Gratitude

Oh my goodness, I haven't posted in forever. So update! I am re-starting P90X with Ryan, because I put it on hold for reasons which are known to some. But I still want to get in better shape, and Ryan is joining me - so we'll embark on this path together. I'm signed up to do the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving, and I've been running/ellipticalling periodically to train for that (though I really need to buckle down and make sure I'm ready for it)!

School is almost over. I have 9 more assignments due this semester and my goal is to have them all done before Thanksgiving. I'm thinking 1 a day between now and then (except Sundays) and I should be good! I cannot believe I'm almost to graduation. 1 semester of student teaching and I'm done! It's been a long, difficult road, but I'm so glad that I stuck through it. Paying for your own education definitely makes one appreciate it more. I'm so grateful to my husband and family for giving me support and encouraging me in my endeavors. Now we just need to get Ryan through his degree!

But now to what I really wanted to post about (as I avoid that homework pile). Thanksgiving is seriously my favorite holiday. I do love Christmas and what it represents, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I get frustrated with the materialism that our society shoves down our throats at that time of year. Thanksgiving is still relatively untainted by that. It's such a beautiful time to reflect on all that we have been blessed with in our lives, and if properly observed, I think it prepares our hearts to be open at the season of giving which shortly follows. Also, my love of Thanksgiving could have something to do with food, let's be honest. Truly, I think nothing brings family and friends together better than a delicious meal. I guarantee you that at every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, I have a moment where I sit in an almost out-of-body experience and watch the group at the table and think to myself how wonderful it is. I love it so much; planning the meal out beforehand, getting up early to cook while the boys go to the turkey bowl, getting dressed up to go to dinner, enjoying the meal with friends and family, relaxing after we eat, and planning for the upcoming holiday! I suppose that explains why my House of Dreams in my head has a beautiful kitchen and a large dining room. I want the space to entertain - to be able to open my house to all my family, my friends, and especially those that don't have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving.

I haven't kept up with a daily gratitude journal, which I usually like to do. But I want to devote this post to the thing I'm most grateful for: my dear family. I'll start out and work in:
I've always loved and cherished the relationships I have with my extended family, the Anderson clan. Though they may be far away, I'm grateful for their love and friendship in my life. I love our family reunions so much! I only wish we could be closer to spend more time together, but when we do get together I feel as if we are able to pick up where we left off. I'm especially grateful to my aunts and uncles who, when my parents were separating and times were tough, stepped in from 1,200 miles away and offered their love and support. What a blessing they were and still are today!
When it came time for my wedding, I don't think I've ever felt more love from a group of people. My Aunt Cheryl did so much to help me get a beautiful dress, my dream dress! And she and my grandmother were by my side the whole time as I went through the temple. My Aunt Carmie and cousin Hollie put together a wonderful shower without even hesitating or asking anything in return; what a great act of service! My grandparents offered so much help and support and enabled us to have beautiful cakes and a perfect honeymoon. Everyone gave so much attention and wanted to get to know Ryan so eagerly when we visited - it still brings tears to my eyes. Truly, without them my wedding would have been... well, far much less awesome.

I also love getting to know my new family. My in-laws have also been very loving and supportive and have welcomed me into their family as one of their own. They have us over for dinner bi-weekly, and I look forward to it every time! I get regular e-mails from Ryan's grandma that always make me smile. She makes me feel like I've always been her grandaughter :) I am also really grateful for my brother and sisters-in-law. I feel as if we've been family all along!

My brothers hold such a special place in my heart, and I'm grateful for the struggles we've faced together because I know that without them, we would never be so close. They are some of the goofiest, loud, loving, most fantastic men I've ever known and I love having them so close. I espcially love the bond that they have developed with Ryan. I say this all the time, but you would seriously think I was the one who married into the family. They are so close, it blows my mind. It's like you can see that they knew eachother before this life, and there was just a 24-ish year break in their brotherhood. (Though I'm sure they're a lot more immature than they were in the pre-mortal realm... ;)
I'm thankful for my parents; they've helped me become who I am today. I love that they've never hesitated to tell me how proud they are of me. They are always forthcoming in their affection, and it's helped me be confident in myself and know that I am loved. I'm grateful to them for raising me in the Gospel and directing me to the temple.
*Here's the gooey part*
Lastly, my dear Ryan. Words cannot express my love (and sometimes exasperation, let's be real) for this man. Through friendship, courtship, and marriage, he has been my rock. He has never failed to be there for me. He makes me laugh every single day, and makes me fall in love with him even more often than that. I'm grateful to have been blessed with someone who gets me so well, who makes me want to be a better person, and who will be a wonderful father someday. I love being married, and I especially love being married to Ryan. It's a fearful thought to think of where I would be without him - I conjure up a picture of Mary Bailey, when George sees her as a librarian who never married and lives alone. He is so giving and makes me so very happy. Ryan, you are my world.
I'm daily thankful for the blessing of a temple marriage. It is such a comfort to know that I'm sealed to my best friend for eternity. Through thick and thin, we keep that perspective and strive for our marriage to be celestial on a daily basis. I'm so grateful for this blessing and for the promises it gives to our future children.

Well... I'm crying now and I've put off homework for an hour, so I'm going to go. I only wish I could give more than a few sentences to the people who have done so much and mean so much to me. I truly do have a wonderful life, and I've barely scratched the surface with the above list. Goodnight!

P90X update

Okay, I have a confession. Week 3 sucked for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a wonderful week, but one full of friends and eating out - not hXc work-outs. In leiu of that, I decided to repeat week 3's schedule before continuing. I'm happy to report that I'm back on track! I'm also noticing a lot of changes. Small though they may be, they are still significant.

Things I've noticed:
1) My endurance has increased by leaps and bounds!
My heart and lungs can keep up with my workouts far longer than before I started. I've actually reached that point where my muscles tire out before my lungs do; a difficult task when you have exercise-induced asthma!
I can get through the workouts without wanting to puke, and I even started doing the "bonus" part last week - a clear sign of success.
2) Muscle Toning!
Though I haven't lost poundage yet, I've noticed my muscle tone changing. I have sweet little biceps now, and my tri's are more defined. I also have noticed more strength in my calves and hamstrings. All good stuff.

I'm still debating if I want to post my pics... I haven't noticed a lot of visual changes yet, and that's why most  people who quit the program stop around day 30. I will not be giving up, though, because I feel the difference - and that's the most important. The visual will come later, I'm sure. For now, I feel great when I work-out and afterwards.

Gonna keep bringin' it!

(P.S. I suspect that Tony Horton has definitely hooked up with Dreya - anyone else whose seen the videos notice that? Just sayin')

First Day in the Classroom!

I geared up for my first day by finishing Anne of Green Gables (where she goes to school to teach) and then reading the first few chapters of Anne of Avonlea (which will probably be the name of one of my future daughters)! It's so cool to me that L.M. Montgomery wrote those in 1910ish and yet the feelings are still the same - so timeless! I read and re-read when Anne is about to be a "schoolma'am" for the first time. "Marilla, what if I fail!" - will be a constant plea of mine, I'm sure.


I was a very good girl; I went to bed early and woke up at 5:15. Albus seemed very confused as to why we were waking up when it was dark outside. I cannot begin to describe the fluttering of my heart in anticipation occumpanied with the feeling of foolishness at my extreme nervousness over a relatively small event. Something told me to check my e-mail before I bolted out the door, so I pulled it up on my phone. Nothing was there from my mentor, but I got a very surprising message from the College of Education Program Director.

"Good afternoon Ashleigh,

I'd like to invite you to represent the EC-6 program on the Dean's Student Advisory Group.
***blah, blah, blah about scheduled meetings****As soon as I hear from you, I'll give your name to the dean's office.

Thanks so much!"

WHAT?! Sweet! Yeah, it means extra work, but I'm really touched that she would choose me out of hundreds of students in the program. That helped me rally my spirits a lot!

 

School time: I just have to say I have the most fantastic mentor teacher. She's so understanding, and yet willing to throw me in the middle of the ring. I'm glad she thinks I'm ready. The first rotation came and she set me in a station to do running records and fluency/comprehension tests. By the end of the day, after 3 rotations of students, I did over 55 tests. I sent up a prayer of gratitude that my most recent class was all about running records. It took me back to days of pretending to be a teacher, when I would keep notebooks of my fake classroom and organize grades for my fake students. What was once my playtime is now my reality. I'm sure one day it'll just be busy-work, but for today, at least, it was exciting.

Questions I was asked about myself today:

"Are you a Miss or a Mrs?"

"How old are you?"
"Are you 50?"

"Are you 29?"

"Do your kids go here, too?"

I came home feeling very enthused about life. I wish I could go full-time already!

Wish me luck!

Best week in a LONG time!

= end of worst summer semester ever, lots of hanging out with friends, playing with adorable babies, hanging out with friends some more, and spending time with Ryan!

My final grades haven't posted yet, but both of my teachers have let me know that I got A's on my case study and my research paper (and therefore A's in the class!). I don't say this to brag, but merely to claim that even though this summer has been H-E-"double hockey sticks", and I feel like I've dropped the ball everywhere else, at least I've done one thing right!

I'm getting more and more apprehensive about student teaching. I know I can teach, I know I can stand up in front of a classroom and get the kids' attention, I know I can talk to kids in a somewhat relatable way, but I'm still scared to death that I'm actually doing it next week. I feel like I'm going to walk into the school and all of my knowledge/natural abilities (little as they may be) will fly out the window.

But anyways, about my awesome week. First, I just need to state that we have the best couples/friends ever. I remember my mom used to talk about the couple friends they had in Utah when they were first married. That's where they coined 'Donner Uno' and everyone would get together and hang out.  She used to reminisce about those times and it always made me want to have that. It actually became my new form of playing house. Well, looks like my dream came true! It's absolutely one of my favorite things to do, and this week we actually have the time because we all get a short breather from school. We have to cram it all in because we go back to school next week.

Our most amazing Thrift Town trip EVER:

1st awesome buy: Ryan found a Willowood figure that he's been planning on getting for me for a while

Normally $29.99 +tax
We got it for $5.00 after using a coupon



But, he still has to "surprise" me with it ;)

2nd awesome buy: Kai found some bookends that are statue heads of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young for $2.99 - so cool!

3rd (and most) awesome buy: I have been wanting to get a new set of dishes because we've "lost" quite a few of the ones we got for our wedding to a certain dog who will remain nameless. I wanted to save what we have for special occasions and get a cheap set that won't break my heart if they get dropped (no pun intended). *drum roll*

Wal-Mart Price: $39.99 for 16 pcs.
Original Price: $15.99 + tax for 30 pcs.
After the coupon I paid: $11.90 (incl. tax)



I had found this set a Wal-Mart a few months ago and fell in love with it. They don't carry it anymore, and the minute I saw it, I knew it was mine! I got 30 pieces of dinnerware (normally around $80 after taxes) for $11.90. WIN! And even though my purchase was only $11.90, she gave me an extra punch on my Thrift Town punch card to fill it up, so I get $10 off my next purchase. So according to Coupon Mom, it's like getting 30 pcs of dinnerware for 90 cents. Double win!
Sidestory: While I was in line, this lady came up behind me and looked at my basket longingly and said she'd had her eye on that set for about 30 minutes. You snooze you lose! (No, I didn't really say that)
Added bonus: They match our dining table.

In other news, this is my last week as the General Manager at Jump For Fun! It was a hard decision, but it's going to free up a lot of time to go to school and actually be a good wife. It's been trying at times, but overall I have loved working here. It's great to work with such wonderful youth - I know each of them are going to be so successful.

Ryan is still adjusting to supervisor-ness. He has such great ideas for motivating his team - it's so cute. But I'd be lying if I said the added responsibilities didn't affect him. He is so good at taking it all in stride. Tonight is basketball night for the "boys", so hopefully that will relieve some stress and take his mind off of things. Meanwhile, the wives will be having a grand ol' time at the dome. I love playing house! (Oh, wait, it's real life)

It's been over a year...

My last blog posting was under a different name and with an old email (of which I seem to have no memory). Ergo, welcome new blog! Just for kicks I'll include the text from my one and only previous blog post:

"2 days short of a year of marriage and we finally decided to start a blog. So, here goes!

I guess I should play catch up about all the things we've done over the last year. It definitely doesn't feel like a year, though. Time sure flies, and everyone tells me it'll only go faster when we have children.

We're both taking a break from school for the summer to work hard and save monies. In the fall I'll be at UTA, and Ryan will be finishing up at TCC and getting ready to transfer. UNT? Not sure yet... I'm trying to plug away so I can start teaching. Unfortunately there don't seem to be a lot of teaching jobs on the horizon, which is a little worrisome. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

We just finished 14 months of nannying/caregiving for our "landlady" (I suppose that's what you'd call her). She has 4 beautiful children that we adore and have come to feel like our own. It's been a nice crash course in parenting, to say the least. 3 boys and 1 girl, and the youngest 2 are twins = we feel moderately prepared. Though I'm sure the minute we become parents all the training will fly out the window.

My brother Parker is still on his mission in Mexico City. He's doing quite well as a Zone Leader and is working hard to meet their baptism goals. We expect him home sometime in September.

Speaking of missions - Ryan and I are taking a lonnnnng road trip this summer (in about 35 days) and we'll be visiting his mission, along with many other places. I'm excited to meet all the people that I've heard so much about. After we go through Colorado and Wyoming we'll head over to Idaho to meet the grandparents, some of which I've never been introduced to! Then it's to Bear Lake for my Anderson family reunion. Those are always a blast, and I haven't gotten to go to the last two, so I'm really looking forward to this one. All-in-all it's a 10 day trip; beginning July 9th and ending on the 19th. Our little car has some work to do! Let's all pray it makes it!

That's all the "posting" I can think of... until next time"

 

 

SOOOOooooo, A lot has changed since then! I've finished my Junior year at UTA and I am about to begin my "Field Experience" (Student Teaching) with HEBISD. I finished my hellacious summer classes with my 4.0 still intact. I can't believe I graduate next May as a certified teacher!

My brother Parker came home from his mission last September, and Calvin just graduated from high school and is preparing for his mission. Time really has flown.

Last Christmas, Ryan gave me a sweet little puppy.

Albus Severus Elliott (yes, we really like Harry Potter)

This was the day I got him!

 

 

And this was just the other day!

He has grown so much! I cannot wait until Fall semester; we'll be starting puppy training classes. It'll be exciting for him to be able to do more than "sit"! And I swear that we'll go to the dog park once this dang heat passes.

Since my last attempt at posting, Ryan has had 2 promotions. I'm so dang proud of him. When we got married, I had no idea what a hard worker he was - I just lucked out! He's now working as the supervisor over the Spanish-speaking phone bankers (nice when that mission language comes in handy, eh?). It came at a perfect time so that I can really focus on my last year of school without too much stress.

As the name of our blog suggests, we're still living at the dome. I guess I'll have to either buy a dome-shaped house or get a new blog when we move ;) We've loved living there and getting to be so close with the kids - they've taught us so much.

Weddings are also still happening all over the place, and babies! We welcomed our nephew 2 months ago (Happy 2 month birthday, Orry!) and we're so excited to see Jonathan and Courtney become parents. Subsiquently, Ryan has bottle-fed a baby and changed a diaper for the first time ever, so that's been good practice! (Though it was just a wet diaper, so it doesn't really count!) My mom will be getting married to her fiance, Ted, at the end of September. We're very excited for them to be able to get married and start their new life together. Hopefully, I'll be able to go to Utah for their nuptials. And our "landlady" (more like sister), Katie, got married in July. We were so excited to be able to attend and support her!



We hope everyone is able to stay cool this summer!

Love much,

Ashleigh