March

at 03/01/13 12:55PM
Well, it's been a while, so I thought I would do a quick update.

Not much new going on here. I'm staying busy with almost 40 students. I'm so thankful that God has blessed my business!

I am the secretary for the local Center for the Arts this year. We have already had a membership drive and will be having a benefit for our local animal shelter tomorrow.

It's supposed to be a very cold and somewhat snowy weekend. Actually, it's spitting flurries right now! March coming in like a lion, I guess.

Chris and I are planning to do The Color Run in Nashville on March 30. I'm excited and just hope to finish without having to stop much.

I had my first experience giving a violin lesson via Skype today. I gave a lesson to Rosie Buchanan in South Africa. She took lessons from me for several years before they moved, so at least it wasn't starting lessons from scratch. I was surprised at how well the sound of the violin carried over webcam.

Let me know what's new in your life :)
  • crazy_mama
    New in my life...I'm pregnant with baby #5!! Good to see you on here again!
    by crazy_mama at 03/01/13 8:44PM
  • jenniferlyn
    The skype lesson sounds really cool! How fun :) New here, we had our second boy right after Christmas, so I spend most of my time with them :) I am traveling to Alabama in a little less than a month for a friend's wedding, so it should be an interesting trip with the whole family!
    by jenniferlyn at 03/02/13 10:24AM
  • engelishgentleman
    40 students? WOW! That's pretty neat.

    Also: violin lessons via Skype = boocoos cool.
    by engelishgentleman at 03/02/13 6:56PM
  • ekholl
    40 students is awesome! Must mean u are a pretty good teacher :)
    by ekholl at 03/06/13 12:50PM
  • ekholl
    I've hated to drive since I was young. My mom had to force me to get a license when I turned 16 while all of my other friends couldn't wait to be able to drive :)
    by ekholl at 05/16/13 2:44PM

August

at 08/15/12 3:36PM
Wow, I can't believe August is halfway through! It's about time I updated again.

We are really enjoying our new house and are so thankful to God for blessing us with it. We have even been able to have some visitors in the last few months including people from South Africa, Washington state, and North Carolina. I am so happy to have a place where visitors can come and have their own room to stay with us.

My music studio is back in full swing with 31 students on the roster and a possible two or three more who are thinking of coming in. Pretty soon, I will be completely full, which is a great feeling.

We enjoyed watching the Olympics and I am just in awe of what they can do! We were joking that they should put a regular person competing next to them for reference :)

We also have started running again and plan to do another 5K in October. I am hoping to work my time up to a 30 minute 5K which would be 8 minutes faster than my last time.

I'm sad to see my friends, the Buchanans move to South Africa this coming week, but I am also very glad that they are getting to go do the Lord's work there. If you think of it, please pray for them from time to time. They will be greatly missed here.

I hope everyone is well! What has been going on in your part of the world?

Ashley
  • engelishgentleman
    School starts on Monday! That's what's happening for me. :)
    by engelishgentleman at 08/15/12 4:24PM
  • granny
    Ashley, I will look for you at lectures! Keep my photo in mind :)
    I'm enjoying your friends, the Buchanans!
    by granny at 09/20/12 10:53AM

Been a while

at 02/22/12 6:14AM
Hello all,

It's been a couple of months since I posted, so here we go.

We had a great holiday season with family and friends and were glad to see 2012. 2011 had a few rough patches, but was still a good year.

The best part of this year so far is...we bought a house!!! We closed on February 9 and moved in on the 10th. We absolutely love it! We are in the city now, but it is a very quiet neighborhood. It has a perfect room for my music studio that can be entered from the side of the house without anyone having to walk through the main house to get there. I have 28 students right now and am enjoying teaching. So thankful to God for these blessings.

Chris is doing well and likes his job a lot. He actually sold a security system to someone this week, so he was excited about that. He also had a birthday the day after we moved into the house, so that was a good gift, huh?

Well, just wanted to check in and see who is still around. Hope all are well!

Ashley
  • the_rainy_dog
    Congrats on the house! That is really cool how that's played out for y'all. Hope year 2012 is less bumpy. :)
    by the_rainy_dog at 02/22/12 6:44AM
  • engelishgentleman
    Cool stuff! Glad to hear things are going all right.
    by engelishgentleman at 02/22/12 8:01AM
  • rebekah
    yay!!! congrats!!!
    by rebekah at 02/22/12 1:59PM
  • jenniferlyn
    Still here :) Congrats on the house! I know what an ordeal that can be, having bought one myself 2 years ago. So glad that's over! :)
    by jenniferlyn at 02/22/12 4:17PM
  • ekholl
    New houses are fun! :)
    by ekholl at 02/23/12 11:24AM
  • momster
    Congrats on the new house Ashley....enjoy 2012!
    by momster at 02/25/12 6:24AM
  • minnie
    Wow! That sounds great! I'm so glad things are going well for you all :) James 1:17
    by minnie at 02/25/12 10:55AM
  • laurar209
    How exciting! Congratulations, new homeowners! :)
    by laurar209 at 02/28/12 11:53AM
  • kiss_the_rain
    I'm,so happy for you, that's wonderful!!
    by kiss_the_rain at 03/30/12 11:39PM
  • the_rainy_dog
    Thank-you, Ashley for the vote of confidence! :D
    by the_rainy_dog at 07/25/12 9:26PM

December!

at 12/01/11 9:44AM
Well, the first of December is here and I am glad. I love this time of year...Christmas music and decorations, family time, and sometimes we get snow here (which I like as long as it doesn't accumulate much) :)

Teaching is going well. I have 22 students and am hoping to get a few more at the start of the year. I also teaching the four year old bible class through the end of December, and that is much fun.

Chris and I have started running together and we are enjoying getting to spend more time together and staying healthy, too. We ran a 5K in October to benefit St. Jude's and Vanderbilt Children's and we are running another this month, too. Then, we will take a break from racing until March or April most likely.

I hope you all have a great holiday season!

Ashley
  • engelishgentleman
    Good stuff! Feels strange how it's December already!
    by engelishgentleman at 12/01/11 4:49PM
  • celticgirl1787
    Merry Christmas!
    by celticgirl1787 at 12/03/11 4:10AM
  • rebekah
    Thanks!! =) It was fun catching up last fall (summer??) Same goes for you coming up here, too, you know. There is a woman here in BG who is planning to have her baby at the Farm in February. I wish I liked driving that much! We could have lunch dates once a month. :-D
    by rebekah at 01/27/12 8:14PM

The Unfortunate Grape

at 09/09/11 10:42AM
My newest children's book is now available at lulu.com. Just search for The Unfortunate Grape and it should come up. Plus, the store is offering 20% off any order if you order through today using the code SEPTEMBER at checkout. Just thought I'd let everyone know :)
  • celticgirl1787
    Wow! Congratulations, Ashley!
    by celticgirl1787 at 09/09/11 3:55PM
  • thearteest
    I bought a pair of workout capris at Target this week that work pretty well - look for semi-fitted and buy a little bigger, and they'll be great. The ones I found have a drawstring, as well.
    by thearteest at 09/11/11 12:09PM
  • mullenpatch
    Sounds awesome!
    by mullenpatch at 09/29/11 5:54PM
  • littlelamb
    Ha! Was it Jingle Bells? I'm such a good mom.
    by littlelamb at 11/12/11 9:54PM