Shane and Ashley

Help me help me.....

2011-09-03T21:43:00.000-06:00

You can help me help myself in my journey to a new me! Since you follow our page, why not follow mine and see what I am doing outside of being the most AWESOME wife Shane has ever had. hehehe (Since I'm the only one...) Follow my motivational blog to weight loss and beyond! ashleysmotivationstation.blogspot.com

Remember the smiling, happy, nearly healthy Ashley that you saw in the Key West post? Well, everything she worked so hard for to lay in a bikini on the beach for that trip has gone back to her old ways and is looking for a BIG change!

A Home for My Clothes

2011-08-26T13:47:00.000-06:00

We enjoy going to the Salt Lake Valley Parade of Homes every year. I really like going to get ideas and dream of someday having a dream house. I am happy where ever my home is, but you can always want your house to look better. From decorating and design ideas to inspirations for remodeling what we have, we get a lot of enjoyment walking through other peoples' houses. One week after we finished going to all of the houses, we started tearing our closet apart. It only took 2 days and I love it. Not the walk-in closet with a dressing table that I REALLY want, but one step closer. The picture above was the closet that was used for inspiration.

This is our "stock" or original closet that was built with the house back in 1987. One long shelf and one long bar. The shelf wasn't so bad, it was the the bar that was holding so much clothing that it was starting to pull the brace off the wall. My side also had a seam on it because it was an adjustable bar. This would cause my clothes to not be able to slide when I was looking for something.

Here is what we came up with. Shane built everything for the closet, the shelves, the middle "bookcase", and eventually put in the custom bars. (Yay! No bumps!) After a run to Target for some fabric bins, it was ready to put clothes in. I did have to get rid of some of my shoes, but now I can fit in more clothes!

Below, this is what my side of the closet looks like now. Homes for my purses, tanks, flip flops, shirts, shoes and pants. Thanks to Shane for all the hard work!

What does it look like inside my head?

2011-08-07T00:57:00.000-06:00

Ever think about what you would see if you looked into someone else's head? Shane feels that he now knows based on a recent trip to Z Gallerie. There was a section of the store that was completely turquoise, white and silver. His words were "Whoa! This is what the inside of your head must look like." I didn't get a picture from the store, but it was a little much, even for me. Here are some pics just to give you a little slice of what we saw:

I actually loved this bedding from Z Gallerie.

Found this pic on the internet. Someone's real room.

Another shot of the room I found online.

I actually LOVE this bathroom vanity!

While searching for pics online of decor and rooms decorated in this fashion, I found an amazing blog, everythingturquoise.com. From there I found a link for House of Turquoise, where I found the room pics. Look at what Shane started me thinking about......

We drove what to Wendover?!?!?!

2011-07-31T16:05:00.002-06:00

(driving past the Bonneville Salt Flats)

We drove Shane's car. Out of the 4 cars we have, this is the oldest and loudest one, the only one without air conditioning and windows that don't roll all the way up.

Brooke, Korri and I riding in the back of Jessen's Nova.

Washing the Nova at the car wash, old school style.

I don't remember taking this pic.

The girls.

(Korri, Brooke, me and Monica)

The guys.

(Nick, Shane, Jessen, Jay)

Nick and Korri's truck at the Salt Flats.

Sadly, it didn't make it home on its own.

Fun trip, fun friends....money well lost.

Let's Go....G.N.O.!!!!

2011-07-31T16:02:00.000-06:00

July's Girls' Night Out @ Bout Time

(me, Brooke, Monique, Nicole, Heather, Bre)

It was a nice, cloudy day. Perfect for sitting out on the patio.

Heather and Bre

Brooke, Nicole and Monique...It was also a b-day celebration for Nicole.

Cheers! to Girls' night. We were also going to see Bridesmaids, the movie, but we were having too much fun socializing.

Moab 2011

2011-07-31T16:00:00.000-06:00

I learned that Jessen is a klutz, tourist attractions are more fun with friends and there can be snow strorms in at the end of April.

Some things that make me happy.....

2011-04-13T07:14:00.002-06:00

I love my new shoes! So much that I clean and organized my closet, which is now another thing that I love. I have all my shoes organized, my clothes hung, winter sweaters stored away and purses in a tote. Then I did all my laundry and put it away. ( When you have as much clothing as me, this is a feat. Then I found this quote: "It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes -- that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!" I may not be single, but I like to think I'm fabulous which is why I wanted these shoes. But currently, well according to last night's episode of Sex and the City on E!, Carrie Bradshaw is. My new tv addiction is Sex and the City ever since it started playing on E! and Style, and also since my friend Sonia invited me to the opening night of Sex and the City 2 last summer. By the way, the new episode of Glee is on next Tuesday, April 19.

Out with the old, in with the new

2011-04-12T22:18:00.007-06:00

This year is starting with a lot of new...... New fridge...so fresh and so clean, clean.

New rides to make some new, exciting memories.

Fun new style sense....just joking. Starting a new, healthier me.

New purse....and developing another shopping addiction.

And developing a new, sunny, happy outlook on life.

P.S. I will also have to get a new bumper and trunk lid for my car. No pictures yet; the thought of Shane backing into the car is too fresh in my mind.

When was the last time you had a cheeseburger in paradise?

2011-04-12T21:37:00.009-06:00

March 1st was the last time I did. And I actually had one in Margaritaville, without the cheese.

True! There are no snowmobiles allowed in Key West. (Found this in the garden of a man who also has a house in Sundance.) Well, they might be allowed, but there's no point in having one. That's the beautiful part of being there in February....NO SNOW!!! Before you start thinking this was a great vacation, it was a business trip.

Now its not uncommon for me to sleep in while Shane is at work, but this was especially sweet. It was Saturday, he was stuck in a meeting and I went on an early morning walk that ended with me falling asleep in a hammock on the resort's private beach. This is how vacations should be!

Not only was it a new experience for us to be on vacation in paradise, but we also got to try snorkeling. I loved it, Shane...not so much. But at least the drinks and the boat ride made it worthwhile. Have you noticed the pattern in my pictures so far? Sunshine equals happy Ashley! If you ever needed a reason to laugh, this would be it. Our little scooter topped out at 35 mph but at least it got us to the most Southern point of the US. (It was also a 10 minute walk from our hotel.) The island was so small, I'm pretty sure that I walked the same amount the whole trip as one day in Disneyland. Casa Marina Resort.....thank you for you beautiful trees, sand, hammocks and for selling PopTarts and chai in your gift shop. I will be back....but this time I will have to pay for my own room. Can I get a previous guest discount?

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-12T20:19:00.003-07:00

The holidays are among us! A time for sharing, caring, and......EATING! At work we have 12 days of Christmas treats. I signed up for the first Thursday and decided to make my Oreo truffles, same as last year. This platter was full 15 minutes before it was taken! Glad everyone liked them.

We also had Thanksgiving #2/Holiday party with our friends over the weekend. Pretty much everyone but Shane and I along with one other couple are the only ones without kids. So what did Brooke and the other childless adult do? We sat in the play room with the kids and fed them cookies! They were having so much fun that 2 of them decided to sit in a tote. Then they invited one of the other boys over to join them. The whole time they were yelling "Squeeze!" Tons of fun! I will report more after the holidays!

...and that's summer!

2010-10-08T09:03:00.004-06:00

Summer came and left before Shane could finish spelling "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Here's a recap of what we've done over the past couple of months:

We cruised around Salt Lake on July 23. The Nova, Firebird and Corvette were cheered for driving along the Days of 47 parade route.

Jessen and Shane have the same thing on their license plates. Its their "car club" name, Accelerate.

We went camping with Shane's family and invited Brooke and Jessen along. Mmm...smores!

Shane finally talked me into getting a new LED flatscreen. The picture is amazing!

Then we decided that we were in need of a new bed. (Ours was Shane's bed that he bought about 8-9 years ago.) The memory foam bed took some adjusting, but I love it now!

Deal of the season: Fossil Stella watch for $34! The band is aqua, maybe not the white or clear one I wanted, but when I saw that it was only $34 at Nordstrom Rack vs. the $85 at Fossil.

There are things I like about fall, like being able to make pumpkin choc. chip cookies all the time. Due to the pumpkin crop devastation last year, there is expected to be a pumpkin shortage this year. So I went a little overboard when I found big cans at Winco. I bought 3 cans and only enough to make one batch. Since one batch is half a big can, I froze the other half. (Pumpkin balance: 2 1/2 cans) Then I saw 3 big cans for $7. I don't think I will run out for a while, with 5 1/2 cans.

State Fair 2010: Delicious foot long corn dogs, ice cream, cotton candy and fried oreos, with a side of seals, booths, and stinky animals.

After the fair, we had to take my car to the Infiniti dealership. The water pump went out and it overheated. There aren't many miles on it, thanks for the cheap part Infiniti. Had we not trailered it there (didn't want to have to stop 15,000 times to let it cool), we wouldn't have found that I desperately needed new tires. But now we are as good as new!

Viva Hot Vegas!

2010-07-09T07:14:00.008-06:00

My mom had this wild idea in June that we needed to take a trip to Las Vegas. To the surprise of no one, I said ok. Well, it did take some convincing, but while sitting at work on a random Tuesday morning, I text my mom and booked a room at the Luxor. With Mom and Alli on board, we were set to have 2 nights at the pyramid with an outdoor temp of 105 degrees. It ended up being a fun weekend of sun, shopping, drinks and food.

Now, I'm not one to pass up a time to walk the strip or think its too hot. But it was HOT! Still, enjoyed it. We were able to walk through City Center across from Planet Hollywood. What is there? Another Tiffany and Co.! Can we get just one if Vegas has one in 3 hotels in a row? (That would be City Center, Bellagio and Caesars.) We enjoyed dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, really enjoying the 10 minute wait we had. The waiter commented that he heard it may be faster to drive to Vegas and eat there than wait in line at the Salt Lake location. LOL

This is the new Louis Vuitton store at City Center. The outside just looks like metal, LV stamped siding, but at night it lights up with LEDs that have their own Louis Vuitton pattern show.

Mom, Donny and Marie. She wanted to go to their show, but this is as close as it got. Sorry Mom!

Me outside of the new Tiffany and Co. It was 2 levels and had an entrance inside and outside the mall.

Alli and I outside Caesars having a random picture moment walking down the street.

The second night we had dinner at Cabo Wabo. So delish! Great drinks, great food and AWESOME patio that lets you look out over the Strip and right in front of the Bellagio fountains.

We enjoyed the pool while there. Huge deck and I ended up realizing that my fear of being in a bathing suit in public was ridiculous. No one else seemed to care and its not like I was going to see them again.

I did get some what of a tan while we were laying out the second day. It may have had something to do with the bright sun glare from the hotel that seemed to be right on me. Our room was actually facing the pool, which was better than the last time I stayed there. Shane and I had a great view of the tower next to us. :(

Mandalay Bay was next door. I'm not a huge fan of gold, but this property looks awesome in the desert sun!

Alli and I taking some time for a poolside photo shoot.

I'm such a bad influence on my sister, but who can pass up mini bottles!

Not picured, our wonderful trip to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. I got some great deals there. A Hurley dress for $15, a Rip Curl plaid shirt for $15, 2 pairs of Fossil Sunglasses for $35 and a yellow Coach scarf for $12. It looks great on my Coach purse. I would have come back with new Fossil sandals for $25 if they would have had my size. But don't worry, Park City Fossil outlet, here I come!

Stay tuned for more from our fun summer!

Its the Start of Summer!

2010-06-04T11:58:00.002-06:00

I know that the first day of Summer is really June 21st, but doesn't it feel like Memorial Day is the unofficial start? To start my Memorial Weekend, I went to see Sex and the City 2 with Sonia on Friday night. It was good, not as good as the first or the series, but good. There were definitely some hilarious lines. Saturday Shane and I went to a BBQ with my family for my cousins birthday. While we were there, Shane and my cousin Rusty were talking about Wendover....we all ended up taking a spur of the moment trip out there. We stayed overnight and came home on Sunday. I was supposed to go to Bridal Shower that day, but got sick on the way home from Wendover and was not feeling well enough to go. Monday my mom suggested that we go to the Park City Outlets. We went up there and walked around for awhile, buying a couple of shirts and just looking around. While we were at lunch, I jokingly texted Shane about a purse I saw at Coach. I asked if I found a Coach purse for $85, could I buy it? He responded with sure. After trying to call him, he finally answered and said that he wasn't joking. So back to the store we went. This purse was $358 original retail price, marked down, on clearance for 50% then I got an additional 20% off for their Memorial Day sale. I was stoked!!!!!!! I bought yellow because it is so summer and I need another black or brown purse like I need another hole in my head.

The following Wednesday I got an email about the Grand Opening of the Sephora store at Fashion Place Mall. I had marked my calendar and had been planning on going to the store once it opened. However, when I got the email it said that the first 100 customers in line would get a gift card. The amounts would vary from $10 to the lucky recipient of $500. I got up on Friday and was at the mall around 8am. I was lucky number 84! The picture below was how ridiculous the line was. Not only did it zig zag 5 times here, but then they had to start the line outside the entrance doors to the mall. As we got up to the store, there was an employee handing out the gift cards that had their amount written on them. I GOT $100!!!!!!!! I was stoked! I would have been happy with $10 because I wasn't going there for anything specific, but AWESOME!!!!

This is what I got with my card! I didn't spend all of it because it was super crowded and hot in the store. A Beauty Insider bag (free with my Grand Opening email), a bronzer sampler kit and Pink Sugar perfume.

Since we last spoke...

2010-06-01T20:17:00.009-06:00

...I found some more pictures. So here they are!

Alli and I took a goofy picture over Memorial weekend.

I went snowboarding with Alli, Shane and Jessen. Right after this, I fell backwards down the mountain and hit my head REALLY hard!

Shane got his motor rebuilt TWICE and now has his car running and ready for the track.

Buddy cut his paw in our backyard and tracked blood through the house. Isn't his bandage so cute? He acts like he can't do anything with it on.

We dug out part of our lawn and made a bigger driveway. With cement, it looks quite bigger.

I gave a day to get a Disney Day. I volunteered with others from work at Red Butte Gardens.
We cleaned flower pots and transplanted flowers.

Say cheese Jessica!!!!

Life's a Beach card.

Inside says "Those who bring sunshine to the souls of others cannot keep it from themselves."

Griffin came to visit me and Shane. He's such a happy baby!

Alli made a face.

The Tote Gote Club showed up to the Thanksgiving Point Car Show.

It made me want to go to Kanarra for the tote gote.

My Poppys started blooming.

My friend Rachael had her first child, Sophia Elle.

On Shane's birthday, I spent time with my friend Megan's son Collin. His birthday is on May 22nd too! I got him a Spud Lightyear.

I tried to take a picture of myself walking down a hallway in Wendover.

My Creative Bug!

2010-04-26T20:11:00.009-06:00

Since I haven't updated the blog in awhile, there has been a lot of stuff that has not been shared. This includes my creative itch that comes from time to time. Its almost like a rash...completely clear for a while, then BAM! and it slowly fades away. Enjoy!

Trick or Treat blocks. Sold these at work.

More blocks that I made to sell at work.

Sold these there too.

Birthday card for my mom.

Paper bouquet I made for my desk.

Get Well Card for Shane's mom.

First paper bouquet I made.

Card I made for my mom's friend. She was having twins.

Inside of "All Hand on Deck" card.

Thank you card for my mom and dad.

They let us borrow their trailer for camping.

Father's Day card for my dad.

Wedding shower bouquet. The cup was filled with

Starburst reds.

Card for Sonia and Derick.

We had a project at work to do something nice for another coworker.

My gifts were all summer themed. I gave her a popsicle set with this card.

This card went with coconut body butter.

Baby girl card for Rachael.

Its a Girl card for Rachael.

Flip flop card for my coworker. I gave her flip flops with it, of course.

Inside of the flip flop card. I found it appropriate since I LOVE flip flops.

Ahhhh.....nothing better than a nice drink in the summer.

Put this along with CapriSun.

Inside of "Ahhhh...." card.

Easter card for my parents.

Easter card for my grandparents.

New Spring blocks for my mantle.

5 Month Update...in Photo!

2010-04-11T12:23:00.006-06:00

Since we finished our bathroom, I have not thought much about posting until recently. After the bathroom we got a little lazy. Thanksgiving passed...Max Hall called me classless...I got a new laptop...made a new friend...celebrated Christmas...Shane got his first snowboard...I turned 26...went snowboarding a couple of times...started digging out grass and cement to expand our driveway...Shane started working on his car...2 motor rebuilds later, it works...after 3 years of being married, I FINALLY changed my last name to Ledbetter...not much going on in the Ledbetter house, but we are definitely ready for summer to get here so that we can enjoy the warm weather.

Shane meeting his new friend Griffin.

Griffin Bevilhymer...Congrats Derick and Sonia!

A random meteor flew over Salt Lake in the middle of the night. See the star dust that was still lingering at sunrise.

Christmas Eve spent at work was not wasted. Happy Birthday Jessica!

ITS DONE!!!!.....Our bathroom is done!

2009-11-12T23:21:00.005-07:00

This is our master bathroom. I believe that this is what the bathroom looked like when our house was originally built. Our house was built in 1987. When I think of it like that, I'm amazed that it wasn't worse. I also think that the builders had a lot of the pink laminate and light colored cabinetry while building. It is the same in this bathroom, our guest bathroom and what was in the kitchen when Shane first bought the house.

This was our shower. Your typical plastic-type wall covers with one of the heaviest bathtubs known to man. Not that we need a bathtub. I get ready at the last minute and Shane can't even fit his legs into it.

Our beautiful vintage wallpaper. I figure it is original because it was in the other bathroom when Shane got the house and was behind the toilet, cabinet and mirror. Blah!!!! This is also the wall above the toilet.

There was not a lot of storage in the bathroom, so most of my everyday things were left on the counter. It seemed very cluttered and the counter was a little low for Shane to lean over when going his hair or brushing his teeth.

The classic cabinetry. Again, just imagine this not just in another bathroom, but the whole kitchen.........

Our purple tile....it matched the wallpaper very well and I believe it is original too because the walls were drywalled on top of it.

Starting day: October 10

Shane decided to cut a big whole in the wall and put in a window. It was amazing to realize that we had been getting ready in the dark for so long.

The finished product! We replaced EVERYTHING in the bathroom except for the towels, shower curtain and rugs. Shane made the cabinet 4 inches taller and was a pretty good customer at his own work during this remodel. He bought the handles, towel/toilet paper racks, laminate from his work and even matched his own stain.

The wall was changed from a light rose color to a soft suede, which is green in some light and brown in others. It only took 3 trips to Home Depot in one hour to decide on a color.

As for the shower/tub, Shane removed the bathtub and installed a shower pan. This bathroom definitely kept him busy. He tiled it himself, made the tile shelves and installed the new shower head.

This was my touch to the bathroom. Since we decided to just use the bathroom accessories we already had, I decided to add some art. I followed along with the bamboo theme we had, bought some canvas, found our wall paint and some brown paint and cut out bamboo on vinyl with my Cricut. Then I painted the canvas to match the wall, arranged the vinyl on the canvas and painted over with the brown. When I pulled the vinyl "stencils" off, I had works of art that would make any HGTV host proud.

The new counter top, mirror, sink and fixtures. We also changed all of our fixtures and hardware out for new, antiqued bronze stuff. That included our door knobs.

The end result! I love it! Shane worked so hard and spent nearly a month completing this. My opinion was taken into consideration for a lot of the stuff, which took A LOT of patience from Shane since I am very indecisive. It is awesome to have someone that can take a vision and make it a reality living in my house. Thanks Shane!!!

I Love the 80s!

2009-10-08T23:00:00.004-06:00

Did you know I love the 80s? Not just the show, but the whole culture that existed in it. One of my favorite things about the 80s was Punky Brewster. In honor of our friend Brooke's birthday (she was born in the 80s), we had an 80s themed party.

I always wanted to be like her.

My eighties look. Bright colors, vintage 80s jewelry and I even used my very first krimper to do my hair.

My AWESOME shoes! Magenta, flat and fishnet over clear plastic.

Brooke went for the Madonna look.

The Miami Vice look. Also take note of "Better Off Dead" on the flatscreen, sneaker flats and leg warmer on the girl that is sitting.

I as well wore scarves in my hair, along with loose button ups and leggings.

Athletic in the 80s.

Shane was talked into dressing as white trash 80s. He even shaved all but his mustache off. We darkened it with mascara.

When the Sun Goes Down......

2009-10-08T22:43:00.003-06:00

Kenny Chesney was in town the day before Pioneer Day for his Sun City Carnival Tour. I went with Alli, Mom, Dad, Lydia, Aunt Betty, Andy and Amanda. It was great! This was my first Kenny concert, plus we got to see Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert as well.

Alli watching Lady A.

Alli and I in our "complementary" outfits.

Miranda Lambert

Alli, Manda and Andy

Funny fat guy dancing on the floor. It was so hot! I understand why he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Waiting for Kenny to start. There was a bit of down time because Sugarland decided not to perform as scheduled. This was before Alli and I went on our quest for beer cups.

Its a simple wine, it's summertime!

Me watching Kenny!

Kenny again.

Someone gave him a Utes hat. He looks so good in red!!!

3 is a magic number....yes it is!

2009-10-08T22:13:00.005-06:00

Shane and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary this year. Somehow, and not by my pestering, Shane recommended going to Vegas again. We did a couple of different things that we haven't done in Vegas before and stayed there for the whole weekend. It rained while we there so we were able to enjoy the view that our room had to offer. We stayed at New York New York with a strip view room. I finally got to see the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, something I have never done in the many times that I have been there. (Shane was expecting a little more from the sign.)

I was being a dork trying to take my picture with the view.

Our room was in the Empire State Building.

This was the view from our room.

We also took advantage of the entertainment at New York New York. It is home to the Cirque Du Soleil show Zumanity. I have been wanting to see a show forever and Shane was curious to see what it was. The show was amazing and set in a very "intimate" setting. Most of the humor was crude and inappropriate, but the show was AWESOME!!!!! I highly recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor and that appreciates the performing arts. Be warned...there is nudity and a full fledged DRAG QUEEN! LOVED IT!!! I want to plan another trip to just get away and play.

When you wish upon a star...

2009-08-15T15:43:00.001-06:00

I wish they sold a license plate frame that says "My other home is a castle." I would so buy it. Seriously think that I could live in Disneyland, no problem. I went with my family to Disneyland back in June for my cousin's graduation and sister's birthday. We had tons of fun. Shane did not join us on this vacation, mainly because he doesn't care for Disneyland. Have you ever heard of such a thing?!?!? I am hoping to make it back there in October with my sister. We'll see. It was nice having time away from Shane, but I kept wishing he were there. We went to Santa Monica Pier and the beach. All in all, it was relaxing, fun and well worth it.

Me in front of the entrance to Club 33. I actually saw someone going in the secret door before I took this picture. For those of you who don't know, Club 33 is an exclusive members club that has something like a 15 year waiting list. It was created to accommodate celebrities and dignitaries when Walt was alive. It is also the only place in Disneyland that serves alcohol. Going in there is on my bucket list.

Aunt Betty, Lydia, Breanna, Alli and I in line for Soarin' Over California. We were waiting because one of the two rooms stopped working. It was quite a wait.

Alli and I with Sully, Mike and Boo.

Alli thought this picture was funny. Not only were we making funny faces, but my boobs look like they actually exist.

Map of the future expansion that will be done to California Adventure. Right now they are redoing the lake between the Golden State area and Paradise Pier.

I am excited to go back and check out Cars Land when it is done. Think I might need to take Shane along on that trip.

We decided to ride the Mad Tea Cups because it had a shorter line than the other rides around. I don't think that we have been on them since one of the first trips we took to Disneyland. Alli took this picture of me spinning in our cup.

And I took a picture of her spinning in the cup. We got going pretty fast.

Waiting for the Electrical Parade to start with Alli. You may not be able to buy alcohol in Disneyland, but they serve wine and beer in California Adventure. Sat on the sidewalk with my dad and drank Hefeweisen. I didn't get ID'd for my beer, but my dad paid for me. When I looked at the receipt, it said "appeared over 40." I hope the lady meant my dad....

We went to Santa Monica on Sunday. The weather ended up being perfect. We parked in one of the lots and walked to the Pier. Alli and I went all out with the beach pictures.

Me sitting on the beach. I didn't take my swimming suit, but I also didn't think that the day was going to be so nice.

Alli posing on the beach, again.

Alli, me, Lydia and Breanna in Santa Monica.

My mom at the Santa Monica Pier.

Me in front of the famous Santa Monica Pier sign. I was so psyched!

We walked from the pier to the Third Street Promenade. It would be awesome to work that close to the beach. We made a stop at AE and I could NOT leave without getting some Pinkberry after I saw it! It was SO yummy! We need one in Utah.

After a long day at the beach, we went back to Anahiem. This is Alli and I at the Cheesecake Factory for her early birthday dinner.

Alli, me, Breanna and Lydia with our waiter.

I left to go use the restroom, but accidently left my camera on top of the table.

Mom and Dad at dinner.

Our family at dinner. We kept trying to get the attention of the guy on the other side of the window. We named him Dick Cheney. After this picture, he started waving back to us and even came out after his meal. It ended up that he and his wife are from Bountiful.

The Birthday Girl before going into the park. We made her wear a tiara and a sash that says Birthday Princess. Everyone kept telling her Happy Birthday in the park.

Me on the plane home after taking off from the Long Beach Airport.

I can't wait to go back!!!! As a side note...I never want to fly to LAX or on Delta after flying with JetBlue to LGB. Such an experience.

It's a Small Disney World

2009-06-17T20:43:00.006-06:00

During my most recent visit to Disneyland, I had to ride It's a Small World. I know that its not the most thrilling, interesting ride there, but it always reminds me about being a little kid. I had heard that the ride had been closed for a while to work on the canal and spruce things up a little. Can you blame them? This ride has been around for quite some time. I didn't really notice a smoother ride, or less dust on the dolls, but I did happen to notice some new additions....

Cinderella and her mice friends.

Aladdin and Jasmine on the magic carpet.

Simba and Pumbaa.

The Three Amigos, probably the only Disney cartoon I haven't seen.

Jessie playing her guitar...

Followed by her friends Woody and Bullseye.

Ariel wanted to Part of a "Small" World with her friend Flounder.

I also found Nemo and Dori.

They were hanging out across from Lilo and Stitch.

I had to add the hula girls because they are so cute!

Alli had to take a picture of the "Alli"gator.

The weather was great. A little cloudy, but great.

I'm still working on a post with all the other pictures.

Stay tuned, but I hope this entertained you.

Creating with Cricut

2009-05-31T00:17:00.008-06:00

I'm not totally into scrapbooking, mainly because I don't have either the time or the patience to do it. Crafting and card making, on the other hand, are hobbies that I have started doing. If you follow my blog, you have seen blocks and cards that I have made. Recently my mom asked "if I buy the stuff, will you make me a bunch of cards?" Being the nice daughter that I am, I agreed to. We will call it The Mom Collection. Below are some of my latest creations. The idea for matching the envelope to the card came from a set of Christmas cards that I bought from Costco one year. It just gives them a more custom touch. Feel free to, as they call it, scrap-lift any of the ideas.

Mother's Day card. I made two, of course, for both my mom and Shane's mom. The card is glittery.

Can't forget about Grandma.

Shane's birthday card. I had to make him a special one since he puts up with the mess I make all the time.

Can't forget about my latest blocks. I bought this cartridge that is so me called "Life's a Beach." Summer, here I come.

Graduation Card, The Mom Collection.

Quote on the inside: "And in the end, its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years."-Abraham Lincoln

Baby shower card for a girl, The Mom Collection.

Another Baby Girl Shower card from The Mom Collection.

My cousin Lydia is graduating this year from Copper Hills High School. I made this card for The Mom Collection.

Quote on the inside is actually her Class Quote from her Grad Announcement.

Baby Boy shower card from The Mom Collection.

Another baby boy card from The Mom Collection.

Bridal Shower card, The Mom Collection.

My mom thought this was a wedding card, but when I put "bride" on the outside I was making it as a shower card. The Mom Collection.

Wedding card, The Mom Collection.

Wedding Card, The Mom Collection.

Same wedding card. The front of the card barely covers "Walk Down The Aisle" which is the inside detail. The Mom Collection.

Birthday Card, The Mom Collection.

Another birthday card from The Mom Collection.

Inside detail of the "Relax" birthday card, The Mom Collection.

Balloon birthday card, The Mom Collection.

Thank You card, The Mom Collection.

Another Thank You card from The Mom Collection.

Graduation card for Lydia from us.

It also happened to be her birthday too. I didn't have a small clothing box, so I made one out of a box lid.

Close up of the charm detail on the gift.

Lydia's birthday card from us.

This is not the finished product for her graduation gift, but the main layout of the card.

All of the shapes, letters and sayings on the cards are from Cricut cartridges. I used the George Basic Shapes and Letters, Stretch Your Imagination, Doodletype and Life is a Beach.

Miller Motorsports Park

2009-05-30T23:35:00.006-06:00

For Christmas Shane's parents gave us tickets to the 2009 LeMans Race on May 16th. Most of his extended family got tickets for the event on the same day. This was my first time to MMP, but Shane had been there last year. I had no idea how big the park was. It is 4 times the size of Disneyland, according to their website. I tried to get pictures of the cars as they passed on the track, but they were going so fast that it was hard to get a picture at the right moment. The day was amazing too. We were there for about 5 hours and there was just a slight breeze. Needless to say, Shane and I both got some sun. Shane got raccoon eyes from his glasses. My tan didn't start peeling until this past Wednesday. It was a good start to the summer. Except for the fact that we spent the night before at Rocky Mountain Raceway, so it ended up being a race-filled weekend. Check out the pics below.

One of the screens the have showing the race. The track is too big to see it all at once.

Actually got a picture of a car. This was a nearly 180 degree turn after the main straight-away.

Most of the day was spent watching the race at the West end of the park.

Shane watching the track. Of course, he wouldn't look at the camera.

Stunna shades.....me at Miller Motorsports Park.

You can walk through the Paddock where all of the teams are

working on their cars. One of the sponsors was Cooper Tires.

I had no interest in being in this picture. It was supposed

to just be Shane, but the girls kept talking to me until

I got in the picture. They are the Cooper Tires girls.

I still wonder how you get those jobs.

While walking through the Paddock, a rep from the VW team invited

us to have waffles and ice cream with some of the other people from

VW. I had to take a picture of the waffles.

VW was there because some of the drivers were qualifying for the Jetta TDI cup.

They were able to split the track into 2 separate courses, so there

were different qualifying races at the same time.

In the Paddock the cars drive right by you.

These cars were amazing to see close up.

Last race we watched. The drivers were all lined up in the Paddock.

Combined with the heat, the temperature of their cars and the gear they

have to wear, they can get hot quick. They all had cute little umbrellas.

Where was the tea and crumpets?

Same cars from the last picture, but now on the track. The pace car was a BMW.

There were a lot of turns on the course, but this was the longest straight shot.

Moab 2009

2009-05-08T23:36:00.006-06:00

This was my third trip to Moab which means that Shane and I have been married for almost 3 years now. It was lots of fun, much warmer than last year and more relaxing, especially since we didn't ride the bike down. The picture above is from a drive we took along the Colorado River. We even stopped at a Bouder Garden where you could attempt to climb these big rocks that have fallen off the side of the mountains. I have to say that it is always refreshing to see red rocks and get red sand between my toes. Shane didn't enter his car in the car show. It was just there to cruise around in and enjoy since it is running nicely now. We did attend the car show Saturday morning. Sometimes it feels like you see the same old cars over and over again the more shows you go to. There were a couple that we had not seen. The one I wanted to take home Shane didn't take a picture of (and I forgot my camera), but there was a Nissan GTR there. That's the car I'll probably never get. He did however get a shot of the other one I wanted. The Bronco below was BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved the color, the look, EVERYTHING! Now if only I could talk Shane into it.......

We also went along with some of our friends who wanted to go crawl the Poison Spider trail in their Jeep Cherokees. So Shane and I jumped into Derick's new truck and followed along. Thanks to Jon's mom who happened to remember her camera and got pictures of us crawling. Not only did we go crawling in Derick's truck (scary!) but it just so happened that the three of us had our RC Crawlers there. We had a blast until big, black rain clouds started rolling towards us fast so we had to get off the side of the slick rock mountains before we got caught in a flash flood. The trip was a blast and I can't wait to go again.....when its maybe a little warmer.

Shane's crawler at Poison Spider

Trying to figure out why it wasn't working. Everyone stopped to watch us.

My crawler is the blue one. Derick is in the top left.

Me and my crawler. I couldn't tell if I was getting a tan or just dirty.

Derick crawling up the first tough patch. The person in the back seat would be me.

It kind of looks like this picure was taken above the trail, but we actually had to climb that rock wall in the truck. The other side has quite a drop.

We made it! Thanks to Shane for being the spotter.

I crawled the Poison Spider trail and Potato Salad Hill.

My New Crawler!

2009-04-14T19:24:00.004-06:00

So you have seen pics of Shane's crawler. But who do you think just went along for the ride to take those pictures? ME! And I have to admit it got really boring just watching the guys crawl while I tried to find things to take pictures of. That is why I now have my own crawler! It is smaller than Shane's, but still crawls great. They even have Mini Crawler Competitions for this little thing. I like it! Its pretty, blue and cute. Now I just need to get my own body to paint. And some cooler stickers. After one week of having it I figured that I would need to upgrade the wheels and tires. I changed out the shocks the day after I got it. And the guy that we bought it from gave me two extra bodies. Check out the pics below. I will definitely be taking this to Moab to crawl next weekend. I'll post more pics as I take them!

Mini Losi Crawler. Pretty much stock, except for the black beadlocks on the wheels.

Crawling the Stairs.

New shocks! Made the body stand higher.

New wheels, beadlocks and tires. Black chrome wheels, sweet.

New look of the crawler.

One of the bodies that came with the mini. I need to figure out how to make it work for tire clearance.....and I need to clip it to the chassis.

UtAh JaZz!

2009-04-14T19:05:00.003-06:00

My parents invited us to the Jazz game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 3rd. Our seats may not have been the closest, but we were surrounded by some of the friendliest people. See, the thing is, we got tickets to the game because my dad had been at the Utah Funeral Directors Association Convention at Energy Solutions Arena that week and all of the attendees were given tickets. It was a good game, but the Jazz ended up losing by one. They didn't really start playing until the last half of the game. But at least I wasn't sitting at home watching movies on demand.

The view from the banquet rooms at Energy Solutions Arena.

Mom and Dad at the game.

View from our seats, but I could still tell who was who.

Shane wouldn't let me take his picture, surprise!

Mmmm.......Korver!

My....I mean, OUR New Car!

2009-02-21T18:11:00.002-07:00

Here it is! I mentioned in my last post that I got a new car and said that I would post some pictures. Well this is the best one I have so far. It's a 2005 Infiniti G35 with the sport package. We absolutely love it! Xenon headlights, sunroof, leather seats with seat warmers, Bose sound system, DVD-rom Navigation, Adaptive Shift Control (automatic & manual shift option) and only 31,500 miles! I have to admit that my favorite part is the sunroof, but I also enjoy that it is faster than any other car I have driven. I'm still trying to get used to the power I get when I press the gas. This car is exactly what we were looking for! Thankfully the government gave us back enough money that we could pay off Shane's motorcycle, or else we wouldn't have even been able to start looking for a car. Now that we have a new car, I think a feel a couple of road trips around the corner.......

HaPpY VaLeNtiNe'S dAy!

2009-02-15T21:33:00.003-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! But you don't have to have one day a year to celebrate LOVE. It should be celebrated everyday, between lovers, friends and family. Celebrate it with a hug, a kiss, "I Love You"s and even a simple smile. Let your cat rub his face against yours, let your dog cuddle with you while you blog and let your husband take your new car to work on your days off. And some may feel that Valentine's Day is just commercial, but it gives us a chance to give others tokens of our love. Tokens may be a kiss, a rose, chocolates, romantic gifts, time spent together, dinner or even something bought that your other wouldn't spend time on for themselves. This year I was feeling the excitement of celebrating love more than in the past. Don't get me wrong, I love to love Shane all year long, but this year I was just extra excited. I could not think of anything for Shane. I ended up at the mall with my mom and bought him some shirts. Figured he could use some. The night before he confirmed my choice of gift, because he didn't "have any shirts to wear. These are all old!" What did I get? On Tuesday morning during our morning ritual of getting ready while still waking up, Shane asked what I wanted for Valentine's. "A big hug and a BIG, FAT kiss!" Well, Shane said he couldn't find a big Hershey's Kiss at the store, but he gave me some Hershey's Hugs, along with some other delicious chocolates. The other thing I wanted to do was spend the day together, but that was a given. We drove to Bountiful to "just look" at a car and by 6pm on Feb. 14th, the car was ours! My Valentine's present was a new car! Not just a new car, but a 2005 Infiniti G35 with everything we had been looking for and more. So it may not be brand NEW, but it is new to us. I LOVE IT!!!!!!! And *I LOVe ShANe!* I will post pictures of my new gem once I get to taking some pictures. We've just enjoyed driving it too much to stop and take pictures. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all that love, believe in love and live with love!

Boys and their Toys

2009-01-30T16:22:00.005-07:00

Since Shane painted his car last spring, he has needed something to occupy his time. He found that in the form of a remote-controlled Rock Crawler. Apparently there is a whole RC Crawler realm in this world and he has become a dabbler in the art. His little hobby doesn't come with a matching budget. But he really enjoys being able to work on it, tweak it and try it out on the rocks. Now he has 2 different bodies for the chasis, one is a VW Bug and the other is a Jeep Wrangler. Both have their unique qualities. The Bug body is more for hard core crawling and helps keep things from getting damaged because it just rolls back onto the wheels when flipped.
The Jeep looks a little more to scale and is really just for fun and looks. Shane's favorite place to climb is out at Black Rock on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. It's a popular spot too. They even hold crawling competitions out there. I have kind of enjoyed watching him crawl and want to get my own in the future. Shane said that he will take me to Moab for the day during Jeep Safari since I have never been and so we can watch the real crawlers do the same thing on a bigger scale.

Crawling in the Jeep.

Bug body at Black Rock.

More crawling at Black Rock.

Shane's Jeep and Derick's Bronco.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-01-30T16:13:00.002-07:00

I celebrated my 25th birthday earlier this week. Went to dinner with my parent's and Shane, took half the day off of work and got a present that is so me. Thanks Shane! A girl can never have too much Tiffany and Co.

Can't Hardly Wait!

2009-01-24T22:54:00.002-07:00

June 12, 2009

Fast and Furious Trailer

2009-01-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

2009 Movies We're Ready For

2009-01-19T15:26:00.003-07:00

Shane can't wait for the 4th The Fast and the Furious movie. "Fast and Furious" comes out on April 3, 2009. New model, original parts, which means that I will be with Shane when he goes to see it. Paul Walker will be on the big screen, so you know you can count me in.

Also coming out this year is Transformers 2:Revenge of the Fallen. If you know me well enough, when I really like a movie, I will watch it all the way through the credits for a little hope that something will follow. At the end of Transformers, Starscream leaves Earth and you know that something is up. Sam and Mikayla are back with some new friends, including Bumblebee, which I'm sure will boost sales of the new Camero if it comes out when GMC has it scheduled. 5 months after my birthday, you will find me at the theater. Mark your calendars for June 26 to go see it yourself. And don't forget to catch the first release of the trailer during the Superbowl. I vow not to leave my seat until I see it.

When Ashley gets bored...

2009-01-19T14:52:00.003-07:00

After Christmas is over, my shopping is done and the hustle and bustle of the Holidays is gone, the month of January always feels like life is moving in slow motion. Even without working retail this holiday, I still got that feeling right after New Years. Lucky for me, I got a Cricut for Christmas! It has definitely given me something to do when I can't think of anything else. I just go sit in the guest room and make a huge mess of all my craft stuff.
To start with, I got my Cricut the weekend before Christmas, so I made tags for all the presents and Christmas cards for everyone at work. But then what........

...Hmm....Vinyl lettering. I realize that it has been a trend long before I thought of it, but I have never been able to find a saying I like or where to put it for that matter. This was the first thing I did. It is in our living room.

I own a couple different sets of block letters, but now I can make my own. Shane even got in on this too. He went to Lowe's with me to buy the wood, he cut the blocks for me, sanded them and painted them. And that was all without me having to ask him! (I know it was just because he knew that it would take me some time to do it.) I made this set for Valentine's Day. I also made some letters for my mom to put in her laundry room.

I made more than just this one month, but I made monthly calendars for work to sit on my desk. I couldn't decide what kind of calendar to get, so I just made my own. Have you seen the infomercial for the Cricut lately? There is a lady that is just so excited about making her yearly calendar all with her Cricut. I was making fun of her when Shane and I saw the infomercial one day and that night, Shane was the one making fun of me.

More blocks! I'm really going to find more storage space for all my holiday stuff if I keep doing this. But there are so many options out there of things that can be decorated with vinyl. My parents gave us some patio chairs that I was looking at last year. They're white. Maybe........

Most think that I am a scrapbooker, but the fact is that I procrastinate so much that my scrapbooking never gets done. I do however have a passion for card making. Cards are simply a way to share a smile. I made this for one of the girls at work.

And just like blocks, there are so many options for making cards. You could simply make a card just to say hi. My aunt's birthday was Jan. 18th, so Aunt Betty, if you are reading this, it is in the mail. Shane has watched me use the Cricut so much that maybe he'll make me a card for my birthday. I can always imagine, right?

Shredding the Mountain!

2009-01-13T19:53:00.009-07:00

Merry Christmas to Shane and I. This year for our Christmas present, my sister Alli, made up fake lift passes for us good for a Day Pass at Brighton Resort and snowboarding lessons. We all headed up there on January 11th so that we could experience the rush of flying down the mountain. I have skiied before, but the only snow sport Shane had ever done was sledding. He did amazing and I was impressed with how quickly he caught on. Me on the other hand.....let's just say that I have a really nice sister to follow me down the Bunny Hill for 20-25 minutes on my first run. It's the hill in the above picture if you have never been there. Little kids were passing me left and right quite a few times, and that was after I figured out how to stand on the board. I envy little kids for how fearless they are. Shane was doing so well that he got back on the lift and made it to the bottom before I completed my first run. Sorry Shane! Anyway, we were getting back on the lift and my parents had shown up to take pictures of us. Thanks Mom and Dad! My second run started better than the first. It was the only run the whole day that I didn't fall getting off the lift. But then I started down the hill and flipped over like 3 times in one fall. I actually heard someone from the lift above ask if I was okay. Never the less, I got back up and kept on going. It was tons of fun and both Shane and I were starting to finally get a hang of it. Before lunch, Shane went with Alli on the next biggest run. After that, he stuck to the bunny hill with me to get a little more experience. Snowboarding is definitely something that we will be doing again in the near future and it was all thanks to Alli for the gift that she knew we would enjoy.

Alli, me and Shane outside the lodge.

Alli and I

Next to us, Alli looked like an Olympic Gold Medalist.

It may look like I was doing okay, but that was just before one of my many falls.

Alli again. A little girl told her she liked all her pink.

Waiting in line for the lift.

Look at Shane go.

My nice sister taking a break with me.

Shane on the lift by himself.

.......And we were only sore for about 2 days after. I got a huge bruise on the back of my knee and both of my knees were swollen. Shane slept like a baby for the following 3 days.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

2009-01-03T20:30:00.007-07:00

Nighttime view from our Vegas hotel room.

Max enjoyed supervising the building of our new patio awning this summer.

Buddy dressed up for Halloween!

Shane's new paint job!

Alli and Mom at Race for the Cure 2008

Alli and I at Race for the Cure 2008

Biker Shane at Balanced Rock in Arches National Park

Here I am going along for the ride in Arches.

Alli and Cimara on Christmas Eve

My office put together and decorated this tree for Festival of the Trees.

It was a 50's sock hop theme.

The court at the Jazz Season opener against the Denver Nuggets.

Shane's rock crawler

Auld Lang Syne

2009-01-03T20:27:00.002-07:00

As the year comes to a close, I thought that it would be the perfect time to review memories of the year. After 5 years at American Eagle as my main job (3 of those as manager), I found myself at a crossroads. I had the chance to move up in the company or start a whole new career. I quit my full-time job at AE and started my job with the State of Utah working for the Department of Workforce Services as an employment counselor. There was a ton of new stuff to learn, but almost a year later, I think I have started getting the hang of it. I turned 24 this year and Shane turned 26. Our ages are getting older, but I don't think that either one of us feels any older that we were when we first got married. We celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary this year with a trip to Las Vegas. I know Shane must really love me if he is willing to spend a weekend in the Vegas heat. The city wasn't that bad, but even I thought that I was going to melt when we were at the Hoover Dam. I started Jazzercise in March. For those of you who don't know, Jazzercise is totally different than what you would think. There are no leotards, brightly colored tights with leg warmers or headbands. I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I couldn't keep up with the older ladies in my class. My mom and I both go to the same class and it has been nice spending time with her and having her there to encourage me to keep going. I had hoped to be in better shape by the time we went to Moab, but there was no need for that. It was cold, total opposite of what we experienced in Vegas. We were stuck in pants and most of the time sweatshirts. To make matters worse, we rode the motorcycle down and didn't really have a vehicle to drive around. But we toughed it out and went to Arches National Park while we were down there. It is amazing to see what the earth can create. We saw Delicate Arch but didn't hike up to it. Maybe when its warmer and I'm not dressed for riding the bike. When we got home, I starting feeling like I had a cold with a really bad cough. Nope, just pneumonia. For a month it was hard to breath, let alone workout. I got past that and still feel that wheezy feeling in my chest. But life goes on! I walked in Race for the Cure with my mom, sister and other Jazzercisers about a week after finding out that I had pneumonia. It made feel good to be out supporting a cause that effects so many women. We spent Father's Day in Wendover like every other year, but this year Alli's 21st birthday fell on Father's Day so she got to be out there with us. Both of our families planned camping trips in August. My mom's uncle has a cabin up at Strawberry Reservoir and we spent a weekend up there enjoying the solitude. Labor Day weekend we took Buddy on his 2nd camping trip with Shane's family to Potter's Pond. If you didn't know, the first time we took Buddy camping we went for one night and it was a good thing. He didn't go to the bathroom once. Shane and I were worrying about the second trip because we were staying for 2 nights. I was so happy when he ran up to tree when we first got there and peed. Sad, but true. He enjoyed himself that weekend and slept the whole way home. Shane bought a remote control rock crawler. It's his new toy. He has been bored since it has started snowing because he can't go crawling as much. The Bird got a face lift this year too. Shane worked hard on the body work and painting the car and it turned out great. He finished it in time to take it to the Wendover car show. Now he wants to paint the motorcycle. We went to lots of weddings this summer. It made me happy that ours had come and past. It still doesn't feel like two years though. Shane got tickets from his work to go to the Jazz Season Opener against the Denver Nuggets. It was a great game. With the way the economy went, both of us weren't laid off. Shane feels pretty secure with his job and I have almost passed probation at mine. This year, we had Thanksgiving at our house with Shane's family. I had never roasted a turkey in my life, or even watched someone do it, but ours turned out okay. It made a good end to the year. We spent Christmas with our families and ended the year together.
We've had a lot change in a year and are looking forward to making 2009 even more memorable.

Dam it!

2008-12-15T22:06:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-12T10:54:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-12-10T10:30:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-11-17T21:42:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-09-05T15:32:00.014-06:00

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

2008-09-05T14:56:00.006-06:00

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!

2008-08-27T21:00:00.002-06:00

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!

2008-06-17T10:13:00.003-06:00

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

2008-06-11T11:50:00.003-06:00

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

2008-06-11T11:29:00.006-06:00

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

2008-06-10T20:49:00.003-06:00

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

2008-06-05T11:20:00.008-06:00

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!!!

Kacey's Flowers

2008-06-05T11:09:00.004-06:00

I never really know why I carry my camera with me everywhere. However, while I was at Kacey's house I noticed some flowers in a vase...........so here are those pics.

The Boobie Race!

2008-05-05T11:44:00.009-06:00

May 10th is the date for the Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. My mom, my sister and I will be walking with Team Jazzercise. We as a team are doing it for the ladies! I have been doing Jazzercise since the end of February and truly believe that it is the reason I have not gained as much weight from sitting on my butt all day at work. It's great if you like to move, not-repetitious exercise and have fun. If you are available on the day of the race, come up and support all the people that are fighting breast cancer. The race will start and end at the north end of the Gateway. This is my first experience involved with the race, but I have seen year after year of working at the Gateway how many people are taking a stand against breast cancer and participate in the event. For info on the Race: www.komenslc.org

Moab

2008-05-05T11:01:00.008-06:00

We got back from Moab last Sunday, I have just been too busy to post our trip. It was a well-needed vacay. Not long enough to be a full-fledged vacation, but just enough for my sanity. We rode the bike there. I'm sure you're thinking, WOW! How much fun!, but just think about how much fun you would have on the back of a motorcycle driving through Spanish Fork Canyon in 65 degree weather (which felt like 30) for 4 hours. Luckily I had my iPod so I got to sing all the way there. The weather across the weekend was okay, granted the only thing that got any sun was my face. We went to Arches National Park on Saturday for a couple of hours. The farther in you drive, the more amazing things you see. I wish that we wouldn't have been dressed to ride the bike. The hiking looked amazing. Next year I want to hike up to Delicate Arch. Besides the cool weather and sore butt, the weekend was fun. I'm already excited for the trip next year. Mainly because Shane said that we are taking the car. I'll have a nice cushy seat and can watch movies on the way there. Take a look at the pictures I posted. I'll post more as I get more.
What I call "Beach Blanket Chic." This is what Shane says our Old Navy truck could look like.
Coolest little car ever! It's called an Isetta by VW. Don't you think it looks like a baby bug?
Here are the bikes in Arches. Left to Right: Mike (Jon's brother), Derick, Jon and ours.
Balancing Rock in Arches. This is what it looked like from far away.

I had to stand underneath the rock to show you the amazing balancing act going on.
I made Shane stand at the base of the formation just to show how big it really is.

Here is Delicate Arch from a viewpoint. It was do far away I had to use the digital zoom on my camera. The little dots to the left of the Arch are people that hiked the trail up there.

This arch is called Skyline Arch. I figured what would pictures from Arches be without pictures of Arches.

Look at all the cars lining the road. They were all there to hike into Devil's Garden. Say "hi" Derick!

Happy Cubicle Day!

2008-04-28T10:26:00.004-06:00

To all that sit in a cubicle day in and day out, today is the day to celebrate your space! It is National Cubicle Day. In the festive spirit of this wonderful day I have posted pictures below of what has become my home away from home.

This is the general overview of my cubicle from the entrance. The brightness is from the picture windows that line the walls.

My view from my seat every single day. If you notice, I have my water, phone, hand sanitizer and pens in close reach from my computer.

A look at the view when I talk to my clients. They sit in the chairs across from me while I play with the mouse.

And finally my little personal area. Aren't I so cool with my five pictures and Cars magnets?

Anticipation

2008-04-15T15:52:00.003-06:00

I am now counting the days til I finally go on somewhat of a vacation. Instead of sitting on my butt at work, I will be sitting on my butt on a bike. Hopefully it will be warm and sunny, so that I can work on my color. One of the things I am wanting to do it check out Arches. These are the arches I really want to see..... But it's comforting to know that there is a set of these arches in Moab.

Because I Can't Get Enough Of Them

2008-04-14T12:54:00.005-06:00

These are the flowers that have bloomed in my front yard. I couldn't help but take more pictures to share.

I like M&Ms!

2008-04-09T16:47:00.002-06:00

I like M&Ms. That is not a secret. Everyone that knows me knows that. And how can you not like M&Ms. Shane found a tall jar in our pantry and told me to "take it to work and m&ms in it or something." So......I did. I think I almost got a headache from the smell they were giving off. Below is a picture of the end result. Now I want more m&ms to eat. The sacrifices we make.

More Spring Flowers

2008-04-09T16:41:00.003-06:00

Here are some more pictures from my yard. I'm starting to see some color in the yard.

Blog Correction

2008-04-09T14:50:00.002-06:00

I was informed that I didn't give credit to someone that deserved it. The tshirt that was made for Cimara declaring her a big sister and a princess was also made by my dad. So my mom, my dad and Alli were all involved in creating her adorable tshirt. Sorry Dad!

NCAA Final Four

2008-04-08T11:54:00.004-06:00

Shane has been getting into the NBA over the past couple of years, but neither one of us keeps up with college basketball. I like to read up on teams and games every so often. Kansas beat Memphis in the final game on Monday. Even though they didn't make it to the finals, UNC played against the winning team in the Final Four. UNC had 36 wins during the season and lost to Kansas by 18 points. At least there's always next year. Great season Tarheels!

Spring Flowers

2008-04-08T08:55:00.003-06:00

My flowers have begun blooming, so I decided to take a picture of them before the summer gets here. They look great and happy when the rest of my yard is still trying to wake up from winter. But as soon as my grass is green and the leaves are back on the trees, they turn brown and hibernate until the next spring.

There was a breeze when I took this one. It looks a little like the flower is waving.

How to Make Beer

2008-04-06T08:44:00.007-06:00

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." --Benjamin Franklin

My husband, our friends and I decided that at this point in our lives, true enjoyment of beer will come with patience and knowledge. We have decided to make beer. We have been through this process once before, and recognized our need and desire for some good, homemade beer once again. I knew that there were many steps to making beer, but never realized how technical it would be. Here is a photo journal of what we have done so far:

We started by deciding how to bottle up our beer. 48 glass bottles and 24 plastic, just so we can see the if there is a difference in the taste.

First you boil water and a syrup made of molasses together. Then add cheesecloth bags of barley and hops to the mixture and let them soak for 45 minutes.

Now you need to cool the "beer mix" down from around 155 degrees to 70 degrees while stirring. When making beer, you can only used metal utinsils because plastic is too pourous and hard to keep completely sanitize.

After the liquid is cooled to the right temperature, you pour it into your fermentation barrel (aka: the Ale Pail) while straining any chunks of hops and barely from getting in your ale. You must stir again to help the "head" (foam that is created when pouring kinda like fizz from a Coke) mix in with the rest of the liquid.

And then you do some more cooling. This is to make it the right temperature for the next step.

Now you add the yeast. Yeast when it is boiled with water looks like a foamy light brown mixture. It is also what makes beer, beer. When you talk about fermentation, that is the key ingredient. No yeast, no beer.

Now you shake it. Of course the guys get to do this because there is no way that I could lift that bucket full of liquid.

If there is no vent for gases from the fermentation process to escape, in couple of weeks you could have a stinky, warm liquid all over your house. That's what the black dot that Shane's thumb is covering is for.

This little shiny thing sticking out of the barrel is to let the gases out and not let anything else back in. At this point you put the barrel in a warm, dark place and let it ferment for about 3 weeks. Stay tuned for more about our beer.

My Summer Blockbusters

2008-04-03T13:10:00.003-06:00

Summer is the time to have fun in the sun, hang out with friends, and......get out of the summer heat by visiting your local theater. One of my favorite things to do during the summer is go to the Redwood Drive-In. I thought that I would list the movies that I am looking forward to this summer.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Comes out on Shane's birthday, but definitely on the top of my list.

Wall-E

(Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class)

It hits theaters 6/27. How could you not fall in love with him?

DWS is the Best....YES! YES! YES!

2008-04-03T11:58:00.002-06:00

I have been working for the Department of Workforce Services now for 3 months and I'm starting to enjoy it. Training lasted for 6 weeks and now I am in the office getting my own caseload. After all of the stressing, I realize now that I like the new challenges that I face with this job. When you hear stories from other's lives, it makes you appreciate everything you have. And having the weekends off isn't so bad either. Now with my nights off, I am getting into working out and enjoying time with Shane. I never realized how much the state helps people. DWS is the best...that's what we say...yes, yes, yes.

Just Us Girls

2008-04-03T11:48:00.006-06:00

Well, ChyAnn finally had Ryker and my mom was SO excited that she would get to watch Cimara for a day. She's such a little cutie and is excited to be a big sister. On our way up to the hospital she was renaming people in my family with princess names. My mom and sister made her a tshirt that said "I'm the big sister and the princess." I hope Rusty and ChyAnn enjoy having a little princess and prince in their family.

Me and Mara at the hospital. Our eyes are the same color.

We are so cool with our napkins.

Finally Bloggin'

2008-04-03T11:45:00.002-06:00

Here we are! Just like my myspace, I have finally jumped on the blogging wagon. I will try to update as much as possible. Maybe this will make our mundane lives seem more interesting.