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"

dear John

I went to this movie on Friday evening...LOVED it. HATED it. But most of all, I LOVE the soundtrack!

This CD is clearly an awesome buy! Seriously, I recommend it to all!
1 - "Paperweight" by Joshua Radin & Schuyler
2 - "The Moon" by The Swell Season
3 - "Amber" by 311
4 - "Excelsior Lady" by The Donkeys
5 - "Things & Time" by Wailing Souls
6 - "Little House" by Amanda Seyfried
7 - "This is the Thing" by Fink
8 - "Think of Me" by Rosi Golan
9 - "You Take My Troubles Away" by Rachael Yamagata
10 - "Dear John Theme" by Deborah Lurie

Seriously, such a great album. I'm officially obsessed and have been listening ALL WEEKEND LONG!!!! la la la go see Dear John, in theaters now! (:

domestic

Yup!
I sure am! I'm a domestic lady! I'm a catch! I love to bake treats (but thats about it...unless I make tacos or something)
but whatever...grandma Brown gave me a fun Valentine's day cupcake kit and I put it to good use on Saturday afternoon. I was sick of studying teeth, so I took a break and this is what happened...an awesome concoction of pastry goodness!
HAPPY Pre-VALENTINES DAY!

Realist

–noun 1. a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are.
2. an artist or a writer whose work is characterized by realism.
3. Philosophy. an adherent of realism.

–adjective 4. of or pertaining to realism or to a person who embodies its principles or practices: the realist approach to social ills; realist paintings.

I've had my eyes opened to this idea of being a realist. I've always considered myself pretty accepting of others of ideals or others opinions, other cultures, etc. But recently my eyes have been opened to how truly beautiful the world we live in is. Yes, not everyone agrees with my ideas. Not everyone shares in my retail addiction. Not everyone likes Def Leppard. Not everyone likes to eat raw cookie dough until they're sick (well, maybe?), not everyone likes to workout, not everyone shares my religious belief. Everyone on this planet is unique. Truly. And are we all not doing the best we can everyday?

I've gone through some faith trying times, some heartbreak, I've experienced letdown and pain like I've never felt in my life before. I've been face down in the mud. Down and out. I've also been given a second chance at life (in my mind). I've been lifted up by wonderful family and friends in my life. Through all this pain and suffering I've never felt so much joy.

I literally have had my eyes opened up to how wonderful life is. How beautiful the blue sky is, how sweet it is to be loved by family, how clean laundry makes me feel so happy, how blessed I am to be where I'm at in life today.
I've also been blessed with a sense of acceptance. I've never felt like I was good at being non-judgemental, but as of late I feel like I'm mastering this quality. How dare I judge someone based on their looks, based on their social status, based on their spirituality, based on their intelligence, their weight, their confidence, what car they drive, etc. Everyone on this planet has something to offer; no matter how large, important, insignificant, small. We are all here for the same purpose. To grow, develop, succeed, and ultimately find joy.

That is all. Hope I can become a better person each and every day.

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist."
— C.S. Lewis

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...and Chocolate!

Ash and I LOVE this cute cupcake/dessert shoppe called The Chocolate! The sugar cookies are TO DIE FOR! You've gotta go, it's on state street in Orem (right in front of Classic Skating). It's so yummy and the shoppe has a modern country french decor feel. You'll love it!

Girl Power

"If you judge people you have no time to love them" -Mother Teresa


"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous" -Coco Chanel

"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world." -Marilyn Monroe



"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