Hello, Michigan!

I thought I may be crazy when I decided to pack the kids and I up for a week in Michigan, but it turns out I'm only crazy for thinking that I may not be capable. Suitcases, winter gear, swim vests, a hundred snacks, DVD's, cameras and sound machines--and finally we were ready for the normally six hour drive North.

We left Kentucky at 10 a.m. on the dot and drove for two hours. The kids could have gone longer but I thought it was a good stopping point for lunch and to fill up the gas tank. I popped in a second movie and continued driving. They were so good to not ask me to turn around or get anything for them, and they even slept for a little over an hour. Around 3:45pm we could see my parents house from the road and I shook my head in disbelief. I had driven for the first time EVER with both kids for almost six hours!

Not to toot my own horn, (but definitely patting myself on the back), the trip once there continued to go smoothly. My parents helped read to Pierson while I put Reese down for naps and bedtime, and while I did do TWELVE consecutive tuck-ins, I'm amazed at what good kids I have. Yes, Pierson woke once or twice in the middle of the night to come find me, but Reese did amazing in her cozy closet/bedroom and slept the entire night each night. In the mornings, they were happy and playful, and I was always a little grumpy until I finished the first cup of coffee. But y'all...it was SO good to just be HOME. They had to go swimming twice a day, thank God for that pool! And got to the point where they allowed me to sit in a chair in the pool room to do work on my laptop while they played and swam--when did I get such BIG kids?!

My mom, their Mimi, had fun activities, baked cupcakes with them, and helped me with their lunches every day. They loved when my dad, Pa Pa, got home from work, and talked his ear off a mile a minute. During our Christmas visit the kids bickered, a LOT, and Reese was super challenging mood and attitude wise. But for whatever reason, and maybe they just matured a lot in the last couple of months? They got along SO much better and both were VERY sweet. [Thank the LORD!]

I think I could have stayed longer, but Pierson started to get SUPER homesick for his Daddy. There were lots of tears the second to last night we were there, begging to call and see him, and Asa told me that I needed to pick a day and come HOME. I had just been playing each day completely by ear, because honestly, I didn't really expect that I could do this EVERY day for six days! We decided on Tuesday, which gave Asa six nice long nights to NOT be woken up by kids, to only have to worry about ONE dish to clean, and to not worry about clutter or toys strewn everywhere. He has always been super supportive when I have made my weekend Tennessee trips, and I'm very thankful I was ABLE to give him this break. [Not going to lie, babe, I may need to take another soon, ha ha!] ;)

I've joked [okay, not totally joking] that we need to move either to Nashville to be near my brother OR Michigan to be near my parents because I've been in Kentucky for TEN YEARS and I just really miss my fam. I don't that will be happening... so I really can't be more grateful for this trip I was able to take and ENJOY. Any other ladies out there just feel like you need to be with your mama?! I miss mine ALL the time!

Thank you, Mom, Dad and Nathan for having us this whole week. I can't wait to be able to come back and do it again, maybe this spring! Enjoy the pictures, friends. I wish I had been better about snapping photos of the kids with my parents and brother but clearly I didn't this time. Cheers, and happy WEEKEND!

beloved lisa

Some of you are going to be coming to this post wondering, 'what is the beloved woman series?' So before we dive in, let me tell you a little about it.

In an interview once, a woman asked me, "What do you wish you could tell childhood Ashley?" It was a question that really stumped me. I felt flustered and nervous and like I could probably tell little kid Ashley a million different helpful things, but spilling out of my mouth was this:

"I would tell her to live loved."

Not a very common phrase, it's one that I discovered in Lysa TerKeurst's book Uninvited a few months ago. Both her and Lara Casey have written about it, seeking to empower women to live their lives knowing and embracing that they are loved. WE, are loved. You. And me. By so many different souls--Our Creator, who knew the hairs on our heads before we were born, and beyond; to the husbands we are wives to, the children we are mothers to, the brothers and sisters, the parents we were born to, and the friends that we cling to. But knowing that we are loved, and actually believing it, are two separate things. I know that I am loved by my husband. I know that my kids adore me and beg each night for it to be my turn to put them each down. I know my parents love me, my brothers, my friends. But do I believe this to my core, to the point that I don't doubt my beloved strengths? I'm afraid not. And I am guessing you may need some help here too.

Sisters, you are beloved. And I long to help you believe this truth. I want to know you better, to encourage you, to wrap my arms around you, to challenge you to think deeper about yourselves; so that in turn, soon, YOU will feel the love. It is my great honor to introduce you to this month's beloved lady: Lisa Diederich. She is an artist, a creative, a photographer, traveler, daughter, fiance, and a beautiful friend to SO many. This lady dreams BIG, and I'm so excited for you to see a glimpse of her story.

I have been a big fan of Lisa through social media and really, her photography, for a long time. She has always been a woman that I thought, "Gosh I'd love to meet her!" as I scrolled through her gorgeous photos. When I learned that she didn't actually live far from me, I reached out to her. I'm incredibly thankful that she was willing to let me spend a morning with her, drinking two delicious cups of coffee, cuddling her dog Toby, and chatting on her crazy comfortable couch. It's always fun when you meet someone and instantly just feel at home.

I asked her to share a bit of her background with y'all, where she's from and what life looks like, and here's what she said:
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for including me on your amazing blog. I'm so excited to follow along with you and other women on this platform! As for me, I'm a professional photographer and just moved to Nashville, TN. I grew up in Indiana and then moved to Sydney, Australia where I lived for 5 years with my fiancé, Sam. I also started my photography business there and I have been photographing weddings, families, brands and campaigns all over the world since then. 

She told me about some of her travels and what living in Australia looked like and I just stood in awe. As a dreamer of photographing weddings in bad ass locations like the ones she has, I know that I have a lot to learn from women [and artists] like Lisa!

"If you could sit in an empty room, with 1 other chair, and have a cup of coffee with 18 year old Lisa, what is something you wish you could tell her?" I asked.

Anything worth doing is going to be difficult.

 I couldn't agree with that more, friends. It hasn't been the easy things in my life that have been the most meaningful, the most valued. And something that I have realized personally as a photographer and woman period, is that we are so hard on ourselves. We are crazy talented, have so many unique strengths, we are beautiful, but yet, we struggle sometimes, don't we? So I proceeded...

"Sometimes loving ourselves as women can be difficult. Is there anything you struggle with that you wish you could help other women know and believe about themselves? 

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with creative work. I feel so fulfilled by photography and I'm really proud of my business and work. But I know that I can't just settle there forever! I have to push myself to be better - to critique my work, challenge my own decisions and learn new things. Stepping out of that creative comfort zone and risking failure can be scary and sometimes disheartening. But in the end, that's what makes me grow as a person and a photographer.

These days, incredible talent and inspiring people surround us. It's an amazing motivator, but it can also be crippling when you compare yourself to others. I think it's something we all struggle with (especially in this world of social media) but I try to see comparison and competition as friendly fuel. Some days it's easier than others, but it's always the goal.

"Is there anything you'd want to share about a piece of childhood that shaped you into the woman you are today? As a photographer, what inspired this?"

I was a competitive gymnast from the age of six until I was 18 (and I also did four sports in High School). It was completely crazy, but I loved it! That was such a huge part of my life growing up and I can see so many ways it influenced me. I'm self-motivated; super goal-oriented and I love a challenge. But I'm also a perfectionist and fiercely competitive. It's a blessing and a curse J

I love hearing the things that excite others! The joys and dreams that make them bubble over with excitement. Lisa and I talked about this some and she shared that she feels most thrilled over change and challenge.

 I feel excited and most alive when I’m dreaming of my next adventure. Whether that’s in my business, my travels or my personal life, it’s thrilling to think of what’s next! When I moved to Sydney, it was a scary, but exciting change. I left my friends and family and comforts behind and moved overseas with just two suitcases. For a moment, it felt like I was giving everything up, but I was really gaining so much more. I found a true partner in Sam, joined a second family, met some of my now closest friends and changed my life forever. I’ve carried that lesson with me and try to collect people, passions and experiences as I go through life.

"When do you feel the most loved and/or most beautiful?" I wanted to know. Because really, sisters, this is usually something we really have to think about. I don't mean surface beauty, but hey, if you really love your eyes or legs or arms, there's no shame in celebrating that! I want to know when you as women feel and really TRUST that you are both loved and beautiful. Lisa's response was really wonderful:

I feel so loved by my family and friends. They are endlessly supportive of me - whether I'm moving 9,000 miles away to another country or starting my own photography business, they have always had unwavering faith in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams every step of the way. I don't think I've ever thought about being 'beautiful'...it just doesn't cross my mind! But I often think about being happy and fulfilled. Sometimes it's during a shoot or a wedding; when the light is perfect and I'm completely in the zone - capturing those pure moments of joy & emotion. At other times, it's just being curled up on the couch with my fiancé, our dog and a movie. 

If you haven't yet checked out Lisa via Instagram or her website, I really think you need to. Her sense of style and design completely inspires me, and she's a gal worth knowing for sure. If there was something inspirational in this post, comment below and give Lisa some love, would you?

And friends, I really want this series to spread. I mean REALLY spread. Empowering women is something I am so passionate about; celebrating the diverse and beautifully unique ladies around us. I wish I could feature hundreds of you! Feel free to nominate your own Beloved Woman by e-mailing me or through the contact here on my website. Who do you look up to? Whose story do you want the world to see and hear?

As always, thank you for reading! Whether you stopped by because you saw it on Instagram or other social media, or you just happened to land here, I'm so grateful! I hope you'll stay a while and know that YOU are BELOVED!

Valentine's Day Pretzel Bites

This past Christmas my sister-in-law and her children were making pretzel bites for the kids to gift their teachers. Her three were sitting at their kitchen table, carefully unwrapping every Hershey's Kiss©, and my son eagerly joined them. She told me that it was a great activity to help them stay busy, because they seriously focus so well on individually unwrapping each one to place on top of the pretzels.

While I scrolled Pinterest in search of Valentine's goodies, I remembered this idea! There's lots of variations of it, but we chose to do mini pretzels, kisses, and valentine themed m&m's for ours this morning. My kids were so excited to do this together, and I made a whole Instagram story of them unwrapping and chatting, giggling together and talking about how I would put the m&m's on top after they had warmed in the oven. 

They of course intermittently asked, "Mommy, can I eat one??" to which I obliged because they were doing SO well. And together, they finished the entire task all by themselves! That's a lot of pretzels for a three and four-year old! So here's how you do it, though I feel like it's pretty self-explanatory based on the pictures ;) 

-Buy your favorite [or cheapest in my case] brand of mini pretzels
-Hershey Kisses
-M&M's [we used the Valentine's themed]

-Pre-heat oven to 300°
-Line up the pretzels over wax paper on a cookie sheet
-Have kiddos unwrap the kisses and set on top of the pretzels
-Put cookie sheet w/ pretzels + chocolate in the oven for about 3 minutes
-Gently press m&m on each pretzel

And then I put ours in the fridge to get nice and solid. The kids had a few after their lunches and they LOVED them. I keep opening the fridge and snacking on them in between writing this blog post, brewing coffee, and rotating laundry, ha! 

Easy

Time-Consuming for Energetic Kiddos 

DELICIOUS! 

The recipe to THE perfect rainy and cloudy afternoon, at least in my book! Enjoy, y'all! And thanks again to my sis-in-law Jana for the idea! She is the best! 

2017 Reader Survey + A Chance to Win a Free Print!

Hey, y'all and happy MONDAY! We are closing in on the end of this month, and I'm sitting here wondering how it's already almost February!? 

First, I wanted to really just thank you for your support this past year. In 2016 I remember my exact thoughts when launching this blog were to see first, would I enjoy it? And secondly, would it bring inspiration to women; which was my biggest hope. Here we are, it's 2017, and I am most definitely enjoying writing and documenting life in this space. AND, I have had so many of you e-mail me, comment, share on Facebook and social media platforms, which tells me YES, some of you are getting encouragement + inspiration through many of these posts. My intention and prayer is that I will continue to be able to do this, and that God will continue to lead my path in this writing journey. 

Since this is my goal, I thought it would be a great time to pick your brain, and see honestly, how YOU think I'm doing. At the heart of this survey, I really want to know how you've been touched by the words and posts here, and what are some ways this blog can improve? I seriously thank you for every comment you've written, the personal e-mails, the sweet things you have said on Instagram and Facebook. As every writer experiences, there are some insecurities that exist while running this; I'm literally sharing my very personal words among the vastly wide space of the Internet and guys, this can be scary! YOUR encouragement and words of affirmation are what keep me going. 

This space has been a great outlet for me. I absolutely love writing about motherhood, marriage, and really our daily life, struggles, and blessings we've been given. You are a huge chunk of my inspiration; your thoughts, ideas, some of your vulnerability with sharing YOUR personal stories, and really, I wouldn't be where I am without you!

So with all of this being said, here is the: 

2017 Ashley Glass Reader Survey

I will be collecting your surveys today through Sunday. As a huge thank you for your time, I am teaming up with my friend Chelcey Tate, and we are offering you a FREE 8x10 print from our Beloved collection. Fill out the survey, and you'll automatically be put into a drawing to win this lovely print. 

Print reads: I aspire to be an empowered woman with vision and grace. Soft-hearted but strong, self aware + sure, respected for my mind, admired for my heart, and above all, always honest, open, and raw.