Scorpions STING!

Hey there, to those of you who read my blog :)

This isn't my typical blog, but I just thought I'd share a funny(ish) story with all of you.
A couple nights ago, I was just laying down in bed to go to sleep...when all of a sudden, I feel this sharp pain in the back of my right thigh. I jumped out of bed like a crazy person, turned on the light, nothing was on me...but I had 4 red circles of PAIN where I felt the sting.

So, I thought, "Okay...there is SOMETHING in my bed. Whether it is a spider or a scorpion, I am finding it...NOW. Well, I found it rather quickly as I looked through my sheets. The Arizona Bark Scorpion crawled anything but peacefully across the top of the bed.
"OH MY GOSH!" I exclaimed...I was the only one home...as always, but that meant I had to take care of this scorpion problem all by myself, like the big girl I am. So, what do I do...?

"Oh, a tea cup...." I dumped out the tea and trapped the scorpion inside the cup rather quickly. It drowned in a little of the liquid I left inside the cup, and I flushed it down the toilet.
Normally, if I catch a scorpion, I let it outside...but since the menacing thing stung me, not once but 4 times, I decided to just get rid of it.

After that whole ordeal, I finally could pay attention to my leg. By that time, my entire leg had started going numb. I called my mother, who got me to take Benadryl (sp?) and she also called my dad, a nurse, at work and he asked the doctor in the ER what to do. So I had also taken acetametophen (aleve), as well has had an ice compress where I was bit. I checked my bed for more creatures, and when I found none, I elevated my leg and stayed on the phone with mom for a while, who had to calm me down from an aparent panic attack. My whole body just went limp, That venom is strong. The neurotoxins can really mess you up.

It was hard to fall asleep with the pain and numbness, but I finally did. When I woke up, I felt incredibly weak, and my muscles and joints were extremely sore. I had to work later in the day, and almost called in sick...BUT I didn't. And for those of you who don't know, I ride my bike 6.5 miles to and from work (total: 13miles)...but after the ride to work, on the nice and cool day, I felt a bit refreshed, but still a little icky. I told my boss, and he told me I was awesome...so that made me feel better too. As the work day went on, I forgot all about the sting and ended up having a very FUN TASTIC day. My boss has also seen my artistic abilities with food, especially desserts, and he sometimes has me make the decorations on the plates, as well as plate the desserts and take them out. It is rather enjoyable :)

Anyhow, after getting home, taking a shower, and getting dressed, my grandpa from Oklahoma came and picked me up to go see the rest of the family. I went out to dinner with my brother Kyle, sister in-law (to be) Stacy, Cousins Joe, Lucinda, and their son Kevin. It was quite a good day.

Well, anyway, the moral of the story is: No matter how much life hurts, we have to toughen up and LIVE...because life doesn't wait for any one person. Positivity always makes things better, so get happy ;) and I mean it!!

I still have some body pain, but I think I'll survive. It will probably be gone by the end of the day or by tomorrow.

Have a great day everyone! and SMILE!!!

Smile with a Grateful Heart

I think that sometimes, we fall into this trap where we want to live up to the expectations of others--and if we do not, we feel that we have failed. Sometimes, even we have expectations for ourselves that may be a little bit overboard. It is something that I think every human being deals with at certain times in their lives.
One thing I have learned is that you can't expect to be like anyone other than yourself; and you shouldn't be. We are all individual people with individual talents and dreams. We all have our own ways with dealing with certain situations or with life in general.
It is not good to envy the talents of another person, because what they have, you may never have...but you will always have something just as good, even if it is something very different. God gives us each our own gifts, and we must use those gifts in the way that he has intended. I read in a book that 'he who has only one gift and takes it for granted, wishing he had someone else's gift, shall not be blessed...but he who has one gift and accepts and uses it shall be blessed with many other gifts as he lives his life with a grateful heart.'
Gratitude...it is something that many people do not give. In this world, in these times, the 'self' has such a high importance to most people living today. Gratitude is something 'of the past' that is not given much thought anymore. Gratitude is something special...and when it is given, it shines brightly throughout the world.
Just a simple thank you to someone can make that person smile with their heart, and want to spread that gratitude to other people they may meet. Like laughter, like love--gratitude is contagious...and the more that goes around, the more peace and harmony there exists within us...

With much gratitude to you and others, I leave my thoughts here.

Thank you,

Ashley

Light

Sometimes, I wonder what life would have been like if I had become an artist--like my uncle Tim, or my Cousin Lucy, or my friend Parker...

Would I be the same person I am today, or would I be someone completely different?

I do not know; but all I know is that where I am today is the best possible place that I could ever be; and that God has a plan for me in the here and now, as well as in the future.

I see it as this: He sends us on little journeys or missions to accomplish something--either to better ourselves or to benefit others...or maybe sometimes both.

Every year of my life, it seems as though it's all a little clearer. Things aren't so foggy anymore; and the "why me, why now?" questions begin to subside.

This time around, I feel as though I'm being followed around by a little light of hope and sunshine that warms both my heart and maybe even the hearts I interact with. People are such delicate and fragile creatures. One bad day can turn in to many, and it can seem as though nothing will ever be good again. It can feel this way, especially when our interactions with others become sour or bitter...either us being the sour or bitter one, or the target of sour and bitterness. Either way...

What I want more than anything now, is to just give--at least a little bit of hope--to those I cross paths with in this life. I know that when it was done for me when I was at my worst, it helped me to move on and to keep moving forward. I will always be grateful for the people who shined the brightest light on my troubled and tormented soul as I was growing from adolescence into adulthood. Now, I want to return that light; not only to those who gave it to me, but to the whole world.

Let your light shine on those you come in contact with; no matter who it may be. Just remember that out of all the people you meet and greet, one may really need that little piece of hope today...

Love and Blessings,

Ashley

Bad Day?

Bad days...they happen to all of us. This post does not pertain to me at the moment, but to the people I have interacted with in my most recent days.
I guess maybe it is just that "Finals" are in the air right now, therefore everyone is stressing and cramming to get the grades that they want so badly...projects, papers, exams...they are endless, I know--but what I have come to realize this semester is that, since I worked my absolute hardest in the beginning, my end is fairly un-stressful. Of course, I do know that there are others who have more going on in their lives, and here is what I have for them: Just smile, laugh, stay positive, and just believe that whatever you need to accomplish or want to accomplish, YOU CAN! You are AMAZING! Just look at yourself! :) Look at that amazing person called "YOU" in the mirror, and say, "Dude, Man, Girl, Honey, Mr./Ms./Mrs. AMAZING: You ARE awesome! You CAN succeed. You WILL NOT FAIL." :) Hey, I'm just saying.... :)

Another thing to bring up is that, if you are feeling alone or as if no one else really cares, think again--you are among MILLIONS who are in the same boat, and there are those who think of you often: maybe your family, your friends, your students, your teachers, etc. who look up to you for even just the smallest and least of reasons. Don't fret, and be strong. This is the time for you to really shine and to put your dreams into action! So here I am, giving you this much needed pep talk. YOU CAN DO IT! You just HAVE to believe in yourself and know that anything you desire to become or do in this life is absolutely possible. Just believe that. Trust yourself. I believe in you! Now, GO GET EM TIGER!!!

Best,

Ashley