Hap-PEEP Halloween

MDA has Ghoulish & Casual day the Friday before Halloween, every year (for the last 2 years). This year I wasn't going to spend a whole lot of $ on a costume, Jon and I don't have a ton of parties to go to or anything and no boo bash to dress up for a justify the expense twice. So, I present you with my $5 costume.... *which I am VERY PROUD OF*

I was not JUST a bunny, I was a PEEP! :) Had so much fun Friday as a Peep, and truly enjoyed Ghoulish & Casual Day at the office!

I AM BACK!!!

Had my first GREAT workout today ~ WOOO HOOOO!!! I am pretty sure anyone that passed me on the road thought I was crazy, big smile on my face, couldn't be happier to be on the road. 2.1 miles ~ 28:50 time ~ 13: 25 pace ~ I was walk/jog/walk/jog/walk/walk/jog/walk/walk/cool down

BUT you know what? I DID IT! And I did Level 1 of Jillian's 30 day shred. I am determined to get back into shape for me!


WOOT!! Can you tell I am on a high right now? It was beautiful outside, Mr. Big was ECSTATIC, my ankle felt good, I was nice and stretched; it was FANTASTIC. Can't wait to do it again.

YAY!!!!

Check my running log on the left column ~ it will keep moving!!

Girls Weekend

Jon and I had a week and a half of house guests; it was FANTASTIC! First my parents followed up by two of my bestest friends!! Just hanging out on the improved back porch, drinking a few beers, telling stories and just generally being amazing!


Rachael succeeded this trip in making a mini-burglette and Mr. Big benefited from the tiny burger


The other FUN thing we did this weekend?!!


WE WENT WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING!!! And the girls tried on Bridesmaids dresses and it was SO. MUCH. FUN!! Want to see?!


My name on the dressing room!! :)



My two girls ready to try on EVERY dress in the place.... such troopers

*and that is all you get for now.



Mrs. Kluge on our improved porch! Catching up after 9.5 months


Mr. Kluge and Mr. Big hanging out!

Lock Ups ~ WOO HOO

Last week we had a lock up in Borger, Texas. It was FANTASTIC! We had a great turn out, 33.68% retention ~ $17.97/listing ~ and a pretty great jb average. So excited for our team, and especially Randi. She was the point person for this event and truly stepped up to the plate and lead our team to a wonderful success!

Thank goodness for some very giving people and a great community to support their citizens and MDA.

Home all day - - lots of time to dream

ABOUT RUNNING GADGETS!

Sad times hit my iPod. It won't turn on, so sad. I am going to try and get it fixed, but no ipod means no running tracking, I miss the running and now I want/dream/wish for one of these

http://http://g.factoryoutletstore.com/details/1658-4757/garmin-forerunner-50-heart-rate-monitor.html

What I need to find out, is it what I need? From what I read on the details, sounds like it will fit the bill. But dear readers, do you know?

My birthday ~ Jon's Birthday ~ just a bit late...

Did I tell you Mr. Big got a Puppy Whip a few weeks ago at Starbucks? The cup was almost completely FULL! He loved it!

of course one of the first pictures I took was of the dog :)

Laying in his monkey bed backwards....

Jon got new glasses!

Jon and I at Jordyn's 2nd birthday

New camera, must have some self portraits! :)


Thanks Mom and Dad for the birthday money that purchased my new camera! AND it's PINK!!

There's an Upside to being sick?!

I can think of two when I try really hard, because I HATE being sick. It's not fun to be off of work (because I know all the stuff that is stacking up for me) and I know all the 'catch up' I will have to play. BOO! But back to the two upsides: 1- I am getting to watch Army Wives, which I totally love and 2- I get to update the BLOG! 3- Yesterday I did a TON of research for the wedding, we will get a wedding planned, woo hoo!!

So Mom and Dad were in town last weekend and I didn't get a ton of pictures but I have a few. Mom has most of them, can't wait to see them!

Mom and I Saturday night!

Lovemy mom!

Dad getting the food ready for the burgers!

Such good burgers!

and of course Mr. Big

Jon and Big playing in the den

Big gives the BEST high fives

Hello!

STREP THROAT?! WhAT!!!!!!!!!!!

How did this happen!? I'm sick. :( I have Strep Throat.... I didn't know that I could get strep at my age? *WOW what an old sentence, "at this age" poof! I can't remember the last time I had strep throat ~ I am pretty sure I was in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! Sucky.


So, I am taking it easy. My best girls are coming to Lubbock this weekend, I CAN'T BE SICK!


From last post I am going to try again to upload some photos.

Jon and I with the Pinkhams!

Mere and all of her girls!



The photobooth at her wedding was so, so MUCH fun!!

I think this picture from a different angle is so cool ~ I will see if I can post the photo the professional photographer took from the front.

The professional picture from PhotoEmotion photography -- so pretty

The Pinkham's bridal party!

Julia and I at the reception, so. much. fun. :)

You can click on all of the pictures to make them bigger- loving the new uploader. That was much EASIER to put pictures on the blog.

Going to take my meds and eat some lunch- will post more later :)

Mere is a MRS.!!!

Meredith got hitched last weekend! WOO-HOO!! The wedding weekend was jam-packed with all kinds of girly, wedding bliss; and oh, so much fun! I have 200 or so pictures, yes what would you expect? ;)





Jon and I went to Wichita Falls on Thursday evening, wanted to be there much earlier but alas I had to work. So, Thursday night I met up with the girls at a local watering-hole, Old Town, and we had a few drinks, talked about EVERYTHING especially that it was the day before, the day before Mere was getting married.



The wedding was beautiful, lovely, simply perfect. I tried to upload some pics, but blogger is being a nu-nu about it. So- next time!

WOW~

Look, I am still alive!

What a whirlwind two months *oh who am I kidding 4-6 months* this has been. I haven't had the chance to write about Mom's visit IN APRIL! RIDICULOUS!

I have tons of pictures: Mom's visit, FTB, trip to Corpus Christi, trip(s) to Phoenix, Mere's shower, Mere's bach party, and all the other random pictures in between!

Work has been changing like crazy,what's new with my job!?

Life has been great ~ lots of fabulous reminders of how lucky I am to have my family, my friends,my dog, my health (yeah, yeah the ankle is getting there), my job, and the ability to appreciate the small things in life.

How are YOU doing?

*Mandy your son is absolutely precious, I love love love your updates!

On top news:
*released by my ortho to start jogging again
*ALSO released by the PT to start jogging again
- need to get over the mental fear of messing it up again
*Pretty positive we have a wedding date nailed down
*Thinking we are on the cusp of planning this shin-dig and gettin' hitched!
*Missing my family like crazy ~ it's been too long
*Missing my girls like crazy, it's been TOO long
*Got to see Julia & Mere ~ it had been THREE years since I saw J and too many months, l.ike THANKSGIVING since I saw Mere
*Charlee was born in May, did I mention that? She is precious, Jordyn loves being a big sister, too.
*Jon and I just finished watching The Unit, what a great show, ended way to soon
*I am learning everyday
*I can't wait to finally feel like life isn't crazy
*I think October this year is going to be awesome
*I remind myself everyday how lucky I am
-on that note, thank you for making me feel that way; I have GREAT people in my life.
*Do you ever wonder why some things change, why others seem to stay the EXACT same?

And now for the best status I have put up lately, and I thought of this all on my own:
Sometimes you just need to remember all the good things in life ~ enjoy the small stuff ~ and appreciate that there are only so many hours in one day.

Good quote

Inspiration is the momentary cessation of stupidity- jonas, the unit

Wednesday

So much to write about .... So little time! I am going to attempt a GREAT update tonight. For now, off to work I go.....

Released

I was released to start running again today!!!!!!! Slow, easy, straightline, track only running. But I can do it, at least attempt to do it. WooooHoooo

Got an App for this

Hey! I can blog from my pod now!! Maybe I will post more often? We can all hope :) This has been a crazy busy week/ month/
This weekend is Mere's shower and then her bachelorette party is next weekend! Then it's pretty much telethon ....

200th Post

CRAZY! Seems like a lot of blogging... fun stuff!

Found this on facebook today:
that you can be an echo of your past, or the glory of your future. Past is connected to future through the present. At this very moment, at every moment, you are choosing to carry on the past with all its troubles on your shoulders, OR to let it go and see bright future pull your forward. Choose wisely.


So excited, had a FANTASTIC event today, can't wait to tell you ALL about it!

Whoops- I missed June

Well, I missed June on here, but it's only because I was CRAZY busy with work. And Life.

I just tried to upload some pics, I have tons *which is amazing because I lost my battery charger in May, and I still have pics from June* but blogger is being craptastic.

Almost missed July, too. Crazy. Real update coming soon. And maybe I will even start planning our wedding :)

What.... it's ALMOST JUNE!?

I cannot believe it is almost June, as in only three days away. CRAP! The first half of the year just whizzed by me. What an EXCITING first half of 2010 :)

So ~ resolutions have definitely fallen behind, but have no fear I am ready to stay on top of things as soon as I am back to being mobile. OH YES I am still not walking, the staycation has been very, very nice and helped keep me off of my leg, but it still hurts and is swollen. *&*#$&#!

1- my half marathon training has been stopped. I can't walk so I certainly can't run.
2- Mom had the house cleaned, we have done a pretty good job keeping it up, but let me tell ya cleaning on one good leg, not easy and certainly not fun. Wait, is cleaning ever fun??
3- Keeping in touch, HA! I love that my family and friends are the most wonderful in the world and we can pick up right where we left off whenever it is we finally get to catch up. The staycation has been a blast in terms of getting to catch up with all of my friends!
4- Clean car- ehhh depends on the week, but it is that time again, oil change needed, tire roation needed, car wash- NEEDED
5- Laundry, we are working on it...
6- Going to bed, depends on the pain level... getting into bed is not the issue, it's actually falling asleep....

Oh it is just amazing what an ankle injury will do to plans. Jon and I talked today about a new wedding date. January 8, 2011 is just too soon, 6 months too soon. Also, considering I can't walk yet, and the DR can't tell me when I can expect to be back to walking on a regular basis I am not exactly comfortable planning things. Seems a little over-dramatic, I know, really Ash in 6 months you think you will still be dealing with this?! But, back in MARCH I didn't think I would be three days from June still on crutches... hell, I didn't think I would be on crutches/boot in May. So, obviously I have NO clue when my ligament will fully heal.

On that note, I really hope that I can at least be running a 5k by NOVEMBER. JEEZ. The 1/2 is still in the cards for me, even more so now that I have been halted in my running. I will get all better, strengthen my ankle and then back on the plan I go. I can't imagine getting back to just doing simple jogging. I know it's going to be a mental beating to not be upset that my mileage will be low, and my time will be slow, and my endurance will be zilch. BUT with all of that out there, I am so ready to just be able to go for a walk *pain free* and eventually go back to jogging a little here and there. How about getting to wear TWO SHOES!? I have flip flops that will be different levels because I have only been wearing the right... poor lefty.

ok, time for a post all about MOM! :)

GREAT NEWS!

NO SURGERY FOR ME!!!

Can you tell I am THRILLED!? Beyond belief, so excited, so VERY RELIEVED, and so READY to be without pain. Here is what I was prescribed....wait for it...

PATIENCE

Ummm, does my doctor know me?! Well, you all do, so imagine my disdain when I hear -- "Ashley you have the tear of all non-surgical tears in your ligament; I know you are ready to be off of the crutches and out of the boot, but, yes but, you have to give this ligament time to heal and the best (and only) way for that to happen is for you to give it time."

Me: I'm not very patient

DR: I know... but you are on the right track and it will get better.

Me: Ok, how long??

DR: Crutches I want you to use if you need them, boot you must wear ALL the time, you don't have to sleep in it or have it on if you are immobile, but if you are up you are in the boot. This will probably take 6 weeks but, I want to see you in 3 weeks so we can check on it.

Me: Ok.

DR: The ligament you tore in comparison to your other ligaments is like comparing climbing rope (the one I tore) to twine. Those other ligaments are sissy ligaments and would make you laugh to see how small they are; the one you tore (*I cannot pronounce or correctly spell the name of it...let me google it...)"The interosseous ligament lies between the tibia and fibula. (Interosseous means between bones.) The interosseus ligament is a long sheet of connective tissue that connects the entire length of the tibia and fibula, from the knee to the ankle." From GOOGLE

The condition DR was looking for is called:This condition is called diastasis

So, all in all, GREAT appointment but, you guys know me and it really stinks to hear that I just really did up BIG TIME when I wrenched it. And all that will help is time... I apparently need to live on my couch. ICK.

So, what did the wonderful Dr. Spaceman have to do to determine that I did not need surgery?? Oh LET ME TELL YOU....

He had to stress test my ankle and leg. IE: He WRENCHED my ankle OUT while holding my shin/calf in position so the X-ray tech could take a photo of my Tibia and Fibula and determine if my fibula had moved further away from it's correct position. It is 1MM out currently, but when the ligament heals it will move 1MM in, and align itself where it belongs.

I cannot begin to describe the pain of this "stress test" it was horrible. BUT I can tell you if he had attempted this "stress test" two weeks ago, I probably would have physically harmed my very nice Dr. Spaceman.

So, really GREAT prognosis, reality? I am still in pain, still cannot walk on my own, but holding on to the thread of optimism I have left- IT IS GETTING BETTER. :)

Miss Me?

SO LONG with NO posting... my apologies *to Leah, Mandy and my Mom* :) My three readers.... or wait, the only three that comment! LEAVE A COMMENT~ You know who you are, and I KNOW you want to! :) *Btw, you don't have to log in or anything silly like that ... just comment.

Back to the latest breaking news in my world.... I'm still on crutches.... I still canNOT walk... my ankle is still swollen, painful and really dampening my style.

Work is still crazy, ridiculous, absurd, and busy ~ you know the usual.

My Mom was in town this past wekeend, it was fabulous, I had to work ~ shocking, but her visit was super fabulous. I was really sad to see her go. Really sad.

I will do a WHOLE update on Mom's weekend visit, ASAP.

The winds of change were GUSTS ....

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...



I'm limited
Just look at me - I'm limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda
So now it's up to you
For both of us - now it's up to you...

*From Holly*

I don't think I have shared with a lot of you the changes that are happening in my professional life. March was a HUGE month of change.... it has been exciting, scary, stressful and ultimately this crazy, beautiful life I am living. The verses above Holly shared with me on facebook and I love them, so I wanted to have them here!

The changes include the departure of my boss~ Holly is officially a "Real Housewife of Lubbock County," she is a super mom/wife! I am super excited for her and the new journey she is embarking on in life. *I admit I was not super thrilled when she first told me. We are such a great team, it was hard to imagine doing this job without her* I have totally come around because...... The other total upside?! She is a GREAT FRIEND. Not only is she now one of my closest friends, she is the best ear to call when things get super interesting at work- she totally understands what I am talking about and usually has the best advice.

There are a few other positives to this drastic change:

-we can now go to lunch together

-we can shop together (since we don't work together we won't chance showing up in the same outift!

-we can hang out on the weekends!!! ummhmmmm lake anyone? Cause they have **BOAT!

-we are going to see SATC 2 together!

-happiest of hours :) on a regular basis

-she is a great mentor and continues to give me the best advice.....

The other side of this is that I was given the opportunity to become the Executive Director for our district. I accepted the position and now my job that was super busy, is well.... still super busy. We have brought in a new fundraiser and are looking for a third, yay! I am excited about the challenge and excitement of my new role with the organization and looking forward to all the future holds.

If you look back to last March & April in this blog I NEVER would have guessed in my WILDEST dreams that this is where we would be today. It is true you never know where life is going to take you, it is just best to hang on, enjoy the ride, live-learn, and be the best you can be.

What a month of excitement, nervousness, happiness, change, sadness, change, and growth.

Running

Look at my healthy left ankle and foot... COME BACK TO ME!

1. I run because I needed a motivator to kick my butt into shape...and I needed to be able to control my workouts, IE: have NO REASON to SKIP!!

2. My brother asked me to run in the 2009 Turkey Trot with him, it was perfect timing and kept me going- I was in a distance rut and the 5k race upped my ante.

3. I run because I realize I feel so good about myself after my runs.

4. I run because it is the only time I am alone with my thoughts.

5. I run because I can challenge myself EVERY time I run.

6. I run because I love to outdo myself in those challenges.

7. I run because I can race with myself, and with others.

8. I run because it is a release for a days stress.

9. I run because it really makes me happy.

10. I run because I am addicted to running now.

*Bonus*
11. I run because I fit into pants THREE sizes smaller than I had in 2 years
~ I have a healthier body all around~

Which one??

Totally irrelevant to EVERYTHING going on right now, and probably not in the budget...

BUT I did get 64 miles in before my ankle GAVE OUT on me, I was waiting to hit 100 miles as my first benchmark, since it looks like that won't happen for the next few months, I *want* my way to go Ash, keep it up, incentive now at a whopping 64miles!!! ;) Also for sticking to the 1/2 marathon training plan ~

So, I know what I want but I can't decide between two different designs so I am laying it out there for my fabulous readers, who NEVER comment! COMMENT- puh-lease which one do you like the best?

A)

B)

C)

Photos Courtesy ~Betsy Johnson watches from Dillards

Really excited and the great part- I ran almost as many miles as the cost! 1 mile short :) Really excited to find out what you guys are lovin' !!

POOEY

*photo courtesey of google*

SO SICK OF THESE!!!!

I know that in the end it's all going to be worth it, but seriously?! I am ready to be back on BOTH of my feet.

It's absolutely perfect.

I am so excited about spending the rest of my life with Jon ~~ SO VERY EXCITED!

So many exciting things happening and being engaged to Jon trumps them all. Every day I look down at least once and go- whoa, we are getting married! WOO HOO! I love, love, love my ring it is perfect.

Wanna see it?

It is the neatest, craziest, happiest feeling in the world to have this beautiful reminder that I get to spend the rest of my life with my very best friend. Between my foot/ankle and work, things have been super crazy and it has been very calming and super exciting to have the minibreak to gaze- ie STARE at my hand, hehehe.

Mr. Big

Passed out ~ Big day of chasing squirrels in the backyard!

Seriously? How did this happen.....

My left ankle turned on me!!!

It was the craziest thing, I was laying on the couch last Saturday night ~ had just gotten home from Amarillo and the blizzard ~ I stood up and then sat/fell right back down. My ankle and shin had severe pain shooting up my shin. I thought maybe it had fallen asleep or that I had been laying in a way that made it hurt. It was late so I took 2 Advil and headed to bed with high hopes that it would be all better in the morning.

Obviously I was WRONG~! I woke up Sunday morning and couldn't put any weight on my left foot, my ankle was seriously swollen and my foot wasn't exactly the right color, it was red, blue, black-ish. Jon and I discussed it, I talked to my parents, and about an hour later headed up the urgent care clinic. They took Xrays ~ they poked, proded, pushed, pulled, etc. By the time we left my ankle was hurting like nothing I have ever experienced. They wrapped me up in a fiberglass cast/splint and said they would call me Monday morning after a radiologist had read my x-rays. I was not a terribly happy camper, I was in a TON of pain, but I had never had a cast, so maybe this was how it was supposed to feel? I couldn't go into work Monday, I slept about 45 minutes on Sunday night- all together. The pain was more severe than on Sunday. I was trying to tough it out, trying to be strong, but Monday night we decided that this wasn't just the 'norm.' We went back to the clinic, they took the cast off ~ HALLELUJA! Dr. Leins (pronounced Lions) is the BEST doctor, ever. Period. When he removed that cast it was the best feeling in the world!!

I wish I had a picture of my foot in that thing, it was basically turning my entire foot in- like I was pigeon toed. I'm not. It was incorrectly put on. Yep. I spent Sunday night and ALL DAY Monday dealing with pain that was not normal and according to Leins I should have gone up there at 8am on Monday. I'll never make that mistake again. When the pain is so terrible that I burst into tears, it's time to go back to the doctor.

So back to my foot, the entire top of my foot was so bruised it was black, yeah, just a tad scary. My toes were so swollen, Jon said he was afraid my skin was going to split on my little toe, the doctor was so alarmed that he left the exam room to go look at my xrays again. He came back in and said he was going to loosely wrap my ankle and I needed to get into a doctor, ASAP. *Then he wanted to know why I didn't have a regular care doc.... I told him I just got a new job. Glad he didn't ask how long I had been at my "new" job. ;)

He was amazing and gave me a prescription for my pain, guaranteed me I would sleep Monday night, I did- WOO HOO! It has helped tremendously with my pain.

I have deep tissue bruising and my ankle is screwed up. The doc I went to see Wednesday put me in a brace- oh yes, six years later I have a new boot for my OTHER foot. Now, I have a MATCHING PAIR. I was hoping these boots were ambidextrious, no, they aren't. BOO. The photo above is my new boot. Very stylish. Very in this season.

I go back to the doctor on Tuesday for more x-rays and to see how the swelling is doing. I am on crutches, she said I can work on putting weight on it now that I have the boot. I have tried a few times and the pain is pretty harsh. I wasn't able to go back to work until Thursday. Which was tough... it is exhausting doing just about anything with crutches.

So-how did this happen? Between me and the three doctors I have seen... it's the running. POO! Apparently when I mistepped off of the curb about two weeks ago I started this whole thing. I walked a bit and thought I was A.O.K. so I finished my run~ I kept to my schedule for the next week and in the 2nd week I only ran twice. It felt fine, I've had shin splints, but my ankle was doing okay. Obviously it was not okay. My continued running aggrivated it more and more until it finally rebelled. Now, I am stuck in this boot until.... until it gets better - I'm not sure how long. The doctor is hoping to have more informaiton for me on Tuesday when she can check it out again.
In the mean time I did get to spend some time with my two favorite boys.

Jon has been the most EXCELLENT care taker Fiance, ever. Poor guy ~ what a week he's had taking care of me, going to school and going to work. BOO.

Big did a lot of this....

To give Big the credit he is due, when Jon went to work or school, Mr. Big was by my side every time I moved. Which was pretty much just to go the bathroom. He was my little shadow~ making sure I was okay.

I am so glad we got our new couches, I have been laid up on then ALL week ~ this is my look happy picture, I took today :)

When I wasn't sleeping, from the meds, I did have a lot of time to look at these

SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!

Watched A LOT of TV, loving on demand..... and time to play on here

Looking up wedding stuff, obviously!