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.