what you didn't know

This post was inspired by Gobbie; I was on her facebook page and saw a similar list in her "notes."

1. I was born in Salt Lake City, UT (technically Murray, since that’s where the hospital was) and grew up in Holladay, although I still feel like I’m growing up.

2. I never thought of myself as one who would become “Suzy Homemaker” or a good stay-at-home-mom, but one day it just happened and I love almost every minute of it.

3. My baby girl, Clara, was named after my Great Grandma Clara. She was the greatest lady- I hope I can one day be like her, and Clara too!

4. I cry at the drop of a hat. A cheesy song on the radio, tender-hearted commercials, Disney movies, you name it- I’ll cry at it.

5. I was afraid that when Max was born I would lose my pal, Clara. Now I have two best pals!

6. I took Drivers’ Ed from the same guy who taught that class to my mom.

7. I absolutely LOVE my husband! He makes me crazy and makes me laugh; I can’t imagine life without him.

8. I am addicted to popcorn. Not kettle corn or the microwave stuff, though. It has to be air-popped with just the right amount of butter and salt. The only time I have ever not had it salted was one night at a friend’s at SUU when he thought he could make it better than me. He even took the time to melt the butter on the stove! It was delicious!

9. I was born to be outside. I love (almost worship) the sun, enjoy camping and canoeing, and love fishing (even though I only do it once or twice a year while we’re in Montana!)

10. I decided to name Max “Maxwell” because anything else was too long and I loved the name “Max.” I got the idea from my friend at the U who had a cute nephew named Maxwell- and that was the end of searching for us! Adam and I did, however, argue over middle names…you can guess who won ;)

11. I am glad I am the oldest child because through breaking in my parents I was able to learn a lot about myself (along with paving the way for my cute sisters).

12. My favorite tradition is fishing on the lake with Lindsey and Kaity- and with my dad at the motor.

13. I have the best support system anyone can ask for. My grandparents (especially Bonnie and Larry) are the reason I have my degree!

14. Christmas is always a marathon, but Mexican food at Gobbie’s and Breakfast (yes, with a capital “B”) with Bonnie and Larry are two things that I hope never change.

15. I love going to the cabin for the 4^th of July. It is absolute mayhem, but it’s fun having everyone in the same place at the same time.

16. Max is super funny to watch, even when he’s not trying to be funny. And Clara, WOW! She is something else…smart, funny, beautiful. She is everything I wish I could be.

17. I love, love, LOVE to read. It is my little escape from reality. My most favorite author ever is Charles Dickens. I get pulled into whatever story I am reading, and literally dream of being there at night. That’s why I read right before I go to sleep!

18. I used to love watching scary movies, but the Halloween I was at SUU I think I overdid it, because the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is officially the last scary movie I will ever see! I get nightmares…

19. I was afraid of deep water until I was sixteen. I didn’t waterski, wakeboard, etc until later in my teen years because of it. I was even afraid of the tile dolphins on the bottom of Grandma Clara’s pool. Even now I get a little nervous, and will always prefer lakes over the ocean.

20. I am glad that I have so many sisters, because without them I’d basically be friendless.

21. I am loud. It is one thing I constantly try to change about myself, but haven’t had much luck so far.

22. I can handle lot more stress than the average person. In fact, I work best under a ton of pressure and a hectic schedule. When my life is quiet I get stir crazy and emotional.

23. I absolutely love the mountains. There’s nothing better than to sit in the woods by a stream and read.

24. I like listening to my music really (even ridiculously) loud. I am one of those people you laugh at as you drive by because I am absolutely jamming out to classic country with all my car windows rolled down.

25. My music degree was the best thing I ever did for myself. I could have picked a more lucrative degree, but I got to study with a lot of great people, and teaching and playing give me a sense of fulfillment few other things can.

"EEK"

Max is getting so much better at talking! Compared to Clara he's a very late start (she was speaking in full sentences by now), but I thought I'd share his latest funny development. Now, I know Max can articulate his "T's," he calls Teagan "T-T" and so forth, and that's why I think this is so great...He now replaces the letter "T" at the end of a word with a "K" sound. It's pretty hilarious when he mimics me yelling "EAT!" at the dinner table and it comes out "EEK!" He also says "ouk" for "out" and "hack" for "hat", but "EEK!" is by far my favorite! I think this all started when I tried to teach him to say "milk"... he used to stick his tongue out and make a sound vaguely like "mlow" but now he just has the "l" and "i" mixed up because he now says "mlowk" (still with his tongue out) with a clearly articulated "k" on the end. Well, I guess progress is progress :) Isn't he the cutest thing?!?

Projects

Ahh! I'm having a burst of attempted creativity! That's what I get for hanging out with fabulously creative friends- yes, Chuck, you started it :) It began a while ago with cute clippies, then moved to aprons for Christmas, both of which are simple, fun, crafty things. Now, however, I am in deep trouble! Crocheting hemstitched baby-doll blankets, fancy-schmancy throw pillows, corn-husk wreaths ~ whoda thunk I, Ashley, would have ever made a WREATH!?!?! And actually have it turn out cute! Now I'm a creativity blog fiend- howdoesshe.com is my absolute fav right now. My next project is going to be the boot dripper... so stinkin' cute! Wish me luck!

Here are the pics from the website where I got my ideas... I'll post my pics soon!


























CUTE huh?!?!

Fun?

A while ago my sister asked me how I decided what fun thing I would do every day. At first, I thought, "Psh, fun? I have all this non-fun stuff to do that ALWAYS dictates what I do every day. Fun is on the back burner." It got me thinking, though. Yes, there are certain things that aren't necessarily fun that have to be done each day or each week: sweeping, cooking, laundry, scrubbing toilets, picking up toys...but that stuff only takes up a small amount of time each week. The rest of my time is spent either being extremely lazy (I deserve it) or doing something fun (my kids deserve it).

Our favorite thing right now is spending time at the pool. It is barely March, and already we're in the habit of going to the pool at least once a week, if not more. Clara is an awesome swimmer- I'm actually surprised she hasn't sprouted gills! She tells me, "I want to be a mermaid when I grow up!"

CUTE!

I realize that life isn't ALL fun, but mine, generally, is! Isn't that what it's all about? Spending time with your family, doing things that are healthy and make you happy? It's a balancing act- there is work involved, but I'm 25. This is the prime of my life! My kids are old enough to enjoy our outings, Adam's schedule is still pretty hectic, but I can take the kids and do awesome things without him if I have to; and I do.

This summer is going to ROCK! Max will be a blast to take camping this year- he couldn't walk yet last year, and although I realize he will still be a complete dirt mess, maybe it won't be as bad as it was last year. Clara is growing up so fast I can't hardly stand it! But I want her to look back on her childhood and have no regrets or complaints. I want her to have as much fun as possible. After all, what else are you supposed to do as a kid?

I plan on hiking, climbing, canoeing, camping, and swimming to my heart's content this year! Let's hope it's a LONG Summer!!!














Here's a picture of my dirty camper-kids from last year.

The Dichotomy of Human Nature

Don't be discouraged from reading this post simply because of the title. Though I am going to talk about my own personal dichotomy, I only used that word to make me sound smart! My problem is this: I have a loving husband, wonderful children, a good home, and nice things- for those of you who don't see the problem, here it is- Why do I feel that I have to belittle those things around certain people? It is as if, in order to relate to someone, I have to be in the same situation as they are. It makes no sense! We can be friends if you are single, and I shouldn't automatically dumb down the "mommy" side of my life simply to carry on a conversation. Here's my disclaimer: I am not talking about anyone in particular, so if this sounds like you, ignore it. This is my issue, and not yours. This problem carries into other areas, as well. I am a stay at home mom. I am not cool, hip, fashionable, whatever. And I'm ok with that! If I wasn't, I would change it. I love my life- I am perfectly happy 80% of the time, and only slightly less happy the other 20%. I thrive in stressful situations, which are few and far between (these days), and can always find fun and productive ways to occupy my time. I am also fairly strong i n my faith. I go to church, try to live the gospel, and teach my children the importance of those things as well. I am not perfect, however, as manifest by the fact that I pretend those things don't mean as much to me when I get around others who feel that way as well. So I guess my dichotomy is this: I strive to do and be good, except when I don't.

My goal this year is to be more "me." That means possibly disagreeing with other people (yikes!) when it comes to church and family matters. It sounds simple, but in practice can be very difficult. Wish me luck!

Ta-Da!

I am finally posting something to my blog, aren't you proud!?! I don't know why it has taken me so long to set up a blog; I find that the only way to clear my mind is to write, or fish, but usually a pen and paper are more "at hand" than a river and a fly rod. So, up til now, my journal-ing has been done exclusively in an actual hardback journal, carefully hidden away so nobody else can read it. Now that my verbal vomit is online, I hope my thoughts make sense and that I don't sound like a fifteen-year-old girl who has found the "man of her dreams every five minutes"...Although I have found him (for real this time)- Adam and I have been married for almost six years now! It's hard to believe- time has gone by so fast! We have two wonderful babies: Clara (now 4) and Max (now 20 months), who I constantly call naughty, but really aren't :)
I love to read and write. I am at home with words, though when it comes to public speaking I feel illiterate. My articulation comes from an inner need to express myself as sophisticated and cool, a calm covering a storm. That is not to say, however, that I am in any way a fantastic writer. Maybe if I had more training, but for now writing is something of a hobby for me, a pleasant way to pass the time. It is the same idea with music. I am an absolute music junkie. I can't get enough of listening to it, or playing it, for that matter. I love teaching violin and viola for that reason; hopefully my students can glean from my passion (maybe obsessive tendencies), and begin a life-long love of music too. That sounds extremely nerdy, and it is, but it's who I am.
Another thing I can't get enough of is fishing. I am, by all accounts, a fair-weather fisherman, but I need it like nothing else. One week of fishing in Montana during the summer, and my entire year is less stressful. Miss that fishing, and you do not want to be around me come winter. There's something strangely special and extremely beautiful about watching a river. The water drowns out all other sounds, and leaves your mind clear. Nothing else matters but the next cast; laying your line perfectly so your fly lands silently above the hole. Actually catching fish is secondary. The FISHING is what is important. There's never enough time to fish.
So now you know a little about me, and my nerdy tendencies. Ta-da!