I've done a few of these things before, so I will try to keep my facts as fresh as possible for those friends of mine on facebook subjected to read through dozens of notes about me. :)

1. I think every food is made more fun when eating it with chopsticks. Especially these.... click me! WANT SO BADLY!

2. My favorite position to chill out in is on my back with my legs up against my body not touching the surface I am on. I then like to move them around by kicking or bouncing.

3. I love everything and anything tie-dye. Its actually one of my favorite summertime activities to do <3

4. I like to swoosh my hair, a lot. Think pearl in Finding Nemo with her tentacles.

5. I want to make the world as bright as I possibly can! :D

6. My favorite time of day is just before the sun rises. The darkness is beautiful, it is. But there is a feeling of danger that comes along with that beauty. Just before the sun rises, there is this overwhelming feeling of true content. The sky is a beautiful color, blending the night sky and the light of the sun. It is like staring at nature's own watercolor painting.

7. I enjoy complete and utter silence. I think it is important to be alone to yourself with just your thoughts, maybe a book. Silence in itself is a beautiful sound. For even the absence of sound is its own distinct sound.

And there you go, 7 random facts about moi. :)

The first thing I think of when I look back onto my childhood is laying in the grass. I spent a lot of my time as a child outside, as I'm sure we all did. It is one of the most beautiful things about being a kid. Things were so simple then. Its not that times grow more difficult as we age, it is just that we cant escape from them as easily. All you needed when you were a child was your imagination, but now if I were to go running around through my back yard, pretending to be a detective or fairy, I would get a one way trip to an insane asylum. That's what is beautiful about youth, and why we will always yearn to relive it. But we can't. It is one of those moments we have to cherish. It is like that Dr. Seuss quote, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I will always love my childhood and will always have the fond memories of the freedom of it all.

And because of this, I will always retain that beautiful childhood essence.

Well considering I wrote about things close to me in my 3 lucky charms post, I'm going to take this question in the literal sense :)

Right now, I am currently sitting on my bed with my back against the wall and the windowsill at eye level. The Black Swan menu is playing repetitively on my ps3 because I am about to watch it.

Looking around the first thing I spot is my new copy of Princess Mononoke sitting on my bed. I just got it from Amazon today and finished watching it with Shelby a little earlier. If you have never seen this movie, the male lead is named Ashitaka and The Princess, San, is raised by wolves.So Shelby and I decided that I was Ashitaka, because my name is Ashley and he was Mononoke, because he is part wolf. So, no this doesn't hold any real significance but it is a memory I will cherish.

The next item I see is my cell phone, not really exciting, I know. But it does give me a link to people. I used to be addicted to my cell phone back in high school and freshmen year of college, but now, not so much. It is a very handy tool for communication and I love it, but in no way to I let it rule my life. I actually have let it gone days with no battery, just because I had access to those I needed.

Next, I see my pillow. Pillows are wonderful things aren't they? They provide support and comfort. When I need a place to rest my head, there is no better place than a pillow. Pillows are durable, but just as soft. In a lot of ways a pillow can be a model of people. It is soft and there for you and can be just the relief and love that you need to take care of you,. but if you wont take care of it, eventually you will need a replacement.

Coming near the end of the line, the fourth item I see closest to me is my Relay for Life Tshirt. Nothing really special, but it does symbolize something special. I had a great time at Relay for life, one I intend on blogging about.

And finally the fifth item I see is Love necklace draped over my headboard, given to me by a good friend. This friend and I have an undying love for Sex and the City. The necklace is of the same appearance of as the love key chain, carrie gets in the movie. It was a symbol of love, that even if you fon't see it love is always in your life.

So there it is, rather bland, but done. :)

1. Jessica H.

Now I already told you how Jess and I came to be friends, but I never really shared why we are friends. Jessica is one of those people that come off careless but when it comes down to it, she isn't. Jessica is my one friend who was there for me when I really needed one. She is the kind of person, who isn't afraid to drop everything for the people she loves and who if she saw you get hurt, would make a living hell for the person who hurt you. In so many ways I admire her. She isn't afraid to say the wrong thing, she isn't afraid to be hated. She cares about those who she loves and only them. It's good to have a friend be so willing to fight for you. Jessica helped me blossom in so many ways, she helped me escape my sheltered bubble and become someone I am happy to be. When I'm with her I feel more at peace with myself than with most others. We can share everything with each other and thats really cool.

2. Jessica C.

We met in high school and I instantly liked her. Jessica is one of those positive, lovable, goofy people who bring nothing but happiness to you :D Think Spongebob. She is a good friend and uber perceptive. Its one of my favorite things about her. She has never ever been afraid to be herself. I admire her so much. When I'm with Jessica I always feel comfortable, even in our moments of awkward penguin silence. She is by far my most supportive friend and I really just love her so much! :D I'm glad we are starting to grow closer, because she is the kind of girl I want to have in my life always. I need to have her in my life always!

3. Tyler W.

I always kinda liked this kid, even before we really knew each other. He is one of the few people whom I can actually recall the first time seeing, must be his gingerness. I "met" him in creative writing club. I say "met" because we didn't really talk, not at least until afterwards when we talked about Elie Wiesel, which was brief. But I remember where he was sitting and everything and exactly how he looked. This sounds creepy, but I guess it is just that my mind knew that some day this guy would be really important to me. I remember thinking he was at least a year older than me. We "met" again during lent on a Wed, when we would both go to the Lenten prayer service, during the our father he was next to me and we held hands. I remember worrying that mine might be clammy. (Its not that I normally have clammy hands, but it was hot outside and I hate having to hold hands with someone who is clammy and I always worry about returning the favor.) We didn't say anything to each other. I guess Tyler was one of those people who were meant to be in my life though, because even after two failed attempts the earth made at having us be friends, another one arose. My friend Stes(another ginger) was getting together a small group of friends to participate in the 30 hour famine, and to make that part of this long story short, he attended as well.He was wearing his my red hair gives me superpowers shirt and I complemented him on it, and we started talking again. 30 hour famine was one of my best experiences. I became closer to so many people and really began to open up. As for Tyler and me we obviously bonded, it was cool. I learned that he was even cooler than I thought he was(which I will never verbally admit to his face.) But even this was just the beginning of our friendship. Senior year was where we really became close. Tyler did his first play, and as any one who has participated in a theater knows your cast is your family, even the people you hate. We would hang out at practice which was awesome. Our group of friends was so tight-knit. We played 20 questions, he probably doesn't remember this, and even started hanging out outside school. By college it was safe to say we had grown pretty close, we hung out in my dorm all first semester and second semester we had our Monday/Wednesday lunch dates at Einstein's. I miss our lunches. I think our lunches are where we really became the level of friends we are now. We started feeling comfortable about talking about anything to each other. I guess what I love about Tyler is all I admire about him. Yes he can be insecure and judgmental, but he is never cruel. He is dedicated and supportive and entirely loving of his friends. He is one of the best friends a person can have. I have never had a bad time hanging out with him, even if I'm crying or upset. He is just one of the most amazing people I have come to know in my 20 years, a real life changer of a friend.

4. Shelby

He is my best friend. The friend who inspires me to live day to day. The friend whose spirit runs through my body. There is a strength he gives me, that I never even knew I had. And I know everything I may say about him will sound so cliche but they are true. He knocks the skeptic right out of me and makes me believe in the impossible. Never before have I felt so connected, so afraid to lose, so completely head over heels in love with a guy. I feel like any words used to describe him are unworthy of describing the light inside him. I really love him. I do. Its scary and terrifying, but here it is, I do. Never before has a person given me as much courage and strength and security in myself. He gives me the courage to live my life without fear. He alone restored my faith in this world, and if I could give him a fragment of the strength he has given me I would feel lucky. He is the most beautiful person I have ever known. Shelby, we are like rivers. We can flow separately, but together we have such a force, a force that will lead us into the deepest oceans. You are the moon to my sun, the brightest star in our constellation. I love you. Thank you for being my best friend.

A lucky charm, what even is one? I'm not so sure if I even believe in luck, and if I do I definitely do not think it comes from some outer element but rather inside us. But,I suppose there are things that hold a power in us though.
For example, My stuffed wolf Shelby. I sleep with him every night and the nights I hold him close are the nights I feel most content. When I was sick I clung to him dearly, and even brought him to the hospital with me. It was a way for Shelby to be with me, even if he couldn't physically. It's a build-a-bear wolf so on the inside is a heart with a wish for me and him. His birth date on his birth certificate is December 25th, 2010. The official beginning of us. The wolf is Shelby's animal. He is my alpha. And as I hold this wolf now, and kiss him, and hug him, I know Shelby can feel it.
Another lucky, albeit odd, charm would be my laptop. I know it sounds like Im addicted to the internet, which I am, but that is not the point of its importance. On the day I bought my laptop, My best friend Jess was doing the same. Jess and I had gone to both middle and high school together, but were never really friends. I was so excited to get my new laptop, it was the first time a computer was really mine! I remembering ripping it out of the box and setting it up to AIM with my best friend at the time. I signed onto facebook and was so excited to chat with people on there with MY keyboard! Then Ski messaged me telling me he had just gotten skype and how I need to get it! Me, being excited to have the ability to download whatever I wanted without my mother's consent was completely for it. So I downloaded skype. Now I don't really know how Jess and I got to exchanging names, but Justin had told her to download it too, and somehow we ended up talking. I told her about my new computer and she told me about hers and then we realized that WE BOTH HAD THE SAME ONE! What a crazy random happenstance right? Two separate people buying the same computers on the same day! Crazy. Well Jess and I ended up skyping almost every night, occasionally throwing Chez or Doyle in the mix and it was so fun. When she came to town to deal with things going on home, we hung out every day for hours and I mean every day. We became such close friends, almost inseparable all because we both had gotten new computers!
But that is not where the computer magic stops, not even close. It was through my computer that I first began to talk to my then sexual play toy. It was through the computer that I would talk to tyler each day on twitter bonding or go on dailybooth meeting awesome new friends. But most of all It was through my computer, that a sweet girl stumbled into a sweet guy, and sparks flew. Yes, I know its strange to say but without my computer, I really don't know how similar my life would be to the one I am living now.
As for my final lucky charm well, I really don't know. I guess it's really a culmination of all my memories. Behind every experience is a lesson and I make sure to take mine with me wherever I go. No luck can ever live up to a girl who has lived. Life is my luckiest charm, so I'm gonna live mine to the fullest! :D

There are many places I would like to visit in my lifetime, It is a hard choice for only two.
But I suppose one would have to be Italy. I would really love to see all the beautiful architecture, experience the beautiful art, take a gondola ride in the sinking city. Italy is definitely one country I hope to experience many cities of. For the longest time I hoped to live there, and who knows maybe one day I will, even if only for a brief time.

Another would have to be Egypt. Ive always been drawn to its rich background and its majesty. I hope to one day stare and the Pyramids and walk the sands that Santiago walked in search of his personal legend.

Travel is a beautiful thing, experiencing so many different worlds. In so many ways I am envious of my aunt for all of her travel experiences! I mean she lived in paris for 8 years! I hope one day to see as much as her. <3

"Not gone."

As I shared with you in my final song challenge post, I love the sentiments of the song "Those you've known". All I really want those who cared for me on earth to know, is that I will always be with them. Our lives never end on earth, even in death, because the people whose souls we've touched carry that with them, spreading it to others. We are all one in the end. One with each other, one with the earth, one with the stars. As long as their is one soul, no one is truly gone.

PERSONAL 7 DAY CHALLENGE

What is one thing you would want to say to one person before you died?
Where are two places you want to visit most?
What are your three lucky charms?
Who are your 4 closest friends and what do you like about them?
Pick 5 things closest to you. What are they, and do they hold any significance in your life?
Do you remember being 6 years old? What did you enjoy most about being a kid?
Say 7 random things about yourself.


Shelby and I will be doing this challenge together :D