Ah, Memories.....

My friend's are all doing this on their blogs and since everybody else is doing it, that means that I need to as well. :0) Actually, they are all getting nice warm and fuzzy memories left for them, and so I thought it would be fun to see what each of you can come up with.
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Now go! Leave me happy memories. That's right....I don't want the bad stuff. :0)

Wordless Wednesday

Snake River Canyon

For more on Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Oh, come with me to Primary...

Today....I'm going to reveal how "selfish" I am.

I was taught to never turn down a calling in church. Whatever I was asked to do, I should accept it and be grateful for the opportunity. Right? And so I've done that.

Since becoming an adult and going to the family ward where you begin to get jobs to do...this has been my "lot"

14-15 year old Sunday School: 1 year
moved to Buhl
CTR 8 Primary: 1 year
moved to TF
CTR 8 Primary: 2 1/2 years
moved into house
12- 13 year old Sunday School: 1 1/2 years
Choir pianist/Primary fill in pianist: 1 year
2nd Counselor in Primary: 1 year
moved into current home
CTR 6 Primary: 1 year

For those of you unaware of what Primary is, it is where the kids that are aged 3-11 go to learn about Jesus. Got it? Ok...we'll move on.

Are you catching the trend? I have practically LIVED in Primary my entire adult life. Which is when we're supposed to be out of Primary learning "bigger" things. Right? Yes....not so much for Ashlee.

Here's where the selfish part comes in.

I'm done. I can't do it anymore. I love Primary. I do. I love the innocent faith of all the little kids in Jr. Primary. But, I need more. I get absolutely nothing out of church. Nada. I fight with my 2 year old during sacrament meeting {where we all get together for talks...much like a sermon} because she can't sit still...and then I get two more hours of babysitting other parents' 6 year olds. I know...I'm being a little negative here. But at this point, that is beginning to feel like what it is. A babysitting job. I know I'm teaching them important things. And I love it when they understand. In fact, today I taught them about gratitude and how important it is to say thank you to people and to God for everything we have. For fun, I taught them how to say thank you in six different languages. They thought it was hilarious. And it was funny listening to them try to say it in Japanese. :0) But, in the middle of all of this I am attempting to get them to stop climing on their chairs, to get out from underneath my desk, to stop pestering their neighbor, to stop turning off the lights, to stop talking long enough for me to get a few words in......you get the picture. It's draining. And I have been getting drained for years now. I need nourishment of my own. I need to be taught.
So, today...after Primary was over...I told the Primary President that I wanted out. Ok...so not necessarily those exact words. I explained to her, as I did with you just now, and she was really nice about it and said she would get it taken care of for me.
But, I was taught to accept your calling. And I'm ducking out. I don't feel bad. But should I feel bad for not feeling bad? I don't know. All I know is that I'm tired. And I dread going to church because I know what's coming. And that IS bad.
So, now you know. I don't know why I told all of you. Actually, yes I do. Let me know it was ok for me to do that. I need some words of affirmation again ladies. So, show me some love. :0)

A Very Merry Unbirthday....

It was girls night last night and I got to play host. We've had several birthdays in our group

lately and so I thought it might be fun to have a little UNbirthday party where we celebrated by swapping gifts with each other.

We played a little pin the tail on the donkey as well. I totally won...

And this was my little Mackenzee's first time at girls night. She got to come because it was at my house. :0) I was worried she'd be her usual energetic self, but she was so good and just wanted to take part in the big girl festivities. She passed out the presents to everyone and played pin the tail on the donkey with us, but she couldn't make it to the very end. She fell asleep on my lap around 10:30. :0)

Thanks for a fun night ladies! Can't wait until next month!

I can't sleep

So, what does any normal person do?

Down a sleeping pill and then take dumb online quizzes until they kick in!

You do this to right?

Really? It's just me? Huh....well, enjoy my results!

There's a 36% Chance That You Need Therapy

You may need therapy, but you're probably doing okay at working out your own problems. In general, you are able to solve any troubles that come up. But there's no harm in talking to a professional.

Do You Need Therapy?

So, if I'm studying to be a psychologist and there is a 36% chance that I need a psychologist...does it count if I shrink my own brain?

You Are 41% Selfish

You are quite balanced. You are able to compromise when it's in the best interests of those involved. But you're no pushover. If something is important to you, you'll get it!

How Selfish Are You?

I like that the picture is of a girl with a chocolate bar...I'm not selfish...unless you want my chocolate. Then BACK OFF! :0)

You Are 52% Control Freak

Generally, you are in control but not a control freak. You life is usually in order. However, sometimes you get too obsessed with making everything in your life picture perfect.

Are You A Control Freak?

Like I needed a quiz to tell me this? Have we not already established that I am obsessive?

You Act Like You Are 24 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

Yes! So, if any of you were wondering...I am 24. Got it?

What Your Feet Say About You:

You are more expressive than most people. You let everyone know how you're feeling - the good, the bad, and the ugly. You are a very passionate person. You are highly charged and easily inspired. You are an assertive and aggressive person. You are determined and not likely to ever give up. You fall in love easily and develop strong bonds. You are attached to many people. You are easily frightened. You are fairly neurotic and paranoid. You are very practical and down to earth. You're more concerned with action than thoughts. You are a fairly hard worker, but you are also a little spoiled. You like indulge yourself every now and then. You are easily influenced by other people. You're quite impressionable, so you should only be around people who are a good influence.

What Do Your Feet Say About You?

See? Now you all wish you had freakishly long toes like me...

You are Barefoot!

You're a total free spirit, go with the flow girl You can't be restricted by shoes for very long And unsuprisingly, the same goes for men Your match is out there - and he's as carefree as you are

What Kind Of Women's Shoe Are You?

Wow...who'd have thunk it? Sure, I prefer bare feet, but that's not really acceptable in public. Maybe we should petition....

Your Personality Profile

You are dependable, popular, and observant. Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness. In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive. You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while. And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

You mean not everyone has a freak flag? Great...and here I thought it was "normal"!

You Are 55% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Here I go waving my freak flag again....
stop staring!

You Failed 8th Grade US History

Sorry, you only got 5/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

Well, it's a good thing I'm not a history major!

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

That's right people...hand over the cookies and no one gets hurt.
I SAID DO IT!

This has been fun. Really...

We should do it again sometime....

Long Lost Friend

The BEST thing happened to me the other night. I am still bursting with excitement. :0)

Do you remember my yard sale I had a couple of weeks ago? Well, one of my customers happened to be the mother of a friend I had in high school. It took her a second to remember me {have I changed that much?}, but when she did she told me how her daughter had been talking about me and wanted to find out how to get in touch with me.
Guess what? For over a year now, I have been wondering how to get in touch with her. Crazy, huh? She was one of my best friends and since she got married 8 years ago, I haven't seen her. Our lives drifted apart as they tend to do when we move on with life. But, I never forgot her. It's just really hard to find someone when they have a new last name that is SO super common, and you don't even know where to begin to look for them.
So, you can imagine my excitement when her mom showed up at my house! YAY! She got my information and promised to pass it on to her daughter.
She called me! Yep! On Sunday night! And we talked for THREE hours. It was so good to reconnect with her and find that we still "fit". Does that make sense? High school was a long time ago, so I was worried that our personalities would click like they used to. But...no worries!

Sorry for the poor picture quality here. My scanner hasn't been hooked up since we moved everything into the basement. So, you get a picture of a picture instead. :0) This is my junior prom group photo. My friend, Kim, was a senior. Yes, that is me in the very back sharing my boyfriend with a good friend of ours. She had gone to prom with her boyfriend at his school, and so was dateless for our prom. So, I let her hang with me. Good times....
And...here is the close up of me and Kim. She is the one with the gorgeous red hair. {obviously}

Anyway...turns out, my dear friend will be moving back this way early next year! Yahoo! I wish it was sooner, as patience has never been one of my strong points. But, it's not up to me. Dang it! Still, having her here next year is better than having her hours away forever. I'm thrilled to be able to reconnect with such a wonderful friend.

Do you have any friends you've lost contact with that you wish you could reconnect with?

Rewind....

Sassy posted a song today that was meant to describe the last year of her life. I had never heard it before, but liked it IMMENSELY so. :0) You should definitely check it out.

Anyway, she asked her readers to play along. I thought...that should be fairly easy, right? Not so much. Because honestly...the last 12 months I have had A LOT going on.

There were times when I felt like I was going to go CRAZY!



I decided to go back to college...what was I thinking?



I went through a little PTA hell..



I made a goal in January to get fit...and haven't quite gotten there....



I've learned a bit about myself and what I need to do to overcome my own personal demons...
Yes...even perky happy Ashlee has struggled this last year. I just don't usually let people see it. :0)



And yet...with everything that has gone on this last 12 months...I can reflect back and still feel truly blessed. I have a wonderful hubby, two amazing kids, a roof over my head, and food on my table.

Yes, I am blessed.