My Favorite Things

I have been overwhelmed by pretty things lately.  Thank goodness for my iron will (read: limited budget).  Here are just a few of my favorite things this week!!

Illustration by Inslee Haynes via La Dolce Vita

It just made me happy.  I saw this on the lovely Paloma's blog and I just love everything about it!

Image via Stephanie Sterjovski, print by SS Print Shop

I adore peonies, so when I saw these pink lovelies atop this gorgeous print, I was instantly in love!  Then I saw the rest of the prints in Stephanie's shop and I couldn't decide which one needed to join the other lovelies on my soon to be gallery wall.

Card by Julie Ann of Julie Ann Art

No, I'm not pregnant!!!! But if I were, you can bet that all my favorite people would get something like this.  Julie Ann has some seriously cute and sassy cards for any occasion!!

Katilda.com

Have you met Katie?  If the answer was no, scurry your hind parts over to katilda.com.  I met Katie at the Elevate Blog Conference last month.  She has an amazing writing style that makes you feel like you are snuggled up in a hammock on a breezy early spring day with your favorite knit blanket and a fresh cup of hot chocolate with a few marshmallows on top.  Yeah, it's that good!

Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed some of my new favorite things!  Have a beautiful weekend loves!

Words to Live By

- Ashley, Oh Wells Instead

Miss Me?

...because I missed you! 

Seriously, taking time off from social media is hard.  Let's get real, I caved on Facebook after like two days. 
Self control? It's something I'm working on. 

So, I took a few days off. I needed to refocus, not just my blog, but my life in general.  It's all still a work in progress... but doesn't "work in progress" really define life anyway?

You're gonna see some changes around this joint, all for the better.  In the meantime, bear with me while I teach myself how to design and code and all kinds of good stuff!

Here's a little quote that I also happened to read in a book this weekend.

Quote of the Week

This one seemed fitting this week...

Quote of the Week

Some days really sock you in the eye and spit in your face, but it's just one day out of many in this beautiful life.

(taunting) Quote of the Week

Have you ever spent an hour writing a post that you are abnormally proud of and then somehow it deletes itself when you're not looking?    So instead you just get a quote of the week.  Maybe I will attempt to re-write and post tomorrow.  Meh!

 

Yeah yeah yeah, quote, I hear you!

Quote of the Week

via Pinterest

Have you ever taken a moment to ask yourself some questions? 

Being that I have a lot of time to myself these days (living in California, without my family, boyfriend or friends), I have had a lot of time to just think. 
About what I want out of life.
      About who I am.
            About what makes me happy. 
                 About my personal style.
                       About what love means to me.
                               About what friendship means to me.
                                      About what I am afraid of.

All of this alone time has been challenging and eye opening. I don't think I have ever taken the time to really get to know myself, at least as an adult.  I highly recommend it. 

 

 

Quote(s) Of The Week

Alright, moving all by yourself to a new state is freaking scary, but it's also the most invigorating thing I have ever done.  This week, I couldn't decide on just one quote, so I hit Pinterest and this is what I found!



I just might get this one printed for my office!

 



How I felt after my meetings at my national office.



My hope for myself.



If you don't believe that, what do you have to look forward to?  Wonder is what makes life, well, wonderful!



The weights are gone and I'd consider this flight school.



Or at the very least be the type of person you want your (future) children to meet.

Be inspired!

Quote of the Week

Christmas In July

When I found this little Blog Swap, how could I not participate?  Who doesn't like getting gifts in July, for no reason?  So I signed up expecting to get some silly little thing to enjoy.  Our hosts matched us up and I may be a little partial, but I am pretty sure I got the best blog swap partner ever! Laura from Under The Suburban Sun is wonderful and not only did I get a blog swap partner that it appears may know me better than I know myself, but I added her blog to my weekly reads!  Oh, and if you want to check out what I sent Laura, go to her blog to see her sweet post!)

Check out this swag!

I mean did I get an awesome box of goodies or what?!

Laura must have done her homework because she sent me things that are just soooo me! 

The flower hair clips came in handy at the beach this weekend and I already rocked the blingy ring at work! The calming hair treatment is awesome because the last couple weeks I have been a total stress ball.  I love the scent of the lotion- It smells like a tropical vacation.  The nail polish she chose is a perfect summer color.  With all the craziness of the past week I haven't had a chance to get my nails done, but you can bet that polish will be joining me at the salon very soon!  Have I mentioned how much I love the beach before- oh yeah, maybe a few times.  She sent me Ocean Breeze candles.  Not only do I adore them, but my the boyfriend says they smell like home (he's from San Diego) and keeps lighting them when I am not around.

Not that I don't love everything, but this is my favorite part of the package.  Parisian stationary!  You open the beautiful box and there is this quote:

"Dream your dreams with open eyes and make them come true"-T.S. Lewis

Isn't that perfect?  I am so torn between using them or just looking at them forever.  Don't you hate that, when you get something awesome, but it's so awesome you don't want to use it?

Whose hosting the next blogger swap, I'm addicted!



Quote of the Week

Hey ya'll quick little side note: I am looking to do a BIG giveaway for my birthday.  (I think goody bags are highly underrated!  So why not give one of my lovely followers a sweet gift bag just for reading)  I have been compiling a bundle of things to include and now I need your help.  I figure I should share the birthday love right!  If you are interested in adding to the Ashley's birthday Swag Bag, please email me at ashley.ohwellsinsteadofwhatifs@gmail.com.  I'll feature you in the post and everything!  Okay, now back to the main event.


I have been slacking on these.  Found this one on Pinterest.  Loved it. Had to share it.

I feel like so often in life we beg for happiness, when all we really need to do is be grateful for what we have.  I have seen that demonstrated so much over the last couple weeks it has inspired me to take a closer look at everyday and as they say in Dead Poet Society, "suck the marrow out of life".  No matter the things you come up against, if you can look at your life and find the good, you can't help but be happier.

Be happy today!

Taking a Leap

First, I want to say hello to all you lovelies coming over from Story of my Life! Don’t you just la-la-love Jenni? I sure do! SOML is one of the first blogs I started reading and I don’t miss a post. Her pictures, her love story, her candidness, all so inspiring. Anywho, I’m so glad you came over to visit me! I’m newer to blogging, but I try to keep things interesting around here. I am obsessed with social media and communications, being inspired, Diet Pepsi, glitter, the beach, and life in general. I write about inspiring women, life experiences, my idiot moments, and pretty much whatever is going on in my head. Alright, lets get into it.

My favorite part of each dance class was when we would practice things across the floor. Specifically leaps. I loved them! I loved that I could get so high in the air. I loved that my legs were so long, I could make it all the way across the room in less leaps than the other girls. I loved the way it looked. And I loved the way it felt. There was something so freeing about flying through the air, making it across the floor with my feet only touching for second. I loved feeling so weightless.  I was fearless in those moments flying through the air.  It felt as though I was born with springs on my feet and wings on my back. I was fearless. I was free. I followed my heart and didn’t worry about how things would work out. I knew I would land on solid ground and that I would get to my destination (which at that point was only the other side of the room).

That same mentality stayed with me for years. I took on adventure like I still had springs and wings. Then I became an adult and something changed. I don’t know if it was the hard life lessons, the bills or the loss of confidence in myself, but something made me lose that fearlessness. After all, it was all those leaps across the dance floor that ruined my knees.

These days, the word leap doesn’t feel the same somehow. There is more fear there. At this point in my life, someone says leap and I think about changes and about risks. However, it still eludes to a level of freedom. Freedom that in many ways I am a little afraid of. I have grown to appreciate the monotony of the repetition in my daily life. It’s safe. It’s quiet. But ultimately, it’s boring.

For too long I have stayed away from both leaps and freedom. I think it’s about time to take a jump. The only problem is I’m a little afraid that my wings have forgotten how to fly. There are a lot of variables. There are a lot of risks. But it might just be time to leap again. Worst case scenario I can always build new wings on the way down.

Women That Inspire Wednesday- a day early

Last week, a bright literary star from the writing heavens was ripped from us.  A truly great writer passed away leaving only her laughably honest screenplays and eloquently relatable pro's for us to remember her by.  Today I salute you, Nora Ephron.  You may have single handedly made entire generations of women eager to experience the za-za-zing.  Nora, you made women believe in a modern fairytale and I can't thank you enough.  She captured all the wonderful and not so wonderful feelings we have falling in and out of love and put them on the page and screen for us to enjoy and learn to cope.  She was a fighter, not just through heartbreak, but also through cancer.  Sadly, she lost her battle with leukemia last week, but one thing is certain, Nora and writing went together like a wink and a smile.

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
― Nora Ephron

Let's all relive some really great moments scribed by Nora:

When Harry Met Sally

Harry: "I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
      -I mean, who hasn't felt like this or longed to feel like this. 

Sally: What's she look like?
Marie: Thin. Pretty. Big tits. Your basic nightmare.
     -Any good girlfriend will give you this kind of truthful feedback.

Marie: All I'm saying is that somewhere out there is the man you are supposed to marry. And if you don't get him first, somebody else will, and you'll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that somebody else is married to your husband
     -I just love this scene and the look on Sally's face when confronted with this typical female nightmare.

[after Sally fakes orgasm in a deli]
Older Woman Customer: [to waiter] I'll have what she's having.
    -Iconic.  Absolutely iconic.

Sleepless in Seattle

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?
Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.
     -Don't all women hope a man describes us this way?

Annie Reed: Now that was when people KNEW how to be in love. They knew it! Time, distance... nothing could separate them because they knew. It was right. It was real. It was...
Becky: A movie! That's your problem! You don't want to be in love. You want to be in love in a movie.
     -Story of my life, I want to be in love in a movie!

You've Got Mail

Kathleen Kelly: [writing to "NY152"] Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.
     -Dear void, I have been struggling with the same questions, where is a good Godfather quote now?
Kathleen Kelly: What will NY152 say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you.
     -the perfect beginning to a perfect movie.

Joe Fox: Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.
     -sharpened pencils...ah!

Kathleen Kelly: [writing to "NY152"] Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one! It got on at 42nd and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.
     -I have this perfect mental image of what she describes here.  Thats silly butterfly!

Kathleen Kelly: When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.
     -For me it was The Silver Slippers

Kathleen Kelly: [in an email to Joe Fox] The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings.
     -Funny how it's the nothings that usually do mean more than the something.

Nora Ephron. A woman who inspired us in life, and will continue to inspire us to live, love and never miss the laughs.

Quote Of The Week

A Pinterest find

I think it's important to remember we don't have to be the roaring lion to be courageous.  SOmetimes courage is just getting up and trying again.  Happy Monday everyone!

Women That Inspire Wednesday - A day late, but what's new?

Maybe it's because I love that she lets the world in on her life, good and bad.
Maybe it's because she is the type of business woman I always believed I would be (but have yet to become).
Maybe it's because she has found a way to balance career success with family success.
Maybe it's because she is a fighter.
Maybe it's because she is dedicated to helping other woman find success.
Maybe it's because she is taking over the world one cocktail at a time.

Whatever it is, Bethenny Frankel is one of the women I am most fascinated by and thus she is this week's Woman that Inspires!

Bethenny Frankel

“The business of being happy requires making a conscious choice. People think being happy will
just happen to them someday, if only they do this or that right. But it doesn't - you have to choose it.
You choose happiness, you don't wait for it to choose you.” - Bethenny Frankel

So I finally remembered to record Bethenny's new talk show yesterday.  As I pressed play on the DVR list I was a little worried.  What if I didn't dig it?  Would it end my mogul crush?  Well let me tell you ladies, Bethenny didn't disappoint.  The show is awesome!  It is honest and and talks about the things that aren't always out in the open.  She answers tough questions with humor and class.  Do yourself a favor and tune in.

Her talk show aside, this woman is the epitome of what I try to be every day.  A driven fighter.  A creative entrepreneur.  An inspiring writer. A passionate female supporter. A caring and loving mother and wife. A woman that speaks her mind and doesn't get stepped on. 

She has written books, started a hugely successful company that has developed into an empire and she has not only survived but thrived and maintained her dignity on reality television.  What can't this woman do? 

If you don't know and love her, get to know and love her.  Put on your Skinnygirl shape wear, sip a skinnygirl cocktail and watch Bethenny on her talk show.  It's sure to be a fabulous experience.

And hey, if you'd like to be a guest blogger for Women that Inspire Wednesday, shoot me an email, I would la-la-la-love to have you!

Waiting and A Trail of Thoughts

I hate waiting. 
I hate waiting in lines.
I hate waiting at stop lights. 
I hate waiting for Christmas morning.
And I hate waiting to hear potentially big news. 

Because of this, I don't really like surprises or keeping secrets either. I especially hate knowing that there is a surprise coming.  Pure agony. That is why I have been so quiet these last couple weeks (oh and I have hardly had time to breathe between emergencies, too much car travel, vacation, overtime at work, stress and just plain being exhausted). I am waiting, with as much patience as I can muster, to share the things that are going on in my life with you all! 

It's true, I am not that good at keeping my own secrets.  Hello, I share my most embarrassing moments with the world!  I am like a steel trap when it comes to keeping other people's secrets, but when it comes to by own, I just want to share!  In high school, I always told boys that I had a crush on them. I often tell people what I got them as a gift before they open it. Worst of all, I regularly just say whatever I am thinking (insert foot in mouth).  I have mentioned I have some big things in the works.  REALLY BIG things. I just don't want to talk about them and jinx anything.  It has been really hard for me!  Really hard! I just want to type everything that has been going on and what I think about it. But, I really want things to work out.  When I finally have definite answers I will hopefully share some fan-FREAKING-tastic news with everyone!

In the meantime, I am just going to keep thinking happy thoughts and hope that the reason I have had to wait so long is because what I am waiting for is totally worth the wait!  Let's just say, if my life were a game of Chutes and Ladders, I am a couple spaces away from the really big ladder, I just have to be careful I don't fall short and take a chute back a level.  Cryptic enough?

That brings me to another thought.  Everything happens for a reason.  I have always believed this to be true, but something happened about a week ago that renewed my conviction.  It didn't happen to me, so it is not my story to share. Let's just say, I am thankful on so many levels that it happened and that everything turned out how it did.  Sometimes wake-up calls come in painful forms, but they make things better in the long run. 

Sometimes things happen, and there is no eloquent way to say this, but those things really suck!  A lot of the time it takes some time for the things we see as life's troubles to reveal their positive aftershock.  Sometimes, it just takes a few hours.  Either way, I feel very strongly, that everything happens for a reason.  Even the worst situations. 

Which brings me to another thought.  Life is short. Live it.  Don't waste a moment.  You don't know how many moments you have.  Live every day to the fullest and create your best life.  Go for your dreams and don't waste a second on regret. 

That's what I have to say for today.  Don't worry, I'll just be here... waiting.

Quote of the Week

Remember how I mentioned big things in store?  Well, they are still in the works.  In the meantime, here's a quote for the week. 

This seems particularly fitting for me this week!

Women That Inspire Wednesday

It’s my favorite day of the week!!!! WEDNESDAY!  Why Wednesday? Because I get to share about an inspiring woman.  

This week I was all set on a woman.  I had started writing and everything, then I heard a speech at the MTV Movie Awards.  Don’t worry, I will go back to the other woman I chose next week, but this week lets talk about the lovely Emma Stone.



I have loved miss Emma since her debut in Superbad.  Maybe it’s because she is an Arizonan like myself.  She drew up in Scottsdale performing in productions at a local theatre.  She persuaded her parents to move to Los Angeles by creating a power point she called , “Project Hollywood” when she was just 15.  From there she spent her days auditioning and her evenings home schooling with her mother. Since then she hasn’t looked back.

I love how she has tried a lot of different types of roles and pulled each one off flawlessly.  Who doesn’t love her in Crazy, Stupid, Love, Zombieland or The Help.  As far as movies go, we are going to see Emma around for a long time because of her versatility and onscreen confidence.  And girlfriend can pull off just about any hair color!

   

She’s also pretty darn fashionable too!

What I love most about Emma is that she seems to have a good grip on who she is.  She’s got the courage to be funny and the confidence to risk looking like an idiot (Check out her chic fro and braces in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past).



I don’t see Emma Stone taking the path of other young starlets like Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton. She is the type of strong young woman that I hope my sisters grow to look up to. (Aren’t they cute little nuggets?) She is always encouraging her fans to be themselves.

“Confidence is the only key. I know a lot of people who aren't traditionally 'beautiful' - not symmetrical or perfect-bodied or perfect-skinned. But none of that matters because all that shines through is their confidence, humor and comfort with themselves. I can't think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.”

With quotes like these, it’s no wonder that MTV gave her the very first Trailblazers Award.  Her her engaging and honestly grateful acceptance speech is what made me name her this week’s Woman that Inspires. 

Her eyes already glistened with emotion as she took the stage, she proceeded to impress me with her words of wisdom that I imagine really impacted her many young fans.

"So, I looked up the actual definition of trailblazer, and it means someone who blazes a trail to be followed by others. And that's an honor to hear you're being associated with a concept like that. The only thing I can hope that an award inspires is originality,because the trailblazers I've looked up to and been inspired by are people like Gilda Radner and Bill Murray and John Candy and Charlie Chaplin and the Beatles and J.D. Salinger. Lorne Michaels, who reminds me the importance of comedy, and Cameron Crowe, whose work consistently reminds me of why I want to be an actor. "Those people are my creative trailblazers, but I'm not following any of their paths, and what's incredible about them is they help make me want to be more myself because they're all originals, and I hope that you'll find your trailblazers. And, trust me, I do not need to be one of them. I probably shouldn't be one of them, but that you'll continue to harness your own originality and what makes you unique 'cause I know that when you're a teenager — sometimes when you're an adult — what sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden and it's not. And a lot of the time, it's what makes you great. I am deeply touched and grateful for this.”

Emma, thank you for being both a trailblazer and an inspiration.  I hope all of us young ladies can take a cue from your confidence and grace!