movin' on up

Does anyone ever get more grown up than when they buy their first house? I feel like such an adult because today Jared and I finally got to close on our house.

(*This was taken before the landscaping. We actually couldn't close until the fence and lawn were in.)

Now onto the grueling moving process. We are VERY fortunate to have such wonderful family. My parents came down to help us out in any way they could. So they crammed as much as they could into the van. Jared's comment was that they are very good at tetris. And I would have to agree. After a few trips over with them we ran out of stuff they could take. They helped so much and we really appreciate all of their help. Plus it was really fun to talk to them in person and have some company while Jared was at work. And they brought Keegan down with them, and that kid is just plain adorable. Next was Jared's cousin Jeremy. He lent us a trailer to haul all of our big stuff over. Tonight while Jared was at work he rounded up some teenage boys and came and unloaded it all for us. We could not be more grateful, especially since I am somewhat useless in the carrying heavy objects department right now.

We only have a few things left in our apartment (like our bed and the washer and dryer). So tomorrow won't be too bad at all. We get to start the fun part of putting everything in its place and deciding exactly what to do with our new home.

take me out to the ball game

Jared has been wanting to go to a baseball game all summer and so when Tori and Matt invited us to a Salt Lake Bees game, we had to go. Jeana and Marc also came to the game. It was so exciting to be there with everyone. I was really happy to introduce Jared to some of my good friends that we don't get to see because we all live in different places. If only we could get together more often.
We had the general admission seats out on the grass in left field. Jared was so ready to catch a home run ball and we thought we had the perfect spot. But every home run was hit into right field. Poor Jared, I guess we'll have to go to another game. The Bees won by so much that the last few innings felt so long. After the game ended we were told to go sit out on the field for the fireworks. These were some of the best fireworks I have ever seen. It felt like we were right under the explosions. It was so fun! I can't wait to do it again.

it all ended...

The final Harry Potter was something we were looking forward to since last November. Or truthfully since I finished the book, the first time. So naturally we bought our tickets 3 weeks in advance and waited somewhat patiently to see it. Jared's parents just happened to be in town the day we wanted to go and my sister Stephanie tagged along as well. We had to go an hour early to get seats together and I can't complain about the wait. It was really fun to spend time with everyone. The movie was amazing just like we thought it would be. We can't wait to see it again.

lake powell '11

Wow this year at Lake Powell was crazy. I wish that we could get together as the Ash family more often. It was so fun to be with all of Jared's family (minus Seth, whom we missed) for a week. And surprisingly I made it the entire time without getting horribly sick. The combo of being pregnant and on a boat had me worried. The food was really great, once again they found a great place, and just being out on the water everyday makes the 8 and a half hour drive worth it. For the special dinner night we did a murder mystery game and I ended up being the person who died. Apparently everyone in the game had issues with me, I wasn't a very nice person. It was fun and I will be keeping an eye on Lindsey because she turned out to be the murderer.
Out on the water I worked on my surfing skills because it is tame enough and Jared broke in his new wakeboard bindings.
The water was rising so fast that some lizards got stuck on an island in the middle of the lake. Jared took pity on one little guy he caught and swam it back to land. I think that lizard was traumatized but at least he didn't fall victim to the same fate as all his lizard friends. Jared is a lizard hero.
I was really nervous about cooking my dinner for everyone because they were recipes that my dad has perfected over the years and I didn't want to disappoint. His famous grilled chicken went over very well and the dutch oven peach cobbler was voted the best dessert of the week. Maybe I won't stress as much next year after that success. As long as I trust my parents' recipes I'll be fine.
Even with the windy days, we had a blast and now can't wait to see everyone again.


I'm sure that someone else has a better picture of my belly but this is all we took. I'll just have to live with it.

Michael took both of the girls out surfing one day. He was very good at it and they both had a lot of fun.

I wish I was as good as Jared.

birthday boy

Jared has now caught up with me again and we are both 23. It definitely was not the most extravagant birthday since we both had to work (opposite schedules) but Jared said he enjoyed it. We had a few friends over on Sunday for treats and games to celebrate a little. On his actual birthday I laid out his presents before I went to work so that they would taunt him until I returned. Since Jared is obsessed with baseball he asked for a few new hats and a shirt and then I surprised him with a new xbox game. We are both really excited for him to try out his new life jacket and bindings next week at Lake Powell. Thanks to Jared's parents for those gifts!

oh boy!

Today was the half-way mark ultra sound. What a day! We got to see our little baby up close and personal. After showing us all of the limbs and vital organs, the technician finally showed us that we are having a little boy. That kid is going to be quite the tease because he was squirming around and putting his hand in all the shots to mess up the tech. It was so crazy to see everything so clearly. Even though the nausea and weight gain have proved to me that I am pregnant, things didn't feel absolutely real until I saw that little guy today. Our healthy little boy will be coming to us this fall with October 20 as my due date. We could not be more excited!

*Jared wanted to post the picture that proves he is a boy but I thought I would spare my son the indecency of having that posted on the internet. But if you want to see proof, come on over, we have it!

harry potter ice cream

I have recently rejoined the cooking class circle thanks to my mom and was able to go to an ice cream making class. The class was taught by Kezia Whitteker and her website is www.distractedhomemaker.com if you want to see more from her. Most of the recipes were from a custard base. And while good, that is just too much work for me. She did teach us how to make a really tasty ice cream that she calls "Harry Potter ice cream" (aka vanilla citrus blast) because she uses dry ice to freeze it. That gives it a sort of fizzy taste. You can make it in a machine as well. It is definitely worth a try if you're in the mood for some homemade ice cream.

Here's the recipe:

Juice of 6-7 lemons

Juice of 6-7 oranges

3 1/2 cups of sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1 quart whole milk

Mix cream, milk and sugar together. Set aside while juicing oranges and lemons. Mix juice into cream in a LARGE metal bowl...RIGHT BEFORE freezing. Place 1-2 lbs of dry ice in bowl and stir until desired consistency. Wearing garden gloves to protect your hands is highly recommended. Remove excess ice chunks before eating.

*There is a lot of stirring involved to get it hardened. Make sure you have help!