Turning 25 wasn't so bad, but there's nothing like spending two days a week on a college campus to make a girl feel O.L.D. These 18-year-olds prance around in panda-bear-printed galoshes and gym shorts (when it's not raining), uber-trendy True Religion ensembles, and football jerseys that have been custom tailored into super cute summer dresses, and I find myself thinking like a 76-year-old granny...What's with kids these days and their new-fangled fashion trend nonsense, anyway?!? I probably looked that young and silly as a freshman too, although I will proudly say I NEVER allowed myself to cave in to the UGGs-and-miniskirt-when-it's-95-degrees abomination. Apparently 3 years out of college transports you to a weird place between the college world and adult world in which I thought I was still in my "just out of college" days, but now I'm questioning the fashion proceedings of today's youth like a crotchety old lady. I'm in my mid-twenties. Yikes.
But the point of all of this is to talk about the bows. What. is. with. BOWS? Not cheerleader-style ribbon bows in ponytails. Bows like you'd buy to plaster on the head of an infant to demonstrate to all curious passers-by that, yes, this child is in fact a girl. Or the kind you'd get for a two year old to put on top of her cute little top-knot half ponytail thing. These girls get out of bed in the morning, slap on their verging-on-obscenely-short gym shorts, use their Chis and curling irons to their hearts' content, and then proceed to put BABY BOWS on the side of their head. Just sitting there, sticking out, clipped to their head. SUPER CUTE! I get that this is in some way related to the Gossip Girl ginormous flower headband idea, which I will admit can be pulled off in certain contexts, but this takes it to a whole new level of weird. You see cute, young college girl on the bottom, then get to the head and it's like a toddler. Sorry, it's just strange. Someone please explain to me - at 25, have I become THAT removed from the young people??? Or is it just a random strange trend? While not obsessed with trendiness, I like to think of myself as a somewhat-fashionable, semi-up-to-date person when it comes to trends. My monthly Glamour has not informed me that bows are the next big thing, so I don't feel too badly about this.
I just don't get the bows. So I will resign myself to feeling old, and I will continue to proudly strut myself in my scarves. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
If bows are right, then baby I don't want to be.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
It's World Water Day
"Water is Basic" - an organization started by my old church in Dallas:
What it might look like if we had to do the same:
The things we take for granted...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Shameless Plug
My current music obsession: Blake and Kate.
Blake Mankin is a good friend of my little brother's from high school, and he and his girlfriend, Kate, are extremely talented. They just released their EP on iTunes, and I think everyone needs to hear it. Their lyrics are deeper than you'd expect from college students, and I love their folk/acoustic sound. The EP was number 1 in the iTunes folk section for a few weeks, so others obviously think they are awesome as well! Oh, bonus - cover art was done by little brother's very bff, Jonathan.
You should check them out at http://www.myspace.com/blakeandkate. Particular faves: Answer, and Fashion Compassion.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Big 2-5
I turned 25 on Saturday, and it doesn't feel very different. This year I was super lucky that my birthday fell on a Saturday, leading to a 3 night birthday extravaganza that included sushi with the in-laws and brother, Cheesecake factory and Cranium/Wii with the usual crew, and an awesome lazy Saturday full of pancakes, Mario Kart, delicious Indian food, and a movie at home with Scotty. It was a fantastic weekend, I feel so blessed to have such awesome friends and family! It has been a while since I took a few days away from school and just enjoyed the people I love without worrying about papers/tests/procrastination, so that was the best birthday present I could ask for...with Mario Kart coming in a close second, of course.
25 doesn't feel very different...but it sounds different. I can no longer make a case for being in my early twenties, and 25 sounds more established than 24 did, for some reason. I feel like I should have more under my belt than just more years in higher education. Ha. I'm not getting promoted through the ranks of some high-flying corporation, I don't have a kid (thank goodness, for now), we don't have all kinds of free time or cash to travel the world without a second thought, and Oklahoma is probably the MOST exciting place I've ever lived. Ha. It's absurd, but sometimes I look at the carefree little undergrads when I'm on campus and feel. so. old.
Seriously, sometimes it feels like Scott and I are literally giving up our "twenties" for school, but then I stop feeling sorry for myself and focus on the fact that we have a fantastic life and fantastic friends, and we still have most [wait - half] of our twenties to enjoy, despite that pesky thing called med/grad school that interferes with our social lives every once and a while. And hey, bring on 30, because that will mean we are official people who are DONE with school! I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but all this to say that I'm pretty ambivalent about 25. But for now, I'm going to work on enjoying the present and stop waiting for the future when "real life" starts.
Despite the ambivalence, here are my birthday-year resolutions. 25 is going to be the year that I get fit, by golly. Yesterday, Hannah and I went to our first Zumba class, which was awesome, freaky, and SUPER awkward, all at the same time. I shook, I shimmied (or tried to), and yelled out ZUMBA whenever the crazy instructor man told me to...and I had an amazing time! Apparently I am a terrible salsa dancer, but it was super fun and I can't wait to go back. I have decided that this is the year that I stop making excuses and find ways that work for me to get healthier and have fun while doing it. So, here we go, it's in writing...25 is the year that I get fit, worry less, and probably play more Mario Kart!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Whirlwind
I've been a bad blogger lately. I'm such a cliche for saying this, but school has taken over my life! My week goes something like this: Get up at the crack of dawn, do some reading, go to practicum, run around all day chasing after a hodgepodge of havoc-wreaking middle schoolers, come home, do more reading, maybe write a paper, sleep, get up at the crack of dawn, go to class from 8:30-4:30, drive home, read, repeat. I'm so tired I want to fall asleep at 9 every night, but that's not possible. Weekends might be a time to catch up on that sleep, but probably not because there's too much work to do. I'm exhausted. But I think it might be a good kind of exhaustion, or at least a not-bad one. I feel like there's purpose to what I'm doing, and there are so many possibilities for what happens after next year.
At the same time, I can't wait until my week nights are free again, until I don't have to put off calling my friends back for two weeks while I write 20 papers, and until I can focus on the people in my life without inadvertently thinking about what project I have to work on or what reading I should be doing. It's hard, because my friends and family are my priority, but at the same time I can't just ignore school, especially when this semester's schedule is so crazy. I know it's just a season, so for the time being, I'm just trying to power through and make time for fun things to clear my head. So, if I haven't called you back yet, made enough time to talk, or been available to hang out enough (or looked like I might fall asleep while hanging out or talking on the phone)...trust me, it's not because I don't want to, and I haven't forgotten about you. Please bear with me while I tread water until the end of the semester.
A recap of the last 3 weeks, number-style
5 papers written
1 wedding attended (1 more this weekend and 1 two weeks later)
2 good friends hung out with in Houston
3 movies seen with friends
1 low-key but lovely Valentine's Day dinner with Scotty before test-block
1 friend's new baby visited
1 trip to Eischen's
That's about it...2 more weddings coming up, a baby shower, spring break. Counting down the days til May :)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What is Oozing Out of Our Ground?
This is amazing. Apparently this person missed the day in fourth grade when her teacher taught about rainbows.
We as a nation have got to ask ourselves, what the hell is going on? Amen, crazy sprinkler lady, amen.
America - land of geniuses.
Monday, February 2, 2009
25 Useless Ashley Trivia Facts
2. I have freakishly large feet for someone of my height. I'm 5'2" and wear a size 9, sometimes 9 1/2. Don't hate.
3. When I was in 6th grade, my doctor told me that I would grow a lot and be really tall because of my huge feet. Lies! I didn't grow at all after that.
4. One time in college, I was sitting in a booth and a random person sat down and kissed me. Jen and Nava thought I was a floozie.
5. When I was a kid, I was completely, 100%, absolutely obsessed with the Chicago Bulls. I got up at absurd hours to watch games in Jakarta, wore jerseys to school, knew each players stats inside and out, and was probably really obnoxious about it. Repeat Three-peat, people.
6. I spent 6 years of my life in Jakarta, Indonesia, and sometimes I still miss it. I haven't been back since we left, but I will go someday.
7. I miss double decker jets, layovers in random countries, exciting adventures in obscure places, and everything else related to traveling regularly.
8. I still keep an Indo-Mie stock in my pantry.
9. I have an awesome husband who is my best friend. I love him so much, even if we tease each other incessantly! He even got me to move to Oklahoma :)
10. I have an amazing, crazy, inspiring family (immediate and extended). It's sometimes like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, except Egyptian and with more singalongs. The Colorado side of my family is awesome, too, even though I don't get to see them very often. They are all so much fun and I'm so thankful for them. Eat something!
11. I love competition reality shows such as Top Chef and Project Runway (and even America's Next Top Model), especially when Hannah and I get to make sarcastic commentary together and describe how we would make a dress out of straws and tissue paper.
12. Out of all the places I've been, my favorites are: Bali, Perth, Alexandria, Tokyo, and London. I would LOVE to live in London someday.
13. My brother and I are close and make weird noises. I think I regress about 15 years whenever I'm around him.
14. I love fashion and would like to put more effort into dressing up than I do. I have a lot of trendy clothes that I never wear because, let's face it, a hoodies and scarves are just so darn easy.
15. I burst into song at random moments. A particular favorite of mine is "In the Navy" from some Muppets video I watched a long time ago. Scott thinks I'm weird.
16. I love my church and our small group so much it's a little ridiculous. Tuesday nights are the highlight of my week, and it seems like the world is wrong if we don't meet for some reason. They're like family.
17. There is a little boy in said small group, Caleb, who sometimes makes me want to rethink the whole wait-til-Scott's-out-of-med-school-to-have-kids idea. Then he leaves and I get over that. He is our buddy!
18. My friends here in Oklahoma are amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without them! It makes me sad to think that, in all likelihood, I will have to leave them in 2.5 years, but I know we'll keep in touch because they are awesome.
19. I desperately want a dog. I miss Cookie Monster, my old golden retriever, so much!
20. I enjoy impromptu interpretive dancing, even if it is to songs that should never be interpreted in dance form. I do what I want.
21. Speaking of impromptu dancing, I miss my college friends ridiculously much and wish I had more time/was better at keeping in touch with all of them. We need a reunion ASAP.
22. I think Ugg boots are ugly but I wear them anyway. Take that.
23. I heart coffee. Americano with milk = life.
24. I voted for Barack Obama in this last election. I don't think being a Christian and voting for a Democrat are any more paradoxical than being a Christian and voting for a Republican.
25. I still get strangely nervous when I get called on in class, especially if the professor is crazy and asks weird rhetorical questions while making eye contact for absurd lengths of time. My answers always come out jumbled and probably never make sense.
26. In elementary and middle school, I had poofy bangs and triangle hair.
27. I have an inexplicable obsession with figure skating and gymnastics. I think I missed my calling, except for the fact that I can't skate and am petrified of hurtling myself through the air. Oh well.
