Philly, You Should Be Ashamed!

I cannot believe I am actually posting about this right now. Philadelphia should be so ashamed of itself. A very close friend of mine is friends with the person who alerted the media (and police, and mayor, etc) about this situation so I am getting it all firsthand. I am saddened to say that NO-ONE is doing anything about it. This is a complete and total disgrace and no wonder why people say Philadelphia is one of the dirtiest cities in the United States. I am completely embarrassed to say I (used to) call that city my home. You would think, after the press this situation is getting, someone would have rushed out to clean this up, to be the hero and say "Yes, I care about my city and I am just as shocked and appalled as you all are" . But no, countless hours later, it is still there untouched. I am not even hinting to you what I'm talking about because it is just so shocking you need to see it for yourself...

http://www.rightthisminute.com/video/philly-cabbie-leaves-little-dookie-behind

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video/#!/news/local/Caught-on-Cam--Cabbie-Defecates-on-Philly-Street/162677056

I am sorry to those of you not from Philadelphia. I promise we are not all like that! I swear I use the toilet (99% of the time anyway) and I take pride in my city. I just spent the weekend downtown missing it and wanting to come back. But, unfortunately, none of the people in authoritative positions apparently feel the way I do.

With love and pearls (and no poop),
Ashley

NYC....my new weekend home?

what is it that makes a relationship work? Is it love, is it compromise, is it security? and whos to say that one relationship is better than another? when my boyfriend and I met, I feel the reason why we worked so well and became the envy of his friends is that we were just us and allowed each other to be their own individual as well.  We were fun, happy and easy going.  We had a thrill for life and did not interfere with each other's quirkiness.  somewhere along the way we began to lose that because we tried to conform to the relationship of normal society, when we both knew that what we wanted was completely different from that.  We did things together, played house, did things with my son, and he eventually moved in.  We would always have these heart to hearts about what it was that was now different between us.  We knew we loved each other, we knew we wanted to be with each other but something changed.  Then one day we were sitting, people watching up in Brooklyn before a show and it hit us.  We had talked about moving up to NYC to be around people like us but we were both hesitant to make the move for one reason, my son.  Doing so would mean uprooting him, something I am still not opposed to but also more importantly it would mean becoming more of a family something both of us knew wouldn't work.  I have a very different approach to what I want from my significant other and maybe one day step-father.  My relationship with my son is very important and one I dont want to share with anyone, plus growing up with step-parents I am rational enough to understand it is not their child and they will never feel how I feel about him.  Anyway we realized that what would work best for both of us is for him to move up to NYC, I would visit on weekends when Colin was with his father and we would once again be able to live our separate lives while still being together, something both of us yearn for.  We decided to stop being every one else and to just be ourselves again.  I am selfish in believing this is MY world/MY life and a man is only there for an added bonus.  I do not need a man to make me happy, I need a man to love me.  It all seems so clear right now and nothing else seems to make sense.  So this is where we stand and I couldn't be happier.

Wedding Photographer

Shopping for a wedding photographer has probably been the hardest part of my wedding planning so far. I got the venue I wanted right away. (Yes, people have already told me I'm crazy by only going to one place but it is perfect!). I got the church I wanted right away. Now, it's time to make some actual decisions. We have seen 2 photographers so far and we have 2 more to see in the next couple weeks.

Each photographer is exactly the same but so different in many ways. I wasn't sure what to expect or what to look for when finding a photographer. I figured I would just look at the pictures and if I liked them, you're hired! But no. Each photographer can take the same exact shot and it will come out different every time. It really depends on the style we want, the style they shoot, how talented they are, and what the surroundings are.

Luckily Jay nor I are very stuffy or snobby so we both agreed we want to keep the posed, traditional photos to a minimum. The church is where we are going to be taking most of those pictures because it is the most fitting. After that, we want fun, crazy, not typical but beautiful shots. Sure you can put the bridal party in a straight line with us in the middle but some will be kneeling, some will be sitting, some will be jumping. We hate all of those cheesy photos that all look the same. I want to be able to look back in 50 years and think, wow our wedding day was literally the best, most fun, and happiest day of our life.

Do you have any photographer horror stories? What is the best shot from your wedding?

With love and pearls,
Ashley

Coldplay

Jay and I went to see the Coldplay concert on Friday night and let me tell you it was the best concert I have ever been to!!!! Did any of you go see their show? I have always enjoyed Coldplay but did not expect them to put on the show that they did. It was truly amazing. They are such great entertainers and they can seriously sing...no lip-synching or autotune with them! Jay didn't really expect much. He was only going and being a wonderful fiance but he agreed and said it was the best concert also. I wish I could just relive it over and over again. Everyone was so happy, not too many drunk people, we could get up and dance around, and sing our hearts out! Here are some sneak peaks:

With love and pearls,
Ashley

Happy (Belated) 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Alicia and I both went over to Jay's (my fiance's) house for some swimming, drinking, and barbecuing! We had such a good time. We got to watch the kids swim in the pool while we caught up about love, life, and everything in between. My mom came over as well so it was nice to see her enjoying herself with the in-laws. I'm going to apologize for being an awful blogger in advance because I wanted to take pictures of all of the food we had but I didn't remember until people started digging in! I know...fail on my part. Next time I will get pics, I promise!

I did make this delicious Italian-Style Red Pepper Dip and it was a big hit. It was a little more watery than I would have liked so maybe next time I will put in the whole block of cream cheese and that might thicken it up. But we had such good food to choose from. We had hot dogs, beef & chicken kabobs, home-made chicken wings, corn on the cob, potato salad, macaroni salad, bbq shrimp and shrimp marinated in garlic & white wine, my mom's awesome pineapple bread concoction, ice cream cake, and Stock's cake. (Total side note: If anyone ever makes a trip to Philadelphia, you have to stop at Stock's Bakery and get one of their pound cakes. They are pure heaven!).

What new recipes did you try? Were they a hit?

With love and pearls,
Ashley

the one?

how do people truly know you are with the one you are supposed to spend your life with? are there specific signs to look for? is there a feeling in the gut of your stomach? when you picture your life without them, do you tremble in fear? sure some people are brave enough to admit their relationships aren't perfect and it requires work, but yet how do you know it is worth it to stay? how do you know you wont wake up one morning and regret you wasted your one true love on just a love.  Are we so scared to be alone or so involved in the idea of love that we tend to look past most things or feelings, or lack thereof?  Or is there even a soulmate for anyone? I'm not afraid to say that the media and books and movies and childhood fairytales have all distorted my idea of what true love is. But even knowing that I'm fucked up in the head about love, I STILL cant change my perception of it.  I will forever be looking for that old myth fantasy idea of my knight in shining armour.    But am I being so unrealistic to the point of fucking up every relationship I am in because they do not add up to my ideation of Prince Charming?  I just do not know at what point is it time to move on or time to learn as a couple?