Creating a Vision BOOK!

Think New Year’s Eve…2019 soon approaching….a brand new year!

When the clock strikes midnight and the new year is upon us, I don’t know about you, but I start dreaming…

• What MAGICAL moments does the year ahead hold?

• What BIG goals do I want to accomplish?

• What can I do to make this the BEST year-to-date?

The last couple years, I have been using New Year’s Day to map out the year ahead and physically write out my goals for the year. Usually by this point, many ideas have been swarming my mind. I need to get them on paper before they escape me!

This year, the only difference is I waited until the weekend to do this. Social media reminded me “there’s nothing special about January 1st”…and let’s be honest, I was running around Indy that day, picking up a car on the North side and prepping for the Whole30 Justin and I were starting the following day.

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That Saturday (January 5th), I woke up and knew today was the day! I had the whole weekend to dream + focus on my goals for the year. When I stretched my arms and rose from bed, I noticed the journal my brother gifted me for Christmas laying on my desk. “Hmmm…I thought! A blank start. A fresh beginning.”

I opened the first page of the “Funemployed” notebook and said to J, “Hey babe, pick 3 colors!” He responded: blue, green and orange. I grabbed those Flair pen colors and almost instantly wrote 12 visions I have for 2019. It’s like they were brewing for awhile…because my hand kept writing without stopping. It was SO nice to have these thoughts out of my noggin’ and on paper.

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Later that day, I thought to myself, “What’s going to keep me motivated to work toward these aspirations?” The summer before, I created a vision board on a blank canvas. It was not only therapeutic to make, but it served as a reminder of the person I was trying to become. I decided: I’m going to make another vision board for my new goals! I can hang it up and see it everyday to remind me where I am going!

I went to my #CraftCloset to see what materials I had to work with. While inside, I found a square cork board (PERFECT, I thought) and a TON of random magazines I saved from the last couple years. BINGO! I grabbed a pair of scissors and got to cutting!

For Christmas, Justin and I got a King size bed, so we moved the Queen size bed into my “old office” AKA the “new guest room”. But I keep using it as my office with the bed being my desk ;) I started flipping through the magazines, cutting things out that made my heart happy and making piles all over the bed! Each pile relating to a goal from my book.

After hours…and I mean HOURS and HOURS of flipping + cutting, it was time to get these cutouts onto the cork board! I had grabbed a bag of push pins and was going to begin “tacking” them on the cork board, but OMGSH there was WAY too many to fit. The struggle was real!

Hmmm…..

• Do I abandoned the idea?! (Psh, no!)

• Do I find a GIANT corkboard instead? (That sounded like a bunch of $$$ dollar signs…)

• Oooo! Wait!

Laying right next to me was the notebook I had wrote my 12 goals in. Originally, I was going to fill the remaining pages by WRITING the same goals down, everyday for the next year. (Rachel Hollis taught me to write down your goals, as if they have already happened, every single day….to keep them fresh in your mind!)

But….what if I used this space to fill the pages with VISUAL reminders of my goals + the person I am striving to be + the things I want to do this year?!? And then instead of writing down the goals, I could flip through it to be inspired and reminded. I absolutely LOVED the new idea!

A VISION BOOK!

…I called it! It would be the best book I read all year ;)

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When my mind shifted from vision board to vision book, I put the push pins away, grabbed my glue sticks and got to pasting!

I thought of my vision book as a giant puzzle. I had the pieces…now I just needed to “put it together.”

Let me tell you…this process took weeks! My “100 piece puzzle” soon turned into a “250 piece puzzle” and then a “500 piece puzzle” and finally landed at 1,000+ PIECES!

I didn’t finish my Vision Book until the middle of February (nearly a month later, and I worked on it almost every day).. But in reality, I don’t think I wanted it to end.

I could have easily stopped when the page was “somewhat full” but I kept wanting to add more, more, more! That meant…. more magazines!

My first magazine venture: Justin and I visited Barnes & Noble to get a couple new books. Before leaving the bookstore, I swung by the magazine rack and grabbed two magazines off the shelves. Surely this would be enough!

Nope. Haha. I devoured those magazines in one evening! So the next day, I went to Goodwill to get more. If I was going to buy a lot more magazines, I would not be paying full price for them!

I’m pretty sure I kept Goodwill in business for those next few weeks. When I ran out of magazines at home, I went out to buy more.

You guys know what….if you go to Goodwill enough times, you’ll probably stumble upon a magazine holder for all the magazines you just purchased. LOL. I meant, look how happy I am about this spectacular find. Seriously, a kid in a candy shop.

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When I began putting the pages together, I “guess-timated” where all the pages would fall in the book. I kept the order of my goals that I originally wrote down. But there was a lot of guess-work involved.

One afternoon, I thought, “I need tabs!” So I made tabs! That way I could easily find a section and flip right to it. All I needed was a bunch of colorful paper, a sharpie, scissors and some packing tape to “laminate” them.

Tabs were created and then I kept cutting / pasting!

There were a couple times when I “miscalculated” the # of pages I needed for each section, or the page placement was off, so I had to take each page out and rebind the book. But that’s what I really liked about having a SPIRAL bound notebook. It was easy (though a little time consuming) to do!

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Even though the book took me more than a month to create, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. It was my way to relax. It gave me a space to get creative! And I didn’t know it when I started, but after my Grandma passed away on January 9th, it gave me a place to grieve. Several pages in the book are dedicated to her <3

Finally on February 10th…my Vision Book was COMPLETE!

150 pages of inspiration had been made with love! Since my birthday was February 9th, I like to think of it as my birthday gift to myself :)

Since the completion of my Vision Book, I have really enjoyed going back every week, and re-reading it. The pages get me so excited! They remind me why I set the goals in the first place. Words are great, but sometimes you need photos to help remind you. At least, that’s what I’ve always said (AKA why I take so many dang photos on my iPhone! LOL. They help me remember!)

Now…I’m off to tackle my goals! One of which can already be crossed off :)

#12 - Launch “A Day in the Life”

If it wasn’t for this vision book, #ADayInTheLife would probably still be in my head. This book inspired me to quit waiting around, and make the dang thing happen already :) I gave my blog a complete makeover and wrote my “first” post under the new branding!

Movement is being made as a result of my Vision Book! It’s really working!!! As the year progresses, I am excited to see the pages in my book come to life! It’s quite the feeling!

XOXO

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To create YOUR very own VISION BOOK…

Here’s a step-by-step HOW TO:

Step 1: Set Your Goal(s)

Step 2: Cut out pictures / words from old magazines that relate to your goal(s)

Step 3: Find yourself a nice, blank journal!

Step 4: Create tabs to separate each goal (optional)

Step 5: Puzzle + Paste your clippings

Step 6: Repeat (as needed) - AKA buy more magazines!

Step 7: Reorganize pages (if needed)
*Note: This works best with a SPIRAL notebook.

Step 8: Enjoy your vision book!
Read it often and let it motivate you to make your DREAMS come REALITY!

I’d absolutely LOVE to see your Vision Book!
Feel free to tag me on social @ashleynnoga to share your completed book!

:)

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My First STAYCATION

For the first time since I began my first full-time job out of college (three full-years ago, going on four), I did a thing. I took my first full-week vacation. I set an "out-of-office" for the first time since I started (isn't that crazy?!) and completely unplugged from my computer / work life / emails.

In the past when I've taken time off, it's typically been for a long weekend. Or when I have my computer on-hand for anything that comes up. Not this time, folks! I took an entire week off and have no intention to "work" until next week when I return.

The funny part? I'm not even taking a trip! Hence the word, "Staycation." I split my Staycation into two... spending half of it in my hometown, Hamilton, Ohio. And the other half in my new hometown, Plainfield, IN. 

I'm on Day 5 of my 8-Day Staycation and y'all, this week has been so REFRESHING. It's given me the chance to spend quality time with family and friends that I don't get to see often. It's given me the opportunity to evaluate my life as it stands, and where I want to take it in the future. It's allowed me creative space to work on crafty things and brainstorm new ideas for future projects. I've been able to do many things that I have wanted to for years (start a t-shirt quilt, donate blood, research Doctors / Dentists in the area, buy a dresser). 

And the other thing I've done...is start this "Coffee Chat" section of my blog back up! It's been dormant for awhile, because when I was writing a chapter a day a year for my book "365" that took precedent. But by golly, how good it feels to get back in my little nook of the Internet and just type freely. Write what's on my mind. Chat with y'all. 

I read an article the other day about a lady emailed her team letting them know she was taking a couple days off to focus on her mental health. The CEO applauded her for doing so and thanked her for the reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health. 

In a way, that's what I feel this Staycation is doing for me. It's letting me rest, relax and regroup. I travel enough with my company, I knew another trip wasn't necessary. Having time to focus on myself, though, was. 

This time off has been rejuvenating and refreshing. And the best part? There's still 3 days left of it! I'm off to make the most of it. 

FINAL DAY OF STAYCATION UPDATE: 
Here we are! The last day of Staycation. Looking back at the week, I can't believe how good this was for me in so many aspects of life. I wanted to make a list of everything I did, so I and look back and remember it!

FRIDAY:
-Oil change (2 hours too long)
-Drive home / Power lines down / Hot Head closed (3 hours too long) 
-Painted at The Studio with Mom :) 

SATURDAY:
-Drinks with Erin at Cabana on the River
-Took a well-deserved nap after waking up at 4:45AM for my golf event
-Explored Bargain Hunt...bought 5 pieces of clothing for just $24!
-Went to Kroger to buy a couple things for meals / snacks for the week (6-Week Challenge Friendly) 

SUNDAY:
-5 Years with J!
-Went to G's to clean (Main Focus: Entryway, Found 868 cans of Diet Pepsi + 12 cans of Diet 7-Up)
-Chats I want to always remember: Their 1st table, driving around to take down circus posters, barn wood from 3 different barns in their entry way / "barn room" 
-Went antiquing! Bought travel agents and the perfect NEW (used) DRESSER!!!!!! Oh, and corn hole bags!

MONDAY:
-E and I both tackled cleaning the G's house today! We did WORK (Living Room, Dining Room, Bathroom, Vacuumed sewing room, cleaned windows). 
-Took another lovely nap
-Cleaned Mom's garage
-2 buckets of margaritas and long night chats with Alex! 

TUESDAY:
-Last Day at the Rents! Got Grandma's sewing room how she wanted. Gma told me what I needed to know to get started on my college t-shirt quilt. 
-Grandpa mentioned working back in the shop again when the weather cools down. I hope he does <3
-Stopped across the road to see Aunt Ruth and get an update about Uncle Frank (hospital)
-Wendy's Taco Salad for Lunch before helping Mom with her classroom
-Visited with Myrl and Jack! Brought home J's t-shirt quilt from his old baseball t's!
-El's with the girls! Wings was too busy. Then to Patty's to drink wine (just a glass) before hitting the road home! 
-Got home at 11PM. Unloaded dresser. Re-arranged room to make everything fit :) 

WEDNESDAY: 
-Slept in :)
-Started reading "7" by Jen Hatmaker (SOOOO good) 
-"Shopped around" for a Dr. Called them. Can't get in until October. Booo...
-Finally decided to go to Urgent Care to see my 2 bug bites ($75 and 40 antibiotic pills later...)
-Bought some groceries at Kroga while waiting for my prescription
-Went to the Plainfield Farmer's Market (Got Manny a too-big TMNT bandana) 
-Filled my dresser!
-Organized closet by what does and does not fit. All I've got to say.....is holy smokes. Reality check.
-Sorted through what t-shirts I want going on my college t-shirt quilt
-Read more before bed!  

THURSDAY:
-Put on actual clothes today that weren't sweatpants
-Met Kristin from Instagram at The Thirsty Scholar! Had tea + conversation for 2.5 hours!!! :D
-Went to a couple antique shops. Nothing I "needed" ;) 
-Sunflowers :) 
-Tried Mimi's Meatballs to get the scoop! Followed with some FroYo on Mass Ave
-Caught a PIKACHU with Ash's Hat! And finally got a Raichu!
-Mail Day! 2 New Book arrived: Cultivate and Orange Tangerines
-Cut out 12x12 inch squares for my t-shirt quilt (and some other odd sized ones)
-Created a Daily / Weekly checklist to remind me what I need to get done every day / week!
-Wrote this blog post about my Staycation
-Read more of 7! 

FRIDAY:
-Called Urgent Care back because my leg seemed to be getting worse. They advised me I should go to the ER. I did not go to the ER.
-Found out I couldn't donate blood on Saturday like planned because I'm on antibiotics :( 
-Planned a date night for when J gets back in town! Talked about the zoo, movies, arcade bar but landed on the Hendrick's County Fair since it's this coming week. Taking the drone with us on Monday! 
-Cut out more shirts!
-Found a Dentist in Plainfield! Make an appointment for August 1st
-Went to Meijer for several items (paper, ant traps, straws, more hydrocortisone cream, floss pickers) 
-Got lunch at McCallister's....can't forget the tea! 
-Filled out a rebate for Manny's latest dog leash (Getting $5 back from a $5.99 leash....they basically paid me to buy the leash) 
-Talked on the phone with my bestie hour hours
-Took down my bulletin board
-Spent hours making my new, forever favorite book "When You Need It"

SATURDAY:
-Started adding the backing to my t-shirts (cut / press it on with an iron)
-Cleaned out the fridge / meal prepped for the week (Smoothies, spaghetti squash, etc.) 
-Napped
-Made Week 28 of #ARecipeAWeek = Buffalo Cauliflower Bites (They really DO taste like chicken)
-Took Manny to get ice cream at Frost Bite! New (to us) ice cream shop in Avon
-Discovered the COOLEST park that had  a gorgeous event space nestled in the back of it
-Read all 235 pages of my "When You Need It" book....waterfalls by the end of it!

SUNDAY:
-Laundry / Dishes / Picked up house
-Planned out Cedar Point and Vegas Trip
-Caught up on most of my emails (to send responses in the AM)...left some for tomorrow ;) 
-Went to Mc D's to get a coke for the Pulled Pork crock pot recipe
-Joanne's to get more Pellon for the back of the shirts!
-Read more before bed :) 

What. A. Week!
An amazing week, at that!

#25By25

“And then I realized, adventures are the best way to learn.”

25 Things To-Do Before the BIG 25. 

Want to help me cross something off the list?  Reach out! 

1. Start and maintain a blog.

2. Complete Project #52PickMeUp. (52 packages/letters, 52 weeks)

3. "Refresh" a piece of furniture.

4. Get that passport stamped!

5. Develop a healthy lifestyle, by exercising and eating right.

6. Do 24 Random Acts of Kindness on my 24th Birthday (1 ROAK per hour)

7. Spend a weekend with NO technology.

8. Run a 1/2 Marathon.

9. Visit all 50 States and make a US Map Photo Collage.

10. Pay it forward.

11. Go zip lining.

12. Save $5,000.

13. Make a t-shirt quilt from college tees.

14. Donate blood, without passing out.

15. Take a road trip out West.

16. "Sponsor-A-Family" for Christmas.

17. Make 3 new friends (1 per year). [2014, 2015, 2016]

18. Volunteer!

19. Create my own "Happiness Project," after finishing the book. [365]

20. Soar miles high in the sky, in a Hot Air Balloon.

21. Celebrate birthdays!

22. Take a class at a local art center.

23. Catch up with an old friend I haven't talked to in years.

24. Get a library card and use the heck out of it.

25. Do 25 days of something!

All Roads Lead....

Here's the deal.

In 3 months, the lease to my current apartment is up.

Ding. Dang. Dunzo! 

I could renew it. 
Honestly, I have no complaints.
I love the location. 
I love the community. 
I love that when there's a problem, someone is here to fix it within the hour. 
I love the amenities. The workout center. The pool. The courtyard.  
But there's one thing that has me caught up...
The 4 letter word: R-E-N-T

I truly believe that money is NOT everything. 
Money does not equate to happiness. 
My theory is, "As long as I have enough $ to live and do what I want, that's more than enough."

But I'm currently in this weird, mid-20's point in my life. 
It's like, I'm too old to live the college life. 
But I'm too young to buy my own house. 
And when I say that, I mean I have no money for a downpayment. 

That's the 11 letter word that gets me:
D-O-W-N-P-A-Y-M-E-N-T

What I'm paying in rent right now, I could easily make for mortgage. 
Except here's the thing. To buy a house, you need a downpayment. 

But when you have $80K in Student Loans, more than 1/2 of your paycheck goes to that. So you begin putting a $100 here, and a $100 there, into your savings account. Yet, it's going to take YEARS before you rack up enough funds for that 11-letter word. Downpayment. 

And let me tell you,
When the money you work so hard for is not being invested into anything, it seems like something has got to give. 

So I've decided..
There's gotta be a change! 
There's a 90% chance I will NOT be renewing my lease. 
Because I have other ideas in mind....
To save for that D-O-W-N-P-A-Y-M-E-N-T

Let me pick your brain. 
Because here's where I'm at. 
 

OPTION 1 - Live out of a Motor Vehicle. 

Pros:
My car if paid off! 
Or, I could get a cheap motor home...
Or, build a tiny house on a trailer...
I'm not home 1/2 of the time, so it wouldn't be all that bad. 

Cons:
Where the heck am I gonna shower?
Well...I could get a YMCA membership to take showers. 

But where the heck am I going to park this bad boy?
Walmart is a no-tow-away zone. But I hate Walmart...

Where the heck will my current furniture go?
I could rent a storage unit....but then that's defeating the purpose of saving money.

If I get a house on wheels, I need a hookup for water.
Where will that be, though?

What's going to happen in the winter when it's sub-degree temps outside?
Baby, it's going to more than cold outside!

What's my address going to be -- 1800 Blue Saturn Ave?
I could get a P.O. Box.


Okay, so honestly, this option isn't that realistic. But it's about 10% possible...

OPTION 2 - Live with Someone, Rent-Free in Exchange for Chores/Helping Out around the House. 

Pros:
I could help an elderly person with groceries/work around the house, if they loaned me a room. Not only would I benefit, but they would too. 

Or...if one of my Indy friends is buying a house, I could spot them a $100-200 bucks to help them with their mortgage. While they lend me a room. Friends helping friends. After all, it wouldn't be forever. Just a year or two. 


Cons:
Where am I going to find this "someone"?
What's going to happen when I'm not "home" to help out because I'm traveling?
What happens when I want to have a friend or two over? Will that be a issue?

This option is becoming a little more realistic, with about a 30% chance of happening. 
 

OPTION 3 - Find a cheaper apartment, with others, and split the rent. 
 

Pros:
I would have a shower. 
I would have an address. 
I would be in good company. I hope. 

Cons:
It's not going to be anything fancy. 
It will probably be itty bitty, and a little tight. 

Who is going to want to partake in this? 
How much cheaper will it be than where I'm at right now?
Will it be worth cleaning up after others?
 

This option is probably the most realistic, with about a 60% chance of happening. 
 

Or...I could stay right where I'm at:

I'm still able to afford living. 
And do what I want. 
But there's no wiggle room to save for that 11-letter:
D-O-W-N-P-A-Y-M-E-N-T
And when I ask myself, where I want to be in 5 years,
I see myself in my own house. 


So this option, has about a 10% of happening...again! 

 

Here's the other thing...
I WANT A CHALLENGE!

This is only going to be 1-2 years out of my life. 
Where I will save up several thousand dollars. 
To reach my 5-year goal of buying a house. 

It's not permanent. 
It's a means to an end. 
So honestly, I'm up for a little crazy. 
For sacrificing now, so I can have more later. 

Here's what I need from you...
YOUR THOUGHTS/OPINIONS!

Which option do YOU think is the most realistic? 
What feedback do YOU have for me? 
Do YOU know anyone who can help a sister out?
Can YOU help me out? 
What have YOU done in your years?

Please, reach out! 
Any and all feedback, is welcome :)

A Case of the Mondays

Today was one of those days. 
You know, those days where you wake up to your alarm "screaming."
All you really want to do is roll over, and go back to bed. 

But you get your feet out from the covers. 
You put them on the ground.
You know there's a lot to get done!

The commute to the office is longer than you'd like. 
It's rainy. It's gloomy. 
The radio is full of ads and talk shows. 
None of your favorite jams are playing. 

Monday means the world is back "at it." 
The emails keep "dinging." 
The phone is "off the hook." 
When you sit down, you feel overwhelmed.
Not really sure where to begin. 

You decide against making a "To-Do" list.
Because when you do, other things come up that take precedent. 
And then when you go to cross off "completed items", you feel even more unproductive. 
So you open your email, and just begin. One task at a time. 

You work until your computer is at 1%. 
And then you force yourself to leave the office, an hour after the "typical" 5PM departure.  
Because you would rather get ahead today, than be behind tomorrow. 
 
On your drive home, you start thinking of things you shouldn't do.
You shouldn't get fast food on your way home. 
You shouldn't take a nap when you walk in the door. 
You shouldn't skip your daily workout. 

But you do it anyway. 
 
When you wake up, it's 9PM. 
The day seems to be "wasted." 
You feel guilty for the things you've done. 
And the things you haven't done, today. 

You check your phone. 
Bad decision. 
There's more piled on. 
You have a mini-freak out session. 

You have 7 events this week + 9 next weekend.
You're going to be out-of-town for 5 days this week. And 4 next week. 
Travel days mean it's hard to get any work done. 
And that's when "your people" need you the most. 
You want to make sure everything goes seamlessly. 
That your i's are dotted and t's are crossed. 

You realize your house is a mess. 
There's a lingering smell. 
It needs a good cleaning. 
Especially because your Dad will be visiting on Sunday. 
And you want to impress him with your first "post-graduation" house. 
First impressions are everything. 

Remember that trip you're leaving for Wednesday?
You need to pack. 
You need to do laundry. 

Tomorrow is insane. 
You volunteer at 7AM.  
You have on-site meetings during the day. 
You meet with your trainer for a weekly workout session that evening. 
And after, is Euchre Tuesday. 
Remember all those people who are sending you items to upload?
You should probably do that, too. 

And don't forget about #52PickMeUp. 
Those are suppose to go out on Tuesday. 
And last week you got behind, so this week you need to play catch up. 
You need to make people's days. 
You need to finish your project that you've started. 
There's no giving in now. 

That's it!
"There's no giving in now."
You've worked so hard, to get to where you're at. 
So you're not going to give up.
You're not going to do it. 
Did you hear me?

It's Monday. 
You have "A Case of the Mondays."
You don't give in. 
You don't give up. 
You simply need to, "Get To It."

You get your feet out from the covers. 
For the 2nd time today. 

You begin cleaning your house.
Because you know that will de-stress you. 

You put a load of laundry in the washer.
And then transfer it to the dryer, so you can pack for your upcoming trip.

You pick 2 lucky individuals to send #52PickMeUp packages to this week.
And you prepare the lovely letters, so you can drop them off at the post office tomorrow afternoon. 

You decide to wake up early before you leave to volunteer in the AM. 
So you can respond to any emails that came in tonight. 

You know that "coffee chat" you haven't wrote in awhile? 
You do that, too. 

You see. 
Today has nothing on you. 
You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. 
You wouldn't be given so much dang responsibility, if you couldn't handle it. 

You got this! I believe in "you." 
After all, it's only "A Case of the Mondays."

What I Remember Most From Grade School...

I can't tell you what scores I got on my state achievement tests. But I can tell you what I remember most from grade school. 

PreK 

Nap time on my purple cot! 
Only I never was able to fully fall asleep. I would "fake sleep" until I "woke up" to a snack at the edge of my cot. Until the very LAST day at AppleTree Academy before the big move to Statesboro. I went into a deep sleep that day! I also woke up to...

Tootsie pops!
My mom came to pick me up from PreK to say our goodbyes. She did some work for the PreK, like mowing the grass and helping out around the school! So my PreK teachers gave me us a "Goodbye Gift." All I remember is that is contained the BIGGEST bouquet of tootsie pops I had ever seen. I want to say, there was a note saying "It SUCKS that you're leaving! We will miss you!" But then again, I may still be dreaming from my nap that day...
 

1st Grade

Counting to 1,000!
Here's the deal. Counting to 1,000 in 1st grade is a big deal. Such a big deal, that if you did it, Mrs. (Star) Anderson would buy you your all time FAVORITE CANDY BAR (not the snack size candy...a FULL candy bar) and SODA from the school's vending machines. To make this happen, she had 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper with 100 squares on each sheet. You would have to take 10 sheets and write 1-100 on one sheet, 101-200 on the next....all the way until you got to 1,000! She didn't allow you to work on this during class, so I came early and stayed late. And let me tell you, I don't remember what candy/drink I got, but I do remember that my folder was FULL of 10 complete sheets. I had COUNTED to 1,000 for the first time in my life! 

Bone in my chicken!
We had this star chart in 1st grade, where if you ate your entire meal, you were given a star. When you got so many stars, you got some type of prize. This was smart on my teacher's part, because it kids to try more foods they wouldn't necessary eat. Until.....I had a BONE in my BONELESS chicken nuggets. I remember running up to Mrs. Anderson and exclaiming, "I have a bone in my chicken! I want don't want to eat the bone, but I will do it if it means I get my star for the day." She gave me the star. And no, I didn't eat the bone :)

Love Knows No Difference!
His name was Kyler Aubrey. I don't remember why he was in a wheelchair, because it didn't matter to us. My sister was his best friend. They were in the same grade. Oftentimes, we were on the playground at the same together. On the playground at Sallie Z, there was a red swing that had a back to it, and a seatbelt. We would push him on the swing and make him smile. Everyone at our elementary school was able to experience the swings, no matter if you were "handicapped" or not. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. 

Side Note: I just did some Google Search creeping on Kyler. He's seems to be doing very well, and smiling bigger than ever! This makes my heart melt.

Check out this video of him here:
http://wjcl.com/2014/09/24/special-friendship-formed-on-the-links/

Young Author Award!
I won an award for writing a piece, called "When I was a baby..." I spent a LOT of time crafting a piece that I thought the judges would enjoy! My teacher told us what kind of stories the judges liked to read, so I LISTENED to her. I came in 2nd place. The boy who came in 1st place, wrote a story about how he was going to become President one day. 
 

2nd Grade 

Becoming a Lady!
Mrs. Bennett, oh Mrs. Bennet. She put me in my place. I would come into the door of her classroom, turn my desk chair around so the back was facing forward, and wrap my legs around it. She told me, "Ashley, ladies don't sit in their chair like that, do they?" I definitely learned how to act like a lady, courtesy of Mrs. Bennett.

It's OK to be different!
Right around Easter, we had a coloring contest. I thought for SURE mine would win. I did that thing, where I would press on my crayon very hard around the black outline of the bunny. And then lightly shade in the middle. I had picked out the EXACT colors that a rabbit would appear. It was perfect. Until the person who won, had colored her bunny rabbit PURPLE. "Bunnies aren't purple," I thought. And it was in that moment, that I realized it's OK to be different, and to think outside of the crayon "box."

Show And Tell! 
Many people brought stuffed animals to show-and-tell. Not me. I caught a toad in our Georgia backyard. And I took it to class "Show and Tell." Talk about a totally "hopping" topic!  

3rd Grade 

S-p-a-g-h-e-t-t-i 
Yes, it was in the 3rd grade, that I learned how to spell spaghetti. My teacher wrote the lunch menu on the board every day. When it was pasta day, she would always sound "spaghetti" out for us to hear. To this day, I still sound it out when I write: "Spag" and "hetti."

Holidays Around the World 
Savannah was diverse. A melting pot if you will. For this reason, many people came from different cultures and celebrated different traditions. Before winter break, we had a "Holidays Around the World" party where we crafted various ornaments and played different games to learn about how people celebrate Christmas, or other holiday traditions, around the world. 

Mom's Got Your Back
The glorious part of going to the same school that your mom teaches at, is that when you need lunch money, mom's got your back! 

4th Grade 

Taking Care of Pets
In 4th Grade, I had moved back to Ohio and was placed in "Huthstur's" class. This meant Mr. Huth and Mrs. Sturgill were my teachers -- but they team taught in a GINORMOUS classroom! This wasn't any classroom, it was a zoo. Literally! We had all kinds of animals in class, from fish to turtles to ferrets to hermit crabs to birds and snakes. It was this year, that I witnessed for the first time, a snake swallow a mouse. Whole. Yep, just gulped him right down. And I watched it travel through his "tummy"....Talk about finally figuring out what the "Circle of Life" truly means. 

September 11th 
This is a day I wish I could forget. What a confusing day for a 4th Grader. Old enough to know something isn't right, but not old enough to grasp the concept of what a terrorist attack truly means. To have the 2 classroom TVs permanently turned on, to see teachers in a panic, to watch your classmates trickle out of the school one-by-one as parent's took them to safety. It will always be a day, that I will never forget.

Writing in COLOR
Every morning we would have to write an entry in our journal. We were usually given a prompt to write about, unless it was Free Write Friday. One AM in particular, Mr. B, our Principal, came into the classroom and told use to fill our journals with colorful language. Use adjectives to describe nouns with glowing detail.  

HARRY POTTER DAY!
Did you school have Harry Potter Day? Ours did. The best part was seeing Mr. Huth dress as Hagrid and Mr. B as Dumbledore. What a magical day, at Hogwarts! 

 

5th Grade 

Bindis from India
My 5th grade language arts teacher was originally from India. That year, her father was very sick so she took a good amount of time to go overseas and visit with him. When she came back, she brought all of her students bindis to wear on our forehead. She also showed us photographs of her at Taj Mahal, and how it's a mark of respect to remove your shoes before entering this beautiful, mausoleum. Learning about other cultures from our teacher, who lived there, was simply amazing. 

The "Talk" 
This was the year of the "Talk." Yes, the infamous talk where you learn about your body, and how it works. The entire grade splits into boys vs. girls. Boys go to the cafeteria. Girls go to the gym. You watch the videos. You see demonstrations. You ask questions...And you become terrified for the day when "It" comes. 

6th Grade 

Caravans
The COOLEST part about 6th grade was Caravans. Hands Down. Caravans was an adventure around the world, that taught us about World Geography. It was an INTERACTIVE game, where we would learn about country's history, their flag, currency, population…anything and everything! The class was broken into teams, and we would travel the world to earn points! 

Using Your Dinner Manners 
Every year, the ultimate 6th Grade Field Trip (though there were many), was going to LaComedia Dinner Theatre. This was the most anticipated trip of Elementary School, because you got the ENTIRE day out of the classroom. You dressed real fancy. And you could take a date! A date in 6th grade = a big deal! But…before you went…your class had to go through Mr. B's (principal), "dinner etiquette" class. During this class, we learned that the gentleman should pull out the chair for the lady before sitting down themselves. We learned that you should start on the outside and work your way in, in terms of which silverware to use when. We learned to place your napkin on your lap when you were eating. Talk about dinner manners!  

Cleaning up the Art Room 
Our class started a paint war during art class. This was a big OOPSIES. We were creating these paintings, where we would literally "fling" paint onto our canvas to mix colors and create a masterpiece. Only…our class got out of hand, and before long paint was "flung" across the room. On the ceilings. On the walls. It was everywhere. After our principal came to our classroom and told us he was disappointed in us, among other thing. We were the "A" class and knew better. Recess was no longer that week…Instead, all 25 of us would be in the art room cleaning up our mess, and more. 

Geocaching 
Looking back on this, it still amazes me that I knew about geocaching before smart phones ever existed. My math teacher, Mr. Malicote, was a BIG adventurer, and he would always come into class telling us a new story about the adventures he took. He hunted, he climbed mountains, and he geocached. I remember him telling us about using the latitude/longitude points and a compass to navigate to these Geocaches. 

So….that's it! Those are the highlights from my childhood in the classroom. To all teachers out there, don't let the tests weigh you down! Remember, your students will remember the memories. Your experiences you share with them. Not the test questions/answers. 

Full Circle

“Sometimes, life brings you full circle to a place you’ve been before, just to show you how much you’ve grown.”

Rewind to last Tuesday, when I sent this email:

This Tuesday, I was back at Ball State. In the SAME event planning class. Sharing my story. 

Ben and I got lunch before class. As we were catching up, he told me his class this semester is super smart but a fairly quiet bunch; it might be hard to get them talking. My immediate thought: Challenge Accepted. 

The night before, I created my "presentation" so there was a lot of interaction in it. I wanted to make it a "chat" where I would talk WITH the class, not TO the class. I had several questions planted in my Powerpoint, and I even brought "goodies" to hand out to people who were engaging in the conversation. It was my mission to connect with the students!

Class started and before I knew it, I was standing in front of 40 students. It then hit me, I'm no longer a student. Here I am, on the other side of the table. Sharing my story. And oh, what an amazing experience it was!

The students weren't hidden behind their laptops or cell phones.
Their heads weren't down or buried in a book.
They were actually listening to me.
Answering my questions.
Asking questions. 
Engaging. 

As I wrapped up my presentation, I shared with the class: You never know who you are going to meet. Get involved. Immerse yourself in this world. Make connections. Because these experiences, will eventually lead to opportunities down the road. 

Since Tuesday, I've received emails from 6 students inquiring about part-time positions with Qtego. They also reassured me that going back to Ball State was definitely worth my time and theirs!

"With you being from BSU, and knowing you were sitting in our seats just two years ago, I found it exciting and easier to relate to you. Your presentation was very intriguing to me."

"As you mentioned today, any experience we can get is super important."

"Thank you so much for taking the time to come and talk with us.  I had no idea that a company like this existed, and it got me really excited."

Going back to Ball State meant more to me than words can even explain. Connecting with students, and giving them a little direction, much like Kimberly did for me 2 years ago. That's what this is all about! It's amazing how life has a way of coming full circle. In that moment, I realized how much I've grown, in just two short years.