I Hope the Next Blog Post Will Be About Me Being Better

My throat is feeling better. I'd put it at 65 percent. Can't wait for it to jump 35 percentage points.

I didn't go to work today, but will most likely go tomorrow. My only issues are the sore throat and body fatigue. It's the oddest feeling to walk. I just haven't been using my muscles as much these last few days.

Ben did go to work today, but still isn't 100 percent either. He's coming home soon, but will first stop by the store to pick up a few things, including some medicine to help take the sore throat pain away. Advil's done an okay job, but I'm looking for something to almost completely mask the pain until it goes away altogether.

Ben and I watched a couple of movies over the weekend. Have you seen either of these? Bruce Almighty and Ghost? BA was hilarious (Jim Carey; need I say more?) and G was a romantic drama that kept surprising me with twists and turns in the plot.

And I came across this today; so funny!

Still Sick

I can't remember a better Memorial Day weekend. Sorest throat, going from really hot to really cold and back. Sick boyfriend. Staying inside. Missing a BBQ with Ben's family. Stellar.

Not going to work tomorrow, unless by some miracle my throat feels better and I'm not weak anymore. I so hope to be back by Wednesday. This work week is looking shorter and shorter.

Blech.

The Love Bug


Wow! Three days in a row with blog posts! I must be settling in.

Ben's with me here, and we're gonna write this one together.

We're both sick. Ben's illness is a LOT more severe. So far (and hope it stays "so far"), I only have a slight sore throat and sore right gland. We're taking good care of each other by drinking plenty of fluids, staying warm, getting lots of rest, and using neti pots (Ben only).

If I were you, I'd buy stock in Kleenex (Ben's almost emptied another box). Poor, poor guy.

But we've been having lots of laughs. Nothing like the best medicine to cure what ails you.

Veggie Girl?



I'm thinking about going vegetarian. Know of any good books/programs/recipes?

P.S. I'm not going vegetarian for the reason that the image portrays, but to be healthier and lose weight. Just FYI.

Kind Utahans

My Ben is sick. Sad. I had to drive to and from work all by myself yesterday (he felt well enough today to go to work), so that was kind of lame. Just kidding. I'm not that big of a baby. But yeah, still love his company. Obviously. He is my boyfriend.

But yesterday, the freeway traffic was worse than usual on my way home. All I wanted to do was get home to Ben. But first I had to get gas. I went to my trusty gas station, but none of the pumps were working. At first I thought it was just mine, but a nice guy eliminated my worry when he said, "Is yours not working, too?" Apparently, none were working. He went in to ask, and our issue was confirmed: they weren't working. He cautioned me to make sure I had canceled any transaction that I may have begun with my credit card (which I had already done anyway, but it was still really nice). That was nice gesture number one.

But I was still frustrated. I had to go to another gas station. Yeah, it was only across the street, but it was rush hour, and traffic was kind of insane. I got my gas, but then needed to turn left onto a busy street. Again, another nice gentleman stopped his truck with plenty of room for me to get into the left turn lane so I could get home to Ben. That was nice gesture number two.

Utahans are nice people. I know that's a huge generalization. But I've been nothing but pleased with my interactions with others here.

Rolling the Ball

 This pic was taken last week at Lagoon. That marble ball fountain thing seemed like a fun photo op!

Happy Sunday! Let's get the ball rollin' (Get it? Look at the pic above. The pun was Ben's idea), so let's goooo!

• Ben and I had a wonderful time at the Bountiful Temple Friday night. There were NINE people going through for the first time, so between those nine, all of their family and friends, and other patrons, it was a large session!
• Ben's teaching me Video Games 101. We played a couple of really beginner games yesterday with two of his brothers. They were probably bored out of their minds, but it was new territory for me.
• Ben and I went to Lagoon yesterday. We visited Pioneer Village (old-town set up with a Main Street and such), and rode on a few roller coasters. After one of those roller coasters, my right eye started to feel irritated, but I couldn't feel anything inside of it. As we were waiting in line for another roller coaster, it really started to burn and hurt. I said a little prayer to myself, and Ben said one vocally, too. I had also been closing it for a couple of minutes to "cry" it out. After the prayers it felt better. No joke. So, so grateful for prayer and to Heavenly Father for blessing me with health. We were then able to enjoy a few more roller coasters. Ben has gotten into the habit of taking a picture of me before each ride so we have documentation of all the rides I've been on.
• I don't remember if I've already mentioned this, but Ben and I finished the first season of Heroes (first time for me; he's already seen it), and now we're watching Cheers, that sitcom from the 80s. Of course, I knew about the show, but I had never seen it. I'm loving it; so funny!
• Read this inspiring story about a very honest man living in my same town!
• This Conan video cracks me up each time I watch it!

• My coworker showed me these terrible (one's a joke, the other isn't I don't think) websites:

1. Terrible website #1.
2. Terrible website #2.



The Latest

Sorry this blog has become less creative and less frequent. And this one is gonna be pretty boring, too, I think, just because it'll consist of a simple list of what I've been up to lately. Oh, well. It's important to me. This is my form of a journal right now.

• It's been raining A LOT here the last few days. Think it may be clearing up soon, though. At least I hope so. I wanna see that glowing orb thing again called the sun!
• Heavenly Father provided a sweet and tender mercy two days ago. Ben and I were returning home from an outdoor run, when we walked by the house of a family in his ward. He was saying, "Here is the Jones' (not their real name cuz I can't remember their real name) house..." when a woman approaching her car in their driveway (I assumed it was the mother, she was kind of far away; long driveway), called out "Ashley??" As I got closer, I noticed it was a girl who had moved to my hometown last summer for a few months to do a rotation for pharmacy school. I couldn't believe it! Why is she at this house? What's going on? I could only think these questions for like two seconds because she then explained to me that this was her sister's house. Crazy, right? She's actually living about 15 minutes away, and obviously visits her sister and her family at times during the week. I just think it was neat how we were both in the same place at the same time to see each other. It was really special. Hopefully we'll bump into each other again soon.
• Yesterday, the employees at my work were treated to a recognition lunch for a job well done lately at a nearby steak house. That was nice.
• Ben and I hiked to a huge letter "V" in the hills near our houses. It was quite a climb; very steep in places, but the view and achievement were great! It's been raining, and so you can imagine it was kind of muddy, and it started to lightly rain on the way home, too, but we're glad we did it.
• And upcoming: temple tomorrow night, Lagoon on Saturday (if the weather's better), and a double date with my BFF and her husband Saturday night.

Thanks for bearing though that! Hope your week is going really well.

Life is Great!

I'm just very grateful right now. Heavenly Father blesses me tremendously. I have a great full time job that I really enjoy. I have a loving, supportive family that is in constant communication with me. I have the best, most compassionate boyfriend. I live in a beautiful place. It is so green here right now; I love being outside! I have good health. But most of all, I have what makes so much of this possible: the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm confident that so many of my blessings come from being an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm definitely mortal and I slip up a lot. But I'm always trying to be better, and that's what matters. Progress is what matters. God will never fail me, like it says in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzSb_xwr-Ok

Saturday Plans, etc.

Yay!! It's the weekend! I have a lot of plans today. It's gonna be busy, but fun. I'm going to lunch here in a bit with a coworker, wanna go for a run and pick up a few things from the grocery store this afternoon. Then I have a BBQ dinner with Ben's family (including his aunt and uncle visiting from out of state), and then Lagoon after that. It's gonna be a great day!

Kinda crazy how Amorology's blog (wedding blog I follow on my right side bar) currently has the SAME post title as my post title prior to this one. Woah!!

And this is my new favorite song right now. It's Lady Gaga, and the song is called Edge of Glory. Fun, danceable tune, right?

Good Things Come in Threes

Happy Wednesday! I have three good finds that I want to share with you.

1. An awesome wedding sign-in book and performance by the bride and her bridesmaids.

2. A Glee cover of Rebecca Black's (yes, I'm bringing Black back; ha!) Friday:

3. Funny signs from around the world (something I used at work today; yeah, I have a cool job).

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head



Happy Monday!

It's been drizzling/raining here non-stop since last night! Everything is so green and beautiful here. As I was driving home from work, I realized how picturesque my surroundings were. Green, green grass and shrubs,  full pink cherry blossom trees, lovely neighborhoods, wet roads. Aaaah. So, so nice. I love Utah!

Hope you ladies had a nice mother's day yesterday. Ben's family got to talk via Skype to their daughter, aunt, sister, sister-in-law yesterday morning who's on a mission in Russia. I got to "meet" her, so that was great. She's a doll!

Last night I watched The Great Race with Ben, Ben's mom, and Ben's brother. It was kinda wacky, but I made it tons of fun for Ben (he's helping me write this).

And now, I'm off to finish laundry, eat dinner, and enjoy the evening with Ben. Try to make yours half as cool.

Lagoon!



Ben and I went to Lagoon yesterday, an amusement park about 15 minutes away from us in Farmington, Utah. Thoughtful Ben bought season passes, so that we can go whenever we want. It was my first time going yesterday, and it was a blast! Until I threw up, that is; I will never voluntarily ride upon fast and circular rides again. Anyway, the place is great. Lots of rides. Lots of people. Lots of huge, stunning flowers. And I got to be there with my favorite person! Good times for sure.

One Week



My talented friend Jess took pictures of Ben and I last Thursday before I moved, and this is one of them.

It's been a week since I've stepped foot into Utah, and everything's going really well. I must say though, that the first couple of days at work were kinda strange for me. Of course I was busy getting accustomed to everything, but my brain would shift every now and again and realize that I was in a brand new big city, starting a brand new job, making a brand new change in my life. It was a rather odd feeling, and I'm still adjusting. Most of my life I've been very sheltered and taken care of (and I still am), but this is one of my biggest transitions ever. I'm grateful for a loving family who is in communication with me everyday, for the very generous friends I'm living with, and for my very supportive boyfriend, Ben. The future looks promising!

I've been busy these last seven days! Let me try to remember and recap what I've been up to.

• Spending LOTS of time with Ben. We watch a lot of Heroes. I had never seen the show before, but he owns all of the seasons on DVD, and so we watch it. I am hooked!
• Went to my new ward on Sunday. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I attend Ben's family ward.
• Started my new marketing job on Monday. Getting to know my department better. There are five of us in the marketing department, and they're all great to work with.
• Ben's family has a mega-FHE (married children with their children) the first Monday of every month, and so Ben and I (only dating, mind you) went to that. They hold it at Ben's parents' house, only a two-minute walk away from Ben's. We ate a yummy taco dinner (including Ben's tasty rice crispy treats), and had a fantastic lesson/activity.
• Ben's dad's birthday was Wednesday, and we had a little family gathering/party for that. Happy birthday, Ernie! 
• Little shopping here and there for odds and ends.
• Finally got around to exercising last night (first time in over a week and a half probably). Ben and I went on a run/walk in the neighborhood.
• Got Ben set up on Facebook last night, too. Doubt he'll be on much, but it's nice to be connected with millions of other Facebook users, I suppose.
• Ben and I are going to the temple tonight, and have some fun plans for tomorrow which I'll blog about later.

And I'm sure I forgot something, but that's the gist of what I've been up to in the last week. Like I mentioned before, my posts are fewer, but I'm still around. I just got around to checking out the blogs listed on my sidebar. But as things continue to settle down, I'll try to be connected more often.

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend.

My Life in Five



Bountiful, Utah Temple: Hope to attend this week.

1. I live in Bountiful, Utah as of last three days ago.
2. I work in Salt Lake City.
3. My boyfriend is a one-minute drive away.
4. First day of new job was today.
5. I attend a family ward.

6ish: Is it really May?!