Just keep driving!

So, as I was driving to work this morning, I noticed something about my car...

That's right! My car is about to hit 100K miles! Any bets as to when it will actually happen?!

We are family!

This title is super appropriate because I not only spent today with my family, I spent it with my mom and all three of her sister's (see, the song was done by Sister Sledge... cute huh?!). My aunt Sandy was in town from CA for her 25th high school reunion and since we don't get to see her very much we all make every effort to come and visit with her. My aunt Connie was kind enough to host a lunch for all of us and that's where we congregated today. My mom and her sisters can be VERY loud when they're all in the same room. They talk over each other and pick on each other and it's great. However, it wasn't as loud as it usually is since Sandy was still recovering from the reunion weekend (too many late nights!). Good times were still had though!

Here we have all four of the Snyder girls. Down in front are my mom and Aunt Margaret (my mom is the blond) and in back are my Aunt Connie and Aunt Sandy.

Here's a close-up of my Aunt Sandy... aww, she's so cute (see, I come by the cuteness naturally!)

Here's my purty mom! They say look to your mom to see how you'll age... I think I'm going to be ok!

This is now my new fave picture of me! Nicely done, Aunt Connie!

Here's my sweet corgi, Matilda! She was just FASCINATED by Aunt Connie's love bird, Widget. But she never barked at her or tried to tackle the cage. She's a VERY well behaved dog! Love her!

The cold and the wet

I love the fall... it is definitely my favorite of the seasons. The cooler temperatures, the fall foliage, the smell of burning leaves... it all just sends me to the moon! Now that we're half way through October, we should be in the height of the best part of the season. However, this past week has proven that theory WRONG! It has been cold, grey and wet! And I for one have had enough! Where's my crisp, blue sky? Where are my vibrant trees? And where by gum is my scent of burning leaves? Oh yeah... their hiding behind the grey, wet and dankness that is the BAD part of fall. The part that makes you think you're in for a VERY nasty winter. Well, I've had enough! I want the REAL fall back please!

No place like home!

So I fully inteded to go out tonight. My aunt was in town for her high school reunion and she was meeting a group at a bar in DC. It was going to be fun and laid back and there was going to be punkin beer. Good times were going to be had, gosh darnit! The best laid plans or whatever the saying is. As you know, this week's weather (in the DC area) has been gray and wet and cold and tonight was no different. I got home and just could NOT bring myself to go. Found all sorts of reasons NOT to go... I could get punkin beer from the store, I could see my aunt on Sunday, etc., etc. And sure enough, I talked myself out of it! I stayed in and enjoyed pizza, beer, movies and knitting with Kate. What's wrong with me? Why can't I ever just go out and have a good time? Why do I have to be such a homebody? I need help. Well, next Friday, I'm going out and doing SOMETHING! I've got to put myself out there, dammit! Now I just have to figure out what that something will be. Man, there's always something!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Comedy of Errors

Recently, I got into an argument with my friend about some plans we had made that she was cancelling in favor of something else. Well, after getting over my disappointment, I talked with the third person we were meeting up with and talked about changing the plans to late Saturday/all day Sunday. She was up for that and I thought we are all back on track - or so I thought. Turns out the second girl had already MADE plans for Sunday! Sheesh! I was mad at her all over again - and then she starts chatting with me and lets me know that she switched her Saturday plans to Sunday so we could go back to the original plans. Double sheesh! This is really turning into some kind of farce. But wait, it gets a little more insane! Girl the second gets SICK! So, our plans are in limbo to see if she's feeling up to it.

Seriously... talk about your Comedy of Errors!

Addictions

I don't have many addictions. I tend to be a fairly balanced person (or at least I like to believe I am!). However, I've discovered that I am not immune to the seduction that is Facebooks apps. Yes, I cannot resist their siren call. Particularly the ones from Farmtown, Yoville and Farmville. I don't know what it is about them. There's really nothing terribly exciting or challenging, but there is just something about harvesting your crops or decorating your apartment that I just can't resist. Oh, and earning all of the coins. I mean, in no other place than in a Facebook app will I have close to $3 million! They also kind of bring out this competitive edge in me. I'm always trying to be the tops amongst my friends/neighbors. I remember when I was really into Green Patch I was THRILLED when I finally passed my friend Leigh Anne in the amount of rain forrest I had "saved". So, yeah... hello, my name is Ashley and I'm Facebook app-aholic!

Getting to know you...

Getting to know all about you, and you and you and you... are we sensing a pattern here? Yes, it's HSKS swap time again and the first assignment is to get to know a few of my fellow quidditch players. First, we'll start with finding a few people that meet the requirements below. Then, I'll introduce myself, leave a brief note saying howdy! So you can get to know them to, follow the link to their blogs! Are you having fun yet?!

1. Someone with the same craft as you (either those listed above or another one). Captain Wisteria Lovegood
2. Someone who was born in the same month. Captain Siobhan Mooney
3. Someone from a different country. Emma Gorodock
4. A new HSKS Quidditch player. Stellwa Quinn
5. A player who has been in 3 or more HSKS swaps. Lizzie Wychwood
6. A player who has a bigger stash than you! (And if your stash is the biggest, proudly say so!) Stuart Cauldwell
7. A player who both knits and crochets. Hermione Bagnold
8. Someone who has the same favorite color as you. Eugene Nigeno

It was fun to go around and visit all of these wonderful quidditch players. Both old and new, they all offered inspiration and new ideas. Stuart has an AMAZING Rosamund's Cardigan (Rav link). Really makes me want to make one for myself. It was so great to read more of Eugene's witty poetry. We should all be lucky to have a talent such as that! Hermione's an inspiration... knitting is still a new thing for her, yet she's already making her first sweater. Have no fear as they say! If you're new to HSKS, you can easily look to Lizzie for kit inspiration. A two-time Best Kits winner, she always treats her spoilee's right! Bevin's sister Siobhan is joining us and is even a team captain and co-administrator... way to go just diving right in! Emma, my spoiler from last round, dyes some fantastic yarn you should check it out! And we can't forget to say hello to one of our newest recruits, Stellwa Quinn, got to love the name - reminds me of the priest from The Princess Bride. And last, but certainly not least is my captain extraordinaire -- Wisty Lovegood. I'm proud to fly under her guidance! Go PoP!

An almost perfect day

Ahh... the beauty that is the three day weekend! A day off of work without having to use a vacation day is a gift indeed and I appreciate everyone that I get! For this day I even had the pleasure of having the place to myself. Control of the tv and the couch are both things that you should never take for granted... I know I never will!

The best thing was that the day was kind of gray and cold so it was VERY easy to talk myself into staying inside. I watched many movies (including Mr. Holland's Opus, which still has the power to make me BAWL!) and knitted the 10" I needed to add to the traveling scarf it was my turn to knit to. I loved it!

Which brings me to my next question (see, I love learning all about you!) what makes a perfect day for you? We have two things that I need for mine. Add in some hot chocolate, a REALLY cold and bleak day and a fire place and you'd have ALL of the makings for a PERFECT day! What about you?

Talk to you tomorrow!

What happened?

Ok, so it's Sunday. I know I did laundry and I had Chinese for dinner (after not having breakfast or lunch), but other than that I can't remember what I did today. Have you ever had a day like that? Seriously, I'm sitting here and can't remember a damn thing I did. Or maybe it's more that I can't remember a damn thing I did that is worth writing about. Hmm...

I can say that today is great because I know that when I go to bed that I won't have to wake up early the next morning. Lord how I love three day weekends. Woo hoo!

It's a start!

As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, I am participating in Stockpile 2009 in an effort to get ahead of my Christmas gift knitting (and to use my fave yarn, mmmmMal). However, so far, I have started a hat (that has since been ripped out) and a scarf (that I barely have 12" of). I have two pairs of mittens, a hat and three pairs of fingerless mitts to make. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm going to make it. Especially with the mitts. Which brings me to a really good question. Should I have ASKED everyone if they wanted a knitted item before starting one? I asked my mom and my sister (oh, which reminds me, add a purse to that list) and they said yes, but I didn't ask anyone else. But hey, half a hat (that's now nothing) and 1/6th of a scarf IS a start!

P.S. But what has me worried are the two knitted items I'm making for the two swaps I'm in oh, and the bi-weekly 5" I have to make on the traveling scarf swap I'm in. Yeah, I think I might be in over my head!

Friday Night's Alright for Fighting

Ok, so there was no fighting, but I didn't really want to just title the post Friday and it was one of my favorite episodes of Gilmore Girls.

But let me say, Friday night WAS alright! (Ok, so it was more than alright, but I'm going with a theme here!) I must say, that it is great to know that the cool people you hung out with in high school are STILL cool (if not cooler) outside of it and all growed up. Makes you feel even better for having been friends with them. That didn't sound as bad as I think it did, does it? Ok, but you get my point, right? I loved seeing everyone and catching up... better than any 10 year reunion my class could have planned. Even though I was the only one there in my graduating class. I know, weird!

Oh, and I must say that punkin beer can make ANY day alright. I am also most excited to report that I will be having it again this Friday. I might have to make it a weekly thing... at least until its no longer the seasonal option. What comes in winter? Anyone know?

Talk to you tommorow! :)

Anticipation

This might seem a bit sick, but I LOVE anticipation. I love the excitement you feel before a fun/great/thrilling moment. The problem with anticipation though is that so often, it's so much better than the event itself. Something that's notorious for that is New Year's Eve. Whatever you might have planned is NEVER as good as what you hope it will be.

So, at the beginning at the month, I was anticipating all of my plans for the month and sure enough, I've been confronted with disappointment. But, we move on. Make other plans. And enjoy the ones that you already have. Like tomorrow. Very excited about tomorrow. Going to Winchester and meeting up with a lot of people I haven't seen since I graduated from high school over 10 years ago. It's the closest I'm going to get to a reunion and it's exactly the kind of reunion I was looking for. But I'm not going to get too excited... that way, I won't be too disappointed.

What about you? Do you know of what I speak?

Talk to you tomorrow! :)

Wind & Sails

I have definitely had the wind taken out of my sails. While I was super excited a week ago about the things I had planned for this month, today was a bit of a downer. My plans for next weekend fell apart all while I was on a horrendous call with my Education Committee and it led to a really bad afternoon.

The worst part though was the argument I got into with my best friend. I hate fighting with my friends, but this time I just got so frustrated. I'm tired of people thinking that just because I don't have kids or pets or own a home that I don't have a life. That I don't have responsibilities. It's like when my old roommates said I was adult light... all the fun with none of the responsibilities. That always made me so mad. I just don't understand how I am any less of an adult because I dont' have those things. I have bills, I have a job, I have people who count on me to do things or be places. So, I'm at a cross roads with my friend. I am constantly having to reschedule or having plans canceled all together because she has these responsibilities. And I'm an inflexible friend because I've gotten tired of it. *Sigh* It sometimes really sucks being a grown up!

Talk to you tomorrow! :)

All by myself...

Lately, my roommate has been working some REALLY late hours. Which means that I have the house to myself in the evening. I've been using it as an opportunity to see what it would be like to ACTUALLY live by myself. Would I be lonely? Could I keep up with the little bit of tidying around the house? Would I actually cook for myself or just order out all of the time? And so far, I'm kind of impressed.

To keep the loneliness at bay, I've kept the TV on -- whether I was watching it or not, it's nice to have the noise in the background. To keep busy, I've focused on my knitting more -- which is good since I have Christmas gifts to get out! I've also stopped by the library and gotten a couple of books. I'm a loner by nature, so as long as I have things to occupy my mind and time, I'm not too worried about being lonely.

As for the tidying, that one I'm still not so sure on. I'm a pile maker. I don't necessarily make everything spick and span and put it in its own place. Instead, I make piles. Now, I've tried to be more dilligent of taking my things to my room and making fewer piles, but they're still there. I'm not sure if I will be as dilligent if I have no one who is going to be looking at my mess on a regular basis. This especially becomes a problem if I end up in a studio. There just isn't enough space in a studio for excess clutter and mess. So, I'll continue on working that.

As for the cooking, I've been doing fairly well. I've been going online and finding a recipe for dinner, shopping for it on Monday night and then eating if for the rest of the week. I don't mind leftovers so this works for me. I might make a few more things once I have a fridge that I'm not sharing. It's amazing how limited you are when you don't have your own space.

So, all in all, I think I'm ready to live on my own. I'm not sure when that will be, but I feel ready for when the moment comes. What do you think? When did you realize you were ready? Anyone really not like living without a roommate? I'd love to know!

Talk to you later!

Monday, Monday!

I go back and forth on whether I like Mondays or not. Like so many people in this world, I'm not a fan because it means the end of my weekend and the start of another work week. On the other hand, it's interesting to see what the week holds and there's nothing but possibilities at the start of the work week.

My mother is a big fan of cycles. She would see Monday as just the start of another cycle. Not one to like or disklike, but to just appreciate for what it is. I don't think that this helps... at all, but it's a special thought. I'm just grateful for coffee and it's magical ability to put a happy glow on any day.

So, what about you? What gets you through Mondays?

Sundays were made for Shopping!

I recently received a really nice bonus from work and after putting half of it towards my credit card bill I was ready to buy myself a little special something. My first big purchase was some yarn from both Fibre Space and then Eat.Sleep.Knit. If you haven't gone yet, you MUST check out Fibre Space. It has a great selection of yarn (including my fave - Malabrigto), very knowledgable and friendly staff and a funky and fun decor. LOVE it! Oh, and my recent Eat.Sleep.Knit put me to my first 5 mile post in my Yarnathon, so I got a great little knitting bag with a mini-sweater kit, a tape measure and some very handy dandy yarn reference cards. They are now DEFINITELY my favorite online yarn source!

Then today Leigh and I went to the mall and I bought two new cardigans and two camis to go underneath. The camis go with each of the sweaters, which makes for four combos. Each combo can go with both black AND brown pants/skirts, which equals out to about 8 potential outfits. My total was about $80 for the four pieces, so this comes out to about $10 per new outfit. I feel really good about that! Anywho, it's time to settle down and get to bed. Tomorrow's Monday so it's back to work for me!

Talk to you later! :)

For the love of Crafts!

Saturday was a bright and beautiful day, just perfect for walking around a craft fair -- or at least it seemed that way from inside my house. Turns out my crisp fall day was more like a summer day. This was a little disappointing, but I was not going to let it stop me from enjoying Crafty Bastards. This is the second time that I've gone to this particular craft fair and I have to admit, I wasn't as impressed as I was last year. Probably because it was the same vendors with the same things. No worries, I still had Meg and the bonus of Diana and Corey to make it fun. Oh and I DID buy a wallet from This Chickadee.





Later that evening I went over to my friend Leigh Anne's and we had dinner, drank some wine, watched a movie and gabbed about life in general. She has two crazy dogs (well, one is her mom's) who made things interesting (or irritating, depends on how you look at it). I love the fact that Leigh Anne is now back in this part of Virginia. She is definitely one of my favorite people and I've missed being able hang out with her. Even better, she's just accepted a job in Sterling, so she isn't going anywhere any time soon. Woo hoo!

Talk to you later! :)

Excitement

So, as I was sitting in my office today I all of a sudden had this huge surge of happiness and excitement. I don't know where it came from, but it was suddenly just there. My best guess was that it was a combination of having so many fun things to look forward to this month, plus reconnecting with some old friends plus planning all of my Stockpile 2009 projects that just got me so happy and excited. I'm generally a happy person, so it doesn't take TOO much to send me over, but I must say that I was glad to feel it.

It's been a while since I've had that kind of happy surge. Between getting ready for the meeting, the meeting itself and then the withdrawl effect when it was over, not much room for being happy. There have been other tense areas of my life, but I'm trying to find a kind of zen attitude about that. All in all, I am just very happy to have something to be excited about. Makes going into the cold months that much easier.

Talk to you later! :)

Blogtober

Greetings! I write to you from the other side (the finished side) of my association's annual meeting. We came back successful and gleeful... and EXHAUSTED! Now that I've recovered I can turn my attentions back to my blog. I know you must be as excited as I am!

First, a small (ok, rather large) housekeeping issue. I got my second SP 14 package close to two weeks ago and have yet to say a proper thank you to my Secret Pal. Even worse, I have serious camera issues and so can't show it off properly. She sent me some lovely baby blue cotton yarn - even better, she sent me enough for a February Lady Sweater! She included the pattern with it, so I'm guessing that's what it's for. I also got a little notebook to take notes in. Thanks Pal for another great package!

So, in case you hadn't noticed, today is October 1 - the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (remember to do self-checks ladies!), Sock-tober (if you knit socks you're excited right about now), Stockpile 2009 (for Malabrigo Junkies a way to create a pile of gifties for the holidays in the best yarn around!). It is also BLOGtober, a chance to challenge yourself to write one blog post. And I'm gonna do it! I know, you must be shocked! It's been about six weeks since my last post and now I'm going to write one every day for 31 days?! I know it's crazy, but I'm gearing up for a very special project and thought this would be a good kick in the butt! So, wish me luck and I hope you don't get sick of me!

One last thing. I'm also going to do participate in Stockpile 2009. Mainly because I have knitted gifts I want to get done, but also because it gave me an excuse to buy more lovely Malabrigo. My plan is to do a few hats, a scarf or two and my first shawl. So, wish me luck on this endeavor as well!

Talk to you tomorrow! :)