So I took a personality test online, here is a "trait snapshot" of me...

messy, disorganized, not rule conscious, rebellious, rash, weird, ambivalent about chaos, likes bizarre things, anti-authority, not good at saving money, not a perfectionist, leaves many things unfinished, low self control, strange, desires more attention, romantic daydreamer, abstract, impractical, unproductive, leisurely, likes the unknown

I have to say that not all of those are exactly positive but for the most part it is accurate. I do not really sound like the kind of employee an employer would hire...or the type of student that a seminary would accept. Thank goodness "diversity" and "uniqueness" are good things.

World Water Day

Go here and click
http://www.aquaplastics.org/

my roomie, Deanna


AT LEAST once a day people ask if we are sisters, some even go so far as to ask if we are twins. I mean, we even get stopped in Wal-Mart and the mall!! We don't really see it. We are guessing it is the Irish blood in us. I have gotten to the point that I say yes when people ask b/c it is easier.


me and Karen getting ready to clean...and all decked out in green

This weekend was pretty uneventful. So much so that we volunteered our services to help our friend Jonathan clean his house. Yeah, cleaning!?!??! Obviously that was not my idea. And we went to help him out because he bought this house in November and bless his heart it is like the movie "The Money Pit." I swept up dustpan's full of sawdust and nails...in the kitchen alone!
But it was a nice trade off, he cooked supper for us in return.

Was it just a Howard thing??

Yesterday I went with my roomie, Deanna, to Norfolk, Va. She had a job interview and I had the day off.
So to get to Norfolk you must drive through a 2 to 3 mile long tunnel. I got very excited when Deanna informed me of our imminent adventure...I was all smiles and giggles (imagine that). When we entered the tunnel I immediately rolled down my window, stuck my head out, and screamed at the top of my lungs. When I came back inside the automobile Deanna had a perplexing look on her face and asked me what in the world did I just do. "Are you serious?" was my reply. I thought everyone knew the tunnel rule...which is when passing through a tunnel one must yell, honk the horn, or make as much noise as possible.
She had truly never heard of such nor had she ever taken part. I was shocked! I proceeded to tell her how when we were growing up and traveling with our parents and we encountered a tunnel, my dad would always roll our windows down and we would cram our heads out the window and shout at the top of our lungs....and all the while, my dad would be honking the horn and yelling out his window while my mom would cover her ears and watch nervously from the front seat making sure that we did not fall out the window. Ahhh, good times road tripping with the Howard's in our Pontiac station wagon!
The more I think about the tunnel rule I am realizing that it did not only apply to driving. I remember growing up on Lake Providence and going fishing with my family. There was one tunnel inparticular that you could go through in your boat that went under a road. This tunnel was always a highlight in our fishing experience because everytime we went through it we got to yell and holler and scare away all the fish.
So really, was this just a weirdo Howard thing or did anyone else abide by the tunnel rule when they were growing up? Either way it doesn't matter because I plan to carry on the tradition.

Better than the playground at McDonald's...

Since it is my weekend to work, I am unable to leave campus. I can do anything I want, but I just can't leave . And what does this "campus" look like you ask....well, it is actually quite nice and out in the middle of nowhere on 260 acres of Virginia countryside. It is a conference center so it has a fully equiped kitchen/cafeteria, a library, computer lab, an auditorium to hold over 500 people, numerous classrooms, quads (like a house, but is divided into 4 separate apartments that can hold 4 people in each apartment), dorms, a soccer field, sand volleyball court, a river, a gym (the basketball court kind, not work out) several playgrounds, a barn and silo, a lake, a gazebo by the lake, and a globe shaped water fountain.....and I have access to the golf cart.
So, as you can see I have a lot of room to roam and this weekend has been quite nice. Saturday there were people still on campus but now today (Sunday) they are all gone and I am the only soul on campus...my roomate, Deanna, is on vacation and Jeremy is out with friends from church. It has been a wonderful day! Today I slept in, swang on the swingset, went for a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive in the golf cart, raided the kitchen for some cashews and a Pepsi, made some salsa, listened to just about every Jack Johnson song ever recorded, washed some clothes, walked down to the river, and am seriously contemplating doing pilates via the movie screen in the huge meeting room.
Speaking of Jack Johnson....man, do I like him a lot! Did anyone catch him on SNL last night? He was quite fabulous and on one of his songs G. Love performed with him...it put me in a good mood at 12:45AM! And G. Love......I have a little crush on him......along with Jack, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, and the Maroon 5 guy....actually that list could go on and on. But I think G. Love is the front runner as of last night b/c he was on the harmonica and I am a sucker for that musical instrument for some reason.....except I will say that John Popper from Blues Traveler does NOT do it for me.

Hmmm, I wonder which one of these would make the best match for Ashley???

Let's take a vote....

G. Love

Jack Johnson

John Mayer

Steven Tyler

Adam Levine (Maroon 5)

John Popper....Sorry, nothing personal

Now that I have revamped the website, there is a comments section. So leave a comment or two...you know you want to!

So today is Friday. Normally I would be excited about the weekend but this weekend is an exception because I have to work on Saturday and Sunday from 7am-11pm....yuck. But the plus side is I get Monday and Tuesday off...yippee!
I hate to admit it but I have become hooked on several tv shows. Some of my favorites are Alias (I think every girl secretly desires to be Sidney Bristow), American Idol, Survivor, and The Amazing race. Is it strange that all but one of those shows is a reality show? What is it with reality tv? Why is it so addicting? I mean, the shows themselves are not that outstanding so how come they can suck me in so easily and captivate my interest?
Oh, another show I catch myself scheduling around is Oprah. Seventeen years strong and she still has an ever-growing, faithful following. Now I certainly don't buy into her new-age, many roads to God, remember your spirit theology but the woman really does do and has done some amazing things. Granted, she has the money to do amazing things, but so does Donald Trump and yet I do not hear of him fully supporting orphans in South Africa or building a Boys and Girls Club in Mississippi, or throwing a baby shower for over 600 expectant mothers whose husbands are fighting in Iraq. And besides, her show is the only one on when I get home from work.

So, I changed the color scheme a bit. We will see how long it lasts.

I think it is time to update the look. Expect changes coming soon...not that anyone still reads this or that I even write often......

So what in the world is the deal with the weather in Virginia??? Yestersday it was in the 70's and the sun felt so good on your skin....I even thought to myself that if I were the kind of person who liked to lay out then yesterday would have been a great opportunity. So this moring I woke up to a dark, rainy day. I thought the rain and chilly temperature was enough of a contrast....and then came the SNOW! Yes, that is right, snow. I was sitting at work and looked out the window and saw nothing but white snowflakes being furiously blown about by the wind.

Unfortunately (or maybe luckily), drastic weather changes is about the most excitement I am seeing these days. I think people should come visit me here. I promise to make it worth your while. Oh, my dad had a birthday last week, so that is note-worthy news.

Happy Birthday, daddy!