Every year we celebrate Mother's and Father's Day, but I don't think that those should be the only days we acknowledge how wonderful our parents are. I have been blessed with phenomenal parents and I couldn't have asked for more.
My parents are my biggest supports.
{My backbone}
They have been by my side through heartbreak, loss of loved ones, when I was unsure about my path in life, and when I have been scared.
{My shoulders to cry on & arms to make me feel safe}
They push me to pursue my dreams, reach my goals, and be the best person I can be.
{My cheerleaders}
When I am unsure or need time, they are {patient} and always willing to catch me if I fall.
They have never pushed me to do what THEY wanted, they guide me and lead me to a path to make my own decisions, whether it is different from theirs.
I have seen my parents become amazing grandparents to my sweet little nephew. My mom and dad are willing to drop whatever they are doing, give whatever they have, and love unconditionally for their children and family. They are the true definition of what it takes to be an amazing parents and grandparents.
{they have three awesome children so they obviously did something right, haha}
There is SO much more I could say about my parents, but I am becoming a teary eyed mess. So I will leave it at that and let you ponder your relationship with your parents. If it is strained, it's not too late to fix it. If you haven't talked to them in a while, pick up the phone. If you have amazing parents like I do but don't tell them enough, tell them.
Tomorrow will mark the 2 year anniversary that a very close friend to the family passed away. So this blog will be somewhat emotional if you would like to refrain from reading.
I was in the shower getting ready for work and usually I was the only one awake. My mom came in the bathroom and asked me a weird question, considering I was in the shower, and then proceeded to tell me when I am done to come out to the family room. I knew something was wrong and instantly felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I demanded her to tell me what was wrong, I didn't want to wait until I was done. A thousand thoughts started rushing through my head; my dad had left that morning to go to work could something have happened to him, was it my grandpa, etc. She finally spit the words out that Marty had passed away. I immediately didn't want to believe her, fell to the shower floor and started crying. My family wasn't going to tell me until I had gotten home from work because they weren't sure if I would be able to not go in that day, and working after you hear news like that would have been unbearable. After many minutes of crying, I had to work up the nerve to call work. It was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever made, spitting out the words that a very important person in my life was no longer there, was torture. Thankfully I had an amazing work family and they were all by my side throughout the whole ordeal.
I have known I wanted to go to NAU since I was in about 7th grade. If you asked me then why I would have said because it was a beautiful campus, it has a GREAT teaching program, and I could experience going away to college while still being close. If you ask me why I chose NAU now, those reasons are still valid, but I have another to add; Marty went there. He always seemed happy that I had chosen NAU as my college of choice and I wasn't going to let him down. A certain song was played at Marty's funeral and ironically that song came on my iPod the very first day of classes at NAU. I knew it was a sign from him, telling me he was proud of me.
"Words cannot do Marty justice in describing the wonderful man he was. He was an inspiration to others, loving, caring, giving, funny, full of laughter, and so much more. He was not just a friend of the family, he WAS family. I considered Marty as a second dad; he always cared for me as if I were his own. He made me feel special and proud to be who I was. I loved how he treated my family and the amazing friendship he and Bev had with my parents. I loved seeing how happy my dad was to have a best friend, a brother and how he was my mom’s “second” husband. Marty left a permanent imprint on my life, my heart, and my future. He encouraged me to go after my dreams, achieve my goals, and was willing to help me any way I needed it. He opened up his home, his cabin, his life, and his heart to my family and that will never be forgotten. Marty is everywhere. I see him when I see a deck of cards, when I watch the drag races, when I drive to Flagstaff, when I see a beautiful sky and know it’s his way of reminding us all that he is watching over us and loves us. I miss Marty more and more each day. Life has not been the same without him, but I know he is still watching over me and wants me to continue to succeed and achieve my goals. I love you Marty!"
{a letter I wrote for Marty's book}
I love you Marty and miss you dearly.
Love,
Little Ashlee
"Cryin' For Me"
Got the news on Friday morning
But a tear I couldnt find
You should me how I am supposed to live
Now you should me how to die
I was lost til Sunday morning
I woke up to face my fear
While writing you this good bye song I found a tear
Im going to miss that smile
Im going to miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
Id do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
Cause thats right where you want to be
Im not cryin cause I feel so sorry for you
I am cryin for me
I got up and dialed your number Your voice came on the line
That old familiar message
I have heard a thousand times
It just said, sorry that I missed you
Leave a message and god bless
I know that you think I am crazy
But I just had to hear your voice I guess
Im going to miss that smile
Im going to miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
Id do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
Cause thats right where you want to be
Im not cryin cause I feel so sorry for you
I am cryin for me
Oh
So play your upsidedown, left handed
Backward bass guitar
Ill see you on the other side superstar
Im going to miss that smile
Im going to miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
Id do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
Cause thats right where you want to be
Im not cryin cause I feel so sorry for you
I am cryin for me
I stated earlier in my blog this year that I wanted to {get fit}. I am HAPPY to say that for the last week and a half...I have stuck to making better eating choices and working out EVERY DAY! I am feeling {AMAZING} about myself and am already seeing results. Even if they are minimal results right now, they give me the boost that I need. I am proud of myself for sticking with a goal I set for myself {one of the greatest feelings ever}.
Along with my little workout that I have created for myself, I downloaded an app for my phone called MyFitnessPal. With this app I am able to keep {EXACT} track of what I eat and the exercises I complete. One of my favorite things about this app is I was able to put in my info and my goal {losing weight, maintaining the same weight, etc.} so I know it is personalized to me. Tracking the food that I am eating helps me continue to make better choices when I hear my tummy growl! I hope to continue the good work...spring break is right around the corner!
Bent Leg Lift {booty and thighs}
Squats {booty, calves, upper thigh}
Abs
Push Ups {I couldn't resist this adorable picture!}
So my roomie and I were enjoying our Tuesday night ritual {watching Teen Mom}. However, she was taking homework breaks during the commercials for her religion class. As I was staring off into my phone reading a text message, I hear her ask "How would you describe Jesus?" I continued to stare at my phone, but then slowly turned my head towards her direction only to realize she was staring {RIGHT AT ME}. Of course we burst into laughter, it's just what we do. Together we came up with a pretty awesome answer.
The point of this post is {even if it was silly how the question came about}...how would {YOU} describe Jesus?
Last night the roomie, friends Danielle and Shane, and I ventured downtown Flagstaff together for the very first time! It was a night to {remember} for sure! We started off at Charley's, then headed to Collins, then Maloney's and finished the night off dancing at San Felipes! Talk about bar hopping. Throughout the night we had many moments of {silent laughter} because we were just having such a good time! I won't get into the nity grity details, but some of these moments were: walking into a bar stool, tripping leaving the bar resulting in a skinned up knee for me {hence the title of the post}, some hilarious voxers and a cold and memorable walk to our friend's house. Let's just say my roomie and I had a fun time laughing about them again over lunch.
I am happy to say that we have spent the majority of our Saturday on the couch watching movies. It has been rainy/wet snow all day, but we were greeted by a fresh blanket of snow this evening. It is BEAUTIFUL and makes it feel like winter {it has been in the high 60's/low 70's in the valley}.
I am so excited to see what this semester will bring and can't wait to have some more crazy nights with my rooms!
This past week has been full of personal obstacles, challenges, and a test of my personal strength. There have been some major changes to my life. They will take some time to get used to, but I know that in the end they are the right choices. For so long I have been putting others before myself and neglecting one of the most important people in my life, myself. I feel like if there is a time in my life where I can be {selfish} the time is now. I am not married; I do not have children, so why not focus on me? It is time for me to stop holding back worrying about what others think and enjoy my life the way I decide to spend it. I have a few more months at NAU and then it is time to be a big girl in the {real world}. So here is to making new memories, not looking back and enjoying what is to come. God has a plan for me; it is time for me to let him lead the way.
“Even if you stumble, you are still moving forward.”
Living in Flagstaff my main place to go is...TARGET. I think I frequent the store about once, sometimes twice, a week {just ask my mom, I'm usually on the phone with her}. Usually I make a list of all the things I NEED or am going to run out of soon, so I will try to just make one trip. But as soon as I get home I realize I forgot or missed something, so one trip turns to two.
Target is NOT a store I can just run in and out of. I always like to wander the aisles and see what cute things they have at that time. Sadly, I came home from winter break and had to put all the Christmas decorations away...BUT...pulled out the Valentine's Day decor. I absolutely {LOVE} when the apartment is decorated. For some reason I feel like I had more decorations last year, but I just must be mistaken. So in the section when you first enter a Target, I always skim to see what cheap deals they have. {BOOM!} I found a glitter "Be Mine" sign that just fit perfectly on the bar in the apartment for only $2.50! Who says I'm not a good shopper :)
I had the awesome opportunity to go to Supercross on Saturday with my Brother and our friend Brett. Brandon's girlfriend was supposed to attend, but she had a prior softball commitment in Tuscon, so I was the lucky one to scoop up the extra ticket! I was excited to enjoy a night out and see what they hype about this sport was about. Don't get me wrong, I have watched it here and there on TV with my brother, but I have never had the urge to put some bucks down on a ticket. Boy was I WRONG!
It was amazing to see the racers. Everything is SO unpredictable and the vibe of the viewers is intense. So many people are rooting for different drivers, but there was never once conflict. When it comes to sports, I tend to only favor baseball. I grew up with it, I understand the game, and who doesn't love to stare at an attractive man in tight baseball pants?! Supercross is pretty simple to follow, it's face paced, and again, the riders are very attractive. I think I have found a new hobby :-)
BROTHER<3
The start of the Main Event
Ryan DUNGEY - the winner of the Main Event && Brandon's favorite
Serious pictures just ain't our thang :-)
This is my FAVORITE rider :-)
Mike Alessi. He is GORGEOUS & shares my birthday :-P
I am always determined to make every year an amazing one. I mean who wouldn’t want a year full of adventure, memories, good times, and life changing events?! I don’t buy into the whole “the world is going to end in 2012” nonsense and I would be quite upset if it did because I have a lot on my list that I would like to achieve before the world comes to an end.
With that being said, this year is going to consist of one major life changing event for myself; student-teaching. I have exactly {214} days until I am in a classroom full of students. I have been working towards that moment for the last four years and whether I am ready or not, it’s coming. I have been given an amazing foundation by my teachers at PVCC and NAU, along with many mentor teachers who are currently in the classroom. Their advice and knowledge will be forever in the back of my head and serve as my “teacher guide”. However, even with the knowledge, advice, and strong foundation that I have, I know I will encounter many experiences that I will need to face on my own. I am full of mixed emotions: happy, nervous, scared, and excited. Thankfully, one of my professors this past semester {who is a PHENOMENAL instructor} reassured us that if we are nervous, it is a good thing. Being nervous means that we are going to do whatever it takes to make sure our students succeed and that we CARE…it’s the ones who aren’t nervous that he worries about.
I am looking forward to what this new chapter in my life will bring and cannot wait to start impacting the lives of little ones. I am positive there will be more blogs consisting of me venting my mixed emotions about this endeavor and continue while I am actually in the classroom. So..stay tuned :-)
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
My non- New Year’s Resolution was to get in shape and overall just feel healthier. I have been blessed to have a body on the petite side of the scale, but that is no excuse to not exercise or eat healthy. I do not want to get in shape to impress others – it is for me. Now let me be clear, shedding pounds is NOT the goal here. The goal is to feel comfortable in my own skin and know when bathing suit season comes around, I feel proud with the progress I have made (especially since bathing suit season lasts forever in Arizona). Again because of the body type I have been blessed with, I know from the past if I stick to a routine I will see results fairly soon.
I always give myself a little lee-way around the holidays with all the seasonal treats, but once those holidays pass I like to remind myself that I do not need to intake many sweats or caffeine. I was determined to walk daily and do my little 30 minute workouts at home. I am not a girl who enjoys going to the gym. I feel awkward going by myself and feel like I am competing with others there. I have had a taste of Zumba and loves it, but it is all about conveinence for this girl. My apartment gym is small and convenient that I do not mind attending every now and then, but would prefer to do a quick Insanity workout in the comfort of my own apartment. Anyway, my Insanity workouts are in Flagstaff and I do not return until next week so that option was out. Then I have been fighting off a cold for the past week, so going on a walk or running with Booter is the last on my priority list.
I hope that once I kick this cold in the butt and start feeling better, I can slowly get back into the swing of things and reach my personal goal. Wish me luck everyone!
"If I had just one wish It would be a stairway, that reached up to heaven, so I could bring u home"
Four years ago I was a senior in high school. Winter break had just ended and we were all heading back to school to knock out our last semester and then graduate. There were mixed feelings about coming back to school; excited to see faces we didn't over break, bummed to have to wake up early, and hoping that the final bell would ring soon. Usually the first day back isn't a tough one, but this day was different.
I headed to Marine Biology like I did every other day, but noticed that my friend Marc wasn't in class. Yes he was late sometimes, but only a couple minutes IF that. So of course I text him to see where he was thinking that maybe he overslept. First hour went by, still Marc didn't show up. Then I head to my second class, English 102, which I also had with Marc. Again, he wasn't there. In English, Marc and I were the only ones who sat in our row of three desks so of course I notice when he isn't there. I also noticed that certain other students in our "corner" weren't there, like Marc's best friend Nik. A few minutes after class had started, Nik stormed in and grabbed his backpack and left the room. I knew something was wrong. A few minutes after that happened, the principal started talking over the schools PA system. She started out saying that tragedy had struck families of Deer Valley, there was a bus accident coming home from a ski trip to Telluride and...Marc Rasmussen, Erica Sheffey, and Jasmine Bowden had died. After those words were spoken my whole body became numb. I didn't know how to react to the news. Do I cry in front of my peers? Do I leave? I just sat there in shock until the bell rang and then I bolted out of class. It was sprinkling and I grabbed my phone to call my mom. As I walk to my third period in the rain, I could barely get the words out to her that Marc had passed away. Everyone close to these individuals were leaving the school or going to find friends to console in. I left my third hour and went to find Ryan while I waited for my mom to come get me.
I got home and just sat on the couch and cried. I couldn't believe he was gone. I couldn't grasp the idea that I wasn't going to see him everyday in class, hang out with him, he wouldn't be there to walk across the stage at graduation, and so much more. Later that night, every news station was covering "The tragedy at Deer Valley High School". I said I wanted to watch, but as soon as they showed a picture of him, I lost it. I was getting texts that a few people were going to the gym that night to make little memorials. I was skeptical of going, but figured I would regret it if I didn't. I didn't go to school the next day and barely wanted to the day after that. The counselors were going around talking to all the classes that Marc, Erica, and Jasmine were in offering their help and ideas of how to deal with the situation. I know it is their job, but I felt if I needed to talk to someone, it would be my family or friends who were going through the same loss.
The rest of senior year was different. Going to school everyday with the constant reminder of his empty parking spot, empty desk, no crazy story was hard. I didn't even want to think about how graduation was going to be. I was dreading the ceremony and how he should have been there. It just wasn't fair. Why him? Why did this have to happen at all?
Marc and I had become friends our sophomore year of high school because of a mutual friend. There were many random nights of hanging out, playing hide-and-go-seek at Aubrey's house when he wore a skirt because our team color was teal, coming over after school to eat my food (ha), stealing my scarf and asking for a massage in math class, having a water fight IN my car and more. Marc and I got really close during spring break of sophomore year. We spent almost every day together and one day he came over saying he needed me to make him a sandwich because he was losing feeling in his left arm. I didn't believe him until he showed that he couldn't pick up his drink. That Sunday night, he text me that he was in the hospital and needed to have brain surgery. Of course I was worried, but I was happy that he knew he could confide in me. My mom and I made a goody basket for him and brought it down to the hospital the next day with continued visits once the surgery was done. He liked to hang out outside and have me push him around in his wheelchair. No matter what the situation, he always knew how to make me laugh.
I still don't understand why God needed Marc so bad. I still needed him here, his family still needed him here, he had so much left to do. It hurts, but I know he is in a better place. He has no more suffering and is an angel watching over his loved ones.
Again, I am a little late on the holiday blog. However, I am very proud that I have stuck with blogging this time around! This New Year's Eve I was quite excited to have my kiss at midnight with Ryan, even if he was more interested in his kazoo. HA. We enjoyed a low key night sitting by a fire and enjoying a few drinks at his friend's house. It is nice to see how far we have come in our relationship and all the new memories we are making with each other.
I am not one to make resolutions in the new year because quite frankly, I never keep them. Instead if I find something I want to change or improve, I just start doing it and make it a goal. Why wait until the new year to make a change when you can always better yourself?
Roomie!
Yep, I claim him. Ha.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I wish you all a blessed year full of adventure, memories, and love!
This Saturday, January 7th, is the day I take the first half of the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment (AEPA). The test takes around 4 hours to complete and to say I am nervous is an understatement! In my favor, NAU has a 90% passing rate, which is pretty high if you ask me. I have also been taking the practice tests that NAU offers for their students and they have been quite helpful. Also, I have been doing very well on these tests which is giving me some sort of relief. Normally, I would not have to take these tests until I am already student teaching or even when I have finished student teaching, but the state has decided in order to be placed for student teaching, one should pass the Subject Knowledge portion. In a way, it stinks because it puts added pressure on a student, but at the same time I think it is a good idea. One should know the content of teaching FOR student teaching, otherwise, one should not be student teaching.
Now that I have put in my two cents, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers this week and send good vibes for good results!
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