LIFE!

Well life has seemed to get away from me. I haven't written on here since August... that is when Fall semester started and here we go with Spring. Wow i am so sorry to those of you who acutally sit down and read this, i am sure everyone has given up on me writing! Life has been going pretty darn good though. I cannot complain.

School treated me well this semester. The countless hours of studying helped in the end! I came out on top with all A's YAY! This next se

mester is going to take even more out of me with Human Anatomy in the schedule. Just the two words kind of scare me to be honest. BUT it will all work out... at least i hope so.

Work is going well. I am still working at Macdonald Orthodontics. It is keeping me super busy but i go to work every morning loving it and every night exhausted which i guess is a good thing, it means that i work hard.

The family is doing good. B is now 16 and T is 12 as of today. Insane that they are growing up so fast. I feel like such an OLD older sister lol.

Jordan is pushing his 5th month in the field. I got a letter from him this last week and he is doing super well and is loving it. The work there in Canada has a difficult time progressing due to the fact that people are "scared" of the gospel and listen to what others may say about it. He is doing super well though. For those of you who know elder hoffman Jord saw him a few weeks ago and he is doing fantastic as well!

Christmas this year was super fun. We traveled up to Idaho as a family and hung out with my dads side of the family. It was a blast to see everyone and catch up on life seeing as when you are home it seems as if life gets away from you so easily. I am so grateful that i have family i am close to and can talk to about anything. They are amazing people.

I still am here!

I promise that i am still here!

Although at times i feel as if i have fallen off the planet

Just trying to figure out how to balance my life.

Such as:

1. Working 40 hour weeks

2. Going to class Monday - Thursday till 10pm.

3. Being an active member of my ward

4. Getting my homework done

5. Studying for exams

6. Going to institute

7. Sleeping when i can

8. Staying in contact with friends

9. Reading the scriptures

10. Fulfilling my calling

11. Keeping up with my family

YES life is busy

YES i almost never have a dull moment

YES by the end of the week i am ready to be done

YES i am getting a lot accomplished and learning even more

& YES i am actually enjoying being busy!

JORDAN IS IN CANADA!

Yep! He arrived this last Wednesday! I cannot believe he has already been gone 3 1/2 weeks! As much as i miss my best friend, it has gone by so fast already. He is doing great though!

*Some friends from high school were in town this last week.... it was so fun to all go out to Applebees like we did back in the day! Crazy how lives change... GOOD though.

*MY HAIR IS BLONDER THAN EVER BEFORE. haha.

This last week i got a letter from my friend Travis Cook who is serving a mission in California. At the end of his letter he asked if i could maybe send him the Reflections of Christ soundtrack because he could not find it anywhere. So i went to the church bookstore... could not find it... so i got on Itunes...FOUND IT! And it is amazing. The artists that sing and play the piano truly are talented people. I am thankful that Trav asked me to get this for him because listening to this has already been a blessing in my life. It is the simple things in life that bring great joy i have come to find. If you have not listened to this then i encourage you to!

(i am not sure how to put the video on here of it so if you wanna watch it go to... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oteno81QzzQ )

Life

The life of me... Ashley... has been well, different lately!

How you might ask?

1. Working full time is keeping me super busy! I am enjoying working at Macdonald Orthodontics very much though. It is nice going to work every day learning something that will help in your future career. 

2. My family. I love them. Lately i have 

been going to T's practices and watching him. Yeah i will admit

sometimes practice is not too exciting 

but i love being there and able to support him. 

He is a good little player and is playing super hard for his 

position this year. 

3. Bubba is a SOPHOMORE! The first day of school i dropped him off and i will admit it was difficult for me to. I cannot believe he is already at Mountain View. I feel like he is still little. T is a 6th grader this year too. It amazes me how fast time goes by! They are two of my best friends. I love spending time with them.

4. I have been reading. YES! I know... ME reading? What am i thinking! I found a really 

amazing LDS writer that i absolutely love. More towards the younger crowd, well like my age, but she does have a talent for writing. So my lunch breaks and time when i get 

home from work has been dedicated to my book. It is amazing to be able to escape to anot

her world. I LOVE it! 

5. The call has finally come. The Lord wants him to go. The people of Halifax, Canada need him. Jordan received the call and he is reporting to the Provo, Utah MTC this Wednesday... yes August 19! It has been hard to have so many mixed emotions. I know it is where he needs to be and that he will grow so much it is just difficult. Life was not meant to be easy. I just have to remember it is only 2 years, 24 months, 104 weeks, 730 days. THATS IT! Then my best friend is home. I am so excited for him. We hung out for the last time, just us two, today. We were able to go to the Temple. What a great last time to spend together. I adore spending all the time i can with him. He is an amazing boy. 

Good Luck!

Behind all of this there are so many things that i am looking forward to... LIKE... 

having the day off work tomorrow

   melissa coming to town tomorrow morning

   being able to go to a movie with my parents tomorrow afternoon

Jordan leaving on his mission on wednesday

 having Jordans farewell on sunday

           && so much more

Thankful Heart

I have not written on my blog for quite some time. I realize that. Sorry that i have not been updating to often, life has just been super busy with working going to school and keeping up with the basic things of life. Hopefully you can all forgive me for that one. For one reason or another tonight is going to be a thankful blog. My heart is over flowing with thanks and love for so many things and so i felt the desire to do YET another thankful blog entry. So here it goes.

1. Friends- The Lord knows who we need in our lives and when we need them. I can show this in my life.

Jon, words cannot describe the friendship that has been created. I am so thankful for Kenzie and Nate introducing us. 

Kenzie and Nate! The wedding date is almost here. Two of my best friends. Answered prayers is all i can say. 

2. My AMAZING family- Yes at times the little boys do get on my nerves, but i love them to death. Life changes and you realize what is important. Family is something that i have realized means so much to me. I learn from each and every member of mine every day. I love t

he family i belong to.

3. A stable job. I am so lucky to have a job i enjoy and that is stable.

4. The opportunity i have to gain an education, yes summer school is quite aggravating at times but i am so thankful i am able to pay my way through school and gain the education that i have always wanted to receive.

5. A girl that has helped me through so much

 she cannot even comprehend. Kenzie... she's my best friend. Through the good and the bad, and even in high school when we did not talk very much she has always been there for me. I am so excited for her that she found the boy she wants to spend all eternity with. She is a huge part of my life and i would not be involved with many of the things i am today without her. I love you girl.

6. The gospel. Morning mid day and night it plays such a huge role in my life. 

7. Quotes that get you through the day. Simply amazing.

Yes, life is not perfect but it is what we make it. There will be the ups and downs but in the end it will be okay. 

I am still here. Alive, smiling and loving life. School gets out on the 23 so hopefully i will be able to write more after that.

Sunday Insight

well...

Today was kinda a different sunday it seemed. Why you might ask? 

1. It was fast sunday, so i had the opportunity to fast with a purpose. Our lesson today in Relief society was on fasting and how it brings blessings to our lives.

2. I decided that i wanted to attend my old ward as well as my new ward, so i was able to attend two Sacrament meetings and hear double the testimonies:)

3. I have not been feeling very well, so i was not in the frame of mind to go speak to new people or talk to my friends. I just wanted to think quietly to myself. This was nice because i got so much time just to ponder life.

4. Bryce is out of town, and the house is just not the same with out him. Sunday i notice this a lot more because everyone is home.

Now that i work full time, and am a full time student, i do not have much time during the week to just sit down and relax. Sunday has become a day for me to reflect on the past week and think of the upcoming but also think about what the gospel means to me in my life. I have given myself the goal to try not to do homework or studying on sunday. Yes at times this is challenging i mean it is a WHOLE day that i could do these things, but i have seen academic things happen in my life that i never thought would happen. I know not studying or doing these things on sunday has helped me get to this point. Sunday is a time i hang with my brothers. Catch up on my families lives. Write a few friends that are on missions. Or communicate with my family that lives in various parts of the country. I am thankful for the many things i have in my life and especially this month my family. They mean the world to me. 

**OH a little recipe too!! 

My mom for dinner tonight made chicken in the oven (350 degrees for about 40 minutes just in a glass pan). But this was not any NORMAL chicken. She put cream of chicken soup, salt, pepper, and potato chips! YUM! Don't but the chips on until the last ten minutes though! And when you put them on leave the pan uncovered for those ten minutes. It was fantabulous.

update!

I am still...

alive

   still laughing

     & working hard

 I am enjoying life

& spending time with the family

   Always sleeping when i can

      & laying in the sun

oh so happy it is summer 

Summer is here and the business is already kicking in! The family and i went to California this last weekend and had a blast! We were able to go to six flags for one e.n.t.i.r.e day and man was it heaven on earth! 

UPCOMING EVENTS...

THAT I AM THRILLED FOR:)

1. Seeing my best friend EVER this weekend

I never thought it would be so hard to live 14 hours away from 

someone you love to death....it is not any fun.

2. Spending many hours with two of my best friends... 

my mom and grandma

3. Brad's, my cousin, high school graduation. 

I am so proud of you brad! 

4. Starting summer school

5. My car to be paid OFF!! 

6. Getting tan and looking like a beach bum:)

SLEEP?? Man who needs it? Not me evidentially. I have been .p.u.s.h.i.n.g. on this week with maybe a few hours a night. But it has been a fantastic week! I was able to start a new job that I absolutely love. I was hired on at MacDonald Orthodontics on Brown and Alta Mesa. It is so fun to go to work every day and I work with some of the sweetest ladies of all time, and of coarse the doc himself Keith. Fun group of people! This week I started, my first day, on _Monday. It was a full training day and it went by so FAST! I really cannot explain how much I adore it. I am so thankful that I was able to receive this job and that I am able to have the skills necessary to keep it.

 

LIFE IS GREAT, BUSY BUT GREAT!