‘My beautiful chaos’
Waynesburg mom reflects on childhood, kids and life
EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE: This is one in a daily monthlong series about the people who live in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, in recognition of America蘑菇视频 250th anniversary.
Ashley Yeager lives in the 鈥渁fter.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know myself outside of being a mom,鈥� said Yeager, a 36-year-old mother of five who is raising her girls together with her husband, BJ, in Waynesburg. 鈥淢y life literally revolves around being a mom.鈥�
Hers are days of fast-slow, of long walks through the quaint borough she has lived in or near all her life, of stopping for iced coffee at the local shop, of dropping kids off at activities (she蘑菇视频 got basketball games and band practices and soccer and volleyball, too).
鈥淲e get as much family time in as we can,鈥� she said.
Every summer, the family heads to Ocean City, Maryland, for vacation. The anticipation of returning to a favorite spot takes her back to childhood, of packing into a car with her siblings 鈥� she grew up with two stepbrothers, two brothers and a sister 鈥� and heading north to West Mifflin.
鈥淗onestly, my favorite memory from when I was a kid was when we went to Kennywood,鈥� Yeager said. 鈥淓very summer, multiple times.鈥�
Sometimes she took a friend, other times it was just her (the oldest) and her siblings, but it was always a thrill to make it, finally, to the front of the line of a favorite ride.
While Kennywood threads together the summers of her youth, turning 13 marked a shift in her young life. It was then Yeager moved in with her grandparents, Sally and Don Howard.
鈥淕randdad was an electrician, he was old-school. Grandma鈥tayed home, she made quilts. They loved going to the Amish country,鈥� Yeager said. 鈥淭hey raised me. They were amazing people. There蘑菇视频 nothing they could have done wrong, in my eyes.鈥�
It was her grandparents鈥� New Freeport home she called home throughout high school. Yeager played basketball and volleyball at West Greene, from which she graduated in 2008.
In her 20s, she struggled with addiction. Today, Yeager is 13 years clean 鈥� and she shares the joys of sobriety with others on the recovery journey through her work as a med-tech at UPMC Greene.
鈥淚 hand out meds, but I鈥檓 with the patients all day. We do groups. I just help guide them and hope they get back out there and do better, you know? To be on the opposite side of it (addiction), it蘑菇视频 kind of nice to be able to help,鈥� Yeager said.
Giving back in this way, and graduating college, are two of Yeager蘑菇视频 biggest achievements.
鈥淚 actually didn鈥檛 go to college until I was older,鈥� said Yeager, who graduated in 2020 with a degree in medical billing coding. 鈥淚 was so proud of myself for graduating and getting that degree while raising (my girls).鈥�
The work is meaningful, but the work of raising children is Yeager蘑菇视频 greatest joy.
鈥淲atching them grow into their own little people 鈥� I am so proud of each and every one of my girls. They do amazing at whatever they do,鈥� she beamed.
Yeager蘑菇视频 daughters range in age from 16 to 5 (her stepdaughter Johni is the oldest). Yeager was never a regular church-goer, but now, most Sundays, she and her girls attend service at Gospel Tabernacle in Mount Morris, where they enjoy the worship and community.
And on any given day, Yeager is grateful to be raising five healthy daughters in Waynesburg. Motherhood is, after all, what defines Ashley Yeager.
鈥淚 call it my beautiful chaos,鈥� she said from a seat along East High Street one recent afternoon, while her youngest bicycled down the sidewalk. 鈥淚 love being here.鈥�