Wordless Wednesday: Sorry I've been absent!

Sorry I haven't written anything in forever! I'm taking pictures for y'all though and I'll post them soon!

Later y'all!

What's in my beach bag?

As y'all know, I'm headed to Florida for the week to see my family! And since I live at the beach, I'll be spending some serious QT working on my tan and relaxing!

I always love seeing what's in other people's beach bag...so here's what's in mine!

First-the bag. I got this a couple years ago. It's by Juicy Couture and it says "Juicy says relax". I just loved the saying, the size of the bag, and the fact that I can throw it in the wash. Plus it's pink!

I have highlighted hair which tends to turn brassy if it's in the sun too long so I break out my Florida Gators hat most of the time to protect my hair from the sun!
Banana Boat's SPF 8 deep tanning lotion-it smells great and I always feel like I look a lot darker after a day in the sun with this secret weapon!
My beach towel-Vera Bradley! I love how big this towel is! (I hate it when I have a beach towel that's too small...either my head or my feet hang off and get covered in sand!)
I brought Julie and Julia to read at the beach this week!
And the newest Women's Health I got in the mail Thursday and saved for the beach...perfect timing!
I hope y'all have a great week and I'll keep y'all updated!

By the way...like my Florida-themed background? :)

Later y'all!

Sugar Doll Award

Leslie at Life in it's Ordinary Form gave me a blog award! Thank you! Leslie is a new blogger and she has such a cute blog! I love reading her posts and I'm looking forward to more great things from her!

So here are the rules for this award:

Thank the person who gave it to you, share ten things about yourself, then pass the award on to ten bloggers you've recently discovered and let them know you gave them an award!

Here goes!

1. I love the Florida Gators. It's actually hard to describe how much I love my Gators. I watch every game, follow them on Twitter, read articles, I can't get enough. I CANNOT WAIT until football season just so I can go to The Swamp.

2. Like Leslie, I am addicted to Twitter. I love it and I probably check Twitter a couple times an hour. It's sick.

3. I'm addicted to M&Ms...I eat them every day

4. I love the beach all times of days. I run on it in the morning, lay out on it during the day, and walk on it at night. It's both energizing and relaxing if that makes any sense!

5. I like big vehicles. I have driven a Pilot and a Sorento...next on my list is a Tahoe!

6. I am a complete Charlotte from Sex and the City in every way

7. I LOVE to tailgate. I just love everything about football season.

8. I'm pretty crafty. I can decorate cards, ornaments, cowbells, canvases, etc.

9. I would say 75% of my wardrobe is JCrew. The rest is Gators and State shirts! Haha!

10. I am a chemical engineering grad student at Mississippi State...a Gator Girl in Cowbell Country! Good thing I love my cowbell and the dawgs too!

I pass this award on to:

1. Ally at He's Got the whole world in His hands

2. Ashlyn at Miss Magnolia

3. Gracie Beth at The Engineer in Heels and Pearls

4. Ally at The Cure for Writer's Block

5. Charlotte at The Charlotte Observer

6. Meg at Sunshine and Cool Breezes

7. Summer Wind

8. Caroline at This is My Story, This is My Song

9. A Displaced Floridian

10. DC GOP Girl

Thanks again Leslie for the award!!

I'm on my way to Florida tomorrow so look out for my "What's in my beach bag?" post up soon!

TGIF Y'all!

Wordless Wednesday: Is it football season yet?

Is it September 4 yet?

Mississippi State University Bulldogs

Maroon and White

Davis Wade Stadium

Go Dawgs!

My two boys...Mullen and Meyer...my two teams...Dawgs and Gators

University of Florida Gators

Orange and Blue

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium "The Swamp"

Go Gators! Chomp Chomp!

Happy Wednesday from a Gator Girl living in Cowbell Country!

The End to Humidity-Hair!

As a girl in the South, I have experienced many, many days of blow drying, straightening, curling, hot rolling, teasing, among others, hair days...only to put my hair up because it looks like Albert Einstein's! All thanks to humidity! Well ladies, I've found the cure-all to this problem:

KMS California Flatout Anti-Humidity Seal. AMAZING. A quick spray over your finished hair (it doesn't take a lot) and your hair is protected from the humidity...and its also incredibly soft and smells like you just came from the salon. Y'all have to give this stuff a try!

Later y'all!

Florida on my mind

At the end of this week, I'm Florida bound! I can't wait to see my family! Whenever I know I'm about to head to the 904, I always get really anxious and can't stop thinking about laying on the beach, shopping at St. Johns Town Center, and see my family. Here are a few pictures that show why I love Florida so much. Y'all know I love all of Florida, but Northeast Florida is like coming home!

Route 95, Jacksonville sign, Jacksonville, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

Jacksonville Beach

Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier

Jacksonville Beach

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field/"The Swamp", Home of the best team in the South, the Florida Gators, Gainesville, Florida

Smiling Gator, St. Augustine, Florida

UF Marching Band at The Swamp, Gainesville, Florida

Whenever I hear the song "Carolina" by Eric Church, it reminds me of driving across I-10 headed East to Jacksonville. I know the song is about Church's home state of North Carolina, which is a beautiful place, but for some reason I always think of Florida...

Sometimes I grow weary,
From goin' all the time.
I love to take a minute,
Let you ease my mind.

I'd love to see my mama
Maybe go for a drive
But I gotta play the star in some little town again tonight

Don't get me wrong
I love what I do
It's just another song about missing you

Like a phone call from my baby
Sayin honey I miss ya like crazy
Just like the sound of a silent song

Oh [Florida]
Keep callin me home,
Callin' me home...

I'm looking forward to sharing pictures and stories with y'all. Follow me on Twitter for more frequent updates while I'm away! If anyone lives in the Jacksonville/Gainesville area I would love to meet any of y'all!

Happy Monday!

Later y'all!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my amazing Dad. Even though I don't live in the same state as my parents anymore, I know my dad would do anything for me. Whether its car trouble, boy trouble, money trouble, or just to say hi, I know I can count on him.

My dad and I with my first legal drink on my 21st birthday at midnight on July 5, 2008

(I had come from work...I don't normally dress like that :) !)

Dad and I in Florida this past February...he is wearing his Mississippi State pride!

My dad is a funny, friendly, caring, loyal amazing man, husband, and father. I am so thankful to God for such a wonderful dad!

The past few years, Father's Day is a little bittersweet for me and my family. On July 16, 2007, we lost my mom's dad to cancer. I miss him so much every day. But I know he is in no pain, and in heaven boating, watching baseball, and telling stories to everyone. I am grateful to have had such an amazing grandfather for 20 years.

"Pop"

I hope y'all are enjoying Father's Day with your fathers and also the weekend!

Later y'all!

Olay Quench!

I have been using Olay Quench body lotion, body wash, and in-shower body lotion for about a year now, and they are the only body products I have bought over and over again. I love this stuff!

The Olay In-Shower Body Lotion. I use this after I shave my legs and I could easily go without using lotion after the shower. It makes my legs really soft!
The body lotion, which was my first purchase of the Olay Quench items and I still love it. They have a deep moisture version but I find that I don't even need the deep moisture; the regular formula works pretty dang well on its own.
The body wash. Makes my whole body extremely soft.

I love these products. They all smell amazing and I love the subtle shimmer they leave on your skin. They are all amazingly moisturizing and absorb well.

Y'all try them out! Or if you have tried them out, do you love them as much as I do?

Happy Saturday!

Later y'all!

Hi my name is Ashley, and I'm an M&M-popsicle-crystal light-aholic

Happy Thursday everyone! So for the past few weeks, I've been trying to be really good with eating and working out. I'm going to Florida next week so I want to look as good as possible for the time being in my bathing suit, plus I really want to lose the weight I put on this past year (dang grad school!). I've been doing all the right things-eating right, working out, and counting calories really helps me out too. But in the process of trying to find healthy snacks, I've developed addictions (haha!)

Here is one of my addictions:

Sugar free tropical popsicles. At only 15 calories a popsicle, they are delicious and cool me off during the hot Mississippi summer! I however, cannot eat just one. I probably eat 4 a day. Only 60 calories, so it's not bad...but still? 4 a day?! Get it together Ashley.

My next addiction is to Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade.
I've been told by everyone from Bob Harper to my mom that drinking lots of water helps in weight loss. Plain water is kinda boring though...so I decided to add some Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade On-The-Go's to my water bottles. And then I decided to make it in a pitcher to keep in the fridge and drink after work. And that's how this addiction was born. I probably drink a gallon of the stuff a day.

And last but definitely the worst addiction I have is...

M&M's!

I LOVE M&M's. Any kind. Peanut, peanut butter, plain, almond...anything. I cannot go a day without eating M&M's. I've managed to factor them into my diet by counting them out and accounting for their calories...but still. I need them every day. I love them.

My favorite M&M's of all time. Dark chocolate M&M's. The dark chocolate peanut ones are even better. The beginning of my addiction starts with these.
Coconut M&M's. Has anyone tried these? My mom found these a few months back and sent some to me. Problem. Now I'm addicted to them.
Last but not least...pretzel M&M's...the magical combination of chocolate covered pretzels and my beloved M&M's...also so addicting. Someone come pry them out of my hands.

My desk at work...I told y'all! :)

Almost Friday!!

Later y'all!

Wordless Wednesday: Rusty the clothes stealer

Precious pup!

MaC To the Beach Finds!

I was finally able to pick up a few items from the MAC To the Beach Collection! I got three things...I'm hoping during my trip to Florida in a couple weeks I'll be able to find the items I couldn't get in Rhode Island!

First, I got the Rosemary and Thyme eye kohl

It's a shimmery golden olive green color
I'm really loving this color. I normally wear dark brown eye kohl, but I've been using the dark brown on my top lash line and this color on my bottom lash line and I'm in love with this combination! I have green eyes so I think it helps to bring out my eyes but I'm sure it would look pretty on any color eye!

Next is the Firecracker eyeshadow

It is the darker of the two pink colors available in this collection. It's described as "a frosted mid-tone red-orange (veluxe pearl)" but I think it is much more of a coral pink color.
It also has a slight golden shimmer that I think is so pretty and summery.

The last item I got was the Easy Lounger lipglass.
Described as a "light baby pink with multidimensional pearl"
I think it is again more coral pink than baby pink, and does have a lot of glitter/shimmer, but I love this color on! It is definitely a coral peachy summer color!

A few items I wanted were sold out at Nordstrom, but I'm going to check out the MAC store in the St. Johns Town Center when I'm in Florida in 2 weeks! I hope I'm not too late! I really want to try the bronze body oil. I've heard some good reviews on it! I also want to try the "In the Buff" Nail Lacquer, the "Marine Life" pressed highlight powder, and the "Sand and Sun" eyeshadow. I'll keep y'all posted!

Later y'all!