Moving!

Hello all!  This past week has been crazy busy for us as we have had work, Ashley's internship, my birthday/Independence Day and.. oh yeah... moving!  Yes, as of July 1st Ashley and I have moved out of our first apartment as a married couple and into another apartment.  This apartment is a bit nicer, with 2 bedrooms, central air (which has been one of Ashley's favorite things), a better kitchen, dishwasher, washer/dryer hookups and happens to be just below a couple of our best friends!

This all happened quite suddenly though.  Ashley and I have casually looked at new apartments a couple of times in the past year, but always ended up deciding to stay.  However, we often asked ourselves that if we had a place like our friends, Steven and Kayla, would we take it?  We would usually say, maybe, but most likely yes.  So, the apartment below theirs opened up and we decided to take it.  After a lot of worry about selling our contract in our old apartment (which was a most needless gesture as we had nearly 20 couples come look at our place in 5 days and at least three couples applied for the apartment) we sold the contract and started packing up.

Here is what our apartment looked like as we showed it:

Luckily for us, our friends were away in Hawaii on vacation for the 10 days before the move and allowed us to put our stuff in their apartment until we could actually move in.  That was incredibly helpful as we packed away most of our little stuff before the day of the move.

The day of the move came and boy were we busy!  We had to pick up our friends from the Salt Lake Airport and then had to start the move.  We were fortunate to have a lot of help including a person from Ashley's work who brought his truck and my home teaching companion who offered his van.  With their vehicles and the help of my brother and three of our friends and a couple of brothers of Kayla's, we managed to complete the moving in 1 hour!  Then we had to do the cleaning as we had to be out of the apartment by 5 PM.  With the help of Steven and one of Kayla's brothers, we had the apartment cleaned and locked right at 5 PM.

Here was our last look at the place we had lived (at least one of us) for 20 months:

It was sad to leave the place but we were excited for our new place.  We still miss some of the cooler things about the old place like the step-up pantry but our new place is wonderful too!

We came back to our new place around 5:30 and had a huge pile of stuff in our living room!  We spent most of that night to start organizing things.  By Tuesday evening, our place looked like this:

Even though we had work on Tuesday, we worked hard that evening and had the kitchen done, the dining table and desk set up and some things in our second bedroom assembled, but we still had a large pile in the living room.

We had set a goal to finish organizing the house by Wednesday night as my birthday was on Thursday and we were going to host a few friends (more on that in another blog).  With the help of Steven and Kayla, who kindly helped us again that night, our place was finished!  Here is the finished product with a picture of the happy workers:

We are excited to live here and have enjoyed every day!  I hope you enjoy the pictures as well!

Parents came to visit!

Hey everyone!

It's Ashley again. So my parents came to visit this last week :) For my mom, it was her first time coming to Provo and the first time my dad has come since we got married. It was fun having lots of family time and my parents thoroughly enjoyed seeing their grandson again. So here's how the week went:

Tuesday: Parents arrived! Adam and I made chili and afterwards we walked a little downtown and around the Provo Tabernacle (soon-to-be Provo City Center Temple). At this time, we realized that my parents had brought the Washington weather with them and it started pouring rain! We ran the last few blocks and were soaked to the bone. Later on, we went to Steph and Matt's apartment.

Wednesday: We all went to Thanksgiving Point! I hadn't explored much up there so it was fun :) This was also the day that Anders became 11 months old! We had lunch and then went over to the farm that they have up there. It was so fun to see all the animals and made me nostalgic for the Clark County Fair. Anders was in awe of everything and got to pet some animals. Also, the lucky little boy got to ride a pony for the first time! He was laughing lots while doing it. We got to see some really cool peacocks as well. The males were...very excited for spring if you know what I mean ;) I had never seen a peacock with his tail feathers fanned out before so this was cool. One was...lets just say really excited? haha any time a female walked by his whole body shook and made a buzzing noise! The girl didn't look like she cared though haha. Also we got to see the cute little goats! One was a baby pygmy goat and it was very friendly :) It came bounding up to the fence and stuck its mouth through. It licked our fingers and was so cute :) After we finished at the farm, we went to this glass art school/studio. They do blown glass as well as stained glass. We got to watch them blow what was going to be a light fixture and it was so cool! This studio also does stained glass for most of the temples! We got to see some pieces that will go in the Payson Utah and the Boise Idaho temples. They told us that the next project will be the Rome Italy temple :) So cool! Afterwards, I had class and then we all ate at China Garden (best Chinese food in Provo). My parents also gave Anders his birthday gifts (early since they won't be here in June). He LOVED the rocking chair my mom gave him and the fire truck my dad gave.

Thursday: On this day, we started off with breakfast at Magleby's Fresh. Afterwards, we went to campus and looked at some stuff. I showed my parents where I work and the BYU Bookstore which they enjoyed. We also went to the Museum of Art which had some pretty cool things. Later, we all went to Adam's and my Ultimate frisbee game and then out to dinner at Terra Mia. We then hung out at Steph and Matt's to watch Larkrise to Candleford :)

Friday: We went up to Salt Lake City! Adam and I showed them this little British shop that had yummy pastries. Then, it was off to Temple square! We went to a bunch of the sites there such as the visitor's centers, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the tabernacle, and the Church History Museum. Then we went to eat at the new City Creek Mall. After that, we went to see my grandma in Sandy (my dad's mother). It was the first time my mom and sister had seen her for a long time and she got to meet Anders. He had so much fun playing on Grandma Tanner's piano and stairway banisters haha. Then that night we had cake and got to watch Anders try to eat it haha. He wasn't sure what to do with the frosting stuck to his hands and so he ate most of it by shoving his face into it :) It was lots of fun.

Saturday: Time for them to go! My parents packed up and left that morning. Adam and I spent the rest of the day recuperating from a very busy week.

That's all folks!
<3 Ashley

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

Happy Mother's Day--Adam's Edition

Hello all!  In honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to make a blog honoring my Mother:

My mother is a very wonderful person and I love her very much.  Ever since I have left the house, she has always been very good about keeping in contact.  I have always felt like she was genuinely interested in what was going on in my life.  I have always felt comfortable with talking to her about anything in my life.  My mom has always been very lighthearted as well.  She, like everyone, enjoys her free time, but I have always noticed how much she enjoys being with her family the most, even when the rest of us were watching sports (not her greatest interest).  She loves to laugh and I always feel good when I am able to make her laugh about things I say.  I am so proud to call her my mom.  I love you Mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

Endings and Beginnings

Greetings loyal viewers!  It is about time we get back to blogging.  I must admit that this is my fault since Ashley and I usually take turns blogging and she did the last one.  So here I am, blogging.

For most non-school people, the title of this post would be more representative of New Years and not early May, however, Ashley and I are in school and that means April-May becomes the transition time.

Endings

Ashley and I have now finished our Winter Semester classes and it turned out well for both of us, though we did deal with a lot of stressful times.  My grades this semester tied my for my best semester in college (I have done better during terms, but they are not very comparable) and Ashley's grades this semester was the second best semester she has had and both of our GPAs got bumped up a little bit as a result.

We also ended our assignment at the Provo Temple at the end of March, just as school was getting way too busy to deal with.  It was very bittersweet because we knew that we had made the right decision and could not continue with our shift but we had learned so much and enjoyed the Spirit and the people we worked with.  However, we will always remember the wonderful opportunity to learn more about God, His work, and the promises that are made in the temple.  I have a firm testimony that this opportunity will help our family develop for years to come.

We have also started to experience the changes that come with the end of another year of schooling.  One of our closest friends, Andre, graduated from BYU in April and will be moving with his wife to Colorado later in the Summer.  To celebrate, we were able to attend a barbeque where we were able to take this picture:

This picture has our close friends (from left to right): Steven, Kayla, Michelle, Andre, me, and Ashley.  It was especially memorable since this was the same group that got together for our first date.  In fact, our first date started with a picnic that we held at this exact same park!  Now, here we are almost two years later!

While we still will enjoy the summer together, one couple will move out in July and the rest of us will continue along and start to go our separate ways.

 Beginnings

This time also leads to many new beginnings as well.  Ashley and I are both taking some classes during the Spring.  Ashley is only taking one class and that is related to her internship.  She is doing an internship with DCFS and is working in the Transition to Adult Living section.  She has done a little already and she is really excited about the opportunity even though it will be quite a challenge as well.

I am taking two classes this Spring.  One is my final Spanish class required for my major, which I am excited about, but it is very challenging and I hope I will be able to do well in the course.  The other class is a Senior seminar class in the Humanities Department entitled: Filming Jane Austen.  In this class, I will be reading the Austen novels (minus Northanger Abbey since we just do not have enough time) and we will then watch different film adaptations and analyze them.  We have already started and I am really enjoying the class.

On top of the new classes, we are also delighted to have Ashley's sister, Stephanie, her husband, Matt and their 10 month old child, Anders come here to Provo.  This past weekend, we have been busy helping them move in to their new apartment.  We are delighted to have family living so close and Ashley is especially delighted to have her young nephew near enough to play with.

Proud Uncle with his youngest nephew

Pensive Anders

Happy Baby!

My favorite! :-)

Now that we have a little more time, you can expect more blogs from us.  We are excited to enjoy the new beginnings and remembering the fun times of the past!

Start of Winter semester

Hey everyone,
I thought I should get this post out before things get too hectic. The new semester has begun! We are excited to keep school going but I can't say I won't be looking forward to springtime. It has been FREEZING here!!! I hear people back in Washington complain about 30 degree whether and right now, that would be downright balmy here in Utah. It has lately been having highs in the teens and has been getting to negatives for the lows. Doesn't make it very fun to walk to campus from the Marriot center parking lot. I am looking forward to having blue skies and not wearing five layers. But that will come later.

Anyways, school will definitely be just as stressful as last semester. I am taking TMA 201 (the second half of theatre history because I took the first half fall semester), Personality, Psychology of Gender, Intro to Social Work, and a beginning piano class. TMA is still not exactly my favorite class but at least it is the same teacher and class structure as last semester so that should make it better. Personality will be...enlightening? I'm not sure of word for it (or maybe just a positive one). It is basically an intense theory course (with bits of philosophy thrown in there). The readings are long and difficult and the whole time I wonder how someone could think so much about something. We'll have to see how that one goes. Psychology of gender has so far been quite interesting and fun. The professor is quite entertaining having grown up in Japan and giving her thoughts on American gender stereotypes. I will have to do (yet again) a group research project for that class. I'm getting pretty sick of those. As for Intro to Social Work, I am excited for because it will help prepare me for the field and getting my Master's in Social Work. For this class, I will be needing to volunteer again. I am thinking of continuing to work in the Children's Unit at the Utah State Hospital since I enjoyed it so much. Hopefully this time I can work a little more with the social workers there. And lastly, my piano class has been pretty easy since they are learning how to read music which I already know how to do. I'm sure it will get more difficult but I look forward to eventually being able to play some hymns :) I will be continuing to work in both the Lab and as a secretary. All in all, a very busy semester.

Adam will also be very busy this semester. He is taking the online D&C course that I took last semester which is giving him a great scripture study guide. He is also taking two history courses, England since 1689 and US history 1890-1945. Both are challenging but he loves history so it makes it good. He is also continuing Spanish which he absolutely hates but on the bright side, he only has one more class after this one! His last class is a capstone class about European Gothicism which I am excited about because he gets to read Northanger Abbey! He is still working as a TA for the online course of Humanities 202 and he actually gets to work in the lab as well which he is very happy about. He will probably give more of his thoughts on this semester in further posts.

Well that's all for now!
<3 Ashley
P.S. We are still working in the temple for this semester :)

One Year

Last post was about the first half of our Christmas break.  This post is about the main event of the second half, our anniversary celebration.  On the twenty-seventh, Ashley, my family and I all went down to the Denver Temple to do a session.  It happened to be the one year anniversary of when Ashley went through the temple for her own endowments.  It was a wonderful experience and it brought back a lot of memories.  It also happened to be the first time that Ashley had been in the Denver Temple.

Ashley and I outside the Denver Temple

The rest of our festivities took place on the 28th and the 29th.  We booked a hotel in downtown Denver for the night of the 28th since we had decided that staying over into Sunday morning would be challenging to get to church.  Because of that, we decided to do more of our celebrations on Friday, even though it was not the actual day of our anniversary.

We went into downtown Denver in the early afternoon and immediately visited the Molly Brown House.  We had already taken the tour, but Ashley really likes visiting the house and I wanted to go again in preparation for a paper I am planning to write (more on the paper in a later blog post, probably in a few months).  It was another wonderful experience and I learned a lot more than I did the first time. 

Us at the Molly Brown House

 Ashley in front of the Molly Brown House

Afterwards, we decided to drop off our stuff at the hotel before going exploring the 16th Street Mall, a outdoor mall (that spans the length of the street).  We had selected a hotel that was right on 16th Street and in an older building that had been turned into the hotel.

 

 We got into the hotel and checked in and got our keys.  When we entered our room, we were surprised at how nice it looked.  Later on, we were looking at the website, when we realized that the hotel had upgraded us to their Presidential Suite (the best room in the hotel) for free!  We were so excited.  It was spacious, on the top floor, and had a balcony where we were able to enjoy the mountains, the skyline, and the buildings lit up for Christmas.

We had a great night.  It was quite cold out that day, so we didn't explore as much as we originally had planned, but we still had fun wandering down 16th Street, eating at the Hard Rock Cafe, getting hot chocolate together.  It was a wonderful night!

The next morning, we went out again to have breakfast at a bakery, which was really delicious, then packed up and left our hotel.  Instead of heading home, though, we went back to the Denver Temple to do sealings as a way to commemorate our own sealing exactly one year before.  It was a wonderful experience.

We are so grateful for our marriage.  I know that for myself, it has been the best year in my life.  I have grown so much and had so much joy in my life.

Ashley's notes: Incredible weekend!! This anniversary celebration was more amazing than I could have imagined. The hotel was so cool and Denver was so beautiful. The best part was being in the temple (albeit different temple) and remembering looking at Adam and promising forever (I know this sounds cheesy but I'm just being honest). This past year, and almost two years has been amazing because of Adam. He is seriously a better husband than I could've imagined existed outside of romantic comedies. I am looking forward to many more years :)

Love,

Us