I Just Became THAT Girl.

A couple weeks ago I was at a birthday party with my best friend and we were mingling about.  I found ways to weave between the crowd and small talk with new faces.  Have I mentioned that I basically fear small talk?  Yes.  I almost feel as if I do not know how to do it.  A bonding quality that my dear friend and I both share in common is that we are Chatty McChatterson when you get us one-on-one or in a small group, but in a room we become cripplingly shy.  It's funny because since I can portray myself and my voice through writing or phone conversations, people often expect me to be very outgoing when they meet me in person...but I tend to be the typical INFJ. 

Back to this party..so we were walking around when I heard a faint little wimper.   I pushed open the door and found two small sweet dogs in a quiet room.  Of course, I couldn't help myself and had to trespass into someone else's room to go play with these animals.  And it was then I made the comment... "Ashley, sometimes I think I love dogs more than people."  One sentence and I became that girl.  The one who shows up to work with cat hair attached to her clothes as if they were made of solid velcro.  The one who asks her dog questions...and I don't mean rhetorical ones.  The one who cries a bucket of tears while watching rescue stories on the Discovery Channel.  Yes, I'm nuts, people.  Take it or leave it. 

Speechless.

It is very rarely that I am at a loss for words. Today is one of those rarities.  Due to my stuttering and sheer squeals of excitement I am going to leave this blog post pretty empty and just hand you over a sneak preview of three drop-dead gorgeous women I had the privilege of doing a shoot with today. 

The Bucket List Gets Skinnier.

Last night I got to knock one thing off my bucket list- Matthew took me to see Jewel in concert.  She was by far the most entertaining acoustic singer I've ever seen.  She had the audience laughing at her stories and you could have heard a pin drop when she began to strum that guitar.  The audience was entralled. 

On Sunday I get to see my musical crush, Glen Hansard in concert.  I hope my husband will be understanding of my swooning.  I mean, there's no avoiding it. It is going to be splendid.

Now that I've marked those two things off the list...there are a few more items left:

-Go to Iceland.

-Sing a song ALONE on stage (not just hiding in the background, as I've been doing for years.)

-Have twins.  I realize I cannot control this.  But it's on there anyway.

-Take my ASL test that I'm so scared of and become a dignified interpreter.

-Live on a ranch with a creek and own a blue-eyed horse.

-Try eggplant.  It looks like a slug, but something about that purply weirdness is intriguing.

What is on your bucket list?

A Peek of My Latest Obsession...

Growing up my mom always had antiques all over the house and she was just beyond fascinated with them.  Old schools desks, handkerchiefs, wooden armoires.  All I could think of them was that this bed was too creaky and all the people who had blown their nose in this hanky, but to her they were pieces of history that were worth more than treasure.  They had a certain smell she loves and she often would say how she wished they could tell the story of where they had been and what they had seen some hundred years ago.  I admit I mostly thought it strange and at times a bit creepy. 

UNTIL I went into an antique shop myself.  This weekend I don't know what came over me but as we were driving on our way to a shoot I impulsively told Matthew to pull over so we could go meander around an antique shop.  It was love at first smell, touch, & sight.  I stumbled across an old baby carriage and you would've thought my eyes had just spotted a Tiffany's diamond ring loose in a parking lot.  And I got it for $25?!  What!  I also purchased an old piece of luggage for $2.  I already see my love of historical belongings becoming a fast obsession.  We may need to buy a storage unit if I get too out of control... which I totally have a tendency to do.

Without further ado, here is the maternity session I shot for my sister-in-law this weekend with the stroller making a cameo in the background.  Isn't she one beautiful pregnant woman?  I mean, for reals.  We should all be so lucky.

Sometimes, I Just Need to Talk to a Woman.

You know what I mean?  I have discovered a little nugget of truth: Men are fixers.  And some days I don't want my problem fixed, I just want a friend to tell me that I'm understood.  I can be completely ballistic and unrruly and they will sit and listen to what I'm feeling.  Men have a tendency to hear a problem and immediately seek a way to find a solution.  But many problems can't be fixed and having a little comfort along the way is the closest we get to finding a fix.  This isn't just with my husband, it's with my dad, my guys friends, brother, all people male.

I'm convinced this is one of the main reasons us girls have each other.  We provide that system of support.  And even just to have one kindred friend, is a bountiful blessing for me.  I have a friend like that and last time I was in town I snapped some shots of her and Matthew took some pictures of us as well.  We laughed and giggled at how embarrassed we were to be in front of the camera but it was fun.  And I inevitably had 1,294 chigger bites the next day.  But it was totally worth it :)