A Guitar from John Michael and Eddie Montgomery!

I feel like I need to apologize (again) for not having many updated posts this week!  But... this time it wasn't my fault!  If you blog, you know that blogger was out of commission Thursday and Friday and even since then there has been some glitches (still waiting for my Chevron post from Thursday and my Fab 5 post from Friday to reappear)! Fingers crossed! :)  

On Friday I got a surprise email from my sister (who is having a blast on her honeymoon) with this video below!  It is a short, unedited clip from the end of my dad's speech at her wedding last weekend!  If you love country music, you will love this...  but either way, it was a sweet surprise!  We are still anxiously awaiting the photos... so stay tuned!  Also, I promise there will be a full week of inspiring blog posts - as long as blogger doesn't fail again!  Have a great Sunday!

Sorry I have been MIA...

Hi Friends!  I am so sorry I have been gone for awhile!  So much to update you on.... First - remember, my {travel post} last week and how I was craving a trip in the near future!?  That evening I came home from a long day of work to an email from one of my bff's...  it said, "I went ahead and booked us a hotel in London!  Because, why the hell not!?  Let's book flights asap"!  And.... we did - less than an hour later!!!  Yup, I am going to London in just a few months!! I am soooo excited :)

My sister's Wedding Weekend was absolutely fabulous! Everything was so beautiful and perfect and my family had a blast!  It is amazing how much fun and more special a family wedding is.  I didn't take a lot of photos because I was busy being a maid (or dancing all night long)... but here are a few mobile pics.  I will make sure to have a post dedicated to the wedding photos when we get them back from the photographer! :) 

...And they are now Mr. & Mrs. Huff!

I became obsessed with the iPhone app - Instagram (if you couldn't tell from the photos above)! It's like a new Pinterest to me - I could browse people's instagram photos all day! If you download the app, add me as a friend! :)  Oh... and I also got my first Shellac Manicure! Love, love, love and will most likely never go back to regular polish again!  It's already been 5 days and my nails are still perfect!

On Sunday we had a brunch for all of the out of town guests -- while most people were still celebrating the newlyweds, I was celebrating my momma for Mother's Day!  I couldn't imagine not giving a shout out to my wonderful mom who is one of my biggest blog followers (she has emailed me everyday this week asking when I was going to post again!!)  Thank you Mom for being YOU and for all of your support and the little things you do for me throughout the year - you have no idea how much they are appreciated.  A lot of people asked me what my favorite part of Amanda's wedding was - at first, I couldn't think of just one thing, but then I decided my favorite moment was when my mom finally relaxed and enjoyed herself on the dance floor! :)  xxoo!

Last night I went to the Bon Jovi Concert! We started the evening off with drinks and yummy appetizers and then headed to the concert for a night of singing and dancing with one of my favorite music artists of all time!

Oh... and last - I am no longer on a "wedding diet" (Yes, I know - I acted as if it was my own wedding)!!  I've already been to one of my favorite places twice since this weekend!  I love you Jeni, but I wish you did not live across the street from me! 

Photo taken by NKP

And now... it's already Wednesday! And... I am back to blogging :)  I have some fun things coming up in the near future for my blog - including a new series I am going to start next Wednesday! Check back daily!  Have a great day! :)  -ashley

It's Wedding Time!

Hi Friends!  I am signing off until Monday as I am getting ready for the big wedding in our family this weekend! :)  Many of you know it's my sister's wedding on Saturday and all of the family arrives and fun festivities start tomorrow!  We are so very excited! :)  I am sure I will post lots of photos.... but until then here is a cute photo I found from the last time Amanda and I were in a wedding together :)  Have a great rest of the week!  xxoo, ashley

Amanda (left) and Ashley (right) - 1989

Bon Voyage!

No, I am not really going anywhere... but I am craving another trip soon!  I think London and Paris are really calling my name, but flight prices keep going up, not going down!  Also, I need to book a flight out West to see my girlfriends in LA!  Until then.... I am going to keep dreaming that I quit my job and became a professional Jet-Set Girl (I would be really, really, really good at that)!! 

Images {1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

Fashion and Elephants!

This past weekend I saw Water for Elephants and it was absolutely fantastic! Not only was the storyline fabulous, there is just something I have always loved about Elephants!  Now throw in a beautiful Reese Witherspoon and fashion, and you get the gorgeous photos below!  Happy Monday!

All Images found via {Vogue}

Happy May!

First, I absolutely can not believe it is May already!  I remember when the year used to drag by so slow - and all I could do to make time move faster was count down to summer break!!  Now it's like a blink of an eye and we are in a new season!  A little more than a month away until Summer and we haven't even seen Spring yet!  If you live anywhere near me, you are probably hoping for a little sunshine as well! April was by far the rainiest April I can remember - but you know what they say....

So, here's hoping we can go from this (or a modern day version of)....

{via}

 

 

to this.... (real fast)!!  Oh, and thank you to this weekend for already showing a positive start! xo!

{via}

Royal Wedding Favorites

So... what did you guys think of the big wedding?  I loved it!  I thought that she looked absolutely stunning and that everything was so perfect, especially her dress... and second dress (amazing)!  My favorite part of the whole wedding was when she got to the alter and Price William whispered, "You look beautiful"... I think I re-wound and re-watched that 15 times!  So sweet!  Below are just a few of my favorite photos from the wedding... (of course you guys have already seen the photos of her dresses and some of the crazy hats worn by guests, but if you haven't... check out my {Royal Wedding Board}!

My Favorite! Love that they did something unique :)

Harry helping out! So sweet!

The "Kiss'

Go make some cute babies!! :)

Another Prince...

Happy Royal Wedding Day!! For those that wish they were in Kate's shoes today...

The "It" List

Happy Friday!  I can't believe April is over... hopefully all this rain and storms are as well.

I am ready for some May flowers!

• lady M is celebrating her birthday... stop by and wish her a happy day and also check out her fun wardrobe inspiration for the big day!
• rose a la mode is sporting an adorable new floral dress... even on a chilly spring day she perfectly accessorizes it! (find rose a la mode on twitter!)
• mama loves papa hosts a simply adorable little blog party for your stylish little ones - stop by to play along or just 'oooh' and 'aaah.' (find mama loves papa on twitter!)
• meet virginia design layers gorgeous neutral pieces for an ethereal feel to this casual outfit.  These colors are so on trend right now too! (find meet virginia design on twitter!)
• a little dash of ash has a delicious looking smoothie recipe to share with us. I always love to see what others' smoothie concoctions are - this one looks yummy and healthy! (find a little dash of ash on twitter!)
• rebecca with an R is definitely beach ready in this gorgeous maxi dress and oversized hat - I am seriously loving this outfit! (find rebecca with an R on twitter!)
• sweetie pie style is looking gorgeous in this drapey feather printed dress - it's just her style! (find sweetie pie style on twitter!)
• baby shopaholic had this super sweet little doll custom made for her daughter for Easter.  What a fun keepsake and toy for a little one, my daughter would love this!
• the capital barbie is giving away sassy shoe themed note cards on her blog this week - you must stop by and enter quickly! (find the capital barbie on twitter!)
• good tots features the artwork of modern pops - these bold graphic prints make for great nursery artwork!
• the stylish housewife sports a floppy sun hat and a chevron dress, quite possibly the most perfect summer combo ever. I am in love with this look! (find the stylish housewife on twitter!)
• good clean fun made these margarita flavored cupcakes for Easter - but I think they would be perfect for any summer day! Yum! (find good clean fun on twitter!)
• a spot of whimsy is sick of the rain... and quite frankly, aren't we all!?!? But rain never looked this good before... I promise! (find a spot of whimsy on twitter!)
• good life for less has a casual but chic outfit for Easter.  Check it out! (find good life for less on twitter!)

the IT list is produced weekly by jill of good life for less - check out how you can be involved here!

Style Crush: {Lace Skirt}

Hi Friends!  I am going to be short and sweet today... been pretty busy this week! But, how absolutely amazing is this look below?  Love everything about it, especially the lace skirt! :)

             buy this look {here} and {here}

Love that Statche!

What is going on with the crazy trend of mustache love!??  I think I have mentioned on the blog before that I went on a mustache bar crawl a few months ago - where these men spend months growing their facial hair and shave it into crazy mustaches for this one night of drinking!  I was one of the very few girls, obviously without a stache, but got into the theme by drawing one of those cute little mustaches on my finger with a sharpie!  Since then... I have seen mustaches everywhere! Who knew....

All images found via {Pinterest}

I {heart} Smoothies!

I have recently fallen in love with smoothies!  Who knew they were so easy to make (which is a must for me) - and who knew they were so healthy, filling and DELICIOUS! :) Ever since my new experiment with smoothies two weeks ago, my beautiful red kitchen aid blender (that I just had to have when I graduated college 6 years ago) finally got some use (potentially for the first time ever)!  I keep experimenting with different "made up" recipes and haven't found a bad one yet!  One of my bff's who is super healthy told me to put greens (like spinach) into the smoothie - he said, "you won't even taste it" - and he is 100% right.  See below for my favorite smoothie recipe... But what is yours??  If you have a fav smoothie, let me know what you put in it and I will make sure to try it asap! :)  xxoo!

Ashley's Favorite Smoothie - aka "Deliciousness"

(in order of how I put it in the blender)

• 2 handfuls of ice
• 1 quick dash of water
• 1 large handful of spinach leaves
• 1 large handful of kale
• 1 small banana
• 1 handful of frozen blueberries
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 4 chunks of frozen mango
• 1 cup of carbmaster vanilla yogurt
• 2 scoops of Aria vanilla protein powder
• 2 tbsp of Flaxseed
• 1 dash of cinnamon 

And... blend away!  This usually makes an extra large glass - but it's only about 300 really healthy calories and it will fill you up for the night (or the morning)!  Yummy!!!!