{ valentine's day #5 }

This year was our FIFTH Valentine's Day together! I pretty much cannot believe that five years ago I was living in a dumpy basement apartment falling head over heels for a silly boy who brought me over nothing more than a stuffed animal! Obviously I was mortified when I realized I had gone a little overboard with my giant box full of personalized gifts. I begged him not to open it, but he did anyways.

5 years later my husband is still not the best gift giver. (Love him though.) There was no false advertising there. So sometimes I tell him I'll pick up the clearance flowers a few days after the holiday so I can get what I want. Celebrating after the fact is more convienient and a whole lot cheaper. These were $10!

We went to The Vow and ate pineapple curry on the stairs of the theater. It was a fabulous date.

I feel so lucky to be married to this amazing man! Our marriage is far from perfect (hard to believe I know), but at the end of everyday I am SO grateful to have such a good man to love and to be loved by.

{ new york }

Kat found a great deal on plane tickets to New York and one of our childhood friends is out there for school, so of course we took a fabulous girls trip! It was my first time in New York and I loved it! A HUGE thank you to Amber for being such a great host!
This is a shot of the street right by the twin towers. It was crazy to imagine the chaos that took place right there!
The fire station across from where the twin towers were.
Fondue! Does dessert get any better than that? Luckily we didn't catch anything on fire.
One of my best friends from high school, Sydnee, is living in New York now. It was so fun to see her!
Valentine's Dinner!
Kat and I went to the broadway play Memphis!
Cupcakes! The key lime one was delicious!
A ferry ride to see the statue of liberty!

Other highlights included: Hour long foot massages in Chinatown, following some man forever to a park full of sketchy jewelry and purses, late night talks, seeing the temple, lots of shopping, and yummy food!

I can't wait to go back with Jared someday!

{ Utah Trip }

I had a much needed trip home to Utah at the end of January! It was a very full and fun week! Me, Heather, Heather's kids, and Dustin all got a nasty sickness while we were there! That was a bummer. Who has time to be sick on vacation?! Not me. But we still managed to party it up and have fun! Here is another photo dump.

Girls weekend with some of the cousins and my Aunt Dicksy. I love all of these ladies so much!

We all share a love for Target! Heather what was the name of the guy that took this picture? I really wish he was in it! JK

My sweet mom and sisters threw me a baby shower while I was home! It was so adorable! I'm so grateful for all the people that came to support me in this new adventure! Me and this baby got very spoiled and felt very loved!

Spending time with the nieces and nephews is ALWAYS a highlight for me! They are just he cutest things and they are growing up way too fast!

We have a tradition of taking balloons and letting them go at my grandparent's graves on their birthdays. This year we even made some little snowmen.

I am the luckiest girl to have my sisters and mom! They are the best friends I could ever want!

This might seem like a photo overload, but due to illness the camera really didn't come out nearly enough! I can't believe the next time I go home I will have a baby with me! How crazy!

{ New Years }

I really need to be better at updating my blog! Maybe this blog wouldn't be so lame if I wasn't updating about January when it is almost April... I'm really going to try harder to be better!

New Years Eve with the Meier's.

Jared is Kev's mini. They are such kids at heart and I love it! (Even though their firework adventures scare me just a little. )

-Jared and Ashley-

The night was full of fireworks, LOTS of games, Wii dance party, and good food!

I love celebrating and New Years is no exception! I always think of my cute grandparents on New Years. Even when they were in their late 80s and early 90s they loved to celebrate! My cute grandma was pretty much bedridden, but she would stay up and be sure to have her pots and pans ready to bang! I hope so badly that Jared and I can be just like them someday- Always celebrating life and making it fun no matter what!

I feel so lucky to have had my grandparents influence in my life! I miss them lots, but I'm so grateful we can be together again!