Why I should be incredibly healthy....

As the wife of a pretty conscientious and neurotic guy, I can vouch for this theory as quite logical....

From: http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/006164.html

April 28, 2009
Neurotic Men Improve Health Of Women

The guys have got to be both conscientious and neurotic in order to boost the health of their wives.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Conscientiousness is a good thing in a mate, researchers report, not just because it's easier to live with someone who washes the dishes without being asked, but also because having a conscientious partner may actually be good for one's health. Their study, of adults over age 50, also found that women, but not men, get an added health benefit when paired with someone who is conscientious and neurotic.

This is the first large-scale analysis of what the authors call the "compensatory conscientiousness effect," the boost in health reported by those with conscientious spouses or romantic partners. The study appears this month in Psychological Science.

"Highly conscientious people are more organized and responsible and tend to follow through with their obligations, to be more impulse controlled and to follow rules," said University of Illinois psychology professor Brent Roberts, who led the study. Highly neurotic people tend to be more moody and anxious, and to worry, he said.

Researchers have known since the early 1990s that people who are more conscientious tend to live longer than those who are less so. They are more likely to exercise, eat nutritious foods and adhere to vitamin or drug regimens, and are less likely to smoke, abuse drugs or take unwarranted risks, all of which may explain their better health. They also tend to have more stable relationships than people with low conscientiousness.

By Randall Parker at 2009 April 28 11:31 PM

Michael's Birthday

The Birthday Boy

This weekend we went to Orlando with Matt's brother Michael. Michael took advantage of the free ticket to Disney for his birthday. He paid for the park hopper option so we were able to go to all 4 parks in one day. It was an amazing day.

First we went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on Saturday. We rode The Hulk, Spiderman, Dr. Fear's Freefall, got soaked on the Bilge Rat Barges, Jurassic Park, Ice from the Dueling Dragons, had a tasty lunch, saw Shrek 4D, rode the Mummy, Men in Black, The Simpsons, ET, and then the Mummy again. We had a delicious dinner at the Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney and finished out the day with Putt Putt Golf at Disney's Winter Summerland putt putt course.

On the way to Universal

Running from the terrifying T Rex

Putt Putt

Then on Sunday we went to Disney World. It was a full 13 hour day. We started at Hollywood Studios and rode Toy Story Mania, The Rockin' Roller Coaster, The Tower of Terror and saw the Muppets in 3D. Then we went to Animal Kingdom and rode Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a bug in 3D and had a delicious lunch. Then we went to the Magic Kingdom and rode the train, Pirates of the Caribbean and saw another 3D show, Mickey's Philharmagic Orchestra. The Magic Kingdom was really crowded so we left there, planning to come back later. We headed over to EPCOT and rode Mission Space, Test Track, walked through the countries, ate dinner in the UK and on the way out rode Spaceship Earth. We went back to the Magic Kingdom and rode Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion and saw the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor show. It was an amazing day. Happy Birthday Michael. We're so happy we were able to share it with you!

It's Tough to be a Bug and our bug glasses.


Michael, you could be a part-time model.

Michael's impression of Atlas.

Doing something you can only do in EPCOT:

standing in China, enjoying a frozen beverage you just purchased in Mexico.

My boys for the weekend.

The future according to me and Michael on Spaceship Earth.

The Magic Kingdom - April 26, 2009

Pictures of the Trim

Here are the pictures from our weekend of window trimming.

You can see the difference in the two windows here.

Matt did such great work.



Here's the transformation of the Living room.


This is from when we first moved in.

Here's after we painted it brown

Here it is with the new window trimmings and blinds.

We're super pleased with it.

Home Sweet Home

Matt decided last week that the coming weekend would be the weekend we finally trim out the windows of the house. He's been talking about doing this for a while. The trim looks great! Such an improvement for a relatively small amount of money. We did splurge and purchase wooden blinds for some of the rooms. We didn't have the heart to cover our hard work with curtains. They create a nice, crisp, simple look that we both really like. I'll follow up with some pictures later this week.

Because of all the house work this weekend, when I saw this quote I just had to include it.

"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room."  ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

I love the idea of comparing home to backstage, it's a very true concept. Backstage you can let your guard down and come out of "character" and be the real YOU, the place to relax and collect before you're back onstage..

Home is where I can wear my most unflattering pajamas and still snuggle with a cute guy who loves me. Home is where I can talk to my dogs like they're people. Home is where I am with my loved ones and can tell stories that make me laugh so hard it hurts.

Tuesday Quotes.

I forgot to post my Monday quotes yesterday, I'll blame it on the weather. Matt and I have been watching Monty Python's Flying Circus on Netflix several nights this week. I didn't find a simple enough quote from any of the TV show skits that would work here, but I did find one of my favorite scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.


Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

We're knights of the Round Table, we dance whene'er we're able. We do routines and chorus scenes with footwork impec-cable, We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot. / We're knights of the Round Table, our shows are for-mi-dable. But many times we're given rhymes that are quite un-sing-able, We're opera mad in Camelot, we sing from the diaphragm a lot. / In war we're tough and able, Quite in-de-fa-ti-gable. Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable / It's a busy life in Camelot ................. I have to push the pram a lot. ~ Monty Python and the Holy Grail

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!
~Irish Blessing

She's a Lady.

When we first bought our house we were so excited about the fenced in backyard. One, because we wouldn't have to do it ourselves and two, we just knew how much the dogs were going to LOVE it.

We were right on one.

The day we closed and got the keys we picked up dinner, some paint and the dogs and headed out to our new homestead. We couldn't wait to watch Stevie and Wil run in circles all around their new, green backyard. What we got was a few quick sniffs and then two dogs staring at us and then at the back door wondering why we weren't opening it.

I wouldn't say they hate the backyard, it (ahem) serves a purpose for them. But, it's just not the fun doggie playground we expected it to be for them.

I'm journaling all this so you will see the humor in the following pictures. Steve does not come outside and just lay on the grass with us. She prefers her comfy pillows in the house. So...I bring the comfy pillows outside and *voila*, she joins us. On HER terms.

I think the dogs consider me the paparazzi....

She's a lady, whoa whoa whoa, she's a lady...

Wil isn't one to turn down a comfy spot to sleep either.

All the while, Matt toils in the background.

Today is Margaret's birthday. When I married Matt, I never knew I would gain such a great sister and close friend. She is supportive, loving and so so fun. I feel like I've been around Matt's family forever and Margaret feels like a sister I grew up with. I'm so blessed to have her in my life.

A few things about Margaret:

-She loves sweet and sour candy, not chocolate. If we buy candy together, I buy M&M's and she buys Skittles. She likes gummi bears, runts, gobstoppers, twizzlers and other sugary treats. She and Matt are both like this.

-Margaret is the most efficient person I know. If she's not using something she gives it away. Her place is always neat and tidy. I'm such a pack rat and I've benefited from Margaret's give-aways before. I'm always impressed how she can just let go of something. (these are trivial things of course like a purse, jewelry or shoes) I always doubt myself when I'm getting rid of something and then wish I had it later. Marg does this so confidently and her closet is always so neat.

-She also immediately throws trash away. Example, at Christmas she takes off the tags of clothes, throws away the boxes and wrapping and immediately hangs the new item in her closet. Matt is this way too.

-Marg is fun to shop with. I shop a lot with Matt and while he is wonderful to go to the mall with, he's still a guy. Marg always says what I want to hear. She makes me feel good about buying that shirt and earrings, because they're super cute, but at the same time, she'll logically question whether I need a 4th pair of cute underwear. We always have a blast being girly together.

-Margaret loves animals, especially the dogs in her life, Emmy, Rambo, Stevie and Wil. I remember being so jealous when she bought Emmy. I loved beagles. Emmy will always be Marg's first child...haha. And Steve and Wil are certainly her niece and nephew dogs. She sends them sweet presents and always has a treat for them. They love snuggling with her when she visits. Steve especially loves it because that means Steve sleeps with Marg. It's been that way ever since Steve was a puppy. Emmy taught Steve how to bark and howl like a beagle too. It's pretty cute.

-Margaret likes caramel cake, being on the river, Tyson, sushi, Diet Dr. Peppers, pajamas, movies, dogs, naps, mushrooms, and her family.

Marg, I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I wish I was there to share it with you. I'm there in spirit!! Love, Ashley

Margaret's party

We had a wonderful weekend visiting Alabama for Margaret's lingerie shower. She had a great time. We decorated panties for her and she got quite the loot of silky, sexy items. Poor Marg closed her finger in her car trunk that morning so she was bandaged and stitched up. Thanks to Elizabeth and Amanda for hosting the party with me. The food was delicious and the company was great.

All the gals at the party.

Marg loved her gifts.

(I wish I had a copy of the original picture where she is kissing my cheek. It's a joke now, on the first Thanksgiving I ever spent with Matt, his family was decorating for Christmas after dinner and Dr. Crockett had bought a huge wreath for the living room. It's about 3 feet wide and Marg and I posed in the middle for a picture. She kissed my cheek in the picture and it's become a joke ever since.)

Shower Flowers

Marg and Tyson at dinner that night.

It was a really fun weekend and we're SO looking forward to the wedding in May!

Monday quotes and a game

A collection of quotes with what's on my mind...

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

Strike an average between what a woman thinks of her husband a month before she marries him and what she thinks of him a year afterward, and you will have the truth about him. ~H.L. Mencken, A Book of Burlesques, 1916 (incidentally, Matt would still rank pretty high, his stock rises each year, quite the lucky investment)

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ~Doug Larson

and one of my favorite quotes:

Happiness is a warm puppy. ~Charles M. Schulz


Fill in the blank: What is your happiness?

Happiness is......

Thankful...

Today I'm thankful for many things. The rain has finally slowed down, the baby plants in the garden made it through the rain and nothing is better for plants than rain water.

I'm thankful that God has answered some prayers for my family. I've always been incredibly blessed and had to remind myself to keep that in perspective when I was worried. I know that's vague, but I don't want to get into all the details, they're not mine to tell. Just know that a prayer was answered today and I am SO SO SO happy for that. It has reminded me to remember that things happen in God's time and that all good things are from him.

I'm thankful the crazy computer worm didn't affect my computer. I'm thankful the rumors of that worm made me do complete computer scan where I found, no worm, but other viruses I never knew were there. (use this link for a free, FULL scan: http://safety.live.com/)

I'm thankful for my warm, dry house. Matt, who is SO supportive. Our families and our cars that take us to Alabama for visits. Which is where we're heading this weekend. I am helping to host a lingerie shower for Marg. It should be a lot of fun. I have some great stuff planned. It will be nice to see Andrea - who is gracious in opening her home to us, dogs and all. (Although, sometimes I think she's more excited to see Steve and Wil than me and Matt.) We're planning to eat dinner with Margaret and Tyson and some other friends. I'm looking forward to it.

That's my life update for now, do me a favor and thank God for all YOUR blessings. I just feel like passing the good feeling I have on to others.

Some pictures from Matt's garden in Tuscaloosa - he grew this stuff from all seeds!

The white powder is bug killer.

Steve is helping Matt weed the garden.

Man, I'd love one of these tomatoes right now!