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.

Updated...finally!

I have been such a slacker in the blogging world as of late. Things with school and keeping up with Ashton has kept me busy. But I finally found some time to kill...or be distracted from other, more pressing items of business, and update this thing.

We have been having such a great time traveling and being outside (Utah has been so lovely lately) that I just haven't had time. So many things to blog about, but no time to blog about them because we've been so busy doing them!

So, there are a few posts below which briefly describe our Thanksgiving and Christmas, a few outdoor adventures, and Ashton's birthday. I hope it's not too boring!

Happy Birthday Buzz

Just last week was Ashton's birthday! The big 2-7! Yikes! One year closer to 30. I keep having to remind him of that. He's much older than I am despite my graduating college first and being in graduate school first.

Ashton you are a gem in my life. I am so grateful for your hard work and strong example of living the gospel of Jesus Christ valiantly. You have accomplished more in your short 27 years of life than some people do in a lifetime. I am proud of you schnook!

Snow Sports

After enjoying the beautiful warm weather of central America, we came back to the ice block of Provo and decided that we should make the best of the cold weather as well. Plus, we need to prepare for our overnight cross country ski adventure that is upcoming. A little snowshoeing and cross country skiing has helped us enjoy this time of year!

And I think snowshoeing has become a new favorite of ours!

From Collages

Guatemala and Belize

After our trip to Disneyworld, we caught a flight down to Guatemala City. It was so beautiful there. I can see why some suspect it as the land of bountiful. We went to the temple right when we got there and stayed a night at the temple accommodations.

The next morning we flew north to Flores where we stayed for the next few days. We spend New Year's Eve there and it was insane. I am surprised buildings did not burn down from all the fireworks people set off. Flores is a little island in the middle of a lake and so it was beautiful to see all the lights reflect on the water.

New Years Day we woke up before dawn and headed to Tikal, an ancient Mayan city. The temples and buildings were amazing. There were spider monkeys all over the place too! A nice addition to the beautiful green scenery.

We also spent a few days across the border in Belize. We stayed in the jungle areas and rented a canoe and paddled up the river one afternoon. We saw lots of iguanas and some of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen in my life.

We also had the great opportunity of going to church there. The people all speak English, that is the official language there, but everyone speaks Creole and where we were nearly everyone spoke Spanish. Needless to say, church was quite interesting. But we felt the language of the spirit strongly while we were there. The saints there are pure and it opened our eyes to realize that the Church is true all over the world and that the people in Belize care about the same things as the people in America--they care about keeping their families with them forever. It is a beautiful gospel indeed.

We spent one more day in Guatemala City with some friends of ours and had a great Family Home Evening night where we shared our testimonies of the gospel. We were lucky enough to meet so many people who knew English so we could communicate so well.

All in all, it was a great trip and we feel lucky to have gone and see some more of the beautiful world that we live in and meet some of the beautiful people God has created.

Disneyworld

Ashton and I had a wonderful Christmas break. We went to Las Vegas for a day or so and then headed down to Arizona to be with my family. It was so warm and perfect to run in. We spent lots of good time with family and friends. The Smiths invited us to spend some time with them on Christmas day volunteering at the Salvation Army dinner. Ashton had a grand time handing less fortunate children toys for Christmas.

Not long after Christmas, we flew to Florida and spent a day with our friends in Disneyworld. Thanks Andy for the tickets and fun time!

Thanksgiving

Let's back up all the way to Thanksgiving. Ashton and I had a great thanksgiving down in Richfield with Ashton's family. We even to go to Uncle Paul' s buffalo ranch.

I made this yummy pumpkin banana tart. It was so much better
than pumpkin pie. Even Ashton liked it and pumpkin pie is his favorite!

Fly Fishing

This was just a baby fish to some of the other ones we caught.

Brian, Jessie, Me, and Rachel

This Friday Fun Break was fly fishing thanks to Ramon! We had a great time catching some rainbow trout up Provo Canyon.

I am grateful for my program and my awesome cohort. I love being able to practice what we preach and grow closer together as we learn together!

Some Friday Fun

Every Friday the grad students get together and do something recreational. We are really just trying to practice what we preach. One week was kayaking--half of us fell in the river--those silly barges. This past week was Halloween and we all gathered at Eliza's to make some doughnuts and apple cider. A few weeks ago we played wheelchair rugby. It was such a blast. I don't have any pictures, but I will try to get some soon.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

So Ashton came and was here for two weeks. It was the greatest two weeks. We spent tons of time together. Babysitting, going to the temple, a trip to Logan, taking naps together, going to a movie (a real novelty for us).

And now he is gone back to New Zealand. He is such a hard worker and I am so proud of him and all that he does.

I love you Ashton. I am grateful for you, my little Maori! I can't wait to see you again soon! Give all of New Zealand my best regards. I can't wait to go back.

Kia Ora Ashton! And Ka Kite Ano!

Utah....Finally

After all these croquet games and living in Utah for so long. We finally did our own state. The capitol building had been staring us down for a long time and now we can drive by with confidence. It was our 20th capitol (19 states and our nation's)! We are certainly excited to hit up Hawaii someday!

A special thanks to Tyler and Rachel for playing with us!

Together and On the Road Again

At the beginning of the month I flew out to Pittsburgh to drive back to Utah with Ashton. We have a goal to play croquet on the lawns of all the state capitols in America. On our way out to Pittsburgh we didn't have any time to play. So, we decided that we needed to make time to play on the way back.

We played eight games and tied 4-4. In Kansas we played with Ashton's best friend, Dustin. It was great to have an extra player.

We also stopped at Carthage jail and Nauvoo. It was our great pleasure to be able to attend the Nauvoo temple and be reminded of the dedication the saints of the earlier time had to the Church. The spirit in both Carthage and Nauvoo confirmed our testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we first got married I worked a little for Ashton's Uncle Blair who sculpts the busts for the pro football hall of fame. He has also been commissioned to do a wagon train for a bank in Nebraska. I helped to make molds of his sculptures and so we went and took a look at the final product.

We had a great trip back. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time together after being apart for so long.