Summer is Here!

I feel like a lot has happened since my last post, and I'm just hoping I can remember what to talk about here! Guess I'll just try to hit the highlights.

Josh and I have been wanting to go back to the Bountiful Temple for a while, since that's where we got married and we haven't been back since then. So back in the beginning of March we finally made out it there, only to discover it was closed for maintenance or something. Dang it! So we wandered around outside the temple for a bit, trying to make the best of it, and when we started heading back, we found the TARDIS in someone's driveway...

So obviously we had to take pictures with it! (With the owners' permission, of course.)

Hottie, am I right?

Josh was a Doctor Who fan before me, but I had wanted to watch it for some time and finally started up toward the end of last year. I. LOVE. IT. So obviously we both freaked out a little bit when we happened upon this gem. :)

Even though we couldn't go to the Bountiful Temple like we planned, we still wanted to make a date night out of it. So we stopped in Salt Lake and visited the Capitol Building. It was really cool!

Let me just say, I LOVE these buildings!

April had quite a bit of awesomeness. As the semester was ending, we went to Salt Lake Comic Con FanX. It was a surprise for Josh, but it was a dream come true for me. I seriously was so excited about it that I started crying when we got there. (Josh was really concerned, but I was just happy! :) It was pretty amazing. Mostly we just wandered around, looking at the different vendors and things. Just looking at the cool merchandise and awesome cosplays was so fun. We had a really great time. I also got one of my Firefly discs signed by Adam Baldwin. SO. AWESOME.

Josh with Master Chief!

This R2D2 was so legit! Someone was remote controlling it. :)

Not the best picture, but someone was walking around in this really sweet costume.

We also celebrated our first Easter together! It wasn't much, but it was fun! Most of the candy was saved from what my mom sent us for Easter, along with the plastic eggs and grass. We found the baskets at D.I. for dirt cheap, and the couple gifts in each basket were from the dollar store. Success!

Proof that we dyed eggs before promptly turning them into deviled eggs! :P

Wearing my new Easter dress! And Josh wore his pink bow tie for Easter, because, let's be honest... bow ties are cool. ;)

Then at the end of April, we took a trip with Trevin and Kim up to Idaho and stayed with Nana and Poppy. It's so fun to see them! School had just ended and we all took a few days off from work and everything. It was such a nice break, and much needed. While we were there, Josh and I saw Wicked with Nana and Poppy. We decided this would be our first anniversary present. :) I've wanted to see Wicked so badly for some time, and I was not disappointed. It. Was. AMAZING.

It's gonna happen!

Similar to what happened at Comic Con, I cried at Wicked just out of sheer joy and excitement; during the production, I would randomly start crying during various songs either because the song was so amazing or because I was just so happy to be there. :)

I should also mention that we annihilated a puzzle that Nana pulled out one night. We were on it like vultures, and between some work before dinner and some work after, it didn't stand a chance.

Shortly after our trip to Idaho, Josh and I moved into a new apartment. Our old one was a great starter, but we were ready to move on to something a little bigger and better. It was sad leaving the ward, especially for Josh (because he's naturally more social than I am!), and it is especially sad not living right next to Trevin and Kim. But we are pretty excited about our new place! And we have already experienced the excitement of having a mouse in our kitchen and then catching it in a mouse trap, so... yeah. Pretty fun, right? :P

I was originally planning on taking classes during Spring and Summer terms at BYU, but it ended up working out differently and now we're both just working full-time. It gets tiring, but I'm secretly (or maybe not so secretly) relieved to have a few months break from school and the stresses that come with it. It pushes my graduation date to June of next year instead of April, but I can deal with that. Right now we're just makin' the big bucks. ;) Recently at work, Josh got us a couple of tickets to a BYU Baseball game. It was actually really fun, and brought back childhood memories of going to Rangers games with my family. It was pretty chilly, but we stayed for the whole game. (Next time we'll bring a blanket!) We lost, but it was a good game!

I'd say we've had a pretty great start to the summer. We've been married a year as of May 4th (about two weeks ago), and I'm just loving it. Living with and being married to my best friend is the greatest gift I've ever been given, and we have so much fun together. I'm looking forward to what the next year will bring us!

~ Ashley

2013 Wrap-Up

It's been 2014 for almost a month now, so it's about time I paid tribute to Christmas break and the coming of the New Year before February gets here. We drove down to Texas with Trevin and Kim to stay with my family for a week, after which Josh and I flew out to Indiana to stay with his family for the second week.

It was wonderful to be back at home with my family, not going home to live with them during the breaks has been one of the harder things for me to adjust to being married. We had so much fun with everyone! Here are some pictures from that part of the trip...

I decided I wanted to change up my hair for
the New Year, so at first I cut it to about
chin-length, but then I decided to just go for
it and chopped it all off. Turns out I kinda
love it! (Picture taken at the High School
Football State Championship game,
which by the way WE WON and it was
AWESOME.)

All the girls getting pedicures! Well, Mom and
Kim are there too, but they were on the other
side of the room.

Making popcorn balls!

In our Christmas jammies!

I always miss our dogs; Lulu is so crazy, I love her!

Matching! Aren't we precious?

Matching some more. Good thing we love it! :)

Being silly on the way to the airport.

Goodbye Texas...

Leaving Texas and my family was kind of heartbreaking, but I was excited to spend some time with Josh's family, get to know them a little better, and see Indiana for the first time! Even though it's stupid winter. We had a great time! Here are some more pics...

Josh's mom got us a carriage ride and a night in a nice hotel!
 Luckily the carriage was covered, 'cause it was COLD
outside, but we had a blast taking a ride around Indianapolis!

I am IN LOVE with Christmas lights!!

Their adorable dog Buddy! :)

I love puzzles, and did a couple while we were there!

Some views from the plane flying back to Salt Lake...

I had such a wonderful break! It is so good to be with family, and I always hate to come back to "real life". But I am optimistic with the start of the New Year (aren't we all, at first?). I have some goals that I hopefully won't neglect before February is even over, like many New Year's Resolutions do, including reading goals and running a 5K (maybe multiple!), among others.

There a are few other changes happening too! I got a job at Chick-fil-A; I worked there in Texas too, but I just couldn't stay away when they opened up a new one here in Provo! Plus Trevin and Kim are working there as well, so that's also fun. (Chanelle and Cody - before his mission - worked there also, so we're basically planning a slow takeover of the company.) I'm also taking private voice lessons, which is both exciting and scary! (Don't ask me to sing a solo in Sacrament Meeting or anything though!) Josh is switching his major from film to communications, and he's pretty excited about it, which is great! And now that the Provo Temple is open again we're back to volunteering there on Saturdays, and we really love it. When we first started working there I thought the shifts would feel so long, but it's been a wonderful experience! We're also both trying to get ourselves more organized and time-efficient so that we don't have to stress as much! 

I am so incredibly grateful for the past year. It has really been the most life-changing year of my life! I still can't believe that someone like Josh wanted to marry me, but he continues to love me and I feel blessed beyond words to have him in my life.

~ Ashley

Why Did I Get Married?

This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour, which I am excited to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, click here!

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Why did I get married?

I don't mean that in a negative way, like "what was I thinking?" Rather, I am looking to share the reasons why I chose to get married.

Though marriage has always been a prominent part of every society, over time it has held less importance. People are putting off marriage for longer and longer, and divorce rates continue to go up. Now, I am in no way trying to indicate that anyone should get married by a certain age - or at all - if it's not right for the individual. I am also not trying to indicate that anyone who gets a divorce is making a bad choice; there are all kinds of circumstances a person could find themselves in, and it is very personal and up to the individuals. That said, I do feel that the general trends are due in part to an increasingly self-centered attitude.

And if I'm completely honest, the trends sometimes scare me. Nobody goes into marriage with the attitude that they are not going to make it. Everyone thinks that they are the exception, that their love will never be touched and life will be like a constant honeymoon. But things can still fall apart, leaving behind broken hearts, scarred feelings, and even psychological damage. Does that freak anyone else out?

So why did I get married?

Sure, I have always known that I wanted to get married. Having been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marriage holds a particular emphasis and is viewed as sacred. I am not ashamed of that. I believe that marriage is a sacred ordinance that is ordained of God. I believe that the family unit is the most important unit of society. I have always wanted to get married and have a family of my own. Yes, I was taught that way. But more importantly, I believe in it with all of my heart.

But it's about more than just believing in the idea of marriage.

When I was dating my husband Josh, I remember reaching a point in the relationship when I realized that if he had asked me to marry him right then, I would have said yes. Not just because he was super handsome and had a great laugh, even though both are true. :) It was because I knew that I would be happy with him. Like, really happy. Truly happy.

Josh is an amazing man. He is not perfect, and he would be the first to admit that. But he is perfect for me. He makes me laugh all the time. He has a sexy smile. He is smart and works hard. He is tender and caring. He is more generous than I have ever been. He is patient with me. He is gentle and comforting when I need it most. He is always trying to be better than he was the day before. He inspires me to be better than I was the day before. He is fun. He is silly. And he loves me for just being myself.

I know that I am still new to marriage. We have only been married a little over 8 months. But even at this point in our marriage, I have great faith. Just because our marriage is young doesn't mean that my views aren't as valid. The reasons why I got married were true in the earliest months and they will be true years from now.

I chose to marry my husband not only because I love him. He is there for me in a way that only he can be. He is my greatest friend and support. He brings a kind of happiness to my life that I never would have found on my own. And when there are disagreements or hurt feelings, he is the first to do everything he can to make things right, even if I'm just being irrational or emotional. He teaches me that the things that are most dear to us are worth fighting for.

I believe in marriages that can last. I believe in keeping marriage filled with love and laughter. I believe in looking at the face of the odds and the trends, and standing firm for what is most important in my life, even when it gets hard. I believe in fighting - together - against the things that will try to pull us apart.

That's why I got married.

And that's why I don't expect to just make it. I do expect to make it work.

~ Ashley

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Fall Has Past

The fall months have come and gone, and here I am not sharing anything about it. It's time for an update on what's going on in our lives.

Early on in the semester we went to several sporting events, including both soccer and football games. We love our cougars!

At a soccer game with our friend Mariana.

At a football game before a crazy storm flooded the stands.

We also went with Trevin and Kim to Bridal Veil Falls before fall was over. I've been here all this time and never got around to it until now. It was breathtaking to me how beautiful it was. It was a gorgeous day and fall colors were everywhere. I can't wait to visit again!

Josh also celebrated his 24th birthday in October! I surprised him at work with a balloon and candy, and then we went out for lunch. The next day we continued celebrating; we got dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (which is one of my favorite pizza places ever), then went and saw a movie (Trevin came with us for the movie) - Gravity. Let me just say, it was a pretty intense movie. Really good. But I now never want to go to space. Ever. After the movie we joined up with Kim and played some games together. We had a lot of fun!

In the car picking him up from work!

Believe it or not, we actually planned to dress up and everything for Halloween, but that didn't end up happening. We had class that night and by the end of the day we were worn out and needed to unwind a bit, so we played some video games for a while before just going to bed.

Thanksgiving break was great, exactly what I needed as the semester has worn me down. Unfortunately Trevin and Kim couldn't come with us, which we were really sad about, but we did have a great time with my family. We all met up in Missouri, so Josh and I actually drove through the night on Monday night in order to get there Tuesday afternoon. I don't recommend it. We managed and everything worked out fine, but it's not pleasant forcing yourself to just ignore the fact the your body is tired, and only getting minimal amounts of sleep because you're trying to sleep in the car. ANYWAY, the trip was awesome though, and it was so fun to see everyone. Especially all the little kiddos! We had fun going to the Army museum, going to the park, and just playing around the house. Why do breaks have to go by so quickly?

In front of a boat outside the Army museum.

What a cute bunch of kids! A.K.A. my nieces and nephews. :)

Sweet Molly!

And sweet Lucy!

Now that we're back from break and Christmas is approaching, winter has definitely set in here in Provo. One day it snowed all day and all night, and since then we've had mixtures of snow and ice to walk through to get to school. So naturally I'm even more reluctant to go, but it's not much longer now until it'll be time to leave for Christmas break. We're almost there! :)

~ Ashley

Trials

We all know that life is great at throwing trials your way. Sometimes it feels like it's too much and you don't see a way out. It's those experiences that when you look back you can see the hand of the Lord and you are more able to appreciate what you've gone through to get where you are.

But here is the question that I pose to anyone who may be reading this: when you're in the midst of those trials and things feel pretty bleak, what do you do to hold on to hope and maintain an optimistic outlook? What gets you through the storm?

~ Ashley

August Update

It finally feels like the summer is moving along. I wouldn't normally have any good feelings about that, but I've been taking a couple of classes this summer and I just finished them up. So now we have the last couple of weeks of August to enjoy only working before school starts up again. That plus we don't have air conditioning, so while our efforts to keep our place cool using fans and a portable swamp cooler have definitely helped, let's just say we're looking forward to cooler weather. (Let me be clear: I am excited for FALL weather, not winter. Josh might feel differently, but I still don't fare well in the freezing cold.)

This weekend Josh and I made a trip up to Idaho for a couple of days to visit my Nana and Poppy. We wish Trevin and Kim could've come with us, but that was poor planning on our part and it didn't work out... this time. Josh and I drove up REALLY late on Thursday night, arriving at Nana and Poppy's house around 4:30 am. I know the day will come when we won't be able to handle that, but I'm grateful that right now we're able to make such a late trip. :) The next morning we all took their boat out to the lake. It was beautiful!

Nana started off the day with skiing. I am constantly so impressed by how active, hard-working, and fun-loving she is! I want to be that fit and fun when I'm her age. :)

Go Nana!

After a few tries Josh got up on water-skis for the first time! I was so proud to see him out on the water. ^^ I took a turn later as well; I've tried my hand at water-skiing a couple of times before, but I never do stay up on the water for very long. It was fun though. :) By the time we got home that evening, we were low on sleep and exhausted from being in the sun all day, so Josh and I crashed until dinner, and that night we welcomed bed time when it came.

Loving being out on the lake together!

On Saturday Josh and I went to the Boise Temple. We both used to go there pretty often when we were missionaries, but neither of us have been back to that one since then. They renovated it after both of us had left the mission, and let me just say, going back this time the temple looks absolutely beautiful. Not to mention, the Provo Temple has - until this past week - been closed for about a month and a half, and we haven't made any trips to other temples during that time. It was so wonderful to be able to make time to visit the House of the Lord. It is always such a peaceful place, and the Spirit of the Lord is always there. It really helped me feel closer to my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, closer to my sweet husband, and to have a renewed perspective about my life. I love the Gospel and the peace it brings to my life!!

So happy together :)

If going to the temple with the love of my life wasn't enough to make a wonderful day (which, by the way, it totally was), that night we all went to my cousins' birthday party. Two adorable twin girls turning one together! It was so cute to see them, and I just loved spending time with family.

Unfortunately we only had a couple of days in Idaho and this morning we left to come back to Provo. The trip was too short but definitely worth it. :) And now we'll enjoy our last bit of summer before school starts again!

~ Ashley