you can quote me...

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."
E.E. Cummings

"Go forward in great faith. The best lies ahead." President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Pain throws your heart to the ground.
love turns the whole thing around
no it won't all go the way, it should
but I know the {heart} of life is good"
-John Mayer

"I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
- Audrey Hepburn


"You cannot be mad at somebody who makes you laugh - it's as simple as that."
-Jay Leno

"Be deliriously happy.
Or at least leave yourself open to be.
Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without.
I say fall head over heels.
Find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back.
Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back.
Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this.
To make the journey and not fall deeply in love -- well, you haven't lived a life at all.
You have to try.
Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."
- Anthony Hopkins {in Meet Joe Black}

"We are what we believe we are."
C. S. Lewis


"A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it at the expense of everything else"
-Bette Davis

"Try a little harder, to be a little better"
-Gordon B. Hinckley

"While you sit around thinking about what you can't change
and worrying about all the wrong things
time's flying by
moving so fast
you better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small"
-Carrie Underwood


"The world is in need of your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save. The blessings of eternity await you. "
—President Thomas S. Monson

day 1

Day 1. The start (again) to a new me.

5:15 AM - rolled out of bed and put on my workout attire.

5:35ish AM - arrived at the gym and began my new workout that my awesome dad wrote for me.

6:30 AM - walked out of the gym and saw the start of a new day, the sun was rising in the east. Oh how I love living in this gorgeous place.

7:00 AM - getting ready for the day, feeling on top of the world.

8:00 AM - made breakfast for the clan (eggs, sausage, pineapple, oranges, and carrot juice)

9:00 AM - worktime...

9:49 AM - blogging.

Here's to a great day....
I am going to use my blog as an excuse to keep track of my fitness/health progress.
Hopefully it's a good day, and I can make a difference in the world today!

Elder Warner

I love my missionary...brother that is! Elder Warner is one of the greatest examples in my life. He is so spiritual, so smart, trendy, outgoing, likes to cook (not good for my waistline), he is always happy. Always willing to serve others. He is one of the greatest guys I know!
And I just wanted to tell the blogging world that I miss him dearly... I look forward to Monday mornings, that's when I get his emails.
I love you Elder Warner. Keep up the great work!

A Better Me

This past weekend, I turned 22 years old! Woo hoo, go me! Well as I was contemplating my life, the good and the bad, the happiness, and joys, I was thinking to myself "What can I do to become a better Ashley?" Well, I set up a weekly calendar for myself and have goals to accomplish before this week is through. So far, I am doing pretty DANG good!

I hit the gym at 5:30 this morning! Yes, before the sun came up. Probably before most sane people get out of bed too....I did cardio and weights. Then I had a fun surprise and ran into an old friend and we chatted for probably twenty minutes! What a great start to the day, right? Just wait, it gets even better...


I go home and shower, then I pull out this bad boy and I read for about 25 minutes this morning. It was another bonus to start out my day. I felt so much happiness as I read and now I feel empowered to take on the world. I really do. Even ask my mother...

After I got ready for the day, I made some scrambled eggs (protein rich), I made my lunch, grilled chicken + black beans + celery sticks + a string cheese = healthy Ashley. Yes, then I juiced some carrots, celery, and a tomato and I drank to my heart. I feel so healthy, spiritual, happy, and just WONDERFUL!

Here's to a better Ashley. New and improved. :) Life is wonderful, I am blessed. I am healthy. I have a roof over my head. I have a warm bed to sleep in at night. I have food in my fridge. I have a great job. I have a cute car. I have wonderful parents. Great friends. I love my religion. I love my life. LIFE IS BLISS! It really is....

Have a GREAT MONDAY ya'll!

Good. Better. Best.

I had a friend who taught me a great quote..."Good, better, best. Never let it rest, until the good is better, and the better is the best." (Neil A. Maxwell)

I've had a lot on my mind the past few days.
I've cried a lot.
I've thought a lot about my life.
I've pondered what I am doing in my life. Am I doing good? Am I being the best woman I can be?
I've lost a sweet great-grandmother this weekend. One of my friends also lost his brother this weekend. And with so much death and passing occuring around me, I've thought a lot about who I am. And I've also realized how much I take my life for granted.

Life is fragile. Life is so short. Life is so unpredictable. Life is hard. Life is not fair. Life is blissful. Life is depressing. Life is wonderful. Life is a gift. Life is a blessing. Life is sweet. Life is bitter. Life is life.

I am so grateful for my life, especially more-so as I've had a wake-up call to how fragile life really is. This past weekend was spent in reflection on what I can be doing to be a better woman. I have a huge list to work on, but I just know that no matter what happens in this life, that I am blessed. I have been given so much. I have been surrounded by nothing but wonderful things. I have an INCREDIBLE family. My parents are the GREATEST people in the entire world. I love my father. I love my mother. I am so blessed to be their child. Without them, my world would be empty. I have the best siblings. I have the best friends. I have the best grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am so blessed.

SO BLESSED.

I am also so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I just wanted to express how much peace I feel as I strive to surround myself with light. With things that bring me peace. I am so blessed to have my faith, my religion, my scriptures, my beliefs and standards.

I know I am rambling on, but it makes me feel better to get my feelings down. And typing it all just allows my thoughts and feelings to flow so much better.

Life is good. Like the John Mayer song says,

"Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around. No it won't all go the way, it should, but I know the HEART OF LIFE IS GOOD"

Life is good. Make each day count. "Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery. Today a gift, that is why it's called the present"