Dam it!

It's been a while since I have posted a blog, but I have been working on them, just not finishing them. So here is the post that was to follow the Vegas post.
On our way to Vegas for our anniversary, Shane and I were driving through Utah County and he asked what I wanted to do while we were there. "What about going to the Hoover Dam?" Shane asked. I have never been to the Hoover Dam despite my many trips to the Southern tip of Nevada, so of course I said "Sure, that sounds like fun." He must know me too well. How can I pass up a trip to visit something like Hoover Dam? It's kind of a dorky thing to do on your anniversary trip, but SO me! Shane had already MapQuest-ed the directions there from our hotel. But wait!!!!!! "I forgot my camera Shane!" As I am calculating in my head that it is going to take away from Tiffany & Co. time if we turn around, Shane says "Well its a good thing that I have mine." What a life saver! I love him! We went to the dam the next day and it was H-O-T!

This is part of the new edition to the skyline a the Hoover Dam. They are building a suspension bridge over the Colorado River side of the dam. Since it will be complete in 2010, you know I will be planning a trip to Vegas again.

We went on a tour of the dam while we were there. It was pretty cool to see how much is inside of the dam and how it works. This is the pipe that moves the water from the Lake Mead side of the dam to the other side. There's A LOT of pressure in there!

This is the generator room where the water rushing through the pipe above is turned into power. They were huge and the room was not as loud as I thought it would be. If I remember right, there are 6 generators in this room, which is on the Nevada side of the dam and 6 in the generator room that is on the Arizona side of the dam. That's a lot of power and water!

As you walk through the dam, there are these Native American designs in the marble that represent how the water is turned into power.

This is one of the tunnels that you have to walk through to get from room to room. If you know Shane very well, you know that he can get claustrophobic when he is in a small space underground. He was a little worried about it right before we went on the tour, but didn't seem to have a problem with it while we were inside the dam, until.......the elevator that is used to get us from floor to floor hadn't arrived at the time it was supposed to. The longer we waited and the more our guide talked about other people that have been claustrophobic on his tours, the antsier Shane got. I don't think that the elevator could have arrived any quicker.

This is the Lake Mead side of Hoover Dam. It was very pretty. While we were on the tour inside the dam, a girl in our group asked our guide why the rock around Lake Mead was white. Without hesitation the guide said "The BLM thought it would look nicer if we painted the white line around to contrast with the blue water." All she said was "oh." We all got a great laugh at her expense. Poor girl!

Now, its time to share Ashley's Hoover Dam Movie Moments with you!!!!!!!

Remember the 90's movie Fools Rush In starring Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry? I have always enjoyed this movie and often wished that I could have a place to go like Salma's character did with the dam.

Contrary to this picture.......you aren't allowed to sit on the edge of the walls around Hoover Dam. This is very dangerous! Duh! Please don't push her Matthew.

In the movie, every time Salma's character drives over Hoover Dam and crosses the Nevada-Arizona border she tosses a silver dollar into Lake Mead for good luck. I was looking forward to standing in the two states on the border line painted in the road, like in the movie. But guess what?!?!?!? In the movie there is a bold line in the road with large "NEVADA" and "ARIZONA" painted on their respective sides. ITS NOT THERE IN REAL LIFE!! All there is to show where the border is is this plaque. So you can't see me in the picture, but to get shot of the plaque I was standing in Arizona and Nevada. My first time being in two places at once!

My next movie moments were from Transformers!!!!!!!! When we were on the tour, a guy actually asked the silly question that was in my brain. "Where is Megatron?" Apparently he is on level 42 in the middle of the dam, about 20 levels below where we were at the time of the question. That's where we could have gone had we paid to go on the more expensive tour.

Since she is one of Shane's new favorite people to search on the internet, I thought while we were talking about Transformers, I would post this famous movie scene of Megan Fox from the movie. And as an Ashley side-note, her earrings are from American Eagle.

I tried to find pictures from the movie of the spots I saw, but I was unable to find any. In the movie, this is where Sam, Mikayla, Josh Duhmel's character and Tyrese are brought to enter the dam to visit Megatron's ice chamber (remember level 42?). They try to block out which side of the dam they are on in the movie, but in some scenes you can see Nevada Time under the clock. This would be the bridge they filmed on. And across from the bridge........

This is the EXACT same spot that Sam (Shia Lebouf) looks over the side of the dam and where the little devil of a robot falls out of Mikayla's purse and slides down to the bottom.

I know what you are thinking.......why would Shane ever want to take Ashley on another trip. Well, we had a blast and visiting sites like this is something that we both love doing together. In the 7 years that we have been together, we have been to places that at least one of us has never been and shared those memories. Yellowstone with our friends, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone on our Honeymoon, Las Vegas just to get out of town, Disneyland so that Shane could say he has at least been there and seen California other than LAX, Mexico on our first cruise, Moab for my first and second times, Arches National Park in the freezing cold on a motorcycle, Hole in the Rock outside of Moab. And there is so much more that we want to do. Make the most of your lifetime with simple once-in-a-lifetime moments that you will cherish forever.

Christmas Memories

I remember when I was little, sitting at my grandparents on Christmas Eve, Alli, my cousins and I would gather around the TV to watch what we called the California Raisins Christmas Show. It was something that I would look forward to every year. The show was claymation to classic Holiday songs with a twist. From "Here We Go A Waffle-ing" to "We Three Kings" sang by camels. My favorite was always "Carol of The Bells." I would look forward to this one every year and got the best laugh out of the bells. Enjoy the clip of my best Christmas memory.

Calling All Children of the 80's!

You Know You(or your kids) Grew Up In the 80's IF:
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do theCarlton
3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom
4. If you ever watched 'Fraggle Rock'
5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
11. You know the profound meaning of ' WAX ON , WAX OFF'
12. You wanted to be a Goonie.
13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe)
14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable.
15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
18. You still get the urge to say 'NOT' after every sentence.
19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
21. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
22. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?' 23. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up'
24. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
25. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
26. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
27. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
28. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
29. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
30. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB'
31. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class.
32. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
33. You just sang those words to yourself.
34. You still sing 'We are the World'
35. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans. And still debate on which is the right term!
36. You owned a bannana clip.
37. You remember 'Where's the Beef?'
38. You used to (and probably still do) say 'What you talkin' 'bout Willis?'
39. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

Check out my friend's blog!

Just wanted to let you know about my friend Emily's blog. http://ukulele-emily.blogspot.com/ She has amazing outdoor pictures posted, but more importantly a link to her MySpace Music page. If you like the sound of the ukulele, her music will really make you wish you were laying on a beach in Hawaii with the sun beating down on your face. I promise I will post more too!

Viva Las Vegas!

For our 2nd anniversary, Shane and I decided that we needed a little vaycay away. So we headed for the City of Sin, LAS VEGAS. It was nice and relaxing to say the least since we just stayed the night.

We stayed at Bally's for the fact that it was the cheapest we could find on the Strip, and also liked that it was right in the middle. We had no idea how awesome out view would be though. The picture above is out our window, over looking the pool at Paris. You can also see in the picture where they are building a whole new condominium complex right across from Planet Hollywood (formerly the Aladdin.) The city has grown so much since we were last there in 2006.
This is our room. For just $80 we got a king size/non-smoking room and the size of the room and bathroom surprised us, not to mention the view which you will see below. This is definitely our favorite place to stay now. I wouldn't mind making more trips here.I have two favorite places in the world. One is Disneyland where I can take millions of pictures and don't feel stupid with my camera. The other is Tiffany and Co. where I feel like a dork for even thinking about taking a picture. Since we don't have a store in Utah, I made Shane promise to go there with me. I love that place and my they serviced my jewelry so now it looks better than new. But I found out that there are 2 Tiffany's in Vegas now. One at the Bellagio and one at Caesars Palace. They're across the street from each other? Only in Vegas.This is the entrance to our hotel from the Strip. Shane had no idea where Bally's was until I told him that it was the place where the blue rings are. It was really cool looking at night..........and I saw a lady throwing up on the side of it. You could actually see the Bellagio fountains from our room!!!!!!!!!

The view of the Strip from our room at night.

Wild, Wild West.....Wendover

We spent Father's Day weekend this year like we have for the past 3 years, at the Rainbow Casino Car Show in Wendover. This year my sister Alli's 21st birthday also happened to be on Father"s Day, so the weekend was a double whammy. It was a lot of fun being out there with our friends and the short ride out there really helped. Kacey rode out with Shane and I since Derick and Jon were coming out after work. We gambled every night and had a blast doing it. Friday night we had other friends out there too (Jessen, Brooke, Nick and Kori) so we had a blackjack table filled up quick. With no place to go, Kacey and I found our own tables while making new friends along the way. FYI: Playing with hungry old ladies does not equal fun. And apparently if you ever see two young girls sitting at a blackjack table you better catch a seat quick because that table can become full fast. Shane and I came out down $40 between the two of us for the whole weekend. But Shane did win $200 in the Poker Run. Second best hand in the game. My parents came out on Sunday to see us and to bring Alli and my fam for Alli's birthday. Along with a car show all weekend long, they also open the race track for drags on Sunday. Shane and his dad always jump at the chance to beat the other. Shane won just about every time.

Ashley being a cheese.
Shane is trying to avoid the camera, can you tell?
Burn Out Contest
Coolest Little Fire Truck
Hey look, is that Bumble Bee?Sorry Kacey, only pic I had from the weekend.Shane and Jon. Believe me, sometimes he smiles.
Derick got comfy in Tammy's chair. Special.For some reason I kept getting the urge to dance all weekend.
Shane's burn out at the Track.
Shane lining up to race his dad.

Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep!

I know that I have not posted anything for what seems like ever! But I PROMISE to spend some quality time on Monday updating with new posts, because I am so sure that everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for something new. (Just kidding.) We just got back from Vegas and are camping this weekend, so there is more to come. Thanks for blogging!

Coming Soon!

This is just a preview of things to come! Check back soon for a new blog on the Wendover Car Show. In the mean time, check out www.thanks2frank.com for pictures from all the car shows this year. For the Wendover pics click on the Races link then on Wendover Raceway Drags at the bottom of the screen.

Weekend in Wendover

Alli's Birthday is this Sunday. She will be 21! What a coincidence is it that he birthday is on Father's Day this year and we go to Wendover for the Father's Day car show every year. I'm excited for warm weather, time with friends and family and FUN! WooHoo!

Our Little Duramax

Shane really wanted a dog after we got married, but I wasn't sure if we would be able to handle it. So, we decided to start with something small. We got Max. His actual name when we adopted him was Sprite and it took us forever to rename him so we kept calling him "Kitty." Realizing that we shouldn't call him "Kitty" for the rest of his life, my mom suggested Duramax. This cat could purr like no other when we got him. His purring was loud and deep, just like Shane's truck. Therefore, we now call him Max for short. When we got him, he was sooooo small. We adopted him at the PetsMart Superadoption. Shane picked him out. Now this is where the story gets a little weird. While we were doing the paperwork to adopt Max, my dad called my phone and left a message to let me know that they were taking my other cat, Tabitha, to the vet to be put to sleep. Due to those circumstances, Max really means a lot to me. However, he wanted nothing to do with me when we got him home. All he wanted to do was cuddle with Shane. I think he felt safe with him. Eventually he realized that he needed to be nice to me and we cuddle all the time now. Shane and I enjoyed having him in our lives so much we decided that maybe we could handle getting him a little sister or brother. One month later, we got Buddy. Everyone always thinks "cats and dogs?" but the get along great. Max has picked up mannerisms from Buddy and vice versa. Buddy barks at people walking down the street, Max growls, not meows, GROWLS at the birds in the backyard. One of their favorite past times in the summer is chasing flies and bees together in the backyard. I can't tell you how much I love our little, furry family!

Max was so little when we first brought him home, he would slide between the cracks on our couch.

He was very light when we got him, but 1 1/2 years later he is gray and striped.

Max likes going outside and exploring our backyard. I can always depend on Buddy to round him up to go inside the house.

He always has a serious, but loving look on his face.
For some reason, he crawled inside my freshly washed and folded clothes to take a nap.

My Buddy, My Buddy, Where Ever I Go, He Goes

I realized that I didn't have any pictures of our kids on here, so I will be posting more pictures of my animals to please those who would like to see them. We will start with Buddy. He is over a year and a half old now. We got him when he was 1 month old. Those of you that know me well, you know I have a fear of big dogs. Well.......Buddy was just so cute and little when we got him, I just couldn't say no. He is a pitbull/American Bulldog mix. HE'S BIG! But no matter how big he gets, he still acts like he is the same size as the day we brought him home. I absolutely love having him around. I feel safe, needed and loved! I couldn't imagine our lives without Buddy. We decided to name him Buddy because when we first got him, all he would do was follow Shane around. Now Shane had a little "buddy" with him wherever he went. He does get into big trouble from time to time, but his curiosity for things around him make up for it. Tonight he saw a little moth flying around the family room and was trying his hardest to catch it. That was great entertainment! Who needs cable when you have Buddy around? Even better is when our tv is on Animal Planet, because he just loves to sit on our bed and watch what the other dogs and cats are doing. We love Buddy!

This is a picture of Buddy the first weekend we had him. He was so small he fit in Shane's arm.

Awwww!

This is Buddy at 4 months. He was as long as Shane's torso. He grew quite a bit in those first months we had him.

Buddy at Christmas, a couple of weeks after the last photo. Still not very big, the bone we got him for Christmas was bigger than he was.

This is Buddy a couple of weeks ago. HE IS HUGE NOW!!! He can stand on his back legs and touch my shoulders, weighs about 80-85 lbs., and is like having an extra person in our bed. But he still acts like he is little enough to sit on your lap whenever he feels like it.

Race for the Cure 2008

As mentioned before in one of my posts, I participated in Race for the Cure this year. My mom, sister and I joined the Jazzercise ladies to help raise money for the cause. It was a great experience that I am glad I took part in. It was a little chilly, but once we were in the sun and moving we were able to start warming up. To go along with the somewhat chilly weather, the day before I had started treatment for walking pneumonia. Being the trooper I am, I still walked with my family and finished the race. There were tons of people there too. More than had ever seen at the same event in years past. This is something that I definitely want to do next year. It's a great cause and you don't have to know someone who has had breast cancer. You just have to want to support others and bring awareness to something that could affect anyone you know. Check out the pics. Sorry that it took so long to post them. I 've been too lazy to charge my camera battery.

The sea of people surrounded the fountain at the Gateway waiting for the walk to start.

Alli and I enjoying ourselves before the race.

Here's my mom at the race. Alli is a dork!

Team Jazzercise. Not just a group of girls.

LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE!!!

The end!!!! I finished the race!!!