Love is All You Need :)

Today has been one of the greatest days of my life :) 

There is no other way to put it; I just feel SO loved. 

It's amazing the things that people have done for me today

- I was "kidnapped" at 5:30 in the morning by my best-est friends of all time, starting off the day with nutella, crepes, and strawberries

- I got to be part of one of the best seminary assembly I have ever been to (and I have been to a lot)

- my friends sang me multiple renditions of "Happy Birthday" all throughout the day

- my Mom gave me a "go-go squeeze" applesauce packet for lunch today - basically that means "I love you" in Ashley-language :) AND she gave me 10 more as one of my presents...haha I guess that is why I am feeling so filled with love today :)

- my friends gave me three plastic cats (I mean, now that I am so old, it is time to start my career as a cat lady! They now reside on my window sill above my desk. If you have any name suggestions, let me know :) )

- practically a bazillion people wished me happy birthday today...ah, it is the best to be walking down the hall and all of a sudden someone calls to you "haaaaaaaappy birthday!" It seriously made my day every time :)

- I was given three of the funniest cards I have ever received today! Here is one of them (from Lewis)...

  haha I was laughing so hard! (my brothers always make fun of me for my teenage "slang" :) )

- one of my best-est-est friends gave me the best-est-est birthday present ever! Oh how I love the Eiffel Tower!

- my Mom made me some great food today :) Hawaiian haystacks with all the toppings, sweet potatoes, rolls, and best of all, German chocolate cake....delicious! 

- I got to go to Young Women tonight....wow, those girls and my leaders love me so much :) I can't even count how many times people told me happy birthday! A Beehive and I share birthdays (yes, we've been counting down for months!) and it has been so fun :) we basically had a mini party at our activity tonight, cake and all!

- I played outside with this little boy today :) he is basically the cutest kid on the planet! As soon as I say "outside?" he is practically tottering out the door as fast as he can! We play on the swings, the slide, the grass, the basketball court...he just loves being in the sunshine. And as a matter of fact, so do I! What a cute little goose :) (this is the only picture I could get of him...he moves so fast that all of his pictures turn out blurry! haha)

- my parents gave me the best gifts ever! How in the world did I come to be so blessed?!

- I got phone calls from my "little sister," my "buddy", and my college friends...seriously, they made my day! :)

- I received "happy birthdays" from all over the world! 

from Brazil....

to Sweden! 

Don't you see what I mean?

I am just SO loved :)

like, hooray for birthdays!

like, hooray for life! 

:)

oh, and I am officially allowed to feel ancient now! I mean, who wouldn't if they could a) buy things off of infomercials, b) get arrested, and c) rent port-a-potties? Let's be real :)

if life was a library

Today, my Mom and I went shopping for a prom dress.

Instead, I came home with these...

Aren't they beautiful? :)

I asked my Mom "Why go to a mall when you could go to Barnes & Noble?"

She just laughed and asked, "So how are you going to explain this to Tanner? '...Sorry, Tanner, I decided to buy books instead of a dress, so how about we spend the night reading instead of dancing'?"

Mm yes, I'm sure it will go over well :)

This is my future life....

like, go life!

And when I walk into a bookstore my heart starts beating fast and I try to breathe deep and act normal, but in reality I want to dance around the store, running my fingers across all of the covers and flipping through every page.

My life's goal?

But really,

I love books. 

End of story.

(yes, that was a pun.)

hearts and things

Did you know I have an imaginary friend?
His hair is the color of sunshine, and his eyes are bluer than the ocean.
He's kind and funny and has the best manners in the world.
He runs like the wind and has the brains of a genius.

and did you know that he's a heart surgeon?
except I think he forgot to pay attention in class when they taught him how to finish the job, because he left my heart wide open.

I know, it's a little dramatic. 

But it's ok because 1) it's Valentine's Day and 2) I'm a teenage girl :)

Dear Future Husband...

Prepare yourself for many bad hair days :)


[click on the one titled "Bad Hair Day"... the link won't work exactly to the video, sorry]

Merry Christmas!

Grinches, Princes, and Hearts

     It's kind of funny how the world thinks Christmas is all about getting. When you talk to a little kid about Christmas, you almost always ask "so, what do you want Santa to bring you this year?" or "what do you want for Christmas?"

I think the question should be "what are you giving for Christmas?"

     Christmas has become so commercialized: somehow the world has reworked the birth of Christ into a celebration about expensive presents and Santa Clause to the sound track of chestnuts roasting on open fires, sleigh bells, and reindeer with red noses.

What happened to the true meaning of Christmas?

     We all know the story of the Grinch...

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, 

was singing! Without any presents at all! 

He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same! 

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, 

stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! 

It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. 

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. 

Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more.

     Christmas is more than just seeing your name on the tag of a big present under the tree. It's more than tearing off paper and ribbons on Christmas morning and finding some expensive gift that you think you need. And it definitely means "a little bit more."

     Gifts are important, there is no denying that; the season is all about Heavenly Father's gift to us, the gift of His Son. It is a celebration not only of the fact that He was born, but that He lived. That He lived, He loved, and He served. 
     When we give gifts, it's to remember the Ultimate Gift that was given, to show Heavenly Father that we are ever-so-grateful for His Son. It's to honor the Child in the manger, just like the wise men did when they gave their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It's to share a little bit of your heart with the people that you love.

"What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a wise man, I'd bring a lamb.

If I were a wise man, I do my part.

What can I give Him? Give Him my heart." 

      It is the heart that matters, not the bank account. After all, "Il est tres simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." [It's very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes. - Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery]

     While bank accounts get smaller when things are given, the heart can only grow; whatever was taken out is refilled with hope, joy, and the desire to give even more! After all...

"It is far better to give than to receive."

How silently, how silentyl

The wondrous gift is giv'n!

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of His heav'n.

No ear may hear His coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still

The dear Christ enters in. 

humor me...

Tonight I've been working on my college applications....what a huge process! I was working on some of the essay questions with my dad when we came across this one:

"Many students apply to more than one church school. What will determine which you attend? Please be specific."

I was so confused on what to write; I mean, that is quite an awkwardly phrased question. My dad was throwing around ideas...

Dad: "I prefer BYU-Provo because of the location and the wide selection of...."

Me: "Returned Missionaries!"

Dad: "Well....I was going to say majors, but I guess that works too!"

.....

Another night my mom was trying to get me to go do my homework. I was kind of dawdling around the kitchen, doing my best to avoid being productive.

Mom: "Ashley, I think you're in a state of denial!"

Me: "Yes, I live in the state of Denial in the city of Procrastination."