Winning Memorial Weekend

Brian and I Memorial Weekend. He looks so great in this picture! Me...not so much its the humidity, my hair can not take it...still! Oh well, the sunset is amazing!!

This weekend we played Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads at home! It was very nice not to have to travel 7 hours to play (only 2 from Orlando). Saturday nights game was great, very fast pace even though the field was thick from all the rain we have been having out here. At one point I literally out ran the ball...embarrassing.

The score ended up to be 2 to 0, a great result considering the level physical nature of play. The second half (we were winning 1 to 0) was more like a death brawl than a soccer game. It got us very prepared for what was to come for Monday's game.

Monday was such a physical game. There were 7 seven yellow cards given and 1 red (the other team thinks they can open hand slap after the play...they can not). I was constantly on the ground but it was worth it to draw the foul and not let the Olympic sprinter they had up top past you! We ended up winning 3 to 0 and no one got hurt, so I considered it to be a pretty fun game, minus the 100 degree temperature of course :)

All in all, Memorial Weekend was a lot of fun. Brian and I watched all of the patriotic festivities on TV and stopped to reflect on the brave men and women who made it possible to live such a free life. I love America! Brian and I also went to the mall and spent a few dollars however, we opted to leave after a visit to the food court because I had shown such good self control up to that point. I did not want to ruin it by entering the second half of the mall! That half of the mall just happens to be the expensive side! The rest of the weekend was sadly dedicated to watching every moment of John and Kate Plus Eight. I surely have a great man! He was such a trooper through the TLC Marathon! Bless his heart!

Tampa Bay Hellenic (now with pictures!)

Warming up for the first game of the season against the Atlanta Silverbacks! It feels good to be Number 5 again!

Ready to Play!

Our first game has come and gone...it was awesome! I have been playing on the Hellenic W league team and our first game was against Atlanta this past weekend. Mom, Dad, and my fiance were there to watch me play. Chrissy even came too! It was such a great weekend. I am currently playing and starting at center back. It is a big change from outside back but I am getting used to it and am actually really enjoying it! It is only the first game of the season so I know I still need to keep training as hard as I can to start and play in the next upcoming games!

The final score ended up being 2 to 0 but we only got to play 55 minutes! A few days before the game the Silverbacks Stadium was robbed! I guess there is a huge payout for copper? (I am going somewhere with this story...don't worry) The lights were stripped of their copper lining which I guess is very important in the conducting of electricity (I'm totally just going with this, I really have no idea what I am talking about). Apparently a lot of stadiums have been burgled for the purpose of selling the copper. Anyways, to make a long story short, the lights kept going out! After half time, they would only stay on for about 5 minutes at a time. As you can imagine, this was very frustrating! Because we made it to half time, Atlanta ended up winning the game even though we did not play the full 90 min. Boo! I also got to spend a few moments getting caught up with Ronda Brooks and her mom!

Showing off my ring and fiance!

Mom and Dad celebrated their 28th Wedding Anniversary! They are such an inspiration!

Soon to be Stampers and Easons at Brunch Sunday morning!

Oh well, it was still so nice to see my parents and my fiance (still getting used to that word) in the stands cheering me on! After the game Mom, Dad, Brian, Chrissy her friend and I all went out to J. Alexander's for dinner. We had so much to celebrate and be thankful for! Mom and Dad were not only celebrating the engagement of their daughter but also their 28th wedding anniversary!


Up next...2 games this weekend against Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. It is great to be playing again!

Engaged!!

Jenny, this picture is for you. For some reason when there is a camera out...I put on this shirt. It is just a fact of nature that no one in this world can explain! I promise I have other shirts...other airbrush shirts!

I am so excited right now, I can hardly type. Every time I try to spell a word my ring catches my attention and I can hardly keep focused on updating this blog of mine! Yesterday, May 13, 2009 I became engaged to Brian Robert Stamper! This is how it happened...


Background information: I have been training so hard for this W league team I am playing for in Tampa. I have been absolutely exhausted every single night for the past 3 weeks. My coach told me he appreciates all the traveling I have done but would rather me take today off and have my legs recover. I was so excited to have the night off!


Brian came to pick me up for my lunch break. Of course, I was taking my sweet time in meeting him outside, getting out of the car, and making my way up the driveway. Poor thing...his heart was probably jumping out of his chest! I opened up the door to my apartment and on the way up the stairs was 3 colorful notes, they said (1)Ashley (2)Marie (3)Eason. I was so confused. Of course, Brian was playing it off like he had no idea what was going on. When I got up stairs, I heard music playing. You guessed it, I was further confused. When I walked into my room there were 3 more notes on my bed that said (1)Will (2)You (3)Marry Me? When I turned around, Brian was on one knee and he had a box in his hand that I was very interested in ha ha! It took me a moment to realize he was actually proposing to me...this was actually happening.

He said the most amazing words to me. I felt like I was in a dream. He said something to the effect of him wanting to propose in the place where we would make our home and anywhere with me was the right place for him! It was so much sweeter than that and it really fit nicely in his choice of location but I was crying so many tears of happiness it is difficult to re-explain. After I said YES, he slipped my beautiful ring on my finger!

I went back to LHP where everyone had already known! I knew people were a little strange this morning! But Brian definitely accomplished the impossible...he completely surprised me!! This is the first step in a long life with him. I feel so lucky and honored to be his fiance. I can not wait to live out our future and best of all be with my best bud for the rest of my life! I'm loving this feeling!!

Grad School...3 more days until freedom

Graduate school is freakin' hard work! I turned in an 8 page professional plan and 3 video exercises Monday. Next...a 10 page paper on school readiness (MLA format of course!) due this Friday. It looks like I won't be doing anything exciting this week! As it stands, I have an A in my Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners class. We will see if I can pull off my 10 page miracle on top of my full time job. 10 pages may not sound like a lot but my motivation sure is wearing thin.

Thank goodness Brian and I will be celebrating my Freedom Friday by heading to the beach! I can't wait to wake up to the crashing waves!!

Crate Training 101

Finally! The planets have aligned and we now have a predictable potty training routine for Charlie! After a few weeks of potty "missteps", we have the little guy all figured out. With the addition of a crate that fits him, a baby gate and a new food and water routine, he is responding beautifully. Brian and I look absolute ridiculous walking him through downtown Orlando screaming "Good potty Charlie," and high-fiving each other while we remark about how incredibly smart he is. Needless to say we are very proud of his progress! I am just waiting for one of our neighbors to scream ITS JUST A DOG!!


I think the biggest breakthrough has come from picking up the water bowl. In short, he was drinking what seemed like a gallon of water a day just because it was there. Crate training has really helped too. All the books assure me that he will LOVE his crate one day. It says he will actually go in voluntarily without the promise of food one day. I guess for the time being he will continue to conveniently forget how to walk each time we open the crate door.

Layla is getting more and more used to Charlie each day. I know that it really just comes down to the fact that she did not have the same "puppyhood" Charlie is having. He has all the fun toys, organic doggie food, a quality crate and so on...there is a huge difference and its called a paycheck ha ha! She really is doing well with him. She's a sweetheart!!

On another note, Petsmart has become the new Anthropologie or Macy's (where I used to spend all of my money). Brian and I are frequent visitors as we like to personally test out each toy that Charlie is to receive! Sorry Layla, about the lack of toys but you definitely have him beat in the people food area (he has not caught on to the begging yet!)

This video is hilarious (for me at least)...it answers the question what do you get when you cross a cat, a vacuum and a new puppy? ha ha!

Charlie E. Stamper

Our cat Suki and Queen Bee Layla are less than thrilled to announce an addition to our family. Charlie E. Stamper is our new Golden Retriever puppy!! He was given to us by Brian's parents, Leslie and John. They had made a deal with him upon graduating from Vanderbilt that they would reward him with a puppy of his choice when the time was right. 2 years later...Charlie has joined our family and we are so thrilled. Brian and Leslie drove to Longwood, FL last Monday to choose from a litter of Goldens. They brought Charlie up to school for a visit with his Mommy. It was so much fun to show the kids in my 3rd grade class !! Charlie is by far the best motivator for good behavior with a 9 year old audience!!

Layla is not taking it as well as we had hoped. Every time he sees her, he gets so excited!! He can not help but to run over her! He thinks it is so much fun! So now when he comes anywhere close to her, Layla growls and shows him her clean and odor free teeth (finally took the poor girl in for a cleaning). Charlie is unfazed however by Layla's ferociousness. Just as quickly as he runs away, he comes back for more. We are hoping that they will eventually learn to love and respect one another. Actually we just hope Charlie will learn that it is not worth being bit on the nose and resist the urge to pounce on her.

At the moment, Charlie is at Gradma and Grampa's house learning the ins and outs of potty training and other vital puppy survival skills. We will begin our first set of puppy classes soon but he has already began learning to play fetch and has discovered his love for sticking his head out of the car window.

I can not wait until Charlie grows older. It will be so much fun to run with him and take him to the lake. Golden Retrievers are very good with children so I am so excited to have him as a permanent member of our family!!

Charlie does not stay still long enough to take a picture while he is awake. So when he is asleep, all the cameras come out! Here are a few pics of our new little guy...sleeping.

Taking advantage of Grandma's cool floor!

Yes, I am holding Layla in that position. She will not come within 10 feet of him! Yes, that is my favorite shirt!

He tried to move out from under Brian and fell asleep in the process!

Happy Birthday, Spring Break and Such

Spring Break kicked off with a birthday surprise! Mom, Dad and the girls drove to Orlando for my birthday. It was such a wonderful surprise!! Below are some pics of the beach and my 25th birthday celebration! Brian baked me 2 cakes!! Chrissy also came to visit!

Mom and I at the beach

25th Birthday!!