Basic Background:
My name is Ashley, but close friends and family call me Ash. I’m a twenty-four year old woman who is currently residing in the great state of Kansas; I was born in South Carolina but raised in various states across the US because my father was in the military. I work full time as a mental health specialist who focuses on children with severe emotional disturbances (SED).

I have an out-going, giggly type personality and enjoy laughing at the most stupid of things. On the other hand, I can be quiet, shy and reserved. When I’m under stress, I crack and break down which is my biggest down fall. I am a simple person and simple things make me happy. I am opinionated and try to stay as open-minded as possible when it comes to dealing with opposing view points; most often, I will keep things to myself as to avoid arguments, debates or confrontations. I am strong and independent and do not like to rely on anyone for anything; if there is something I want or need, I’ll will get it myself with whatever means necessary. I like to think that I am not easily walked all over but this is not true; I try to avoid confrontation and drama at all costs thus I do not always speak up when I feel someone is taking advantage of me because I am “too nice.” This is something I am working on.

Often times, you’ll see me blog about home in which case I’m either referring to Kansas or South Carolina. Kansas was the last place my family lived before my parents divorced and the last place my mother lived before she moved back to her home state of SC. I lived in SC for seven years before returning to Kansas to finish my schooling. Both places are considered home to me, although KS has always felt more like home than anywhere else.

Hardship and success are no strangers to my life as I’ve had my share of both. I have gone through many rough patches in my life, some of which I am not proud of, but without those experiences I would not be the woman I am today. I continue to grow and prosper with every passing day.

Educational Background:
Education has always been important to me and after witnessing and being apart of the struggles my parents have gone through by not having a college education and knowing how they could have been better off, I decided that I would be the first on both sides of the family to pursue a college education after graduating high school. I started my college career at the local community college in SC where I finished an Associates of Arts degree in December of ’07.

After finishing my AA, I started to apply to various schools – Michigan State University, University of Kansas, and University of South Carolina – so that I could finish my last two years and receive a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I had to make a choice between staying in SC or moving away from home and in the end opted to move away back to my home state of KS. I originally wanted to attend MSU but because of financial issues was unable to do so.

In May of 2010, I completed my Bachelor of General Studies in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. In June of 2010, I received notification that I had officially completed the requirements for my degree. My next step is to apply and hopefully accept admissions to graduate school at the University of Kansas to obtain a Master’s degree in Social work. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Significant Other:
I met Alan, who is originally from Michigan, in June of 2007 while playing World of Warcraft. We started dating and had been in a long distance relationship since June 29th, 2007. A week before I was set to graduate from the University of Kansas, Alan moved from Michigan to Kansas to be with me. He has been living in KS since the beginning of May 2010. The distance was hard and it’s taught me a lot about myself and how much patience I do and do not have, but despite everything we always manage to pull through. Although, he can be a pain sometimes (what significant other isn’t?) he is the most amazing, absolutely wonderful, sweet, loving and caring guy that I have ever had the pleasure of being with. I adore him for everything that he is; he completely has my heart. For the first time in what seems like forever, I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have ever been.

Hobbies and Activities:
I am a writer and a second year photography student. I haven’t written anything significant in years as it is something that was of major interest to me in junior high/high school; I was on the school newspaper my ninth grade year in high school. Photography is something I enjoy doing in my spare time but not having access to a darkroom has kept me from doing much in that area over the last few years. I hope to get a digital SLR in the future so that I can pick it up again.

I enjoy anything and everything computers. I have owned a computer since I was twelve years old which opened me up to the world of web and graphic design. I started out using sites like Geocities and creating fan websites for the bands I liked at the time. I have had no formal training in either aspect of design and everything has been self taught. I am also a female that knows how to build a computer from scratch and I’m damn proud of it!

Cross-stitching and more recently crocheting are also activities that I enjoy doing. My grandmother taught me how to cross-stitch and I have a bag full of different patterns that need to be completed. Over Christmas break ’08, I decided I wanted to learn how to crochet and have taught myself the basic stitches. Practice makes perfect and I can’t wait to learn how to do some of the advance patterns I have seen online and in books.

Gaming:
Technically, gaming is a hobby and activity that I enjoy doing thus I could have included it in the above information but since it’s such a huge part of my life I decided to give it its own section. Read about my gaming journey here.