MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hope everyone had an amazing holiday, I know mine was fabulous and became my first white Christmas! Can't wait to share all my goodies and memories with all of you, but for now I am off to enjoy what's left of the weekend.

XOXO Gossip Girl

I love the show Gossip Girl as I am sure many of you do, but often I get behind on episodes due to class work and time constraints. However, this holiday as classes wind down and reunite with my two best friends from high school we have decided to catch up over the holidays. The three amigos as we refer to ourselves as have decided to veg out, vent, and enjoy GG from season 1 to season 3, whether we will make our goal or not I am not too sure, but I am so excited to see them and to enjoy some cheap girl time together!

The Three Amigos!

Signing off for now!

XOXO
A

Shoppertunistic!

I have come to the age where toys have long had their day and the things that top my list are clothes and electronic... looking back that seems like such a lame gift at the age of 5. Anyways, my poor father still sees a 5 year old who Santa can shop for up until December 24th, think again! The 90s are gone and in this day if you don't buy before December 10th, you are basically out of luck, especially when the brands consist of: UGG, Sperry,and Nike AKA Shoes! So since my dad finds it essential to still be "Santa" and surprising we "send links". I will email him links of things I like and or have interest and sometimes I barter him into letting me go buy it myself and somehow money slips back into my pocket and the present under the tree ;) I thought I would share a few of my favorite links this season with you, but don't judge I am a bargain diva!



Plaid Mini

Beaded Cardigan

Ruffle Dress

Mary Jane Pump

Nude Heel



Hope all the links work! Have a great weekend!

Holiday Sickness

I swear the stress of finals and the rush of holiday shopping just makes everyone sick! I just joined the train... I have a simple cold, but boy it is bringing me down. This is why I like to do all my shopping right after Thanksgiving because here I am 11 days till Christmas and I still have gifts to purchase....I have all these grand plans of things I need to get accomplished and I am vegged out on the couch. Sorry, I know you all don't want to hear my griping. I have been saying for awhile that I was going to switch up my page...jazz it up a bit, but once again haven't gotten to it. But I would like to give a shout out to Evi over @ politically sweet, she has given me some great ideas, now I just need to figure out what to do.

In the midst of all the craziness, I forgot to tell you all that my roommate MB is moving out. Sad day....she is going to be interning at Walt Disney World next semester so she won't be returning to school in the spring. I know this is a great opportunity and I am excited for her, but I will miss her. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season and if you have any gift ideas let me know...

the M word

MONEY! Gosh I hate it! Especially this time of year! I want to give to everyone, but sometimes that just doesn't happen... the word College and Mulah do NOT go together at all. I remember being in high school and having so much in savings, now I find myself constantly transferring and dwindling savings. My parents are not my friends in this matter, I know they hate that I ask for money and sometimes use it for useless stuff. It happens, I am careless at times, but when I have twenty dollars I didn't have yesterday it is just so tempting. Well guess it is back to studying for now.... hope you have a great week!

Finals!!

This is what I think of finals:

They suck!!!! I am currently out of my mind bogged down in school work! Help ME!

It's the holiday season...

Here I go again taking a couple weeks to blog again, but I am keeping up with each of you and your blogs....

I can't believe the holiday season is here again. Time has flown by and boy has it been great. This time of year, I love giving, I love shopping, but most of all I love getting a little reminder of what is important to me... I love pictures so I decided to show you through pictures

My Family and my boy... wow this picture is old! They are gonna kill me. My Family first, they are the best support system, they push me and I despise them for it sometimes, but I know they have my best interest at heart. This holiday season I look forward to more memories shared.

A more recent photo of the boy and me! Oh boy I won't get sappy, but what a great two years. I'm over the top, he's reserved, I laugh at awkward moments, He laughs at my goofy, southern comments...This holiday I look forward to laughs and catching up, even though we are 3 hours apart each time I see him again I am reminded how thankful I am for him.My Step dad seen above and my dad below are both father figures to me. I don't use step, it doesn't exist in my vocabulary, I am so glad to have two, we ll three great men (the boy) in my life!

My LITTLE, jWm she is a mess, but she is a blessing and came at the perfect time in my life. I know I promised you all pictures of her, so here is one, but there will be plenty more. She is crazy and fun and yes we do favor a little bit..scary!

My Best Friend...we have been inseparable since the 6th grade. She is such a goal minded indidvidual and I couldn't be more proud of her and even though we are miles apart at school, I still cherish the holiday season and all the time we have to catch up during it....

My Aunt Melanie is someone who I am thankful for and certainly think about this time of year. She is such a rock and inspiration. my Uncle passed away almost 3 years ago and my Aunt and I have only grown closer because. She is a large part of the reason I am Greek, she was a Greek and had no little girl legacies, so I carried on the tradition. We really share an amazing bond and I thank God everyday for her.

This is the season to remember those who we love and are thankful....please share what you are excited about this season!

-Ashton

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple stupid or silly as I like to say....
Here I go again going multiple weeks without blogging, oh gosh life doesn't leave me much time for anything these days, but on the bright side I am hoping Christmas break will give me more time to do so. SO, I have SO SO much to say, I am keeping it SIMPLE with a little jot list of all I have forgotten to insert:

-I took a little(she's the bomb and I can't wait to show pics)
-the boy is awesome and loving every minute of Clemson while my closet gets more purple and orange by the day, not to mention he is keeping me grounded through all my craziness :)
-I got chosen to be Public Relations Vice President for my Sorority ( Stoked!)
-My dad is headed to the capitol, the state capitol that is...the political candidate he works for got elected to be the next Governor (if you don't know already, I love politics aka RED)

MOREEE SOOON!!! SO much more!
-Ash

Fell in love at a glance

One word: Greenville...South Carolina. I am officially in love. The moment I stepped out of the car and onto Main Street my heart fluttered :) Boutiques, restaurants, arts and entertainment, it is me in a city. I had always heard how great of a southern town it was but had never made the time to go. After attending a Miranda Lambert/ Eric Church concert in Clemson the night before(which was amazing), the sweet boy decided we should take a day trip to Greenville and venture around. Boy does he know me or what?! He also found this neat yogurt place Blueberry Frog, it was delicious. They had the most precious festival and activities going on and we had a wonderful time...
This is Falls Park , it is a little quaint park in the center of town, you can miss it if you don't look closely. I have always loved the south and this to me was the epitome of all things southern. My mother and I recently ventured back to Greenville for the day during my fall break, which was wonderful as well. What can I say it took one glance and my heart was in love....

I also don't think I have shared my love for philanthropy, basically it is the best. I know this sounds cheesy, but it is a huge part of the reason I wanted to be Greek. Alpha Xi Delta's philanthropy is Autism Speaks, which is such a great organization to pair with. My chapter is currently planning one of our biggest fundraisers we do each year, titled "Fuzzie Football" It is basically a flag football tournament where teams from all around campus come and participate, Greek and non Greeks alike. If you are wondering where the fuzzie comes in our AXID mascot is the teddy bear. Anyways, I am super excited about the tournament and have been working non-stop as Philanthropy Chair to make sure we get plenty of sponsors, have t-shirts made, get plenty of teams to play and entertainment for spectators. I am in love with this position and I hope everything turns our successfully so we can raise money for such a great cause.

-Ashton

Lovin Life

This is an honesty post, I feel like I don't have those to often so bare with me...

First and foremost I live the greatest life ever, just saying... I have the best friends, sisters, boy, and family ever (yes, I am a little bias) but I am so disappointed in myself lately. I put blogging on my to do list and everyday it gets pushed down further. Why? I don't know, I love blogging and for that matter, I love writing, but for some reason by the end of each day I find no time or energy. With so many great things going on in my life I hate that I don't blog as regularly as I do because then I have soo much to share it can't make it into one post.Enough of me dwelling on that note, in addition to my blog, I feel it's lacking lately, my followers have grown stagnant as well as comments, and I just need to re shape this whole thing!!!! SO, my point in telling you all of this is that I need some suggestions, improvements, SOMETHING!!!PLEASE!

Now moving on to updating everyone on my new loves in: music, decor, etc...

I am a southern girl if any of you haven't picked up on it yet:) and as a southern girl I do as most and love country music. Recently Luke Bryan visited the small college town in which I go to school, it quite possibly be the biggest thing that this town has ever seen. Pretty much every Greek, every redneck, everyone came and I must say the man is amazing live! So now I am more obsessed with his music than I was before, I went on a midnight shopping trip to find his CD, which was a failure but I had an amazing time walking around Wal-Mart with my new buddy, MW watching her sing down every aisle we strode down. Not to mention it was also homecoming week at my university, which might better explain our craziness.

Homecoming week in a nutshell: MAD(as in crazy)

ME singing at Luke Bryan

The bestie and I at LB

Along with homecoming and Luke Bryan, I just happened to turn 20 during the last week as well, no big deal or anything...20 feels different not on the outside, but definitely on the inside. I feel like I hold more responsibility, I truly AM an adult now and life just topped another level, but in addition to that I have had the most amazing 20 years a girl could ask for filled with innumerable blessings. We have and annual tradition of going to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday, e and my girlfriends, and this year my sweet Mom came and joined us! Which was awesome!!!i completed my birthday week with a visit with my boy and his family. We went to the Miami v. Clemson game, which was a blast but it tool me four hours to get there thanks to traffic and the silly sun decided to burn one half of my body(real cute!) but other than that he gave some really awesome gifts, purple and orange of course, but nonetheless it was great to see him. I am looking forward to the 20 and hope they are just as amazing as the last 20 have been.

My other new love is Tervis Tumblers. Yes, I know I am a bit late on that trend and I only own two at the moment, but they are the greatest thing since sliced bread! If you don't own one you should...They keep the coldest thing COLD and the hottest things HOT!

My initial one(mine is the pink A) And of course it wouldn't be complete without my Clemson one(in honor of the Clemson boy)

This post has run way to long, but I am hoping to somehow to revise this whole blog and get it back to the way it used to be! Have a great week!

oh and p.s. if you like to keep up with me and blogging isn't as constant, I am also a twitter fanatic... so follow me @ashtonbee.

-Ash

Blogging Speech

Once again I have failed to do post on a weekly basis, but school is keeping me bogged down. This week I have decided to tie the two together. HOW?!?! I am giving a speech in my Self-Staging course about blogging, which of course is near and dear to my heart. I am very, very nervous even though I feel pretty knowledgeable. So please some encouraging words or maybe some advice as to what to include in my speech, I would really appreciate it! Off to practice my speech....

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

I'm Back.....
After almost 15 days, I am back in blogging action. I do apologize for my extended absence,but life has been nothing short of crazy these past few weeks. Between soroity recruitment and school and the bf, oh and a lil sleep in between life has been non-stop.
I am bursting at the seems to tell you all about recruitment, we got 25 new precious babies and absolutely adore each of them.One of our new members is my roomie, TMoss and I couldn't be more stoked, we shared a little tear fest when she ran to the sorority house. I can't wait to post tons of pictures!!! Everything went smoothly and our membership council did an excellent job.
In other news, I will be attending my first ever ACC football game this weekend and I am so excited about it... I already have my outfit picked out(Talk about getting ahead of the game), but the precious bf surprised me with the cutest dress for game day and I cannot wait to wear it.
Well I am off to living my crazy life, but I promise pictures soon and to try to update more...

-Ashton

My old blue jeans

Doesn't everyone have that one pair of jeans that are worn in, comfy, and totally made for you. I know my pair of Silver Jeans is that pair for me. Usually during the summer I swear off jeans (cardinal rule of fashion, show off your legs while you can), but lately I have found the silvers bring a certain sense of comfort in my life. Now that school has started back and a lot of things have changed. I am living somewhere new, new schedule, the bf has moved, so a comfy v-neck tee and the jeans bring a little bit of comfort and home into my new favorite comfort, and hey it is better then replacing it with food!

You all know how much I enjoy music, especially country, my new favorite is the David Nail tune, "Turning Home" love it!! If you haven't heard it, listen to it here!

Well I'm off to find the jeans and tee and then the usual homework!!!

quick post

so school is back in session for me as of today... as most of you know I have started my adventure in apartment life. I can't wait to post pictures since I have been sharing all my adventures in shopping around for the space this summer. Last night MB had an adventure with pizza. We definitely had no pizza cutter or pan, so we put the pizza on the rack and made the best effort to tear it apart evenly. It was quite hilarious!!! Other then that, I am getting back into the swing of life and classes.. blah!

One update I did want to post was about my best friend's mother I was recently telling you all about. Her surgery went really well and it turned out what they took out from her lung was scar tissue and she is CANCER FREE!!!! So that is wonderful to hear.

Well I am off to class again, I am going to try to be a more faithful blogger.....

xoxo
Ashton

Oh summer, why must you fly by so quickly???!!!

WOW!!! It has been so long since I have blogged and wow do I have so much to share. First off, last weekend after finishing my English class, the bf and his family were sweet enough to steal me away to Hilton Head for a couple days. It was such a wonderful trip. Here are a few photos from the trip....

So, in light of all the great news I have to share, there is a little bit of sad too. Suzanne aka the bestie, who is on the right, and her Mother DC in the middle all shared a recent trip to St. George Island. Over the last 3 and a half years her mom has had two bouts with Cancer. DC is such a fighter and an inspiration to us all, she is a great mother, friend, and mentor. This past week we received the news that her Cancer has returned... However we are all praying and she will fight through AGAIN! So, please be a prayer warrior for this family.. and I will be sure to update you on progress.

My final excitement is directed at the TV world. If you don't know it already, I am obsessed with Bravo... this week Rachel Zoe is back along with the premiere of the Real Housewives of D.C. I am an avid Real Housewives fan, but not sure how I feel about D.C. I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, love Rachel Zoe as usual, I am definitely Team Brad!!! The whole Taylor this was so ridiculous and I am frankly glad she is gone, so I am interested to see where this season goes...

Hope everyone is having a great week!

xoxo

REFRESH!!!

I have decided I need a re-do on my page, there is so much I want to do, but I am not the best with computer stuff. I want to have a cute font and design at the top of my page... Can anyone help me with that?!?
I also want a twitter icon, so you all can follow me, because I am an obsessed Tweeter... I am even considering a new background.

Why all this change, I feel like I am getting a fresh start, yes sadly summer is ending, but wow has it been a changing summer for me. I have grown up a good bit, worked on the priorities in my life (they were a little messed up) I know I am bound to mess up along the way, but hey God is there with through every step along with a great support system, so I think I will be just fine!!! SO, I need every one's help, please leave me suggestions on how to REFRESH my page...

:)

Techno Savvy

I have come into the possession of some great technology lately, mostly for my apartment use, but nonetheless I am excited about all the new things I will be using.



my new printer

my new tv

Other than that I am continuing to get decor, I am getting excited about moving and I am super excited about my new stuff!!!

In other news I have to once again profess my love for Ann Taylor Loft!!! Being as petite as I am, I cannot find clothes to fit me as well as theirs do... This weekend I shopped and got a few items for fall.... the bf was sweet enough to surprise me with a shopping trip. I also got a few basics from H&M another fabulous place!!! Anyways off to finishing class work...

Overwhelmed

I thought summer classes were supposed to be simpler then those during the regular school year, but guess what they aren't. I am taking a 3 week English class and I hope it won't be the death of me. The only reason that I have been so stagnant in blogging is due to the fact that I am busy writing and editing papers....With only a week left I have two papers to write, one being a research paper and the word stress has become the only word in my vocabulary.

I promise to try to be better about posting on a normal basis, but I can't promise it will be exciting... it might be about werewolves that is what my class is based on, but not the hot ones like Jacob(team Jacob all the way) , but rather the scary ones... Hope you all have a wonderful week

Wishing I was viewing this:

Instead of this:

Our Kind of Love

I pride myself on being honest, sometimes I am even a little to brutally honest, but despite that, I always want to be open with all bloggers who continue to read my posts ( and I gladly appreciate that)... but there is one aspect of my life that I have not been openly honest with each of you about and that is my relationships. It isn't something I am ever easy to discuss with, though I have a big personality I am quite private about dating matters. Anyways, I have decided that in order to make this blog truly mine that I need to open up a little about the subject. So here we go!

What began as a friendship 3 years ago turned into an amazing relationship a little over a year and a half ago as fate would have it. Not only a best friend, but a great listener, which is great for someone who loves to talk like me. Over the last year it has been a wild ride, we were inseparable my last semester of high school and some of the best memories of my life are from those few months, but soon enough I was off to college, while he completed his last year of high school at home.... while we experienced quite a few ups and downs and break there in between, this summer our paths have once again aligned and we are off on an exciting journey. While he is headed to Clemson and I back to my own University, we will be separated by exactly 3hrs and 6 minutes, but as summer comes to end and we soon part ways I go back to pictures from long ago that bring back great times.

The early days!

All dressed up!

I am really bad about taking photos lately so I don't have a recent one of us, but I promise to post one soon. SO as I prepare to transition back into school this fall, I listen to local Georgia artist, Corey Smith with my favorite line... "when the sun goes down in Georgia I'll be missing you".....and of course the famous lyrics from James Taylor

" And I'm going to Carolina in my mind" ......

Apartment hunt complete

Sorry it has taken me so long to write this post, but I must say since July 4Th everything has been crazy busy. I started a 3 week English class this week, I am working the afternoon shift which after clean up, I get off about 7. Then this week my evenings are filled with dates considering my Clemson boy, Kev who I mentioned in an earlier post is going out of town for 10 days starting Friday. Soooo can you say buys?!?! Check!!! Anyways,I will deal more with my personal life in the next couple posts, this one is to let everyone know I no longer homeless in the fall, I found an apartment and it is 3 bedrooms, so we won't have to search for a random 4Th roommate like we had originally thought. Plus we have a lot more amenities then originally expected, even though it is a little farther off campus, but it is going to be completely worth it. I am going to post a few photos from the model we looked at, of course when we move in I will post actual pictures.
one corner of the living area

The dining area (ours will be bigger since we only have 3 bedrooms)

The desk and study area of the bedroom


The club house ( which also includes a gym and pool outside)


Have a great week!
-ASH

Well hello July!

I have been a little incognito this past week. Getting back into the swing of things after my beach trip was rough, but I am back now!!! Expect a full post in a couple days...

Can anyone believe July is already here??? I feel like the summer is flying by. As of Monday the apartment, I was planning to live in this Fall in no longer available, so I am scrambling to find a new place as quickly as possible. Hoping that will work out soon enough. I have a new song that I am loving currently, I don't know if any of you enjoy country, but Lady Antebellum's tune "Our Kind of Love" is a great summer chill song, with sweet lyrics. Be sure to check it out!

More later!
-Ashton

Award excitement!

SO, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Blonde Ambitionfor the Sugar Doll Award

The point of this award is to share ten things about yourself, pass this award onto ten bloggers who you recently discovered and think are fantastic and finally contact the bloggers to let them know you’ve picked them for an award.

soo ten things about me:

1. I am a girl who loves a bargain, though I lust for labels, finding them at a lower price makes me and my wallet a little bit happier.

2. I am an only child by birth, but over the past ten years I have gained a blended family, with 2 brothers and 2 sisters, whom I love. In addition this year, I gained 79 more sisters by joining a sorority, so much love in so little time.

3. I have passion for writing and travelling, it is what I have always loved, because of course life is a journey not a destination, and I am always along for the ride, but what many do not know is as much as I love to travel over the last year my home has become one of my favorite places, because after moving off to college I really realized you CAN go home!

4. I am not a neat freak by any means, but I do love things to match (most of the time) I try to be a free spirit and let the colors fall where they may, but neat and pressed is always best. My room however does not always carry to that saying, I can be quite unorganized at times.

5. Music is my refuge, as well as the beach, but I love every type of music, and I also love to dance, even though you won't be seeing me on Dancing With The Stars anytime soon, but jam sessions are great stress reliever.

6.I am super close with my mom, she is such a rock for me and she inspires me to be a better person. She exemplifies classy and is in every the southern lady, you often read about in books, my mother gave up so much for me to be where I am today and I often don't give her credit, but she is one of the greatest women i know!

7. I love football especially SEC football (Go Dawgs!), but most recently I have attached myself to the color purple seeing as though I am being pulled into the ACC conference thanks to a certain young man ( Go Tigers!), never thought I would hear that out of my mouth. Thanks Kev!

8. I love talking and I certainly like to speak my peace, though I try to do it in an appropriate manner, I often tell my best friend that whoever marries me will truly love me and my brutal honesty.

9. I have a passion for special needs children, one of brothers is hearing impaired and the close relationship we shared inspired me to reach out to others. More recently I have been involved with Autism Speaks.

10. Finally, as the tag line says, I am just a small town girl, but I am headed out into this extraordinary world to make my mark and hope to encourage others along the way.

Now I would like to send some love to others of you:

Nyc Island Gal
Sailboats and Seersucker
Let's Be Preppy!
College Prep
Miss Southern Prep
The Company She Keeps

Blog from the Beach

Wow!! It had only been a few days and I miss the blogging world so much, luckily I am getting a little break to blog while I am here. The weather is beautiful and I am happy to report, my skin is starting to BRONZE... While at the beach I lovve to read, my new summer favorite is Mary Kay Andrews, so right now I am reading Savannah Blues. The book is fabulous and I love the author.



enjoy your week!

quick shopping recap

So, I did a little pre-beach shopping and I thought I would share a couple of my treasures with each of you.... many of you know I search for a steal when it comes to price so I am happy to report that I succeeded at smart shopping once again...
My first exciting purchase was this Tommy Hilfiger beach mat from Marshall's... precious!!! and it came in so many cute patterns.


My second was not me, :) but rather an adorable but simple beach bag, what I loved was the soft handle and cute little fasten on the front. I am standing in it to show how huge the bag is, yep I can stand in it, but for $10 dollars you can't go wrong



Well I will probably be taking a week off while on Vacation, but I will return shortly

-Ash

counting down the days

1 day until , I am soaking up some rays!!!!! St. George Island here I come.

Glee Obesession

I am obsessed with GLEE! Yes, I admit I am arts nerd and anything with music, I am pretty much a sucker for, but I love the twist they put on both current hits and past ones. If you haven't heard the music or watched the show, you are missing out. Recently on the finale they did a version of Journey's song , "Faithfully" amazing, you can listen to it here.

Have a good week!

My summer shopping list!

I have always gone by the shopping tactic that if you buy the basics, you can use them forever, well a few years anyways. In addition you can always add little pieces here and there like tops and jewelry which can make any outfit unique and different. So, I have made a list of a few things I would like to add to my collection this summer, don't know how many I will actually check off.

Here's the list:

Romper




Shirt Dress


Linen Pants

RL Button Down

What are your summer must-haves?

Ash

Ralph Lauren... such a classic!

So I know all the proclaimed prepsters out there all know and love Polo, the iconic horse and the preppy, but simply classic attire, everyone loves it. I have a certain love for the "polo dress" Such a simple piece that can be so versatile.



I own two Polo dresses; one carribean blue and the other magenta, both have stayed with me over the last couple years and within that time they have been quite a few miles. I love clothing,but I also the love the impressions left after the clothing has been worn. Recently upon putting on one of my dresses, I began to remember every memory that had been made in that dress. Beach trips, Senior pictures, girls nights, dates, so many moments that were iconic in my life transitioned into such an iconic piece of clothing. I know it might sound silly to think of clothing in such an aspect, but as great as new things are, the old always wear the best! So, as you slip into your summer wardrobe, do you have a piece that often brings you comfort or bears a good memory?

-Ash :)