Confessions

You guys, I've got some things I need to confess.

I'm terrible at keeping in touch long distance. Thankfully I have some really great friends who always welcome me with open arms when we finally do reconnect. I wish that I called people as often as I thought about them, but I'm not sure there would ever be enough time for that. Thankfully our new iPhones make it a little easier to keep in touch!

Blog Lovin' confuses the heck out of me. You guys! How did you learn to use this? I imported the blogs I follow through Google friend connect, and somehow I'm still finding that some of my very favorite blogs are not being followed in Blog Lovin'. This is such a learning process for me. Sometimes I think social media is personally out there to confuse me.

Last week I was pulled over at 12am. I was driving back from Disney World with a friend who was visiting from Colorado, and we got pulled over about a half mile from my apartment. I've only been pulled over by the cops twice in my life. Both were for the same thing. My license plate light was burned out, and both times resulted in a warning. Thank goodness.

Creativity runs through my veins. There is nothing I love more than art, music, dance, photography... basically anything artistic. Art was always one of my favorite subjects in school. Back in middle school I played the saxophone in band. I graduated from college with an architecture degree. Lately I've been spending quite a bit of time painting. I often dream about making a living, or least a little cash, from my creative endeavors.

We went on a road trip earlier this month. I cannot believe I haven't even shared a single photo from our trip. My grandpa gave us his car, so we flew to Michigan and drove it back to Florida. My husband and I both saw plenty of new states. I spent some time browsing one of the biggest Christmas stores ever, and we enjoyed a few hours in Savannah, Georgia. I swear one of these days I'll share pictures and stories.

I miss Colorado way too much. Unfortunately, missing the last state we lived in, and the people in it, doesn't help me or my husband to be more content in Florida. This whole moving thing is really harder than I ever thought it would be. Living in Florida is teaching my husband and I both to expand outside of our comfort zones and also to depend more on each other rather than doing things our own way. Sometimes our plan isn't always the best one. Have you read Michelle's post about this?

The power went out while I was writing this. Last night we got a nice big Florida thunderstorm complete with a little bit of hail. The storms here are way less scary than the thunderstorms that built up over the Rocky Mountains, but they seem to bring much more rain than we're used to seeing. Maybe this will subdue the pollen that's attacking my sinuses. One can hope.

rainy Florida evening

Do you have any confessions to make?

I hope you'll follow me on Instagram

I promise, I'll try and follow back if I can figure it out ;-)

{ leave a comment with your blog lovin' link }

A Day Late...

playing around with the new iPhone... and Instagram of course

reading last night I picked up Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods from our bookshelf... just might re-read that one. We recently visited some of the places mentioned in his book, so it's fun to revisit them in someone else's humorous writing.

writing not much. I did recently write an impromptu journal entry into the notes on my phone. I've also been painting a lot lately... I like to count that as writing.

listening to my husband repeatedly tell Siri that he loves her, because he's enjoying her off the wall responses to his profession of love.

thinking that I cannot wait until mid May for my visit to Colorado!

smelling nothing... guess I should plug in my Scentsy warmer.

wishing that I wasn't allergic to everything in Florida. I feel a sore throat creeping up on me, and I wish to not get sick again.

hoping see above. I also hope that we manage to get through the Florida summer heat without too much complaining ha!

wearing       . . : : see photo above : : . .

loving that we finally got iPhones. Sadly, it's like a whole new world was unveiled for us. We plan to keep our ancient cell phones and give them to a museum some day ;-)

wanting to be better at contentment. Yes.

needing same as above. You see, it's funny that my husband and I have been talking about this lately. Tina has a really great blog post about this... go read it!

feeling happy to know that others go through similar struggles and that they can be (and will be) overcome. Build others up, don't tear each other down.

clicking through some Instagram shots (this is a great reminder), a few blog posts, and emails. Then I'm going to go enjoy a popsicle! Yessssss.

* If you missed previous editions of The Sunday Currently, you can see them all here

Now link up your edition of The Sunday Currently with Lauren

Hope you had a great weekend

Life With a Smartphone

Oh, hi there. It's been a few days. Last week my husband and I took part in an impromptu road trip from Michigan to Florida. That drive took us off the grid for a few days, and we found ourselves wishing we had purchased smart phones before the trip. We navigated old school style (maps from gas stations and all). How have we gone all these years without smart phones! #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Fortunately, after our adventurous road trip, we didn't go much longer before buying smart phones. You're talking to the proud new first-time owner of a smart phone here. My husband and I both chose the iPhone 5, and we're enjoying every second of owning smartphones for the first time. Does the novelty ever wear off? I'm a little afraid.

For now you can find me on Instagram sharing photos like this one........

{ what is happening to my hair here?! }

and this one........

{ gratuitous outfit of the day shots }

Some of you have already noticed, but I finally got signed up for Instagram. Come find me there! My name is AshJDub. I also added an Instagram button to my social media bar under my headshot, so you can always link to me from there too. I'm pretty excited to finally have an iPhone, but now I just have to learn how to use it now. :)

now come visit me on Instagram... are you on there?!

Spring Colors Are Here

Florida must be bringing out the color-loving side of me, because usually my wardrobe color palette is rather bland. Each year now, when spring rolls around, I find myself getting a little bit more adventurous when it comes to color. Last year I bought a bright neon skirt from Anthropologie, and this year I'm loving everything from lavender and turquoise to coral and poppy.

I think that pretty spring colors are a safe place to start when it comes to introducing color to your bland wardrobe. It never hurts to start with colorful nail polish. The $7 dollar commitment is much less scary than dropping $30 on something colorful that you keep hidden in your closet all year.

Who knows, maybe some day I'll even yearn to wear some bold and colorful patterns. Let's not push it though. For now, I'm enjoying my pretty spring colors. Maybe next year I'll go all print crazy on you. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Are you a fan of colorful clothing?

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

We recently discovered the wonders of another beautiful Florida beach. New Smyrna Beach is another picturesque spot on the Atlantic coast of Florida. After living on the Gulf side for over a year, the wild and untamed waves of the Atlantic are a welcome sight. We spotted people boogie boarding and surfing, not to mention plenty of people driving golf carts down the hard packed beach.

{ reading on the beach }

{ does anyone know what this bird is... I think it's some sort of plover, not sure which one }

{ my havaianas }

New Smyrna Beach allows driving on portions of the shoreline, and we appreciate the convenience of a drive-in beach every now and then. A nice breeze kept the temperatures enjoyable, so we spent enough time outside to squeeze in some smash ball and also get a bit of a sunburn.

Have you ever visited New Smyrna Beach?

What's your favorite thing about it?

Willow Tree Cafe

As I mentioned yesterday, back in February we spent a day in downtown Sanford, Florida. A visit to Willow Tree Cafe was actually the main reason for our trip to Sanford, and it did not disappoint.

{ German beer and potato pancakes }

We had heard from multiple people that Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe was one of the best restaurants around, so of course we had to give it a try. My German heritage was just one more reason to give Willow Tree Cafe a shot. Oh, and a nice selection of German beer offerings didn't hurt either. We had the perfect storm of reasons to make a drive to Sanford for the day.

We started our meal with a couple of German beers and an appetizer of potato pancakes. I could have eaten multiple plates of them and been perfectly happy. The apple sauce and sour cream were the perfect complement to the warm potato pancakes.

Both my husband and I opted for the sausage platter. We each chose two different types of sausage and two sides. We had sauerkraut, noodles with gravy, and German potato salad. My only complaint about the food is I wish there had been more of it. We thoroughly enjoyed everything. Although I think my family's German potato salad was a little bit better. I may be biased though.

Live entertainment was the perfect way to enjoy our German beer and food. Nash Rambler played original acoustic guitar music while we worked our way out of a food coma. It was a perfect way to spend our first day in Sanford, Florida.

If you're planning to visit Sanford, then you might give Willow Tree Cafe a try. German fare isn't your thing? Then surely you can enjoy the beer and music. Sit outside for a nice view of the cobblestone downtown streets and a little people watching.

Willow Tree Cafe

Sanford Welcome Center

Oh, I finally signed up for an account with Blog Lovin'
... don't want to be left in the dust.

Sanford, FL | Small Town Travels

While browsing through my photos in Lightroom, I realized that I haven't shared much of what we've been doing on my blog lately. I had quite a few pictures from February that never even made it on this blog, and I think some of them are worth sharing. Especially some of the pictures from downtown Sanford, Florida.

{ cute little cattle egret on a car }

This past February we spent a whole day wandering around downtown Sanford, Florida. We visited an art gallery that inspired me to do some of the painting I've been doing. We also enjoyed a delicious German meal at Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe. (more on that later) I took some pictures down by Sanford's waterfront too. It's such a quaint little downtown with cobblestone streets and local shops.

{ we need one of these for cruising }

The cooler February weather made our time in Sanford even more enjoyable, because we could bundle up and slowly take in the sights. Sometimes the heat makes you hurry on to the indoors. Winter is the perfect time for taking in everything a new place has to offer.

During our short visit to Sanford, we noticed a few different historical markers. One of them mentioned the history of riverboats that traveled from the east coast and down the St. John's River and on to Lake Monroe in Sanford. The town served as a major gateway to Central Florida for some time.

We found Sanford to be a charming small town, and its local shops, art galleries, and restaurants made it that much more endearing. The town possesses hope for life outside of the ever expanding and generic suburbs of many American cities. Sanford has an identity, sometimes imperfect, that's all its own. Visiting this small town is a refreshing break from everyday monotony.

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The Sunday Currently | 22

Happy Sunday everyone.

I hope your weekend is going well.

{ one of my drawings that needs a little paint }

reading right now I'm reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. I've really enjoyed it so far, and hopefully I'll finish in the next few days. I think I may start The Fellowship of the Ring next.

writing I should probably just change this to 'painting', because I've been doing much more of that than writing. Right now I'm doing some 4x6 watercolor paintings of Michigan inspired art. Think maps and lakes.

listening to this song:

thinking that I still can't believe Michigan basketball made it to the Championship game this year! They are the youngest team, and they haven't made it this far in a couple decades. Awesome.

smelling the last of my cup of coffee. I could use another cup.

wishing that we had more friends in Florida. Sometimes it gets a little lonely, but we have to keep pushing forward. It reminds me that I have to work hard to keep the friends I do have... even if I don't see them very often. You learn to not take people for granted.

hoping to write some blog posts this week. I've been bad about it lately, and I hope to catch up on some emails too.

wearing some old ripped American Eagle jeans and a grey t-shirt. Nothing fancy here.

loving that we visited New Smyrna Beach for the first time last week. We love how the waves crash on the Atlantic side vs. the Gulf of Mexico. The beaches seem much more wild and untamed.

wanting to rent a wide angle and zoom lens from BorrowLenses.com The bad part is, my camera bag isn't big enough to carry all of that equipment.

needing to get in a good workout a little more often than I currently to... oops.

feeling excited for some upcoming fun things. We're going to a Ryan Bingham concert, getting iPhones soon, taking a trip in May, and hopefully making a visit to Disney's Flower & Garden Festival later this month. Yeeehaw!

clicking through some emails and blogs.

* If you missed previous editions of The Sunday Currently, you can see them all here

Now link up your edition of The Sunday Currently with Lauren