Happy 30th Birthday John!

It was my Junior year in High School (a new High School for that matter), I had a boyfriend left behind at my old school, a few new friends at my new school "Woods Cross," a fairly difficult load of classes, far too many extra curriculars with drill team, dance company, dance class, and teaching for my mom's studio, what I really needed was a break! Or was it? One of my friends invited me to go play laser tag with a group of people from Woods Cross and Bountiful High. I needed to make more friends in the area, plus, a night of running through a dark maze shooting lasers at people, who could resist? I accepted and offered to drive one of the cars. When they all showed up at my house I saw the skinniest sandy haired boy I had ever seen in my life. This kid had to have weighed 140 pounds soaking wet, I had him beat by a good 20. Of course this wee little lad wanted to ride in my car so he and another boy rode in the back seat. We arrived at Laser Quest and quickly the running, dodging, and screaming began. I intended to seek and destroy. The only problem was that this sandy haired twig followed me all through the maze constantly trying to hunt me down and shoot me. He was the hunter and I was his prey! He beat me. A few weeks later I kept seeing this name "Talbot" on my caller I.D. and had no idea who on earth it was, until my girl friend told me it was the very sandy haired twig who had chased me the entire evening of laser tag. The old boyfriend drifted off into his world at the old high school and I became available to do the same at my new one. Needless to say, John continued to hunt me down until I had given him a fair chance. I am certain that this comes as a surprise to all of you who know my sweet passive hubby, but when my sweet passive hubby sees something he wants he morphs into the most determined of human beings alive. John was the nicest, most genuine, active, person I had ever met. He was interesting, fun, smart, and game for anything as long as we were together. We spent the next couple of years dating until he left for his mission and I left for college. After his mission, he packed up his bags and moved to Cedar City to pursue me yet once again. Nothing had changed, he was just as determined as he had been as a Junior in High School, and as you know, he captured his prey. After we had been married for a time John and I were chit chatting when he began to recount to me his impressions of the first time we met. I was thinking, "oh great, I saw this amazon come thundering out of a house and thought, hmmm, I like hearty lasses," much to my surprise, he didn't even mention amazon or hearty. However, he perfectly recounted what I was wearing, how I had my hair in a "Topsy tail," and what he had thought the moment he saw me. I hadn't even remembered what I had worn, but he did. From the time I met John, which has almost been half our lives, I have seen the kind of person I should be. Eventually, this sandy haired boy turned into a mousy haired man who has me beat by a good 60 (which I am most grateful for) , a man who has always supported me and my craziness and loved me for, through, and despite it.



Things I love about John:

1. He tells me I am beautiful everyday.

2. He kisses me before he goes to work.

3. He ALWAYS puts me and Adessa first.

4. He has been to more dance concerts and performances than Baryshnikov.

5. He endured 6 years of monitoring the boys dressing room at my Junior high dance concerts.

6. He wears Christmas Jammie's and crazy get-ups because I like to.

7. He goes to the theatre and the opera.

8. He is passionate about religion and economics.

9. He has a huge baseball card collection.

10. He is patient.

11. He never ever notices other women.

12. He leaves little written on pieces of paper everywhere.

13. He lets me do anything I want.

14. He spoils Adessa evil.

15. He always goes above and beyond to meet my emotional needs sometimes forsaking his own.

16. He grills like a mad man.

17. He loves to read "Bon Appetite"

18. He allows me to watch chick flicks over and over.

19. He loves the gospel more than his own life.

20. He is always trying to improve things.



John, thank you for actively pursuing me! You are my joy, my love, my heart, and my rock. I can't even to begin to imagine where I would be without you. You have always given me wings and then allowed me to use them freely. Thank You. I love You!

XOXO-Ash

The circus

"The Circus, the Circus, I love the Circus," a favorite line of mine from Bugs Life. I have always loved the Circus, It is such an event and production. Being a History nut I know that the circus used to be a very big deal, it would travel by train from town to town, parade through the town before opening, and then put on a very fancy performance that people had never before seen. The Ring Master was persuasively dramatic, the performers dressed in amazing costumes, they had freaky people on display, and the exotic animals could not be seen anywhere else. Obviously human rights now-a-days would not allow people to be sold to a circus because they were a midget, or extremely obese, or had an abundance of testosterone causing them to be bearded, but back then, this practice was commonly done. A great Circus was always looking for a "one of a kind" freak that would draw the crowds. In our current society the Circus doesn't have the same allure it once had, but is still an event I can't miss. We have all seen Tigers and Elephants, contortionists, and motorcyclists in the cage, but for some reason it is still just as entertaining as it was the time before. Adessa enjoyed the show until it was 10:00 p.m. and an hour beyond sleepy time. We got the cheap seats but saw the show just as good as if we had the expensive seats. Plus, Adessa loved the view from the upper bowl, it was like having an Aeriel perspective, you can't beat that.

Body World

In College I had to take a bunch of classes in: anatomy, kinesiology, physiology, and even human sexuality. Apparently it is very important for a dancer to understand how the body works. Makes perfect sense. My favorite class days were cadaver lab. They never allow you to see the faces of the cadaver just in case it is your great aunty Velma and you had no idea she had donated her body to science and now you are staring at her layers of fat that resemble yellow carpet, very respectful of the Professors. It was fascinating to see all of the in's and out's of the body and know that our Heavenly Father had created such an amazing creature. When I saw Body World was coming to Utah there was never any question as to whether or not we would go. I didn't care the price, but knew that it was a once in a life time opportunity. I couldn't wait to go and see a number of bodies and organs on display. I wasn't disappointed, it was amazing. I learned a few new things and saw some things I had never seen before. I loved each of the different displays, but of course the fetal development display was highly favored above all. They have babies in tubes ranging from 5 weeks to the end of 9 weeks. At the end of 9 weeks a fetus has fingers, toes, eyes, spine, pretty much everything it is going to need to sustain life, all by the end of 9 weeks. AMAZING! It is one thing to read about the development in our "What to expect when you're expecting" books, and it is another thing to see for yourself the actual size and intricasies of the baby. The display then has different weeks of pre-term babies in cases. You guessed it, the tears flowed like the Nile, I couldn't supress them. Addie was the size of the 27 weeker and the resemblence incredible. It reaffirmed to me that the difference between Adessa and this baby who has been plasticized in the case is that Heavenly Father needed Adessa to be on this earth and the other baby simply just needed to gain a body and return back home. Very much a testimony builder. I also loved the lung and heart displays. There is so much to see and it is all amazing, plus the bodies are from Germany so you don't have to worry about whether or not it is your great aunty Velma, unless your family is still in Germany. Splurge, spend the money and go. You will learn so much and gain an appreciation for the masterpiece our Heavenly Father has created.

Addie's 3

When Adessa was first born the nurse told us she was a feisty one. This she told us was "a good thing, for it is the feisty ones that survive." She hasn't lost the Feisty and I am eternally grateful for her nature.

Sep. 20th 2005

32 weeks 2pds. 12oz.

Of course, she had to make a grand entrance!
(much like sacrament meeting each week)

1st Birthday Party

2nd Birthday Party
3rd Birthday Party

I honestly can't believe my miracle baby is 3. There are so many things that I adore about my Addie Dawn, but I will list just a few:

1. She falls asleep wrapped up in a pink feather boa.
2. She says hi to everyone she sees.
3. She has a great sense of self.
4. She is friendly and outgoing.
5. She is a great helper.
6. She is clever.
7. She has super facial expressions when telling a story.
8. She isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks.
9. She uses her hands to talk.
10. She doesn't walk, she dances.
11. She loves pizza and fruit snacks.
12. She isn't afraid to try new things.
13. She uses her manners and is obedient.
14. She can count really high.
15. She will only bath if she thinks she is Ariel.
16. She only sees pink.
17. She gives the best hugs and kisses.
18. She can play independently.
19. she has a great imagination.
20. She let's me do her hair.

Of course I could go on and on, I am a mother after all! I love you Addie babe, my miracle child, my little fighter, my frou frou princess, and feisty little troll.

It's Back

Oh what joy fills my heart, my show is back! I cried as I do every time I watch the Biggest Loser. They analyzed this L.T.'s physiological age and he is like 49 in his body rather than 23 which is his biological age. He eats and he smokes, I don't know how he will ever quit both addictions. Crazy! After watching the first show I already have a few favorites and a few hopefuls selected. The main thing is that it always motivates me to be improving myself in some way. What better way to spend the evening than reflecting on how you can improve as a person. I love watching people overcome what is hard and seeing the joy that they feel when they have accomplished a difficult task. There is just nothing like it. I strongly recommend watching this fantastically motivating show. You won't believe in 5 weeks how different these people look. Imagine losing 24pds. in 1 week.

Easily Persuaded

I have always prided myself on the fact that I don't give in to peer pressure. I never just went somewhere I didn't want to so I would "be cool", I really didn't care as much about being cool as I did about having fun. So why is it that as an adult I have become so much more of a push over? I have boldly stated that I thought that Facebook was creepy. Why on earth would you want to subject yourself to the cruelties of high school all over again? So after a couple months of family and peer persuasion I buckled like the curb in front of my house. Yes, I am on there with tons of other random people and yes it is a little creepy. However, it does have its plus side. I have been able to chat with former Hunter high school friends that I haven't seen since my junior year when I moved, I have found a number of my dance buddies from college, I have been able to chat with my favorite professors/friends from SUU, I have found people from Woods Cross who I haven't seen since graduation, I have gained contact with old roommates and friends from the college ward, and I have found friends in my ward and neighborhood. All in all, it has thus proven to be more of a positive thing than a weird thing. I am not going to pressure anyone to join up, like I said, it is a little creepy, but if you do, don't be surprised when you see my face pop up. Facebook is a great way to network for those of you networking types or just a great place to quickly catch up with old friends. You may want to check it out, or not.

I'm an Old Mom

I remember thinking that when you have kids in pre-school and dance you are an old mom. Technically speaking, and by my own definition, I am now an old mom. Freaky! I learned a valuable lesson on the first day of Dancing School and that is, you don't tell your child they have dance until 1/2 hour before it begins. From 10:00 a.m. until dancing was over at 5:00 p.m. she paraded around in her dance suit and asked every 2 minutes "am I going to dancing school now?" Needless to say, we left 2 hours early just to appease her. Adessa loved Miss Sarah, she talked about her all night and wanted to call her on the phone this morning if she pooped on the potty. Don't worry, a drew a line there. Confession: after dropping her off and taking pictures I cried. Yep, I couldn't choke them back. There is something surreal about seeing your baby walk confidently away from you. She seemed so big and yet she is such a runt. John said that we would have to give Miss Sarah a nice Christmas present for daring take Addie on, but the verdict was that she obeyed and participated. The only glitch was when she said she wanted to do a running leap instead of flicks across the floor. This is minor to crying, or peeing in the studio. I still think we will have to give Miss Sarah a nice Christmas present before this is all over.

Great Reads

Maren and I need to talk. She has given me a number of books for my Birthday, Christmas, and various other reasons, but there is always a central theme to them; First, they are all youth literature books and Second, they all make me bawl like a baby. Knowing this, I resisted reading "Milkweed" for about 3years (sorry Mrn), after "Star Girl" and "Out of the Dust" both favorites of mine, I knew that I had to be emotionally stable to start reading this most recent installment. So since I am on Clomid and an emotional mess anyway I decided to read the book. Am I going nuts? No seriously, having spent oodles of hours on planes and in airports I was able to tear through 3 great books without interruption. The first was the "Alchemist" a popular book in my ward right now. It was wonderful, inspiring, and paralleled a lot of my own feelings and philosophies about life. I Highly recomend it. The second was Bram Stokers "Dracula" one that I have always wanted to read, but haven't taken the time to do so. Like most classics, you have to be very patient while reading this 1897 masterpiece. I decided with all of the recent "Twilight" and vampire hoopla, that I would compare and contrast the original concept and beliefs of vampires with this new contemporary image created by Stephenie Meyer. It was fun to see the similarities that she decided to keep and how she decided to make them different. It's worth the time and patience. The last was "Milkweed" this will be for those of you who love the WWII literature. It is enlightening and devastating. The writing is brilliant as the story is told by a young child who literally has no idea who he is. Certainly worth the very quick read and tears. Call me crazy, but I always imagine myself in each story that I read. It wasn't until I was in my early twenties as a college student that I really developed a passion for reading. Now I can't seem to stand going to bed until I have stayed up way too late in the night escaping to a time, place, or land that someone else has created for me. For those of you non-readers out there, I strongly recomend Youth Literature. I personally think that if you don't love to read it is because you haven't found the kind of literature you enjoy. I love classics, youth literature, and murder mysteries. Maren, let's think happy thoughts for the next selection. I am not sure how many times I can experience devastation and love (I always feel way too deeply for the characters) in my life before I become a complete mess. Do you know of a good Star Trek book or anything? Come on you're killing me. No seriously, I love all the books you have given me and I thank you for fueling my night time addiction.

Adventures in Liverpool

If you were to look up the words green and beautiful in the dictionary it would say: Liverpool, New York. I have never been to a more lush and wooded place in my life. Not only was I able to enjoy the beautiful "country" scenery, but I was able to visit my sister and her 2 kids. Never a dull moment. Immediately upon arrival the adventure began, and the series of unusual events didn't cease until I had safely landed in Salt Lake. I could seriously blog the longest account of my vacation in the history of all blogdom, but to spare all including myself I will abridge the story into a list of highlights with pictures.

Highlights:

1. Having 4 "slumbers" with a very excited nephew and niece.

2. Sleeping on a couch for 5 nights with 2 decorative pillows and 2 baby blankets.

3. Going to "Mamma Mia" the Sing Along version with only 1 other crazy person singing to the subtitles in the theatre.

4. Meeting my sisters interesting friends and neighbors.

5. Answering my sisters interesting friends unique questions about our religious beliefs, like "where do we put the warehouses that we use to sacrifice the animals?"

6. Eating a huge NY sausage at the NY State Fair. So unlike me, but I did it knowing that John would be proud.

7. Seeing more food, alcohol, tattoo's, and similar shaped noses at the Fair than I have ever seen in my life (everyone in NY has the same looking nose).

8. Going to the largest Heavenly shoe store that I have ever been in in my life.

9. Getting questioned and followed by an employee as to why I was photographing the largest shoe store I have ever been in in my life (he he).

10. Sweating to death and breaking out with wildly uncontrolled acne from the heat and humidity.

11. Seeing the beautiful area with rivers, tree's, and oodles of foilage.

12. Eating fudge, ice cream, and Chocolate chip cookies from Wegman's.

NOT so Highlights:

1. Having to un board the hottest plane ever on my way home because of weather issues in Detroit.

2. Missing my flight from Detroit to SLC because of the weather.

3. Booking a new flight to Chicago connecting to SLC the next day.

4. Another slumber with the niece and nephew on the couch with the decorative pillows and baby blankets.

5. Having to pay to check my bag because I am now flying United.

6. Getting flagged to be wanded and patted down in front of 3 drooling, staring, pervy, male security officers. Ughh, humiliating.

7. Flying on the hottest and smallest plane ever, with a broken toilet that oozed refuse odour.

8. A flat diet coke on the last plane. As if I hadn't been through enough already, but now I am being served a flat diet Coke and 0 pretzels!

All in all, it was action from take off to landing. I am so very blessed to have a wonderful sister whom I love and admire dearly. New York is beautiful, the people were different but great, the humidity didn't do me any favors, and I am sure I will get over the airport complications. I am continually amazed at what a super mom my sister is. The love and devotion she shows to her children is astounding. I can't wait until my next trip to New York, Adessa will love it!

Liverpool Pictures

Will Bowl for a Social Life

I am not a bowler, if I break 100 I have had a great game. That being said, I am on a bowling team in a bowling league (gasp, shock, horror). I had my first "league" experience today and it was a blast. We ate, chatted, drank, bowled, and some poor person watched my child in the day care for 3+ hours. Does it get any better than this? I certainly can't bowl, but I can socialize. I met my team consisting of the two Natalie's, Jen, and Alli (my darling sister-in-law). The plus side of all of this is they aren't freakishly competetive and are there for a fun time themselves. Whew, the pressure is off, I just couldn't imagine letting them down if a trophy was their goal. I did manage to squeak out a couple strikes and a few spares between the 3 games. The crusty look on my face sipping the soda is due to Alli's lack of photography skills, she totally missed me rolling out the strike. I forgave her and moved on to several gutter balls. "The Pin Pushers"
may not be the winning team this year, but I guarantee we will be the most fun team. Keep on rollin' em girls.