A post of random musings.

Today I will share with you a smorgasbord of thoughts, facts, events, etc.... basically whatever I feel like sharing with you. Because this is my blog. And I am entitled to do so.

- SPRING IS HERE AND I LOVE IT!!

- Planning for a wedding can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. So, we decided to make it a little more fun by remodeling our kitchen at the same time. Because we are brilliant.

- Kennedy got glasses! And she looks adorable.

- Todavía estoy aprendiendo español. Pero es muy difícil porque no tengo suficiente tiempo.

- Kennedy and Maddie are in love. Watching them play is one of my most favorite things.

- I wish water tasted like Diet Coke.

- I wish that broccoli tasted like really delicious chocolate.

- I have some pretty fun girlfriends. Who apparently like to pull the duck face. I just try to look like I'm singing and they are my back up dancers/posers.

 And then when they decide to look normal, I balance myself in a squatting position. Because that's completely normal.

- Did you know that today (March 27) is "National Joe Day"? Well it is! So grab a cup of Joe with your friend named Joe. Or change your name to Joe. Or Josephina.

- Mi novio es muy guapo.

- We went to see the Ute's Gymnastics meet a few weeks ago. Good times were had by all.

- After a vigorous morning of skiing, Kennedy and I like to sit in the lodge and wait for Casey.

- I need new shoes. Need. Yes, need.

- My office is cold. But the space heater makes it too hot. And I'm just going to keep on complaining about it.

- Casey and I had a fancy date night and went to see Les Mis at Hale Theater. It was fantastic! (Thank you again for the tickets, mom!)

- I think I need a "sleep in and then wear my pajamas and no bra and have no responsibilities" type of day. If it requires a bra or shoes, I don't want to do it.

- I love our dog. I often see her napping like this:

(I tried to tell her to close her legs, but she wouldn't listen.)

At night, she sleeps in Kennedy's room. Sometimes with Kennedy on her bed, and sometimes right by the door. 

 - I like dark chocolate.

- I love to smell my hair (when it smells good).

- Kennedy and I are taking a girls' trip to see my mom in a few weeks! YAY!  Casey is probably already planning a fun guys' weekend going to cry without me.

- I LOVE BEING ABLE TO SEE!! The eye surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I love it so much.

- I think people need to blog more often. What happened??? 

- The end.

A random Wednesday post

- Happy March 27th!!!!!!!

- Did anyone see the moon last night/this morning? BEAUTIFUL. 

- I feel the need to publicly admit something: 

I am obsessed with my dog (Maddie).  No, really. OBSESSED.  Like- I can't stop talking about her to random strangers. "Hey, lady at the checkout counter at Trader Joe's! Want to see a picture of my puppy? Isn't she cute? And look at this one. And this one. Here she is, eating her toy. Oh- and here she is, sleeping.  And here she is, chewing on my shoes..."  

It used to be that (pre-puppy), when I went to Target to get groceries, I'd find myself wandering into the kid's section and women's section to find all sorts of cute clothes for Kennedy and myself (there's some sort of rule that says you can't go into Target and walk out with JUST what you came for...). And don't get me wrong- I still do that. However, now I find myself wandering more toward the pet aisle, finding things my little puppy would love to play with. Or eat. Or sleep on. Or wear. (Don't worry. I haven't bought her any clothes. ... Yet.)

Obsessed, I tell you.

But seriously - can you really blame me?

AHHH!! She's so cute!!!! 

In my defense, I'm not the only one with this new-found puppy obsession.

These two are steadily becoming best friends. Kennedy sits on her, mauls her, dances with her, carries her, plays dress-up with her, has 'tickle fights' with her.  And as you can see by Maddie's facial expressions in these pictures, she loves EVERY minute of it.  ...

 So precious.

Oh my word, we are so in love with her.  I just wish she would look like a puppy forever. (But maybe not ACT like a puppy...) She has already almost doubled in size :(  *sniff *sniff

- Ok, I did say this was a  "random" Wednesday and not "puppy" Wednesday post.  So let's change topics, shall we?

- Spring is nigh! I'm so excited to finally get my fingernails all dirty with earth. Utah weather is always iffy in the spring. Last week we had snow (yuck), but this weekend is forecasted to be beautiful. Time to dig into my garden. My yard will thank me. My wallet, on the other hand, will not.

- I've been addicted to apples/peanut butter, lately. But not the fake peanut butter. Only the good stuff.

- I've also been addicted to these yummy ice-breaker fruit mint things. I probably go through a pack a day.  *Droooooooool.

- We went skiing last weekend (making lemonade from lemons, with the uninvited snowfall...)! We had so much fun. Kennedy is a natural. I, on the other hand, am slowly (but surely) learning.  (Hi boyfriend, in the background!)

Casey and his friends took us to this cool fort in the trees.  Kennedy was fascinated.

She said that next time we go, we have to bring hot chocolate. I think that's a splendid idea.

- I got a new computer: A shiny new Macbook!! (My old laptop died. RIP.)  And I love it. Thanks for convincing me to buy it, mom :)

- One thing I don't think I can ever go generic brand on is toilet paper. Only Charmin for this derrière.

- I'm craving pizza. (When am I not craving pizza?)

- I have about 250 more Bali pictures to go through. I'll post them, sometime. I'd like to say the reason I haven't blogged is because of my dead laptop.  But it's not. I just have a crazy busy life.

A crazy busy AWESOME life.

Thanks for being a part of it.

Peace out.

A few things. And then a few more things.

First of all, I am updating you on the status of our little friend, Hidalgo. (Remember? The cucumber?)

He's grown quite tall, dark and handsome, IMHO.  I can't wait to slice him up and eat him. (Yes, I realize that sounds a bit morbid. No, I really don't care.)

Next:  

Best friends. Because we both do this:

Special. Because we all do this:

And don't let this picture fool you. I don't glow in the dark. Also, I really can't bowl. Sure, my high score might have been 93, which isn't TERRIBLE, but my low score (and yes, I was trying) was 52.

At least I bowled in good company.

We went up to Casey's family reunion last weekend. Kennedy showed an inordinate amount of enthusiasm at having so many kids to play with for two whole days. She was in kid heaven.

I golfed. I used the same ball the entire time. I call that successful.

I also held baby Julietta. (Why do babies' heads always smell so good??)

And I fell in love.
With a puppy.
I would have taken her home with me, but I couldn't figure out how to stuff her in my purse without hurting her.

Lastly, here are some (very) random pictures for you (a/k/a "a few more things"):

Random pictures explained:

-P4: this is the level I parked on, today, in my colorful parking garage at work. I love that I get free downtown parking. It rocks. Especially on the weekends when I don't actually have to work.

-Lemons: because Kennedy has been bugging me lately to set up a lemonade stand.  Oh, the things I would do if I stayed at home with her all day...

-Ellie and Carl (Up couple): because they are the cutest couple ever. I want to be like them when I grow up.

-Pinky & The Brain: because sometimes you want to re-live your childhood and watch Animaniacs.

-Phish Phood: Um...like I really need to explain this one.

-Space Ghost: Hahahahaha. That is all.

Sure, why not?

I decided that each of you desperately wanted to know some random facts about me, and I aim to please. So here you go, my friends.
(Thank you, Sara Jane)


Age: Not 30.
Bed size: King (so I can lay diagonally)
Chore that you hate:  Scrubbing the toilet. Sick.
Dogs: Harley a/k/a the best dog in the world.
Essential start to your day: Breakfast.
Favorite color:  The sky on a clear day. And  the Caribbean water. And the sun.
Gold or Silver: Silvah.
Height:  5'4 and a half.
Instruments you play: Piano and guitar (barely).
Job title: Butt-kisser.
Kids: Miss Kennedy
Live:  In MY HOUSE!! (Emphasis added because I was going to have to sell it- but not anymore! YAY!)
Nicknames: Ashley Rae of Sunshine; Rae; Style Points; Ghetto Booty; A-dog; Ash; Smashley; Dumb-Ash... the list goes on.
Overnight hospital stays: After birthing my child. Woo!
Pet peeves:  People who think they're better than everyone else. Because I'm pretty sure they're not. 
Quote from a movie: "I'm kind of a big deal."
Right- or left-handed: Since I sprained my thumb last week, I've had to try to become ambidextrous. So far I suck.
Siblings: I love them.
Underwear:  Yes. Wait - let me check... ok, yes.  
Vegetable(s) you hate: As I tell Kennedy, I don't "hate" anything. But I strongly dislike tomatoes.
What makes you run late: Having a kid.
X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, thumb, chest, jaw.
Yummy food that you make: Cookies. And other incredibly yummy things.
Zoo animal: Penguins and polar bears. And monkeys. And tigers. And pandas. And elephants.


Well, that was fun. Go ahead. Try it. You know you want to.

Happy.

I'm happy.

Happy to be healthy.

Happy to have good friends.

Happy because it's snowing. (Weird, I know.)

Happy because my friend got a new puppy and I got to play with him
("One cannot help but smile when they say the word 'puppy'")

Happy because it's almost Christmas!

Happy because Kennedy is happy.

Happy because I can love.

Happy about life.

Happy that I can be happy for no particular reason.

I'm happy. And it feels so good.

("Reunited and it feeeeels so good!")
(Come on, you can't tell me that song didn't immediately pop into your head when you read that last line...)

(No? ...Just me? Oh, fine.)

So festive.

This is my tree.

This is a snowman.

This is Santa Claus.

And this is a penguin.

Merry Christmas month.

Thanksgiving.

Today is Thanksgiving (uh...duh).  I started the day off by reading an inspiring blog post by my sister-in-law, Jennifer (here).  So much of it I found incredibly applicable to how I am feeling about my life, right now - regarding letting go of things, living in the moment, experiencing life in new ways, improving yourself, loving those around you, etc.  I think it would greatly benefit everyone if they would take a few minutes and read what she has written. (The video is quite inspirational, as well.)  She included a few quotes in her post, one of which is a favorite of mine:

We shall not cease from exploration,

And the end of all our exploring


Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

-- T.S. Eliot

Reading her post inspired to me feel even more excited about this new chapter I am entering into. Thanks for taking the time to write all of that and share it with us, Jen. I sure love you :)

Now that the Thanksgiving festivities (i.e. the only-acceptable-once-a-year gluttonous scarfing of the turkey and pie) are over for me, I am able to sit down and relax. This is actually the first Thanksgiving evening, ever, where I have been by myself.  At first, I started being all "woe is me" about it, but then I thought: Hey- I have, like, 5 hours all to myself! WOO HOO!!!  So I'm going to start putting up my Christmas tree. And maybe browse some ads for Black Friday shopping. And turn up the music as loud as I want. WHATEVER music I want. And dance like an idiot (because that's the only way I know how).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you all- SO much. 

Unconditional Love

Today, I'm thankful for the fact that I am comfortable enough in my own skin that I can make a complete a** of myself in public.   For example - my brother and I made up a dance. It's called The Unconditional Love Dance - meaning that a person who loves you unconditionally should continue to love you even after seeing you dance like this (thanks for the video, mom):



That would be some true love, right there.

I'm also thankful for cameras/pictures.  I love the fact that we can capture moments of our lives on film, so that we can later reflect back and reminisce about those many meaningful moments (such as the one previously mentioned).

Speaking of pictures, here are a few more marvelously memorable moments from my trip for your viewing pleasure:

One of the days we were in Hawaii, we went snorkeling at Ke'e Beach. I was amazed at how many fish I saw- and also how vibrant their colors were. I also saw a sea turtle resting under a rock, which was pretty dang cool. The water was vividly blue. It was gorgeous. No pictures of that, sorry.

Emily and Kennedy did some boogie boarding in the ocean.

Marie watched them from the side lines.

We saw a beaching Monk Seal. It was so cute :)

This beach is at the end of the road, on the northwestern side of Kauai. Right next to the beach is a trail head where you can start the hike to see the Na Pali coast (which is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever witnessed- see this old blog post).  Since we didn't have hiking shoes with us, and the trail was muddy, we decided to just go up a little bit so that we could see the first lookout. We left the kids back at the beach with their grandma (and with the soon-to-be-hungry baby...).

This was our first spectacular view. Um... wow? Yeah. If you look closely, you can see our three little girls playing in the water.

See? ( I was testing my camera's zooming capability. I was impressed.)

Here is the view of the Na Pali coast. Beautiful, eh?

 And this is my sweeter than sweet sister-in-law, Jen  :)

At this point in our hike, baby Aysia was hungry and wanted mommy. So Brandon and Jen ran down the trail as quickly as they could to relieve our mother of the screaming infant... Sorry, mom. :)

Which reminds me- I'm thankful for my mom. This really deserves its own separate blog post, but for now I will just say this: my mom is such a wonderful person.  She is extremely loving, kind, caring, smart, funny, creative, supportive, accepting, generous, beautiful, compassionate, talented, etc... and, above everything else, she still loves me after seeing me perform the aforementioned dance.

Crafternoon!

I am thankful that Ashley lives less than 10 minutes from me.  It makes it very convenient for when we want to have a fun little Sunday Crafternoon (get it? doing "crafts" in the "afternoon"? Craft + Afternoon = Crafternoon? *sigh. I'm so clever, it almost makes me sick).  The plan was for us to do a Thanksgiving craft, but, believe it or not, there are very few (if any at all) Thanksgiving crafts at Michael's, right now. Instead, we decided to buy what was on sale and do some Christmas stuff.

No door is complete without a Christmas wreath!

Also, I'm thankful for my wonderful neighbors who helped me rake up my leaves, today. Not only am I thankful for the fact that they are so helpful, but also I am thankful for their example(s) of maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity. They are a sweet couple who have had to battle with cancer. The one has just finished her last round of chemo, and I am SO impressed with her strength.  Her last treatment was just 2 weeks ago, and the very next day she and her partner were outside walking around. And they have already been out hiking, jogging, and now helping me rake leaves. They have such a positive outlook...and they're so strong. I'm very thankful to have them as neighbors (and friends). 

I'm thankful for the beauty of the night sky. I love gazing at the stars and the moon. I think that's one reason I love camping, so much- being able to see thousands of stars at once, without having the city lights outshine them.  It's such a stunning and spectacular sight. 

Lastly (but not least(ly?)), I'm thankful for all of you. Thank you for being my friends (and/or blog stalkers- whatever).

Sunsets

Remember how Hawaii is all beautiful and stuff? Well, it is. And there are few things more beautiful than a sunset on the ocean.

Then, you come home to Utah, which is obviously not Hawaii.  And when you least expect it, like when you're driving home from work (last night, for example), you are rendered speechless by the transcendent display of colors in the sky. I daresay this is far more magnificent than any sunset I have ever seen in Hawaii (sans the obstructive power lines)- the entire sky was splashed with vivid colors. Good job, Mother Nature.

p.s. What I'm trying to say is that I'm thankful for picturesque sunsets. And even more specifically- the fact that I don't have to travel anywhere to see some of the most glorious of them.

p.s.s. Now that I've written the word "sunset" a few times, I'm realizing what a strange word it is. You know how when you say a word over and over it starts to sound like gibberish? "sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset" ... Weird.