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O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree: Barker’s Christmas Tree Farm 2018

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Nov 30, 2018
  • 2 min read

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Over Thanksgiving break, Scott, Maddox, Alex and I got in the holly, jolly spirit and made our annual visit to Barker’s Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our tree. We began the family tradition in 2012 and it has easily become a favorite for us. And this year my sister Alyssa even tagged along.

Although visiting the local Christmas tree farm has become a holiday tradition, we have never picked a traditional Christmas tree. Instead, we always choose a white pine, and I’m positive that this years tree choice will be one we never forget!

We began by searching the farm and almost instantly came across the perfect tree — or so we thought. So, as usual, we posed for several rounds of photos in hopes to find the picture perfect shot to slap on our holiday card. Kudos to Alyssa for this years pictures.

Next, Scott began to saw down our tree. Alex and Maddox were nearby with the sled, ready to pull our perfect tree out of the field. As the tree fell to the ground my mouth fell open. We had forgotten to inspect the entire tree and the back was bare. No, it wasn’t just missing a few branches here and there, it was missing an entire top half! Ho, ho, no! After the initial shock we all got a big laugh.

The boys pulled the tree around to the barn where we waited to have our annual family photo taken. Every year, Barker’s takes a picture of each family with their Christmas tree around a dated sign and a reindeer. The next year, you get to find your free picture off of the photo wall.


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When we arrived home, we turned on some Christmas tunes (*NSYNC's Home for Christmas album to be exact) and decorated our perfect tree. It was a day full of festive fun!


Barker's Christmas Tree Farm was established in 1995. They are a choose and cut Christmas tree farm located at 1500 Deer Haven Lane in Lexington, Ky.

All in the Family: An Extended Family Photoshoot

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Nov 29, 2018
  • 1 min read

What's better than a family session? An extended family session! It's rare that the whole family has time to come together in one place for a photoshoot, but that's what makes this session so special. I loved photographing sisters Jill and Jamie, their families, and their parents at one of my favorite spots in Lexington, Ky., Waveland Historic Site. Interested in a photography session? Click here to check out more of my work.

I attended a live taping of Dancing with the Stars and it was a perfect 10

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Nov 1, 2018
  • 5 min read

Yes, you read that right – a couple weeks ago I attended a live taping of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). While Scott and I were in Los Angeles, we scored free tickets to Week 4 of Season 27’s competition: Trio Night. And, I give the experience a perfect 10!

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Spotted: That girl from the Living the Ritch Life blog — on the left in a black dress, second row on the end.

What is DWTS?

DWTS is a dance competition television series that is hosted by Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. The show consists of a celebrity paired with a professional dancer. Each couple performs predetermined dances and competes against the others for judges' points and audience votes. The couple receiving the lowest combined total of judges' points and audience votes is eliminated each week until only the champion dance pair remains.


What inspired us to go?

I’ll admit, I’ve never been a devoted DWTS viewer. But, when the boys and I found out Juan Pablo would be part of the Season 27 cast, we knew we had to tune in. In case you don’t know, Juan Pablo is best known for his role as the passionate Fernando on Netflix's original series, Fuller House, which happens to be our favorite show! So, every week we’ve watched and every week we’ve voted – why not see it live? Please note in addition to Juan Pablo and Cheryl, we also vote Milo and Witney – per Alex’s request.


How did we get tickets?

I knew we would be in the area, so a week before our big California adventure I Googled (what did we do before Google?) “tickets to DWTS.” And guess what I found out? Tickets to the show are completely free! Yes, free! Does it get any better than that? I simply submitted some basic information to On-Camera Audiences and we were added to a wait-list for Monday, October 15. I received an email that said tickets were currently unavailable but that I would receive another email when tickets were released. On October 9 I received an email instructing me to print our free, priority tickets to the show (insert a lot of screaming).


What happened before the show?

Monday, October 15 was the first day of my Adobe MAX Conference, so Scott and I hopped in an Uber at the last possible second, making it to the show with about a minute to spare (audience members have to arrive a little early). There is a dress code so we made sure we dressed to impress!


We had priority tickets which meant as long as we arrived on time, we were guaranteed a seat. What I didn’t know before I got there was that there are two types of tickets, priority tickets and non-priority tickets. If you don’t have a priority ticket, your chances of getting through the doors are slim. They actually turned 150 people away that day. After we showed our tickets, we went through security and then had to check-in our cell phones – no photos allowed!


While we were waiting to get inside CBS Television City, Tinashe and Brandon went around and said hello to everyone. I was so stoked that we got to meet one of the dancing duos in person! Then, we walked through the doors…


What was it like to be in the audience?

The show really is live – well most of it. Do you know the introduction you see every week? That’s recorded 30-minutes prior to show time. But everything else – live. So what does that mean for those in the audience? We were expected to constantly smile, stand, dance and clap (I’m not sure I have ever clapped so much in my life). We were only allowed short breaks during commercials.


For the pre-recorded intro, Scott and I got separated in the friends and family sections on the floor. We were used as fillers until the important people showed up. Then, we got moved to the balcony where we stayed for most of the show. We had a great view of the stage and were behind judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Toniol. It was truly amazing to see what goes on behind the scenes – how quickly the set is changed for each number and how the show comes to life each week. And just when I thought the two-hour dance party couldn’t get any better, it did...


Who did we see?

Lucky for us October 15 was Trio Night, which meant even more Stars.

  • John and Emma danced the Argentine tango to “Torn” by Nathan Lanier (trio with Joey Fatone)

  • DeMarcus and Lindsay danced the paso doble to “Fire” by Barns Courtney (trio with Rashad Jennings)

  • Alexis and Alan danced the tango to “Move Your Body” by Sia (trio with Maddie Ziegler)

  • Joe and Jenna danced the salsa to “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred (trio with Jordan Kimball)

  • Tinashe and Brandon danced the tango to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” from Rock of Ages (trio with Amy Purdy)

  • Milo and Witney danced the salsa to “Adrenalina” by Wisin feat. Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin (trio with Riker Lynch)

  • Mary Lou and Sasha danced the Charleston to “V.E.S.P.A” by Dimie Cat (trio with Nastia Liukin)

  • Juan Pablo and Cheryl danced the cha-cha to “Wavey” by CliQ feat. Alika (trio with Melissa Rycroft)

  • Evanna and Keo danced the salsa to “Black Magic” by Little Mix (trio with Scarlett Byrne)

  • Bobby and Sharna danced the cha-cha to “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer (trio with Lindsay Sterling)

It was surreal to see Juan Pablo dancing right in front of me. Bruno said his Cha Cha was "dead sexy" but the judges were expecting more from him after his outstanding Samba last week. Regardless, he still received three 8s, for a total of 24 out of 30. You go, Juan Pablo!


In addition to the performances, we spotted a couple celebrities in the audience: Caroline Rhea, who plays Aunt Hilda on the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and my personal favorite Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films – #starstruck.


Were we on TV?

Remember when I said I didn’t think the evening could get any better but then it did? About halfway through the show we were asked by an employee to come with them. They asked about 75 audience members to step outside. Everyone was confused – were we getting kicked out of the show? No. Instead we were going on stage for the next dance!

I was excited when I scored free tickets; I was excited when I saw Juan Pablo and Cheryl dance; but when I found out I was going to be dancing on the DWTS stage with Milo and Witney on live television – well there are just no words! I just kept thinking about how jealous Maddox and Alex were going to be that I shared a stage with one of their favorite dancers. What can I say – I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom!


Anyway, we were all given flashing rings and danced in the background for Milo, Witney and Riker Lynch’s entire number. If you check out their performance, you can see me briefly in the beginning. I’m on the left in a black dress, second row on the end (20-seconds in). I’ll call that my 15 (minutes) seconds of fame. Oh, and Scott's in there too.

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"I thought it was wonderful, and the best dance I've seen tonight!" said Len. "It was SAL-sational" proclaimed Bruno. "It was so many things, but it was absolutely perfect. Perfect!" said Carrie Ann. It was a 10, a 9, and another 10 for an almost perfect 29 out of 30.


An almost perfect score for a perfectly memorable moment!


Who was voted off?

At the end of the night, Evanna and Keo and Tinashe and Brandon were in jeopardy, and Tinashe and Brandon were eliminated.


Make sure to tune into Dancing with the Stars Monday, November 5, at 8:00 p.m. EST for Week 7 of the competition! And, if you’re in Los Angeles, hop to it and get tickets to a live show – the experience can’t be beat!


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