Bieber Wedding Fever

I have to share this video with you. I am a typical girly girl and have been planning my wedding since I came out of the womb. My boyfriend is absolutely amazing and just says "Yes Dear" anytime I mention something wedding related. We are both pretty outgoing and crazy so we want our wedding to be the same. I saw this video today and can only hope we do something like this...

With love and pearls,
Ashley

To Be (Thin) or Not To Be (Thin)

So of course I'm sitting here, after just finishing my lunch, and thinking I really need to go to the gym today. But why? I absolutely hate the gym and hate almost every minute of it while I'm there. Yes, it has been proven that the human body needs exercise to stay healthy but does it need as much as society says it does? Why do WE put so much pressure on ourselves to work out and stay thin? Every person I talk to is constantly talking about their body in one way or another: I hate my legs, I'm really toning up, that last bite cost me 3 extra points, etc.  Half of the people that go to the gym are only there because society thinks they're fat, not because they're trying to get healthy. I myself am only going to the gym because people have noticed I've put on a few pounds. Marilyn Monroe was one of the most beautiful women ever and she was rumored to be a size 14! It didn't seem to matter what size she was, they only noticed how beautiful she was, just ask JFK...not appropriate? How is it that in 50 years time, a woman that size would now be called obese or plus-size and would be mocked by others? Why can't we go back to those times where women are beautiful because of their skin or their eyes or their personality and not because they're a size 2? I will admit I am not totally happy with my body so I could benefit from going to the gym but if I decided not to, would I be talked about behind my back or be called or thunder thighs? I guess only time will tell. And maybe in 50 years from now, we'll only be beautiful if we have 6 rolls instead of a 6-pack.

With love and pearls,
Ashley

I'm ok with average, well kind of...

Why do so many strive for perfection or strive to be the best and then get disappointed when we never reach it?  Isn't it safe to say that majority of us are just normal average human beings living our lives day to day never doing anything extraordinary?  I'm siting here writing my final paper and at the end, I just give up, like always, and say welp it is what it is and hit the send button to my professor, never double checking or proofreading.  I'm not beating myself up over a stupid paper, and while I hope for an A, obviously, I say to myself, C = passing!  Yet so many of my classmates miss out on their kid's football games, or hanging out with friends, or constantly fight with their husband because they simply do not have the time anymore to devout to a relationship.  I understand that we set a goal for ourselves, as in my case getting my masters so I can teach nursing, yet most of us fail to recognize that every day, every step we take is a goal.  We need not to forget that life is happening while we are trying to acheive some big goal, whether it be getting a degree, buying a house, or finding Mr. Right.  So I wonder why we become frustrated, stress out, and miss out on what is really important to us while we try to strive for perfection.  Also are we making TOO BIG of goals for ourselves that they are so unattainable and we are only setting ourselves up for disaster and misery?  Back in the olden days, people's goals consisted of having and keeping a job, raising a family, staying alive, having food on the table.  Today people want to conquer the world, want to be the next big star.  Hate to burst your little bubble sweetheart but why not shoot lower, build your confidence a little first, soak in the averageness and sigh a sigh of relief.  Lets face the facts and be more realistic please! And just fucking live your life!

Its me bitchessssss!

Ok. So school is almost over...for the time being....so now to meet the other half of the billingsgate diaries.  Me llamo Alicia.  Just wanted to give you a quick background of the name.  Ms Billingsgate sounds like a reformed, respected woman who belongs to country clubs, wears furs and pearls, holds galas and gets chauffeured around in a hot Bentley.  When tsk tsk the word billingsgate originated from the vulgar, abusive language used at the gate of a London fish market.  Yea man! Ms Billingsgate has a dark side!  What I want to portray in this blog is the fact that you can still hold a career, be sophisticated and cultured and yet still be raw and real. (Let me apologize in advance because my writing is like my thoughts, all over the place.  Can't help it, I write what I think, Love it or hate it)  So all in all this blog will keep you updated on what we think is important in life, sex, drugs and alcohol, oh yea and everything in between.  I will write what I feel, give you food for thought and push as many boundaries as I can.  Don't be offended, take my writing for what it is, a reflection of my crazy ass and nothing else!
Peace Love and Happiness

Yours truly

Resolutions?

Happy New Year!! It's the first day back at work since the holiday and it feels like I've been gone much longer than 4 days.

Now, I am not one to make New Year's resolutions because let's face it 1. No one ever follows through with them for the entire year and if you say you do, you're lying and 2. You shouldn't need the start of a new year to eat healthier or stop cursing or to start a family. But here I go, I'm giving in to the trends and making some resolutions. I will try to stick with them as long as I can but I am not promising anything!

2012 Resolutions

1. Lose weight (just like the other 4 billion people in the world because 3 billion of you are already skinny bitches)
2. Grow my business
3. Stop spending money on useless things and save money for more important things in my future: house, car, wedding, family
4. Do something different every month. It can be as simple as baking a pie or as dedicated as learning how to play golf. As long as I try new things, I will be happy. This is the only resolution I really hope I keep.
5. Make more of an effort to organize events with friends. Whether it be monthly dinners, birthday parties or a night out to the movies.

Have you made any resolutions you hope to keep?

With love and pearls,
Ashley

Christmas Drinks

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was filled with food, family, friends, fun, games and gifts! The one fabulous thing about this year that I have to share is all of the new drinks I tried. For those who know me, I either drink wine or gin. This year, I really outdid myself with letting people give me new recipes. Here are my new favorites:

Blueberry Vodka & White Cranberry Juice

It is the perfect summer, refreshing drink!

The Cream Soda

2 Shots Vanilla Vodka
Fill with Ginger Ale

Yum! This seriously tasted exactly like cream soda. Even my Nana drank her glass clean!

The Italian Margarita

4 fluid ounces amaretto liqueur
6 fluid ounces frozen limeade concentrate
6 fluid ounces tequila
1/2 cup orange juice
 Ice

Pour all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.

All I can say about this drink is that Italians really improve everything ;)

With love and pearls,
Ashley

The Best Holiday Feeling

There is no better feeling then after you have finished your holiday shopping and know you got the best and coolest gifts possible. I am literally jumping out of my chair after getting my boyfriend an awesome pair of cufflinks. I know, some of you are thinking LAME, but they are made out of pieces of famous stadiums. For one, he loves dressing up more than being casual. We live in Philadelphia and he is a die hard Phillies fan. They used to play at Veterans Stadium before it was blown to bits. It is such an iconic stadium for all Philadelphia sports fans. I found this deal on Groupon but you can check out stadiumcuffs.com. They have a bunch of other stadiums listed too.

Ok, that's all for now. I just had to let everyone know how excited I am. Enjoy your holiday shopping and I hope you get the same feeling I just did!

With love and pearls,
Ashley