Springtime!!!

Hey everyone, its Ashley!

So I am here to update you on spring term :)

I have been able to get a solid start to my internship at DCFS. Its been pretty interesting. Most of what I do is documentation and going on visits with the foster kids. I've read through quite a few case histories and they are pretty intense. Its amazing what most of these kids have gone through. My supervisor is nice and somewhat eccentric haha. But she is very good at what she does and has been a social worker for about 13 years. I hope that I'll be able to do more than observe and document in this internship but I have plenty of time left to see. I am also taking the class that is required for the internship. This class gives me the school credit for the hours I am doing but I honestly hate the class xP. There are assignments required for it that are really pointless and don't really help anything. I did the midterm last week and it was really ambiguous and just kind of worthless. Also we are required to read this book called Made to Stick which I am sure would be great if we were business majors or going into advertising but as a psychology major I don't get much out of it. On the bright side, the class only lasts until mid-June! Other than the internship, I've mainly been working in my job as a secretary.

Adam and I decided after a couple weeks that spring term would not be the best time for him to do his Spanish class so he dropped it. He is continuing his class on Jane Austen and film and really likes it. He is learning a ton and he gets to tell me everything he learns which I love :) Before the class, he had watched all of the latest BBC versions of all of the Austen novels and now we've been watching some of the other versions and comparing them. It is quite enjoyable! He is also continuing working as a TA. Although his class isn't in session, he is working with the professor to revamp the course for the fall so he has plenty to do. He enjoys being around his co-workers there and tells me of all the fun things they get distracted with haha

Other than all that work, we've actually had time to have some fun! We are both on the Orem city league for Ultimate frisbee which has been fun. Our team is really awesome and we have lots of fun together. Most of the team was on their team last year but we've got to meet some great new people. This is Adam's third year doing it and my first. Last year, I played in the tournament because there wasn't enough girls but this year I am a full-fledged team member (jersey and all!). We've also been able to hang out with quite a few of our friends for game and movie nights which is always fun. And of course we have had lots of time spent with my sister and her family :) My sister Stephanie moved out when I was in middle school and moved up to Seattle when I started high school. It has been so great to have her nearby so we can spend lots of time with each other. Adam and I have also helped them a few times with babysitting Anders which is tons of fun :) He has gotten so big and now he is walking!!

As you can see, Adam is quite enjoying being an uncle with Anders. We both have quite a few nieces and nephews from Adam's side but we rarely see them since they live in Texas :( but this is the first time we can be a real aunt and uncle (and have the kids remember us from more than a once a year visit).

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to attend a funeral for one of my grandfather's brothers. My mom's father was killed when she was 5 while painting a bridge (he was doing this to pay for dental school) and left my grandma with four little girls, the youngest was just a baby. My grandma later remarried a wonderful man and we lost contact with the Packard side of the family. When I was 13, we reconnected with my great-uncle Bob and went to a gigantic family reunion. My grandpa was one of 17 kids! And no that is not a typo haha. The family reunion was awesome but since then we have only seen Bob once and hadn't seen the rest of them. Last Saturday, we were able to see them all again at the funeral and it was amazing. The service was wonderful and much more of a celebration of my great-uncle Von's life rather than a sad occasion. Afterwards, we had a very big luncheon (and by big I mean more people than a Ward Christmas party). We were able to hear lots of family stories and hug lots and lots of people (they are a very huggy lovey family). 

This is my great-aunt Talmadge on the left and my uncle Bob on the right, Bob is the president of the Dallas Temple

My aunt Linsy (my mom's sister) and her husband came down from Idaho Falls for the occasion and we got to spend quite a bit of time with them which was great fun :) We have another busy week ahead of us because both my parents are coming to visit. I am super excited and can't wait for the fun we'll have.

Well until next time folks!

Ashley <3