to take a break. Breathe! Go at your own pace. It will all be there tomorrow!

The only “deadline” you have is the one you set for yourself.
Drop the deadline! Your house doesn’t mind. Your sanity will thank you!

I needed this encouragement myself, and if you’re in a similar place, hopefully these words resonate with you! <3 <3 <3

April 09, 2019

Losing a Loved One <3

April 09, 2019/ Ashley Noga

Today marks 3 months since Grandma passed away <3

Losing her has been the most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced. I have never had anyone “close” to me pass away until January 9th, 2019. People tell you to “hold your loved ones close” and “spend as much time with them as possible.”

But the things they don’t say?
What happens when they are gone.

No one tells you what it feels like when you lose someone you love.
No one warns you about “the call” you’ll get — especially when death comes unexpectedly. And then what to do when you hang up from that call and your mind is spinning in disbelief.
No one prepares you for picking out a casket, let alone seeing your loved one laying in that casket.
No one tells you how to respond when your Grandpa, a man you’ve never seen cry before, gets washed away by his tears.
No one tells you how fast word spreads. But how loving and giving people are — The number of meals that show up. The amount of messages you receive. The cards of condolences.
No one warns you that you won’t want to be “around people” for a good while. It’s nothing against them, but it’s more so you don’t really want to talk.
No one warns you of the things you’ll have to do after the death… (Order death certificates, cancel the now unused cell phone line, remove names from accounts, call companies to stop auto-orders, read drafted emails that were never sent, tell people out in public why <insert name> isn’t with you today….)
No one prepares you for the time you visit the last places you were with them, and the emotions that come flooding back into you.
No one prepares you for the sadness, the “what if’s”, the hopes for “one more day”, the dreams you have where they are still “right there” with you, the things you had planned to do in the upcoming year that now won’t happen, your big life moments you wish more than anything they could be at to celebrate with you, but instead they will be watching from afar.

If you have recently lost someone, I feel for you. I know how heavy your heart must feel <3

Here are some things that have helped me during this trying time:

1. Write down ALL the memories

I did this the night before Grandma’s funeral. Every memory, every moment, every story I could remember….I wrote it down. I didn’t want to forget the all the special times we had together. I didn’t want to forget the incredible woman Grandma was. (Though, how could I?! She was the BEST Wife. The BEST Mom. The BEST Grandma we could have all ever asked for and more).

2. Share your stories of them <3 Let their legacy live on!
My Grandpa is quite the story-teller. I can’t believe the things he can remember from so long ago. After Grandma’s passing, we spent the entire week at Grandpa’s house, and most of it involved story telling. I feel like those memories we shared (the good, the bad, the funny, the silly, the long ago, the recent) were the glue that held us together during this tough time.

3. Look for little signs they are saying “Hello”
I’ve heard people say before, when they see certain things, it’s a sign their loved one is near. From lady bugs to dragonflies to pennies on the ground.

Grandma? Hers is snow. (At least in my eyes). The day she passed, it flurried it a little bit. And the day of her funeral, it snowed feet. Not inches, but feet. She wore a snowman sweater that she had embroidered as she lay to rest. My sister and I even built her a mini snow woman that day. Now every time it snows, I think of her. I like to think she’s tossing snow (like confetti) down from up above to say “Hello” <3

4. Know that it’s OK to be “emotional”
There will be times when you burst into tears and didn’t even feel it coming. I can vividly remember this happening three times after Grandma’s passing.

The first was minutes after I received the call from my Mom. I was almost to work, and that day I was suppose to train one of our new team members who flew in from Omaha the night before. When I pulled up to the office, I ran inside, tears streaming down my face, in such hysterics that I couldn’t get any words out. My co-workers had no idea what was going on, but pulled a chair out for me to sit in and got me a bottle of water. Finally I was able to speak. I told them I had to go home. My Grandma had died. Without hesitation, they said they would take care of everything with the training and any emails I had that needed responses to. God Bless them <3

The second was on my way into church the Sunday after she was gone. Pastor Matt asked me in the parking lot, “How are you?” (Doing his typical, Sunday thing!) My usual “I’m good! How about you?!” response turned into me bawling into his shoulder. Gosh, I felt like my life was shattered into pieces. But he comforted me and helped pick up the pieces….and that I’m forever grateful for.

The third time was when I called a company my Grandma had ordered things from online. She had set up auto-shipments for several products she needed, but since she was no longer here, we needed to cancel the orders. When I got through, I told the lady on the other line that I needed to cancel an order, and proceeded by giving her the Order #. When she asked why I would be cancelling, the floodgates opened and I could barely get out, “My Grandma passed away”. She was so kind and said she was incredibly sorry. Even though she didn’t know Grandma (or me for that matter), her kindness to a stranger on the other end of the phone made the call a bit easier.

The saying, “You never know what a person is going through. Be kind, always.” …That couldn’t be more true during a time like this. I keep that quote very close to my heart now, and think of it often when I am interacting with others. Because it’s so true, you just never know.

5. Give yourself time to grieve.
Grieving does not happen overnight. As my Grandpa said, “It gets a little easier with each passing day.” And I do think that’s true, but there’s still much sadness in me today.

I honestly don’t think it will really hit me that Grandma isn’t “here” until the holidays when we are all together as a big family and she is missing. In recent years, I’ve heard people talk about the holidays and they aren’t always a holly, jolly time for all. I didn’t really understand this until now, and I have a feeling it’s going to hit me hard this Christmas. Living “away” from “home” means the holidays are the times when I would see my loved ones, like Grandma, the most.

I think the grieving process will be ongoing. There are things I have done, and plan to do, to help me cope with Grams being gone. One thing I did in January / February was create several pages in my “Vision Book” about her. The two of us had also started a T-Shirt quilt, and I have every intention to finish that this summer <3 I also want to finally publish my book, “365” and dedicate it to her. She had always been one of my biggest supporters of my passion projects, and I wouldn’t have finished it without her and Grandpa’s encouraging comments along the way.

I guess grieving, for me, is keeping her alive, even with her being gone <3

6. Turn to Him
I am going to be 100% transparent here. Up until last summer, I have not been to church since my parents took us when they were still together and we were kiddos. Faith has never been a big part of my life, until I decided last summer I wanted to learn more about religion and church and the Bible and God and Jesus. I stumbled upon Tribe, which is a church that launched in Plainfield last Fall. I have been going since.

Tribe has given me a place to call HOME and an opportunity to discover Him. Feeling connected to Him makes me feel connected to Grandma. I talk to God and ask Him to take care of her, my Grandpa and my Mom. I know up there, she is safe, pain-free and running around in the clouds of Heaven. It gives me more headspace, knowing that one day we will meet again.

I can’t say I would have felt this way if she would have passed away a year earlier, when I wasn’t sure what to believe. It’s so nice to be able to pray and talk to Him, even though sometimes I wonder if I’m praying the right way. (Though I don’t really think there’s a right or wrong way to pray.)

7. Keep a journal
The week after Grandma passed, I actually bought a new calendar. Though, this wasn’t used for writing what I had “to do” that week. Instead, I turned the calendar into a journal — full of prayers, memories and days documented.

Sometimes you just need to grab a pen and start writing. Empty your brain. Get what’s up in your head out. That’s what this calendar was for me.

To be honest, I started very strong. Writing in it everyday for a good month or so. I don’t write in it as much as I did, because now I am sharing my writing in other areas (like this blog). But it was especially helpful at the time!

8. It’s OK to keep talking to them
I remember my Grandpa tearing up at Grandma’s funeral, saying he still talks to her when he’s in the living room watching their shows. And it hasn’t hit him that she’s not there, until he hears no response, and then remember she is gone. Gosh, this broke my heart </3 But then my Aunt told him, “Bud, that’s okay! You can still talk to her.”

And then I realized, it’s perfectly fine to keep talking to them. I write Grandma notes. In my journal. On my social media. At the end of this blog post. It’s perfectly OK to keep talking with your special someone, even if they don’t respond. They are the best listeners.

9. Don’t let them be forgotten <3
To this day, there’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of Grandma. But I also want to keep her memories of her alive forever.

Order a Memory Bear
One week after Grandma’s passing, I heard on the radio the DJs talking about people using clothing loved ones who had passed to create memory bears. I KNEW right then and there I wanted to do that with a couple of Grandma’s pieces. Especially because bears were always her FAVORITE.

When we were at Grandpa’s house, he had actually started to go through some of her clothes to see if us girls (Mom, sister and I) wanted anything. My Grandma was an expert sewer and a lot of her clothes have very special meaning because they were made by her. So we had piles and piles of her wardrobe, now in our closets.

I thought…that’s it! I’ll use a sweatshirt she embroidered for a bear for Mom. And I’ll use the shirt she wore to my Grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary for a bear for my Grandpa.

Just last weekend, I placed the order and shipped the Etsy shop Grandma’s clothing. I am eager to get the bears back <3 Cindy at Sewing Done has been amazing to work with. I haven’t even seen the finished product yet, but already recommend her 10/10! She’s been so responsive and the work I’ve seen of hers is just incredible.

Make a “Loved Ones Live On” Book
A couple summers ago, I took a blank journal and created a “When You Need It” book. I stuffed it with notes people have written me, fun articles I’ve read, all the best quotes and things that make me happy + bring me joy. Whenever I am feeling a bit down, I pull out my “When You Need It” book, read it and am reminded of how loved I am.

After Grandma passed, I decided I wanted to do something similar. But this book, would be called “Loved Ones Live On”. I wanted to fill the pages with things that remind me of Grandma. Photos of her. Notes she had written me. Little things I have saved over the years. All the memories I jotted down the night before her funeral. I want a place where I can go to, when I’m missing her. I want something I can one day show my kids, to tell them just how amazing and resilient their Great Grandma was <3

Start Your Own “Barbara Day”
Last year, I read Annie Franceschi’s book “Permission to Try” and it was amazing! One thing in her book that I just adored is what Annie calls “Barbara Day”.

You see, Annie’s Mom passed away unexpectedly when Annie was 17. In her book, she says, “Just because she isn’t here with me, why do the stories and the memories have to end? What if I started to celebrate her and make new memories?” It led her to create Barbara Day, which happens every August 17th.

”It’s a celebration of her life and an open invitation to anyone who knew her to remember her, talk about her, share stories, and do something in her honor. Hosting this has led to so many wonderful experiences and, in many ways, new memories of her for me and for the people who loved her too. Across the Barbara Days and in the years that have followed, I have been humbled by the legacy she never knew.”

Nine (9) was always a special # to Grandma.

She passed away on January 9th, my birthday is February 9th, my sister’s birthday is March 9th, she started dating my Grandpa on May 9th, their anniversary is June 9th. You get the picture! I thought it was only appropriate to write this blog post today, April 9th. To celebrate Grandma and let her legacy live on <3

If you’re watching Grams, which I’m sure you are (you’ve always been such a big part of my writing and passion projects), I just want to let you know I still think about you everyday. I love you and miss you so much. Until we meet again <3

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