Chase

We spend our lives chasing things: the better job, the new car,
the man or woman of our dreams. As human beings we are
natural chasers. Our DNA and conditioning drives us to chase
what we believe will make us happy.

In the end you can have all of the stuff you chased and still feel
unfulfilled. How can that be possible when I worked so hard to
acquire all of these things?

Your happiness is based on feelings, not stuff. If you feel happy
you are happy. You can sit in your new car and still feel unworthy.
Start feeling more love for yourself and all that you have in life.
Then the external gifts will be the icing on your cake of self-love.



Joe Nunziata

Uptown Pirates

Living in Uptown Minneapolis near the chain of Lakes, we go for a lot of walks. We may simply be lazy or uncreative in finding ways to spend time together ("Honey, what do you want to do tonight?" "Uhhh...I dunno...go for a walk?"), however, we love it and continue to stumble across new hidden treasures every time we venture out. Here are some of our few recent discoveries:

• Outdoor music @ the Lake Harriet Bandshell EVERY DAY in the summer. Monday - Saturday @ 7:30pm, Sundays @ 2:30 & 5:00pm. We followed our ears one Tuesday night and were baffled when we came across hundreds of people sitting on blanets, having picnics, playing cards, all while listening to some sweet classic rock cover band. We felt so left out that we were sompletely clueless to such a fun scene. Here is a link to the music schedule: www.minneapolisparks.org/documents/activities/concerts/Lake_Harriet.pdf
• ALL DAY Happy Hour on Sundays @ Il Gato, the new Italian restaurant that took the place of my long lost love Figlio's. However, I will say that I've been pretty impressed with their service & food, and their Happy Hour menu is amazing. Nothing beats a tall caraffe of wine & chicken pesto flatbread @ $3 each!
• A really nice patio at Sushi Tango. I had no idea it was back there!!
• Rental Bikes near Minnehaha Falls! And I'm not talking your standard one-seater; I'm talking bicycles built for two and SIX people! My girlfriends & I make a day trip out of it and had a blast, while getting a pretty good work out. We will definitely be heading back there soon! Link: http://www.wheelfunrentals.com/listlocations/50
• The Cafeteria. OK...so their food & service are just decent, but it's nice to have another rooftop patio option in Uptown. The atmosphere is cool (think modern/beachy) and it has a totally different vibe than both The Drink & Stella's. It is worth the visit for a cold drink on a hot summer day.
• An abundence of drunk, sloppy, creepers lurking on East Lake Street at night. I love the Town Talk Diner's patio...but not when some bum who smells like pee and is drunk off Listerine is trying to sit next to me!
• Horrible Service at both Cowboy Slim's & The Drink.I swear, I think Slim's has two prerequisites while hiring new employees: 1) cute girl who looks good in daisy dukes, 2) brain of fluff. I couldn't believe how many times I asked a waitress or bartender a question ("Can I have that water that I asked for 10 minutes ago?) and was met by a blank, clueless stare. Even worse is The Drink, where we weren't greeted by our imaginary server the entire time we were there. We were "helped" (only when we stopped someone) by random employees and managers, all who told us "We aren't your server, but I guess I can get that for you". That is the first time I haven't given anything for a tip, but I was pretty proud of my clever comment on the receipt, whev I circled the name of our waitress and wrote... "Who?" 

Until next time, matey.

The DINK is back...and better than ever.

Has is really been SIX MONTHS since I've posted a blog?! Holy Hannah, time flies. It just goes to show HOW MUCH has gone on in the past 180 days...

* Started a new job and and loving it!! I'm working on a brand I am very proud of, so being crazy busy and trying to keep my meetings and e-mails straight doesn't bother me.

* Um...GOT MARRIED!! :) My fellow DINK made me the happiest wifey on the planet on April 24, 2010. I'm going to go ahead and answer the two questions that everyone has been asking me, so you don't have to :):

• Q: So Ashley, did anything go wrong? There's always one good horror story...
• A: Honestly, NOTHING! I am almost disappointed that I don't have a juicy story to tell. The day was absolutely perfect in every way, and I have my family, friends and wedding coordinator to thank for pulling all the strings to make the day fun & relaxing for me. Stay tuned for "The Wedding, in Review", in the near future.
• Q: That's great! So, how's married life?
• Married life is good :) But in all honesty, it's not that different than it was before. The best part (besides wearing a bigger, more sparkly ring on my finger...:) is that now we are finally and "officially" a family. We have felt that way for years, but now we are in the eyes of God & everyone else. It feels so nice to know that my BFF is going to be next to me for laughs, support and love for the rest of my life. Halelujiah!

OK, even though you didn't ask, I will tell you the worst part about being married. Changing your name! Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be a Schneider, but not only is it hard to get used to, but the logistal details are HORRIBLE! I am still waiting for my new drivers license, and have gotten 2 credit cards back with the last name spelled wrong. And I still have my student loans & probably a few more permament records to change. Oh yeah, and did I tell you my "legal" middle name is now registered different with the U.S. vs. the State? It's a long story, but in short, I will either have to go to the state court & pay $300 to make it the middle name I want (Park) , or sit in line for 5 hours at Social Security to make it the middle name I'm just ok with (Marie). Fun, fun, fun... :)

Ahem...so, where was I? Oh yeah...

* Went on our HONEYMOON to Puerto Rico & The Virgin Islands! We had an amazing, relaxing time and it was great to finally sit back do NOTHING after a stressful few months prior to the wedding. Stay tuned for the Honeymoon, in review.

* Took a road trip to Nashville for Ryann Schneider's (Jared's wonderful cousin's) wedding! Nashville is a freeking BLAST, and the wedding was beautiful! Not to mention, we had a great time on the road. Interstate Bingo, anyone?

So, I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but the moral of the story is that the DINK is back and better than ever! Stay tuned for random stories, restaurant & movie reviews, and sporadic thoughts, comments & crap.

MISSED YOU!! :)

Floozies in training

As much as I want to put my party shoes on and dance to this song, and even if it slightly reminds me of our girls trip in Vegas, I am horrified that young girls are listening to this crap on the radio.

Does that mean I'm an old maid already?

2009 in Review

Hello 2010! It's GREAT to see you. There are many things I am looking forward to in the new year: a new position at work, a new husband, grad school (not sure if "looking forward to" is the correct term for that one...), and even more exciting: the unknown.

Yet, before I fully embrace 2010, I must look back on 2009 and bid it a "fair" fairwell. So, please join me as I remember the highlights of what 2009 brought to my life:

* January = Suck. As usual.
* Valentine's Day @ Tony & Tina's Wedding
* My 24th birthday @ Pancho Villa
* Our first spring/summer living in Uptown: jogs around the lake, BBQs & hosting parties
* The birth of my first niece (God Daughter) & nephew!
* Becoming great friends with my NRO loves :)
* My mom's wedding!
* Hairball at Dibbo's in Hudson, WI
* Many trips to the cabin
* Mom's 50th birthday
* Basilica Block Party
* Extended girl's Labor Day Weekend festivities
*Oktoberfest/Lind's Bday at Gastof's
*Friends of St. Jude Vineyard Tour
* Jared bought new car
* Haunted Hay Ride with Dad
* VEGAS!
* Many nights out at amazing restaurants with Jer-Ber
* An awesome Thanksgiving & Christmas
* New job offer!

Oofda. What a year.

In 2010, I hope to take more pictures & start scrapbooking. Life is good and I want to remember everything.

Bring it ON!