Monday, April 25, 2011

Electronic Disaster

I am an electronics disaster. It has taken me over 30 years to realize what my dad and Christian have been telling me. I am an electronics disaster.

I can't remember when my first electronic disaster happened, but I am sure it happened well before I hit double digits in years. The freshest memory in my mind is last weekend. As mentioned in a previous post, we went to the Angola Prison Rodeo and had a fun time. After the rodeo and before snowballs and ice cream, I stopped in the restroom, and put my phone down. I never picked it up. We left a short 10 minutes later, and I realized my phone was gone. My conversation with my husband went a little something like this...

"No, I don't know where my phone is. No I don't think I should go back and look for it. I would have no idea where to look. I know, I can't believe I lost it. I don't know how I lose things except I am juggling 2 kids, a stroller, bags, and no pocket to put my phone in (never mind the 2 bags that I carry around). I know you are helping me. I just lose things. When you hang up the phone, you drop it in your pocket. When I hang up the phone, I have to stop to open a bag and put it in. (Hard right?)"

Thankfully I had an old phone that my brother gave me when I lost another phone (oops) a year ago. This phone is awful and I mean really awful, but I wasn't ready to pony up $100 to replace my precious lost one. Finally after a whole 24 hours with this awful thing my brother kindly gave me (which I am sure he laughed quite a while when he did), I gave in. New phone in hand and taken great care of. Until I lose it again which really is inevitable.



Which now leads me to story 2 that sealed the deal for me realizing I am an electronics disaster. I went to the gym this morning to run and work out. I have my faithful friend, the iPod Shuffle clipped on my shorts as I left the house. Before I left I charged my shuffle for an hour and clipped it on my shorts as I was walking out the door. I would have taken the time to stop, open my bag, put the shuffle in the case, but, frankly, that just takes too much time. So off I go with it clipped to my shorts. I have to use the restroom before I go, so I pull down my shorts (no more detail needed) and the shuffle goes flying. Where?



All I can think is Christian is going to say, "I am not surprised." That's not what I want to hear because I do not think I am an electronics disaster (yet). I decide I am going to just leave it and go tell an employee. As I continue to stare at it, I see



Crap. I can't just leave it there. I need to get it out and at least give it a half attempted effort to see if it works. I run to the cafe and grab a plastic shopping bag. Germ-phobic and all, I reach into this public toilet with the bag wrapped around my hand (this also reminds me of a time I reached into a Dillard's toilet to pull out my expensive sunglasses a couple of years ago), and grabbed the shuffle. I quickly went to the sink and rinsed it under very hot water. I don't care if it would have worked before hot water, germs are germs. I dry it off, and IT WORKS!!! I can run!

So people out there, please do not loan me any of your electronics. I now recognize that I am an electronics disaster. And evidently a sunglasses disaster too. (We won't discuss that all of these disasters are due to the fact that I am always rushing.) Loan them to my husband who has the market cornered as a competent electronic user.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Welcome to the World!

Welcome to the world sweet Rylie Chayse. This baby girl has been loved and prayed for since before her conception. She was a long time in the making, and she is one wanted and loved little girl. I can't wait to see what awesome parents Chad and Robyn are. My boys adore them so I have no doubt they will be incredible with "Rylie Girl" (as she is called in my house).

Rylie Chayse
April 8
7 pounds, 1 ounce
20 inches






I can't wait to meet you Rylie Girl! I love you already!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bunny Time

Jeansonne Photography took the boys Easter pics this year at City Park. Super cute!








Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Thankful for Girlfriends

A good friend asked me to be a part of a cooking club that consisted of twelve ladies. Each lady would choose a cookbook for everyone to cook from and host at her house once a year.

I hosted this month.




I am so lucky to have a great group of girlfriends to spend this time with. I am thankful for my lifelong friends and my new friends.

Rockin' the Blues


Jack had Rockin' Oldies dress up day at school.


We picked up Jack's best friend on the way to school and sprayed his hair too.


Preston and Jack


Coop cannot wait to go to school next year. He loves his boys!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Flying High

What a great weekend we had! Friday night we picked up a pizza and headed to the airport for an impromptu night of watching the airplanes take off and land. Jack and Coop loved it. Coop's face was priceless when the first plane flew in front of him to land. His little jaw dropped and stayed that way for quite some time! After an obligatory game of chase with Daddy, we called it a night.












I love nights like these.

Saturday morning started off with Easter pictures at City Park with Gigi and Poppy. The boys had a blast playing and even managed to smile for a couple of photos. While Christian and I went to our friends Frannie and Matt's couple shower crawfish boil :), Gigi and Poppy took the kids to the movie to see Ice Age Rio. I am glad they tested Coop out at the movies so we didn't have to. The official verdict: he's still too young. After singing and clapping loudly halfway through the movie, he began to lick all the cupholders on the row saying, "Yucky!" I am glad I wasn't there for that. Me and my germ-phobia would not have handled that well!



Sunday we decided to take the kids to the Angola Prison Rodeo. The first time I heard about that rodeo was about 8 years ago while I was teaching in Norco. Ever since then I have had a hankering to go, so when I heard our friends Josh and Kalee were going I knew we had to go. After a fun 3 hours in the car (2 hours there with a couple of stops), we made it. Jack is an angel glued to the tv in the car, and Coop is a typical 23 month old that doesn't like tv. We heard things like this, "Out. Out. Out., Poo Poo (false alarm every time that he has learned we will stop the car for to check), Hold you. Fun times!

We did lots of vendor shopping, jumped on bouncers with the boys' friend Cooper, ate some good carnival style food, and watched the rodeo. Cameras were forbidden so I took pics with my phone. And in complete Ashley style, I lost my phone. What a bummer to a fun weekend.




Weekends thankfully are not usually this busy, but we had a lot of awesome family time and experiences. I couldn't ask for anything better.