What!? Only One More Year!?

That's right! I cannot believe it myself but it has been a year already since my best friend has set off on a great service to the people of Guadalajara, Mexico on a mission. It has been an amazing year hearing of the many experiences he is having and how much he is growing. I had the most wonderful opportunity spending the year mark with his family. They are absolutely amazing! I had time to really get to know his mom and dad and loved playing with his little sisters (: They are quite adorable!

Also for the year mark his mom insisted that we send him a picture of two of his favorite things... Can you guess what they are??

This last year was a great learning experience and growing experience for myself. Despite what many may think, I do not sit around all day just waiting for the next to come. I have been growing so much in the gospel as well and going to school and being a part of activities on campus. I look forward to this new year as an opportunity not a hill to get over. I love you sweetheart and can I tell you it is so good to say I will see you this next year (:

Can't Tell Me Nothing!

I may not have any sisters but man can roommates show you what it is like! This Fall I feel like I have been so blessed with some of the best roommates.  I came with one of my good friends this semester and never imagined making 4 more really great friends. This semester we have gone through some really funny, sincere, and maybe every once in a while it was a bit tense (VERY RARE!) Some of the experiences to highlight would be singing along to "Can't Tell me Nothing", "Gangnam Style" and  singing the clean up barney song together.

We had the greatest quote wall ever with the our shared man Josh Groban posted. "There's something about Josh Groban..." It was the best when those random people would come over and read our wall and just question our sanity. Yea we are pretty crazy... "Parkour that crap!"

We had fun movie nights watching scary movies, plenty of Disney movies, and a good share of musicals. We had laugh attacks all hours of the night, homework parties, and fun door decorating contests.

We also had those life altering moments with a proposal and mission call opening (: Congrats to those two!

There were also those moments of helping each other out at hard times and supporting in other activities.

The only picture of all of us together.... and our FHE brothers...

Over all we became best friends. I miss them like crazy and when I do see or talk to them they can tell you I get very excited (: I love you guys <3 Hopefully 4 of the 6 will be back together next fall.

4 Boys and the 2 Girls

I have put this post off for too long now... As of 3 weeks ago or so my blog name became inaccurate. I have my first sister in law and can't tell you how much I love her and how much my family loves her. Congrats to the newly weds and best wishes to them (:

Their wedding was absolutely beautiful! A picture perfect moment when they came out of the San Diego Temple and even that evening at the reception. The scenery was beautiful, the bride was beautiful, and I must say I loved the bridesmaid dresses ;) It was pure joy on the couples faces and it was nice to see my brother so happy. I love you Brandon <3

Now skip ahead a few weeks and I am back up to school with some great friends of mine and now my brother and his wife. They have been so helpful and so fun to hang out with. Who ever said single people and married couples can't be friends?? Well they are awesome! I am excited to spend more time with them and get to know my new sister too.

I am also excited to even take a class with my brother. With the same last name and the ring on his finger I can't imagine what the other students will think for the first few minutes. I am not married just to clarify (: ha ha. We will see what this new semester brings and I am excited for all the memories about to be made. I love you Brandon and Alyssa <3 Good luck to you!

I am Really Happy (:

A year ago today.... I was is Philadelphia, and New York City on a church history trip walking around and seeing just a few sights with so little time. I was also with my best friend and now my sweetheart (: Just 10 days before, I met him at the SLC airport in front of the baggage claim #2. He talked to me that night on the bus and asked me to sit next to him on day 2. I did and the whole day we laughed and we talked and we played games and made jokes. I liked him then... After that we were history. Together all the time and just great friends. 2 days before New York we were in Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. He took me aside and told me he liked me and I told him I liked him. It was awkward after that.... For about 2 or 3 hours we avoided each other because we knew nothing could happen on this trip. Yea... That didn't last long at all! We became so close the next couple days and he even held my hand around Washington D.C. (: But we were still not sure what we were doing. On the bus leaving New York we decided we were officially a couple (: It sounds like a corny story but it is our story....

After a whole year we have been through so much together. We survived a long distance relationship for 5 months with a few visits to see each other. Now we are in an extreme long distance relationship with him gone on his mission to Mexico. Yes I am waiting for him. Yes I have heard all the advice and I know what I am doing. We talked about it a lot before he left about what I was going to do and all the what if situations. I have decided myself that it is what I want to do and what I feel is right. We have made it a full year together (: He makes me feel like a princess, he treats me with respect, we love each other, he is my best friend. If anything it has been one of my most memorable years in my 19 years of life (: Good luck to you C! I pray for you every day and night and always have a prayer in my heart. I want you to do your absolute best by being obedient and always having the companion of the spirit. I always want you to be happy and to smile (: Whatever happens you have the Lord and a wonderful family who I know you love so much and who I have come to love so much and you have me. I love you sweetheart (: And to all of you I am really happy (:

Church History

Last year I had the incredible opportunity to go on a 19 day church history tour through 22 states covering both church history and American history on a bus with about 56 other people who I love dearly to this day. We went everywhere... from Salt Lake to Missouri to visit the Amish to D.C. to New York and plenty of other places all the way back to Salt Lake. Every moment was memorable.
I got to visit some of those places again just this week, this time with my family. We did not go across 22 states but specifically to New York where we spent time in the city and now in Palmyra New York. We visited the city on our tour too and kept annoying my family with "O and we did this here!" and "I remember the history of that! It is....." But I loved every second! Now that we are up in church history heaven I think my family is keeping there distance from me... We have been to the Hill Cumorah, Sacred Grove, and the log home of Joseph Smith and the one that Alvin had started for the family. Not only did I make it to the church history sites here but also spent time at the park where we hung out on the tour... Yep even the small places were overly exciting to me (:
I loved learning about the history of so many places on that trip and feeling the spirit everywhere I went. I grew from my experiences there and now being at those same places and feeling that incredible spirit again I am reminded even more of the lessons I learned and the memories I made. I can't help but smile and every place I recognize and I apologize now to my family for all the random comments... But I love the people I was with and the history!

Stop and Smell the Roses

I heard a quote yesterday that I found worth sharing.

"Moments are the molecules that make up a life time of memories." -Unknown

I know I am in a place where I am looking toward the future always waiting for what I hope will come. I made it a wish, then a goal to make every moment count. To help others have moments that will turn into lifelong memories. Just one smile, or one hello could turn a whole day around. Everyday I am going to smile.  I am going to pause, look around, make beautiful places moments worth remembering. I challenge all who reads this to do the same, and now that I have set it not only as a wish but as a goal the challenge is on for me!

Pillow Talk

This past week has been a blast! I had one of my best friends come visit me for my birthday/ her graduation present and we didn't really do the usual around San Antonio... but it was one for the memory books. We did go downtown, we did go to Six Flags, and we did go to the river but it was different this time. As a family and with other company in town we go and see the Alamo and River walk but when we went downtown we went to the top of the Tower of the Americas, took fun wind blown pictures, ate the most disgusting dessert on the planet, and lost the car for almost 30 min with our position markers being a port a potty and the big asparagus. Giggles and smiles the whole time with a hint of panic at the end on my part (:  With about 10 more minutes for our downtown experience we ran by the Alamo, snapped a picture and jumped in the car and left. 

Going to Six Flags the day before was pretty normal. I had no idea how much she loved rides though (: Every drop or twist or turn she was the girl screaming the loudest. I love you Angela! We were kids in a candy store going from ride to ride along with my mom and brother. What a blast! 

We also made it to the Guadeloupe River. We went for one of our weekly mixer dates going on and had a blast with our 3 different dates. We and a fun picnic, swim/skipping rocks, and made s'mores for dessert. Just a side note... I feel like a true Texan this summer after going to a rodeo and then sitting around a fire, eating s'mores, a guy in a cowboy hat playing the guitar, and having an armadillo pass by at the same time! Yep i am in Texas (: 

Over all we had a great time getting out and doing things that the not so average tourist would do and making some fun memories, but I would argue the best memory made this weekend was just the late night pillow talk. That was how Angela and I became friends in the first place and being able to open my heart to her was big for me and I hope for her too.

 Every college student at least knows what I am talking about. You both lay there and get on a topic that is very close to the heart and it is a sweet moment knowing you trust that friend enough to even open up. We also had a few of those 10 minute ab workouts of laughing (: Angela, that is what I am going to remember the most. No matter how early we tried to get up the next morning it was delayed at least an hour though. It was certainly worth it (: 

Everything Missionary

My last two weeks have been pretty crazy with everything missionary. My brother just returned from an honorable 2 year mission in the New York North mission, Spanish speaking. I have loved hearing all his fun stories, some spiritual experience and just other little things. Since he has been home he continues to share! The first day back we went to the grocery store and he handed out a few pass along cards all over the place and spoke Spanish as much as possible. It has been fun having him home and with him being home everything mission has been in our home. We have had the missionaries for dinner, other people sharing mission stories, I have a missionary I am writing who I hear from every week, people being called on missions, and others returning home. Along with all this mission talk I have been asked several times if I am going to serve a mission. I have never really thought that I would until now hearing all the wonderful stories I think it would be an amazing experience. Not until I am 21 though (: With the future still out there I don't know if I will or not but I heard some good advice... prepare as if you are going and you will be ready to share the gospel your whole life. I love it (: So with that I will prepare and if I end up taking a different path with my life I will always do the best I can to be a member missionary and I challenge all of you to do the same.

If you are curious about what I mean by missions or anything else to do with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then I encourage you to visit mormon.org (:

Who are we all now??

Years go by so fast and each moment is just a snap shop in time. Six years ago I would have said I was the awkward new girl in the 8th grade with just a couple friends and absolutely no sense of style. I was the follower of a friend and the bossy older sister to my brothers. My older brother was the "rebel" (more like he had friends to go hang out with so he was gone all the time). My younger brothers were all just kids in cub scouts who were "cute" if I dare say...

Jump ahead six years.... I am graduated from high school, not as awkward now (I hope!), working on my second year of college, have a wonderful sweetheart on a mission, and have made a lot more friends over the years. My older brother who was the "rebel" is returning from an honorable mission in less than a week and headed up to school with me. My just younger brother is almost a foot taller than me and I guess every girl would still call him "cute." He is also good at pretty much anything... The next one down is super smart and not just a kid anymore. Working hard in band and plays a mean trumpet! All of us ride the unicycle too I must add... (: Biggest accomplishment yet! Now for the last but not least... My youngest brother is out of cub scouts and on his way to middle school. Six years is not a long time! Not even knowing it I have grown up... we all have. There are great perks to being old though. First, no school for me while all of them still have to suffer ;) Second, I love being friends with my parents and not fighting them all the time. I love you Mom and Dad! Yes I am still bossy to my brothers but we are also better friends too. We have all changed but don't we all on a daily basis? I just hope and pray that each day it is for the better and hope and pray that we will always remember who we all are now and forever (: We are all children of God.

Baby Steps...

It's just one of those days... I don't know about any of you but I have these days a lot. I feel stuck in time, doing the same thing day after day and have so many things in the future I am looking forward to and it's a never ending wait. I find myself at work sweeping, mopping, selling with a smile, I go home and find myself doing the same little things. It is time for an adventure! But I have to wait. In three weeks my brother gets home, my other brothers are out of school along with most of my friends (finally). This summer I get to look forward to people visiting and vacations I get to go on. I'm looking forward to being back up at school in the fall, this time with my brother. I'm looking forward to a couple years from now when some of my biggest dreams will come true (: But until all this happens I will wait. I will wait by sweeping, mopping and selling with a smile. I will wait by bettering myself day by day, wait by practicing new talents, by serving others, by strengthening my own testimony each day.I will wait by getting through one day at a time walking with Christ, and these days that seem like they will never end I will look to Christ. I guess I can wait (: That is an adventure all in its self!

Once I was a Sunbeam!

I had a quick flashback this morning from 16 years ago living in Salt Lake City, Utah when I just started primary class. I know I was only 3 but it's one of my earliest memories of sitting there in class with a bunch of other crazy kids and my teacher still had the biggest smile on her face. Well as crazy as it is I met her again 7 years ago in none other than Germany. I was tapped on the shoulder just after stake conference ended by a young lady behind me. I had no clue who she was... She just asked if I was Ashley and introduced herself as my sun beam teacher. Now another 7 years later,  today, I found myself back in primary, back to singing overly high pitched songs and talking in a VERY simple language. I found myself among the sunbeams once again (: I am blessed to be that smiling teacher standing and teachings those wonderful three year olds. Yes, they are crazy, they are loud, they are not very good at sitting still for over a minute but they are the sweetest children who I want to be able to point out in a big crowd and be proud to say I was their teacher. I hope to get to know them and teach them, along with their parents, the basics of the gospel. I love those crazy sunbeams (: I also want to thank my own teacher from so many years ago for that big smile. Thank you for knowing me and remembering me, I was only three but you are still teaching me today. To all those teachers out there and parents with 3 year olds, wow it takes work! But children teach the sweetest things and say the silliest things (:  Well I am ready for fun days ahead and hope one day each of those children will be proud to say that once they were a sunbeam.

Those 4 Boys...

I can't even count the number of times I have been asked if it is hard being the only girl, if I ever wanted a sister. When I was little I would always pray for a sister, beg my parents for a little girl. I hated seeing sisters together playing and them having an automatic best friend. I would cry often because I didn't like doing boy things. I grew up always having to have a best girlfriend I could go to when I was tired of all the boys in my house. I have wonderful memories with all of those friends and have always told them they were like sisters to me but at the end of the day they would all go home to their own sisters and I would be stuck with dirty old boys. I was younger and didn't understand and only begin to understand now how wonderful it has been having brothers. I feel more capable of doing things on my own, I enjoy doing "boy things" now, and I am not afraid of talking to other guys about those kind of things and can actually relate to them better. I love my brothers too (: They may be annoying a lot of the time but its a great feeling when they come up and want to hang out with me they want me to play RISK with them, or jump on the trampoline. They also feel comfortable telling me about girls (: So any girls out there who want to know what my brothers think of you just ask me ;) I am truly grateful for my brothers. They are some of my best friends now and always will be.
This blog isn't just about my life with my brothers but the life of this girl (: My brothers are just a big part of that and for a long time they defined me. I want to share my thoughts and things I do on a normal or not so normal basis. I hope who ever may read this will enjoy (: