1. Life is fun. There are twists and turns and craziness and days where I want to pull my hair out, but it's exciting. You just gotta roll with the punches.
2. Life is also just life. Things happen. Circumstances come about and it can be hard, but you live and you learn and you rely on the Lord. You REALLY rely on the Lord. And He helps you. Every time. Thank goodness.
3. Baking/cooking may be my calling in life. Just ask Dallin. I LOVE to be in the kitchen creating, discovering, trying out new recipes. I get so much satisfaction out of hearing a compliment on my cooking/baking. Makes my day!!
4. Having said that, I am such a meat and potatoes kinda girl. I was born to eat meat. I believe it is safe to say that I will never be a vegetarian. Ever.
5. I love my rose colored glasses. Things may not be ideal in the world, but I will always look at it with my rose colored glasses. I am my Father's daughter. I am an optimist.
6. I'll always be a kid at heart. I love the excitement of Christmas and Santa Claus, I love Halloween and costumes and dress up and Disney Movies. I love make believe and the endless possibilities that a child's perspective holds.
7. I was born to be a mother. I have a mothering instinct for just about anyone I meet. Which probably explains why I love to cook so much. I relate cooking to mothering and showing love to those I care most about. I love children. I cannot wait for little ones to be running around our home.
8. I am the most independent dependent person you will ever meet. Oxy-moron? Yes. I can be stubbornly independent and do things on my own, but when it comes right down to it, at the end of the day, I love that I have my husband to protect and love me. He will always be the one who I am completely and hopelessly dependent on. And I am 100% ok with that. :)
9. I am totally and completely in love with my husband. He is amazing. He spoils me and loves me and would do anything for me. And I feel the same way about him. I will spoil him and love him and do anything and EVERYTHING for him and be 100% happy about it. He's my help meet, my azer cnegdo(Hebrew, I'll explain it later), my corresponding opposite. And I love him.
10. Family is all that really matters in life. That little tid bit didn't hit me fully until I went through the temple for the first time. I walked into the celestial room, and every single member of my immediate family was there, radiant and beautiful. I was overwhelmed by the sight and by the feelings that coursed through my body. I had never felt so loved and so whole in my entire life. And then I turned and looked at my husband-to-be and REALLY felt loved and whole. After that moment, I knew that family (and those amazing friends who pretty much are family) was all that mattered in life. Loving and serving and doing all that we can to return to live with them in the here-after. That's what it's all about.
So, that's what I've learned, in a nutshell. There's more, obviously, but those are the things that really stick out to me. I am so grateful for all that I have been given. For my amazing family, for Dallin's amazing family, for Dallin, for the Church. I am so blessed. And so, so lucky.
Here are a few pictures of the cake and me with the cake and me with my husband and the cake. Please, enjoy. :)
The side view
Top view (yes, it was devilishly delicious.) Ooohh, say that five times fast!
The Birthday girl with her birthday cake
Showin off the birthday cake!
Aawww, ain't we cute?? :)
P.S. for those of you who want this recipe, hop on over to this lovely lady's blog! It's delicious. And super healthy. . . hah! SIKE! :)
10 comments:
Happy Happy Happy birthday--and Crap! I didn't get you called on the big day. I'm so sorry. FORGIVE me Ashley. I'd been thinking of you all week and then got caught up in the whirlwind that is College Football Day in our home--those darn gators! Anyway, hope you have a fabulous work week and we love you to pieces. I was telling Blaine the other day, "seriously, can you imagine our family without Ashley now? I can't!" and let me say I am so jealous of your mad cooking skills--i have zero drive in that department. Food goes in here big guy. Love ya!
Hope you had a great day! Optimism is grand thing, glad your dad passed it on. If it's any consolation I can't believe you are 22 either!
Its so true. We do learn so many things over the years about how to live our life to the fullest. And that cake was amazing! I ate the peanut butter one first and Brock came home and saw that I had only eaten half of the other and insisted that he eat the rest of it. But I told him I sprinkles cake crumbs from the other one on it so he couldn't have it :) (for everyone else that doesn't know Brock is allergic to peanut butter) Anyways I hope you had an amazing birthday and we where so glad you guys stopped by. See you soon old lady.
You are a great girl at the ripe old age of 22! I wish I had been as together when I was that age.
Happy birthday! You and your cake and your husband all look beautiful!
Happy Birthday Ash! That cake looks divine. I think I'll be trying that recipe...
Oh Ash, just reading your blog makes me miss you more! I wish we lived together, life would be filled with even more happiness then :) love ya and im glad you had a good birthday!
I turn 30 in 2 months and I am still wondering when I get to the age when I feel mature and 'grown up'....lol
Great looking cake, Ash. Looks like it could have slid off the plate in the last picture when Dallin planted a big one on ya!
I thought that was Buckeye Cake staring back at me...great, now I'm drooling!
I hope you had a wonderful birthday Ashley! You are so dang sweet, and I just adore you. A few years ago, your dad was our Home Teacher (we LOVED him...but then again, who wouldn't?!) You were finishing up your last year of high school and I watched you, admiring your strength and your ever positive attitude.
One time when your dad was at our house, I told him how very impressed I was with you, and I thought it was so great that you were always so happy. It's interesting that you mentioned rose colored glasses, because that's exactly how he described you. It was so sweet to listen to your wonderful father gush about his baby girl. It was easy to see the joy that you bring to his life.
Love to you Ashley!!
Ashley,
First of all happy belated birthday. Your cake looks soo yummy! I have been stalking you for a while, but I had no idea you even knew I existed. :) I just have to tell you thank you so much for your comment on my blog. I was so nervous about that post and to have positive feedback, especially from someone I only know through the blogging world, was really amazing. I appreciate it SO much! Dallin is lucky to have found such a fabulous girl. Hopefully we can meet for reals some day!
Lindsey
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