Paintball Weekend

My adorable husband has the silliest hobby....he paintballs. It's really not that silly, it's very manly, aggressive and hardcore...but it's a little silly. He loves to talk to me about paintball 24/7 and even though I often complain, I love it. I think he looks like a total babe when he is in his paintball gear, but only if he has some facial hair. Either way, Eric had a paintball tournament last weekend and it was a lot of fun sitting in the terrible weather watching him! He played SO GOOD and is the best at paintball. He just recently got a new wicked sweet gun that looks really cool and he tells me it's the best. I love to see him happy, and paintball is a great hobby for him! I love to see the excitement on his face when he talks about it to me, and he works hard at it. His team took 1st place in the tournament. WOOT WOOT! Check out these awesome pictures of Eric..

Proof he is a mega babe when playing paintball(;

xo. Ashley

UPDATES

Okay people, I have been a terrible blogger. I have been SO busy, and since school got out, I haven't touched my laptop, and refused to blog via phone. Life lately...

1. I started summer school....which I hate because it's a math class!
2. Eric got a 3.9 GPA! GO BABES!
3. Eric started summer school...YUCK.
4. My adorable niece came into town, as well as my sister in law and that was SO MUCH FUN! Eric and I took Bailey on a date while she was here and we bought her a birthday present, got dinner and a sonic slush! It was a lot of fun! We also had a good time jumping on the tramp, laughing, running around and eating!
5. I went to the zoo with Bailey, Finn, Kell and Curtis! It was a lot of fun!(:
6. I got to spend the saturday before Mothers Day with Susan and Shel, shopping at city creek and that was a lot of fun!
7. We went up to Park City for Mothers Day and stayed over night at Stein Eriksen, and enjoyed a nice suite, brunch and wonderful family time! My older brother Curtis hooked us up big time because he is the assistant pastry chef up there, which means he's amazing.
8. We also went bowling for Bailey's birthday party while they were in town and Curtis made an amazing creme brûlée cake with fresh berries....I was in heaven!
9. My little sister is graduating high school this year, so we had a graduation party for her! She is growing up too fast!
10. I can't remember all the rest that has happened but hopefully I am better at blogging this week!!!

Updates on us!

Here is a quick update on what we've been up to lately! 

Last week was my last week of spring semester and I am happy to share that I received a 4.0 in my first semester of the Elementary Education program! This is a very exciting thing for me because I have never received a 4.0 and to get it in my program, well I guess I chose the right major! It is exciting and I worked really hard to get it so I am happy! 

Eric has finals this week and has been studying like crazy! I am trying not to bug him to much and complain about my bored'm so that he can focus on studying but it's really hard not having finals week the same week, and the week he has off before his summer semester is the week I start my summer class so it's a real bummer! He is going to do great on his finals though and he has been working really hard to get the best grades!

This weekend Eric and I spent time with both our families. We went to Pats BBQ in SLC on saturday and it was really good! It has been given numerous rewards for best BBQ and was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the food network. Eric has been dying to try it so we did, and we really liked it! YUM! After dinner, Eric and I did our weekly mall trip (it feels like we go to the mall every weekend) and we "people watched" and walked around! I was hoping to buy something but Eric ended up buying stuff (which he didn't want to...ha) and overall it was a good time! I love spending the weekends with Eric and we always have fun together!

On sunday we had a BBQ with my family and sat around the campfire. We enjoyed the gorgeous weather and Eric and I laid outside/played in the backyard. We re-lived our old days and ran around chasing each other, practicing cheer moves and gymnastics. 

Now, back to work and finals! My sister in law and niece come in on thursday and we can't wait to see them! Eric is taking thursday off this week to enjoy the day and just to enjoy a day off and I'm excited to spend it with him before I go to work! Hope everyone has a great week!

xo Ashley

LOVE

Today I was looking back at mine & Eric's engagement photos and oh my gosh, my heart just melted at how adorable and happy we look in them. If you don't believe that I am in love with this man, check out my pictures and you will instantly be able to tell. I was looking at them because Eric is gone at paintball practice right now, so I can't just look at his adorably handsome face, but oh my gosh, no words can describe it. I got butterflies looking at our pictures, as I still get butterflies when I see him in front of me because it reminds me how lucky I am to have him as a husband. I know this post is cheesy and all lovey dovey, but I can't help it. I am so happy and I would have never thought I would be where I am now in my life. In high school I was always the girl that refused to even think about getting married in the next few years. I was so against being married, I wanted to focus on going to college, having fun and enjoying life. I had never even thought I'd marry Eric when I first met him because he had a girlfriend, he was not my type AT ALL, and I immediately told myself he was off limits. I hung around his friends, never really got to know him and that was okay! One night up in SLC, I was with friends at the fraternity house and Eric and I started to talk..SO RANDOM. We were just laughing with his other friend and that was it. Next thing I know, we're going on dates, I am constantly going up to SLC to see him because I can't be away from him. It freaked me out, and I about lost Eric because I wouldn't commit. My mind was telling me not to get back into a relationship, it was summer, and to just have fun. Eric and I felt the same way towards not wanting to get in a relationship, have other plans and just want to have fun this summer. Well, our hearts told us otherwise and here we are....MARRIED! I am so happy though and each day I love Eric more and more. I know you hear people say that but it's honestly the truth. Sure, we argue sometimes and we don't completely agree, but that's what makes me love him even more. I am so grateful for him and all his hard work. He is always putting me first and making sure I am taken care of and I am so spoiled by him. He is such a good example to me and I couldn't ask for anything better. Love you babe<3

xo Ashley

Life Lately

Life is great! I feel like I am blogging TONS which is great, but feel people may be bored of what I am blogging about. I decided thats okay though because blogging is something I will look back on and enjoy reading, even if it is a simple post of random thoughts. So, here is what has been going on lately with Eric and I...

1. Eric and I bought a sound bar for our TV....finally. Eric has wanted one for a long time. He has done research on good brands and prices. I finally told him to take an action on it because I was mostly tired of hearing about it and financially we are able to and I trust him with spending our money on it. Needless to say, he is a happy guy and we are excited! Now we need to buy a sweet action packed movie so we can test it out!

2. Eric convinced me to buy "designer" jeans. Ok, they aren't legit designer, but they look that way because they have a design on the pocket! (I am plain jane & only buy boring jeans that are cheap). He was really excited, and he felt happy he picked the right size and the short length so they actually fit really good! Anytime we go shopping, he holds up jeans trying to convince me to like them and we always walk away because they aren't my type of jean, or style. However, the only reason I agreed to try them on and eventually buy them was because they were $10. SCORE! I actually really like them and am wearing them right now so good job hunny for snagging them!

3. Erics love for the color blue is wearing off on me. As of lately, all I look at in stores is BLUE! I went to target and bought a skirt and t-shirt...text Eric to tell him and I realized they were both in the blue/teal category. I can't help but pick up anything in that color! He is enjoying it....but now we always match because our clothing is the same color. It's really great! HA

4. We need a new mattress. I say this because over the past week, I have been waking up in the middle of the night to eric ON TOP OF ME and passed out. I wake up to his face literally on mine, and two nights ago I turned over and hit my face on him really hard because his hand was next to my head. I was not happy. ha. He claims that his side of the bed is making his back hurt and what not, so my side of the bed is better? WHO KNOWS! Needless to say, we need to invest in a good mattress soon!

5. I have found out how much I really hate filling the car up with gas because it is too expensive! I hate driving & wasting gas mostly because I hate having to fill it up.

6. Eric and I are on a cliff bar obsession. We love them and they were on sale at smiths so we bought A TON of them to stock up. yum!

7. WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! (for this semester) and it's super exciting! Even though we only get a week off before we start up again for summer, it's still a week off and I can't wait!

8. I need a job for the summer because I was just informed the family I nanny is moving to texas... I am not excited to start looking for a new one.

9. We are still that adorable happy married couple we have always been (at least I think we are adorable) and we enjoy all the time we can spend with each other! We are still really busy but I learn to love Eric more and more each day we are married(:

xo Ashley

You are more beautiful than you think

This video keeps popping up on my Facebook so I decided to watch it and I really enjoyed it. Just last week, Eric told me that I am too hard on myself, and too critical. I found a background for my cell phone with those exact words, "don't be so hard on yourself." It has helped me each day because I tell Eric all the time that I am my own worst enemy, and this video is just what I need to see!

xo. Ashley

School

If you don't already know this, I am currently in the Elementary Education program at UVU and although its a heavy work load, I LOVE IT. I am so glad to finally be close to finishing college, and am so proud of myself for sticking with what I have always wanted to do. I haven't taken a break from school, and am only a few semesters away from being graduated! In the education program, we are divided into cohorts, and this is a group of about 30 people that you share classes with for the next 2 years. I go to school everyday, 8-11 with the same 30 people! I love this because you really get to know these people and develop friendships. It's only been a semester, and I already have so many good friends! I have 6 classes right now, and am busy busy busy all the time with homework, but I can honestly say I enjoy most of the homework I do, and am ALWAYS learning new things. I didn't completely understand the amount of work it takes to become a teacher, and have really developed more respect for teachers and all that they do. Only 2 more weeks of the semester, and I can't wait! It's a great feeling to know I am one step closer. My advice to anyone in school is to stick it out! I know that there were times I wanted to take a break and just work, but I look back and think if I had taken a break, I might have not gone back. I think it is so important to get an education, and I think that everyone has the opportunity to get it, so go and do it people! (:

xo Ashley

Overwhelmed With Gratitude

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie

It was a regular friday night, Eric was driving home from a guys night out, and I was about to head to sleep. I was almost asleep when my mom called me and had shared news that my dad, his two employees, riley and JT had been in a car accident. She was calm, and on her way to find them at the scene, or in the hospital. I offered to go with her, but stayed home with the siblings and waited for Eric to get home. She called when she arrived at the scene which was off alpine highway, to find JT with no injuries besides bruising and my dad and Riley headed up to Murray hospital in the ambulance. The two cars in the accident were totaled, police and fireman everywhere and sharing with me what had happened. As they were traveling on the highway, going about 50 mph approaching a light, a man turning their direction ran a red light and they were unable to stop in time, hitting the other car. As my mom made it to the hospital, she learned that Riley had a concussion, shattered his knee and broke his tibula. (I may be a bit incorrect, but I am around the idea of his leg is injured) and my dad has a fracture in his leg, broken tendon in his back and a lot of bruising. (again, not positive on this but close to accurate.) Riley will need surgery, and the two will need to stay overnight in the hospital. Their recovery will be long and will involve immobilizing the leg that is hurt for 6-8 weeks. My dad was able to come home on saturday night, and as I watched him in pain as he hopped to our front door with his walker, almost in tears, my heart sunk. I watched him pull himself up our stairs in pain, exhausted, and feeling helpless. My dad, Riley, and JT are all golfers, and their injuries could affect how they play this sport. Although they are in pain, they will be affected by this accident their entire life, and that the recovery process will be long, I am so grateful it wasn't worse. This incident has brought forth so many emotions, and gratitude is one of them. I often forget or take for granted the things that I have. It puts into perspective that I need to be grateful for all that I have, and to realize that anything could happen to me at anytime. I am so happy that these boys are okay, and that they are still with us. I know that my dad and Riley will get through this, and that they can get through it together. The friends and family that have attended the hospital or our house has been so generous. I am grateful I am surrounded by so many good people, that care for me and my family, and for the generosity they have brought. I am so grateful that I have the family that I do, that we stick together through the hard times and always enjoy the good times and that no matter what, we will get through it. 

xo. Ashley

Hoppy Easter

Eric and I had a great time celebrating easter! We were able to spend time with both families, eat lots of great food, and fill our tummies full of sugar! My stomach isn't liking me too much from all the sugar that I have consumed the past 2 days, but it will have to deal with it.

The easter bunny came and gave us cadbury eggs, reese's eggs, a movie gift card, money and a cute flower to plant! Happy first easter as a married couple to us! I am off to enjoy a night with the hubby, and a full day tomorrow of no work/school but fun with him!

Happy Easter Everyone!
xo. Ashley

You Need A Bad Day To Know What A Good Day Is

Can I just start off saying how happy I am that it is friday? To sum up my week, lets just say it hasn't been the best, but today hasn't been bad at all.

This week:

1. I have been extra emotional.

2. I dropped my phone in the toilet, yes my NEW PHONE and it doesn't work...at all. I don't have insurance on it either so as of right now, I'm not sure what I am doing with it.

3. At work, the toilet flooded all over and I got clean it all up!

4. I caved in and bought a small bag of cadbury eggs, which I should have done long ago because once I ate two, I instantly felt better.

5. I have the sweetest, most supportive, happy husband ever.

6. I realized I can't go to the extreme with dieting, because it doesn't help and I become irritable, upset, and end up gaining weight.

7. I am not pregnant.

8. I finished my last week in the elementary school for field work and I will miss my class! I learned so much during these past 3 weeks and it makes me even more excited to be a step closer to becoming a teacher!

9. You have to have bad days in order to know what a good day is.

This week has been rough and I have learned a lot about myself. I also learned that I have the most amazing husband, and that I sometimes don't deserve him because when I am upset, I often take it out on him. He is so supportive, loving, caring, responsible and overall the most amazing man. I am so lucky I get to spend my life with him and I appreciate everything he does. He is so hardworking and is always looking out for me and what he can do to help me. I can't wait to spend this weekend with him! 

I am also looking forward to my spring break next week, although I work wed, thurs, and friday, I am so excited to spend monday with Eric (he took the day off) and tuesday without school or work! The family I work for is spending their spring break in disneyworld (the kids) and a cruise (the parents) and although I wish I was joining them, it'll be nice to have a break and nanny 2 other kids for a few days! 

Happy friday everyone!

xo Ashley

Ashley, and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Today has been the worst.

My mood: terrible, onry, emotional, sad, angry, depressed, all things negative.

My luck: Terrible, the worst, not getting better, NO LUCK.

My thoughts:
1. I hate today
2. I hate my mood
3. I want to cry
4. I don't have money to fix my phone/get a new one.
5. I hate dieting and the gym
6. Everyone leave me alone.
7. Eat away my feelings? Sure, that'll resolve everything.

I don't care to even hear positive words, or encouragement right now. I just want to be upset.


Hope everyone else is having a better day than me.
xo Ashley

15 Fun Facts About Us

Here are 15 fun facts about Eric and I:

1. We have been obsessed with egg burritos lately! We eat them at least once a day, sometimes even twice a day!
2. We love love love green smoothies. We drink one every morning.
3. I have decided I like cottage cheese better out of tupperware, not a glass bowl.
4. Eric hates when it is quiet in our house. He has to have the TV on or the music playing.
5. I can only eat cafe rio with a plastic utensil. It isn't good with regular silverware.
6. At night, we will be wide awake until I am the big spoon and then we pass out instantly.
7. We order the same food every time we go out to eat at Chili's.
8. Everytime I clean the bathroom, Eric wants to cut his hair.
9. We love love love love pizza. Whenever we can eat it, we do and we always get half pepperoni, half hawaiian.
10. Eric has unusually long eyelashes, and I am very jealous of them.
11. Our favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip.
12. I am the worst decision maker, so I make Eric decide everything.
13. We are terrible at taking pictures, therefore, we don't document what we do together very well but we are trying harder!
14. Our fridge every week holds cottage cheese, uncooked tortillas, eggs, greek yogurt, spinach, berries around 10 water bottles and G2 gatorade. We eat the same things each day, as well as protein bars!(we just bought 8 packs of them while they are on sale)YUM.
15. We fight over greenie (our green blanket) all the time because it is the best blanket.

These are just random fun facts & hopefully you get to know us better as I continue to blog!
-Ashley

Staying Motivated & A Bit Of Tuna Fish

Motivation, where have you gone? Yesterday I was feeling down on myself. I have been working really hard at eating clean and training hard in order to lose the weight I would like, develop the body I want to have. I have been at a constant weight for the past, who knows how long and can't ever seem to get past it. It's the worst feeling, even when I know numbers aren't everything and that I have made SERIOUS progress, i often still find it defeating me. When you are dieting, you hit a plateau and this is where you have to increase your training and stick to your diet REALLY GOOD in order to break through it, or also your barrier. THIS IS THE HARDEST THING IN THE WORLD. I always go about a month of doing really well, when this starts happening and I STOP. This explains my consistent weight, not losing anything problem. I carry most of my weight in my legs, and have a smaller upper body but when I work out, no matter what I am doing, I always lose weight in my upper body. WHY? WHY? WHY? Because my body hates me, and it wants me to break through my barrier before I can lose weight in my bottom half. Really though, it's been such a hard task but I am honestly determined this time to get through it and to defeat the barrier. I want so badly to feel good this summer all around, not just in my arms and abs, but in my legs and butt and calves. It is going to happen! I managed to brush off my hard feelings yesterday, throw on my gym clothes and work extra hard at the gym. I got on the scale and wasn't happy with the numbers, but realized each day I am getting closer, and each day I need to work harder. Eric and I are going to the gym tonight and I can't wait for him to push me. He is honestly the best and always tells me what I need to hear. It may not be the sweetest, sugar coated bunch of words, but he tells me in the end I will be happy and that I can push through it if I truly want it. He is such inspiration and keeps me going. I'm lucky to have him as my coach, my biggest fan, my husband and my best friend<3


Side note that also relates to Eric....

He is a butt face!<---Only because he is ALWAYS right and this whole eating clean, working out is making my mind GO CRAZY. Before our wedding, I was eating healthy, clean and right and knew that I needed to try new things that were good for me since I am older and wiser now and could probably like food I used to hate. One of these foods is cottage cheese. I tried it one day during the summer and I swallowed it down because I knew it was good for me and I still hated it. This past month, I decided to take a second shot at it and buy a small package. To my surprise, I LOVED IT! I crave it all the time, eat it everyday and just last week bough 10 containers of it because I go through so much cottage cheese! SO WEIRD! I never thought the day would come that I would like cottage cheese but it has, and Eric was so happy, especially because he loves to throw it in my face that he was right. Well, it was last week that we were in PC and Susan made Eric a tuna fish sandwich....YUCK! I grew up eating "chicken tuna" and never ever liked tuna fish. I like fish, but not tuna. Well, being the daring person I am, tried a bite and to my surprise ENJOYED IT! I wanted to show my excitement, but played it off and ever since then I have been CRAVING TUNA FISH. It makes me sick to know Eric was right about me eventually liking these foods. I can't help but think "healthiness" is taking over my mind. I am happy, but embarrassed that I like them now. Eric loves it, and he is waiting until the day when I will like pickles or mustard....but don't plan on that anytime soon!


It's friday & I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!
xo Ashley

Spring Break

Eric was lucky enough to have spring break this past week and even though my spring break isn't until April 1st, it felt like I was on spring break because we both got home close after 5 and had no homework! We were also able to spend each night together! YAY! I loved having Eric home at night, and we took full advantage of every minute we could spend with each other!

Eric and I hit up the gym every night and it kicked our butts! It was so good to have him as a gym partner this week, to really push me and get me working hard! He has been helping me with pull ups and over this past week, I can say I did between 30-50 pull ups A DAY! I felt SO AWESOME! Even though Eric helped, I could really see definition in my arms and by the end of the week I was so HAPPY with my results!

After a week of hard work, we decided to head up to Plain City on friday to visit family. I love going up there! I always get such a happy and giddy feeling when we get close to arriving and it feels like a vacation when we are there! Plain City is such a cute little town and so happy, fun and relaxing! We ate tacos, fondue,

played games and had a blast with Mark, Susan, Shel and Jared. I really had a lot of fun just laughing and playing games with them and it was definitely needed! On Saturday, Eric and Mark went to get the trucks oil changed while Susan and I ran 5 miles! Susan is a crazy runner and has been training for her half marathon, so I am glad I was able to hit up a nice run with her! We may be slow, but we get things finished and we always feel so much better afterwards! She is a great running buddy, and I wish I had her closer so that I could stay motivated to run! We spent the day doing girl things, while the boys went shooting and then met up for dinner at the Pie. We all love pizza, so it was a great way to spend the last hour
before we headed back to SLC for the Jazz game. Eric and I are HUGE jazz fans, and will snag any tickets we can when offered! My dad is always so sweet to share his tickets with us, and we can't ever thank him enough. We sit on row 20, and this game we bought me a jersey! FINALLY!!!! I felt so spoiled that my hubby has been so kind to put money aside to pay for it, because it made my day! It is #15....the man Derick Favors! He is my favorite player and has shown so much improvement this season! The jazz won, and the night couldn't have been better!

Lastly, sunday we hit up the gym and did our weekly grocery shopping. My parents were so sweet and invited us to dinner for St.Patricks Day so we went there and had a BBQ. It was delicious and got me very excited for summer! Eric and I finished off the day with a nap, homework and bed. Back to school and work tomorrow! Hope you all have a great week!

xo Ashley

Food & A Healthy Lifestyle

I have felt ups and downs towards how I look, and the way I feel lately. When Eric and I met, we both loved going to the gym. He was looking towards body building, and I had recently decided to make big changes with my life, and to get in shape so that I could feel better about myself and the way I look. It was such a good hobby to share, and we kept each other motivated! Eric was at the extremes in his dieting, and work outs and he got me into it. We would prepare meals for the entire week on sundays, and would eat the same food almost everyday. After we got home from work, we would train really hard at the gym and when we got engaged, we really kicked our butts into gear so that we would feel great at our wedding! Eric has been such an amazing motivator, and always pushes me. I remember one time at the gym, I cried and yelled at him (in front of people) because I was so tired and felt he was pushing me too hard, but I know he was only doing that because that is what I had told him to do! I am grateful he did that because it has taught me so much about the gym, my abilities and kept me motivated.


<---This is one of my senior pictures. I hate to say I was overweight, but I definitely struggled with how I look a lot of my life, and it hasn't been until I got into college that I have developed a better attitude towards myself.


We went off track after the wedding, and it wasn't until a few months ago that we both knew we needed to get our butts back into gear and develop our healthy habits again. I know summer is coming, and I want to really get to where I want to be, so that I can feel confident again! Between our busy schedules, Eric goes to the gym during his lunch break, and I go after work.

Not only have we been working out and training hard, we have got back into eating small and balanced meals. I have been taking a lot of pictures lately of some of the things I am eating and I would love to share them! It is helpful to me to document what I eat, and it is motivating. I have found a website called Dashing Dish and it has some AMAZING recipes! I have loved making new things, especially the desserts on here that are protein backed, low sugar and low in calories! Check it out!

 

Eric and I LOVE food, as does mostly everyone in the world. It's important to have moderation, and to not deprive yourself from the things you love but to eat them in small portions, or like said before, moderation. 

Some of the pictures shown are greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, twice baked sweet potato, whole wheat pancakes & eggs with sugar free syrup, protein pack oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, salmon & a spinach salad, fat free cottage cheese with berries, and the great 98 calories slice of rich chocolate cake!

There are so many great recipes out there that are full of protein, low sugar and overall healthy choices that are SO EASY! I have never been a great cook, so if I can find them and make them, so can you!

This post is not to brag, or to complain about the way I feel but rather I hope to be motivation that anyone can eat healthy, and eat good food while eating healthy! It takes dedication, and motivation but if you are someone who doesn't feel confident with themselves, or someone who wants to make some changes, YOU CAN DO IT! Eric and I both work hard, and we aren't quite where we want to be, and we don't always make the best healthy choices, but we try and we are willing to put effort into our health so that we can feel good!



xo Ashley

BIRTHDAY BABE

I'm late on the bloggin....but it was the hubby's birthday last weekend! Eric has hit the age of 22 years old! WAHOO!! It is weird to think he is 22, because all my life I thought that once you get to be 22....you are way old. He feels 22, he feels old because he gets to do adult things and be a big old adult and what not...even though he's been that way for a few years(: anyways...we had 3 days full of celebrating!

1. FRIDAY: I am the worst at surprises, so I was so proud of myself when my parents told me they were giving us jazz tickets for friday nights game to celebrate eric's birthday. I had kept it a secret all week and friday had come....well plans didn't go too well and I was very sad. Needless to say....I was antsy to get off work, didn't get off on time, got stuck in traffic, took a back road and got lost, was late to meet eric at the restaurant which then made it a 50 minute wait that we couldn't stay for and the surprise got ruined. I cried, and Eric felt bad because I was so excited, but was also exhausted and in the end, he was just happy go lucky about going to the jazz game and didn't care that my entire plan was ruined!

2. SATURDAY: Eric and I woke up and I gave him the second half of his birthday present with his cute hand made card! He loved his presents! (I gave him the jazz hoodie he is wearing, and a new nice basketball, work out tanks, and I owe him dinner) After we drank our delicious green smoothies, we went to the gym and KICKED OUR BUTTS. Eric played the "it's my birthday so you have to do this.." card and we worked out together. It was so much fun and it made me think of summer when we had the time to work out with each other everyday. I often hate how sore I am the day after working out with him, but in the moment I love it.

Saturday continued: We headed up to Plain City to celebrate with the Roddoms! (It's marks birthday too!) and we had pizza and delicious rice krispie/ice cream/raspberry dessert! I love hanging out up there and celebrating birthdays made it that much better! After that, we went and met up with some old friends of Eric's and went bowling! It was a BLAST! I beat eric (again) but he was a good loser(:

3. SUNDAY: We come home from plain city, showered and headed out to a movie with my family! We went and saw warm bodies and I thought it was such a cute movie! We snacked on popcorn and when we were done hit up costco for our weekly grocery shopping. 

My mom knew Eric loved funfetti cake, so she spoiled us with this cutesy cake and eric got to blow out the candles again!

Overall, a great weekend full of celebrating and I hope its one my hubby can remember! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

xo Ashley

Weekend of fun

I was so happy when friday came, even though my friday psychology class is TERRIBLE and I was put through the ringer with finn at work, it made driving home to meet my husband so much better! Friday, Eric and I came home and were starving. We have a tendency to do that, after a long day of work and often find ourselves un willing to make food at home. It is really affecting my "eat healthy, change of lifestyle" sort of thing I am working on right now. It's okay though, we all have our cheat days and I am still proud of myself for sticking with it during the week! So, Eric and I always always always decide on pizza for our weekend meal because it is our absolute favorite. However, this time we decided to venture off and try something new and I was in serious need of protein! So we headed off to american fork and hit up gandolfos. They have really yummy sandwiches and I was pleased to see my sandwich was BIGGER than erics! I shared with Eric, so I didn't eat the entire thing but I was a happy girl when I was finished!

On saturday, as much as my mind and body were telling me to sleep in...I couldn't. Eric and I woke up around 5:30 am to go to the airport and his paintball tournament. I had to pick up my parents because they were flying home from Hawaii, and then they dropped me off at Eric's tournament! I had a lot of fun, even though I got really bored and tired, I was so happy to be there to support Eric in something he loves to do. Him and his team took second, and he was always the last man standing on his team. He is such a good player and I love hearing about his excitement towards the game!

After the 6.5 hour tournament, Eric and I headed to the mall to buy his birthday presents. I am terrible at keeping secrets, so he found out part of it but thats okay! We went out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants, Chili's, and then came home to watch the jazz game! I loved spending the entire day with my hubby, but can't wait to crawl into bed tonight and fall asleep! I hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I did!

xo Ashley

BUSY BUSY BUSY

hello readers,

I have felt mixed emotions about this blogging thing but have decided I should stick with it, if I can, during mine & eric's busy lives. A little update on us, still happy as can be as a still somewhat new married couple. We have been busy with school and work, and are anxious to see some sun as summer slowly creeps up on us! Eric is at the University of Utah and working hard at National Benefit Services. He is planning on majoring in economics, possible minor in math...we'll see what happens! He is such a hard worker and I can't thank him enough for all that he does! I am at Utah Valley University in my first semester in the Elementary Education program and I know that in the end, this hard work will pay off! I am super busy, making lesson plans, working on assignments, learning teacher things and even though it's hectic, I absolutely love it. I am so excited and nervous to start "field" work in a few weeks where I will get to go into the elementary school and teach a bit, observe and be around students! It won't be my first time in the classroom but I can't help but be nervous to know I may be the teacher for a solid 3 weeks. I am nannying right now for a cute family, not far from home and they keep me busy too! I feel like a little mom, like they are my own kids and I find myself dealing with the frustrations and exciting moments a mom would feel. It's been a really great experience and I am enjoying the time I get to spend with the kids each day! I am currently working on potty training Finn, the little 2 1/2 year old and so far its me-0 finn-1 haha. I have been proud to say I have got him going #1 in the toilet....not so much #2. We are still working on it, but no more diapers for him! It's been a teaching experience and I can't wait to have a family of my own with eric! It won't be planned for any crazy time soon but when it happens, i'll be ready! I am anxious for this weekend, even though eric and I hardly make crazy plans because we are so exhausted and in desperate need of quality time together, we enjoy every second of it. 

I hope you all keep updated with us, so I know this blog isn't a complete waste! 

xo.Ashley

Last Day

 Today I have been in a bit of a slump mood. I don't know if it's because I am tired of going to school and have had a bad week of attending or if it's because I know that after today, I will have a lot of free time on my hands now that I won't have a job.

Today is my last day working at the daycare. It's a bittersweet feeling. I have worked there for over 3 years and I have really had a lot of great experiences working there. Besides the stress, tears, hard feelings and constant complaints it's caused me, I will miss it. It's hard to let go of something you are used to, a routine that you know and a place/job you feel safe in. I have met so many great people while working there and really developed a lot of amazing friendships. It's been a challenge working with all girls because we are dramatic, sensitive, rude, nice, happy, sad, crazy. I will miss everyone very much and want to thank them all for putting up with me and my moods these last 3 years. I will miss the kids even though they make me crazy and cause me to cry somedays. They are all fighting their own battles and are going through so much as little kids. I have had such a great time teaching in all of the classrooms and I learn something new from them each day.

 I am glad I took so many pictures the whole time I was working there so that I can look back and remember all of the good times. I will miss the daycare but I am very excited to have other opportunities working in other fields and making new friends where I find my next job. I will always remember the daycare and will take all that I have learned from there with me as I continue through life.

How does anyone do it all?

I feel like everyday as Eric and I get ready in the morning for the long day ahead of us, we manage to DESTROY our house. I feel as if I am cleaning, picking up and cooking ALL THE TIME! Does it ever stay clean? I don't think it's possible..

However, among our crazy lives and constantly cleaning, I have been proud of myself for doing a better job at trying new recipes and cooking! Recently I have made fresh salsa, cafe rio pork, rice and dressing, banana bread, sandwiches (the hardest of them all), chicken wraps, and a ton more! I am starting to get the hang of cooking and Eric seems to be enjoying it! 

  

I have also decided that I HATE TO FOLD LAUNDRY! When I first met Eric, I used to fold his laundry for him to make a good impression and to help him out since he hated folding it. Well, I am now on the list of people who hate to fold laundry. I feel like Eric and I don't wear that many clothes, since my most recent school outfit is gym clothes. However, I AM ALWAYS DOING LAUNDRY! It's the worst. I need to just suck it up and get used to it because I don't plan on it getting any more fun.

If you have any good & simple dinner recipes, send them my way please!

-Ashley