Where did Ashley go???

Disclaimer: I had FINALLY taken the time to catch up my blog, well thru New Year's Eve anyway, and went to post the blog and somehow it was all deleted!!!  So, while it was funny and detailed the first time.. I can't make any guarantees the second time around!!!

So yes, I have been MIA.  I thought after all the crazy travel slowed down in September I would take the time to get back into the swing of blogging, well, then the holidays hit!  I've actually missed blogging.  As a lifelong journal keeper, blogging just makes sense to me.  My journals have always been more of "what I'm doing" vs the deep dark secrets and with blogging, I can add in pictures, which are the key to my heart.  So, it's a win win.

How many of you thought I disappeared because we didn't survive Thanksgiving at our house with both families?? Just kidding.  We actually had a great time, even though it was exhausting!!  I don't think I've ever spent so much time in the kitchen in my life.  I probably sat a record for the most times the dishwasher was run in a 4-day period.  All joking aside, the meeting of the fams went way better than we could have imagined.  I look forward to many more years of family-togetherness.  Mom and I even managed to sneak away for some shopping!  We hit up Michael's Thursday evening (which is becoming a tradition for us) I wanted to get the new Cricut II which was on an awesome sale.  I'm not sure I really like it though, could have to do with not having the time to really learn all about it yet though.  Then, we caved and went to Wal-Mart for the sale that started at 10pm and ended up not getting home till about 1am!  We had a blast though and I have to say, the shoppers at the Ooltewah Wal-Mart were 100x more pleasant than the shoppers we usually encounter in WV!  I think it has to be because there's a lot more options for people to go shopping here than in WV so the crowd is a lot more spread out.  Here's some pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend:



My pretty new dining room table all ready for Thanksgiving!  (That's my WVU tree in the corner!)

 

Adam with his turkey!  I was so proud of him for taking on the turkey and it turned out so yummy!!



All 14 of us!

In other exciting news, I become a Scentsy consultant in October!  I have always been business minded and love the idea of one day having my own business, so for now, this is the perfect opportunity for me.  I fell in love with the idea of Scentsy (flameless/wickless/sootless warmers that are safe alternatives to candles) before I even smelled the first sample and signed up to be a consultant.  I've REALLY enjoyed my time as a Scentsy consultant so far even if Adam says I'm spending everything that I make in buying more Scentsy for us!  You can check out my Scentsy website here http://www.ashleykidd.scentsy.us/

I had a booth at a show around Christmas at a church in Ooltewah.  The turn out was way low and I ended up with a lot of inventory because I had ordered extra hoping for a big turnout.  Oh well, live and learn!  Wasn't my display cute though?!

   

 That same evening, Adam and I had to go to his work Christmas party in Cleveland.  (Which is yes where I also work but since I'm a division employee and he's plant, the party was only for plant employees but alas I was his date)  It was semi-awkward for a couple reasons (1) everyone by this point pretty much knows we are together (hello-- it's no surprise it's been over 3 years) but they still were gawking when we walked in.  (2)  We were overdressed.  My theory is better to be overdressed than under!  We weren't even that dressed up!  People were there in jeans!  The party was at a nice museum downtown so I was thinking semi-Cocktail but I guess others just donned their best jeans...  Oh well, we were good looking!



Our pretty tree!  Now I can't remember if it was 9 or 10 feet?  I love seeing trees with all the pretty presents around them.  Too bad Mason ate a lot of my bows!



The weekend before Christmas we headed to Michigan for Adam's brother's wedding.  It was on a Friday so we had to leave right after work Wednesday to get there for the rehearsal and whatnot Thursday.  Somewhere along the way I picked up a cold and didn't feel too hot due to that.  The night of the wedding someone dropped my camera after taking the first pic of us all dressed up so I was cameraless all evening.  I felt naked without a camera on my wrist!  My sweetheart took me to get a new one the next day though!  Here we are at the wedding:

   

Adam was staying in Michigan through Christmas so I flew back to TN to pick up the cats and head to WV to be with my family.  I was super sad to leave Adam!  Hopefully that will be our last Christmas apart.  We had to get a picture of Henderson in his new monkey sweater before I flew back, he is such a big boy!

 

Christmas was different this year.  Of course it was the first Christmas without the Grandpas and that was hard on everyone.  I did enjoy my time with my parents and Grandma, and LOVE getting to play with Abbie - she is changing so much/so fast.  We had a little family drama that I really could do without but I guess it's not the holidays without the drama.  I think that's why I enjoyed Thanksgiving so much, no drama!  

We also had a mini-crisis Christmas night.  Mason accidentally got outside (during some drama nonetheless).  I about had a heart attack/panic attack all in one.  It was so dark and cold out and all I could hear were dogs barking in the distance.  He was probably only out 10 minutes but I was a mess.  I couldn't imagine how we were ever going to find him, plus, he was in uncharted water!  He eventually jumped up on the deck and came strolling over like he was the king of the castle. 

Adam and I came back to TN after Christmas and spent New Year's together.  We had a nice dinner at Outback and then watched the ball drop from the comfort of our couch, surrounded by our furbabies, a perfect start to 2012!

Happy New Year!