life lately

currently i am ...

+ laughing hysterically at this commercial. dying. just watch it. i love it. 

+ prepping for finals. my last day is the 24th!

+ emotionally prepping for spring semester, which starts the 29th. boo. 

+ sick of friends posting pet pictures on instagram and facebook. your animal looks the exact same every single day! 

+ still so in love with my scotty. i may be biased, but i think he deserves some kind of husband award.

+ feeling like a noob because after my math teacher collected some data, we discovered i go to bed the earliest out of everyone. 

+ listening to justin timberlake's album and the pitch perfect soundtrack. i rotate every other day. 

+ taking a multivitamin each morning because it makes me feel like a responsible adult. ("it" being the pill-taking, not the actual pill) 

+ dreaming of traveling. scotty and i want to go to new york next year. 

+ planning my future classroom. i can't freaking wait! i won't be offended if you unfollow my pinterest teaching board; i realize it's getting a little out of hand. 

+ adding middle names to all of the baby names we have picked out (just so i'm ready in six years when we have a baby).

+ so so so so SO white. you can bet the second i'm done with finals, i'll be laying out by the pool.
+ wearing this shirt every day of my life. it's so pretty, i couldn't possibly want to wear anything else my closet has to offer.

what have you all (my lovely followers) been up to lately?

before and after

i have a confession.

i am OBSESSED with before and after pictures!

every day i scroll through my pinterest feed, waiting to be fascinated by a set of before and after pictures. i don't care if it's of a kitchen remodel, a makeover, the progression of a pregnant belly, a paint job, a family photo recreated, a haircut, a plant growing, a dramatic weight loss, an edited photo, or even an eyebrow wax... i am totally mesmerized. i seriously could stare at them all day long.

via

via

via

via

the madness is carrying into my personal life, so i find myself creating before and after pictures quite frequently. i guess you could call it a hobby. here are a few of my favorites. 

before and after a trip to the hair salon:

before and after 21 years:

(age has treated us well!) 

 before and after 15+ years: 

before and after my morning makeup routine: 

and last but not least, before and after my latest home makeover. after a tai pan trip with my aunt cathi, scotty and i realized we need some greenery in our apartment. we needed something to bring our place to life. we've been looking all over for fake or real plants, and i was SUPER excited when i found these little guys at ikea:

 definitely more homey and eye-appealing than the stupid candle, vase, and candy bowl we displayed previously. 

aren't before and after pictures fun?!?

do you hear the people sing?

would you judge me if i told you i've been sitting in this exact spot on my couch for almost five hours? my sweet husband picked me up from school with a gallon of orange juice and les mis in hand. so this is what our friday night looks like: 

(we like to push our couches together to make one extra large super couch)
although i know my pathetic words won't do justice describing this cinematic work of art, let me say that i feel so inspired as i journey with valjean throughout the film. i am humbled, i am heartbroken, i am filled with love and faith. my heart is touched by the immediate and passionate love between marius and cossett. les mis motivates me to be a better person, to love with my whole heart, and to show compassion to everyone around me. personally, i choose to label the 2.5 hours as more of a spiritual experience rather than a casual movie watching. i am already excited to watch it and be enlightened again. and again. and again. thanks, husband.

i love the internet

happy wednesdizzle my peeps. how u be?
oh, i'm sorry...
it seems like my new favorite website is rubbing off on me.

have you been on gizoogle.net?
i just spent the last 10 minutes wiping tears off my face.
this site might be the funniest thing i have ever seen in my entire life.

it lets you search anything (similar to the original google), but the results are translated into gangster language. seriously. look up any site through gizoogle.net, and watch the magic happen. this has the potential to provide me with hours upon hours of entertainment.

my blog:
http://www.gizoogle.net/index.php?search=ashleynoelbarnes.blogspot.com&se=Gizoogle+Dis+Shiznit

my twitter:
http://gizoogle.net/index.php?search=%40ashleyymarx&se=Gizoogle+Dis+Shiznit

i'm dying.
peace up.

(and while we're on the topic of gangsters, please enjoy these photos of kristine and myself dressed up for halloween. maybe like... 2006? 2007? favorite costume ever.)

straight up.

my FAVORITE app

is it just me, or are digital cameras a thing of the past?

i never use mine. in fact, i had completely forgotten about it until a few days ago when i was rearranging a closet. i wiped off the inch-thick layer of dust and pushed the power button. the most recent pictures on it were from our HONEYMOON! seriously? so long ago. anyway, the point i'm trying to get to is this: i use my iphone in place of a camera 99.9% of the time. it's so convenient, i always have it with me, and it's super easy to share my pictures with friends and other devices via messaging, social media, email, and dropbox. duh. 

the only thing i don't particularly love about my phone turned camera is the subpar picture quality. it's good... but it's not great. that is - it wasn't great. UNTIL, my homie jen (who you all should follow because she's hilarious) introduced me to afterglow.

i'm convinced it's the best photo app out there. maybe even the best app in general. 

it totally transforms my pictures.

it is so easy to use, yet makes me feel like a photography genius.

exhibit 1: crappy picture taken by apple employee

terrible lighting. terrible everything. we were trying to document a huge milestone in our life (buying an iPad), and walked away with this dark ridiculous picture. how sad would it be if i was stuck with this picture for the rest of my life? no fear- a few minutes of quality time with afterglow, and this is the result: 

BOOM! right?! you can almost see the tears of joy streaming down scotty's face.

exhibit 2: fantastic frames
another thing i love about afterglow is the frames. hearts, stars, circles, you name it.
they give my pictures character.

cute, right? 

so take the 30 seconds and 99 cents out of your life and download afterglow... because i promise you, you won't regret it. what are your favorite apps? i love hearing what ones other people are obsessed with!

5 things

i saw this cute post on bri's blog and i thought it was so fun! i love getting to know about other bloggers and their interests, quirks, etc. so all of you should do the same! 

5 Things...

...you'll find in my purse.

1. my moleskine planner. i feel incomplete without it!  

2. burts bees. 

3. quarters. i have a special stash saved for mall candy machines.

 

4. pills. you better believe i have about 8 different types of medicine in my purse right now! 

gotta be ready for anything :) 

5. orbit wintermint gum. one of life's necessities. 

...you'll find in my bedroom.

1. our heated blanket. it is the second love of my life right now. 

2. not a tv. this is a current debate in our home :) 

3. clothes on the floor. scotty and i aren't the cleanest people around... 

4. homework assignments and books. 

5. huge pictures of us from our reception. i love them, but scotty thinks they're a little too much haha.

...I've always wanted to do.

1. see a broadway play in new york (and do some serious shopping).

2. work at disneyland as princess belle. 

3. teach elementary school. only 6 more months until this becomes reality!

4. tour europe with my husband. 

5. meet oprah winfrey. 

...I'm currently loving

1. fresh flowers on my dining table.

2. justin bieber's believe acoustic album. 

(yes, i'm still listening to it everyday)

3. these pants from target. i have FOUR different colors! 

4. spending quality time with my cute husband. 
(lately it's waffle dates, board games, and movies) 

5. easter candy. it's the most wonderful time of the year! 

...quirks I have

1. i refuse to eat lunch or dinner at mcdonalds, but i love their breakfast mcmuffins.

2. i enjoy silence. sometimes i drive for 30 minutes before i realize the radio wasn't on. 

3. i lock every door. all the time. even if i'm walking 100 yards to the mailbox. 

4. i don't like ice in my water. 

5. i like writing in all lowercase letters. if e. e. cummings can get away with it, why can't i?