Father’s Day

Hey y’all!
I thought after a week of blogging nearly every day that I was over my blog funk. Turns out, maaaaaaybe I wasn’t so over it :) Sorry for the silence around here.
Sunday was Father’s Day!
Colby and I met Momma and Daddy halfway to have lunch and celebrate our dad!
We have the best dad in the world! We are so lucky!

Because of work, I had to miss Father’s Day last year, so I was thrilled that we got to meet to celebrate as a family!

Me and my fabulous momma!
It’s been a few months since we’ve seen each other, so….things might have gotten a little crazy.

We just can’t be serious for too long.

Scary :)
It was a great day!

The Sunday Social, Week 54

Sunday Social

Hey y’all!

Before I get into today’s post, Happy Father’s Day to the best dad in the entire world! I love you!

Here are this week’s questions!

1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
Ugh, it annoys me SO BAD when people drive like maniacs during bad weather. You know, the ones that drive SUPER slow being overly cautious and the ones that drive SUPER fast trying to act like nothing is happening. Both are so dangerous!

2. What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?
Word verification makes me crazy :)

3. What is your biggest general pet peeve?
Unnecessary drama. I get SO annoyed with people that have to have drama in their lives constantly. It’s ridiculous.

4. What is your most irrational fear?
I’m afraid of spiders and tornadoes. I think I’m more afraid of the spiders. Big or small, they terrify me!

5. Name 3 celebrities you’d want to have dinner with.
Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton & MIranda Lambert (yes, they count as one!), and Brian McNamara aka General Holden :)

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

Next week’s questions

1. What is your favorite store to shop at?
2. If you could afford anything and everything, which designer brand would you covet?
3. What is your must have closet staple?
4. What is your favorite kind of shoes? (brand or type)
5. What is the best clothing deal you’ve ever gotten? (sale or amazing find)
6. What is a style you’d love to try?

The Sunday Social, Week 53

Sunday Social
Hey y’all!
Today for Sunday Social, we are taking it back to week 1 with questions all about YOUR blog!!

1.  How did you come up with your blog name? 
Well…I actually got the idea from Neely :) She started doing Neely Lately posts, and I LOVED the idea, so I started doing Ashley Lately posts! When I started looking for new blog names, Ashley Lately just fit perfectly!

Ashley Lately

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
For sure, the friends I’ve made! Seriously, some of my closest friends, girls I talk to every single day, I met through the blog world. I have laughed with them, cried with them, and prayed for them. It’s hard to imagine life without them! It’s amazing!

3. What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can’t live without? 
Oh dear…THE VINTAGE PEARL!!! Gussy Sews, Pinterest, Instagram, Pioneer Woman…so many fabulous things :)

4. Facebook or Twitter? and why? 
Twitter, duh! Seriously though, I couldn’t live without twitter. It’s fun, it’s much faster than Facebook, and most of my friends are there!

5. If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be? 
Carrie Underwood is my faaaaave!

6. What is something you want people to know about your blog?
I want people to know that this is me, the REAL me. This is the place where I can share MY thoughts, MY feelings, MY opinions, and I get to just be ME!

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

Next week’s questions

1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
2. What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?
3. What is your biggest general pet peeve?
4. What is your most irrational fear?
5. Name 3 celebrities you’d want to have dinner with.

Thanks for joining in the fun! It’s been a great year of Sunday Social! Have a great Sunday!

Memorial Day Fun!

Hey y’all!
I know it’s been a week and a half, but I just realized that I never blogged about my Memorial Day weekend!
I had a great day off! The kitty cat and I slept until 9:45 (hallelujer!). I made plans on Sunday night to spend the day with Joyce and the Littles. I expected to spend the day hanging out at their house playing outside with the kiddos, but Joyce had bigger plans.
We went to the zoo!
I hadn’t been to the zoo in years! I think I was waaaaay more excited than a 27 year old should be about the zoo :)
We fed the kids a quick lunch, and then loaded up the monster van and headed to the zoo. It was the perfect day for a zoo trip. It was sunny but breezy and not too hot. We couldn’t have picked a better day. We decided on a game plan when we went in for what we wanted to see: giraffes, monkeys, and elephants. Anything else in between was a plus!

The elephants are kind of adorable :)
The kids had so much fun! They loved getting to see the animals and run around for awhile. I was super nervous when we let the kids out of the stroller, but for the most part, they stayed close to us and didn’t try to run away.
Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking that this is another story about a perfect day with perfect kids and how people make their lives look like perfect little storybooks. Well, let me tell you the rest of the story.
Like I said before, the kids did much better than I thought they would, until the end.
As we were finishing up seeing the elephants, the girls decided they needed to potty. Joyce took them while I stayed outside with Little Man. After a few minutes, Little Miss and Little Bit ran out of the bathroom. Little Miss ran past me and under a rope into an area marked ‘employees only’! I yelled for her but she kept going. Little Bit followed. I yelled for Joyce and scooped up Little Bit. I ran back to the bathroom as Little Bit screamed and bit my arm. I dropped her at the door, pushed Little Man and the stroller to the door, and ran for Little Miss.
I went under the rope and around a corner. No Little Miss. Of course, my paranoid mind assumed the worst, knowing for sure she was about to be trampled by elephants. I turned another corner, and she looked up at me saying, “I’m looking at the water.” I picked her up and ran back to Joyce, fussing at her all the way back.
We pulled everyone into the bathroom and locked the door. As Joyce finished changing Little Man, I tried to keep Little Bit from sticking her hands in the toilet, Little Girl from turning the sink on and off, C from turning the dryer on and off, AND Little Miss from unlocking the door and running away AGAIN!
We decided to strap Little Bit in the stroller because she was being a pain and Little Miss as punishment for running away from me. Little Bit was having none of that. She started throwing a huge fit, and let me tell you, she throws fits like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Little Miss was standing on the back of the stroller and Little Girl wanted up there so they were screaming and pushing each other. I tried to help Joyce strap in Little Bit and break up the fight all while carrying Little Man on my hip. Finally, Joyce said we needed to get back outside before someone thought we were beating the children! We got out and started back to the entrance to the zoo.
Little Bit screamed. The whole. Way. Back.
Little Man became too heavy for me to carry, so we sat him in the stroller next to Little Miss. He started pushing Little Bit’s headrest, which ticked her off even more, and she started screaming louder. Little Miss started patting Little Bit on the head saying, “It’s ok, Sissy.” Little Bit pulled her paci out of her mouth and started swinging it at Little Man while trying to Bit Little Miss. She managed to kick off one shoe and sock. All this time, Little Girl was a walking zombie and couldn’t keep up with us, and C was whining about the animals we didn’t get to see.
I have to say, I was a little bit happy when our zoo adventure was over!

Healing in the Heartland

Hey y’all!
Last Wednesday night, Colby and I got to go to Healing in the Heartland, Blake Shelton’s concert to benefit tornado victims here in Oklahoma. The concert sold out in 30 minutes, so we were super lucky to even get tickets!
Ironically, we were in the middle of a major thunderstorm while we were driving to the concert. There was a lot of heavy rain, high winds, and a little bit of hail mixed in. Good times.
The show was broadcast on television, and then after the tv broadcast was over, we were treated to another hour and a half concert from most of the performers! It was truly an incredible thing to experience!
Alrighty, I’m going to give y’all a play-by-play of the show!
It opened with Lance West, one of our local tv reporters. He introduced the group singing the national anthem, Team Blake and Team Usher from The Voice!
Yep, we got to see Danielle Bradbury, Holly Tucker, The Swon Brothers, and Michelle Chamuel! They sang acapella, and it was beautiful! That was cry #1 for me :)
We heard from Governor Mary Fallon, the mayor of Moore, and a representative from the United Way, the group Blake chose to receive the money raised by the concert.
THEN, we were introduced to our host for the evening, Blake Shelton!!!
Blake chatted with us for a bit, and when the show started, he opened with “God Gave Me You”. Ashley tears round two got started right about the time the first notes of that song started playing.
Darius Rucker came next! I love that even though he is not from Oklahoma, he wanted to be a part of the show. It really meant a lot to have the support!
Rascal Flatts!
They asked us to all turn on the flashlights on our cell phones, and the whole arena was lit up! Very cool!
Miranda Lambert! She performed “The House That Built Me” and couldn’t get through it without crying. It was a beautiful moment, and I bet you can’t guess who was crying right along with her!
Ryan Tedder from One Republic
REBA!! I love her. I just…love her. She is flawless and amazing, and I don’t really have the words to describe how much I adore her!
Vince Gill! He is such a legend. It was an honor to get to see him perform live.
Luke Bryan. He was good.
The show ended with Blake and Usher singing “Home”. It was the perfect end to a great show!
The tv broadcast may have ended after a great hour of music, but the show was far from over for us!
Blake and Usher brought their teams from The Voice back out, and they all performed “Play Something Country”, which was played on The Voice last night! They are all soooooo good, y’all! If you’re not watching The Voice, you are missing out!
We were treated to more performances from several of the artists! 
Darius Rucker came back to perform “This” and “Wagon Wheel”.
Miranda rocked out to “Kerosene” and “Baggage Claim”. She’s one of the best artists out there right now, and she killed it!
Sweet moment between Blake and Miranda! Could they be any cuter?! Seriously…
Blake played a great mix of his songs, like “Honey Bee”, “Sure Be Cool If You Did”, “Hillbilly Bone”, “All About Tonight”, “Boys Round Here”, and “Ol’ Red”.
He joined Reba for a duet of her song “Oklahoma Swing”. Pretty much made my life!! I love them so much!
Reba sang “Turn on the Radio”, one of my favorites!
Luke Bryan performed again.
Usher came back and sang Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”! It was gooooooood!
One of the things I love most about Blake Shelton is that no matter how big his career is, he doesn’t forget where he came from. He has chosen to leave the Nashville scene to live in the small town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, because that’s home. I love how proud his is to be from Oklahoma, and I love how much he loves Oklahoma!
Healing in the Heartland was a fantastic night. It was wonderful to feel such support for the hurting people in my state. It was nice to have a night of fun and good music! Even though I wasn’t personally affected by the storms, it breaks my heart to see the devastation just a few miles down the road, in towns I’ve driven through many many times. I hurt for my fellow Oklahomans, but I know that we will get through this and be stronger than ever.

Never Ever Ever…

Never Ever Ever will I…

…give up Dr. Pepper. Or chocolate. I won’t do it!

…enjoy a thunderstorm.

…understand the appeal of Luke Bryan (I just don’t get it!).

…live somewhere with colder weather than Oklahoma.

…stop listening to pop music like *NSYNC, 98*…

Link up your Never Ever Evers with Neely, Stephanie, and Shelley!

Also, go vote for Neely for Dallas A List best local blogger!

Vote Vote Vote!

Hey y’all!
Ok, so you know my fabulous bff Neely, right?
Duh, of course you do! :)
Neely has been nominated for Dallas A List best local blogger, and she needs our help! Neely has a special little message for y’all.
I was nominated for Dallas A List BEST LOCAL BLOGGER(EEEEK) and I need YOU ALL to vote for me! You don’t have to live in Dallas to vote! If you take a look at my sidebar under my about me you will see a link to where you go vote! You can also go here. I would really really appreciate you voting! Please vote everyday and help me win this awesome award!
Neely is not only a fabulous blogger but a fabulous friend. She is the first blogger I ever met in person, and she quickly became one of my best friends. We’ve spent a lot of time together, and I can tell you for sure that she is amazing. My life wouldn’t be the same without her, and I am thankful the blogging brought us together! She seriously deserves this award, y’all!
So what are you waiting for? 
Go vote!
Thanks y’all! <3

The Sunday Social, Week 52! Giveaway Time!

Sunday Social
Hey y’all!

Today marks the 52nd Sunday Social AKA one year since Neely and I took a scary leap into a new linkup on a Sunday, a day where most people do not blog! We thought for sure no one would link up, and the first day we had over 200! Every week we are shocked at how many people love to link up and enjoy the Sunday Social. We just love love love reading your posts and having you join us! 
At the bottom of today’s post please enjoy a fabulous giveaway from us! 
 In this giveaway you will find:
$120 design package from our girl Jenn at Munchkinland Designs 
 $25 to Sephora to buy some fabulous summer makeup 
A monogrammed tervis tumbler 
 $35 Hazel and Olive boutique gift card
  PicMonkey Collage 
 Pretty fab no? 
 But first, link up your blog! That’s the main requirement :) So lets get on with it! 

1. What is your favorite Social Media outlet? 
Um, the twitter, duh :)

2. Do you subscribe to any daily news reads? If so which ones?
I don’t subscribe to anything, but I definitely check People and Fox News multiple times a day :)
3. What is your favorite magazine to have by the pool? 
I love me some People Magazine, Country Weekly, and Glamour
4. What is your favorite summertime song?
Oh, there’s no way I can pick just one! Here are a few of the songs I listen to on repeat during the summer:

“Summertime” by Kenny Chesney
“All I Wanna Do” by Sugarland
“Barefoot Blue Jean Night” by Jake Owen
“Pontoon” by Little Big Town
“Cowboy Casanova” by Carrie Underwood
and, basically every song on Kenny Chesney’s When the Sun Goes Down & The Road and the Radio album :)
New to my list this year:
“Barefoot & Buck Wild” by Lauren Alaina
“Beat This Summer” by Brad Paisley
5. What is the best summer concert you’ve been to?
Oh goodness, there are SO MANY! I think it’s probably a tie between NKOTBSB with Neely and Meghan and Blake Shelton (he held my hand and sang to me and we had a moment).
Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me! Be sure to enter the giveaway!

Next Weeks Questions

Taking it back to week one and our get to know you questions 
1.  How did you come up with your blog name? 
2. What is your favorite thing about blogging? 
3. What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can’t live without? 
4. Facebook or Twitter? and why? 
5. If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be? 
6. What is something you want people to know about your blog?

Thanks again for your support of Sunday Social! Y’all are awesome!

Also, Happy Birthday to my cute little bro Colby!

Have a great Sunday!
  Enter our GIVEAWAY here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happies & Crappies

The Vintage Modern Wife: Happies and Crappies Link Up
Hey y’all!

It’s been awhile since I’ve linked up with Stephanie and Sarah for Happies and Crappies, so I thought I would join in today!

Happies

I got to attend Blake Shelton’s Healing in the Heartland benefit concert Wednesday night!
Here’s a little preview for y’all :) Full post coming next week!
Our fabulous ‘love for Oklahoma‘ necklaces from The Vintage Pearl have raised so much money for the Oklahoma Red Cross!
I have loved getting to be a part of something so awesome!
I had a super fun zoo day with Joyce and the Littles on Monday!
THAT post is coming next week too! Trust me, you don’t want to miss those stories :)
Neely and I are celebrating a year of The Sunday Social this week with a huge giveaway!

Sunday Social
Be sure you write up a post and link it up with us to be entered! We are just thrilled that we’ve made it an entire year!

Crappies

Oklahoma has had several more days of severe weather. Last night there were more tornadoes in the state, along with heavy wind and hail. It would be nice to have a little bit of nice weather for a change.

I can’t seem to catch up on sleep. I haven’t slept well since the tornadoes happened, and it would be REALLY nice to relax and sleep through the night.

I could go on with more crappies, but I want to focus on the positive and try not to think about the negative :)

Tell us about your week! Link up your happies and crappies with Stephanie and Sarah!

What Does My Nightstand Say About Me?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.

My nightstand is a little bit of a mess and a little bit disorganized, just like me :)

On one side, I have my glasses, my glasses case full of pens (no idea why I keep them there), a basket of random stuff, eye drops, aromatherapy pillow mist, and a picture of my faves.

On the other side, I have a stack of magazines, my Shutterfly book of pictures from my Chicago trip, and a squirt bottle for when the kitty cat acts up :)

In the middle, there’s a stack of books, waiting to be read. There are also a few little notebooks there for late-night journaling and blog post writing.

On the shelves, I have more magazines, mix CDs, and another box of random stuff. I also have a basket on the floor next to the table that is full of magazines. I’m kind of a magazine hoarder :)

So what does all of this say about me? 

For one, I’m a mess :) To anyone else, my bedside table looks like a disorganized mess. But for me, I know what is there and where everything is! I can’t function when everything is perfectly arranged, so I have to have a little bit of a mess.

Also, I have a weakness for books and magazines. I am always getting new reading materials, but I rarely have time to read, which is why the stack is so high. It would be much higher, but I just sent about ten books home for my momma to read! 

It also says that I have to keep my friends close. Most of my closest friends don’t live near me, so I like having those little reminders of them next to me.

Oh, and glasses are a necessity after my contacts come out if I want to see two feet in front of my face :)

Bedsider.org is hosting a Pinterest contest where you can share what’s in your ideal bedside table! Here’s how to get involved:

There are lots of fun prizes, so be sure you get entered!

Bedsider.org is a great resource for information about birth control. You can find out information about different methods, and you can also set reminders for doctor’s appointments and birth control.

Every girl has that bedside drawer that holds the bedroom essentials: their Kindle, a pair of reading glasses, sexy lingerie. – whatever fits their personality. No matter what your drawer says about you, there’s birth control that will fit right in. Find the best method for your routine and style at Bedsider.org

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.