Ashling's first day of preschool

s
i

Ashling is going to a new preschool that is in Running Springs. It is an in-home preschool that a friend of mine is running this year. These are the pictures of the first day.

Perfect Reminders

Our 10th Anniversary was perfect. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend it than alone with my husband. Maybe the fun was in the fact that I was able to spend some quality alone time with my husband. Maybe the fun lay in the way we spent our time together that reminded me of dating and of our first married years together. Maybe it was the sunset walk and the drive our to the middle of no where by the moonlight. Maybe it was the sweet poem my husband wrote me reminding me of our letter writing years. It has been a long time since we were alone and I enjoyed it.

We went to Big Bear and ate out. We went on a walk and I fell in love with Big Bear especially with a setting sun and some pink clouds. We went on a drive and no one cried in the back seat and we got to go as far as we wanted. We went to the beach and sat in the sun. I put on sunscreen and I wasn't sandy yet because I did my sunscreen first. We walked down the beach as far as I wanted and my arms weren't tired from carrying somebody. We watched the locals of Laguna as they showed their moved on body boards, surf boards and those other boards whose name I forget. It was fun and relaxing. We ended with another dinner and a walk around REI. Next year I want to own a Kayak and Cameron admired the mini-caribeaners for his next rock climbing trip-they are much lighter than normal size ones.

Happy 10 years Babe!

I planned on typing some lovey dovey post about our 10 year anniversary. But I didn't plan on a non-sleeping fussy baby, a needy 4 year old who misses her older sister and a 7 year old who misses Mommy due to school. I didn't plan on the house taking so long to clean and the need for me to work on some paper work. I didn't plan on feeling so tired. So I didn't type my master piece. That is the way things go these days anyway... it doesn't go as planned.

Cameron and I have been married for 10 years. During the 10 years we have bought two houses, owned 8 vehicles, moved 10 times, gained two college degrees, hiked to the top of 8 peaks together, served in a million different church callings and made 3 beautiful children. And for that I am glad. It isn't what I imagined it would be. There is no trip to Hawaii and no cruise planned. We don't own a house and we can hardly afford to pay our bills. But it also much better than I ever could have imagined. I never thought marriage could be this good. I feel that we have grown closer and more in love with the passing of years. I still love it when Cameron comes home and wait anxiously each time we are away. I wouldn't choose it any other way!

Happy 10th Anniversay Babe!

The Reception

There are very few things in my life that have ever been this perfect. My wedding reception was just like I had always wanted and imagined it would be. It was a little like I imagine Heaven will be. I was able to see all my family and friends and enjoy talking to them. I loved each and every part of it but more than anything else I loved to see all my family and friends together in one place. I felt like a princess and loved the princess like party. I appreciate that so many people could come and participate in our wedding.

Our Wedding Day

The morning started off early. I scheduled my hair appointment for very early. Angie came with me to help make sure everything went well. My hairdresser did not show on time and I was already a little nervous. It took longer than expected to get my hair done after that and now all my plans to be early were amiss...I was running late. Angie did my makeup because although I felt old enough to get married I still could not really put on make up. I used Stacey's eye lash curler for the first time ever and like the results. I was getting later and later. I did not like to be late and was very nervous. At some point we called Cameron and family and let them know we were running late.

My mom rushed me out the door and drove towards the hotel where Cameron and family were staying. We were much later than I had even warned them. I put my nylons on while my mom drove down the road. My mom dirrected a man who was looking a little to closely at me to look away. At the hotel Cameron and his parents were in the car already waiting for us to arrive. (This is the only time in my entire marriage where my mother-in-law was in the car waiting for us to arrive because she was ready first. And I would publicly like to thank her for that.)

We arrived at the temple and got ready. We were led in to a room together to have a few moments before we would be married for time and all eternity. We sat together waiting for the time when we would be married. (Mormon weddings are different and it is kosher to see each other before the ceremony.) We kept waiting and waiting for what seemed like forever. We started wondering if they were really going to let us get married. And we kept wondering. I was just starting to get really nervous when someone came for us. (Later I found out that I15 had been closed through Sandy and that we were waiting for Uncle Don and Aunt Ellen to arrive. I am so glad we waited for them as I love them so much now and am glad they were at our wedding.)

They led us into the Sealing Room where we would be married. I won't share many details of the actual wedding but I will say that I have never been so happy in my life. I cried and cried and was so glad that we had finally made it to that moment.

After the wedding we went outside to see all our friends and family who couldn't come in to the temple. Angie gave me a hug first and then I hugged my other family members. I enjoyed taking pictures like I never have before or since. My face was in a permanent smile and I didn't mind the whole world knowing. Everyone else left after awhile to get ready for our luncheon after the ceremony. But we kept taking pictures and more pictures.

Finally we had walked around the whole temple and the picture taking session and video making sessions were done! We hurried to the car where my mom and Cameron's dad were waiting to drive us to our luncheon. I have never seen Mike drive so erratically before or since this day. In fact we accuse him of driving too carefully lately but on this day he had a mission. And the mission was to get us to our luncheon that we were very late for. The problem was that the freeway was shut down and the 20 minute drive from Alpine to Sandy turned into an hour long adventure. Cameron and sat in the backseat and didn't really care that we were late while Mike drove taking corners at much more than advised speeds in the VW vanigan. He navigated through the streets of Draper and Sandy trying to take the back road but so was every one else.

We were late to the luncheon. Painfully late. They had already began to eat when we got there. But it was beautiful and everything was fine. We had the luncheon in our neighbor's great room and it worked perfectly. I was so pleased with all the effort that went into it.

The ring

I did not know what I wanted for a wedding ring. We walked through a few stores as people do when they are young and in love looking at rings but I was a very young and couldn't imagine wearing anything on my finger. Not that I didn't want the ring I just didn't want anything flashy or too showy. I was simple. I wanted something small. I didn't wear makeup and rarely wore any jewelry at all. I wore jeans and tee-shirts. Everything seemed much to extravagant for me. We kept looking and I kept being disappointed. We browsed many stores that summer but we never found anything that I wanted. I wondered if I should even get a ring. Maybe we should have designed our own ring but no one did that then and I didn't even know that you could.

Then we went on a date to Big Bear. We walked in a jewelry shop just for fun and looked at the rings. They were all black hills gold and I was in love. I found my ring there. It was a black hills gold ring with a little pink leaf and a little green leaf. The center was a diamond rose. I had found my rose just like my ring and I was in love.

Cameron worked all fall for that ring. He put the ring on lay away. When he had saved the money for the ring he walked in there with cash. But there was one small problem... he didn't remember that the ring would have tax. A week or so later he had the whole ring paid off. My girl's future husbands better make their ring purchases with cash too it is a requirement!

I love my ring so much. It is simple. It is elegant and the diamond is beautiful in a unassuming way. Like I want to be.

The First Day of School

It was a crisp, really almost a cold, fall morning as we woke up. The kind of morning where it is hard to get out of bed because it is so cold but where later the sun will burn with its warmth. When Ali woke up she asked what time it was and when she was told 6:45 she said, "Oh I am supposed to get up but I am just going to lay here and let my open up a little bit." It didn't take long and she was out of bed and into the clothes she had chosen to wear. Soon we were ready to school.

She seemed seasoned. She knew what we were doing and she was not scared. She did hold my hand and appreciated me walking her inside but she was calm and confident. We walked into her classroom and it felt safe and comfortable. A new home for the new year. There were rows of desks instead of tables and her desk was not labeled with her name on it. We examined the classroom library filled with chapter books, not picture books. There was a small futon which Ali claimed as the most comfortable seat in the room. "This is my seat, for when I am finished with my work." We met her teacher and I felt comfortable and excited to learn what this woman would teach.

The new books on her desk, the new crayons and pencils in her back pack and the books of the reading library beckoned me and I was more than a little jealous of the new beginning as I left her. Isn't the first day of school the best?