She's Back.....and random thoughts on traffic.

I'm back!  Due to some "time commitments", I have been unable to (which means too lazy) to blog.  The time commitments are done and here I am...tanner and better than ever.

Yesterday my best friend convinced me to go to the beach for the day....not that I needed much convincing or anything.  I was warned that due to it being Memorial Day, traffic would be involved.  I, being the smart and wise woman that I am, decided that the traffic wouldn't be bad because everyone would want to be home grilling and having bbq's.  The ocean was calling my name and we went.  Our drive there was incredible.  Zero traffic, amazing landscapes, and awesome music.  Our day was even better.

It included this...

and this....

(for the record....I do not follow Nascar.  These were the only Ritz in the store ok!)

So like I said before, our day was awesome.  Then we had to leave......

40 minutes into the drive I was secretly thinking I was awesome.  We hadn't hit any traffic and I was planning my "I told you there wouldn't be traffic" speech.  Then......cars in front of me suddenly started stopping. Surely there was a red light or a stalled car in front of me.  There's no way I would be stuck on a two lane road 30 miles from the Bay Bridge!  Stuck we were......and not just stuck......we were stuck.  I'm talking 8 miles in one hour, moaning in agony/frustration, ac giving out because we weren't moving, delirious phone calls, uncontrollable fits of laughter/crying stuck.  We literally shouted our praises to the Lord when we finally passed a gas station with a bathroom.  The 15 people in line in front of us must have been that stuck too.

Oddly enough, though the drive back was terrible, today I see it through different/well rested eyes.  We may have been stuck, but we made it a good time.  Where else can you rock out to Lady Gaga, complete with voices and dance moves?  When else is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that was made in the car so delicious?  When else can you scream at the top of your lungs in public knowing that everyone around you is a) feeling your pain, and b) wanting to do the same thing?

Beach trips are most definitely in my future and while I am most certainly not asking to get stuck again, I now realize that it's not the worst thing in the world (as long as there is a bathroom in sight).

~Ashley

Mom

Today is a special day.  Yesterday was an unusually difficult day because of the importance of today.  Today's significance brought out years of pain in people...pain because of  lost mothers, lost relationships, and lost hope.  Yesterday made me realize how blessed I am.

My mom is pretty awesome.  She used to leave me little notes in random places around my room when I was feeling discouraged.  She still e-mails me telling me how proud she is of me.  It's amazing what an e-mail like that can make you feel.  We used to drive home from youth group and listen to Delilah on the radio.  Sometimes we made fun of her but mostly we loved her.  We still sit on the porch whenever we are together, talking, crying, and laughing.  Hours pass and it feels like no time at all.

When growing up, I knew the rules.  Those rules had consequences when broken and I am extremely grateful for that.  Whenever I have a tough decision to make, she always stresses the importance of making it myself.  She's a firm believer in learning from your mistakes.  She gives advice carefully and chooses her words wisely.  In high school when I was dating, she always said "Just be friends!"....an expression that I hated but now I completely understand.  Whenever I am upset or concerned, she is always there with a listening ear.  

I wish that I had her photo albums here.  I would post picture after picture.  One of my favorites is of the two of us on some vacation.  I think I am 3 and my mom is holding me while I'm climbing a tree.  Another favorite is of the two of us on my wedding day.  It is a candid shot and it captures a million emotions happening in a split second.

When I have children, I hope to be everything my mom was to me.  Those are some big shoes to fill.....Happy Mothers Day Mom.  

~Ashley