So You Want a Say?

I was just told by my Aunt Karen that this site wouldn't allow comments so I have fixed this issue and am more than excited to hear from all of you! :)

Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused :)

Leaving my Friends Behind

So many of these goodbyes are brutal. It's hard to say bye to the people who have been in your life for so long. Not that I won't still be close with them but 9,000 miles does a lot to people. When I put it that way now, it doesn't feel like as much as when it originally did when Mike went out there.

Now it seems conquerable. And in a way I suppose it is.

My best goodbyes so far?
--The ones that don't say goodbye. I've been going out to eat so often with my friends and we have a great conversation and catch up and all of a sudden we go to say goodbye and I get asked "Hey! This was a lot of fun. Can we do it again before you leave?" Funny how that works.
--The ones that pick on me. Theyyyy know who they are. They tell me how much FUN they are going to have this summer. How much they will hang out and everything I am going to miss. They think they are sooooo funny trying to get me all worked up.
--The pictures and love notes. Leaving work has been fun! It's really nice seeing my friendships blossom at Sylvan. There are some wonderful people working there and its a joy to spend time with them. Saying goodbye meant a notebook full of pictures and and love letters about missing each other. I haven't felt so close to my coworkers in quite some time. It's our own family.

Leaving good old Elgin in a week. Let's see what other goodbyes choke me up in the next 7 days.

Military Time?

The title is leading you on. This really won't talk about military time at all. But I think its a good metaphor for what is going on. I am going to get immersed in two cultures fairly soon and I have to learn a lot about how to act and react in both of them.

I decided to prep for my new life a bit lately. I already took a beginner class on Japanese (and really am just waiting for Rosetta Stone). So I decided to read a book called Confessions of a Military Wife. NOT that I am thinking that far ahead but knowing I am quickly going to be joining a new military community and I will need to know what status quo is. Because, quite frankly, if I have learned anything from Mike, it is that I have no idea what is being said, done or accomplished in the Navy. They have their own language, their own types of friends and their own world.

Somehow I am going to have to fit in with both to merge this correctly.

The book mainly focused on deployments. The author was a Marine wife so deployments mean the men battled for their lives often. I guess I find it interesting, because even without that fear being as bad as it is for those wives, I went through a lot of the same coping mechanisms to get through long distance. The way you rely on the right people at the right time. You can't turn to them when you are down, you can't explain the every movement, or every idea you get. You are on your own. You learn to be as independent and dependent as possible.

Maybe this whole long distance thing amped me up for Military life more than I thought.

I have the amazing chance to learn about two cultures at the same time and I want to document them both and all the stories that unfold and the lessons I learn. Because if I want to make this work how its supposed to, I need to learn how to blend into this environment and how to mold into a culture on the other side of the world as well as become a cheerleader on the sidelines for the men supporting the red, white and blue.

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step -Lao Tzu said, and I am ready to make that step even if it involves looking at a new watch.

 ;)

Ready to Go

"Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

I will be on my way to wandering right around the corner. The clock is on a countdown and I leave in 10 days.

I thought I would start a blog to keep everyone up to date with my adventures (and misadventures) while in Japan.

So far, I have things basically under control for going out there. I am 3/4 of the way packed. I am hoping to be 90% packed before I go to work today.

Everyone keeps asking me how long I will be out there and when I will be back. At this point, it is undetermined. It will depend on a lot and I hope to stay as long as I can.

I am excited to travel, to work on my writing, to dive into another culture and begin a new life. I expect to learn a lot and to grow more than I ever expected to. I am excited to get a better look at my relationship and see just what we can and cannot handle. I feel we are handling the whole situation in a very mature fashion and I hope that everything will work out for the best.

I am nervous, of course. I am leaving everything I know behind. It will be a hard transition. Leaving my language, my family, my friends, my culture for a land of unknowns and new beginnings. I am curious how Mike and I will handle being together, how we will handle military life, and what we will decide when we are there.

But mostly, I am ready. I have spent some time considering when to go, what to do, how to act and I just want to start. I am ready to play housewife until I get a job and work on my writing and learn a new language and become a better person. I just need to wait for that plane to take off and take me somewhere far away.

I will miss all of you. I know it already. The hardest part of leaving is leaving everyone behind. I won't have a phone so if you need to contact me you can do so on Facebook, email and AIM.

I will update as much as I can and I am sure I will have plenty to say.
I hope your life keeps sailing smoothly :)

Confession of a Writer- John Read This :)

I want to formally say that John Cotton is the one that named my blog since I couldn't come up with anything that wasn't too long, already used, or boring. Thank you John. It allowed me to not murder the internet. :)

A Whole New World

In a few short weeks I will be making the biggest venture of my life. So many questions to answer, choices to make, fears to conquer and joys to appreciate.

I get to fall in love all over again and I get to feel a relationship grow. I get to go through the firsts and encourage happiness to envelop us. I get to figure us out and find out even more. I get to experience the love that has been on hold, waiting so patiently, for us to take it and teach it how to soar.

I will become part of a new culture, a new beginning and a new world. I will need to get used to the gestures, the dialogue, the food. I need to focus on the ability to adapt that we all have and strengthened it. I look forward to every moment and everything I learn. I will carry a notebook around like its my job and I will write all of my struggles, and accomplishments, and new ideas down so that this learning experience won't just be mine, but ours.

I am excited about the military aspects of my new life. I have skimmed the surface of it but haven't had to dive too deep. I am thrilled for the highs and lows of a relationship that will be mine again. There is so much to learn, so much to plan, so much to accomplish and at this point I have 3 short months. But we will come on top--with a plan, with an action, with a dream.

I will focus on being a better Ashley, not a different Ashley but a stronger Ashley. I want to take this opportunity to make my eyes open a little wider, learn a little more and understand a little stronger. I know that there is plenty that I will need to fix and more that I will need to relax on and this just might be the spark to my continued growth. Maybe I will learn to roll with the punches a little smoother and be all the more comfortable in my skin.

I will write as much as I can.

I will live a completely different lifestyle. Full of applying for jobs, working out, learning to cook different foods and playing housewife.  Living life as daily as I can and accomplishing the little things in life that I tend to put off for the greater good.


This life, that I will start in only a matter of weeks, will be life changing, on so many levels I don't know where to begin and I don't have to. As it starts, I know it will be amazing and I look forward to everything that is in store.

I can't wait for the adventure of my life to begin.

I know beyond a shadow of doubt

I'm never alone.
He's right here, don't you see?
He's got this little jump in his step
Every time I hop with glee.

And don't think he isn't there for me,
He never leaves my side.
You may not always see him,
But he's here for the long ride.

He's a force to be reckoned with,
He has that affect, you see
He's easily taken for granted
But of course, not by me.

I see a man who keeps me grounded
When my head is up in space.
And I always sense his presence
Even if it's a bit of a chase.

As the night begins to rise,
Tall, dark and handsome becomes he.
The mesmerizing colors swoon,
And he's always walking hand-in-hand with me.