Neely is no longer just a blog friend. She’s a best friend that I just happened to meet through blogging. She’s amazing and I don’t know how I ever lived without her!

Meghan is one of the most incredible girls I’ve ever met! When I started blogging, I NEVER thought I’d be taking a trip (or getting on an airplane!) to see a blogger. She was one of the first bloggers I started following, and I thought she was the coolest! I will forever treasure the time I spent with her over the summer!

Oh Lindsey! We’ve never met in person, but I know the day we do, it will be like we’ve known each other forever! She is such a sweet and supportive friend, and I’m so thankful for her!

I think Bekah and I were destined to be friends! We have so much in common, and I feel like we should’ve been friend our whole lives! I love that I got to spend time with her and her sister Sarah several months ago, and that I get to meet up with her again soon!

I love that so many wonderful bloggers live in Dallas! I’ve spent fantastic weekends with all of these sweet girls!

We’ve just had the best time!

I LOVED getting to spend time with Kerbi and Katie during DBM! They are some of my absolute favorite bloggers, and I just adore them!

Several weeks ago, I got to meet Michele, Neely’s best friend. I felt like I already knew her, and she is just the sweetest person ever!

Sara met up with us in Chicago! She’s awesome! I also got to meet Sally, Danielle, and Christy!

Jamie and I connected through 20 something bloggers, and then were paired up for a swap. We live about 30 minutes from each other, so we got to swap in person! She’s an amazing girl!

Blogging helped me reconnect with Regina, a precious friend from college. Thankful to be close to her again!

I spent a wonderful week in the wonderful city of Chicago with these wonderful girls!

Through blogging, I discovered the awesomeness that is Pioneer Woman! She’s just fantastic!

Oh, have I mentioned I met her? Yeah, that happened.

There’s also a ginormous list of girls I hope to meet someday! Lindsay, Erin, Jenn, Stephanie, Jessica, Katie, Annie, Becca, Caroline, Michelle, Kate, Carolyn, and so many others! I’m thankful for all of the wonderful friends all over the world that I’ve connected with through blogging.

I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my posts and leave a comment. You don’t know how much it means to me! Y’all are amazing, and I adore all of you!

What things about the blogoverse are you thankful for? Link up with the fabulous hosts!

I’m so thankful for the wonderful friends I have in my life.

I’m thankful for the ones that have been in my life for my whole life, who know me better than anyone else. I’m thankful for the ones who have been here for a short time, but have still made a huge impact on my life.

We’ve been friends for twenty years! She’s my best friend and my sister, and she knows me better than anyone else. Even living 200 miles away, when we’re back together, we pick up right where we left off. One of my biggest fears when I left home to go to college was that our friendship wouldn’t last, but we both have worked so hard to stay close and we have! I am thankful to call her my best friend, and I’m thankful to be Aunt Ashley to her precious babies.

She’s my big sister! We are such opposites, yet we manage to share common thoughts and still show up places wearing the same outfit. I never thought our friendship would survive her family moving away, but now we’re closer than ever, and knowing that makes her latest move easier to handle.

She’s my blog friend turned best friend. I say this often, but I never imagined blogging would lead me to meeting someone that would become a best friend! She brings out the adventurous part of me. How else would I have ever gotten on another airplane? :) She’s my bff and travel buddy, and I don’t know how we ever made it through life without knowing each other!

The day I walked into my old office and met Tracy, I knew I was going to LOVE working with her! She was so patient with me and taught me so much about work and life during the time we worked together. Our relationship quickly went from coworker to friend! She has helped me through difficult times and has always been so supportive.

I’m so thankful to have the most incredible relationship with my mom. She’s my sounding board and my advice giver, and at the same time one of the goofiest people ever. We have the best time together!

From the very first time I met her, I knew I was going to love her! In the six years that I’ve known her, she has been an amazing friend and my other momma.

Hey y’all!

Today we are revealing partners for the Christmas Ornament Exchange.

Jenn divided up the list of entries between all of the hosts, so here is the list of people I have partnered up:

Brieanne @ On a Wing and a Prayer & Chelsey @ Now Boarding

Britni @ The Hardage House & Brittany @ Ramblings of a Little Wife

Brittany @ Sweet, Sassy & Oh So Classy & Cari

Cassie & Chelsi

Cheryl @ Cheryl’s Shenanigans & Christi @ The Townsends

Christine @ Living in His Faithfulness & Cindy @ Galloway Way

Colleen & Courtney @ Our Family of 4

If your name isn’t on this list, see the list below. Find the blog assigned to the first letter of your first name to find where your partner will be listed. You should also be receiving an email with your partner’s info.

 

Remember, the spending limit is $10 and all packages should be mailed by November 30th. Thanks to everyone who entered!



Hey y’all!

Today’s list was by far the hardest one to do. How do you choose 10 songs out of such an awesome decade of music? This is just a TEENY TINY sample of the best!

Nothin’ but Nineties!

“Strawberry Wine”-Deana Carter

“Iris”-Goo Goo Dolls

“Waterfalls”-TLC

“God Must Have Spent a Little More Time On You”-*NSYNC

“Why Haven’t I Heard From You”-Reba McEntire

“Always Be My Baby”-Mariah Carey

“Say You’ll Be There”-Spice Girls

“I Hope You Dance”-Lee Ann Womack

“Truly Madly Deeply”-Savage Garden

“Two in a Million”-S Club 7

Ok, sorry y’all, but there’s NO WAY I can keep this list at 10! Here’s just a few more :)

“Never Ever”-All Saints

“Because You Loved Me”-Celine Dion

“Don’t Speak”-No Doubt

“Any Man of Mine”-Shania Twain

What are your favorite ’90s songs? Link up with Krystal & Jen!

Hey y’all!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was full of friends and babies, and it was fantastic!

Going through the pictures on my phone last night, I realized that I have a TON that need to be posted but just haven’t had a post of their own. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to!

Such a great verse! It is written on one of the walls of my parents’ house.

Colby & Jack

They don’t really get along, but the other day when Colby walked into my bedroom, Jack walked right over to him and let Colby touch him. It was crazy!

Daddy working out before teaching his Tae Kwon Do class. Have I ever mentioned that he is a second-degree black belt? It’s kind of awesome!

Oreo & Hershey

Look! It’s Kerbi!

Not really, but when I was in Dallas at brunch with my girls, we saw this girl sitting several tables away that looked just like her!

This lady that sat in front of Momma and me at the Kellie Pickler concert looked just like Katherine Chancellor on Young and the Restless!

Speaking of Young and the Restless…

After OU lost to Texas Tech or whoever, Joshua Morrow, aka Nick Newman, who is from Oklahoma was tweeting about the game. Just for fun, I tweeted back that OU broke my heart by losing that game. He tweeted me back! Seriously, I’ve been in love with him since I was like 10. It was wonderful :)

Are you gonna eat your tots?

Found this written in a bathroom stall on the way to Tulsa!

Creepy guy sat next to Momma at the Reba concert. He came by himself and listened to his iPod between each act. It was a little weird and his “dancing” was hilarious.

His WHITE pants were ripped in the knees. Lovely.

Well hello, Jack-Jack

I entered an online contest several weeks ago and won a vinyl autographed by Little Big Town! It’s really really cool!

Oh Sandy… “If I stare at my bowl long enough, the food will appear”.

Where is the Oreo??

Paper plate/tissue paper pumpkins I made several weeks ago with the kids I babysit

Yessssssss…

Hope y’all have a great Monday!

This was Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley’s fourth to host the show. Once again, they were fantastic!

2. What will Carrie wear next?

I’m always excited to see what the celebs are going to be wearing. Some dresses are beautiful. Some…not so much.

The Band Perry: New Artist, Song of the Year (If I Die Young), Single of the Year (If I Die Young)

I am ridiculously excited for them! All three of their awards were very well deserved.

Blake Shelton: Male Vocalist

I just love this boy!

Miranda Lambert: Female Vocalist

Sugarland: Vocal Duo

Lady Antebellum: Vocal Group

Jason Aldean: Album of the Year (Yay, Michelle!)

Taylor Swift: Entertainer of the Year

*All photos found here*

*All other photos found here and here*

Did you watch the CMAs? What were your favorite parts?

Link up your TV talk with Neely and me!

Also, Monday is the last day to sign up for the Christmas Ornament Exchange! Get signed up here!

Hey y’all!

Today is all about last night’s wonderful CMA red carpet fashion. Here were the looks I loved!

Carrie Underwood

Miranda Lambert

The Band Perry

Sara Evans

Lauren Alaina

My pick for the worst:

LeAnn Rimes

Did you watch? Who did you love?

*All photos found here, here, and here*

Don’t forget to link up for Boob Tube Babble tomorrow! My full CMA recap will be up!

Wow.

What a crazy few days we’ve had here in Oklahoma!

Around 2 am Saturday morning, we had a 4.7 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was near Sparks, Oklahoma.

Saturday night, we had a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, the largest in Oklahoma history!

Monday night, after having several tornadoes in southwestern Oklahoma, we had a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in the middle of a thunderstorm! This was also the 29th earthquake since Saturday night. Fortunately, out of the three major ones, this was the only one I felt. I do wish I could show you a picture of the terror that came across my cat’s face when the ground started shaking! I was freaked out at the time, but looking back on it now, it was pretty funny!

It seems like things in Oklahoma keep getting more and more unstable. Crazy winds, tornadoes, snowstorms, floods, intense heat, and now earthquakes. We’ve even had hurricanes move inland and still be strong enough to be considered hurricanes.

What’s next? Volcanoes? Tsunamis?

I think it’s time to move…

Hey y’all!

Today, it’s all about the ’80s!

Ashley’s Excellent Eighties

“The Dance”-Garth Brooks
(Sorry, no video)

“Livin’ on a Prayer”-Bon Jovi

“It’s Raining Men”-The Weather Girls

“Alone”-Heart

“Right Here Waiting”-Richard Marx

“The Time of My Life”-Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

“The Heart of Rock & Roll”-Huey Lewis and the News

“Pour Some Sugar On Me”-Def Leppard

“That’s What Friends Are For”-Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder

“I Love Rock-N-Roll”-Joan Jett

What are your favorite 80s songs? Link up with Krystal and Jen!

Oh my goodness, y’all.

Friday night was pretty much the greatest night of my life.

Dream come true.

Yeah…all of that.

In case you missed my tweets/blogs and have no idea what I’m talking about, Friday night, my Momma and I went to Tulsa to see REBA in concert!

I have well over 100 pictures from the concert, but I promise I won’t post all of them :)

Thursday night, I went home to my parents’ house, then Momma and I headed to Tulsa on Friday morning. We stayed at the Double Tree hotel, which is pretty much amazing because they gave us cookies when we checked in. I’m easily impressed!

I was definitely a happy girl!

We had FLOOR SEATS!!

Yay!

I was seriously in shock that I was actually going to see THE Reba!

Ok, now, on to the good stuff!

Edens Edge was the opening band. I had heard of them before the show, but I hadn’t heard any of their music. I was suprised at how much I liked them. Their single “Amen” was really good, and they closed their set with a beautiful acapella gospel song. I will definitely be checking out more of their music.

Meghan

I was REALLY excited to see Steel Magnolia! They were the winners of the latest seasons of Can You Duet, and I’ve loved them since their first single. I was super sad to hear that Josh was not going to be performing with her because he has gone to rehab. Glad he’s getting the help he needs, but sad to not see him.

Meghan sang a few songs on her own…

…then James Otto joined her for a few more!

They sang James’ song “Just Got Started Loving You” and Jamey Johnson’s song “In Color”, which James co-wrote.

They ended the show with Steel Magnolia’s “Keep On Loving You”! Meghan did a great show, and even though I’m not really a fan of James, I enjoyed seeing him too. Also, I LOVED Meghan’s flower headband! Ridiculously cute!

Oh, how I love The Band Perry! I have loved them since their first single “Hip To My Heart”, and I’m an even bigger fan now. I was almost as excited to see them as I was to see Reba, and they definitely didn’t disappoint.

Kimberly is AMAZING! She has a wonderful voice, and you can tell she absolutely loves what she does.

“If I Die Young” brought me to tears! I’ve always gotten a little emotional listening to the song, but last week was the two year anniversary of the death of one of my friends from back home. She had been on my mind already last week, and that song really hit home for me.

They also performed their current single “All Your Life”, “Independence”, “Miss You Being Gone”, and Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”.

They closed the show with “You Lie”, and they started the song with Rihanna’s part of “Love the Way You Lie”. It was really neat twist to the song, and I loved it!

Now, before I get into the Reba pictures, I have a little bit of explaining to do. I grew up listening to country music. Until probably middle school, country music was all I knew. I don’t know how it is in other states, but growing up in Oklahoma, you develop an appreciation for Oklahoma artists. Reba, Garth, and Vince are legends in my eyes, so for me, this concert was not just seeing Reba McEntire-country artist. It was REBA, Queen of Country Music.

Y’all, that’s Reba.

I just might have said “That’s Reba” to Momma when she walked out on stage. Starstruck doesn’t even being to describe it.

She opened the show with the title track from her latest CD “All The Women I Am”.

She sang several of my favorite newer songs, such as “Consider Me Gone”, “I Want a Cowboy”, and “Strange”, as well as many of her older hits like “Is There Life Out There”, “Why Haven’t I Heard From You”, “Take It Back”, “I’d Rather Ride Around with You”, “The Fear of Being Alone”, and “The Greatest Man I Never Knew”, plus many others.

Her backup singer was having the best time!

Kimberly joined her for “Does He Love You”! They sounded great together!

And that, my friends, is what you call the Reba stink eye. Kimberly should be scared for trying to steal Reba’s man! :)

This was probably my favorite song of the night.

When she sang “I’m a Survivor”, the theme from her show “Reba”, they played clips from the show!

It’s Barbara Jean!

Of course, she ended the show with “Fancy”!

It was an amazing night! Reba knows how to put on a show, and she picked a great group of opening acts. I enjoyed every moment of it, and I’m glad I got to experience it with my Momma!