Thursday, September 13, 2012

It's Time for a Quadrimonthly Post

Yes, that is a real term.

Let's see... What's been going on in my life?

First off, Dave was called to be first counselor in the young men's, and then a week later I was called to be first counselor in young women's. It's been interesting, and our lives have become much busier. I miss my old calling (Laurels adviser). It was a pretty cush job. I basically only had to teach once a month, and show up to mutual. Now I actually have meetings and crud. Bummer.

That's all I can come up with, because my brain has basically been mush for the past 5 months. Mono will do that to you. Oh, by the way, in case you didn't know, I contracted mono this year, and it has been nothing short of awesome (insert loads and loads of sarcasm in that sentence). I can't seem to get over it, and it's really starting to get annoying. My immune system is completely shot because of it, and I've been getting all sorts of fun sicknesses/infections. I'm sure my doctor is tired of seeing me and trying to figure out my mystery illnesses. I'd like to think it keeps her on her toes. When I die, I'm going to have a serious discussion with the big guy about this whole experience. Enough complaining. Moving on!

I flew out to California last week to do family pictures for Jared and Jenni. It was tons of fun, but as usual, I forgot to bring warm clothes. I'm so used to the New Mexico heat, I forgot that San Francisco is windy and cold (like 62 degrees plus wind chill). Despite that, I loved it. We spent all day Saturday in the city taking pictures, enjoying pizza at Golden Boy, and trying to make Stella smile and look at the camera at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. 



Stella was extremely proud of herself at this moment. She pulled a weed out of a crack in the marble. And the she promptly tried to eat it.

If there's anything more difficult than getting Stella to look at the camera and smile at the same time, it's getting Scout to look at the camera while getting Stella to look at the camera and smile at the same time  :)

 


After we were done taking family pictures, we went to Ghirardelli Square for hot fudge sundaes. Mmmm. We then went up to twin peaks to take some night shots of the city.

We also went to an old Spanish mission called San Juan Bautista. It was a really cool place, and I got a couple of shots I liked. 



There was a really cool cemetery, but the gate was locked. I was pretty bummed because it would have been a really good shot, but this shot through the gate will just have to do. 


Apparently it is a cat-friendly church, because this guy was hanging out in the chapel.
 
That's all for now. Expect an update in another four months!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Last Three Weeks

As I mentioned in my last post, Dave had a three week training in Ohio. I was pretty bummed about it, but I decided that I would try to have some fun while he was gone. I wasn't going to let myself have a pity party, so I spent the first week in New Mexico hanging out with my aunt and golfing. The second week, Hailee and I drove down to Austin, Texas to visit Lindsay and her cute little fam. It was so nice to catch up and have some fun. Some of the highlights: We visited the Bat Cave in downtown Austin (it's actually a bridge, but it's more fun to call it the Bat Cave), we went to the San Marcos river and brought inflatable kayaks, and we got caught in a torrential downpour.

Texas

The Bat Cave:
This bridge is home to 1.5 million bats, making it the largest urban bat colony in North America. Each night when the weather is nice, the bats fly out and search for food. I was hoping to get some good shots of the bats, but the sun was completely down by the time they flew out, so there wasn't enough light, but I did get some pretty good night-shots of the city.

This was my favorite shot. Batman was actually filmed near here. You may recognize the building with the peaked roof and white lights from the movie.
I also liked this one from the top of the bridge. I think both of these pictures were ten second exposures.


 San Marcos River:



The San Marcos is a slow-moving, spring-fed river. The water is a really pretty aqua color. There were tons of people there the day we went, so you can spot bright yellow tubes in all of my shots. Bummer.

Jeff (Lindsay's husband) and I took the kayaks farther down the river where there were some rapids. I wasn't too scared to take them on, but maybe I should have been. I went down the largest rapid which has been dubbed "The Shoot," but I wasn't quite prepared for it. At the last second, my kayak turned sideways and flipped over. The rapids sucked me under, but thankfully I was able to push my way up to the surface. While it was quite a shock, I still had fun, and the water wasn't too cold. I have some pretty sweet bruises from it, but I'd probably try it again if I got the chance.

Fun fact of the day: While everyone else in the nation would pronounce it San Marcos, Texans pronounce it San Marcus. Annoying.

The Torrential Downpour:

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this, so you'll have to use your imaginations.

Hailee, Lindsay, and I were about ready to leave a store when it sounded like the building was going to cave in due to a herd of elephants doing the Macarena on the roof. A lovely Texas storm had rolled into town.  The parking lot had become a lake in about 5 seconds. We debated on whether or not we should wait for the rain to stop (we had two babies with us) or just run to the car. We waited it out for 5 minutes or so, when we decided the rain wasn't going to stop any time soon. We ran to the car as fast as we could, strapped in the kiddos, and jumped in. We were soaked, and driving home was NOT fun. The rain never let up, and did I mention it was at night? We're talking flash-floods, lighting, the whole shebang. I think our top speed was about 15 mph, but better safe than sorry, folks! It was pretty nerve-wracking, and I'm really glad I wasn't the one driving. After we got back to the house, we found out that there was a tornado warning for the area, so that's something to write home about.

Ohio

After I got back to NM, I had a day to recover from my trip before I flew out to Ohio. Dave wanted me to fly to Dayton and then drive back to NM with him. Because I'm crazy, I agreed to do it. We decided to celebrate our anniversary by going to an amusement park called Cedar Point. I was reeeeeally excited, because I love roller coasters, and I've heard good things about Cedar Point. It took everything in me to keep myself from running to the gates like an overexcited child.

We got our passes and went on a few roller coasters. I was in Heaven, but Dave... not so much. Unfortunately, he has the worst motion-sickness I have EVER seen. After two rides, I think he had about had it. We had made sure to stock up on medicine for him beforehand, but it didn't seem to be doing much. However, he was being a trooper, because he knew I was having tons of fun. Please enjoy the following reenactment of what happened on roller coaster #4.



Dave's thinking: I hate roller coasters, but I love my wife. Ashlee's thinking: I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!!!

Dave's thinking: I don't feel so good. Ashlee's thinking: I STILL LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!!!

Dave's thinking: I'm gonna barf! Ashlee's thinking: Ah oh.


Dave's thinking: I don't remember eating that. Ashlee's thinking: That doesn't look good, but at least it didn't hit anyone!

Poor, poor Dave. He's such a good sport. We took it pretty slow after that and took long breaks between each ride, but I don't think he had very much fun. Towards the end, I went on the rides and Dave sat in the shade. He told me that he'll never go to an Amusement Park again, so it looks like I'll have to find someone else to go with who has a stronger stomach. Any takers?

Over the next 3 days, we drove back to NM. Not much happened other than a two and a half hour traffic jam on the interstate. With no AC. In the heat of the day. With tons of humidity. Moving at 3 mph. In the middle of Indiana. Once again, WITH NO AC! I now hate Indiana and hate Dave's car even more.

We stayed in St. Louis right next to the arch, but after our car ride from H, I was too tired to get any shots of it. But it looked really cool at night. Hopefully I can go back some day and redeem myself.

While we were driving through Texas, we stopped at a place called Cadillac Ranch. In the 70's a couple of artists buried 10 Cadillacs nose first in the ground. I had heard about Cadillac Ranch in one of my art classes, so it was cool to actually stop and see it for myself. There was a movie crew filming something while we were there, but I don't know what it was for. It was tricky taking pictures with all of their equipment around, but I took a couple decent shots.

Graffiti is actually encouraged.

Just before we got to the Texas/New Mexico border, Dave's eyes started to itch like crazy and he couldn't see. I had to reach over, take the wheel, and steer us off the highway. It was pretty scary, and we ended up at this creepy, abandoned gas station. From the looks of it, someone had been living there, because there was a mattress, food, and water. I don't know who would want to live there though, because it smelled like poop. Literally. 






Thankfully, after Dave took out his contacts and put on his glasses, he could see, and we made it home without any more trouble.

While we were gone, my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Boyd were puppy-sitting for us. One night, my uncle opened up the front door, and Tony bolted out of the house right over to a pack of coyotes. One grabbed her by the neck and was about to make dinner out of her, but Boyd was able to scare it enough that it dropped Tony. She ran away as fast as her legs could carry her right back to the house. Maybe that'll teach her to not run away... I'm not getting my hopes up though. That dog has a mind all her own.



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Two Years


As of Sunday, Dave and I have been married for two years. Does that mean I'm not a "newlywed" anymore? Please say yes. I really hate that title...

If there's one thing I've learned about Dave in the last two years, it's that he pulls a crazy face in every picture. It makes the pictures more interesting. As for me, I've got some serious squinty eye going on in this one. Go me. 

Dave just got back from a three-week training in Ohio, and I kept pretty busy while he was away. I have a big post coming up with all the details of my adventures. 

 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A Random Display of Pictures

Since Hailee updated her blog, I decided it was probably time for me to update mine too.

Unfortunately, there's not much to talk about, so this could be kind of boring. First off, my hair is getting pretty long, which I hate, but Dave loves it. I can't wait for the day when I get to chop it all off again. Short hair is way more fun.

I was cleaning off my memory card a few days ago (this only happens 2 or 3 times a year) and came across a whole bunch of pictures I'd forgotten about. Please enjoy this post of completely random pictures.


The above fauxtograph was done by yours truly. Yes, that's right. I had to use on-camera flash. I'm so ashamed. We were having a multi-stake youth dance, and I was asked to help with pictures. I let them know that I didn't have any strobes, and asked them what the lighting conditions would be. They said the backgrounds would be set up in a room with lots of light. When I showed up, the backgrounds had been put in the gym where the dance was being held. Basically, it was pitch black in the corner where they had set it up. My worst nightmare. I know I should own strobes, but as most of you know, portraiture really isn't my thing, so buying that sort of equipment just isn't really practical. Oh well. At least I didn't charge money for the pictures :)

When Dave and I still lived in SLC, we went up to Ensign peak and decided to do some night shots. Here's a pano of the skyline. You'll obviously want to click on this one to get the full effect. Or is it affect? I've never been good at that one.

My Grandpa passed away last summer, so a bunch of us decided to go to his favorite fishing spot the day after his funeral. We call it No Tell Em' Creek. As you can probably guess by the name, I can't tell you where it is, or my Grandpa will probably come back to haunt me. Since there was so much snow last year, the river was insanely high and the bank was completely washed over. Not good conditions for fishing. The only things we came back with were a million mosquito bites and muddy clothes. I'm sure my grandpa was laughing. Here's a picture of Hilary checking out the river.

Dave and I decided to go down to Carlsbad, NM to check out the caverns and spend some time with Hailee, Derek, and their cute little babe Carly. It was a really quick trip, but it was fun. This picture is a ten second exposure of one of the features in the cave.

It's beautiful in the caves, but above ground.... not so much. Welcome to the Land of Enchantment everyone! I have to say that Southern New Mexico is a little drab. Northern New Mexico would probably be just as boring, but we have the Sandia Mountains right next to us, so that breaks up the boring desert feel.

I took a quick trip to California in November for Stella's blessing. She's such a cutie. Jared let me try out his new Camera lens, so why not use it on the cutest thing in the house?! I just love this little gal.


In January we took our annual trip to Phoenix with a group of our Utah friends. We decided to go on a hike in the Superstition Mountains. Unfortunately, we didn't come across the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, but we did find "God's Thumb." At least that's what some semi-crazy man told us it was called. We were a little worried we wouldn't make it to the top before sundown, but you can tell by the shadows creeping in that we made it just in time.


Last but not least. Dave, Tony, and I went camping a few weeks ago (because NM is awesome, and you can do that sort of thing in March). Dave thought it would be funny to see if Tony could balance on this post. Obviously she proved she could. This dog has the best balance I've ever seen. One time I was kneeling on the ground, and she decided to jump up on my shoulder and sit like a parrot. A couple of weeks ago I had her in the car with the window rolled down. I was outside the car washing the windshield, and she jumped up into the window frame and sat there while I finished. I have a circus act on my hands. Someday I'll post a video of her jumping. My aunt Brenda calls Tony "Flubber." I'd say that's a pretty accurate name.

Also, I'll give a dollar to the person who can tell me how to get rid of the stupid white bar that shows up when you click on a picture. Anyone?

That's it for now. You'll be hearing from me the next time I clear off my memory card...

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

That Weird Moment When You Realize You're All Grown Up

It's becoming more and more clear to me that my footloose and fancy-free days are over. It's been a weird transition. Every time I think of my responsibilities, I realize that I'm all grown up.

For example...
I have a mortgage payment. Weird.
I have power, water, and garbage bills.
I was VERY excited to buy a washer and dryer.
I cook almost every night. I don't really mind this one. I like cooking.
I'm always looking for fun ideas to make my house look cute. Thank you Pinterest!

In other news. I've finally finished our backsplash! Well, almost. There are a couple of spots that need touching up, but other than that, it's finished. Here are some before and after pictures for your viewing pleasure (please forgive me for the fauxtographerish quality).


Before: Huge ugly tile for the backsplash, ugly sink, ugly countertops, ugly appliances. Just plain ugly!

After I took out the backsplash and stovetop.

After: New tile (obviously), new sink/faucet, upgraded to gas cooktop, and granite countertops. This is a weird angle, so it's hard to tell, but we did small subway tile 2/3 of the way up the wall, and then did mosaic tile for the last 1/3 and over the cooktop.

I still have ugly appliances, but someday we'll upgrade those. I'm also planning on buying some hardware for the cabinets. They're pretty plain at the moment, so I'm excited to give them a little character. My favorite upgrade has to be the faucet. We decided to splurge and buy a touch faucet. Super nice to have when you have junk all over your hands. I love the way the backsplash turned out. The kitchen doesn't feel nearly as depressing, and the stupid outlets don't stick out like a sore thumb. I'm officially a DIYer. While Dave was at work, I worked on the kitchen. I even installed and sealed the gas lines to the cooktop on my own without blowing up the house! One thing we learned: Next time we have to unhook all of the plumbing under the sink, we will take a picture beforehand, so we know how to hook it all back up. Yep... Good times.

Also, I've been doing a workout program called Bodyrock. It's online, and completely FREE. I'm doing their 30 day challenge (I'm currently on day 13), and it's been pretty intense. The first day they have you do a fitness test. You do as many reps as you can in 50 seconds. Here's how I scored.

Squat Jumps: 23
Push Ups: 16
Burpees: 10
High Knees: 119
Switch Lunges: 22
Tuck Jumps: 14
Straight Abs: 16

Two weeks later you do another fitness test with the same exercises. I saw a lot of improvement.

Squat Jumps: 31
Push Ups: 28
Burpees: 16
High Knees: 131
Switch Lunges: 32
Tuck Jumps: 30
Straight Abs: 30

So basically, my first fitness test was pretty weak, but it's cool to see such a big improvement within two weeks. At least it's a big improvement in my eyes. I haven't worked out in a long time, so it was quite a shock on my body. I had a hard time walking the first week, but I feel good now. I'm starting to see muscle definition in my abs and arms, which is really motivating. If you're looking for a basic workout program, I'd recommend this one. You can find it at http://www.bodyrock.tv/ They use pretty basic equipment in some of the exercises, but they show modifications for those who don't have the equipment.

If you've made it to the end of this post, congratulations! It was a long one, but we both survived. Buh bye now!

Monday, January 09, 2012

Shorter is Sweeter

Is anybody else having problems with blogger? I had a whole post written up, and when I inserted the picture below, all of my copy was gone. I couldn't get it back, so I guess I'll give you the Reader's Digest version since I'm not in the mood to rewrite everything. The original post wasn't that exciting anyway, so maybe it's a good thing.

Basically, our house is ripped apart, I'm terrified of my new calling (primary chorister), we went skiing in Utah, and now we're back in NM remodeling our kitchen. The countertop guys are coming on Wednesday to install the granite, and I've been ripping out the current backsplash. I'd recommend removing a backsplash to anyone who has a lot of pent up anger. Not that I'm angry, I can just see how it would be beneficial for someone who is to take a hammer to a bunch of tile. It's kind of fun.

On our way back from Utah/Idaho, we stopped at the Wilson Arch just past Moab. It was a good place to get out and stretch and take a little hike to the top. Here is a picture I took of the inside profile of the arch. I think I might order a big print of dis baby. I'm liking it (other than the fact it ruined my long post. Grrr.)
Happy Monday!