Stress – AshleYYY

F! F! F! – Special Edition [July & August Update]

Ya’ll know what time it is… FUN FACT FRIDAY!! I am marking this as a special edition, simply because I have so much to share…and it’s been a minute lol. Instead of just FIVE facts, I’m gonna double that and give you TEN. 🙂 Holllerrr!

I’ve decided to give myself (and my team) some much needed time to RECHARGE. I always praise God for every opportunity to hit the stage; on the other hand, it’s nice to have a small break. The next couple of weeks I’ll be able to clear my head, catch up on work, REST, and focus more on songwriting & vocal training. (Oh- and enjoy as dairy as much as I can, hehee!)
I took a dive off the deep end and tried something new… NEW HAIR. So one of my last appearances required that I perform at the awards show + be present for the red carpet/awards ceremony. My team and I wanted to spice things up for this special event; so we went and shopped for hair, and had the stylist create & shape my wig 🙂 I know some women say, “I am not my hair” and I agree with that, but I also believe that my hair is a BIG part of ME. It represents part of who I am as a women and I take pride in it. I thank my #GlamSquad for making me feel comfortable, teaching me, and for all of their hard work put in that week. I’m happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new. Only time will tell if I decide to try it again… Lord knows I love my natural curls. Lol [New post coming soon with more photos/footage at the AMS event!]
Still learning how to control my THOUGHTS… Sometimes we stress ourselves out over the things we CAN’T control, and that’s the stuff that gets us every time.
Just looking out the window and off the top of my head: I’m THANKFUL to be here, living in Georgia. I love Atlanta and I love the people God has placed in my life and the opportunities He continues to give me to grow…
On JULY 4^TH, some friends & family came over to fellowship. What an awesome time it was. 🙂 We had brunch prepared, an obstacle course, sports, dinner, slushies & more! Aside from the guys lighting fireworks in the rain (and everybody taking off soon as they lit up lol..) one of my favorite activities was playing “Who Am I?” only we decided to go with the theme of Juneteenth Day on Independence Day. We each had a person who is a part of current events, a black leader, politician, entertainer and/or activist. At the end of the game we went around the room and educated one another more about each person & why they are important to our history. – Thank Ya’ll so much for a great day/night!
I saw GOAPELE live in concert at Center Stage for the first time! I absolutely LOVED each set. This concert was different than most for me. More mellow. But so soulful! Beautiful lyrics were sang all night long. It was definitely a more grown up audience. Really enjoyed myself 🙂 and OMG she is just radiant! What a beauty. Her & her band did they thing. #inspired…
…Thankful for EVERY artist I see rock a stage..no matter who they are. I love to be INSPIRED as an artist myself. Nowhere to go but up, as long as we keep perfecting every craft. My team BRINGS IT! Come support & see us perform. Definitely an experience. I promise you that 🙂 Stay in the loop for every show by adding your name & email to the #TeamAshleYYY Newsletter (on the right side of this page) and following me on all social media @AshleYYYMusic.
Been meeting some really great TALENT everywhere I go. Wow, Atlanta! You amaze me lol. Shout out to all of the talent, no matter what field you are in. If God called you to do it, then walk in it & do yo thang! Praise God for every gift He has given us to share with the world.
My FAVORITE SCRIPTURES are Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” / Revelation 22:4 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” 🙂 Amen.
Wanna support an AWESOME CAUSE?! Click HERE to support R.A.P on AIDS and/or the American Cancer Society by purchasing your very own pair of Culture shoes. iSupport #education, good #health & raising #awareness with Culture, all while doing it in style.

Thank You for tuning in & taking the time to catch up with me. Love ya’ll much and have a safe-relaxing-fun-filled weekend. God bless…

~AshleYYY

#TeamAshleYYY

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