The Idiot's Guide To YOLO

Just the other day, I said, for the first time ever, the word YOLO.  And first off, let me just say, I am so uncool.  Gasp!  I know, I know, shocking.  But I am.  In fact I am so uncool that I am hot.  See what I did there?  But anyway, I digress.  I thought YOLO was a word made up by Kanye West.  Turns out it was made up by a lovely fellow named Drake.  Thank you, Drake, for changing my life.  For those of you who are as hot as I am, YOLO is a hip way of saying "You Only Live Once." or as I was so educated earlier today it's the idiot's way of saying Carpe Diem.

With that in mind I'd like to share with you now a few ways and rules I have developed in using YOLO.  And why do I use it?  Because it's hilarious and every time the word comes flying out of my mouth, Matthew proceeds to give me "the look"

...which I find both haunting and hilarious:

The Rules

1.You cannot just say YOLO whenever you want.  It must apply to the situation.

2. It must be said with a straight face.  Using such a dumb word requires you to say it like you mean it.  Plus, it's just funnier that way.

3. Always disagree with people when they say YOLO is dead.

4. Use it around your grandma.  She will love your clever and charming whipper snapper ways.


How/When To Use It

1. Playing Jenga!  Pick the hardest block to remove.  Remove it.  Place it on top.  When the following player says "Why'd you do that!?" Reply YOLO!

2. When your husband gives you "the look"

...when you open up a carton of ice cream and turn on Vampire Diaries, just look at him and say in a serious tone YOLO and then continue on with eating & watching.


3.  When you put your seat belt on.  Look at the person opposite you & say very calmly as you snap that thing in: YOLO.

4. When you're about to cut you're long hair short & your mom warns you that you'll regret it.  YOLO, Mom.  YOLO.

5. Swimming right after you eat instead of waiting thirty minutes?  YOLO.

You get it now, right?  You're welcome, friends on your short education to the Idiot's Guide To YOLO.  You're welcome.

Source: Pinterest

Apartment 73

I tend not to get too sentimental over material items.  I don't hold on to old mementos, or cry when it's time to move.  It's just not me.  I like photos & the memories I keep in my mind & heart.  Those are my favorite.  But, for whatever reason, when it was time to leave good ole' apartment #73 last week, I was so sad.

I wanted to hug my apartment goodbye.  I wanted to promise to come visit every now and then.  And then I wanted to seek professional help for wanting to do those things.

I have to admit something to you, too.  We moved from #73 to #78.  Yep, a flight of stairs up & three doors down.  So, let me reiterate how ridiculous my inability to say goodbye to apartment 73 was.  But, the more I thought about it, I realized I wasn't going to fight the feelings anymore.  I was going to give in.  So here I am giving in:

Apartment 73,

You were good to me.  You were the first place ever, in my life, that I have lived in for longer than one year.  You saw me through a lot of seasons.  My  husband & I picked you out.  We searched all over the city looking for a one bedroom apartment & when we found you, Matt says the hunt was over.  We moved in.  Remember that day?  We had fun, didn't we?

I thought I was a big shot when we finally had furniture to fill you with...

We were newlyweds within your walls.  We fought.  We made up.  We laughed & cried & had some good times.

I decorated & cluttered your walls.  We brought new furniture in & took old furniture out.

 

 

We celebrated lots of "firsts" as a married couple within your walls.

Then we started preparing for a family to fill the home with more love.  Your ample storage space made me one happy nesting momma.

Mo might have thrown up on your clean carpet a few times.  All those times he snuck into the garbage can were rough on you.  Sorry about that.

and when we finally did bring a baby home...we brought him home to you.  You will be the first place he ever called home.

Apartment 73, I know you are an inanimate object.  I know you won't hold me tenderly in your heart but I know that one day when I am old and gray, and maybe John John will be getting married & I will look back and reminisce with him about when me and his daddy fell in love, married & moved out you were our first home.  Well laugh about how you didn't have a fridge in your kitchen for the first month, about the mistakes we made as newlyweds, how our home wasn't pinterest-perfect but how it was perfect for us.  Well look back at the "good ole' days" and know that they were good indeed.

Your tenant...the crazy lady writing letters to apartments,
Ashley

My Hearts is in Africa

I feel a big part of having faith that Jesus is Lord is not just loving but sharing. Sharing the gospel. Sharing His word.

I mean, before Jesus was crucified he didn't tell the apostles to maybe take a minute and tell somebody in the marketplace about Him or tell a friend over a dinner date. Did they have dinner dates back then? But no, He told them to get up and go out into the world and share the Gospel. It wasn't a suggestion it was His command.

Lately, as I've been staying home with John John I have allowed myself...dared myself, even, to dream. Most of my dreams included me and handsome hubs hopping on a huge boat with endless amounts of food setting sail for the Bahamas. Or Caribbean. Anywhere tropical and beautiful really. But the more I dreamed my visions slowly changed from tropical to desolate. From the high life on a cruise ship into a plane landing in Africa. From people serving me drinks into me serving people. At first I was all "Hey God! What the heck!?" and then I let my new dream settle in and now I think "Hey God! How do I get to this new place in my dreams!?!?"

This new place is Africa. I've never been there and I don't know what it's like except for pictures bloggers share. All I know is my heart is already in Africa & my body needs to meet it there. I spoke with my hubs and told him this a few weeks ago. He told me to go there. He told me to pray and God would fly me across the world to get there.

An opportunity has risen. And usually missionaries take months and months to raise money for travels but I have three months to raise $4,000. If this is the Lord's plan, the money will show up and I will be boarding a plane this summer to serve the people of Ethiopia and Uganda.

Will you pray with me? Pray the Lords will be done and if He desires me to serve His people in Africa...then somehow, someway, I will get there...and that I can obey the command that was given so long ago to get up and go out into the world and share the Good News.