i do not like green eggs and ham, i do not like them sam i am.

well hello there! (Eric always says that. i miss him a lot)
well lately my life has been nothing short of uneventful. mostly work. some friends sprinkled in here and there. i have really been loving having Lauren living with us for the past week or so. she's going to be here until my brother comes home on the 13. it's nice to have a sister around. she gets me like not many people do. it's fun. tonight we went up to wal mart and got a bunch of random cosmetic stuff consisting of clay face mask goop, nose strip thingys, makeup, and face wash. we tried out the face masks tonight and had fun sitting around for about 20 minutes looking at old pictures on my computer being unable to make any expressions because the mask makes your face feel like it is covered in super glue. lol. it was great! but now we have nice, clean skin! woot!
alright enough about face wash =) I've been to a couple of parties as of late and i have realized something: i really Love my friends. like a lot. and most of them seem to like me too, which is a plus. but it is nice to have a place i can go where i can be my own crazy and weird self, and people still like me. lol. I've had groups of friends before where i would love hanging out with them, but it always felt fake and forced. like i was having to constantly put on a mask and pretend to be someone that i really wasn't. i didn't know how much fun it could be to be with friends that actually love you for exactly who you are. it's a great feeling!
I've also been working quite a bit. most of the time it is alright. it has it's ups and downs but there's really going to be those at any job, so i don't dwell on it too much. i still have a lot of fun with it. one of the funnest (yes it is a word) things ever is when i am standing in the gym and a little kid runs up screaming "miss Ashley! miss Ashley" and then they latch onto me like a leach cause they "missed me so much!!" and I'm sitting there with a huge smile on my face because this little four year old hasn't seen me in over a month and yet she still knows who i am and remembers my name and actually missed me. how amazing is that! it's such a great happy feeling! and i actually have relationships with some of the kids. like there's a few kids that i know like all about their crappy home life or their summer vacation last year or who they are crushing on. it's so much fun. they actually like me. i love it so much!!!
i miss my brother a lot. like a whole lot. Lauren and i were looking at all of our picture and he kept coming up on the slide show and i was just like "wow. I'm ready for him to be home" and i know Lauren is too =P that couple is adorable!! I am also super excited about Chris Corrie Sadie and little baby no-name coming to live with us in less than a month! it is going to be so much fun!
I've also been having some not so happy stuff going on. I'm not going to get into it here, but God has really been coming through for me. putting people into my life who will encourage and help direct me in the right direction. and just letting me know exactly what he wants me to do. there have been many times where i have been feeling incredibly alone. wondering if there really is a God out there who is listening to all my problem. a god who actually cares. and you know what i found out? there is and he does care! he really cares. i don't know why and i don't know how. all i know is that i am truly thankful. i really do serve an amazing God!