New Beginnings

Hi, I'm Ashley. I'm new to the blogging thing. A friend invited me to join, so bare with me. The most significant relationships in my life at the moment are with my 8 month old puppy and the relationship I have with myself.

My Dachshund puppy, Orion, and I are still in the crucial phase of building our relationship. Though i think we're firmly on our way in the whole bonding department :-), we're still feeling eachother out in many ways. I'm working on training him to only go to the bathroom on the wee-wee pads or outside, to sit, lie down, and come when I ask him to, and to not bark at almost every single person or animal we pass while walking lol. Hopefully he is growing to see me as the pack leader and as his Mommy who will give him plenty of love and affection, guidance, and make him feel secure.

Continuing to develop a good relationship with myself is also very important to me. The only person that you have to be with all the time is yourself after all. I try to learn something new about myself everyday and learn to accept, love, and be at peace with what I find. I'm in the phase of my life where I'm still fighting to establish myself as an adult and find my place in the world. I've made some decisions that sometimes I wish I could go back and make over...but then I realize that to mourn for what might have been is completely useless. If I hadn't made the decisions I did and things hadn't unfolded as they did, then I wouldn't be where I am now...and I wouldn't be who I am now. All we can do in life, is make the most of what we have to work with at any given moment. I'm learning that people have to accomplish things at their own pace and figure out the unique path that's right for them.

I made a few of what I believe to be very good decisions over the past year (that included a move to a new city very different from what I was used to, living away from family for the first time, and coming out and experiencing my first real romantic relationship) that have allowed me to have wonderfully eye-opening experiences and learn so much about myself. I think this has now brought me to the place where I'm at another crossroads and am ready for another change, another adventure....one major part of that change being finally being ready to choose a career path that will hopefully help me be happy and fulfilled, and like I'm serving my purpose....instead of just working JOBS.