Above All Else

nautical!

Ashley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:26:44 +0000

Twenty-ten has definitely started off with a bang. I was in Nashville, Tennessee for the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Imaging USA National Convention (at the Gaylord Convention Center which is the coolest convention center I’ve ever been to!) and then for the last week of January, I was in Kauai. So January slid by nice and easy and now I get to check one chilly winter month off of the list.

Now for February. Boring, shmoring February. We’re so slow at work I actually want to shoot myself (with a camera, duh). I’ve tried to keep the mindset that if I keep myself busy, the winter will go by so much faster and I’ll sleep better at night (which isn’t easy because my first bedmate snores a lot and the second bedmate barks in his sleep). I tried out for a play before I left for Kauai but I was one of only two girls to show up so they cancelled the show. Grrrrreeeeaaaat. So, what does one do while they’re cooped up at home or in an office? Why, browse all the Excercise TV shows On Demand, that’s what! I’ve found an awesome nighttime Yoga video that’s On Demand until my birthday (sweet, that’s almost a month!) and a lot of “jump-start your weight-loss” videos as well. Another sweet deal. Plus, get this, I’m actually using my gym membership! Aaaand, I’ve posted pictures of the body, er–swimsuit (it’s SO nautical!) I want for the summer all around the house. (Can I just say how much I love Modcloth.com? Have you seen all of their swimsuits lately? They actually have style and character! Plus, they have two sailor/nautical themed suits which I love and adore and want for myself someday.)

Aaaanywaaaay, please don’t throw stones at me if this post is boring but I just wanted to catch up and let you know where my life is now. No new pictures or musings lately. (Just awesome swimsuits!)

health food junkie…

Ashley — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:36:50 +0000

…or so I want you to think that I am. I really HAVE been trying to eat a lot healthier and view the way I eat. I’ve read books about health and nutrition and have had some pretty lengthy conversations with others about the way our society acts around food today. I will let you know that while I have read a lot and have tried a lot, I seem to be stuck in the same ol’ rut. It’s just sooooo much easier to eat what I want and not have to think about it. But I want to be that healthy person! I want to be the savvy shopper who skips all the middle aisles and stays in the produce! I want to be that girl who says, “no thank you, I’m not hungry” when a plate of brownies passes under her nose (btw, I don’t think anyone is ever that devoted to give up on brownies, I mean c’mon – you only live once!).

But I digress. I will try not to bore you with all the jib jab and get down to the nitty-gritty of this post. The other day I made a soup that was surprisingly delicious. It was simple but had loads of flavor. I’ve titled it something better because “Spinach Surprise” just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Popeye’s Delight:
1 canister low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lb. ground turkey (sub. tofu if you want)
4 cups frozen spinach
1 onion, diced
1 carton mushrooms, diced
turmeric
salt & pepper
garlic
1 egg

Brown the turkey in a skillet, set aside.
Saute’ the onions, mushrooms, and garlic over low heat using a couple tablespoons of the broth. Add the spinach and cook another 5 minutes (add more broth if need be). Sprinkle turmeric and salt & pepper over the spinach. Add the turkey and the rest of the broth. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until soup is hot. Slowly add in the (lightly scrambled) egg (sort of like in Egg Drop soup). Voila!

*I’m not an excellent cookbook author so if I’ve left something out I hope you are able to get my gist. If not, then I suggest you start off with Easy Mac and then work your way up to soups.

Also, if you think I should add something to this let me know. I’m not real creative when it comes to cooking…

Hawaii

Ashley — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:33:38 +0000

For Christmas, our bosses (it’s a husband and wife team) bought us tickets to Kauai. Mark (owner, boss, photographer) photographs rental homes in Kauai and Mexico for a profit. Mark went to Kauai last September to work and was asked to work again in January so -Voila! – studio Christmas bonuses!

We just returned a couple of days ago and while I would like to write about everything I did while I was there, I just don’t think any of you would really care all that much. I do however wish to share with you that I either had severe case of jet lag or I was uber-depressed that I had to come back to cold, cloudy Indiana. I think it was a combination of both, really. In any case, it got me thinking about my life and how people end up living where they are. What if I packed up my bags and moved to Kauai where everyone seems so laid back and carefree? Where I could spend my days working (somewhere) and then lazing on a beach, hiking the mountains, going to fresh farmer’s markets, snorkeling, writing, taking pictures, etc. Sounds nice now, eh? It makes me wonder why I spend my days the way I do here in the Midwest. I feel so down and out here. In Kauai I felt alive.

I will share one picture from Kauai that I have photomerged into a panorama. It still needs work but I wanted to share it with you.

Mahalo!

Hanalei Bay at Sunset, January 25, 2010:

An added note: I have spent way too long trying to post the image above. For some reason, the picture you see is not the one that I posted. The one I posted has better colors and more of a “pop” to it but I am getting way too frustrated to figure out why and thus leave you with this (very) unsaturated version of the original. Just click on the picture to see the better version! Sorry!

my head in the clouds

Ashley — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:18:29 +0000

My blog title should not suggest that I believe I am better than anyone or anything, real or unreal. My title merely says that I am here, real, and living. I don’t have a set purpose for writing about any one subject or a set goal for the end. As I have tried before (and not exactly failed but never really finished), I will try to write or muse about my life because it makes me feel better. I have a lot to say and no one to talk to sometimes. I am searching for my life’s meanings, constantly beating myself down for not being where others are. I try being the best person I can be but always feel like it’s not good enough. I am a good friend and a better lover. I’m trying to move on in life, trying to let go of the past, and figure out what it is I want for the future.

Also, while ADD does not run my life, it does temporarily seem to disable me. I will forget to write in this blog. I will plan to write in this blog but not get around to it way later than I intended. I will focus way too long on making everything on my blog perfect. I will want to post a million gazillion pictures to share with you but will try to refrain.

Anyway, whether you follow this blog or not, please drop a line to let me know you’re there. I really like to talk about life, I like to hear how other’s are living, I really want to connect with other people wanting to share the same. I love being a Pisces!