Dreams – AshleYYY

27 Things I’ve Discovered About Myself in 27 Years…

I read a few blogs online about turning 28 years old. There was one quote I really liked. Someone wrote, “I like the sound of 28. I think it sounds youthful but with experience.” 🙂 ~ Seeing as I do a birthday blog every year, I thought it would be fun to do a list! Below you will find out 27 things about me & what I’ve learned before the tender age of 28. Lol *Warning: Reader Discretion is advised. I get real.*

1. “Girl, I’m too blessed to be stressed!” …Okay how many times have we said this before? That’s cute. I believe this statement, but I also believe STRESS IS REAL. Lol People get sick from stress. Stress can affect your relationships & the way you work. I believe my face broke out during stressful periods of my life! lol

2. “Worrying is like praying for what you don’t want.” The act of worrying is stressful in itself. I’m guilty of this. Sometimes you have so much on your mind; it keeps you up at night, and then gets in your dreams until you deal with it…

3. Dreams are important and meaningful. They reveal so much about our thoughts, our fears, & what we take in. Unresolved issues? They’ll show up somehow. The one thing you are afraid of – darn right, it always plays out in my dreams… then you wake up pissed or crying cuz it felt too real. ~ I believe dreams can be great reminders and/or wake up calls for things we need to confront in our daily lives. It’s also important to be mindful of what you do, what you watch… dabbling in the wrong things can stick with you. Do you “play” too much? Think bad thoughts? Speak negativity? Well we’ve got to control what we put inside of us. Keep thinking you suck at something, and then your brain thinks its okay because it doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t. Then you start believing those thoughts & it becomes your reality. – Speak & think LIFE! There’s power in the tongue. (That’s biblical!)

4. Sorry, did I just get too deep? I hope I haven’t lost anyone. Lol Just thinking out loud. I do that sometimes. 🙂

5. Sometimes I let myself get comfortable with being uncomfortable. SMH (I’ll write a song about it one day.)

6. “Crazy (Insanity) is doing the same thing over & over again expecting different results.” Lol. Albert Einstein hit the nail on the head with this one.

7. Proactiv does work. (For me at least lol) I never used to break out until I started wearing makeup & experiencing stress in my mid 20s!

8. I love HARD & I’m not afraid to love.

9. My mother has become one of my best friends. 🙂 (My twin sister, Erin, is pretty much my best friend. Thank God for that.)

10. You can learn a lot about yourself when there aren’t always so many people around you. I’ve gone from this busy body-social butterfly-sober party girl, to this young woman who actually just wants to chill on her 28^th birthday. I don’t mind being low-key. Just as long as I get out and do something new every once in a while, ya know? I love me some good restaurant food too!

(…Okay, I’ll admit, if I were back home in MKE, I would def be spending time with my family & a few friends. But nothing extravagant. Maybe when I’m 30. lol)

11. I wanna see Taken 3, order a pepperoni pizza from Papa John’s & buy a birthday cake from Publix or Walmart for my birthday today. Not sure that I care to share either.

12. My favorite color is still green & will probably always be. I wear it so much! I get excited when I see different shades of green in the mall… (sneakers, clothing, scarves, tea pots, blenders, water bottles, you name it!!)

13. I really enjoy planning gatherings at my home & hosting. I even read articles on how to be a good host & houseguest.

14. I love reading Wisebread. Type in any question you may have or need some ideas for something and I guarantee you’ll find it there. Awesome. (Wisebread.com <<I’ve talked about this before guys.)

15. I’m learning to appreciate the clothing in the women’s section. For the first time I tried on clothes in Petites. Unfortunately, the pants didn’t fit me right. I’ll give it another shot one day. Lol Until then, I’m still all up and thru Junior’s clothing! Heyyy young girl! haha.

16. I am a phenomenal songwriter. I know how to tell a story 🙂 I will only continue to get better with practice. Praise em!

17. I plan to do what I love for the rest of my life. I know new gigs & other side jobs will come, but I don’t plan to ever stop performing. Singing & dancing is my passion. I own that.

18. “I am learning to embrace my journey as an artist. Don’t rush the dream AshleYYY!” ~ I just have to keep living it. Everything is a process. As long as I see progress, I think I’ll be good. 🙂

19. I can’t eat as much ice cream as I used to. 🙁 But I’m not lactose either. :/

20. No longer can I eat burgers at crazy hours of the night, multiple nights a week! So long to those days. ( College life was the best! I used to stay next door to the food hall… 1:30AM and the party is over? Oh, let’s go get a meal!! Lol I’d do it again, darn it!!)

21.I now know what it feels like to be bloated.

22. Cramps are painful. (Sorry guys, but I gotta keep it real!) I grew up hearing girls talk about how bad their cramps were. They had to stay home from school, take medicine, couldn’t work out, etc. I even heard one girl in middle school say it felt like knives stabbing her in the stomach. MY GOODNESS! Never knew it was that serious ladies lol from middle school on up, I’ve always been an active athlete (sports, dancing, singing, exercise, etc.) So I just figured that was probably why I never suffered from cramps. Thank God for that! But now & then, I’ll experience the pain they were talking about…

23. …Which leads to my next point ~ the fact that it’s uncomfortable & sometimes painful when bloating & cramping makes me even more scared about having babies. If cramps are bad, I can only imagine what kind of pain comes with giving birth!! I don’t wanna even think about going into labor any time soon. Yes, I’m scared. Lol (Shout out to all the mothers though; esp. the ones who have more than one child!! Just shows you how strong women are. God knew we could handle it.) ~ One day 🙂

24. It’s important to have positive people around you. I truly believe that people need people. It takes a village! Love on one another… Disagreements & arguments are healthy, but learn to resolve issues then move on and KEEP loving one another; even if it has to be from a distance.

So I called up Erin to get her thoughts on what she’s discovered these past 27 years. We had a lot in common…

25. As each year passes, I’m learning more about myself & becoming more comfortable in my own skin…Comfortable with the choices I make, how I spend money, telling others “No” without feeling some type of way about it, standing in my truths, recognizing my flaws, & maybe even accepting the things I can’t change about myself (and others for that matter).

26. I feel like I’m stepping into adulthood…but it doesn’t feel like I’m an adult. Lol I’m still young & learning new things about myself (for the third time in this blog! lol). Does age, having a job, or kids, a car, and/or money make you an adult? I guess we can ask what defines “adulthood.” (That’s another discussion for later. I ain’t got that kinda time right now lol.)

27. I can’t help but smile. I encourage others to do the same… Give hugs; it makes you & others feel good. (Fact!) ~ Don’t let anything or anyone steal your JOY. God is ALWAYS good.

Thank Ya’ll for logging on to AshleYYY.com 🙂 and taking the time to read this long ace blog. Lol! If you are new & would like to get updates, please subscribe today! Connect with me 🙂 What have YOU discovered with age?…

Much Love & Happy Living!

~AshleYYY

#TeamAshleYYY

The Best of 2014!

December 31, 2014 by AshleYYY

My Blog

#OnTheRunTour, #TeamNatural, #WYCFM, 2014, 2015, Artist, AshleYYY, AshleYYYMusic, ATL, Auditions, Best of 2014, BET Hip Hop Awards, change, Christmas, Cosmic Energy Fitness Studio, crawfish, Culture shoes, Dance Community, Dance Styles Inc., Dancer, Dreams, Drumline: A New Beat, Electric Lady, Entertainment, experiences 2014, Facebook, Family & Friends, fans, favorite moments, Food, foods, God, hair, hhucit, HHUCIT Music Group, holiday season, Instagram, Jay-Z & Beyoncé concert, Joe’s Crab Shack, journey, life, MKE, MTV, music, networking, New Single, New Year, performances, Photos, Progress, Rap battle, relationships, Ride Along 2, Singer, Songwriter, subscribers, supporters, TeamAshleYYY, Thank You, Thanksgiving, tmi, Triple Threat, Twitter, V-103, Why You Come For Me?, womanhood, YouTube

Hey World! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the holidays this season…Wishing you all a SAFE & exciting New Year as well! But before 2015 comes, I gotta share with ya’ll some of my favorite moments, foods, & experiences of 2014! Let’s take a stroll…

DANCE WORLD >>

Ya’ll know I love me a good dance audition. I love me a challenge and this year I had my fair share of them. The most memorable audition would have to be the ‘Drumline: A New Beat’ 2-day audition. Wow. Can I just say I ain’t never danced so hard in my life?! lol but seriously, ALL of the choreo was so fun, I couldn’t help but enjoy the experience. The competition was on & every lady (and guy) in that room fought hard!

Praise God. I also had the opportunity to work at Cosmic Energy Fitness Studio as a Hip Hop instructor (my first teaching job at an ATL studio!) I also go to host an upbeat workshop with Dance Styles, Inc.! I’ve met so many gracious women through these jobs & learned new things each step of the way. Thank You. 🙂

YA’LL KNOW I EAT! >>

Soooo the first time I go to Joe’s Crab Shack I decide to order crawfish for the first time. Little did I know this stuff has the eyeballs STILL ON it! (I can’t deal.) I had to have Edward crack them open for me, then I could eat them without something looking back at me! Lol You feel me? It was good tho!

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS >>

Some of my new experiences included: being a part of Culture shoes & creating our very own sneaker!, working the Green Carpet with Hip-Hop-U-C-It at the BET Hip Hop Awards, being casted in Janelle Monae’s ‘Electric Lady’ music video, and being an extra in the film, Ride Along 2.

FRIENDS & FAMILY TIME >>

Erin actually just visited me for the second time. (Oooh, I thought I was energetic… but have you met my sister?) Lol 🙂 love you sis. It’s always a good time when I’m surrounded by loved ones. More road trips, family time, & game nights to come!

MINI SHOCKERS >>

I attended the Jay-Z & Beyoncé concert! Ow! I had never seen a Beyoncé show or Jay-Z in concert. What an experience 🙂 #OnTheRunTour

Oh, I won a rap battle this year. That’s right, you read it right! Lol I always knew I had it in me. (Thanks to V-103!)

PROGRESS >>

I love being out & meeting new people, but I wasn’t taking full advantage of every opportunity. Took me a while, but I get it. At some point you have to break out of your shell (especially being in a new city) and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. It’s very easy to get comfortable; but you won’t always see change that way. I now understand what it really means to build relationships with others.

I’m learning to embrace my journey as an artist. Don’t rush the dream AshleYYY! I’ve also stepped out of my comfort zone and began collabing with other songwriters. Sometimes more heads are better than one. I’m also thankful for my team & grateful to have two of the sweetest young ladies by my side, putting in werk! 😉

PERSONAL (TMI?) >>

From my skin, to my hair journey, to becoming a “woman” lol! (Not that guys! Let me explain) — It’s been an eventful year. No one told me I’d be experiencing all these changes in my late 20s! WTH?! It’s funny, my sis & I were just talking about how we both still feel really young. I mean we are “young”, but we’re older in a sense because we are more aware, career focused, and making sense of life… Ya’ll know what I’m saying, right?

Since I moved to Atlanta two years ago, I noticed all these changes: stomach reacting to different foods (omg), random breakouts (thank you Proactiv),

learning new ways to take care of my hair, sleeping & eating patterns, how I deal with conflict, relationships, interpreting my dreams, how to avoid stress, etc… it’s all so much! [Maybe I’ll share my thoughts in a birthday blog next month, cuz Jan. 10^th is around the corner!! Ah!]

LASTLY,

I can’t say it enough…Thank You to ALL of my fans, subscribers, my supporters, those who have allowed me to perform on their stage, new friends, and everyone I have had the privilege of crossing paths with. Everything happens for a reason. Cheers to the New Year, to LIFE, to learning & then acting on it. Here’s to CHANGE, Appreciating life and those in it, facing every obstacle, Faith, and God being in control of it all… He keeps us & allows us to see a new day. Thank You.

2014, it’s been real. 2015, what you got for me? I’m pretty much as ready as I’ll ever be. Lol

~AshleYYY

#TeamAshleYYY

PS… 2014 may be over, but we just getting started with my new single, “Why You Come For Me?” Keep watching 🙂 Please keep downloading, sharing & posting your feedback. It means everything to me! Thanks & God Bless…

Click >> #WYCFM!

MONDAY MADNESS – Live shows, Tha Music Factory & Nightmares?!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! Mine was pretty cool. Let me fill you in!…

Last week I had another performance – it was a blast! I performed at The Music Room for the first time here in ATL, for the ATL UpNext Artist Showcase. There was a variety of artists & a panel who gave each of us feedback. [I love feedback!] So I sang Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” for the first time, and switched up the lyrics. Following the cover song, I performed my latest single, “Find Me”. The crowd’s response was so warm 🙂 The energy exchange was perfect guys lol 🙂 Great night! Looking forward to the next show!

Saturday I had another filming for ‘Tha Music Factory’ – which will be premiering next month! I’m one of the dancers on the show. I love it! We just freestyle all day! Lol But it’s also a great learning experience – you get to see how things run on set of a show, watch the hosts do their thing, and meet new upcoming artists who also perform. It’s also important for me as a dancer to step outside my comfort zone, and be creative – there is no switching of the songs if we don’t like it, so we just gotta be ready to dance when the next song plays! Lol I strive to make sure I don’t move the same way each time – it’s challenging! YES to exploring movement! – Always.

[From top right, clockwise – 1.) A1 Supergroup performed their single, “Turn Up Everywhere We Go” – I LOVE that song! 2.) Dancers & Deb Atney (Wocka Flocka’s mother), from Love & Hip Hop, gave some great feedback on set. 3.) Blue Kimble, one of the show’s hosts! 4.) Group pic with some of the dancers/models. 5.] The show’s logo!]

FUN FACT FOR THE DAY- For those of you who don’t know, I’m a big dreamer. (And I don’t mean just in my waking life lol) But every night I lay down to sleep, I DREAM – and I remember EVERYTHING! Sometimes I wish I could record what I see and watch it on film with others! My dreams are much exaggerated, eventful, includes family/friends (sometimes celebs), and tend to be about issues I deal with or think about when awake. Some are even reoccurring and do a great job of getting my attention. That’s powerful to me; so I make it my duty to take some time to analyze them.

My sister referred me to a great website: DreamMoods.com – I found it to be very insightful! So if you’re like me, and want to know more about dreams and their significance, read about them! You may enjoy this site too – I’m sure all things don’t apply, but that’s for you to figure out 🙂 have fun & have a FANTASTIC week!

Love,

~AshleYYY