Hey y’all.

It’s been a rough couple of days in Oklahoma. If you’ve missed what happened, the OKC metro has had two days of intense weather. Sunday there was a tornado in Edmond and in Shawnee, and yesterday a massive tornado tore through Newcastle and Moore. Two people died in Shawnee, and as of 9:45 last night, 51 people died in Moore. That number is expected to go up. An elementary school was leveled, and as of 9:45 last night, 40 children in that school were unaccounted for as the mission was changed from search and rescue to recovery.

I was at work during yesterday’s storms. Ashton, Haley, and I were glued to the live news feed. We watched the tornado go from a small funnel to a massive, powerful tornado in a matter of minutes. It is unbelievable how huge the tornado was.

One thing that always amazes me is how any time there is a disaster situation, Oklahomans step up to help each other. Reports of strangers helping dig people out of their homes absolutely brings me to tears. Fire departments from all over the state came to help with the rescue efforts. It’s incredible.

Heather, a fellow blogger, lost her home in the storm. I don’t know Heather, but she’s a fellow Oklahoman, and we do whatever we can to help each other! A PayPal account has been set up to help her out. If your are able, please donate!

The Red Cross is also accepting donations to help victims. You can call 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999.

A big thanks to everyone who called/texted/tweeted to check on me! I am continually amazed at the love and support from the blog community, and I appreciate all of the love for me and for my precious state!

Please continue to pray. More storms are predicted for today as well as for the end of the week.

Hey y’all!

Can you believe it’s week 50? Crazy right! Neely and I are so excited and thankful that y’all have stuck with us! We’ve got something fun planned to celebrate a year, so be looking for that.

Alrighty, here are this week’s questions!

Good ones :) I really enjoy fun surprises.

Chocolate, duh! Preferably dark or combined with mint :)

I love going to concerts! The best ones seem to happen during the summer. So far this summer, the only one on my agenda is NKOTB/98*/Boyz II Men with my besties!

Nothing yet, but I’m hoping for at least a Dallas weekend or a meetup with my faves!

I love 4th of July! I love spending time with my family and going to Jessica’s family’s party! I’ve gone nearly every year since we’ve been friends :)

Europe! I want to go to London, Paris, and several places in Italy. Someday…

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

1. What is your best summer memory as a kid?

2. What is your favorite summer drink?

3. What is your favorite summer TV show?

4. What is the best outdoor summer activity?

5. What are your summer vacation essentials?

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Hey y’all!

I feel like I haven’t been around here very much lately. Work has been crazy, and when I’ve actually done things outside of work, I haven’t had the energy or time to blog them.

Today is my catch-up day! I’m FINALLY going to write about the things that have been going on around here :)

A few weeks ago, Regina was in town a couple of weeks ago, and we got to go to dinner and hang out for a bit!

My goodness, I love this girl! We spent an evening at Cheesecake Factory and had a great time. So thankful for her!

Thankful for cheesecake too :)

A couple of Sundays ago, Colby and I went with Wade, Joyce, and the Littles to an OKC Redhawks baseball game. We had a great time, and the Redhawks won!

Love these two!

Colby and Little Man

After the game, we walked over to Bass Pro Shop. I took Little Man and Little Girl to look at the fish tanks. They loved seeing the fish!

I’ve been Facetiming a lot with momma lately, and she lets me talk to the dog and cats too :)

Sandy doesn’t usually look at me, but she was cornered. She’s so sweet!

Hershey wanted in on the chat too!

I teach a class of almost-three year olds on Sunday mornings at church. They are tough, but they are a fun bunch!

We’re studying about Joesph right now. He’s having a rough time :)

A few more randoms…

Colby and the kitty bonding. Jack hates him. Don’t know why, but he does.

Stephanie, one of my fabulous #bestiesfolyfe graduated from college! Sooooo proud of this girl!

Hope you all have a great week!

Now, on to today’s questions!

Yesterday, the daytime television world lost an icon.

Jeanne Cooper, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless, passed away at the age of 84.

I have been a soap opera watcher my entire life. My momma has watched Y&R since the beginning, so I grew up watching it with her. While I’ve taken spells of watching nearly every soap opera on the air since I’ve been alive, The Young and the Restless has always been the one I love most.

Jeanne played Katherine Chancellor for 39 years, making her the longest-running cast member on the 40 year old show. I think it says a lot about her talent and her connection with the show’s fans.

The character of Katherine Chancellor has always been a favorite of mine. Her feuds with Jill Abbott, her friendship with Nikki Newman, and her wacky storylines made her such a fun character to watch! She was the character everyone loved and everyone rooted for. On our trip to Tennessee in 2009, my momma, Mom-Mom, and I even nicknamed Mom-Mom’s GPS Katharine :) Watching her every day made me feel like I knew her, not just the character, but Jeanne herself! The Young and the Restless and daytime television won’t be the same without her.

We’ll miss you, Jeanne!

Hey y’all!

I’m linking up with Neely and Samantha today to share why I started my blog!

I started my blog in January of 2010. I had been reading blogs for about a year, and it was so much fun! It got me thinking about and finding little “bloggable moments” in my life, so finally, I decided it was time for me to start my own.

Back then, Ashley Lately was Ashley’s Carnival Ride, named for my favorite line from Carrie Underwood’s “Wheel of the World”.

‘God put us here on this carnival ride. We close our eyes, never knowing where it will take us next.”

I always thought that was such a neat way of looking at the journey of life, and it fit me perfectly!

My very first post was January 27, 2010. It was called “Wow”. Attention-grabbing stuff right here :)
Wow

My second post actually had a little bit of substance, so I like to think of it as my real first post!
I love snow days because..

It’s been a pretty awesome three years in Blogland! I’ve made some fabulous friends and had some awesome experiences. I’m thankful I finally jumped in and started this fun journey.

Why did you start blogging? Share your stories with Neely and Samantha!