1 year of AWESOME!

To my PILOT

...

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!!

 

You are the man I have longed to meet and the only one I want forever.
Love your Squirrel

Something to think about.

Today's blog post

...

Short.Simple.Sweet

Ps. KOREA IN THREE DAYS!!!!

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Will The Real Santa Please Stand Up?!

When we were young, Christmas was always so magical... it's that special time of year we wait ever so patiently for, or not patiently. haha

 We visit Santa, usually at our local mall of course.

Have our pictures taken with him.

Tell him exactly what we want regardless if we are on the "naughty or nice" list

And

CHRISTMAS MORNING he delivers!!

Waking up Christmas morning was my very favorite, hands down.

I was always full of anticipation the night before knowing that "Santa" would be entering our house and eating the goodies we left him. I always wanted to peek, but knew that it was best to be a good little girl and wait until morning.

I remember finding out "WHO" Santa was many years later and felt crushed instantly. I knew I had to keep in a secret or "Santa" would not visit me any more.

I held on to every last bit of magic, until I finally had to tell my parents.

I think their hearts where crushed too!

Now that I am older Christmas has taken on a whole new magical feel and the blessings of this day are like none else, but theres always the part of me that wishes I could be 6 again, waking up to the smell and feel of those special mornings. And waiting for my father to shower (I still have no idea why he did this) before we opened anything. It made the wait the much longer...gee thanks dad!

So to go along with this special time of year

I found this sweet little post on Pinterest (only the best website EVER) and I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Because I know we can all relate one way or another.

...

"A few months back, the Tooth Fairy got busted. She left a note for Alice up on her computer, and Lucy figured the whole business out. The Tooth Fairy cursed her need to write notes in elaborate fonts and tried to come up with a cover story, but it didn’t fool Lucy.
To her credit, Lucy has kept the secret from her little sister, who still hasn’t lost a tooth and deserves to wake up with money under her pillow.
But the Tooth Fairy knew it couldn’t be too long before Santa was similarly unmasked. She didn’t know when or how, but she knew the days of magic in her house, at least magic of a certain sort, were coming to an end.
And the Tooth Fairy—by which I mean myself—was pretty darned sad about the inevitable, which finally arrived last week.
Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We’ve talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we’d like to read, adventures we’d like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it’s been light, casual stuff. Until last week.
I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.
What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.
Here’s what I wrote:

---

Dear Lucy,
Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”
I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.
The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.
I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)
I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.
This won’t make you Santa, though.
Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.
It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.
So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.
I love you and I always will.
Mama

__________________________________________________________________________

My favorite part

....

"He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch."
"Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness."

I say AMEN to that!

May your Christmas season be filled with the Spirt of JOY and all that surrounds this special holiday

Let us not forget our "baby" Jesus!!

The best GIFT any of us could receive.

XOXO

Tara Ashley

It's OK Thursday!

HEY Y'ALL!! So this is my first link up with Amber 

at "A complete waste of Makeup"

I am excited to share my silly "OK's" with you today!

IT's OK

...

That I want a Fairy Princess Birthday Party

with wings and everything!!

That I have a list of baby names in my "notes app" even though I'm years from having any babies.

That I could care less about work and men's testosterone levels

That I dream about my someday wedding

(& no I haven't been dreaming about it since I was 5 like most girls)

& no I don't have a ring.

LOL


That I just wanna sit on the couch and eat fudge while watching Christmas movies

That I still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up
Its a toss up between Nurse and Dental Hygenist
(This always happens when I think I've finally made up my mind)


What is it that's "ok" in your world today?

XOXO

Tara Ashley

December 7, 1941

"A date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

Can you believe that was 70 years ago?!!

My how times have changed

...

Especially since The Pilot is in Japan for some training this week.

We visited the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center this past summer and I can tell you is is a part of history that I believe every American should see.

Thinking about all those lives lost today.

May God continue to watch over us all.

GOD BLESS!!

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Hope & Faith

...

Do you have it?

Does your light shine so all can see?

How can we avoid feeling discouraged and maintain optimism?

I'd be lying if I told you these last three-four months have been easy, in fact there have been days where I've hit rock bottom and I have cried harder then I thought possible.

I've felt alone and sad, I've had more heartache then I thought I'd have, I've let little things that normally don't affect me, turn my whole day upside down and I've had FEAR of being the worst girlfriend and everything ending in failure.

Being a "Military Girlfriend" or wife, it's not an easy gig.

As "they" say...

It's not a job for sissies!!

As of today I have exactly 10 days until I leave for the BIG KUN to visit the Pilot!

I couldn't be happier. Seriously, I have never missed someone so much.

And although it's been tough...I am so proud of myself and US!

I know it will only strengthen our relationship in the end.

I have to keep reminding myself that he will only be in Korea for a year

but what I also have to remember is that this is not JUST A YEAR

...

It's a life style

&

he won't always be around every minuite of every day, but we will always have each other in our hearts regardless of the miles. We will always support each other in whatever it is we desire to do (within reason ;))

We will always love each other.

PERIOD.

You may ask how I know this

I can tell you I know because I have FAITH and I have HOPE !!

We reach toward the unknown, but faith lights the way. If we will cultivate that faith, we shall never walk in darkness.

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

---

For the days that are just not "good" days...I will let my faith light the way and I will shine and light the way for anyone that maybe having a dark day.

In a talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley himself he said,

"And so it is with matters of the spirit and soul. As each man or woman walks the way of life there come dark seasons of doubt, of discouragement, of disillusionment. In such circumstances, a few see ahead by the light of faith, but many stumble along in the darkness and even become lost."

My call to you this morning is a call to faith, that faith which is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1)

This morning I received a text message from a good friend whose boyfriend is currently stationed in Korea as well and in that message it read

"My eyes are puffy and swollen."

Of course the first thing I thought to myself was oh no she has the viral infection like my roommate.

But as we continued with our conversation, she said,

"I'm stressed and burnt out...I felt super emotional yesterday and had to hold back tears all day at work."

As I did my best to give her a few encourgaing words I told her,

"We are a team, when you are down, I build you up...When I'm down, you build me up"

As I reminded her to breath and that it will all work out,

It hit me that I'm not alone, that everyone gets sad and lets little things bother them at times, people have heartache and  fear, yeah it happens to everyone.

As the conversation came to an end, she said,

"Thank you...I'm glad I have you and thanks for your positivity."

Sometimes all we need is just a line or two of HOPE and positivity to see through to the end so we can press on with our days.

Because without Hope and Faith

there would be no

LOVE!

And that is the ultimate destination, right?

Faith + Hope = Love and Happiness

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Friday Funnies {With A Twist}

Today is about InSpIrAtIoN!

This is my "twist" on today's Friday Funnies

...

Just a little {Heart to Heart} moments!

Happy Weekend!

XOXO

Tara Ashley

December Days!!!!

December!!

It's HERE!!!!!

FIFTEEN DAYS: UNTIL I LEAVE FOR KOREA!!!

FOURTEEN DAYS: UNTIL MY 25th BIRTHDAY!!!

(Yes, these are all in caps because I am yelling with excitement)

EEP!

I.Can't.Wait.

Look at my paper chain now

...

It's so short.

I hope I don't freeze over there

I'm worried my luggage is going to be too heavy....oh brother. LOL

I'm very excited for my birthday this year, which it funny because usually I'm not. I think the last time I was this excited was probably my 16th birthday or so.

I think I'm just SO excited because my car insurance will go down this year ;)

Yep that has to be it.

HAHAHAHA!

Joining the old people club....ready or not

24 has been really great to me and I know that 25 is going to ROCK!

When I was little my GG (great grandma) started a tradition of buying me these precious little angles every year for my birthday and I was always so excited to see how beautiful the angel of the year would be.

There was always a little verse that went along with each one which made it so special.

 Look how cute and little she is!

When my GG past away my grandma picked up where she left off and continued with the tradition

and now I have all 21!!!!

Obviously it has been a few years now that I haven't gotten an angel, but it is something I will always cherish and remember.

I need to find the pictures of me holding them every year. HAHAHA
Those should be funny to see.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!

This year my momma bought me this very pretty cabinet (that she has been searching for for years mind you)

and well, she finally found one reasonably priced and now we get to show all these pretty little ladies off to everyone!!!

SO EXCITING!!

I hope someday I'll have a little girl and maybe I can start a tradition such as this with her or maybe even pass them down to her

How cool would that be?!

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Friday Funnies-Post Turkey!

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!!!

Let the SHOPPING commence!!!

Parents trying too hard.

YEAH!

I laughed at this so hard.

Nailed it!!!

NOT!

Don't worry, it happened to me too.

TRUTH!

HAHAHA! So true

Shayne is learning this..slowly

Gotta love Friday Funnies!

&

BLACK FRIDAY!!

Whose has the guts to go out and shop??

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Turkey Eve!

The most beautiful song!

Happy THANKSGIVING EVE everyone!!

*gobble**gobble*

There is so much to be thankful for this year.

 What is the one thing in life you are most thankful for? 

Free Agency! I am so thankful I have to right to choose where I live, where I work, what I say, and what I do.

We are so blessed to live in the times we do. Yes, these times may be hard economically for most, but to have freedom is a beautiful thing. I am thankful for all those that serve this beautiful country and put their lives on the line and fight for us daily so that we can have these freedoms.

There are many things I am thankful for and if I listed them all I'm sure I'd make you fall asleep faster than after you eat your Thanksgiving meal. So I'll spare you that. haha

But I do have to say one last thing

...

I am so THANKFUL for Shayne and for God for placing him in my life when I needed him the most.

He was honestly the last thing I expected, but I am so glad to have him in my life and I can never imagine my life without him in it.

I hope you all have a beautiful THANKSGIVING and are able to spend it surrounded by great friends and family. And if you happen to be away from your family like the Pilot is this year know that your presence is in the hearts of those you love.

We will miss you and can't wait until we can be together once again.

 What is the one thing in YOUR life you are most thankful for? 

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Positive Thinking

The BEST quality to have

...

with a touch of INNOCENCE 

Isn't she something else???

O.M.G!

Now if we could all just think like her EVERYDAY....we would be set.

hahaha

Life is a battle that we have to fight fearlessly with confidence, a positive attitude, determination and concentrated efforts. If we can do that we will surely be lead to a path of success. While fortune is said to favor the brave I also believe God helps those who help themselves.

Your biggest assets are your enthusiasm that enriches with your positive thinking.

Never lose hope, keep cheerful and put the best possible efforts toward your LIFE!

But mostly

...

Have confidence in you!

"Most folks are about as happy as they

make up their minds to be."

Abraham Lincoln

Through positive thinking one can overcome the mountains. One who always thinks positively even in adverse circumstances wins.

Positive thinking always pays.

 

This I promise myself!!

POSITIVE THINKING is nothing but an attitude that becomes a WAY OF LIFE and a HAPPINESS that lifts the soul!

XOXO

Tara Ashley

Book Club Awesomeness

Shayne's view on Book Club!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

As for me...I LOVE our little book club.

On Saturday night me and four of my very best life long friends got together for an evening full of whimsical fun!

Water for Elephants

By Sara Gruen

 I think we all agreed that the book was 100 times better than the actual movie...as with any book/movie combo I feel. But we sure enjoyed critiquing it!

And yes....Reg and I made all the cute decorations.

The pictures don't do it justice.

 We had yummy hot dogs with grilled onions and peppers! I usually don't like hot dogs but when I saw this recipe I knew it would be a hit!

We also had a BIG pitcher for "homemade" lemonade ;)

We enjoyed it!!

We may not be very athletic, but at least we have brains.....most the time ;)

HAHAHA

Love these girls.

Thanks for a great time.

First Book Club Party=Success!!!

Next Book: ???? I can't remember LOL

XOXO

Tara Ashley

{Heart} to {Heart} Friday-Take 3 / Friday Funnies

On Wednesday night, (please raise your hand if you still say WED-NES-DAY when spelling that out) I happened to watch the 20/20 special with Gabby Giffard's on abc.com of course since I had missed it on Monday night.

Well, I was so touched that I knew I had to share it with you.

I literally sat on my bed crying as I watched and if you know me I don't really cry at stuff like that (not like my momma anyway ;) ) I must becoming more sensitive, GRRRREAAAT! Or more like her, Sigh! LOL

Here is a little clip of the show!

*tear*

If you get a chance, you should watch the whole thing.

"BRAVE"

That is how she discribes her husband

But  BRAVE does not even begin to discribe the strength of his heart and his commitment to her

...

IN SICKNESS and IN HEALTH

It's a real thing people.

And these two are proof of that!

He could have given up on her. He could have said my job is too important. He could have said that's not my wife.

WHAT HE DID DO WAS

...

 He pushed her. He stood by her side EVERYDAY. He prayed for her. He loved her EVERYDAY

I can only hope that their unfortunate, yet miracle story can be an example to all marriages.

I pray for a love like theirs for all of us brothers and sisters.

_______________________________________________________________________

Now time for a little

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Hope these made ya laugh!!

Have a very safe and AWESOME weekend.

I'm out!

XOXO

Tara Ashley