Tid Bits

As many of you know, I frequently go Upta Camp with my boyfriend and his family. We went up almost a month ago now, and the foliage was already turning. While we were hunting, I snapped this picture and was in awe of how well it came out. I really like the contrast of the bright foliage versus the dirt and gray trees:

I have to credit Eric for capturing the next photo. Although I am awake when the sun rises during hunting season, I was in no mood to grab the camera and take pictures. So, he stopped the truck, got out and took this pretty snapshot:

Last week, Eric and I carved pumpkins. We found decent pumpkins at Wally-World for a whopping $4.50 each. Not too shabby. I bought a princess Mr. Potato Head kit where you drill small holes in the pumpkin and stick the body parts in. Wicked cute! It was so fun to do something "kiddish" again. We laughed lots and had a relaxing time.

Eric's pumpkin came out awesome. I tried one of those years ago and ended up with a big whole. He has a good eye for detail and is awesome at problem-solving.

And here is Princess Pumpkin herself! There are earrings on the ears and a wand in the hand. I couldn't resist!

Eric's mother joined in on the fun too. She was persistant that she would watch/standby/photograph but with little persuasion, she gave in and dug in.

Eric and I did this final one together. The idea of it was to be "an online smiley face." ;) See? I think that this one is my favorite out of the bunch. I saw it in a book and thought it was the greatest idea! Last I knew the pumpkins were shivering due to the snow we had last evening, October 18. Brrr!

Today, Eric and I went over to the Coast Guard station in South Portland and saw two of the few cruise ships coming into Portland Harbor lately. I grabbed a few shots:

This photo doesn't do this enormous ship justice. It was mind-boggling to think that such a huge ship was taking up 1/2 of the bay in Portland Harbor.

This ship was a tad smaller, but still gigantic. Brrr! I want to go on a cruise to the Caribbean not to Portland, Maine. Geesh!


That's all for now folks!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

I've seen this post done on a few other blogs, so I figured I would do one too, so here it goes:

Berkshire Blanket. My boyfriend bought me one for Christmas 3 years ago and I can't sleep without it! Anytime we travel, I take it with me! (Just like a kid!) It's super soft. He was actually jealous of it, so I bought him one for his birthday. However, he is not as attached as I am. You can find them online, but TJ Maxx has the best deals on them!

Facebook. My addiction. I check it way too often to admit and I've been trying to cut back. I was opting for a cell phone with Internet so that I could stay connected anytime, anywhere. You can add me by searching Ashton Nickerson.

Jimmie Johnson. Eric is (honestly!) his biggest fan. His room is painted Jimmie blue and Jimmie yellow. Since I spend most Sundays with him, he's gotten me to become a fan of Jimmie and the number 48 team. I've been to two Nascar races. One was in New Hampshire and the other was in Darlington, South Carolina. Much better to watch in person than on tv!

MckMama. You can read her blog here. She has what she calls a Mommy blog, but I love reading it. Her (almost one year old) baby was diagnosed with a heart defect in the womb. Not only do her writings include his ups and downs of his health condition, but funny posts about her three other children. She's honest and funny to read from.

Nestle Drumsticks. Yum. They say college freshman are now gaining on average, 20 pounds. Eating these is not helping me to fight off gaining 20 pounds one bit! But they're so so so good. I've been doing good lately in not pigging out on them!

Peach Snapple. Delicious. I gave up caffeine over a month ago and this has taken the place of soda for me. It's all-natural too, if that counts for anything. I drink 2-3 a day (gulp!). There's a decent amount of sugar in them but nothing compared to Pepsi or Mountain Dew.

Target. Best. Store. Ever. Although some things, such as shampoo and toiletries, are more expensive than at Wal-Mart, their quality is much better. I absolutely love shopping for clothes there. I find that their variety of books and electronics is a lot more diverse as well. It's quite unlikely for me not to visit Target at least once a week.

Microsoft Lifecam. Since my laptop didn't come with an installed webcam, I made this purchase for under $20 PLUS mine's pink. Since I've been at school I've been chatting to my mom and boyfriend quite a bit online.
Gmail. Seriously the best free email out there. I've always been with Yahoo! mail but I recently switched to Gmail. My school recently collaborated with Gmail and now all of our University of Maine email goes through Gmail. I used Gmail to chat with my brother and videochat with my mother too. I seriously suggest at least considering switching to Gmail.

House, M.D. This airs Mondays at 8pm on Fox. My friend Emily comes up to my room each week and we tune in to House. I love his rude personality and funny quirks. I have two out of the five seasons on DVD; I think I will put the other three seasons on my Christmas list this year.

Claddagh ring. I've been wanting one for some time now, but never really mentioned it to anyone. For my high school graduation, my brother and his girlfriend presented me with one. It just blew my mind that I've been trying to find one and ALMOST purchased one in Myrtle Beach, and they got me one. I wear mine on my right ring finger. If the heart is facing toward your body, it means that you are taken. If it faces towards everyone else, it means that you are available. I love the concept!

I am going to wrap this post up now since I could go on and on and on and on about my favorite things but now you know THAT much more about me. I will leave on an end note about one of my current NOT-SO favorite thing:

SallieMae. A loan company. Self-explanatory?





What are some of YOUR favorite things?