Update!

So the lump in my breast turned out to be a cyst. Whew! I do not have to get it drained unless it becomes painful, so that is also another major relief! However, on Friday night my car did die in the middle of the road. Yeah, not so great! However, the repair ended up being minor so that's good. I just want this car to last me. I'll have it paid off in June 2010 (a big boost to my credit score...Murad and I are obsessed with our credit...we would like to be homeowners in 2010 or at least looking). When it's paid off I'd like to have at for a few more years until I have to buy a new one which will most likely be an SUV since it'll be close to when we'll have kiddos. It just sucks that it's falling apart after my warranty expired! I think they plan it on purpose.

Well, Monday was my 27th birthday. I wasn't looking forward to it because my weekend just sucked. Murad gave me my birthday present early on Saturday because he had already opened it and watched it (it was the 2nd season of the Boondocks on DVD). I was pretty pissed, but I just smiled and said thanks. Then on Monday I came home and he had gotten me a birthday cake (buttercream...my favorite) and an MP3 player. I had no idea he was going to get that for me. He said, "I always hear you saying how you want an MP3 player to use when you work out, so I saved up and got you one." Money has been tight (or non-existent) in our household, so I was very surprised and appreciative of the gift. Murad is so not romantic, but he when he surprises me like that, I just melt.

At work on Monday, I received some cards and my department head bought donuts for everyone in celebration of my big day. I was pretty excited.

I've just been a funk lately. I worry about things I can't control and about things that are not really that big of a deal. It's just in my nature to worry. My mom and grandmother are worriers. Murad hates that trait in me. I really do not have much to worry about. I have a great life with a great fiance, two great dogs, and a great family, but I just worry so much that something is going to threaten that. I worry about money all the time which amuses my mom because, to quote her, "you're better with money than we are. You are definitely better than your brother is with money." Not hard to beat my brother! I just need to lighten up and pat myself on the back. I just don't know how to do that. Any suggestions?

Well, I need to get off my self-hating behavior. Today was a snow day, or should I say ice day. While I was excited to sleep in and have the day off, I'm not excited to work the Friday before spring break. Ehh! Not exciting. However, I did get a lot done today. Graded papers, did some wedding stuff, folded clothes, did some dishes. It was a good day! I also got to watch lots of TV! There are way too many commercials for Everest College, Remington College and Medvance on TV during the day.

On a sad note, my dad is in the hospital. He has pneumonia and after two rounds of medication, they decided to admit him today. I'm hoping they can clear it up and he can go home soon. I hate that my daddy gets so sick so easily. Ever since his brain tumor was removed in 2002, he's battled with back problems, infections, and other ailments. He is such a trooper. He always keeps a positive attitude, but at 62 years old, he can only take so much. Today, he said "I do not want to go to the hospital. I can't stand f*#!ing hospital food!" That's my dad! Keep him in your prayers!

Historic Moment

What a great time to be an American; am I wrong? I love watching the inauguration. I haven't watched the inauguration since the Clintons (oops) (I loved Fleetwood Mac's performance of "Don't Stop" at the Clinton inauguration), so it was truly exciting to watch it today. Sadly though, some of my students didn't know a lot about the president or the inauguration. "Miss, who is Joe Biden?" "Where are they?" Yeah, the future of America is looking bleak.

It does make me sad though that people aren't more excited about him being in office. Well, I take that back, most people are excited, but some people are just being HATERS! I think no matter what your political beliefs are, you should always respect your commander-in-chief. I think as a Christian you should always pray for your leaders and trust that the Lord is guiding them to do His will. Even though I NEVER agreed with Bush, I still respected him while he was in office and still respect him. (I'm kind of excited that he's moving to Dallas! CELEBRITY!)

Also, I know there are people who think he only got voted because he was black, like this is some kind of popularity poll or something. (hello, electoral college kind of kills that theory). I know there are probably some idiots who only voted for him because he's black and there are some idiots who voted against him because he's black. I know some people voted for him because they were so fed up with Bush and Obama is a Democrat. I know that's not right either. I can honestly say that if Hilary won, Murad and I probably would've voted for McCain (we're fans of Bill, not Hill!). I think most importantly, Obama represents the values of everyman. He champions for all, not just the rich and the poor, but the guy in the middle.

Back to the inauguration....I loved, loved, loved Alicia Key's dress! It was so cute. Form-fitting in all the right places, but still classy enough to wear in front of our nation's leader!

Anyways, that's my two cents on the inauguration!

Well, some exciting and not-so exciting news!
Exciting first:
Murad and I have our rehearsal dinner tasting tomorrow! Woo-hoo! I can't wait to taste the food. We are so lucky that his dad and stepmom are hosting the rehearsal dinner. It will be a fantastic night and a great opportunity for our families to meet in a more intimate setting than the wedding. Murad's family will also meet Abby's family for the first time, so it will be an interesting time all around!
I meet with the photographer on Saturday to go over the pictures we want for the wedding!
My birthday is on Monday! Can you believe that I will be 27 years old? I feel so old! I'm now in the "late twenties" category.
Well the not-so-good news is that at my well-woman exam the doctor found a lump in my breast. I noticed the lump last week, but didn't think anything of it because it was that time of the month. So, when my doctor noticed it, I knew something was up. They're pretty sure it's benign and my mom and my grandma both have a history of cysts in their breasts, so I'm not too worried. Still, I am a little scared. I have to go get a sonogram and mammogram. Not gonna lie. I'm freaked out about the mammogram. It does not sound fun at all!!!!! I just think that thingy is going to hurt. Luckily, Murad is going to go with me. So, keep me in your prayers. Not so much for the results, but for the process. Eek! I shudder just thinking about it.

Something Stolen...

I stole this from katie's professional blog! enjoy!

TAG! You're it!

I'm such a slacker. This was sent to me by Lara! Sorry I'm just now getting to it!

Here are The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. most things in my apartment are covered in dog fur. I often find dog fur on my body in not so great places and wonder how it got there.
2. i love planning all the details of our wedding. it's kind of like my baby. i'm so proud that i'm cheap and crafty enough to make most of the things myself so thatwe could splurge on the location, food and drinks.
3. i use wikipedia as a fact checker. I often dispute pop culture knowledge with phrases like, "well, according to wikipedia," "I read about that on Wikipedia and that is not what happened."
4. i'm pretty country. i say stuff like "fixin" in my lexicon "git" and "go" are synonyms. My mom says, "warshing"
5. i don't like clutter, but i don't know how to get rid of it.
6. i had never been to the east coast until i met my fiance and now i love the east coast!
Tag! You're it!
Elaina, Katie, Jodi, Lynsey, Tish, Amber

I'm Back!

I enjoyed a nice, relaxing break and I so happy it's 2009! A few highlights of December 2008:
Christmas
We had Abby at Christmas this year. It was the first time she had met my little brother and half of my extended family. This year we had a mini-reunion at Christmas and we had a great time. Abby got to ride her first horse (which is odd because she lives in a small-town in Kansas and her grandparents live across the street from some stables) Anyways, we had a lovely time with the family, but I think with our two huge dogs and hyperactive daughter, my parents and brother weren't sad to see us leave.

Lynsey
I got to see Lynsey! Lynsey came back from Denmark for Christmas break! We got together with some other members of LAD for a yummy dinner and Margaritas at Gloria's! My favorite place! It was good times with my old NJWPT/Groggy friend

Some low points of December 2008:
LAD Christmas
getting so enibriated at the LAD Christmas party that I entered a bipolar state. First it was crying over my cousin's death and then laughing hysterically. Murad came to pick me up and I'm pretty sure he was confused. I was crying over Philip, then laughing, then I threw up when I got home and then tried to seduce him. nice

loss of a former student
one of my former students died on christmas day. i taught both her and her older sister and it was during that time that their father died in a car wreck while they were on vacation in Hawaii. it's still hard to believe that this happened to their family again.
car problems
on new year's eve I was found out my car has about $2000 worth work that needs to be done....still trying to figure out that one!

It's a New Year though and I'm trying to focus on the positive! We spent New Year's with Abby here in Dallas. This was a big change from my previous New Year's Eve in which I almost got into a fight! I guess I'm growing up!? Don't answer that! I also had a wonderful shower thrown for me by Amber & Katie in Wichita. It was so great to have the ladies in my life there to celebrate our upcoming marriage. I got tons of great gifts, but most importantly I got to see old friends and family. Katie & Amber really outdid themselves. They made cupcakes with periwinkle icing, favors with periwinkle mints, and chocolate covered pretzels. They also had a hot chocolate bar and other tons of goodies. We played a fun mad lib wedding game. I think I was apalled by the lack of grammar knowledge my friends and family have. We said an inspiring prayer and watched a wonderful slideshow of our engagement pictures. It was the best shower I've attended! My aunt goes, "Ashlea you're the only one in the family whose shower is more than three weeks away from the wedding and you're not pregnant." We are so country. I love my family though!

the wedding is approaching! I finished the invitations and they're going out Tuesday! On Wednesday we are officially two months away from the big day! On Wednesday Murad and I have our tasting for the rehearsal dinner and I meet with the photographer on Saturday. We did get some bad news, not only are Murad's mom and little brother not coming to the wedding, but neither are his aunt and his little cousin. So now, Abby is our only flowergirl. Murad and I both are really bummed. I'm not sure how we'll tell Abby. We also had a little snag with the flowergirl dress for Abby. When we looked at the measurements they didn't match so we had to find a new dress that would fit her. I actually like the new dress better. It already arrived, but I have to send it back because they sent the wrong size.

so you may be asking yourself, what will Ashlea obsess over after this wedding is over? LOTS!
Graduation
Immediately after the wedding Ryan and I graduate. However, we're only going to Ryan's graduation. I already have one master's degree so I don't feel the need to attend this graduation, but this is Ryan's big day!
Redecorating
I want to buy some furniture and refinish it for our apartment. I want to find an armoire for the living room TV, a dresser for Abby and a nightstand for our bedroom. Our apartment kind of has a shabby shic/cottage/vintage feel so I'm looking for things that echo that theme.
prepping
Murad will prep for grad school this summer and next fall. His top two choices are Wichita State University and SMU. Wichita would be ideal because we'd be close to my parents (some may say too close) and we'd be closer to Abby. Right now she really needs us in her life. SMU would also be ideal because we could stay here. He is applying to some other schools too, so we'll see where we end up! I'm excited either way
saving
right now all our extra money goes towards this f--ing wedding, but afterwards it will go towards paying off any lingering wedding debt and saving for a house. We hope to buy in the summer 2010. Even if we don't buy, we'd like to be in a house instead of an apartment. Murad and I are both trying to build our credit (mine is good, but why not get it better) so maybe we won't have to make a down payment, but just have more in savings
honeymooning
we are either taking our honeymoon in August 09 or March 2010 (our one year anniversary) we couldn't afford to go right after our wedding, so we figured that would give us time to save $. We're leaning more towards March so that we can have Abby with us for the whole summer this summer. We have already decided that we are going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! I'm so pumped!

more dogs
we're thinking of getting a little dog to complete our crazy family. i know...we're crazy!

TTC (trying to conceive)
Sorry to get your hopes up, but we won't try to conceive for a while. Murad and I both don't want kids before the age 30, so fall 2011 is the earliest we'll ttc. we love our freedom right now and having a baby would change all that. That means that Abby will be at least 10 years older than her siblings from us. I think it will be good because she will get to be a true big sister to them. Right now she is only three years older than her sister from her mom and they have the more traditional sister relationship.

Well that's an update on my life! Hope you enjoy. I'll try to write more!