Snow and Service

I love Christmas. And I love snow. It's amazing--they say that if it's not snowy in Utah, the shopping revenue goes way down. No one buys Christmas gifts because no one feels Christmas-y. I love that. And as the snow falls down outside, and as I keep peeking out my office and down the hall to the outside door so that I can see it, I can see why. There is just something so soft and comforting and beautiful about the snow and the way it makes you feel like sitting by a cold window, wrapped in a fleece blanket wearing slippers and a cup of hot chocolate in your hand, and just staring for hours. The way it makes you feel like sharing that feeling with another person... even if through shopping for gifts. It needs to snow many more times before Christmas comes in 17 days. Please!

Oh, and service... In testimony meeting yesterday, someone mentioned that Christmas makes us all feel connected on a deeper level, and it's so true. A Christmas doesn't go by when I don't think of the many people out there who aren't so blessed as me. The people who are going without. But I hope they are still surrounded by family and friends. I pray that even if money is too thin, they still will feel the hope of this season. And I hope that my small efforts to donate a little money and supplies this year can make a difference in someone's life. That they will feel loved. That they will feel a little of Christ's love, for he is the true spirit and light that connects us all, that we feel especially strong this and every Christmas.

I wish you all happy snow days, happy serving, and a light-filled, merry Christmas!

Blue, Gold, and White! Fight, Fight, Fight!

(Kinda) Tagged by Jamilyn

1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? I never dated in high school. But I did date Boyd Bowers for a few months. And he went to my high school, even though I never associated with him when we were both at THS

2.WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? My cute little Toyota Corolla named Tess

3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? With flying colors! I got a 97%, because I got in the left turn lane too early, and because I am pathetic at reversing into parking spots.

4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? Not at all.

5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? Ha! Never... I suck at flirting!
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? I was in concert choir, senior year. Though, I kinda regret not getting more involved with it before then.
7. WERE YOU A NERD? Totally. I was all about concurrent enrollment classes and getting good grades.

8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Varsity Cheer, baby. So funny, because I'm not the cheerleading type whatsoever. Or athletic. At all. What was I thinking?

9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? Nope.

10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? Of course. I still might be able to do the dance too. It might take me a few tries to remember though... "We're the Warriors and we're the best. We've got courage deep inside..."

11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? I didn't really have any favorites. Never the teacher's pet type.

12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? Usually by the lockers. Or we went to Sconecutters or Wendys.

13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Taylorsville High School

14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Warriors. Blue, Gold and White!

15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? I went with Michael Schooley, senior year. Didn't go the other years.

16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? Not particularly. I didn't hate high school, but I'm really glad to not be at that age anymore.

17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? Taking tons of pictures afterward. I don't remember a whole lot about graduation. Besides that I got to sit near the front because the concert choir sang. And that I got to walk really close to my bestest friends.

18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? I think we had one, but I didn't care enough to be involved. Or it wasn't very well publicized.

19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Nope, sure wasn't. The "groups" I was in weren't considered clubs. Yearbook, Concert Choir, and Cheer.

20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? I lost weight when I went to college, then gained weight while training for the marathon. I can now proudly say that I've lost that weight and am back to my high school weight! Yay!

21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? No one. I never went to prom.

22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? I'll probably end up going, but I don't really care enough to bank on it.

23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? Yeah. I worked at Winger's as a hostess for a month, and the Holiday Inn restaurant for a month. I didn't hold down jobs well, what with cheer and school work.

Proud to Be!

Happy Election Day! I've been reading articles upon articles lately. Some concern the political candidates, others about how politics affect the movie-going experience, still others about how the voting process is going... And the majority of these articles include a comments section. It's crazy to me how extreme people can become, especially concerning politics. When reading comments, 1 out of 30 may be a middle of the road person. The other 29 contain words like right-wing nuts, anti-American, hate-spewing liberals... It bothers me that a person cannot be more considerate of others' beliefs. Why, if someone disagrees with a few of the States or government's actions, are they anti-American? Why must someone be a "walmart-shopping joe sixpack" if they lean to the right?

And yet, reading these things give me a great sense of patriotism! We may be a bit too passionate in our politics, but we have the right to be! Reading an article just a few minutes ago, a woman stated that she was happy to stand in a 2-3 hour long line, nothing to occupy her time, because it meant she had the right to vote. And that's really what being a citizen of the United States of America means. The right to speak your mind. The right to stand in line for hours on end in order to make your voice heard. The right to disagree with neighbors, family, and friends, yet still remain friendly (I hope!). The right to hope and dream for a better future, and the right to fight for your future.

So, today, I proudly wear my I Voted sticker and I'm thankful for this election. It has been a crazy, practically two-year-long process, but in the end, we all get to make our voice heard. And in 4 years, we get to do it all over again! This is what makes me proud to be an American!

My iPod Shuffled

So, I have lots of random songs on my ipod and thought it would be fun to list the first 25 songs that come up on the ipod. Just a little insight into the music that makes my life...

1. Start Me Up-The Rolling Stones
2. Lost and Confused-Lillix
3. Rag Doll-Aerosmith
4. Good-Better Than Ezra
5. When You Put Your Hands On Me-Christina Aguilera
6. The Bare Necessities-Disney's The Jungle Book
7. The Big L.-Roxette
8. Watercoulours in the Rain-Roxette
9. Between You and Me-Hilary Duff
10. Only One-Yellowcard
11. Tequila Moonlight-Self Against City
12. Luck Be a Lady-Frank Sinatra
13. Walk Away (Maybe)-Good Charlotte
14. Tubular Bells Part 1-Pure Moods
15. Snowblind-Black Sabbath
16. Dancin' in the Moonlight-Toploader
17. Icicle-Tori Amos
18. Cats in the Cradle-Ugly Kid Joe
19. Dreaming of You-Selena
20. Prologue-The Phantom of the Opera
21. Hold On-Kristy McNichol (from the motion picture The Pirate Movie)
22. Amen-Jewel
23. Change Your Mind-The Killers
24. Spiderwebs-No Doubt
and...
25. Crazy Little Thing Called Love-Queen

There you have it. I now encourage all my friends to do the same! It's fun!

Oh so content.

I'm writing today because I want to remember how it feels to be just completely content with life. I'm in a really good spot in my life right now, and I'm loving it! I have a job that pays me well, is super flexible, and I have great co-workers. Also, my job gives me the means by which I can travel to all the places I've ever dreamed of! My trips to Europe and to the Eastern states were lifetime goals, and it gives me great satisfaction in life to finally be able to say that I've seen the Eiffel Tower, I've felt the peace of the Versailles Gardens, I know how small Mona Lisa is, I have been in the midst of the chaos of Times Square, I have seen the birthplace of our Declaration of Independence...

Not only have I finally reached a point in my life where I'm settled and excited about the future, but I'm also enjoying having more free time to do the things I love. My spirituality has grown with my new responsibility as relief society 1st counselor. I'm now able to determine my innumerable amount of faults and work on them to become a better person. I have a great relationship with my parents and I'm grateful for all they do for me. I'm developing new talents and embracing my creative side a lot more (in the midst of all the analytical stuff I do at work, I have to be creative in my free time to keep sane and balanced!).

All I'm saying is that I'm incredibly blessed to be where I am now. It is all due to my Heavenly Father, my Savior, my family, and my friends, who have supported me throughout all my endeavors and have brought me to the happy place I am now. So thank you, everyone! And thank you, Father!

Tagged by Jamilyn!

This is late in coming because I've been out on vacay and unable to read Jami's fantabulous blog!

3 Names you go by - Ashley, Tolman, Roxie (my sometimes bowling name)
3 Things you are wearing right now - new brown H&M shirt, a red and silver ring, and my red fake-Converse shoes
3 Restaurants I love -Noodles & Co., Cafe Rio, Wingers
3 Favorite things to do -Play piano, read, cook from scratch
3 Trips to plan on this year - hopefully another trip to Europe, Vegas to see Phantom of the Opera, St. George to see Les Mis at Tuacahn
3 Things you want badly - To travel for the rest of my life, to know what I want out of my life, to have enough time to do all the things I want to do in my spare time!
3Pets you have/had - My dog Princess, my dog Prince, and my turtles Bailey and Jailey
3 Things you did yesterday - Saw Wicked on Broadway, saw John Lennon's Imagine tribute mosaic in Central Park, saw the Manhattan skyline from a red double-decker bus
3 Things you ate today - Macaroni and Cheese, a sesame seed bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese, and a veggie burrito from the airport.
3 goals - Get to Europe again, become more friendly and outgoing, get my Relief Society lesson planned for next week.
3 Fears - Not getting out of the mediocrity of life often enough, not taking enough chances, and moths... I'm deathly afraid of moths...
3 Things you plan on doing today - It's 9:30 at night and there's not much left of the day. But I do plan to unpack, sleep in my own bed for the first time in a week and a half, and put new pins into my world map.
3 Things you plan on doing tomorrow - Going to work, watching one or two sessions of conference, get back into the swing of every day life.
3 Favorite Holidays -Halloween, Christmas, and 4th of July
3 Favorite beverages - a PMS italian soda, water with lemon, and cranberry apple juice

Tokio Hotel

Sorry, guys. My last post was a bit melodramatic. But I'm back to my normal self. Today, I just want to celebrate the band Tokio Hotel. They're a German rock band, and they are good! Not only are they super talented at such a young age, but their music style is really varied, which I love. Listening to their cd all the way through, each song echoes a different style. One song will sound like Metallica, another like Nirvana, another like Fall Out Boy... They have sound that's all their own, and I love it! So, take a listen to them if you can!

I'm heading off for a tour of the East in a week and a half. We'll be seeing Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York. I'm so excited to see the East in Fall! It's still probably a bit too early in the season to see the leaves change, but hopefully we'll get to experience some of that. Mostly, I'm just excited to head off on another long trip! My adventurous side has been torturing me for the past month or so, begging for a change in scenery. It's been much too long since my trip to Europe, and I can't wait to expand my knowledge of the world a bit more!!

Vote Obama!!!!

Hey guys. I'm not normally one for huge political debates. I do feel a responsibility to my country, but I often do not have the patience and endurance to listen to the dredge and crap that so many of our "leaders" dole out.

However, in such an important election as this one, I can't stand idly by. Our next president must be Barack Obama. We need change in this country. I think that the people I associate with are intelligent enough to know that our country is in a terrible position right now. I would also like to hope that these same people realize that the majority of this blame must be placed on the Bush administration, and on ourselves for allowing it to get to this point.

Obama is our hope for change--our staircase out of this deep, dark hole we have allowed our country to get into. Watch this video if you get a chance: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26447361#26447607

I have the confidence in my family and friends that we can change this election, that our vote can go to a Democratic nominee, regardless of the preconceived (and ridiculous, in my opinion) notion that LDS people always vote for a Republican. Please vote for change. I've jokingly threatened that if McCain is elected as president, I will be forced to move out of the United States. The closer we get to election day, the more I realize that this threat may have to become a reality. I cannot live in a country that will allow the Bush administration to carry on with McCain.

I still hold out hope that Utah can switch from a red state to a swing state. I'm one of the few. Please do your part in making this country better for yourself and your future children.

Crazy week!

So, it's been one of the more exciting weeks of my life. With my 22nd birthday on friday, I actually felt a change in the air. Like I'm suddenly more inclined to do crazy things. Perhaps it wasn't my birthday, but the skydiving that occurred on my birthday. And let me tell ya, folks, skydiving is the most worthwhile thing you'll ever do with $200. It's exhilirating, beautiful, and the biggest adrenaline rush you'll ever get. I completely recommend it! And I'll be out there again soon, so if you need someone to go with, ask me!

The next day, I got the opportunity to go wake surfing. Normally, I'd decline. I'm terrible at water skiing and wakeboarding... But I thought, hey, I've been skydiving! I can certainly go wake surfing. And it is a lot of fun! I had an absolute blast with it.

On Monday, I got a new niece. Her name is Naliyah Marie and she is a doll. Though, she's a bit goofy looking at the moment, because what brand new baby isn't?! I haven't gotten the opportunity to go see her since she was born, which makes me sad. But hopefully I can get up there sometime this weekend. She's a perfect baby, and many congrats to my beautiful sister and her husband for producing a healthy, happy baby!

Today is my pops' birthday and we're gonna go embarrass and humiliate him in front of his college class he teaches. So that should be fun. And I'm going to the Neverending Pasta Bowl at Olive Garden. Yum!!

So many exciting things going on in life. I'm thinking a hike up Mount Olympus is in order on saturday. Just to round out the crazy excitement of this week. So if anyone wants to join me, please do!

It's a start

Yup. I've succumbed. I'm now a blogger. I can't promise it'll be entertaining, or updated regularly, or that you'll find any great nuggets of truth here. But I can promise that if you want an occasional glance into my head, it'll be here.

First order of business, I found a fun site today. If you're a big fan of movies or movie posters, try playing this game: http://www.empireonline.com/features/posterletters/ It's tough, but fun.

Haha... Just found this article, too. Thought some of my old cheer friends could appreciate and enjoy it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080819/us_time/cheerleadingsriskylackofrules

So, welcome me to the new frontier of communication!