AU girl goes to T-Town

     I've already had many people ask me, "so what did you think?", "how did you like it in t-town?", "you ready to convert?". The short answers are, it was okay, not really a fan, and HELL NAW! But it would be unfair of me to say those things without providing an honest explanation. So, I'm going to take a little time and do a few comparisons. It will explain why I like Auburn better, and not just because it's Auburn, and I am a fan. I have some legitimate reasons.

     Tuscaloosa is NOTHING like Auburn. The town is all buildings and houses and people. There's not a lot of open space. There is hardly any free parking. Unless you aren't within walking distance of the stadium. These things are all VERY different from Auburn. In Auburn, there are open fields, tons of free parking, and most of it is within walking distance. With that said, the traffic getting into Tuscaloosa actually wasn't bad at all, we got right in and found a parking lot to park in for a $20 price tag.

     Tailgating. One of my FAVORITE parts about football at Auburn. People camp out for their tailgate spots the night before. You got canopies and TVs set up EVERYWHERE. People invite you into their area simply because when you're Auburn, you're family. Regardless of which side of campus you're on, you're going to see tailgating. It will either be in the back of a pick up truck, under a canopy, out in the sun, or wherever you can find a place to set your rear end and enjoy a beer. Walking through T-Town, we passed a row of apartments that all had a tent set up outside their doors, another apartment complex had one big tent out in their parking lot, and a few strays had canopies set up, but it was NOTHING like the tailgate experience at Auburn. Mind you, this may not be 100% accurate being that I only saw the west side of the stadium, and a tiny bit of the north side. Maybe all the tailgaters were South and east, but it still couldn't be compared to the experience in Auburn.

Game Time Comparisons

     Bryant Denny has a million gates. Hello! For all the money they spend sectioning off all those gates and walkways for people when they get inside the gates, they could save that and LOWER the concession prices. I was thankful to go into a gate, and be directed right to my section, since I had never been before, but still. I could have just as easily followed signs for my section number and been just fine. $4.50 is how much I paid for a bottle of Dasani water at Bryant-Denny. Last weekend in Jordan-Hare, the same bottle of water cost me $2.00. It's water folks, NOT GOLD. There are also more food options in Jordan-Hare, like CHIK-FIL-A. Yes please! My poor hubby wanted the BBQ nachos last night, and they RAN out. He was so disappointed.

     I told Jon I wanted to be in the stadium a good bit early, so I could see what their pre-game pep rally was like. I'm waiting...waiting,,,waiting some more. Truth is, Alabama's pre-game festivities SUCK compared to Auburn's. There aren't really any cheers to pep anyone up. Their band has always been good, and they come out and do a few things, but nothing really spectacular. It doesn't really help the fans get PUMPED for some FOOTBALL. I'm used to Auburn's legit pep rally before the game. We have cheers, we War Eagle, we have the Eagle flight, and we have an amazing band performance that really gets everyone excited. I appreciate those things about Auburn, and I love for new people to come and experience it. It's something that as an Auburn fan, I am REALLY proud of.

     The fight song. ::laughing:: When I was younger, and even back then knew EVERY single word to the Auburn fight song, I remember my daddy joking that most of the Bama fans don't know the words to their fight song. When I started to get older, I would ask people, "Hey do you know all the words to the Alabama fight song?" 98% of the time the answer was "well some of them" (meaning Yay Alabama and Roll Tide Roll Tide) or "No". I figured I was asking the wrong people. However, after being surrounded by 100,000 bammers this weekend, it is evident that very FEW of them know the whole thing. When it's played, you hear the beginning, a couple of key words in the middle, and that is all. When you're in Auburn, it's an irruption with CLEAR words echoed throughout the stadium for the entire song.Of course, "Go, Go, Go" "Give em Hell, Give em Hell" and "Hey" are louder than the rest, but it's WORDS you hear, not fans just humming the song. Not everyone knows the words, but more people know them than those that don't. So, I've taken it upon myself to help out the Bama nation. I've included the words to the fight song here. If you're a true fan, please learn the words.

Yea Alabama

Yea, Alabama! Drown 'em Tide!
Every 'Bama man's behind you,
Hit your stride.
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave.
And if a man starts to weaken,
That's a shame!
For Bama's pluck and grit have
Writ her name in Crimson flame.
Fight on, fight on, fight on men!
Remember the Rose Bowl, we'll win then.
Go, roll to victory,
Hit your stride,
You're Dixie's football pride,
Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, Roll Tide!!

    Cheers. Auburn has A LOT of them. They have cheers that I've been doing since I was a kid. Most of those were done even before I was born. They've added new little things with the band as the years have gone by, but there are tons of cheers. The whole fan base knows most of them. They participate in them. It's different at Bryant-Denny. Seems like the student section does the cheers, and the rest of the stadium just kind of sits there. Minus the "Roll Tide" for EVERY single 1st down..(I thought my ears were going to start bleeding..orange and blue of course) the entire stadium was in unison with that. In comparison to Jordan-Hare, it's quiet in Bryant-Denny...really quiet. There were a few times, when the defense needed to stop a 3rd down play, that it got pretty loud, but even at it's loudest, it was NOTHING compared to Jordan-Hare. I found this especially odd, given the shape of the stadium, and the fact that it holds several thousand more people. (By the way, my husband, the bama fan, completely agreed with me about this. He's been to MANY Auburn games in Jordan-Hare.) I was thankful for the Southern Miss band, as they played several of the same songs that Auburn's band plays. It made me feel like I was home for a few mins.

     Traffic. It was better than I expected getting out of T-Town. An hour after the game, we got to the interstate super fast. But goodness, the interstate was so backed up. We found a little shortcut, that helped us bypass some of the blockage. Before my next statement, it should be known that my husband also made the same observation that I did last night. Bama fans CANNOT DRIVE! Holy freaking cow. I have NEVER in my life seen SO many LEFT LANE riders. Not a single one of them would move OUT of the left lane. I'm like what the crap? Is their some weird Bama fan rule that you can't drive in the right lane even if you are going UNDER the speed limit by 15 mph. Most stressful drive of my LIFE. I was so thankful to be home last night after that drive.

     I was trying to take it all in without being biased to my team. I wanted to see what Tuscaloosa was all about. I'm an Auburn girl, and I have no desire to experience the Tuscaloosa "game-day" again. It wasn't really anything to brag about. I love Auburn. I love our tailgating, our cheers, our down home attitude, our family, our spirit, and most importantly our fans. Auburn is my home. Not that I ever questioned it, but being in Tuscaloosa just validated everything I've every known. I knew Auburn was special when I was a kid. As I got older, I understood it more and more. I will FOREVER be thankful to my parents for choosing Auburn and raising my sister and me to love it just as much as they do.

Time for my antibiotic and therapy. I need a cleanse from all the crimson and "Row Tides" according to my Momma. HAHA love her!

War Eagle y'all!

Iron bowl 2011 in Auburn (clearly I've lost weight since then)

Bama vs Southern Miss 2014 in Tuscaloosa

I love you back

I've heard many women lately talk about their interactions with their husbands. I've read articles that depict many of the same things. "It's unusual for my husband and I to speak to each other before bed" "we are usually so busy we don't have time to kiss or hug" "there is definitely no TIME or ENERGY for sex" 

This honestly appalled me when I really sat down and thought about it. I challenge my married friends to really take a step back and think about this. 

If you and your spouse left for work in the morning, and your spouse never returned home, would you be pleased with the last interaction you had with them?

I ask myself this everytime I have to leave my husband, and everytime I can answer yes. Now, let me clarify. I am NOT perfect, and I am probably the MOST stubborn girl in the world, but my husband and my lil boy are everything to me. When I forget to ask myself that question, I can always depend on my husband to make sure I can answer "yes"  to that question. 

Here's how it goes in my house...

When I wake up each morning and my hubby is still asleep I kiss and/or hug him before I get out of bed. When he wakes up, he comes to me for a kiss and a hug. 

If he works the early shift, he never leaves  this house without a kiss, a hug, and an "I love you"

If we walk by one another, there's a brush of the hand, arm, or other body part. Sometimes it's a love tap (in his case smack) on the ass. (Got to keep it spicy)

When we leave each other it's a kiss, hug, I love you, another kiss, and another hug. 

When we return to each other, we greet the same way, showers of kisses and hugs. Usually, an "I missed you" today is in there somewhere.

We definitely don't go to sleep without kisses, hugs, and "I love you's"

My husband and I.. I think we kinda have this marriage thing figured out. Now we have arguments/disagreements and sometimes I just want to shake him, but at the end of the day, regardless of what is going on between us, we NEVER don't say "I love you" or end with a cuddle sessionuntil we fall asleep.

Thank you Jon, for never allowing me to be pouty and stubborn, For showing me what true love is, for not letting me be angry, and for holding on to me like I could be gone tomorrow. I appreciate what we have.

Happy 6th anniversary a little early. :)

Devil's blood

Everybody has been poppin' me the question lately. Well, not THE question, but A question that I dislike more than most. The question "when are you and Jon going to have another one?" gets asked of me literally, not figuratively, on a daily basis. Not only do they ask, these folks tell. "It's your turn." "You're next." "Nicholas is getting older." "You really don't want your children so far apart do you?" While I know that people really mean no harm by the questions and comments, they hurt me more than anyone can know. Truth is, when someone says any of these things to me, I immediately have flashbacks. Eyeballs on fire, tears, pain, agony, fear, and of course lack of sleep, poopy diapers, spit up, drool (oh my the drool). I do my best to be polite.. My rehearsed answer is usually "not right now but maybe in the future". Honestly though, another child scares the shit out of me. (Pardon my language, crap wouldn't be sufficient here) Even some of my closest friends do not know what I went through after Nick's delivery or the severity of it. I had major blood pressure complications. These complications gave my doctor only 1 option. The morning after my precious baby was born, I had to go on a medicine called Magnesium. Take my word for it, this medicine is extracted straight from the blood of the Devil himself. The magnesium was intended to help draw fluid off of me so I didn't die basically; however, dying would have probably been less miserable. My whole body was on fire! I literally thought there were flames coming out of my eyeballs. It hurt to move, to talk, and to be touched. My brand new baby couldn't be left alone with me. I couldn't hold him. I couldn't feed him. I could not enjoy the newness of him because I was miserable. 24 hours of hell, and I still felt awful after coming off of the magnesium.

After leaving the hospital, I was taken back to the doctor to inspect my incision. I had fluid leaking out (tmi sorry). While on the table in the doctors office, they had to re-cut me open on a portion of my incision. No anesthesia. Alone. Fluid poured from my stomach. It hurt. I was embarassed. I wondered what had happened. I was scared because I had no idea what was happening. Turns out I had a seroma. Which is a pocket of fluid that builds up when the outside heals before the inside. The result of this was 6 weeks of hell.. Not feeling well, having an open wound, having to get it packed twice a day, and visiting the doctor's office once sometimes twice a week. The precious moments of my baby's first 2 months of life were over shadowed by my own health problems.

Selfish. It would be selfish of me to choose to have a baby. I want another baby eventually. While no one would come right out and say it, I know that my weight and health problems had something if not everything to do with my complications. I can not knowingly place an unborn child in danger because I'm selfish enough to get pregnant when I am not in good health. Maybe one day, when I'm healthier and more financially stable, my sweet hubby and I will have a serious discussion about whether or not to have a child. When I was 16, I was told that I would have a very hard time getting pregnant, and then Nicholas came to be unexpectedly. I do NOT want to take this sweet miracle God has blessed me with for granted. I must lose weight, get my insulin levels down, and lower my blood pressure before I will even think about having another. This road is NOT easy. I struggle on a daily basis to eat healthy, exercise, and make good choices. Sometimes I slip up, but it's how we bounce back that matters the most! 

Plus, what's the rush? I'm only 26, my female goodness has much life left in it's years. 

What am I doing?

Have you ever been in the middle of a crowded room, sitting quietly by yourself, or with your closest friends and had the random thought? The random thought that eats away at you. What am I doing with myself? What am I doing with this life? What am I doing with my health, my career?

Yeah, so have I. More times than I can count. Absolutely ALL of these things cross my mind fairly often. These thoughts are fairly common though. We are always evolving, changing, learning, and growing. As humans, it is in our nature to never be satisfied with ourselves, and the truth is, we always have room to grow, learn, change, and evolve. No single person here is perfect. That is a fact. We spend so much time being so hard on ourselves, and trying to be "perfect" that we forget to notice how truly fantastic we are. We all have fantastic qualities, and we all bring something to the table that someone else is lacking. It's time we start noticing those things we've worked so hard to get, and the people we've worked so hard to become. Change is inevitable. Many times we change without realizing a single thing is different. Sometimes others notice changes before we notice them ourselves, and maybe they don't like our changes, but usually their lack of approval stems from their own self doubt.

So next time you stop and think, "what am I doing with myself?" The answer is 

Exactly what you should be doing. Making mistakes, learning lessons, messing up, and growing. These are not negatives.. These are the positives. Be you. Whoever that is..be that person. 

You're beautiful. 

The 25 year old view

I felt the need to write today. It has been a while. If I wrote my daily thoughts here, someone would take me to the crazy house, but there are some things that have been weighing on my mind heavily for a month or so...

       I've noticed that the older I get...the easier it is to see where I stand with others. As sad as it is, 10 years ago I never would have guessed I'd have this view... It's difficult to stay at the same level as others when your life has progressed so much faster, and I am definitely not a perfect person, friend, wife, or mother, but I do the best I know how with the cards I've been dealt, and I understand that it's difficult for people to know what you're going through when they've never been down that road, but it's still hard to accept the fact that things are really THAT different. I mean I have friends that are just now getting pregnant, and my sweet boy just turned 5. Last year I celebrated my 5th anniversary, as one of my friends got married. I have a friend going through a divorce. We're all at different places in our lives, and nearly the same age. How do you keep up..how do you stay the way you've always been. It's nice to enjoy things with friends that I went through years ago. It's sometimes difficult though to see how everyone reacts to things now versus when I was there. Age really does change people. At 19 who was really thinking about having a baby? Yeah...neither was I, but I made some different decisions,and God blessed me with the most perfect gift. Lord knows where I would be had he not given me my sweet baby. Yeah there are MANY things that I always say I wish I had done first, but the truth is, when I look back, I have no vision of where I would have gone or what I would have done with myself. This is just where I was meant to be. I have many friends, but my 2 best are my boys...and sometimes it's hard to understand that, but others will get there one day too. When your life changes, you change. When its not all about going out on the weekends or the next trip you can take with the girls, it will be understood. When its more about t-ball games and pizza houses, it will be understoood. When its difficult to leave for 1 day, more or less a whole weekend, it will be understood. When a little human depends on absolutely everything you do, say, and feel, I hope that it will be understood. I'm doing the best that I can even when my heart hurts, and I feel like I've had enough...

<3 Ash

Week 1 results

Okay so I'm a day late in posting my week 1 results, but thankfully my awesome friend Kelle harassed me about it this morning :) 

I will start off by saying I wasn't 100% committed this week. I cheated a couple of times with my good friend carbohydrate, but for the most part I stuck with it and turned down some "devil" foods. Yay a victory! Lol

So.. Drumroll please.........week one I lost 4 lbs!!! I would say that is a pretty good start :)

On the calendar for the upcoming week is lots of tball, football, and my 2nd 5k with some of my favorite gals! I'm ready to get colored again :) and hopefully I will have more recipes to share this week, so be ready for some crazy things that the hubs and I come up with. (By the way the hubby gained a pound this week :( bless him he dropped 40 lbs in 6 months without trying and now that he's trying.. He gained. Maybe he's just trying to make me feel better..hmm..could be!)

Kickin chicken, Hawaii, and harassment

Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last post. I hate to say that I had lost focus for a while on my weight loss journey, but I'm back at it now. I will be requiring myself to make frequent blog posts to share my progress. Knowing that I have a responsibility to share progress encourages me to be more strict. I've designated 1 day a week to be "weigh-in" Wednesday, so if I haven't made a post by Thursday morning please do me a favor and hound me :). I need my friends and family to help me hold myself accountable. I will also be sharing recipes that I've used to help me stay on track. Most of these recipes will be very low carb, and my hope is that I will be able to help someone else that struggles like I do. 

I love my job! With that said, the folks in my department love to EAT! We celebrate and mourn with food. Today is our manager'a 50th birthday, so guess what that means? If you guessed FOOD, you're 100% correct. Snack day at its best, along with an ugly Hawaiian shirt contest to emphasize the theme, Hawaii 5-0! Cute right? The recipe I chose was a low carb one, and unfortunately, I am not one that measures when cooking, but I'm going to do my best to explain in a way that allows you to recreate this delicious snack food. 

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Spirals

Ingredients

1 pack of low carb tortillas (8ct)

1 8oz pack of cream cheese softened

Any blend of shredded cheese (I used Colby jack)

Franks Red Hot Sauce

Pace Picante Salsa

3 precooked chicken breasts

Ranch

Shred chicken and place into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of ranch

Add 2 tablespoons of Red Hot

( taste is the best way to tell if you have enough of each) add more or less accordingly

Place softened cream cheese in separate bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of Franks Red Hot and 1/4 cup of Salsa

Mix well. 

Spread cream cheese mixture on tortilla, add chicken, then sprinkle cheese.

Roll up tight

Repeat for remaining tortillas

Place in refrigerator over night or in the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove and cut into bite size sections.

Super easy and delicious, and they will be a hit!! 

Adjust hot sauce according to your taste buds ;) I like mine a little milder. 

Hope everyone has a happy Monday, and remember to harass me if I haven't made a post by THURSDAY on my Week 1 results!

Change

Change...I think this is the most thrown around word in every person's vocabulary (besides the "L" word of course). We never have enough, need more, wish someone would, and hate it all at the same time. I am guilty myself, of always preaching about change, but running a mouth will not make anything happen. You cannot continue to do the things you've always done, the way you've always done them, and expect different results. I always have these wonderful ideas in my head with no real way to implement them, and if I do try to implement them, I never follow through. My work partner always says, "the only thing constant around here is change." While we complain about things always changing, we demand more changes. 1 truth is that we're human, and we are NEVER satisfied. The 2nd truth is that without change we wouldn't evolve, grow, or learn. 2013 is my year for change. I am forcing changes into my life because I am finally over seeing the same results. I went "crazy" last week and cut up all my credit cards. Yup! Just call me weird. Now THAT is something I can be proud of. Now to evict the many lbs of unwanted fat that have taken up residence in my lower belly, upper arms, thighs, & face. Watch out fat..eviction notice is on its way!!! & change is definitely hap-nin-nin (haha Jess that one is for you!!!)  I'm promising myself changes that will be beneficial to me & my family. When I promise change, I will follow through. I don't have a choice anymore...this is something I HAVE to do.

Side note: My first 5k is on March 30th! I am so excited to be running the Color Run in Nashville with all of my favorite people!!!! yay!

Times Gone By...

     I hate to be the ungrateful one, but I will say that the 1 thing I remember the most about 2012 is heartbreak, pain, sadness, sickness, and brokenness. I'm not sure I've ever been more ready for a year to end a new one to begin.

     You see for all 24 years of my life, there has been this man that I considered a rock, as a constant in my world. He would shower me with kisses, hugs, and more love than anyone could ever image. He would kiss away my boo boos, share stories, laughter, strawberry candies, IBC cream soda, ice cream from the ice cream man, take me shopping, spoil me, let me shoot Mr. Clean bottles with a BB gun, and most of all never judged me as anything other than perfect. He would always think of the little things. He complimented new hair styles, new clothes, and he always noticed if you'd lost a little weight. Although some may have viewed him as stern or harsh ( with his former Marine background), he was nothing but gentle and sweet when it came to his grandbabies. This man always had a smile on his face, and even when he wasn't feeling well, he did all that he could to make everyone feel like it was all going to be okay...and then June happened. June 2012 was when my families worst fears came to life.. My sweet Granddaddy was diagnosed with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm which is a horrible, aggressive cancer. In my eyes, he was handed his death sentence. This horrible disease is a mix between a lymphoma and leukemia with no cure and no answers. We watched him get weaker and sicker as the days went on. In and out of the hospital, but I swear whenever I saw him he always put a smile on. We spent as much time as we could with him, and let him see his great grandchildren as much as the doctors would allow (due to the severely weakened immune system)..needless to say..you all know my story here doesn't end well. On November 28th, around 10:30 in the morning, this man who has always been there for me, was called home. He put up the biggest fight, and he kept fighting until we told him it was okay to let go. I cannot describe to anyone the amount of pain that I felt at that moment and that I still feel today. Without Granddaddy, everything is just a little empty...just a little bit colder..He took a part of my heart with him that day, and I will not be whole until I can be with him again sometime. It hurts. It's hard. Sometimes no matter how hard I try, the tears still spill over the dam I've built throughout the years, but I have a wonderful support system, and though this has been painful for my entire family, we have been there for each other through every tear, every sob, every memory, and every fear. I appreciate them more than my words could ever explain...

2012 has taught me many things..
1. Life is so very short.
2. Do not take 1 thing for granted.
3. You can never say "I love you" too much when you mean it.
4. Make time for your family
5. You always have time for a goodbye kiss or hug
6. Staying angry doesn't solve anything
7. 3's are much worse than the 2's
8. my 3 year old will repeat things especially cuss words.
9. if Friends are real friends, they aren't friends at all, they're family
10. we don't decide our fate
11. You never know until you try.
12. CANCER SUCKS!


Pardon my language, but I would like to give 2012 a swift kick in the ass!

I'm eager to see what journey's 2013 has in store for me. If I made it through the storms of 2012, I know I can make it through any valley or shadow of 2013. Bring it on....just Bring it on.

Emotions

"Roller Coaster"

You control me.

You're a RULER, a DICTATOR,
an ASSHOLE, a RELATOR.

You're a SHOULDER, strong CHEST,
warm BREATH, wet KISS.

TIMID, I peek
you're NEVER there
My walls fall,  BREAKING down,
and you are EVERYWHERE.

YOU taunt me from every CORNER.
I feel TEARS then I LAUGH
I feel ANGRY then SAD
Before I know what's happening
again, I LAUGH.

YOU have this hold
a grip so TIGHT
It's PAINFUL
It HURTS
It ACHES
It BURNS

Just when I think I'm DEAD.

It's COOL
It's REFRESHING
CALMING
HEALING

I shake my HEAD
and once again EVERYTHING
is NORMAL.

You're a RULER, a DICTATOR,
an ASSHOLE, a RELATOR.
 You're a SHOULDER, strong CHEST,
warm BREATH, wet KISS.

I weaken for YOU.


-written by me. Ashley Lanford Berchekas 19 July 2012.

Me vs Me

Hello friends,
     Unfortunately, I'm sad to say that the reason it has been so long since my last blog post is because I fell off of my get healthy train, but as of today I've re-boarded with a new partner. Yep, that's right, my hubby has finally decided to get on the train with me. It means a lot that he's making a life style change with me because it's extremely difficult to keep it up when you're doing it by yourself. I've been searching pinterest high and low for low calorie, low glycemic recipes. I'm trying to bring a variety of foods into our new lifestyle because I know the hubs will get very tired of eating the same things.If any of you have delicious low-cal or low glycemic recipes, please send them our way. (I prefer fairly simple recipes that don't take too long to prep and cook considering the limited amount of time we have for dinner, baths, and bed after work each day)

     I've started taking a Zumba class 1 time a week at my dad's karate studio. It is so much fun!!! It's a really amazing workout without the feeling of it being a work out. I feel like I'm just dancing around having a great time with some amazing girls. My husband takes this opportunity on Wednesdays to do some weight training while watching his wife shake it and sweat to death (sexy huh). As of today, I've started Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, which I have been told has worked wonders for many people. I have high hopes, as I know my worst enemy through all of this is and always will be...ME.

     I've said it before, and I'll say it again..I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. I know I will reach my goal one day, as my assistant manager always says "little by little" we'll get there, and now I have my biggest supporter on my team!!!!! So excited for this journey to begin again...

The first step is always the hardest

Hello friends!
     It's been a short while since my last update, however LOTS has happened since then. My exercising has slowed unfortunately (my own fault) however, I've kicked it back in high gear!!! My eating healthy has continued, I feel I've done pretty well with it. My best friend is getting married next weekend and in 2 weeks time my dress is too big, so today I am taking it to get it altered, and imagine this, it's being taken IN not let OUT! What a sweet victory this is. My work pants are becoming dangerously close to falling off my rear-end through-out the day. Another sweet victory I might add! :)

     On March 10th Bethany and I made  a surprise trip to Auburn to visit Kelle for her birthday!! What a wonderful trip it was. Even though I worked all day and we didn't make it to Auburn until 9:00 that night, we had an amazing time, and the look on Kelle's face when we walked in was worth the entire craziness of the day! So, we had an awesome time with awesome friends, and a much needed mini-vacay away!!!

     Oh and the whole reason for my blog post today was to share my new adventure with you all. Yes, another adventure. I took my first step into my weight-loss journey and my journey to financial freedom and those were the two hardest things I've ever done. Now, to assist in my getting out of debt, I have become an Independent Thirty-One Consultant. I'm just getting started and some days I wonder if I know enough people or if I'll be able to have enough parties to reach my goals, but my faith tells me it will all work out in the end. So here I am, booking parties, saving money, and gettin' healthy. This beautiful life has taught me so much already...and to think...I'm only 23 and a half!!!! Oh what a life this will be to tell my grandkids about someday :)

Sincerely,
The most blessed girl on the planet!!
(well that's how it feels)

Ps.-if your interested in hosting a party, purchasing items, or becoming a consultant like me, you can email me at aberchekas1447@att.net or check out my website www.mythirtyone.com/berchekas

Lesson Learned

Hello Friends,
    I have exciting news! I bought my first weight set today! I went out in search of an economical way to purchase small weights (3lbs, 5lbs). In my most un-favorite store, coughwalmartcough, I discovered a $30 dollar weight set by none other than, Jillian Michaels, whom I love! It included 2-3lbs weights, 2-5lbs weights, and 2 8-lbs weights nestled on a plastic tray for easy storage and transportation. It also included a Jillian Michaels DVD for weight lifting. I have not viewed the DVD, but I have used the 3lb weights, and I must say they are awesome. They're easy to hold onto, and for a beginner like me 3 lbs is perfect.

      Now for the lesson learned...on Sunday I was a very bad girl! The hubby and  I had been working around the house for most of the day. He changed the oil in my car, and we cleaned and packed up old clothes in Nick's room. Lunch time rolls around and neither of us feel like cooking. So, (here's the bad girl part) we drove down to McDonalds (i know you just cringed in your seat). I had a double cheeseburger and some fries. Delicious while it lasted...however I was so sick to my stomach all day yesterday, and even the sight of food made me feel sick. I know that the food wasn't bad because Jon ate the same thing, but after much thought I realized it had been more than 2 weeks since I've eaten fast food. I must admit I used to eat it probably twice a week. (Horrible I know, but I feel better when I let out the truth) So, McDonalds is the devil. You absolutely won't see me in that drive-thru probably EVER again! Lesson Learned.

With Love,
Ash

My reasons to lose weight

These are in no particular order, just a few reasons why I want to lose weight...

1. So I can live a long life.
2. So I can see my son grow up.
3. So I can have another child without complications.
4. So I can look in the mirror and see a strong, beautiful woman.
5. So I can finally feel like my appearance matches my personality.
6. So I can finally stop being embarrassed when people look at me.
7. So I can walk into ANY clothing store and find something that fits.
8. So I can walk into a fast food restaurant and order a burger without getting laughed at.
9. So I can play with my child for more than 10 mins without losing my breath.
10. So I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for life insurance because my health is horrible.
11. So I will change the chain in the family and NOT get diabetes.
12. So I can have a strong heart.
13. So I can stop saying I know how it is when people point out their "kangaroo pouch"
14. So I can stop shopping at the fat girl stores.
15. So I can be another person's inspiration.
16. So I can save my own life and someone else's.
17. So I can say back when I used to be fat.
18. So I can finally be proud of myself.
19. So my husband can have an even more amazingly beautiful wife.
20. So I can prove to myself that I can do ANYTHING that I put my mind to.

This list will probably never be done...and I may continually add to it.
As always, thanks for the love and support.

Love,
Ash <3

1 week in

Dear friends,
     I have completed 1 full week of my new lifestyle, and I am in love with my results. I have lost a total of 3 lbs this week by eating better and exercising. I have a long way to go, but I must tell you I feel great. I've had more healthy meals then I've had non healthy meals. I've started Mad-Abs March, and I have successfully completed days 1, 2, and 3 with no problems. Today, I have on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in MONTHS. I feel I'm losing "inches" more than pounds, and that is totally okay with me. I look forward to my work outs...I never thought I would ever be able to say that honestly, but when I don't work out I feel like I let myself down. There have been many times during a workout where I felt so tired that I didn't think I was going to make it, or every muscle was burning, but I just keep telling myself quitters never win, and I want to WIN this battle with my old self. No pain, No gain. Just thought I would give you all a little update on my progress. After one month goes by..I'll post some before pictures and then at 1 month I'll post current pictures. As always, thank you for your continued support.

With Love,
Ash

Royal Fat Adder

So, yesterday I decided that in order to meet my goals, I'm going to have to start eating healthy. By healthy I mean organic produce, lean meats, and NO I repeat NO quick easy convenient foods! On Wednesday (payday/grocery day) I will be making my first trip ever to Earthfare. If you have any tips or comments about Earthfare, please feel free to share them here. I would like to hear my friends' experiences with the place. I will admit, the thought of organic and healthy terrifies me because I've never lived like this before, so it is all new to me. In celebration of this new way of life, the hubby and I had 1 last terrible eating day. Yesterday, we went to Red Robin for lunch. We had an appetizer with onion rings and cheese sticks, then I ordered my favorite burger, the Royal Red Robin, of course accompanied by bottomless fries, and to finish out the terrible eating day, I had a medium cup of Better Batter ice cream from Maggie Moos (I know terrible is an understatement). Over the past couple of months I've been eating "better" but not great and Eating that Royal-Fat-Adder (Royal Red Robin) made me feel miserable for the bulk of yesterday and the bulk of today. All the starches and sugars made me super exhausted, and that my friends was the proof that I needed that this life-altering decision I have made is the correct one. :)

because it has been a while.

Hello friends,

     It has been quite a while since my last blog post. We've sold our house, bought a new one, gained a new niece, and celebrated our little one's third birthday! However, I decided to start blogging again because I've started a new journey. I call it my "because i'm tired of being fat" journey. I'm on a new path to become healthy. Of course, this also means losing weight. I've promised myself that I'm committed to changing my bad habits to good habits. I know that this road will not be easy, nor will it be short, and because I know that, I need my entire support group to stand beside me (as if I have to say that. You guys are amazing!).

I can be honest by saying that the root to my weight/health issues is ME. I doubt myself and my abilities to do certain things. I try to make myself "feel" better with food and lazy-ness. (Excuse my language) I had to have a heart to heart with myself and basically I said this, "Ashley it's time to get off your lazy ass, put down the snacks, and put your everything into something healthy and productive. It's time that you do something for you. And it's time that you become truly happy with your WHOLE self inside and out." After this pep talk with my inner me, I went out and bought myself an elliptical (with the help of my completely supportive and amazing hubby). I'm self-conscious about the gym and everyone staring, so I figured this was a way I could be comfortable and get healthy. I've downloaded the "my fitness pal" app on my droid. It keeps me accountable for my calorie intake. I have to log all food and drink that I consume for each meal and in between. It pretty much holds me accountable for my food and beverage choices and helps me realize which ones are good choices and which ones I should steer clear of.

The elliptical has been a huge hit. I'm on it at least 4 times a week. At first, I have started slowly 10 mins at a time, but just this week I've been able to make it through a 20 minute pre-set workout, and I am so proud of myself! I never thought that I would post something so personal as my weight on something so public, but I feel this is my way of owning up to the bad choices I have made for so many years. I also feel it will help my friends understand how important this is to me, and help to hold me accountable to reach my goals.

I'll call today the start of my journey, February 25, 2012.

Current weight is 234.5    Pants size 16-18

Short term goal- 1 month from today 224 lbs

Long term goal- February 25, 2013 140 lbs

I know that I can do this. Let the journey begin.

I elect to be unanonymously ANGRY

For those of you that know my family, you all know the struggles that we've been through the past couple of years. The hardest struggle was losing my sweet niece Kylie Brielle Keith. Not only was losing her difficult, but trying to comfort my sister and brother-in-law while they faced the hardest decisions and situations of their lives. They've faced hard times, but they've made it through with faith, hope, and most of all Love. Recently, an anonymous poster posted some extremely hateful, painful, hurtful things on my sisters blog. I think this person is a coward for not owning up to their comments and opinions, I also think this means they are ashamed of what they were saying therefore they couldn't place their name with their words. I think they are insecure about their own lives, in turn placing blame and hate on others to make themselves feel better. I think this person is heartless, because anyone with a heart could never say such painful things. I pray that this person is not a friend of mine, and if they are, I hope I find out soon, because they do not deserve and ounce of my time. My family is my life. How dare you (anonymous poster) say things to stab my sister right in her grieving, suffering heart. Before you judged my sister and the life that she lives, you should remember that you will have a judgment day, I hope you enjoy what you find about yourself on that day.

Sincerely,
The UNanonymous angry sister!

bittersweet victory

     After several hours of sinking in, it is still hard to believe that we (auburn) have finally gained a national title. I feel that those boys deserved every point, every victory, and every championship they gained this football season. I have read and listened to harsh words spoken about my team and its players my entire life, and I knew that even in a season like this those harsh words would never be silenced. It seems to be the name of the game..less about football and more about accusations, jealousy, and down right tactless people making ignorant innuendos about a team and a group of fans. After every victory, I smiled especially after Monday night January 10th 2011, because I knew that no matter what anyone else thought or said or even did, no one could ever take these moments away from me. The passion that I feel about this football team and way of life can never be lessened or taken away by ignorance and jealousy. I couldn't imagine sitting on the edge of the couch with 2 seconds left in the BCS national championship game in a house full of anyone different than my daddy, my momma, and my sister. (the kids and brother in law and of course my hubby are included as well), but those 3 people are the 3 people I know I can always count on to have the exact same passion in Auburn as I do. My daddy made sure that we understood from birth what Auburn was, and I can never thank him enough for instilling those beliefs on me. The first thing I thought of when the ball sailed between the uprights was my dad, and how I couldn't wait to hug him because he has been waiting for this moment for a very long time. We've talked about it and dreamed about it. We've hoped and prayed for it. We always knew we would experience it, but never were quite sure when. His "War Eagles" mean so much. I couldn't have imagined celebrating that victory without him.

So I part with this, before you open your mouth to an Auburn fan with some ridiculous ignorant comment, remember the feeling of winning the BCS national championship game (which shouldn't be a problem considering y'all throw the amount of times you've won in our faces all the time) and know that no matter what you say, we're still national champs. ;) And we couldn't be more proud. WAR DAMN EAGLE <3

No time to spare.

With the fall semester of school coming down to the wire, I have essays and assessments coming out of my ears. I have work to attend to, and on top of everything, we're going to try to get the house listed this weekend!! eek! it's not even clean enough for anyone to come through.. how are we going to have it ready for the Realtor to come on Saturday. Although there are so many things i should be doing other than writing this blog, I thought i owed it to myself to take a few moments of reflection. With the Holiday season in full affair I find myself thinking of miss Kylie Brielle even more so than usual. I miss her unbelievably. I am so thankful for the strong support system I have that includes my family(Mom, dad, sissy, and chris especially), my old friends (Bee, Kelle, C-lo, and Jess especially), and my new group of friends from work (all of you She-She, GiGi, Sara P., Jessie, Tara...and the list goes on) and most of all my husband for putting up with me at my worst and continuing to love and support me all the way through to my best. I wouldn't make it through each day without the love and support of each of you and you have no idea how much it means to me to have you all in my life. Just wanted to say thanks for all that you guys unknowingly do for me on a daily basis. I love you all!

and to Jon...I apologize for being difficult and moody lately. You are amazing to me and I greatly appreciate all that you do for me and our family. You're my rock. Even the strongest of us need someone stronger to lean on sometimes. You're always here. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I want you to know how much I love you day in and day out, and I never want you to feel unappreciated. Thanks babe..for simply being you and for the little things you do. I love you.

Straight from my heart to yours,
Ashley B