hello! wow, i'm so overwhelmed (in a VERY good way) from all of the congratulatory messages and well wishes for peter and myself in regards to our very recent marriage. it came as a shock for a lot of people (probably just about everyone but peter and myself) so i thought i'd give y'all the details :)
peter and i met october 12, 2008 and started dating october 23, 2008. we were pretty much inseparable after meeting and we just fell in love quickly. we lived together in charlottesville, then moved to maryland and now we are starting another new chapter in michigan. we had planned on having a traditional wedding but with limited resources, we wouldn't be able to have the wedding that we wanted until at least 2011 if not later...
earlier this summer, we talked about getting a legal marriage (courthouse) sometime in the coming months and then having a wedding ceremony with friends and family later. we probably started having these discussions around may. fast forward to august...i interviewed and accepted a position as the director of residence life at madonna university. to live together, peter and i have to be married.
we had planned on peter living with his dad about 70 miles away until we could get married, like we had planned on anyways, and had even set the tentative date as october 23...which would have been exactly a year since we started dating.
we were excited about this plan and knew that we could make the couple months living apart work, but then we were talking monday night (aug. 24) and decided we wanted to get married before leaving maryland! we weren't sure if this would even be a possibility with such a short time frame, but we decided to look into it. i went tuesday the 25th and applied for the marriage license and we were able to schedule our marriage ceremony for thursday august 27th.
soooooooooo, we went and looked and picked out our beautiful rings on wednesday. wednesday is also the day we made some nerve-wracking phone calls. peter called my mother to ask her permission to marry me. after she said yes, we went on a walk and that's when peter officially asked me to marry him!!!! it was sweet and of course i cried. then, we called some more of our immediate family and let them know that we were getting married the next day.
had circumstances been different and we had the resources, we would have loved a medium sized wedding to share our love with those who mean the most to us, but since we couldn't do that at this time, we decided we wanted to share that moment privately. the only people there when we married were us (obvi) and the officiant.
was it a traditional fairtytale wedding? not quite, but it was romantic and special and absolutely wonderful for us. we are so ridiculously happy! after gettin' hitched, we went and picked out a nice cake at a local market, got a VERY tasty bottle of bubbly then went and walked around a pretty pond to just enjoy being husband and wife :) once we got home, we also shared a first dance to keith urban's "only you can love me this way."
that's our story. sometimes life takes us down paths we didn't even know existed.
OH, side note: some of you were asking how to pronounce my new last name. phonetically it is: wiz (like wiz kid or cheese wiz)
ness (like va-NESS-a)
key (like the they key you unlock the door with)
wiz-ness-key:) aka wisniewski
*love and hugs*
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
"the key to change is to let go of fear."
hello hello!
i figured this was the best and easiest - and fastest - way to mass distribute my exciting news!
i got a job!!!! i'm going back into student affairs and i couldn't be happier at the thought of what i'll be doing!
i am the new director of residence life at madonna university in livonia, michigan.
mkay and now for the questions:
1. but ashley, i thought you had a job?
i do have a job, but it's a temporary position with my uncle's company. he could use my skills at a time where my other contract was running out at uva prompting peter and i to move to maryland. he knew i was actively looking and was fully supportive of me finding a position allowing me to use my student affairs education and experience.
2. but ashley, michigan is REALLY cold and REALLY far away!?
yes, it's cold - but this is a live-on position thus i have no commute to work. aka no bad ashley driving in the snow. and yes, it is far away. i will miss my family and friends so much that it hurts to think about it, but they know and i know that this is what is in the best interest of my career. it's about eight hours from livonia, michigan to winchester, virginia. i will have the traditional academic breaks plus vacation to use to come back and visit.
3. what exactly will you be doing?
there are approximately 165 students that live on campus (capacity is 200). i will be directing the activities of the residence hall, the residents and resident advisors. i will supervise a staff of six to eight and have a very hands-on experience as the university is making many changes to the residence life experience at madonna. i'm excited to share my experience and really make some great changes and learn so much about the field in the process.
4. tell me a little bit about madonna university.
madonna university is a small, private, catholic university located about 20 miles from detroit and ann arbor. while i am not catholic, i still value the schools mission and will work to promote those values through my work with the students and faculty. i have often been very vocal about accepting other views and opinions and to have an open mind. i consider it me broadening my own personal beliefs of diversity.
5. what about peter?
it won't be ideal, but we can't live together in the university apartment until we are married. he has family about 75 miles from where i will be located. as a couple, we've been through quite a bit in our time together and i am confident and excited about our future together.
6. when is the start date?
here is where it gets a little sticky...my official start date is september 1st. it's a lot to take in and i have a lot to do between now and then, but i'm working frantically to get everything accomplished. my last day at work in maryland will be next week and i will drive to michigan on monday, august 31st. feel free to call me that day as i will have about an eight hour drive.
7. are you keeping mollie?
as residence life live-in postions sometimes allow pets and sometimes they don't, this was something that i had to talk with them about and YES i will be able to have my darling baby. i couldn't have moved that far away and not have my dog. she can be a brat, but she's my brat and i love her.
8. additional comments?
i am so thankful and appreciative of the kind words, phone calls, emails, etc. of my friends and family and of peter's family. this was not an easy decision for us to come to in terms of moving, but it is one that will help us meet and exceed our long term goals. please know that while i might not be able as physically accessible as i have been, i am only a phone call away. with the detroit airport so close, travel by plane will be easy (and hopefully affordable). also, i can make it back home by midday so this isn't goodbye, this is hello to the next chapter.
i think the best quote to sum up this new adventure is (of course) from sex and the city:
"maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. without them, what would shape our lives? perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. after all, seasons change. so do cities. people come into your life and people go. but it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."
as always, *love and hugs*
i figured this was the best and easiest - and fastest - way to mass distribute my exciting news!
i got a job!!!! i'm going back into student affairs and i couldn't be happier at the thought of what i'll be doing!
i am the new director of residence life at madonna university in livonia, michigan.
mkay and now for the questions:
1. but ashley, i thought you had a job?
i do have a job, but it's a temporary position with my uncle's company. he could use my skills at a time where my other contract was running out at uva prompting peter and i to move to maryland. he knew i was actively looking and was fully supportive of me finding a position allowing me to use my student affairs education and experience.
2. but ashley, michigan is REALLY cold and REALLY far away!?
yes, it's cold - but this is a live-on position thus i have no commute to work. aka no bad ashley driving in the snow. and yes, it is far away. i will miss my family and friends so much that it hurts to think about it, but they know and i know that this is what is in the best interest of my career. it's about eight hours from livonia, michigan to winchester, virginia. i will have the traditional academic breaks plus vacation to use to come back and visit.
3. what exactly will you be doing?
there are approximately 165 students that live on campus (capacity is 200). i will be directing the activities of the residence hall, the residents and resident advisors. i will supervise a staff of six to eight and have a very hands-on experience as the university is making many changes to the residence life experience at madonna. i'm excited to share my experience and really make some great changes and learn so much about the field in the process.
4. tell me a little bit about madonna university.
madonna university is a small, private, catholic university located about 20 miles from detroit and ann arbor. while i am not catholic, i still value the schools mission and will work to promote those values through my work with the students and faculty. i have often been very vocal about accepting other views and opinions and to have an open mind. i consider it me broadening my own personal beliefs of diversity.
5. what about peter?
it won't be ideal, but we can't live together in the university apartment until we are married. he has family about 75 miles from where i will be located. as a couple, we've been through quite a bit in our time together and i am confident and excited about our future together.
6. when is the start date?
here is where it gets a little sticky...my official start date is september 1st. it's a lot to take in and i have a lot to do between now and then, but i'm working frantically to get everything accomplished. my last day at work in maryland will be next week and i will drive to michigan on monday, august 31st. feel free to call me that day as i will have about an eight hour drive.
7. are you keeping mollie?
as residence life live-in postions sometimes allow pets and sometimes they don't, this was something that i had to talk with them about and YES i will be able to have my darling baby. i couldn't have moved that far away and not have my dog. she can be a brat, but she's my brat and i love her.
8. additional comments?
i am so thankful and appreciative of the kind words, phone calls, emails, etc. of my friends and family and of peter's family. this was not an easy decision for us to come to in terms of moving, but it is one that will help us meet and exceed our long term goals. please know that while i might not be able as physically accessible as i have been, i am only a phone call away. with the detroit airport so close, travel by plane will be easy (and hopefully affordable). also, i can make it back home by midday so this isn't goodbye, this is hello to the next chapter.
i think the best quote to sum up this new adventure is (of course) from sex and the city:
"maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. without them, what would shape our lives? perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. after all, seasons change. so do cities. people come into your life and people go. but it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."
as always, *love and hugs*
Monday, July 20, 2009
today's a great day to make a fresh start!
so, i knew it before i stepped on the scale. partially because i hadn't had a good week and partially because i got on the scale last night to prepare me for what number i might see this morning. and i was right - i had gained this week. when you are trying to lose weight, gaining weight isn't really the result you want to see...
BUT, there's always a but, i think it gave me an added motivational boost. when i went to my weight watchers online tracker and recorded my weight, it told me this: today’s a great day to make a fresh start. how very, very true!
i have a new sense of determination and i'm excited about my weight loss again. i woke up this morning - at 5:45 - and went outside for a run/walk. and by run, i mean i ran for 4 minutes and 24 seconds, and then walked the rest but whatever - i still did it! and i plan on going and building on that a little bit each time.
also...although i did gain a bit the rest of the week, i had a mini-accomplishment earlier in the week: the dress actually went ON. in may, when i tried on the dress at my parents' place with my mom's assistance, the bridesmaids dress wouldn't even actually FIT on my body. last sunday i was able to put it on! now, zipping it is another story but that's not the point. the wedding is still ten weeks away so i have plenty of time to make it fit comfortably :) yay yay yay!
i have a long way to go, but i'll get there. slowly.
so now it's time to make some new goals:
-go running/walking at least twice more this week, each time adding a bit more to my time
-stay strict to my weight watchers points and be very diligent about tracking
mkay, i think that's enough rambling for one morning.
*love and hugs*
BUT, there's always a but, i think it gave me an added motivational boost. when i went to my weight watchers online tracker and recorded my weight, it told me this: today’s a great day to make a fresh start. how very, very true!
i have a new sense of determination and i'm excited about my weight loss again. i woke up this morning - at 5:45 - and went outside for a run/walk. and by run, i mean i ran for 4 minutes and 24 seconds, and then walked the rest but whatever - i still did it! and i plan on going and building on that a little bit each time.
also...although i did gain a bit the rest of the week, i had a mini-accomplishment earlier in the week: the dress actually went ON. in may, when i tried on the dress at my parents' place with my mom's assistance, the bridesmaids dress wouldn't even actually FIT on my body. last sunday i was able to put it on! now, zipping it is another story but that's not the point. the wedding is still ten weeks away so i have plenty of time to make it fit comfortably :) yay yay yay!
i have a long way to go, but i'll get there. slowly.
so now it's time to make some new goals:
-go running/walking at least twice more this week, each time adding a bit more to my time
-stay strict to my weight watchers points and be very diligent about tracking
mkay, i think that's enough rambling for one morning.
*love and hugs*
Monday, June 22, 2009
monday, hard to wake up...
ugh. mondays. it is so freakin' hard to get out of bed after two days of relaxing/not having to be on anyone's schedule but my own...
...but the "fun" part of monday mornings is weigh-in time! wow, yup. i just called weigh-in time fun.
last week at weigh-in i had gained .8 pounds, so i was a little discouraged, but i also expected it. peter and i had ordered pizza later in the evening on the sunday preceding so i wasn't sure my weigh-in last monday would be accurate.
so i was super excited to weigh-in this morning and even more excited to learn that i had lost 5.2 pounds since last week's weigh-in! woo hoo!
so that brings my total to 17 pounds lost :) AND, when i put that in online, i got a cute little "yay for you 5% of your goal lost" so far star.
i wish my clothes would start feeling like i've lost something...peter says he can tell in my face, which is nice to hear. stay tuned for the next update!
*love and hugs*
...but the "fun" part of monday mornings is weigh-in time! wow, yup. i just called weigh-in time fun.
last week at weigh-in i had gained .8 pounds, so i was a little discouraged, but i also expected it. peter and i had ordered pizza later in the evening on the sunday preceding so i wasn't sure my weigh-in last monday would be accurate.
so i was super excited to weigh-in this morning and even more excited to learn that i had lost 5.2 pounds since last week's weigh-in! woo hoo!
so that brings my total to 17 pounds lost :) AND, when i put that in online, i got a cute little "yay for you 5% of your goal lost" so far star.
i wish my clothes would start feeling like i've lost something...peter says he can tell in my face, which is nice to hear. stay tuned for the next update!
*love and hugs*
Monday, June 8, 2009
so, i'm kind of a slacker...
...and i haven't been providing weekly updates as i thought i would. opps?
things are progressing. slowly.
i am up to 12.6 pounds lost, which is good, but not great. but i'm also not complaining.
i haven't set any "pounds to lose this week" goal recently because i find them discouraging if you don't meet that goal; however, i have decided to challenge myself. i am hoping to lose 7.4 more pounds before july 4th. if i manage to do that, i'll be down 20 pounds since really committing myself to my goal.
that's really all for now. i felt like a slacker that i wasn't holding up my end of the reporting bargain.
oh! i've also been slacking on the working out, so i'm going to make three small goals this week:
-go to the gym twice
-keep track of my weight watchers points each day
-stay within my points allowance for the week
*love and hugs*
things are progressing. slowly.
i am up to 12.6 pounds lost, which is good, but not great. but i'm also not complaining.
i haven't set any "pounds to lose this week" goal recently because i find them discouraging if you don't meet that goal; however, i have decided to challenge myself. i am hoping to lose 7.4 more pounds before july 4th. if i manage to do that, i'll be down 20 pounds since really committing myself to my goal.
that's really all for now. i felt like a slacker that i wasn't holding up my end of the reporting bargain.
oh! i've also been slacking on the working out, so i'm going to make three small goals this week:
-go to the gym twice
-keep track of my weight watchers points each day
-stay within my points allowance for the week
*love and hugs*
Monday, May 11, 2009
week "one" reporting :)
mkay i say "week one" reporting because while it's my first week of "reporting" i've actually been pseudo-trying for about three weeks prior to this week. in those three weeks, i managed to lose 4.8 pounds, but then ended up gaining 5.4 pounds meaning i was up .6 pounds from where i started!
BUT...
i lost 10.4 pounds last week!!!! and yes, i know: this is not healthy or normal; however, it is not uncommon to see a substantial weight loss your first week of hardcore dieting - especially when limiting your carb intake. and yes, i also know that i need to be very diligent this week to a. keep off that 10 pounds and to b. lose another couple of pounds.
so, that means my "total" weight loss since starting is actually 9.8 pounds!
*update on goals from last week*
-stick with south beach phase one: sorta. i ended up having some things that are phase one allowed, but still healthy (aka strawberries, carrots, weight watchers ice cream bars)
-keep track of my weight watchers points: i kept track of every single thing i ate last week using my online weight watchers point tracker
-do not exceed my weekly points total: i still had approx eight weekly points left over, plus the nine activity points i earned!
-to look towards the positives and not dwell on the negatives: this one will always be a toughy, but i every time i wanted to give in, i stayed strong!
-work out twice: i went to the gym tuesday and wednesday!
goals for monday, may 11th through sunday may 17th:
-i lost a weight watchers point for going down in weight, so i need to be diligent this week to stay within my daily and weekly points totals.
-work out three times - i am going to a wedding this weekend so any extra workouts will be moer than helpful!
-to be mindful of what i am eating and drinking at the wedding as to not derail my weight loss efforts
-i already drink roughly 75 ounces of water a day, but i am aiming for 125 ounces a day this week!
again, thank you so much for all the positive feedback from last week's blogs; that encouragement was awesome and it definitely is a HUGE help on my journey!!!
*love and hugs*
BUT...
i lost 10.4 pounds last week!!!! and yes, i know: this is not healthy or normal; however, it is not uncommon to see a substantial weight loss your first week of hardcore dieting - especially when limiting your carb intake. and yes, i also know that i need to be very diligent this week to a. keep off that 10 pounds and to b. lose another couple of pounds.
so, that means my "total" weight loss since starting is actually 9.8 pounds!
*update on goals from last week*
-stick with south beach phase one: sorta. i ended up having some things that are phase one allowed, but still healthy (aka strawberries, carrots, weight watchers ice cream bars)
-keep track of my weight watchers points: i kept track of every single thing i ate last week using my online weight watchers point tracker
-do not exceed my weekly points total: i still had approx eight weekly points left over, plus the nine activity points i earned!
-to look towards the positives and not dwell on the negatives: this one will always be a toughy, but i every time i wanted to give in, i stayed strong!
-work out twice: i went to the gym tuesday and wednesday!
goals for monday, may 11th through sunday may 17th:
-i lost a weight watchers point for going down in weight, so i need to be diligent this week to stay within my daily and weekly points totals.
-work out three times - i am going to a wedding this weekend so any extra workouts will be moer than helpful!
-to be mindful of what i am eating and drinking at the wedding as to not derail my weight loss efforts
-i already drink roughly 75 ounces of water a day, but i am aiming for 125 ounces a day this week!
again, thank you so much for all the positive feedback from last week's blogs; that encouragement was awesome and it definitely is a HUGE help on my journey!!!
*love and hugs*
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
the no-no list...
so, as a follow-up to my just posted, 'attack of the bridesmaid's dress...' i have created a no-no list, aka the things that i am going to try my hardest to avoid:
1. regular soda
2. actually, diet soda as well (sigh, i love you coke zero...i will miss you the most)
3. french fries (hi, my name is ashley and i am a french fry addict.)
4. tortilla chips...and the rest of the chip world
5. fried foods in general, including, but not limited to:
a. mozzarella sticks
b. fried chicken
c. cheesecake bites (sooooooo good! try them so i can live vicariously through you)
d. fried shrimp (i know, we just met and you are so good, but sooooo bad for me!)
6. sweet tea (and since i'm in the north now -ha- this won't be as hard as previously thought)
7. ice cream
8. rita's italian ice (thankfully, they have sugar-free when i'm ready to face temptation again)
9. any type of yummy, creamy dips: spinach, buffalo blue cheese, etc.
10. white bread
11. pina coladas (this one makes me cry a little inside)
12. any frozen yummy concoction, with or without alcohol
13. alcohol (temporarily. i will miss you, coconut rum. we'll meet again soon, have no fear.)
14. baked, yummy goodness. i.e. muffins, cookies, cakes, etc.
15. excessive usage of ranch dressing
16. restaurant pizza (trust, this is just a temporary seperation)
17. garlic butter sauce from said restaurant pizza chains
18. chicken philly sandwiches
19. juice and drinks that aren't sugar-free or diet
20. croutons
21. garlic bread
22. restaurant foods that i can't find the nutritional info on to calculate points
23. restaurant foods that are above a healthy points value
this list shall be updated from time to time...
1. regular soda
2. actually, diet soda as well (sigh, i love you coke zero...i will miss you the most)
3. french fries (hi, my name is ashley and i am a french fry addict.)
4. tortilla chips...and the rest of the chip world
5. fried foods in general, including, but not limited to:
a. mozzarella sticks
b. fried chicken
c. cheesecake bites (sooooooo good! try them so i can live vicariously through you)
d. fried shrimp (i know, we just met and you are so good, but sooooo bad for me!)
6. sweet tea (and since i'm in the north now -ha- this won't be as hard as previously thought)
7. ice cream
8. rita's italian ice (thankfully, they have sugar-free when i'm ready to face temptation again)
9. any type of yummy, creamy dips: spinach, buffalo blue cheese, etc.
10. white bread
11. pina coladas (this one makes me cry a little inside)
12. any frozen yummy concoction, with or without alcohol
13. alcohol (temporarily. i will miss you, coconut rum. we'll meet again soon, have no fear.)
14. baked, yummy goodness. i.e. muffins, cookies, cakes, etc.
15. excessive usage of ranch dressing
16. restaurant pizza (trust, this is just a temporary seperation)
17. garlic butter sauce from said restaurant pizza chains
18. chicken philly sandwiches
19. juice and drinks that aren't sugar-free or diet
20. croutons
21. garlic bread
22. restaurant foods that i can't find the nutritional info on to calculate points
23. restaurant foods that are above a healthy points value
this list shall be updated from time to time...
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