Happy Leap Year

Wanted to be sure and post on the extra day of the year! A few random thoughts: does this mean our birthdays are actually the day before ? Oh oh and I get an extra day of being 28!
Will today be extra special? Because tomorrow it will be like today never happened?
I feel for all the babies born today, they only really get their birthday every 4 years :(
On the flip side I feel for all those that lose loved ones today...

What makes leap year only every 4 years ?

Final thought on leap year:
I hope for everyone this year is full of much love and many blessings so, that at the end of the year we all go oh! That's why the extra day! So many blessings we needed an extra day of the year.

I love this!~ Love it. But after creating it, putting it in a print-able format, sending it off, getting just the right frame, finding the best place for it on our picture wall, hanging it, love and admiring it.... I was looking at it about 4 days after it was up and had a light bulb go off..... can anyone find the mistake ?!?!




Jon and I were engaged for quite a while, but we weren't engaged for 2 years and 7 months~! I need to fix our date.... to 03082010

Sweet puppy

Love Mr. Big! He finally got his new "collar" since his parents are married now ! Can't wait to get his shots so we can put it on him.

He is a sweet pup.

October 7th, 2011 *Part I*

I was up and out of bed like a shot gun! No alarm necessary~ and you all know I can sleep in.

It was time to shower and get the day started. I was so deceived thinking I would have oh-so much time to get the little details done. I quickly saw that I was disillusioned!

**Sister-in-law to the rescue!!

Jill was a lifesaver and finished my bridesmaids gifts for me while I was out with the girls getting manis and pedis. It is amazing, my BM gifts were the FIRST things I got, seriously, first wedding purchase. Mom and I were ON TOP of it and made sure we had those done in the spring. Somehow. Someway. They SAT and SAT and SAT in our guest room and I just didn't get the FINAL touch done. So, SIL to the rescue, she finished them for me!

A quick shower (where I realized I didn't LEAVE my wedding jewelry in Lubbock- I had LEFT it in Dallas the month before after my bridal portraits YAYAYAYAYA!) and off Meredith, Julia and I went to meet Leah and Rachael at Starbucks! We had a 10am appointment to get Mani/Pedis and it was a necessity to have coffee and breakfast first. Love my girls.
It was so much fun to sit with the girls and talk about anything, literally just rambling about toe colors, nail colors, celebrities, the wedding, their families, etc. I wish I remembered it all. I know one of the funniest parts was Mere's interim phone (it was not a smart phone) so she was reading the magazines while we all used our phones. Sounds silly written out, but it was hilarious.

Spending Friday morning with my 4 best friends was a first for me and showed me just how blessed I am by the girls that God brought into my life. My heart was so full and I was shown how many blessings my girl friends are in my life. At one point I remember just looking around me and smiling because amongst all of the hustle-bustle of the wedding I got to just spend some time with the 4 girls that make my world complete!

On that note here are the little paragraphs that I used for our wedding web page!

Ashley's attendants

• Leah Morgan, Maid Of Honor
  Leah and the bride met at West Jr. High. Laura (Leah's Mom) told me that I needed to meet her daughter, we would be best of friends. She was right! Through junior high, high school, college and into the real world; from first loves to true love, Leah has been by my side for it all. I am so happy she will be by my side on the biggest day of my life.
• Meredith Pinkham, Matron of Honor
  Mere and I met at Texas Tech in 2003, she was living in the dorms and her cousin and one of my best friend's always went to eat lunch at Stangel (and wake Mere up)! One day I went with Julia to eat some dorm food and meet her cousin from Wichita Falls. What a blessing in my life to meet one of my soul mates over dorm food! We shared some great memories at Tech, Friday Funday, and many adventures. I am so honored to have her stand by my side as I marry my best friend.
• Rachael Kluge, Bridesmaid
  Rachael and I met at church, who knows how many years ago. From church choir "in a word no!' to junior high ~high school, college, and the real world we have been through it all! And lived to have some great stories!
  It was a great blessing to get to stand by her side, on her big day, when two of my best friends married in 2009, and I am so excited to have Rachael by my side on my big day!
  And I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for getting me in gear planning this wedding! :)
• Julia Gaskill, Bridesmaid
  God brings people into your life just when you need them most, and Julia is one of my friendship blessings. I still remember meeting her at a boutique clothing store in Lubbock, through a mutual friend. She was eating fries and instantly asked if I wanted some. :)
  College, the 'real world' and navigating it all, Julia is the friend that will always make you laugh and recognizes the good in life, in almost every circumstance. We met in college, but we have been friends forever.

October 5th & 6th 2011

October 5th ~ we finally got our marriage license!! What a simple process and for such a big deal!!

On a totally separate note, it is hard to prepare an office to be on their own for 10 days, it was insanity as I tried to get everyone lined out for the time I would be gone. The best was an email I got when I got home that said "Ashley, congratulations and enjoy your wedding and honeymoon. DON'T think about *** at all while you are gone." - signed my boss. Since I read this AFTER I had already left for my last day in the office, I promptly signed out of my email account and didn't think about work ONE time while I was away!! :)



October 6th ~

Jon and I hit the road early! **HA! HA! GOTCHA!

Do you know us? Okay, let's be honest, do you know ME!? We had details to take care of and we were leaving for our wedding! and HONEYMOON! I think I checked our suitcases about 800 times before we left.

We went to hit the road and noticed one of our tires was low... so off we go to D-Tire. When they finally get around to us they tell us we need 4 new tires. RIGHT NOW?! Umm, no we need the nail removed so that we can hit the road. They get us fixed up and we are on our way.

The drive to Dallas was crazy. We were finally ready to go, really ready to go ~ we have a BIG few days ahead of us.

The entire drive there we are talking about everything, anything, and nothing all 5.5 hours. It was wonderful. I think the funniest part of the conversations were when we would point out that "next time we come through, (insert small town) we will be married!!" Seriously. It's a good thing only WE were in the car, anyone else would have been ill with our mushy-ness.

When we got to Richardson, finally, the Pfeiffers were already there! YAY!! We went to dinner at a chinese food place and had so much fun just goofing off. Later that evening Meredith and Julia arrived ~ woo hoo! The McGee house was a packed place on Thursday night.

It was so hard to go to sleep that night, I laid in the guest room just excited as could be for what Friday had in store.

I think I went to "check on" Julia and Meredith about 18 times before they told me to go to bed or to sleep in the living room with them! :) I was just so over the moon that 1 - everyone I loved was in town and 2- it was all starting the next morning.

I knew it was just going to FLY by, but I am here to tell you I had NO IDEA how quickly it would actually go.

Coming up... the day before the wedding! Girly party, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the after party...

Yummy!!

Look what I found today?! Peeps on a stick!! Woo hoo AMAZING!

So very fantastic and how fun!! I love peeps and these are easy and so good.

Valentine's day

I had to work a ton yesterday.. So we took it easy and tried a pizza box. It was fantastic and cheap!! 11 for all that food! Yummy

Fun Fredericksburg Family Weekend

Friday Jon and I set out to the hill country as my entire family came in from all directions. We were headed out to celebrate Craig's 40th birthday and Mom's birthday!!

What a beautiful drive! It was so much fun for us to have a new view on our road trips ... I spend a lot of time driving for work, so this new view was much appreciated.

Friday night was a yummy dinner in an old hospital turned restaurant. What did we determine? The restaurant is in the basement, what are basements used for in hospitals? Anyone on this thread yet? We ate in the morgue!
But it was a fantastic meal with great people; I love spending time catching up with my family.

Then we headed back to the house so that the guys could smoke cigars and open their Christmas presents!! Craig is such a smart guy , he guessed their gifts before he opened his. The challenge is on....

Makes my heart full

These two boys are the best part of coming home after a long, stressful day and week! I pray that everyone has the blessing of a love like this.

Happy Wednesday