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!

one perfect year

I know to all the veteran couples out there this may sound silly but wow, one whole year has already passed. Time is flying and I can't believe how far we've already come. I still count my blessings everyday that I was able to marry my very best friend. We have so much fun together being crazy. Our big dreams are all coming true as we work together and I could not be happier. Jared is an amazing man and is going to be an even better father. His passion for life is wearing off on me and I'm starting to be just as optimistic and outgoing as he is.

To celebrate our one-year anniversary we ate, a lot. Lunch was at the Kamin Thai restaurant that I love. I am so lucky to have married a man who loves Asian food. We took our time eating and then planned on going to the movie but decided to chill and take a nap instead. With Jared working so much lately, I think a nap was the perfect gift. We went to dinner at Hamilton's, a "fancy" steakhouse in Logan. They gave us free desserts! After dinner was just playing some Xbox and eating the year-old cake. We only had about one bite because we were full and let's face it, old cake isn't very good.

We didn't get to do anything extravagant but it was perfect. We can save up a special anniversary trip for a few years down the road.

oh the joys of adult birthdays

It really was a fun day for the two hours I got to spend with Jared. Other than that we were working, me in the morning and Jared into the night. He surprised me with all his gifts when I got home from work. That sly little devil bought me an Xbox. In his defense I did mention that it would be fun to play the new Lego Pirates of the Caribbean game. So Jared heard, "buy me a gaming console". It's fun to play together and as long as he gets to borrow games from his friends instead of buying them, I'm okay. I also got some cool new shoes for work and some movies.

Jared took me to Olive Garden for lunch and then we ate some ice cream cake after dinner at his work. Even though I miss the days where you played games with your friends and counted your years in quarters, I'm a pretty happy 23 year old.

biggest loser night

I have some great connections! My boss invited me to attend a Biggest Loser workout where Brett, a trainer from the show, would be teaching. Since Jared and I are avid fans I had to attend. I walked through the slushy snow, pushed back dinner, and paid $5 and it was totally worth it. Brett taught us his signature kickboxing routine. There was a lot of jumping jacks and squats, which he called "booty time". The best part: some of the contestants were there sweating with me. I even got to talk to Moses, our favorite contestant. His daughter Kaylee was there along with Deni, Sarah, and Justin. I was so excited to see them all my boss could not stop laughing at me. I looked like a little kid meeting Mickey Mouse. I haven't been able to work out this hard in a long time because I have been sick but what better way to jump back into the exercise scene than by pushing your body to the limit with a few celebrities. Oh boy are my buns sore!

All us USU employees with Brett and Moses



I spy 4 Biggest Loser contestants and a trainer


Go Moses!