Summer '09

Only one more week left before Ashton heads out to start selling for the summer. We will be in Baltimore this summer, which we are both so excited about. I have spent countless summers out there living with my grandparents and uncles. It seems like I'll be going home. We are excited to be spending time with family again this summer!

And there are so many things that I have done out there that I want to take Ashton to do. We have done many of them already (as we have made trips out frequently and also living in Pittsburgh last summer), but there is so much to see and do out there. I love the east coast!

So Ashton will be leaving in a week, and I will be staying to finish up my semester. He will fly back at the end of April and we will drive out together and get there the beginning of May. We are also excited for the drive out. We are going to add some capitols to our list for our croquet tour!

I will miss you a lot. Good luck Ashton! Keep it real! Rock and Roll! Huff and puff!

Local Marathon

This was about mile 18. I was running so fast all he could catch was my dust.

Since January I have been training to run the Salt Lake marathon in April...just a few weeks away. After we got back from our ski trip, I decided that I was going to do my 21 mile training run, but it was so nice that day that I just decided to keep running and do a marathon. Ashton will be leaving to go to Baltimore to sell for the summer, before the Salt Lake marathon, so he won't be here to see me run, so I thought I might as well do a local marathon so he can be there to see me do my first. It was such a nice day, so why not just keep running?

Ashton was so supportive. He drove around and found me around mile 12 and brought me water and orange slices. And then I ran past home to use the bathroom and refuel and then he set out with me to run the last 8.5 miles. He bought me flowers and told me how proud he was of me. He always knows how to make me feel so good.

My run ended up being 27.25 miles...I might as well sign up for an ultra! A 50k is not too far away! Thanks Ashton for all of your love and support as I train constantly...as I have been training since the day we got married. Always out running. A day without running is like a day without waking up. I just don't think it's possible. I am especially grateful for your love and support as I spend hours and hours every weekend on the road.

While I am at it, I must also take the time to thank you for your love and support of me while doing my master's program. It is not always easy. There is a lot of time and hard work that goes into my classes and projects and papers. I could not imagine trying to conquer this feat without you by my side.

I love you Ashton! You are the champion of my heart.

Lily Lake

On our way out to the yurt

At the yurt...finally able to take that pack off!

The day after we got back from Cancun, we traded in out swimsuits for snow pants so we could join my cohort on a cross country ski trip into the Unita mountains.

We had a fantastic trip skiing a few miles into the mountains to stay at a yurt. And then spent the whole next day skiing around.

We had a great time laughing with all of our friends. Reading the poop book (that inappropriate story!), playing the mexican horse racing game, eating roasted starbursts, falling down all over the place (turn that camera off!), and cuddling up all together were some of our favorite memories of this trip.

1st year cohort is #1!

Cancun

Pinnacle Christmas party 2008, Ashton and I were were sitting around the table with some selling mates and then the raffle started. The prize for a trip to somewhere in the Caribbean for two came up and the winner was....Ashton Bushwell! Bushwell, Buswell, Whatever.

So we planned a trip to Cancun--all expense paid. We stayed in an all inclusive resort and went snorkeling, drove speed boats, rode atvs. It was all so much fun.

We actually went a long time ago. Back in the middle of February, but school has just been so busy that I haven't had any time to write about it.

We loved our trip, and have compared it to other experiences that we have had since we have been married. And although the resort was nice, we really love just staying at the down and dirty, in the trenches with the locals.