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What it izz?! Happy New Year World… Hoping each and every one of you had a great holiday season. Special birthday shout out to one of my besties, Jess… Hope you had a fun day 🙂 And while I’m at it…. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL MY FELLOW CAPRICORNS (and Aquarius babies lol). January is always a big month. I know so many ppl with bdays back to back. (My Mommy 🙂 , sisters, niece, nephews, friends & more family!) Here’s to another year of life! :*

So it’s that time of the year again, where I like to run down my fave moments. Only this time, I’ve decided to throw in some random & not so fun facts. Lol Here we go!

My 10 Year Class Reunion – This was awesome. I just knew I had to go back home for this event. You only get one 10 year reunion and I wanted to be there. 🙂 This trip gave me a chance to not only visit with my family & friends, but really catch up with people who played a major role in my childhood & teen years. Boy, did the memories come floating back! Everyone looked the same – just a lil’ older. If that makes sense. Lol I think it’s always important to go to those kinds of events with a positive attitude, and expect to have a good time. Thank You to the student council & all those who made that night possible. Rest in Peace to those we’ve lost along the way and much love & success to you all. One time for Shorewood High School… Class of OH Five! (Shorewood, WI)

Celebrating Halloween – My time had finally come. I put in the effort and the outcome was awesome. I decided I would dress up for Halloween! Lol See I had been slacking in October these past few years. So I planned a gathering (ya’ll know how much I love hosting 🙂 ), decorated my home (I had a field day in Walmart! What an adrenaline rush lol #lame), put on some scary movies, and dressed as the one & only, Selena Quintanilla!

I’ve heard people say that Halloween is the “Devil’s Holiday” and it may be, technically. IDK. I haven’t’ done all of my research. Lol But I do know that I’ve always been the kind of girl who loves being festive, playing games, being competitive, participating in Spirit Week for Homecoming at school, “Wear your Christmas Sweater to Work Day” lol etc. So I’ve always used this holiday as a time to dress up and indulge candy – and I see no harm in that. It’s also a fun time to pay homage to those who inspire us! Thank You Selena 🙂 RIP. 

Where Have My Curls Gone? And here goes my bitter rant. I’ll TRY to keep it short. As you all know, I’ve experienced heat damage. Few months ago, my hair was straightened, I washed it weeks later, and my curls were gone 🙁 It’s been about 4 1/2 months since, and I’m more at ease than before. I’m learning how to deal with it. Maybe it was God’s way of getting me to learn about my hair, appreciate it & learn how to take care of it. (I’m trying to find the good in all of this, guys! lol) Really though, I’m doing more reading and finding out basic things I never knew before. I always thought my hair was good & healthy because I’ve always been natural, never used chemicals, and rarely ever went to salons. But there is so much more to healthy hair…Taking care of yourself, managing stress, eating habits, your water intake, harmful sulfates in shampoos, the importance of satin bonnets & pillow cases! The list goes on. I’ve been doing my own hair since K5, guys. Ha! I’ve just always loved styling it. I had never read books or taken advice from a professional. Now I’m educating myself. 

Ya know, I guess it’s like having a natural talent, then having to still sharpen your skills. Long story short, I’m fine. Uh. Lol More mindful of what I put in my body … wearing more protective hairstyles, etc. My damage isn’t as bad as some other YouTubers I’ve seen, that have come a long way. So I’m hopeful that this time around, my curls will be healthier! Nooo, I haven’t decided to do a big chop or anything, buut it may be a good time to try something new… ?? 🙂 

Don’t Cry On Christmas – I went home for the holiday & left feeling so grateful. Thank You to everyone who made the time to visit with me. I know how busy schedules can be, esp during the holidays, and I appreciate all the efforts. Still didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to, but I did see the majority of my family. 🙂 We did our first gift exchange. I hadn’t video recorded on Christmas in years! As a child, my mom pulled out the video camera every Christmas and filmed the family opening gifts. It was nice to bring that back. 🙂 I’m an adult now, and forget that as I get older, so does everyone else! Haha. My siblings have kids, and it’s their generation for gifts! Gotta love the little ones, right? 🙂

As I left my mom’s house, I looked back at my youngest nephew standing in the doorway with my mom. Both with the biggest smiles on their faces. I had to walk back up the steps for another hug and kiss, see ya later. (I’m tearing up as I type this 🙁 ). As I got in the car, I began to think about how 5 days wasn’t enough… how Erin was down to ride all over Milwaukee with me (and not complain about how many times she watched my performances at each family member’s house lol)… I thought about how rushing or just feeling rushed takes away from being in the moment. I was so happy to see my family and was just reminded of how blessed I am. It was a reminder to relax and not get so caught up in everything else on life’s “To Do List.” One thing at a time. One day at a time. Be in the moment & don’t forget to enjoy it. 

RANDOM FACTS:

• My eye has been twitching the past few weeks. Stress? Eye strain? Tiredness? IDK. But here I go diagnosing myself again… Maybe I’m on my smart phone and computers/laptops too much. I hate that much of what I do requires me to be online or looking at a screen. Just put the phone down.
• “Nashville” has become one of my favorite new shows. Yes, I know it’s been on a few years, but I’m just now watching lol. Thank you Queen (my vocal coach) for putting me on to this show! I just finished the first season today and cried. Smh. When did I become such a crier?
• Not so excited about managing loans, filing taxes & making appointments; but we all know it has to be done. So much more responsibility comes with getting older. Put your Big Girl Panties on.
• I’ve recently realized & accepted that waiting in certain lines & big crowds gives me anxiety. HA! Seriously, I get an uneasy feeling & stressed just thinking about it… How long will the wait be? Will I lose my spot if I go pee? Will someone accuse me of skipping when I come back, EVEN though the person I came with is still standing there?! … Is it gonna be cold outside? Why does this remind me of waiting for the Milwaukee Transit city bus everyday in the middle of winter? 🙁 … I should have arrived earlier to the concert … OMG I can’t even see the band! … Will someone pop off once they realize I’ve been sneaking my way closer to the stage every five minutes? Annnd scene. (sigh)

2015 HIGHLIGHTS:

“Why You Come For Me?”  – My first Music Video shot in ATL (January 2015) CLICK ME! 

“You Changed Me” – My favorite Cover song thus far (June 2015 ) CLICK ME! 

IBMF (International Bicycle & Music Festival) – Best Performance (July 2015) CLICK ME! 

FIRST TIMERS:

Braves Game (September 2015) 

Met Jacob Latimore (September 2015) 

AshleYYY & Friends Concert (November 2015)

FAVORITE TWEET:

FAVORITE SNAP SHOTS:

FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: WATCH BELOW 🙂

Thank You SO much for tuning in. If you’re new to my site, subscribe HERE to stay in the loop 🙂 Thank You all for your continued love, support & prayers. Wishing you all a Blessed Year!

Love, AshleYYY 

 #TeamAshleYYY