December 31, 2010



So of course, lots of bloggers are dedicating their December 31 post to 2010; the good, the bad, and the ugly. And they're talking about their hopes, dreams, and resolutions for 2011. These reflections and considerations are all good and stuff, but they divert us away from the present and how we can improve and change in the hear-and-now. I, too, struggle with this idea of grabbing hold of "right now" and forgetting the past and not worrying about the future.

There's a quote that goes something like this: "The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

If I have any '11 resolution, it is to live in the present and no where else. Not even Hawaii. ;)

Please love today. Love December 31, 2010. You only get it once.

Kicks, Fast Car, DJ Earworm, and Ice

You like my new kicks? I do!

And now for some videos. What did we do ever do before youtube?

1. A cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car by Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis. I've always liked this song, and they do a great cover. 

2. The genius DJ Earworm mashes up the top songs from the previous year into an awesome compilation. This is 2010's. I like 2009's better, but this is still brilliant talent.



3. And last night was incredibly icy. My sister borrowed my car yesterday, and was on her way home when she couldn't go any further because of the ice. With a rope, some nice guys pulled her into a nearby parking lot where my car spent the frigid night. This video actually comes from Seattle, but gives you an idea of the slippery mess that we experienced. Watch it all the way through the end.




P.S. Welcome to my blog, Eric Petersen! :)

Expensive Nikes, Icy Roads, and Lovely Fei

Bought myself a brand spakin' new pair of running shoes today. This purchase was overdue. Nikes are so expensive! I bought the cheapest Nikes Lady Foot Locker had, and the bill still came to $91. I used a gift card I got for Christmas, so it's not like it came out of my own pocket, but still. I'm excited to run in them tonight!

But alas, I'll be running indoors on the treadmill yet again. It's super cold and the roads are super icy. I very much dislike this frigid, snowy weather. It makes everything more difficult and stressful. I need to move to Hawaii. Yes, Hawaii sounds like a winner.

And can I tell you how much I adore Fei, the mastermind (along with her husband) of His Eternal Companion, a relationship advice blog for single LDS women? She's the biggest doll in all of time, and I so appreciate her stellar relationship know-how. Check out her blog for real.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

so me and my sister and our friend attended this goodbye party tonight for a guy in our ward.

it was raining on our way home. the windshield was hecka dirty and the wipers didn't work very well. this equates as:

dirty windshield + bad wipers = can't see worth shiz, almost hit two cars, and stress through the '95 honda civic roof

we pulled into a gas station to clean the windshield. it was freaking windy as heck and super cold. we got the thing semi-clean and made it home.

phew.

prayer will express mucho gratitude tonight.

From Point A to Point B



This time of year is always self-reflective, isn't it? As I approach 2011, I'm doing a lot of thinking about a lot of stuff. I feel like I've been on the brink of transition for a long time, but that the actual execution is being delayed further and further. Or maybe the change IS happening, and it's just so gradual that I can't see it as it happens. I don't know.

I'm so psyched to see what the future holds, but I kind of feel that that is a cop-out phrase (what the future holds) cuz I really have a great deal to do with my future. This is a daunting responsibility, and I feel inadequate/complacent to move forward, even though it's so attractive to me. Why is it that we shy away from the unknown? Like seriously, I just gotta grab life by its stinkin' horns, scream at the top of my lungs on the wild ride of life, and LIVE!

Here's to getting to point B or C or D or M or Z.

Good Sunday

Okay, it's a good Sunday cuz I'm now posting a lot of pics from the last few days. It's been a lot of fun these last ~300 hours or whatever (that's a total estimate).

Ah snap, they're out of chronological order, but it's all good. Actually, this is a good pic to end on. Thumbs up for Christmastime, family, and Sundays!



MERRY CHRISTMAS!



I had a wonderful Christmas day, and I hope you did, too. I got some great presents, ate some great food (too much), took a great nap, conversed with some great family; overall, it was great.

I was gonna put up some pictures from the last two days on this post, but I'll try and do it tomorrow.

Going over to my sister's in a few to watch the movie, Wall Street; yeah, not Christmas-y at all, but whatevs.

I'm so blessed!!!

Merry Christmas! <3

Merry Christmas Eve!

My youngest sister and I went to a park today and took lots of cool photos (we're talking about a bridge, tractor, and graffiti!). And later this evening, my family went over to my sister's family's house for a yummy lasagna dinner. A little later my sisters and I are going back to their place to watch the Christmas classic, Elf. I'll probably post pics from the park photo shoot and our family get-together tomorrow. But to tie you over until the big day (CHRISTMAS!) I'll leave you with this neat thought from a Christmas card we received:

Love knows no seasons, no races, no nations, no colors,

Love knows know ages, no times, no societies, no states,

Love knows no occupations, no economic levels,

no parties, no opinions, no favorites, no enemies,

Love knows no boundaries, no limits, no cultures,

no persuasions, no priorities, no places, no prejudice, no conditions, no end;

Christmas is love, is forever, is here and is now.

This Christmas

may you experience the love of the Child

which knows no boundaries, which lasts forever

Have a beautiful Christmas!

Christmas Eve Eve

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Went to lunch today with my sister and friend at a Greek place. It's hecka good. My friend and I have befriended the owner, a Greek native, and we love to see her when we go. She even gave us free dessert (half-chocolate-dipped fortune cookies and baklava). Yummy!

Then my friend and I did a little shopping at a cool local bead store and Old Navy. Everyone and their kitchen sink was out last-minute shopping, and I was another kitchen sink.

And I have a couple MORE cool Christmas videos, so watch!

Christmas Caroling



A few friends got together tonight and we went Christmas caroling around one girl's neighborhood.

The recipients of our carols were very grateful for our singing. One woman in particular stood there in her doorway, tears streaming down her cheeks and husband (also tearing up) behind her, telling us that we couldn't have come at a better time. Their son had just come home that day from surgery; he had a brain tumor. She came outside and gave each one of us a hug, thanking us for our kindness. I'm sure it was a special moment for each of us carolers to experience that simple, yet profound service for another person.

This is what Christmas is all about. Lifting others' spirits is a true joy and blessing.

Beard Blowup

I thought not shaving was reserved for males during the month of November (no-shave November), but I've been noticing guys carrying this on into December. Have you been seeing more facial hair this month than usual?

You know Ke$ha's song, Tik Tok? The one song that she says, "I like your beard" at the end? Well, it's sorta a running joke between Isaac and me, and so he found this shirt and bought it for me! What a champ and a half, right?! Right.

And in case you really haven't heard the song, here it is in all its pop, danceable glory (except this video version doesn't include the random beard reference. Shame).

Christmas Miracles

As you may have already heard, the Provo Tabernacle was destroyed in a fire a few days ago, but firefighters were able to salvage this painting of Jesus Christ. The painting was scorched except for a perfect outline of Jesus Christ. It's truly miraculous. Read the entire story here.




And I believe that technology serves little neat miracles, such as these videos depicting the Christmas story through Facebook-play and children-play.

Good Sunday

Today was a pretty typical Sunday except for the fact that it's the last Sunday before Christmas. Thus, there were many reminders about Jesus Christ today, all of which I needed. I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this time of year just like most people, and forget the real reason why we even have this thing called Christmas. The reason and purpose truly is Christ, the Lord.

Don't forget. Ever.

Neighbors

Good fences make good neighbors. But so do Christmas presents.

How well do you know your neighbors? Every December, I'm the one designated from my family to send over a Christmas treat to the neighbors on either side of us, and directly across the street from us. It's not my favorite thing to go out into the cold and deliver these goodies to practical strangers. But after I do, I realize that it was a neat opportunity to get to know them a little bit better, even if it was just a simple "Merry Christmas."

Each of our neighbors are very different. One family is a mixed marriage family (guess that's not too uncommon anymore; probably the norm, actually), and the dad plays his drums often at night. They attend a church that plays rock music during the services; pretty hardcore method of worship, wouldn't ya say?

One family is Indian. They keep to themselves mostly, but are friendly. They gave us some baklava. It's really good stuff.

And then the other neighbors are very talkative, especially the woman. She lets me come in and talks my ear off about how awesome her kids are and how awesome she is.

Neighbors are cool. Your neighbors are different than you. Get to know them. Here's a challenge: if you haven't done so already, go visit your neighbors this season and get to know them better.

Service

We Relief Society sisters went to an assisted living home last night and caroled and visited with some of the residents. We had a grand ol' time singing the same songs over and over as we walked up and down the hallways. It was a beautiful sight to see the bright smiles on these folks' faces as we brightened their holiday just a little bit more. I'm glad we had this opportunity to "serve" them in this way, but it's true what is said: service usually does more for the server than the one being served. My spirit and attitude were lifted last night, and I have this activity to thank.

Speaking of service, Mother Nature is sure serving up her best with all this snow. It's pretty to look at and all, but overall, I'm just not a fan of it; it's always a trial when it comes to driving. Oh well, I guess you don't appreciate the hot summers as much without also enduring the cold, snowy winters.

And the week has served up its Friday! Yippee!!

Broken CD Player, Broken Grandpa, Broken Bella?

The CD player in my car has been broken for at least a couple of months I'd say. I had a CD stuck in there, and finally got it out the other day by sticking another CD in there underneath the original, thereby sliding the original one out. But now when I want to play a CD, the player doesn't "grab" the CD like it's supposed to. Does anyone know how I can fix this besides forking over the moolah to the dealership? If it helps, the car is a 2006 Honda Civic Coupe.

My poor grandpa hurt himself the other day. He was home when the phone rang. He was "running" (which means hobbling) over to answer it when he slipped and hit his forehead on the corner of the coffee table, splitting it open, and banged up his shoulder pretty bad. He managed to put a towel over his head, and drive to the ER. Fourteen stitches later, he's home recuperating. Poor guy. :(

I'm finally gonna watch Eclipse tonight. It'll be the first time since it came out early this summer. I'm excited!

Passed the Praxis 2 and Money-Making Manos

Today was the day that I found out whether or not I passed the last test I took in order to get my teacher licensure. I'm very happy and grateful to report that I did pass. Let's use up some of this blog post space with some happy little punctuation marks.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such a relief and accomplishment to know that I'm absolutely done.

Okay, and now for some ridiculousness. This lady is certifiably crazy, I think, but those manos (hands) make money!

Happy 100th Post!

You probably don't know this, but I've been blogging for a loooong time. This blog is like my eighth blog or something. So even though 100 sounds like a lot, it's just a tiny fraction of probably the thousands of posts I've written. Crazy! But I really enjoy blogging, and I'm glad that you're here reading this right now. Happy 100 posts, Yes, this is ANOTHER blog!

Let's celebrate with some pics and vids!

Okay, first, a couple of pics. As you already know, I just finished my grad program in teacher education. It took me two years. I've been storing all of my binders, textbooks, miscellaneous materials in my bedroom closet. I finally pulled them all out today to store them. It took two large bins to accomplish this feat.

The loot!

The storage!

And I want to share a couple of videos. The first is a cool compilation of what we searched for (big news) on Google in 2010. It's to the music of One Republic's Good Life. It's so cool.




And the second video is crazy weird, but I love this song. I heard it for the first time a few days ago when I was in Utah.




And I'm super stoked because Isaac burned a few CDs for me today while we were sitting inside Starbucks sippin' on our pumpkin-whatever drinks (I can't remember the fancy coffee drink lingo). Anyway, the tunes are legit, and he rocks like no other for doing this. Gracias, Isaac!

Good Sunday

The ugly sweater/white elephant gift exchange party was a lot of fun last night. I first grabbed a crock pot. Yes. A real crock pot. But then it got taken by somebody else, so I had to choose another gift or steal from another person. I chose to grab a new gift, and it was a huge unicorn poster. So mystical looking! HA! Here are some pics from the party.



Awesome ugly sweaters, right?



We had our Christmas music program in sacrament meeting today. It included Christmas hymns, Christmas scriptures, and Christmas testimonies. Very CHRISTmas-y.

And our Relief Society lesson was spirit-filled, as it was taught on just that--the Holy Ghost.

And in about 40 minutes I'm going to our stake Christmas music program. Love Christmastime!

Ugly Sweater Party

Home again, home again, jiggity, jig!

Well, we made it back home today after a nice and clear, but looong drive across the desert. I'm pretty wiped out, but the fun doesn't stop! Oh no, it doesn't!

My sister and I are going to an ugly sweater/white elephant gift exchange party later tonight. My sister stole (I mean, they let her keep) five ugly sweaters from some of her guy friends back at school who recently had an institute ugly sweater party themselves. Don't worry, I'll take pics.

But after that, I can't wait to plop down on my own bed and get some real homestead z's.

Travelog

Today was a good day, and it's not over yet!

The hotel serves a full, yummy breakfast, and you bet I took full advantage of it. I ate a waffle covered in peanut butter and jelly, and two omelets! Can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow morning! HA!

And then we went over to my sister's place to help her move out.

My sister and my dad met with a few folks at the university because there was a little (okay, big) snafu regarding her graduation. Long story short, it all worked out and she is a college graduate! Yippee!

We ate lunch at a bomb pub.

Then I took a half-nap. I was tired because I didn't go to bed until like 1 am this morning.

Then my sister and our friend, Steve, went to dinner at a local pizza favorite.

And now I'm in my hotel room waiting to hang out with an old friend who I haven't seen for like 3.5 years. So excited to see him!

Happy Friday!

Utah!

I'm in Utah right now for a couple of days, picking up my younger sister from college. I went to school here, too, and it's been awhile since I've been back in this town. I love it here.

Going to a movie in less than an hour with a friend. I think we're gonna see The Next Three Days. I just saw the trailer. Looks like my kind of movie! Love suspense! Check it out:




And welcome, ashleyh! Glad to have you following!

Hump Day Happiness!

Today was pretty much the shiz dot com.

• I made some money.
• I had a really good student teaching portfolio review with my professor.
• I met with Isaac at Starbucks for some caffeine-free goodness.
• He's letting me borrow his itouch for a long eight-hour car trip I'm leaving for tomorrow. I need me some tunes, and since I still live in 2003, I don't have my own music player. MUCHAS GRACIAS, ISAAC!!!
• I ate Port of Subs for din din.
• Got a sweet email from one of my former students. She wrote, "Hi Ms.Smith, this week hasn't been the same with out you. :("
• Got to babysit (play with my two nephews).

A Global Affair

Dear blog visitors from India, Russia, Albania, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Morocco, New Zealand, and Turkey,

Who in the world (haha, get it?) are you people?

Your American pal,
Ashley

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I know this post's title is cliche, but it's true. Let me prove it to you with three examples.

1.

2.

3.



This nephew of mine called me a stinky burrito today.

Told you that kids say the darndest things. But I'm sure you already knew that.