Preserve Your Precious Memories

It's been an awfully long time since I've updated this blog. I'll eventually write a post about what's been going on in the past year (*gulp*) since I've been on here; but I haven't quite figured out exactly what I want to say yet. One thing, however, that has happened this year is my new business venture.

When I was in either late middle school or early high school, my mother and I went to a Creative Memories party. The two of us worked on make-and-take pages that night. I don't even remember what I did; but my mom brought photos from my baby dedication to scrapbook.

We eventually bought some of the products and started working on full-size scrapbooks. Through the next few years, my mom signed up as a consultant to sell the products. As a teacher, she naturally did very well at the parties in which she taught others about the products and the importance of preserving your memories.

She deactivated as a consultant a few years into it, activated again, and then finally deactivated again for good when I was in college. She stopped working on her scrapbooks for a while, seemingly due to a lack of inspiration. I never stopped, however. I still have several scrapbooks that are unfinished due to my excitement to start a new, more current project. She's scrapbooking again now, though, which I'm so excited about. We have such a wonderful time when we work on our albums together!

When I got married, I, of course, ordered a beautiful album that Evoke Photography put together of the images they took of our wedding. It is absolutely breathtaking and completely different than the photos in pre-arranged sleeves that made up wedding albums years ago. Unfortunately, though, we could only fit the best of the best of the images from the wedding. I wanted to have ALL of the images in a scrapbook so that I would never forget the people, the stories or the memories of the best day of my life.

Of course, that also led to the desire to make scrapbooks of the other events surrounding the wedding:

the fabulous rehearsal dinner that my mother-in-law put together;

all of the events leading up to the wedding, such as bridal showers, asking my bridesmaids to take part in the wedding, registering, etc.;

our engagement photos;

and the honeymoon as well.

That's ... a LOT of scrapbooking. I was more than excited to get started on these projects, though. After much debate, I finally decided to take the plunge and become a consultant myself. With as much passion as I have for preserving my memories in scrapbooks, I felt it was time for me to start representing the company.

If anyone is interested in keeping your memories safe for posterity in this way, I'm available to do in-home parties where hosts receive free products based on sales made at the party. If you're already scrapbooking and use the disjointed accessories you can grab at craft stores, why not look to Creative Memories to help you complete your projects?

I am a firm believer that CM is truly a step up in the scrapbooking market, by providing the highest quality papers, albums and tools to help you complete your projects easily, beautifully and efficiently.

I've been wanting to let everyone know of my new business with Creative Memories for a while, but I haven't really had the time to get the information out there like I wanted. This is a great time, however, to sneak in and grab some items you need. Creative Memories is having a HUGE sale on their albums, paper and other accessories. Check out my consultant website to see what you need to stock up on.

Get your photos out of those shoeboxes, and preserve them in a beautiful way that tells your story the way you want it to be told. And I am always here to help.

Sure. Why Not? :)

Apparently there is some sort of award circling around the blog world.

Mine was awarded to me by the lovely Lindsey Beam. :) Apparently I am now able to pass it along to some other of my blogger friends out there!

Directions for the Cherry on Top award:

1. Answer the question, "If I had the chance to go back and change on thing in my life, would I, and what would it be?"

2. Pick up to 6 people and give them this award.

3. Thank the person who gave the award.

It's really difficult to pick an event that you would go back and change. While I regret a few of the decisions I've made in my life, I know that they all shaped who and where I am today. If it were not for those decisions (wrong or otherwise), I would not love my life the way I do right now.

But I think there's one thing that I look back on my life with regret. It's something that would only have made my life better had I not done what I did. That's the way I treated my college roommate. I have no idea if she reads this or not, but I have regretted the way I left things with her. We had a close friendship, and for one reason or another, I started taking advantage of her as a roommate and didn't treat her very well at all. I said harsh things and I know she has no idea why I appear to have "snapped." There was no excuse for my short fuse, regardless of how crazy my courses were making me. I could have had another very good friend from college, and I burned that bridge. I sincerely regret the way I treated her, and of course with 20/20 hindsight, I have no idea why I even made the choices I did.

Here are my friends who will receive this "award" too!:

Come on - let's get into character.

The Moseley Family

A Multitude of Thoughts

I read a lot more blogs, but a lot of them are business-related, or they don't actually know I read them. :) (Psst ... I'm a lurker.)

So, thank you to Miz Lindsey for awarding me a cupcake with a cherry on top and for helping me to put down in words a regret that I have held bottled up for a while.

Back To the Retail World I Go

Yep. I'm headed back to the land of working crazy hours, never having weekends free, and spending more holiday time with co-workers than with friends and family.

Some things are just necessary when it comes to these economic times, and I know everyone gets that.

While I'm not thrilled about having to work retail again, it is going to be a pretty sweet set up for me.

I'm the new Sales Lead at the Bath & Body Works in Cary Towne Center. I am a keyholder that holds the same general responsibilities as the assistant managers. My focus, however, is on the rest of the staff and making sure that all of our associates are performing well and coaching them in ways they can improve.

This is Country Apple, my favorite fragrance of all time from Bath & Body Works. Too bad they only carry it during semi-annual sales now!

I am very blessed in getting a management role, and I'm excited to start a new store and a new product! I don't think I could work in a store where I didn't love what I was selling.

I will be working for B&BW anywhere from 20-35 hours a week, and that is in addition to my 40-hour a week temping job. Yikes! Anyone want to start a pool on how long it takes Ashley to burn out? ;)

Nah, I'll be fine! It'll be tough work, but the money will be good. And I'm already used to a holiday season where I don't have much free time to go anywhere. I know David is already planning some visits up North to see his family, and I'm glad he'll be able to go, even though I can't.

I will likely start on Monday, October 11. So I'll have one more weekend that's free before ... January?

As I enter this next phase of working two jobs, please be patient with me. I will do my BEST to make time to spend with everyone, because, as you all know, my friends and family are my priority. It might just take a little bit of planning and maneuvering to make it happen seeing as how I could be working up to 75 hours a week. EEK!

Say a prayer (or dozens) for me.

Bringing Families Together - One Trashy TV Show at a Time

There's nothing like a trashy reality TV show to bring families together.


My best friend and I have been addicted to "The Bachelor" for several years now. I think I've watched it a few more seasons than she has. (Side note: I am none too pleased with the upcoming season's bachelor pick of Brad Womack. He had his shot as America's Bachelor several years ago, and he didn't pick anyone! While I admire him for not going through with someone that he felt wasn't right, why would they pick him AGAIN? If it didn't work for him once, who's to say it will work for him the second go 'round? Anyway ... ). She and I decided during the last season of "The Bachelorette" (the alternate show that casts a girl picking between 25 young men) that we would try to get together and watch it. Then my mom found out about it and wanted to get in on it.



My mom and I had watched the last season of "The Bachelorette" while I was living at home before the wedding, and she really liked it. So we decided we were going to do our weekly viewings at my parents' house. And lo and behold, my dad got hooked, too! (Of course, I'm sure it helped that Ali, this past season's bachelorette, was absolutely stunning!)


So there we are, our happy little family gathered in Blue Heaven (my old bedroom transformed into a media room/Dad's office/Duke basketball shrine) watching 25 ridiculous and ridiculously handsome men vie for the affection of America's sweetheart. Of course, the final pick was hard, and we were all torn between Roberto and Chris.


Then came the previews for "Bachelor Pad."





The idea behind the new show is that 20ish jaded men and women from the past seasons of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" will live in the mansion and compete for $250,000 while battling enemies, "frenemies," romances and "power couples." It looked trashy from the get go. But I couldn't NOT watch it. Maybe that makes me lame (no, that definitely makes me lame), but I've watched all of these people on their seasons of the show, and I really want to see it! My dad declared he wouldn't watch it, and Nicole and I kind of just sat there grinning. We all agreed it looked trashy, though.


So the next day, Nicole asks, "Are you going to watch 'Bachelor Pad'?" I said, "Of course." She said, "I kind of want to, too!"


Mom asked me the same question several days later, to which I said the same thing. She said, "I'm kind of curious about it, but it just looks like junk."


The show happend to fall during the time when Nicole was in Thailand for six months helping her brother and sister-in-law as they were having their third child. So I watched the show and kept them on my TiVo, with plans to watch it again when Nicole came home.


We planned our "Bachelor Pad" marathon, and Mom caved and wanted to join us! She said she really just wants to spend the time with us, though. ;)


So there ya go - I know it's way too much to have written about that franchise, but I'm just really excited for our girls' night! Those shows are so much more fun to watch with other people so you can gossip about the cast. "Oh my gosh - did you see how she just threw herself at him?" "She feels giddy around him. I definitely think she's going to pick him!" "Please don't let Kasey sing again!" "For the love of all that his holy, could she please just STOP TALKING!?"


Ah, you gotta love trashy reality TV.


(Except for "Jersey Shore." I'll never stoop that low.)

"Things really will be OK."

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

My job right now isn't the best. I'm not really sure "what I want to be when I grow up," and that is a bit of a mid-young-life crisis. It's also difficult not knowing whether I'm going to be working from one week to the next (the joys of working for a staffing agency). I've had to do some re-thinking on who my true friends are.

Despite all of things that don't seem to be going according to plan, I am finding myself able to be thankful for the blessings that the Lord has given me. I had a wonderful time with my whole family yesterday at a Labor Day cookout. I hadn't seen any of them in months, and it was so refreshing to fellowship with them and eat entirely too much delicious food. :)

I also had the chance to spend a long weekend up in Virginia with my father-in-law getting his new house unpacked and painted. We had such a great time!

My husband and I have had to lean on each other and realize that life isn't always as easy as it's touted to be, as far as jobs are concerned. He's been such a rock while I worry like crazy about my job and future job prospects, or rather, the lack thereof. He's such a blessing as he is so responsible and attune to that husband feeling of wanting to take care of and provide for his family.

It has been really difficult with my best friend being overseas for the past month (she comes home soon!), but thankfully I have so many wonderful friends still here. Life's been tougher recently, and I have had so many opportunities to realize who my real friends are. It's been such a blessing to be able to pour my energies into building better relationships with people who care about me just as much as I care about them.

I feel that going through so much (and am still going through) in the past few months has made me a stronger person. I've taken off rose-colored glasses to make myself a more informed, aware and independent person; and I think that's an important step that I've needed to take. My job issues have been such a constant struggle to know what's coming next. I'm always trying to figure out where I'll be in five years. But the more I think about it and become frustrated, I realize that I don't HAVE to know what's going to happen. I just need to pray about it, take the necessary steps to make myself a marketable candidate and know that the right job will be there at the right time.

My friend Lindsey posted a while ago that she and I were working to clean out the unnecessary garbage from our lives. I believe that Spring Cleaning is done for me! It hurts at times, but I am a much stronger person for it. And I know that my husband, family and friends will be there for me no matter what, and that is such an encouragement.

That passage above has always been one of my favorites. I'm a chronic worrier and such a "fixer." Things have to go my way or I get stressed and feel like I've done something wrong and messed up ... life! It has always been such an encouragement to me whenever I feel overwhelmed by the future that the Lord is going to take care of me. And I can rest in His promise that, as my husband says, "Things really will be OK!"

Little bundles of YUM!

Friday night, I decided David and I were going to try a new recipe. I did some searching at work and found this recipe for "Beef Empanadas." It's a little bit of a mix between cultures — you've got the Mexican ingredients like the corn, salsa, tomatoes, etc., and then the won tons from Asian food.

Those of you who know me, know that I'm an extremely picky eater, who doesn't like vegetables or trying anything new. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf as I lose weight and attempt to eat healthier, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Let me tell you, these bad boys were DELICIOUS!

And they look cool on our won-ton shaped plates, too, don't they?

I was very apprehensive about all of the vegetables in them, since the beef is cooked with onions, and the salsa is loaded with various types of veggies.

The recipe said the prep time was about 10 minutes. HA! Try about 6 times that. It took forever to wrap up those little guys. Plus, I cooked a bit more meat than it called for. It also did not call for cheese. But I figured, throw a bit of freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top, and bon appe'tit!

You should try these, though. They're so good. It's definitely going to be a repeat meal at our house (at least when we have an hour+ time to fix it! ;) ).

What Makes You Happy?

My best friend, Nicole, and I were talking a few weeks ago, and someone from her small group (I think?) suggested everyone make a list of 100 things that they like and make them happy. It could be as random as "the smell of freshly cut grass" or as simple as "fried chicken." I'm sure they probably came up with some really intellectual and deep things. But ... how do I phrase this? I'm intelligent, but I like simple things. I think very simply, and that's probably because I'm such an efficient person.

Anyway! Nicole thought it might be a good idea for me to make my own list! I was kind of going through a slump of "I quit my job, and I'm freaking out," "I don't know if I'm going to have a paycheck from week to week," and "I don't know what I want to do with my life," type things. :)

So I made my list, and it, indeed, made me happy! It was harder than you'd think. Once I hit around #60 or so, it started to get a bit more difficult to think of new things. I know most of you don't care, but I think a few of you might actually read it. (And I'm going to throw some photos in there, just to break up the blah-ness of it.)

1. Chocolate and peanut butter

2. Spending a day scrapbooking

3. Going to movies at the theater (especially with friends)

4. Reading

5. Watching all 5,000 of my television shows

6. Late-night pillow talk

7. UNC basketball games (in the Dean Dome is even better than on TV!)

8. Spending time with my friends

9. Date nights with my husband

10. Eating out at restaurants

11. Back scratches

12. Long, hot bubble baths with candles

13. Yankee Candles and all of the accessories that come with them - the photo is Autumn Leaves, my favorite Fall fragrance!

14. Small dogs - this Pomeranian looks like my friend Casey's dog, Krum

15. All places tropical

16. Road trips and travelling with my husband

17. October 17, 2009

18. Shopping at office supply stores, despite the fact that I never need anything from them

19. The smell of old books

20. Accomplishing things

21. The feeling of my house right after I’ve finished cleaning it

22. Post-It notes and index cards

23. Hugs

24. Seeing my designs in print

25. Waking up next to my husband

26. Worshipping the Lord through singing

27. A little bit of coffee with my sugar

28. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies

29. When my husband feels proud of me

30. Shopping with my girlfriends

31. Alligators and crocodiles – yes, they’re my favorite animals


32. The feeling of putting contacts in or glasses on – that moment when you go from blurry to crystal clear

33. When people take the time to show that they appreciate me and my friendship

34. Handwritten letters – both sending and receiving

35. Diet Coke
36. All things pink

37. Classic novels – Pride & Prejudice, Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Last of the Mohicans, etc.

38. New clothes

39. Photos of wonderful memories

40. New York City

41. Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing you still have 4+ hours to sleep before you have to get up

42. iTunes, iPods, MacBooks, and all things Apple

43. The security of experiencing the mercy and grace of Jesus

44. Finishing a book

45. Seeing my name in print as a Donovan

46. The feeling of beach sand between my toes

47. When my employers think well of me and think I’m doing a job above and beyond what is required

48. Beautiful, stylish stilettos

49. When the elevator reaches the floor I want to go to and the doors open

50. Receiving texts or phone calls from friends to let me know they got to their long-term travel destinations safely

51. A new pack of Crayola crayons or markers


52. Cross stitching

53. Giving gifts to others – especially ones I’ve made

54. Bojangles and On the Border


55. Watching TV or movies with my husband

56. Fast-forwarding through commercials with my TiVo

57. High-definition television

58. Going to baseball games with my husband

59. Bouquets of roses, lilies or tulips

60. Celebrity gossip

61. When people trust me enough to tell me things

62. “Friends”

63. Looking at people’s wedding photos

64. Being hired for an awesome job

65. My candy-apple red car

66. The fair – the food, the rides, ALL of it!


67. Riding in my car with my hair pulled back, the windows down and my music blaring

68. New books and school supplies when I was in high school and college

69. Egyptian history

70. New phones

71. All of my magazines – Glamour, Real Simple, National Geographic, etc.

72. When my husband wears blue

73. Flying

74. Having friends and family over for dinner or parties

75. The smell of my grandparents’ house on Christmas morning

76. Family vacations with my parents, grandparents and my aunts and their families

77. Crossing off things on lists

78. Staying in hotels

79. Watching sunsets

80. Sweaters and coats in the winter

81. When my father-in-law comes to town and we get together with him, my mother- and brother-in-law

82. Northern weddings

83. My parents’ generosity and selflessness to me throughout my lifetime

84. Being on time

85. Chicken fingers!

86. Spending time with my best friend and my other family – especially vacations to Missouri

87. Having someone play with my hair

88. When the workday flies by faster than you thought it would

89. Sleeping in without an alarm

90. Adobe Creative Suite – these programs are amazing



91. Collecting T-shirts from places I’ve been

92. Fixing problems or issues in my relationships

93. Never going to bed angry

94. Rainbows and Sperrys for my feetsies

95. That my maiden name always placed me at the top of any list, since everyone does everything alphabetically (and my married name doesn’t put me too far from the top, either!)

96. Having a degree from such a wonderful school

97. Things that are organized

98. Cuddling up on the couch with a blanket

99. Drinking glass after glass of orange juice

100. Being loved by the most wonderful man in the world

The End of an Era

It's 12:30 a.m. as I'm starting this, and I should be sleeping. Isn't that always how it goes? I've been really tired the past few days, so when David and I got home from dinner tonight, we both just kind of crashed. Of course, I woke up in time for bed time, and now I'm wide awake.

Today was my last day at Yankee Candle. Several people asked me today if it was "bittersweet." I said no. After everything that's happened in the past month or so, things became a little harder to deal with. Yet, now that I'm done, it does feel kind of bittersweet. I also don't think it's really hit me yet.

I think it will hit me on Monday when I'm not headed out to Southpoint. Tomorrow will really just feel like my day off. So it will take a couple of days to sink in, I'm sure.

I'm going to be working for the staffing agency that I worked at throughout the summers in between college semesters, as well as after I graduated. It's going to be a 9-5 job with free weekends. At this point, that speaks volumes. I was getting so frustrated with the crazy schedule. I realized that after having worked at the paper, too, this will be the first "normal" job with normal hours in 3 years! It will be nice to not have to worry about my nights and weekends, knowing I'll have them free.

This is going to be so great for David and me. It has been really difficult having so little time to spend together. We'd see each other maybe once a week for a full evening. Every other night was a snippet of 2 hours before it was time to head to bed. I haven't been able to sleep in or relax on a Saturday morning in bed with my husband since before Christmas. Oh how I can't wait for my Saturdays back.

The "bitter" part of leaving the company is my team. I. absolutely. loved. my. team. My girls were such a joy to work with. We are all so close, and we have such a tight bond. Thankfully, I know that even though I'm not working there anymore, we will all still spend time together! The other assistant manager was leaving anyway, as well, so things were already going to change a lot. But I definitely would say to Casey, Val, Dawn, Juli and Chelsea, that you are the sweetest, most beautiful people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I love you girls so much, and everything that has happened in the store is completely worth it to have had the opportunity to become friends with you girls. I wouldn't change a thing. I love you girls, and I can't WAIT to hang out with all of you again. :)

Juli, Val, Evelyn, me, Casey and Dawn

I guess this post doesn't really have a point. But I'm tired and sleepless, so I'm just kind of getting thoughts out there. I haven't written anything on here in more than a month. Mostly because things have been so bad at work, that it's been all-consuming. And to preserve my professionalism, I didn't want to get into the details of that online. That's reserved for my gab-fests with my girls! :)

I feel like I was able to leave on the best terms possible, and that's really good. I'm very happy with my last day, and I'm also happy I don't have to go back after "my days off."

I'm calling on your prayers for my new job, though! As it is a staffing agency, there is no guarantee of 40 hours a week, unless you're placed in a temp to perm or a permanent position. There is one in the works right now that they're looking at me for as a graphic designer. I'm hoping the company they recommended me to will pick me! It would be so perfect to get back into my career field!

So, yeah ... big changes in the Donovan household! We could not be happier! There is the anxiety that will be caused by uncertainty of hours worked, but we're so excited to be free from so much stress for such little pay and such unwelcome hours!

After all is said and done, though, it is a wonderful product, and of course, I will still be shopping there until I die! haha! :) Gotta have my Yankee Candles!

As I close the book on this job, I'm really excited to see what opportunities the Lord has in store for me now!

That'll learn ya

Yankee Candle typically has polite, friendly and enjoyable customers. Occasionally, however, you'll get those bad apples in the store that you have to suck it up and do your best to make them as happy as possible.

I was working a Sunday shift with Juli last week, and this guy rushes in the store in a flurry of frustration. Juli greeted him, and he blew her off. He came up to the counter and said, "I need to return this."

I, of course, have to take care of this, as associates are not allowed to handle returns. He plops this L'Occitane bag on the counter. (Yes, that is the bath product store next to ours that no one knows how to pronounce.) Frequently customers bring in their returns in all sorts of bags, so I thought nothing of it.

I reach into the bag and pull this box out:

This dialogue ensues:

Me: "Sir, this product is not from this store."

Man (quite angrily): "Yes it is! I bought it HERE!"

Me: "Sir, we do not sell this product. It isn't ours."

Man (very angry now): "NO! I BOUGHT it HERE! I don't WANT it."

Me: "Sir, the gift set is from L'Occitane. They're located next door. This is Yankee Candle."

He looks around quickly, grabs the bag and heads out the door with not another word.

I like it when jerks get put in their place.

Happy birthday to my in-laws!

Tuesday (4/20) was David's father's birthday. Next Tuesday (4/27) is David's mother's birthday.

To celebrate, I'm making dinner for the family on Friday! I'm really excited! It's the first time I've hosted a meal for all of David's family, and it's the first time his brother, Andrew, will see our house!

Here's the meal:

Strawberry spinach salad

Marinated sirloin steaks

Twice-baked potatoes

Stuffed portobello mushrooms

Biscuits

And David's mom wanted to bring the cake, so dessert is taken care of.

I'm super excited about Friday! I've got the day off, so that will give me plenty of time to get prepared and not get stressed! :)