Thanksgiving Break

For Thanksgiving this year Ashton and I went down to Arizona. Hello warm weather! We had a great time with friends and family. We are grateful for the time we were able to spend down there and the relationships we were able to rekindle and keep alive.

On our way back, we stopped in Vegas to celebrate our Anniversary. Our anniversary was in September, but because Ashton was still selling in Atlanta and I was in Utah we didn't get to be together, so we planned a little trip on our way back from break.

Ashton has wanted to see the Lion King musical forever and so we finally went to it. It was absolutely amazing! And I loved seeing Ashton's face light up like a little kid. He was so happy the whole time. That is his favorite Disney movie. He loves the message of the movie and how it seems to parallel the gospel. That we are children of divine origin and although we lose our way sometimes, we still have a Father in Heaven who knows and cares for us and wants us to return and be like Him. I'm glad he enjoyed it so much.

We also got to stay in the Bellagio. That is my favorite hotel in Las Vegas, mainly because of the water show. We had a great trip...a nice little getaway.

Canyoneering

At the end of October one of my classes took a canyoneering (you can click on the word "canyoneering" to find out exactly what that is) trip down to southern Utah. It was so amazing! Thanks Melissa for all of your planning! And I know this was a long time ago, but it was such an awesome trip, and we were fortunate that Ashton was able to come along. He is practically a part of our cohort anyway.

On our way through the canyon

A big opening in the canyon

We drove down the night before and went camping...it was freezing! It was nice to wake up and feel the sun again.

Mark and me after a rappell

We then drove to the top of the canyon and hiked our way through some narrow spots, rappelled down into some freezing water, shimmied down some tight squeezes. It was so much fun. The rock formations were absolutely amazing. We live in such a beautiful place. The best part was the company. We loved spending our time with the cohort. We will never forget Mark playing the mexican race horse game, Clive wearing his orange headband, Jessie and her spandex, Melissa's great help, and Rachel helping to lead the way.

The last rappell

A beautiful sunset at the end of a wonderful day

My Super Lydia!!!

Today is Lydia and my 3 year anniversary and I just wanted to let everyone know how blessed I feel to have such a SUPER WOMAN wife!

I've been meaning to blog about how spectacular she is for a long time, especially after last semester. Lydia had one of the hardest semester's she's ever had, her grandpa died, she took some time to spend with me and got behind in school work, trained for a marathon and then ran a marathon and took a comprehensive final 2 hours later! She overcame some pretty crazy odds last semester and she'll do it again this semester too! And all the while she has to put up with and take care of me. She truly is an amazing woman.

On this wonderful 36 month anniversary I wanted to express to the world (or really just anyone that reads this blog I guess) how much I LOVE my dear Lydia.

I have been whooped by Lydia Anne Buswell for a long time. A lot of people don't know, but on one of our first dates I told her I wanted to have a "celestial relationship" with her. I was initially just thinking that if eventually I was going to have a "celestial relationship" with someone that I may as well start practicing what it was going to be like. But the truth of the matter was that I probably knew deep down that it was going to be a really special and eternal relationship.

I've been so blessed and honored that Lydia has chosen me to be her eternal companion! I feel so out of my league when I'm around her. She carries the most amazing countanence and is always beaming! I love how she lights up a room and can brighten anyone's day that she talks to. I am so amazed at all that she is and all that she will become.

Lydia I just want to tell you that I love you so much...but the words and the actions can't really express how deeply I care for you and how deeply I love you. You mean everything to me! You are the perfect wife for me and you are going to be such a great mother to our children! I can't wait to have a big family with you.

These past 3 years have been the best years of my life and I know we'll have an eternity of years to come that will be even better.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY LOVE!

Back to School = Back to Funday Fridays!

I love my program. I can't say it enough. I love my professors, my classmates, and one of my favorite parts of my program is funday Fridays. Every Friday we take some time to practice what we preach and do something recreational. This week we went rappelling. The view was amazing. The company was superb. And the food was fantastic--hot dogs and s'mores! I look forward to many more good times with the best program in the world! (Oh and welcome to the Marriott School of Business! Our department changed schools and is now in one of the top 20 schools in the nation!) I can't wait to graduate from the same college as my husband--top tier!

Grandpa Buswell

Ashton's grandpa Buswell has been really sick for quite some time. While Ashton was here in Utah we went to visit grandpa. Ashton loves his grandpa so much. Grandpa was a WWII veteran and has amazing stories. He is a wonderful grandpa, always there when you need him. He is Ashton's biggest wrestling fan. I'm sure he could have taken my champion down in his prime. Maybe he still could. We are grateful for his loving guidance and influence in our lives, directly and indirectly. He is one of the many reasons we are proud to carry the name BUSWELL!

Heading West

Our trip back to Utah took a week long and was filled with many stops and much fun. We started out by going to a Brave's game, employing the tomahawk chop as our winning companion. We stopped in Tallahassee to play croquet and then probably our most favorite stop of the trip was Destin, FL. We spent a few days basking in gorgeous, breezy, sunny weather with warm, white sand squishing between our toes, watching that emerald coast gently brush the edge of the Gulf. My uncle owns some property down there so we stayed in one of their places and they were down there at the same time and so we got to spend our time with them. We had a blast!



After Destin, we went to play some croquet in Alabama and Mississippi. Alabama had one of the most historical capitols we have ever been to. There was a lot of stuff about the confederate states. A star where Jefferson Davis addressed the confederate states for the first time (which is actually on the capitol building stairs) and the first confederate white house.



We stayed a day in New Orleans. The garden district is wonderful and the French quarter is pretty trashy in some places, but other parts have a great atmosphere. We enjoyed some authentic New Orleans food. And one of our favorite parts was how the cemeteries are all above ground graves.



We stopped in Baton Rouge for some croquet and then in Houston to stay the night. We played croquet in Austin, and our last main attraction was the Davy Crockett monument (which is in the middle of nowhere but we saw it on the map and thought we should stop).

It was great to finally make it back to Utah after traveling for a whole week. Ashton spent a day here in Utah helping me unpack and visiting family and friends and then took off back to Atlanta to finish selling there until the end of September. I am enjoying the nice crisp mountain air while Ashton is barely surviving the humidity of Atlanta. We miss each other insanely and are excited for our reunion.

We did take some fun pictures which you can look at here

August to Atlanta

We made it down to Atlanta and then I left to go back up to Baltimore to hang out with some friends that had previously planned to come into town. Also, my brother was in town visiting. So all those people came and left and then I had a flight to AZ from Baltimore. One of my best friend's little sisters got married in AZ. So I was there a week and then I went to Connecticut to visit my sister in law for a few days and then packed up in Baltimore and headed down to Atlanta. I was only there in Atlanta a week before it was time to start our trek out to Utah, but that was definitely enough time to squeeze in a game of croquet!

Ricketts Glenn State Park

So I have not posted anything for a long long time. The end of July to the end of August was crazy. I was traveling someplace new every week and Ashton's office got moved down to Atlanta and there was no internet connection. So I haven't been able to post. But now I have some time and a connection. So here we go.

Last year while we were in Pittsburgh we found a state park in PA that has a hike that includes 22 waterfalls. And I wanted to go so bad. But we just couldn't find the time. So right before Ashton's office got moved down to Atlanta, we took a little road trip. It was so beautiful!

We made a little stop in Scranton, home of the Office. And then took some back country roads back down to Baltimore. We were traveling on the 16th of the month and every month on the 16th we make pizza, but since we were gone we stopped in at a small town restaurant in Slocum, PA and had some of the best pizza we've ever had!

We left for Atlanta the day after we got back from our trip and Ashton's office stopped in Chattanooga, TN and sold there for a few days. Choo Choo is a great place for mountain biking and hiking. So many trails that are all so beautiful!

For more pictures click here

Trenton

This past weekend we went to Trenton to play yet another game of croquet. We stopped in Philadelphia on the way home and spent some time with Ashton's cousin Tom and his cute family. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures with them. But we just might see them again this weekend, which would be fabulous. We'll have to get some pictures then.

Happy 4th of Ju-ly!

Ashton has said that when he thinks of joy and happiness he thinks of parades. So of course we had to attend a 4th of July parade!

Right before the fireworks started

Check out this crowd!

In the evening we went down to DC to be at our nation's capitol to enjoy the fireworks and remember the freedoms we have.

Bethany's Visit

My friend Bethany came for visit in the middle of June. (These are all such late posts!) We had a great time visiting the Amish, touring Gettysburg, and getting washed out in DC.

Golfing for Glaucoma

A hole in one wins a Lexus!

We found a turtle (among other wildlife) on our nature walk through the course.

My uncle Sam has Glaucoma and a few years ago started a foundation which raises money to do free screenings around Baltimore as well as supports research to help prevent and stop glaucoma. Every year they hold a golf tournament to help raise money. Ashton played this year while I helped babysit. To learn more about glaucoma or how you can help click here.

Dover Croquet

In June, Ashton and I went to Dover to tackle yet another capitol. And then enjoyed a lovely picnic in the shade. Needless to say, there weren't very many people around to take pictures for us.

A Crappy Day

This was a while ago, but one day Ashton came home and we discovered a little bird surprise! And look--Ashton smiled through it all. What a trooper!

East Coast Livin'

Our only rain game--Charleston, WV

Our first capitol of the tour--Albuquerque, NM

So my computer has been broken and then something went crazy with trying to download pictures onto the computer..... And I've been too lazy to try and figure it all out, really.

Anyway, Ashton and I have been out here in Baltimore for about a month now and have been enjoying the beautiful green landscape minus the humidity. Ashton has been selling like a mad man and I am oh so proud of him. I, on the other hand, do enough lounging around for the both of us. I spend much of the day running and then reading for school (and leisure, of course). So many things to do before the fall so speedily creeps into existence as it does every year.

On our way out to Balitmore, Ashton and I naturally had to stop and play croquet. We hit up Santa Fe, NM (and then stayed in Albuquerque with the Hardy's...we love you!); Oklahoma City, OK; Little Rock, AR (where we drove through a horrible storm); Nashville, TN; Frankfort, KY (where we saw some horses from the Kentucky derby being pulled back to safety); Charleston, WV; and Richmond, VA. It was the long way to Baltimore, but definitely the fun way.

Since being here, I have been able to spend lots of time with my grandparents and my Aunts and Uncles. We have enjoyed the poolside, as well as hoppin' birthday parties. I went to visit my friend Carrie who just graduated from GW and is now in Hollywood! Tyler and Rachel came for a short visit right when we got here. We loved having visitors! We have even been back to UT once already for right before Memorial day and spent some quality time with Ashton's family.

While in UT, Blake and I went on a fabulous 18 mile run (thanks Blake!), we all went 4-wheeling, swimming, played volleyball and just had a grand old time!

I can't believe that it is June already! Ashton and I are looking forward to the rest of the summer and have some fun things planned.

Sorry for the delayed post!