grab a drink, stay awhile

I can't help but read all this mumbojumbotalk about Google reader vanishing after this weekend. Might I add I read majority of this from my daily bloglovin feed email.  Anyhow, I guess I better jump on that big ole' bandwagon and dedicate a post simply requesting your company to stay with 'ya girl and follow me via bloglovin'.  

I'm a beaaar (backing my azz up)

I had a wonderful vlog planned for today but I slept 12 hours.  Opps.  I'm a bear in hibernation, true story.

It was my monthly Ipsy Glam Bag review vlog.  And well, basically I'll just tell you my thoughts.  In the words of Jim Carrey...

"I've had better." 

I'll still post it Monday, there was some good parts to it.  But, for now...it' time to back it up, son! What better to use my favorite cups song? 

"two bottles of whiskey for the way."

that's when I knew I loved her. 

Happy Friday,

4 Favorites: Weekend Getaway

If I'm going on a weekend getaway, of course I have a few change of clothes and a little makeup and jewelry.  I definitely have my favorite oversized bag, and dry shampoo is a must. Of course, in addition to a simple classy summer dress I can dress up with some nude wedges.

Tote | Dress (similar) | Wedges | Dry Shampoo 

Oh, and HEY! Did you watch the Backstreet Boys on Live with Kelly and Michael this morning? If you answer no, we need to have a serious talk. After 20 years, I still can't get enough of them.  I've got exciting news about me, those boys, and my birthday celebration...but I will leave that for another post! 

Be honest, are you still obsessed?

When money talks

I hope you guys didn't forget about me.  After Father's Day weekend, I started putting some serious hours in at work.  Then came that research paper, the errands, the to-do lists, and more working.  I completely put my blogging on the back burner for a while, and I sincerely apologize.

But today, I want to tell you what said job is doing to promote more effective performance within the company.  As you may know, I work in a pharmacy and what I deal with, in my opinion, on a daily basis cannot be blogged about for my own protection. 

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But in a "safe" nutshell, here's what I do:

1. I fill around 400 prescriptions
2. Meet the needs and comfort 300 sick and unpleasant customers
   
   

   

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3. Answer the phone
4. Fix insurance rejections, fix insurance rejections, fix insurance rejections
5. Fill your 12 prescriptions you want to wait on 
6. Answer the phone 
7. Wonder if you're going to make meth as I sell you this sudafed
8. Decipher your doctor's handwriting, that clearly hasn't improved since the first grade. Sorry, I have to call him now, I can't tell if he wants you to put that in your nose or vagina
9. Rush over to drive thru to only find that you want the Plan B
10. Investigate the last fill on your oxycodone
    
    

    

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11. Answer the phone 
12. Make unnecessary required phone calls while trying to scarf down my sandwich
    
    

    

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13. Last but not least, follow my company's policy for improving customer's experience to keep them coming back over other retail pharmacies with a BIG FAT smile on my face

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Sorry I'm not sorry. 

As if giving me a 3% raise each year wasn't enough to keep me coming back for more, my company now has issued a program in where we collect points and earn rewards. These points are given by our immediate boss when we showing exceptional customer service.  These points add up and we are able to cash them in for rewards such as gift cards, hand bags, jewelry, etc.  Well, I basically show the best customer service like a BOSS.  So, after our store was top in the district and region, I cashed my points in for retail therapy shopping gift cards.

Yes sirreeeee! The company that pays me, is now rewarding me with some of deeeez gemz

ON

ON

Oh, and some yogi pants with free shipping!  I don't hate it, except for the part about taxing me the numerical value of the gift cards. thaaaanks.

In all seriousness, I love my job.  I learned so much in the past 4 years that will set me up for pure success in my career that not all nurses have had the opportunity to experience.  I take each day with a grain of salt.  Although I'm passionate about what I do, at the end of the day it's just a job. And I'm just there to get a paycheck. ya dig? 

 *disclaimer: this is my personal blog.  All opinions here are my own and do not represent my company, nor any of it's employees.  The scenario of "you" does not depict anyone in particular and was made up solely for this blog post.  The contents of this blog is intended to take as humor for the retail pharmacy workers and does not target any retail pharmacy or customer.  

Sinners like me

I want to dedicate this #backthatazzupFriday to the greatest man I could ever imagine God picking as my father.

Let's just get straight to the point, everyone loves my Daddy.  He knows no stranger and you can guarantee he is best friends with all of my best friends.  I drink with my Daddy, I smoke with my Daddy, and I raise hell with my Daddy.  Although I love my husband dearly, my Daddy will always be  number one in my heart for making me the person I am today.

Growing up, I didn't always get to see my Daddy as often as we both would like. You see back in the day, my Daddy served this great country of ours. He also had a few too many wives to deal with, but that's besides the point.  He got stationed at Nellis Air Force base in Las Vegas, Nevada before I entered middle school. And that's when Ashley the train wreck nearly started.

Sneaking out and running my Mom's car into the garage door, fighting on the school bus after school, sneaking out to smoke and drink with my friends all night, not getting to play varsity softball because I skipped school and failed due to absences, skipping school and racing my truck down the dirt road and fish tailing into a fence. You know it, I did it. Was I a bad kid? Yes. Was I a bad kid because my Daddy wasn't around to give me the azz whooping of a lifetime that I deserved? Maybe. Was I a bad kid because it's in my genes? Without a freaking doubt.  My Momma, she's an angel, and I thank my lucky stars she never killed me for all of the ridiculous, wreck less, and down right stupid things I did as a kid and teenager. She did the best she could, but I was out of control.

My Daddy moved back from Las Vegas my last two years of high school after he retired, but I still continued to raise hell. That is until the day I walked down to the hallway to the principals office and I saw my Daddy's orange Harley Davidson jacket sleeve from the door way. My heart stopped. What in the world was I to do? My Momma did a good job at hiding a lot of the stupid things I did from my Dad. But, this was it. I was on the verge of not making it to my senior year if I didn't straighten up.

There's a few things in life that can occur that will result in me feeling like I'm just scum on the ground.  Disappointing my Father is one of those things. I guess I never thought about what would happen if he found out about all of the stupid things I had done. I would rather take a million whippings, be grounded for the rest of my life, whatever it may be. I'd take it all, I just can't stand the feeling knowing how disappointed he is in me. And he knows that's all he has to say. I'm not mad at you Ash, I'm just disappointed.  Boy, did it cut like a knife.

For the next two years,  my Daddy and I got closer than ever before. It wasn't about punishing me anymore, it was about bonding. It was about instilling the values in me that make me a person in society, it was about helping me grow into a responsible adult, and it was about reminding me the lessons he taught me as a child when I first lied to him.

The grass is green, the sky is blue, and life's too short. 

So do the right thing 'cause it's the right thing to do.  

My Daddy never got to have a son, but between me and my sister I'm pretty sure we gave him the experience he would have had if we were boys.  At my sister's wedding, she picked the most spot on song to dance with Daddy to.  It wasn't your traditional "make everyone cry" song.  It was a song that speaks truth. Pure truth. 

Recently, Dad and I took a road trip up to Virginia together and we played this song on repeat for a good thirty minutes. So, for #backthatazzupFriday it must be played again and dedicated to my Daddy on Father's Day.

I'll never get tired of you telling me your stories or asking you for advice, and I'm thankful you never let me down despite the hell I raised.  I love you to the moon and back! Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Four Favorites: the beach

Swim Suit | Sunglasses | Flip Flops | Skin Care 

I keep It Pretty Simple, Stupid when I go to the beach.  Seriously, as long as I have on a trustworthy bikini, my faithful rainbow flops, ray-bans and spf I'm good to go! All I need! Well, perhaps maybe a towel and some brewskies, too. 

I've been working entirely too much for my own good and I'm in desperate need of some one on one time with Mr. Sunshine and my stud muffin. I obviously hate myself, considering I'm the one who volunteers to work these 14 hour shifts.  What can I say, girl's gotta shop!

Happy Hump Day,

I'm a creepy picture taker.

My weekend shenans and work. Yep, work.

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Friday I worked my first ever 14 hour shift in the pharmacy.  I've been a pharmacy tech almost 4 hours now and the most I've ever pulled in one day is 12 hours.  Never have I been at the pharmacy from open to close.  And let me tell you, just 2 extra hours sure makes a difference.  I even wore my Alegria Nursing shoes, but after standing on your feet for 14 hours not much can really help. When I got off work my feet, ankles, and back were aching and the next morning, aching some more.

My husband and I usually get a couples massage every few months, but of course with nursing school you don't get much spare time.  So, we've missed out on a few massages.  Our last couples massage was in December while in St. Lucia right near the beach, so I'd say that was enough to hold us until June :)  Saturday morning we called just about every where to make a last minute appointment and the only one we could find was at JW Salon and Spa in downtown Savannah.  It was featured in South Magazine's recommended places to "play at" in Savannah.  touché, South Mag. Exactly what I need!

I'm a big atmosphere person. When I walk into a place, I can tell immediately how my experience will be just by the ambience of it.  It's not surprise I fell in love with this place because it's set in beautiful historic Savannah on York St, which is easily one of my favorite streets. More about that another time.  It's also directly across the street from Zunzi's, which you must eat at after you leave and every other day.

JW Salon and Spa on google plus

After we checked in with the receptionist, she led us up 2 flights of stairs to the spa portion to fill out some papers before we began.  I love levels.  My husband was cracking up as I gave up the thumbs up behind my back as we kept going up.  The atmosphere was just amazing. So calming, so comforting.  So amazing I couldn't put by phone down to stop snapping pictures.

Robert couldn't understand why I was so fascinated.  Surely, he thought I was taking pictures for the purpose of sharing on social media, so what big boy.  In actuality, I was just documenting what our relaxation room in our future house will look like ;)

After being mesmorized in this little waiting room, our massage therapists led us into yet another beautiful room with a fire place for our massages. Where I even got a little creepy and took pictures of the bathroom.

It was just too beautiful not to.  The vessel sink, the tile, the faucet that came directly out of the wall, even the backsplash in the shower Robert refused to let me capture. 

I must say, our massages were just as amazing as the spa was.  We will definitely be going back for more and I promise to not take as many creepy pictures. 

Sunday I worked another 8 hours to begin my 40 hour work week. But, at least I got in some relaxation on my Saturday off.  I now leave you with the most motivational thing ever.  For the best relaxer there is besides my husband, Si Robertson.  

  

Work hard. Nap hard. Play hard. 

Link up minajaaa.

Paleo Diet #30DaysSober Week 1, Just Because

So, it's been an entire week since I told you about the Paleo Diet adventure I was to embark on, and it's been 5 days since I did so.  I'm basically just going to wrap this up in a nut shell and tell you what I think so far.

It. Freaking. Sucks. 

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I think we all knew that was going to be my reaction.  Prior to June 1st, I ate a bagel every morning and I loaded that sucker with cream cheese and had water, OJ, and coffee to drink always. If I didn't eat a bagel, I would have some type of cereal, Kellog's Frosted Mini Wheats any flavor being my fav. For lunch, I usually ate fairly healthy, some kind of fruit with a turkey sandwich on a whole grain sandwich thin thingamabob. However, sometimes I would eat out but I tried to stay conscious of the fact I was eating out and I'd settle on eating a salad or a sub.  For snacks, I usually eat a fiber one bar , some plain greek yogurt with cut up fruit, or maybe a 100 calorie popcorn bag.  Dinner was always tricky.  For dinner, I would try to make the healthiest meal I could with my husband's all time must have ingredients: meat and potatoes. Of course, I would throw as many veggies I could into the mix. If I'm off work and the moment is right, I have ice cream in the evening. 

Through out the day I mostly drank water after I finished my morning coffee.  Every once in awhile I would get a taste for a Diet Coke and have one.  Although, I did a research paper a few years ago in a nutrition class on the effects of Aspartame and I've tried to avoid it at all cost. So for the most part, I always drank water. This is what I would eat 80% of the time with the exceptions of Saturday morning breakfast courtesy of the Husband, Friday evening being Pizza Night when I'm off, and Sunday is reserved for no other than Sushi Sunday.  And maybe a few bites of whatever snack my Husband is eating. 

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You see, I didn't eat that bad in the first place. I probably never ate the correct proportions of absolutely anything I ate.  Actually, I never did unless it was prepackaged. Especially cereal, there's no way I would add 1/2 cup of milk.  My cereal is always drowning in milk.  Why? Because I'm a total weirdo and I slurp my milk like soup off of my spoon instead of drinking it out of the bowl like everyone else.  I like a lot of milk, okay? I also never measured my cereal to assure I was only eating 3/4 cup, which furthermore means I was having around 2 cups of 1% milk for breakfast. Along with my 1/2 cup of OJ.  That's already 33g of sugar, not even sure how many sugars are in my yummy bagel or my Chocolate mini wheats.  I've always been told you should eat the most carbohydrates in the morning, and I've always stuck to that with cereal or a whole wheat bagel. However, what I didn't realize is the other unnecessary carbs I was consuming along with my breakfast item of choice was loaded with simple carbohydrates. I mean I knew it, I just never sat down to really think about it. 

So, do you see my problem? The hard part wasn't even giving up my vino, believe it or not.  I love carbs and I love dairy.  It wasn't hard cooking the different recipes, swapping out some foods for more eggs or meat, eating more vegetables and fruit, or even replacing coffee with organic green tea. 

May or may not still cheating on Paleo with OJ?

 It was completely giving up grains, starches, greek yogurt, and my morning slurpfest with milk.  

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For the most part, I've stuck to it.  One day I had a child like bitch fit and said screw it and had some of my favorite cereal with a plethora of milk. I'm sorry, self.   I think the most important thing I didn't do that I should have done was research this diet and lifestyle for a solid month. 

 I researched it for a few days after deciding I would do it, pinned some recipes on Pinterest, and dove right in.  I get the basic concept of it, but I'm still haven't mastered what to eat and what not to eat.  If you looked at my google history from the past week on any of my devices they would all be a cluster of 

 "Is _______ Paleo?" 

There are some things I do agree with about this whole Paleo thing, and there's some things I don't. But I'll just have to save that for another post.  I'm going to continue to try and eat more like a caveman for the rest of the month and I'll update every Thursday as promised.  Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more.  Go eat some cookie dough ice cream and have a glass of Merlot tonight for me :)