Photo a Day in November #15

15.  In My Bag

I saw these at World Market when we were in KC over the summer, and I was DYING to have them. When we were back again in October, I hinted to Zach that these would make a great stocking stuffer. ;) Well, he said maybe he had planned to get some for me, but since i ruined the surprise, I might as well as get them then. So I did. :) I've been waiting to share a photo for an 

appropriate time because I think this catchphrase--"KEEP CALM and CARRY ON"--seems so appropriate for blowing your nose while sick or drying your eyes while crying.

I haven't used as many of them as I have shared them with others. One of my precious students came to see me this week and spilled her heartbreak and her tears in my office. When I handed her one of these tissues from my purse, she paused crying for a second and say, "Awww, these are cute." At that moment I realized that, as a teacher, not only do I deal with students' poor and fabricated excuses, but more often, I share their joys and their sorrows and their shame they feel when they have failed--shame they shouldn't feel at all, bless their hearts, because we all fall down from time to time, especially when it comes to handling things out of our control. I am thankful I got to offer a little comfort to this student and, hopefully, help her see that there is a light at the tunnel, so we need to keep calm and carry on.

Be Grateful #7

We were at this concert last night, which is why I didn't get to post.  I'm just giddy over the panorama option on my new (Zach's old) iPhone!

1)  I'm so thankful Zach and I got to travel to Tulsa and Kansas City this weekend.  I'm thankful we got to go to the zoo, see some friends, eat some good food, and hear Florence + the Machine live!  I also have to say I'm thankful that we got our hotel room for free by joining a rewards program that awarded 80,000 points upon enrollment AND that we got upgraded for being a member of said rewards program AND our hotel only cost 20,000 points...so we can get more free hotel stays when we travel again.  :)

2)  I'm thankful Zach (or was it Terry and Adriane?) introduced me to World Market.  I love that place.  I would die if we had one.  I just wish they hadn't gotten rid of Crunchies.

3)  I'm thankful we will be halfway through the semester next week!  Next week, one class is taking their midterm; this week, another class is workshopping papers, turning them in next Tuesday, and beginning the new unit, which is my FAVORITE; after next Thursday, I'll be done at Phoenix.  :)

4)  I'm thankful for my two students who were sincerely disappointed when they found out I was teaching Composition II in the spring because they wanted to take me again.

5)  I'm thankful for places that offer sweet tea.  Mixing sugar into iced tea is not the same, and non-sugar sweeteners are GROSS.

6)  I'm thankful to have a home to which I can come home.  (Can you tell I've been teaching grammar for three hours this evening?  Woof.)

7)  I'm thankful it's the holiday (and candy!) season!  We have to get some candy corn M&M's; I tried them tonight, and they taste like cake batter!!

8)  I'm thankful for new episodes of shows on Netflix.  Time to catch up on Parks & Rec...

Photo a Day in September #30

30.  Sign

As I said in the last post, we are out of town this weekend.  This evening, we got into Kansas City.  We're here to hear Florence + the Machine tomorrow night at the Starlight Theatre.  I slept in, which meant we got a late start this morning/early afternoon.  Everything was pretty much closed down in KC when we got to the Plaza, so we had dinner at Noodles & Co. and headed to the hotel.

I'm glad we did because look at it!

Zach signed up to some sort of rewards program, and he got 80,000 points for signing up.  Well, depending on where you stay, that number of points can equal a few nights' stay.  :)  We are at a Holiday Inn Express, and when we arrived to check in, they notified us they had upgraded us for being a rewards member.  (They also gave us free water bottles and chocolate.)  This room is HUGE and especially nice for a Holiday Inn.  :)  I LOVE having a king-sized bed!!

Well, I did it.  I slipped up a few times when it came to posting on the correct day, and I think all of those happened this past week.  *lol*  Oh, well, I still did it.  It was fun this time around, as it was in July.  Maybe I'll do this again in November?  Stay tuned...

Photo a Day in September #29

29.  Animal

 the only elephant we saw up close

(Somehow, we missed the elephants when we were walking around.  Zach and I saw them on our train ride.)

 tour-twa-ziz

(Tortoises pronounced the French way.)

 the striped donkeys

 This giraffe was a total CREEP.  He was 20 and chasing three- and five-year-olds (giraffes, that is).

 Ah, this picture doesn't capture the ugly gray flamingo.  but do you see the injured one?  He was FED UP with his bandages...

 Sea animals?

 Of course, I had to photograph some birds...

This bird looks fake. Like out-of-a-Yeats'-philosophical-poem fake.

 Even amphibians need their beauty sleep.  (Who knew?  I didn't.  Amphibians are beautiful.  ;)

I tried to post this last night, but I couldn't get my Photo Stream to load my photos.  We are out of town this weekend (Tulsa, then Kansas City), and we were staying at a friend's house, so I was on her Internet.  Zach had already fallen asleep, so I had no one to figure out what was going on with my Photo Stream.  So I surrendered and went to sleep.  :(

We came down (well, over) to Tulsa Saturday afternoon, had lunch at Wendy's, and met Sheena and Dallas at the zoo.  Zach found some LivingSocial vouchers for the zoo back in May, and we tried to use them when we were over in June.  However, we ran out of time, so we planned to come back in the fall to use them.  This was seriously the only time we could go this fall.

It was an enjoyable afternoon.  We saw lots of cool animals, including a family of monkeys in which the tiniest one was swinging on his "mommy's" tail and catching her poop!  Zach captured the poop moment on video, but narrowly missed the swinging one.  Sheena and Dallas had to leave earlier (for separate obligations), but Zach and I stayed and rode the train around the zoo.

On our way out, it started to pour.  Sheena had a family dinner, so we were going to go back to her house, so I could work on some class stuff (grading and planning) and Zach could work on some insurance stuff with his scooter.  But I was already hungry, so we headed to Andolini's for pizza instead.  They have AMAZING pizza:

 We did pineapple and red onion this time.  My husband LOVES pineapple pizza.

I was freezing in the restaurant.  I made Zach give me his jacket, which he offered on our first date.  :)

(We hadn't received our food yet, and I was ready to jump over the sneeze guard to where they were tossing pizza crust to steal some garlic knots!)

After dinner, we went back to Sheena's, and I attempted to grade a few outlines before I gave in to girl talk.  Then Dallas came over, and we watched The Five-Year Engagement, which had some dark moments but ended well.  Zach didn't watch much of the movie because his TMJ was bothering him:

 He finally woke up after falling asleep and caught the last third of the movie.  All in all, it was a good trip to Tulsa!

Be Grateful #6

yummy white chocolate cream brûlée at Greenhouse Grill before Noises Off

1)  I am thankful it's week six of the semester.  Only ten to go until finals (I believe ;)!  I do enjoy my classes (teaching and students), but as this is only my second semester to teach, it's still rough at times.  Speaking of that, I'm relieved that the quality for my Phoenix class this time around is much higher.
2)  I am happy that we bought a Theatre Squared subscription so we can go to hilarious plays every other month.  Noises Off made my weekend.
3)  I am grateful for the encouragement I find in the Quaker meeting we attend.  We don't get to go as often as we like, but when we do, we are never disappointed in meeting with Friends and with God.
4)  I feel appreciated by my workplace this week.  They honored us part-time folks last Friday with a video and a certificate.  :)
5)  I am so proud of my husband, who was one of two people from our division accepted to an advanced leadership training program.  He's going to keep doing great things!
6)  I am pleased that husby and I got to celebrate our anniversary (third wedding/fourth together) with a low-key celebration.  It was so sweet!
7)  I am ready for the weekend:  Vietnamese home cooking in our home, zoo times in Tulsa, and Florence + the Machine in Kansas City!

"I'm gonna move to Kansas City...where the skies are so blue..."

Well, after such a serious post this morning, I wanted to post something more fun.  Last weekend, Zach and I took a weekend trip to Kansas City, which is one of our favorite places to visit.  In February, the B&B where we got engaged hosted a sweetheart story contest, and we were a runner-up!  We were awarded a $50 gift certificate and decided to use it once I had recovered from my surgery to takedown my colostomy.

Onward to the pictures!

 ready for our next adventure

 Birch beer is like a minty soda.  I always order it at Blanc.  :)

 enjoying the delicious onion rings at Blanc

We saw this store, which reminded us of Portlandia.  Zach had to take a picture of me next to it since my maiden name is "Byrd."  :)

 inside O'Dowd's Pub

They have fixtures from Ireland; visiting here always makes me miss the Emerald Isle...

 Southmoreland on the Plaza

like a picture postcard :)

 

They were building this patio when we were here three years ago.

 mini Southmoreland for the kitties

 We spent a lot of time in the solarium.  Through the doors is the dining room where we had breakfast.  :)

They serve yummy hors d'oeuvres every afternoon and cookies every evening.  We also get mint chocolate on our pillows!

 

This little guy announced the menu and the weather.  :)

 We stayed in this room this time.  Zach said he was "The Colonel."  *lol*

We NEED a bed this big!

fresh flowers in our room

 I think coneflowers are just so summery.

 Another reason why we waited to go in June was the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.  We caught A Midsummer Night's Dream but missed Antony and Cleopatra.

one of the Plaza's famous fountains

 Breakfast from our first morning included lemon yogurt bread, plum crisp...

 ...shirred eggs with red pepper, basil, and sausage, and a stuffed spud!

 Zach checks out my new computer; we purchased it at The Apple Store on the Plaza.  I've yet to name it!

 Arthur Bryant's, the BEST KC BBQ

 Of course, we hit up World Market where we scored some orange KitKats and HobNobs.  I loved the Queen's Diamond Jubilee items!

gorgeous hydrangeas at Trader Joe's

 

Zach checks out the fish pond.

 

 me next to the tiny fish pond

 Breakfast our second morning included lemon poppyseed bread, mango-lime puree with berries...

 ...carrot cake waffles with maple cream and spicy sausage.  I was in love with this meal!  We found the mango-lime puree recipe on their blog, so we will have to try it at home soon.  I strongly hinted to Zach that their cookbook would make an awesome Christmas present.  *wink wink*

 This kitty was so persistent; he wanted to come inside sooo badly!

 Zach bids Southmoreland and its kitties farewell.

A couple of newlyweds said they had spent a long time the night before trying to make friends with the kitties.  I explained that Zach is a truly a cat person.  The bride said they probably sensed she has a dog personality.  *lol*

We had a wonderful time in KC, and it was so hard to come home.  BUT we are going back in October to see Florence + the Machine.

Where do you go for weekend getaways?

The ABC's of Ashley

I saw this on another blog, so I thought I would share the ABC's of me!

a picture from our recent trip to KC

Animal:  some kind of bird (my maiden name is Byrd)
Book:  The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue (I reread it at least once a year!)
Color:  green and mustard yellow (lately), red (all-time)
Diet:  lots of grains, a little meat, more fruits and veggies, too many sweets
Exercise:  walking around the house
Food:  ice cream and pie
God:  saved my life through the power of prayer in December
Height:  5 feet and 7.5 inches
Indulgence:  trashy TV, white chocolate, Cheez-It's
Job:  Student Success Assistant and English Instructor
Kindred Spirit:  haven't met this person yet...
Love:  my husband Zach
Marriage:  September 19, 2009--the one year anniversary of when we met
Number:  24
Off-spring:  our two kitties ;)
Parent:  one in heaven, one on earth
Quirks:  sorting bath towels by color, drawing out the sound my mouth makes when I yawn, having a country accent when I talk to my family and having a Chicagoan accent when I get excited, hating the words "belly" and "belch"  *ewww*  (The last is especially bothersome because I have a digestive disease.)
Restaurant:  Flying Fish
Style: British post-colonial (house) and scholastic/collegiate (fashion)--I LOVE cardigans
Tunes: Kings of Leon, Patsy Cline, Kings of Convenience, Delta Spirit, The Decemberists
Uplifts: writing, cooking, spending time with my husby, traveling
Vacation: weekend trips to KC, study abroad trip in the British Isles, the trip we are planning to return to the UK next summer
Weight: 125ish (I've gained a lot back since I got sick last fall.)
X-factor: my silliness, my loyalty, my straight teeth and super long legs *ZING!*
Years:  a few months into my 28th...
Zodiac: Taurus

Entertaining at The Owlery

Well, I sorta already showed my dining "room" on the SUYL--Kitchens from Kelly's Korner, but I will go ahead and share it again!  A few of those who viewed my pictures commented on my teapot collection, so I will share a bit more about that.  We actually just had a friend from work over with her boyfriend and son.  My kitchen area turned into a disaster:

BUT I think that is a sign that it was a successful meal!  (This picture was taken after they left, and I started cleaning up.)  Some of my favorite things to cook include chicken pot pie with lots of veggies; cobbler; French toast; roast beef; red, white, and black bean chili; and Cadbury chip brown sugar cookies.  For this dinner, I made baked chicken with McClard's seasoning, mashed potatoes from scratch, green beans with thyme, buttery corn, homemade cheddar bay biscuits (like the ones at Red Lobster!), and Nutella cookies with peanut butter.  Enjoy another look around the heart of our home!

This is how our kitchen usually looks.  This is looking into our dining "room" from the kitchen.

 looking into our dining area from the living room

 Our table is an antique Duncan Phyfe dining table!  A couple from Zach's parents' church gave it to us when we got married because they were switching from two residences to one. It needs to be refinished, but it is just beautiful.  It seats six, but we keep one chair in our bedroom for sitting.  I love imagining all of the different meals shared at this table and all of the different people who have sat down at it.  Zach's Momo made the lace tablecloth several years ago and gave it to me for my birthday.  The vase in center was made by Zach's mom who is very into pottery.  All of the birdy items were gifts from my birthday week that Zach's mom organized this year since I was recovering from surgery during that time, and the ironwork napkin holder was a wedding gift (I don't remember from whom.)  The rug, which you really can't see, was purchased with wedding gift money.  And I'm a new seamstress!  Zach got me this sewing machine for Christmas last year!

 the original needlework on the dining chairs

We wish we had the money to restore them to their former glory, but we can't right now.  We are planning to cover them with some fabric to protect the needlework and better match our decor at some point.

 I keep cookbooks, photo albums, yearbooks, photo boxes, picture frames, and scrapbook clutter on this shelf.  It needs to be better organized.  (That is one of my goals for this coming month!)  Our Willow Tree collection that we received from my mama, Grandma Byrd, and aunts on my dad's side are on top of the shelf along with a decanter that has been in my family forever.  The Alice in Wonderland bag was a birthday gift from my friend Katie; I used it in grad school, but now it holds fabric scraps.

 This china cabinet belonged to one of Zach's great aunts and was given to us by his parents to use since they weren't using it.  It holds my teapot collection, including our Alice in Wonderland collection.  (More on that in a second!)  The horse paintings were Zach's uncle's; he passed away before I met Zach.  :(  On top are some plants from my mom, a set of candleholders that were left in our first apartment, and the tiered serving dish that was a wedding gift from some ladies at Zach's parents' church.  Our kitties sleep on the ottoman to the right; we store coupons in the basket.

Oh, and our chandelier can be dimmed, so we have MOOD lighting!  But it makes for very bad lighting for pictures.  *lol*

This is a somewhat better look at my teapots.

 The top row has my Alice in Wonderland teapot (in the center) that Zach got me for Christmas when we were dating.  (It was the only Christmas we celebrated while dating because we got married exactly a year after we met on September 19!)  What is funny is that I got him a voucher for high tea at the Intercontinental on the Plaza when we were going to KC after New Year's (along with the dark blue tea cup you will see on the back of the second shelf--great minds think alike! :).  For my 24th birthday following that Christmas, he gave me several of the Alice pieces (plates and cups) during my birthday week, and his parents gave us the creamer pitcher the next Christmas.  My mama kept getting forgetting what fairy tale was behind our fairy tale...and gave me the Cinderella snow globe for Christmas after we were married.  *lol*  There's also a small white toy tea set I had when I was a little girl; I used it for my Samantha doll.

Left to right:  The rose teacup and saucer came from my best friend Monica (it was her Nan's; Nan passed away last year, and I loved her like a grandma, too); Zach's blue cup from our first Christmas together was mentioned above; this red housewarming teapot is from Brian and Whitney (they were our primary matchmakers); the burgundy and tan teapot that stacks on its cup was a birthday present from my roommate Rose; the Union Jack teapot was one of my souvenirs from my study abroad trip; the book teapot was a birthday gift from my sister-in-law; and the Japanese cup was bought on one of my many LR trips to Whole Foods.

Left to right:  The pastel polka doted teapot and cup was found at a flea market by my SIL; the plate commemorating Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding was a gift from my in-laws for my 26th birthday last year (my mother-in-law's best friend Fiona is Scottish and picked it up while she was visiting her family); the purple flowered teapot was a housewarming gift from my friend Katie when Monica and I got our apartment during grad school; and the simple flowered teapot was Zach's when he went away to college.

And there you have it!  Want to come over for a hot cuppa?