Flying Solo

October 9, 2014 By ashleylately 5 Comments

Hey y’all!

Tonight, I’m flying to Dallas for Neely’s wedding weekend! It’s hard to believe that ten months have gone by so fast, and the wedding is here! I’m so excited to spend the weekend with Neely and Andrew and a bunch of family and friends to celebrate!

So if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I have a pretty intense fear of flying. I think is a fear of heights combined with a fear of someone else being in control. I’ve flown twice, once with my family and a big group of people and once with Neely. This time I’m flying ALONE.

I know that once I land, I’ll be ok, but I think it’s the anticipation that’s making it hard. I know what it’s like to fly, and although I really didn’t enjoy it, I know I can get through it.

There is one little problem though; my ear. Since July, I’ve been dealing with a buildup of fluid in my ear that’s putting a ton of pressure on my ear and has left me in a lot of pain. I think the ear problem is making me even more nervous to fly. I saw my doctor again yesterday, and she said I could go ahead and fly, but there is still a chance my eardrum will rupture. Great stuff to be dealing with on wedding weekend!

Hopefully everything will be fine! I’ve been praying a lot for peace about the flight and for protection over my ear. If you could spare a moment, I would really appreciate prayers!

I’m sure I’ll be instagramming and tweeting all weekend, so if you’d like to follow all of the fun stuff happening, you can follow me here:

instagram: @ashleyo23
twitter: @ashleyo23

Have a great Thursday!

The Sunday Social, Week 122

October 5, 2014 By ashleylately 5 Comments

Hey y’all!

Before we get started, it is with heavy hearts that we announce that next week will be our final Sunday Social. It’s been a fabulous two and a half years of getting social with y’all, and we can’t thank you enough for linking up. But don’t worry, we will have a brand new Sunday linkup coming your way in November! It’s a lot of fun and different, and we know y’all will love it! Please link up with us next week where we revisit the questions from our very FIRST Sunday Social! Thank you again for linking up with us every week. We love you!

1. What is your favorite month and why?
I don’t know that I really have a favorite month! February is good because it’s my birthday, but it’s always cold and I don’t do cold very well. I like the summer months though! June and July are always pretty good :)

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
I think Thanksgiving is probably my favorite. My family always has a huge get-together during Thanksgiving! Since I have to work Black Friday, I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving in a couple of years, but hopefully sometime soon I’ll make it home for it!

3. Are you getting the new iPhone, or are you more of an Android person?
I got the new iPhone a couple of weeks ago! It’s gold and it’s beautiful! I had the 4S before, so it’s been a big change size-wise, but so far I’m really happy with it! The picture quality is just amazing

4. What is the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever received from someone?
I don’t know! I feel like I’ve received a lot of really thoughtful gifts!

5. What is something you can’t wait to splurge on?
Honestly, I really don’t have an answer to this one either! I just splurged on the new iPhone, so I think that’s going to have to hold me over for awhile!

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

Next week’s questions

These are the original questions from the very first Sunday Social! We thought we should end the same way we started! We’d like for everyone to take one more opportunity to introduce yourself and your blog!

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? 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?

Happy Sunday!

It Started With Hello

September 29, 2014 By ashleylately 3 Comments

*Thank you to Lindt for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try Lindt HELLO!*

One of the things I’ve grown to love most about blogging is the wonderful friendships I’ve made with other bloggers. It has been a beautiful surprise, something I never expected to happen. I’m grateful for the wonderful friendships I’ve made.

Blogging friendships are different than offline friendships. There’s something about sharing our lives online that gives us a different kind of connection. Sometimes friends that don’t blog don’t quite understand, so having a great group of friends that understand what we do is a great thing!

I’ve been blogging for about four an a half years. I have blog friends I made shortly after I started blogging, and I have blog friends I’ve only known for a little while. Some friends I’ve met in person, while some I only know through our computers. Each of these friendships are very special!

One of the great things about blogging friendships is that I have a great support system of women across the country! These girls are there when I need to talk or need to cry. I’ve watched them get married and have babies, and I’ve prayed for them in good times and in bad.

Friendships start with hello. Online friendships can start with hello through a tweet, a blog comment, or an email. They can be a “hi, nice to meet you”, a note of encouragement, or a fun question!

Lindt has created a new kind of chocolate to help you say hello to new friends or special people in your life! You can say “hello” to the fabulous flavors of the Lindt HELLO collection:

- Caramel Brownie: Discover the irresistible combination of smooth milk chocolate, hazelnut and caramel brownie filling

- Strawberry Cheesecake: Satisfy your cheesecake craving with rich milk chocolate and a light, fluffy strawberry cream cheese filling.

- Crunchy Nougat: Smooth milk chocolate,– now that’s yummy!

- Cookies & Cream: Chocolate, cookies – and a crunch! Savor a chocolaty experience like no other, with chocolate chip cookie pieces and cream filling.

The Lindt HELLO collection can be enjoyed 3 different ways: sticks, bars, and mini-stick bags. I was recently given the opportunity to try these fun new chocolates! The strawberry cheesecake has become my favorite. Can’t say no to chocolate, strawberries, and cheesecake :) The mini sticks are great to share with a group of friends, and the larger sticks are great for a quick snack on the go!

Lindt has also partnered with Ashley Tisdale to co-produce “It Started with HELLO”, which premiered on September 12th on the “It Started with HELLO” YouTube page. New videos will be released weekly through October 9th. It is a fun, new romantic comedy digital series capturing couples as they make their first connections, and is inspired by the cheeky personalities of the new Lindt HELLO products.

Lindt is also offering five weeks of giveaways! To enter the sweepstakes, visit the Lindt HELLO Sweet Connections Sweepstakes Landing Page and enter your email address. Entries can be made daily for additional chances to win fun prizes.

Who have you recently said hello to?

Ten Years

September 18, 2014 By ashleylately 1 Comment

Hey y’all!

Today, my best friend Jessica and her husband Ralph are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been ten years, but at the same time, it feels like they’ve been together forever. They dated through most of high school, and they got married a few months after Jessica and I graduated. Jessica was the first of my friends to get married, and it was so amazing to get to be a part of her special day!

They’ve been through a lot in ten years; three kids and a deployment to Afghanistan, just to name a few. They’ve worked hard to make their marriage work, and they have stood by each other, even when things were hard. Ten years of marriage is a big deal, and I’m so proud of them for their hard work. They are both such special people, and they have created a beautiful family. I’m grateful to be Aunt Ashley to their sweet kiddos!

Happy Anniversary Ralph and Jessica! Love you both so much!

Grow Your Blog Like a Boss!

September 15, 2014 By ashleylately Leave a Comment

Hey y’all!

Have you ever wanted to attend a blog conference, but you didn’t want to travel across the country? Neely from the fabulous blog A Complete Waste of Makeup is offering online one-day classes on learning how to grow your blog!

Neely has been blogging for almost five years. I have been following her blog almost since the very beginning, and I have been amazed to see how quickly her blog has exploded. Neely has so much great blogging knowledge to share, and as someone who has received blogging/social media advice from her, I can honestly say she’s great at what she does. I was able to see results almost immediately!

Neely’s first class will be November 8th, and it’s filling up fast! For more information, visit her Grow Your Blog and Brand page! You won’t be disappointed!

The Sunday Social, Week 119

September 14, 2014 By ashleylately 6 Comments

Hey y’all!

Today on Sunday Social we are sharing a few favorites!

1. Favorite scent
My favorite perfume scent is currently Dot by Marc Jacobs. It’s really light, and it smells sooooo good!

2. Favorite food
Chocolate. Anything chocolate.

3. Favorite sound
Favorite sound…this is a hard one!

4. Favorite picture currently on your phone
This one from my trip to Austin this summer for Neely’s bachelorette party weekend!

5. Best memory of the year so far
See number 4 :) Neely’s bachelorette party in Austin was such a great weekend! It was great to get away from Oklahoma for a few days with three amazing girls and explore a new city!

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

Next week’s questions

These are all about fall!

1. What is your favorite part of fall?
2. Do you have anything special planned for fall?
3. What is fall like in your area?
4. What is your favorite football team to cheer for (college or professional)?
5. Do you decorate for fall? Show us pics!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Summertime Favorites

September 8, 2014 By ashleylately 3 Comments

Hey y’all!

It’s hard to believe that summer’s really over! I don’t know about you, but I always get a little sad when summer ends. I love the warm weather, I love having longer days, and I love how everyone just seems happier during summer!

With Summer 2014 coming to an end, I wanted to share the things I loved most about the summer, or Summertime Favorites!

Favorite TV Shows

I started off the summer watching Bachelorette, and then I moved on to Bachelor in Paradise! I love all of the shows in the Bachelor franchise, but there’s just something about the crazy drama of Paradise that is just fantastic! Ashton and I get together nearly every Monday night to watch Paradise. It’s been great seeing some of our favorite Bachelor alums back on tv, like Graham and Michelle! As crazy as it is, I really hope that Marcus & Lacey and Robert & Sarah can actually make their relationships work in the real world.

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Mistresses is another summer favorite! I started watching it last summer, and I fell in love with it. I was THRILLED when it got renewed for a second season! Jason George was one of my favorites on Sunset Beach waaaaay back in the day, and I’ve loved Alyssa Milano FOREVER! If you haven’t watched it, Hulu Plus has all of the episodes, at least of season two. It’s a fun one!

Favorite Movies

The Other Woman is easily my favorite movie of the summer! I saw it for the first time in May with Ashton and Cathy, and I couldn’t wait for it to come out on DVD. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched it since I got it. It’s kind of embarrassing.

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The Fault in Our Stars is another great one! I only saw it once in the theater, but I’m just DYING for it to come out on DVD so I can watch it 2389261 times too :)

Favorite Songs

“Something Bad” by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood has been on repeat on my phone and in my car basically since it was released!