FANGIRLING – Ashley in Wonderland

adventuring, FANGIRLING, LIVE MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY, POP CULTURE, travel, wanderlust

HAUS OF GAGA

Posted on April 30, 2020April 30, 2020 by Ashley in Wonderland

Nearly six months ago, I was in Las Vegas seeing Lady Gaga for the first of two shows I was going to be fortunate enough to attend during her Vegas residency. The first show, in November of 2019, was the Jazz & Piano show. The second show, scheduled for April 30, 2020, today, was going to be even more special. My mother and I had meet and greet tickets to the Enigma show.

Obviously a lot has changed since November, and we didn’t make it to Las Vegas today for the Enigma show. Or the meet and greet. That packs a punch.

I’m trying to stay positive and upbeat today, though it is admittedly hard. It’s all out of my hands anyway, so moping really won’t do any good. Covid-19 is in control of everything we do (or, rather, don’t do), and crying over an opportunity lost is just time wasted – although trust me. I’ve done some crying.

I wanted to share these photos with you all – especially for those who were not able to make it to Vegas for whatever reason, be it Covid-19 related or not – that I took at the Haus of Gaga exhibit. It was an incredible experience to see these iconic fashions close up! They aren’t the greatest photos, and the reason I didn’t share them before is because I assumed I’d have a second shot to take another, better batch, so bear with me.

Disappointment aside, I am grateful that I got to see my favorite musician shine so brightly back in November, and am grateful that today, while I’m not where I’d like to be physically, that I have my health, that my family is safe, and that we are getting by, breath by breath, moment by moment. Enjoy the photos (they are all totally thrown in at random, sorry!), and I hope we all get to see each other and smile and laugh and dance together to the pulse of the music that moves us very soon.

adventuring, ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, FANGIRLING, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, PHOTOGRAPHY, POP CULTURE, travel

I KNOW YOU ARE …

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 by Ashley in Wonderland

Sooo meeting Pee-wee Herman/Paul Reubens is a thing I can say I’ve done now, and yes, I lost my meka leka hi meka hiney (w)ho(le) shit!

ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, FANGIRLING, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, MAKEUP/BEAUTY, PHOTOGRAPHY

GOD, I HATE SHAKESPEARE.

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Ashley in Wonderland

Mom and I had the opportunity to go see Something Rotten at the Peace Center tonight, and lemme tell ya – I loved it. Not only was it hilarious and such a fun adventure – ADAM PASCAL (of Rent fame) is playing Shakespeare in the touring company. ROGER, MUZETTA’S WALTZ ALL OVER ME!!

We had such a great time and I highly recommend you see this show if it comes near you!

ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, FANGIRLING, fashion, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

CUT! Costumes & the Cinema

Posted on February 24, 2017February 24, 2017 by Ashley in Wonderland

(dress worn by Lara Flynn Boyle in the movie Land of the Blind)

Last month, Tyler & I went for our second visit to the Columbia Museum of Art in, you guessed it, Columbia! Man oh man, what a gorgeous place with so much to offer. Seriously – you’ve absolutely got to check it out.

The first time we visited was in November of last year, and I gotta give major props to them – for a pretty quick return trip, there were already a lot of new and exciting things to see and explore that had popped up in just that short amount of time.

Most new & notable: the CUT! Costumes & the Cinema exhibit, which was expansive and luscious and overwhelming and absolutely more beautiful than you could believe. The artistry that goes into costuming for theatre and cinema has long since been an interest of mine, and to get to see these exquisite works of art virtually in my own backyard was a true gift. Fortunately they did let us take photos, so I took some to share with all of you! If I get some of the movies or actors/actresses wrong, please correct me – I am only one fool who forgot to take notes.

Read on for more pictures!

Continue reading “CUT! Costumes & the Cinema” →

ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, FANGIRLING, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, LIVE MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY, POP CULTURE

HAIM TIME

Posted on June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 by Ashley in Wonderland

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feel free to click on the photos for larger sizes/a better view!

Ciera & I saw HAIM last night at The Orange Peel in Asheville. It was SO GOOD. You know how you leave a show and you’re like, “hey, that was good.” and then you don’t think so much about it again – not this. THIS WAS SO GOOD. There was so much girl power in the room, I could barely catch my breath. Those gals are TALENTED, I’m serious – youtube some of their live performances or download some of their tunes (recommendations: “Send Me Down”, “My Song 5”, and “If I Could Change Your Mind”). I’ve been waiting to see them for YEARS, and we scored close parking and a decent spot at the show – I don’t really know how much more you could ask for. Well, a diet pepsi would have been great, but whatever.

(Side note: MAJOR PROPS to The Orange Peel for fighting NC’s stupid beyond belief bathroom laws for trans individuals – they posted signs on the bathrooms telling you to choose the bathroom you wanted to use, and if you wanted somewhere safer, there was a private bathroom available. SO many kudos to them for that.)

Highlights of the night: Alana’s bad ass drumming, Este’s Prince cover (one of my favorites – “I Would Die 4 U”), and Danielle’s voice is just literally siren song. Ugh. I loved it. I had so much fun. And no panic attacks! That’s a huge plus. I can’t remember the last time I was in a big crowd and didn’t have a panic attack.

My pictures aren’t great, but I’m sharing the few that turned out to be semi-decent. Annnnnd that’s pretty much it. I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with every Haim sister simultaneously, so if someone could get a message to them ASAP so we can work something out, that would be absolutely great.

ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, disney, FANGIRLING, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, PHOTOGRAPHY, POP CULTURE, writing

DISNEY DAY 2 (pt 2) – MARCH 2016

Posted on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 by Ashley in Wonderland

So, like I said in my last post, this one is going to be dedicated to the Festival of Fantasy parade … because it’s the FESTIVAL OF FANTASSSSSSSYYYYYY! Tom and I routinely sing the soundtrack to this parade throughout the funeral home on any given day, it is very magical.

This was my third time seeing FoF – it accidentally happened to me for the first time when I was sitting outside languidly eating a cheeseburger slathered in nacho cheese (don’t you dare judge me) at Pecos Bill’s in November of 2014, which is the short story of how I got to see Flynn Rider for the first time with a cheeseburger clamped in my fist, staring up at him in dumbstruck awe. The second time was in March of 2015 (sadly, no cheeseburger was present) – we stood off to the side of the castle and watched the parade come around. This last time, we happened to be at the train station and ran off the train to watch when we realized it was time. They had the majority of the train station roped off for people who aren’t poor like us, so we had to stand all cramped to the side like sad little peons, so these aren’t the best pictures, but hey, whatever. Enjoy!

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So this was our vantage point, what a nasty, ugly view, right?

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I am about 80% certain that the Prince Charming in this situation here was formerly the Peter Pan that was so mean to me that I had a weeping breakdown that could only be cured with a Dole Whip.

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I looOooooOove the dress on this float, bless it.

FOF4

FROZEN BABIES

FOF5

QUEEN OF ALL THINGS.

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This picture of Rapunzel is SOoOoO bad, but it was the only one that I snapped so IM SORRY.

FOF7

This should make up for it tho

FOF8

Legendary mer-goddess, queen of my heart and forever my ultimate icon

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I LOVE the detail in the Peter Pan float.

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These bratty sweeties

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Speaking of bratty sweeties! ❤

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MerMer!

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This is another favorite float – DISNEY GOES STEAMPUNK!

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That weird child

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My favorite part of the whole parade ❤

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I NEED ONE OF THESE COSTUMES NOW

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❤ ❤

Okay, I think next up will be Animal Kingdom, so stay tuned! I’m really trying to get these posted before I go back next week :X Fortunately Universal Studios broke my camera (full story later) and it’ll be hotter than a witch’s tit, so I doubt I’ll be taking many photos anyway. BUT STILL. Trying to be efficient!

ASHLEY IN WONDERLAND, disney, FANGIRLING, PHOTOGRAPHY, POP CULTURE

DISNEY DAY 2 (pt 1) – MARCH 2016

Posted on April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 by Ashley in Wonderland

I know you have all been sitting at home crying out of misery and agony, just waiting for me to post my next installment of my last Disney-venture (lol), but OMG if school and work could just chill for a minute, that would be great. Things have been so busy, I expect my head to fly off any minute.

Anyway! Gonna do this post in two parts. First part will be randomness around Magic Kingdom, the second will be solely focusing on the Festival of Fantasy parade. So, without further adieu, this is day 2 (pt.1) – MAGIC KINGDOM!

Our morning started out just like every other Disney morning – promising each other the night before that we would get up early enough to be there when the park opened, sleeping through our alarms 500 times, lots of grumbling and complaining, emergency trips to the bathroom, highly caloric Mickey shaped breakfasts, and whining about the Florida weather. The usual.

Because she is the best, Tifni took the day off from work to spend with us at Magic Kingdom. Also because she is the best, she gifted me a pair of matching ears that we wore together all day – since she & I met through instagram, one ear had our insta handles on it, and the other had Minnie & Daisy taking a selfie. All hand painted by Tifni & the cutest damn things EVER. We had also pre-planned our outfits so that we would be lookin’ precious all day long (as long as you were able to ignore my sweat mustache). Anyway, she came to our hotel after breakfast to meet us (YAY!!) and we bussed on over. Though it was hotter than 40 hells outside, it was a really gorgeous day, and it wasn’t exceptionally crowded, so BONUS.

First stop for these kitty girls: we had to say hello to Marie. And I’m SO glad that we did, because she has since been replaced by STITCH, which is a hateful a cruel joke, if you ask me. Not that I don’t like Lilo & Stitch, but I got burned three times by a blind box incident wherein I kept only getting the same Stitch, and frankly, that is when the magic left me.

(Robyn & mom opted out of this photo opportunity, but there were there with us in love and spirit and kittykraze)

If you can’t see Tifni’s dress clearly, IT HAS CATS ON IT and is the most precious thing ever. Marie seemed to love us, but frankly, she always loves Tom more. Every time they see each other, it gets really poignant and romantic.

See what I mean?

KittyGirl squad!

Barf-a-roni at this photo quality tho.

It is at this time that I would like to point out two things: yes, I know how awesome my dress is, because frankly it thrilled me so much that I didn’t even care if I went into the parks at all, just so long as I could wear it all day and twirl around like I was a star of toddlers and tiaras – and 2 – yes, I totally ruined my dress’ aesthetic with sneakers. YOU WALK 14 HOURS IN A DAY AND COME BACK TO ME AND SAY SOMETHING.

Next, before our adventuring truly began & before our hair went totally flat in the Florida heat, we went off to the castle to take some glamor shots!

All the boob sweat in the world was worth how adorable this photo is.

I call this photo series …. trying to take pictures and almost being murdered by a stroller.

Like I said, I was reallllly stoked to show off my dress – so I spread that puppy out wide & proud. Then I realized that Tom had completely cropped my skirt out of the shot. So I died inside.

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Though we finally got it sorted in the end.

My beautiful mUUUUuther, all decked out in her haunted mansion gear!

A selfie to show off the detail in the ears that Tifni made for me!

When the castle has the crane up, I literally pretend the castle doesn’t exist.

Moving on!

We watched the band play and made our way over into God’s greatest and glorious place, Tomorrowland!

Tomorrowland is the best because it features Disney World’s greatest ride, the PeopleMover. The PeopleMover has some of the best views of Disney World.

Like dis.

And like dis.

Dis too.

But most importantly, like dis. I dare you to bring me a cuter mother.

After the PeopleMover, a snack was obligatory:

Then we took a pretty lil walk to visit some of our favorite gals:

This was my first time meeting these cuties at the Storybook Circus, and I loved their costumes so much, it made me want to scream and stress sweat. So I did a little bit of both.

S’cute.

Robyn with THE LADIES. Tom was probably having a cigarette and my mother usually refuses to be photographed, so, moving on!

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade (next post), meandering about, and having lunch. After lunch, we visited Rapunzel in her tower bathroom, and I finally found some damn hidden Pascals. Thats a lie. Everyone else found them and showed me. BUT STILL.

Sadly, Tifni was starting to get tired & was ready to head out – so we made two quick stops before she left.

Naturally. Two mermaid besties have to go see their queen, don’t they?

And!

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We rode Dumbo! Which was a first for everyone except for Tifni. And it was a hoot, really. Enjoy glamor shots of each one of us in an elephant. Especially Tom & Robyn, who I feel really took it to the next level.

Sadly after that, Tifni left us 😦 But fortunately, we got to see another friend later in the evening –

THE BEAST! At this point in the day, I had that frozen Britney Spears look on my face, but I promise I was having fun. I’m pretty addicted to Be Our Guest, tbh. Sorry bout it!

Anyway, so that was pretty much our day. The next post will be solely photos of the Festival of Fantasy parade – I just didn’t want to spoil the parade for any who may not have seen it. Expect it to be posted in 2 to 3 years, just like everything else. K bye!

FANGIRLING, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, LIVE MUSIC, POP CULTURE

SO PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE YOU WANT TO

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Ashley in Wonderland

On Saturday night, Tom & I met up with Stephanie in Athens to see Third Eye Blind. It was amazing, but it always is, when Third Eye Blind is concerned. Their music is honestly poetry to a melody, I can’t think of many other artists or groups that I find so lyrically impressive and impactful.

The older I get, the more special it is for me to see and experience the music that I have grown up with live. It’s just such a surreal thing – almost like you get to see a glimpse of your younger self, who you used to be, for just the tiniest of split seconds. At the show on Saturday, I was both 16 years old remembering how I used to bellow along to “Wounded” and bellyache about Taylor Hanson getting married, and 29 years old, present day, now having grown up to know what “Wounded” really means.

“The only people who will ever know what this is like is us, man.”

Anyway, it was a great night. I could hardly see the band for the majority of the show because of the screaming drunk women taking snapchat photos, but that’s okay. I got to hear it all, and that is what matters. Also, there is a video of Stephan singing “Dopamine”, my favorite song, into my camera, and if I was smarter and knew how to upload videos from my camera, I would show that to you. Alas, earwax.

In close, as a special bonus, here are some glamour shots of Stephanie & I, because we looked like damn 90s supermodels, and basically these are my favorite pictures of us ever.