CAR RIDE

It was our third trip down to Utah last month, and all the hours on the road were beginning to drive us crazy. (Word.) How 'bout I let you in on a couple minutes of our insanity...

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After half an hour of silence through barren flat lands, Andrew, without taking his eyes off the road, asked:

"Do you wanna have a tickle fight?"

His tone was way too serious for comfort.

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"Don't you dare touch me."

His hand inched in my direction, resting stiffly on the center consul. We sat there for a minute before the suspense became too much for me. I punched him in the arm as hard as I could.

This only caused him to laugh delightedly, so I glared at him.

"Andrew, if you cross this line, I will punch your frickin' lights out." (We have a very honest, open relationship.)

After more hysterical laughter, he inched his hand towards me again, resting it ever so gently between us.

"You're walking a thin line, Mr."

"I'm not going to tickle you. I'm just going to show you affection. Don't you love me?"

"Yes, I love you. But my love for you lessens every time you tickle me."

"I thought you said your love was unconditional ."

"It is...until you tickle me."

"Then it's not unconditional!"

"Okay, fine. My love ISN'T unconditional. So you had better stop!"

These events cycled for some time, but I won't bore you with the particulars. Let's just say there was screaming, punching, karate chopping, and evil hysterical laughter involved. And let me add that it's a miracle we didn't crash and burn on that lonely Idaho highway.

When it comes to being tickled, I don't mess around. Just consider this a warning for all those anxious to take multiple road trips in one month...or drive with us in a car for hours at a time...or TRY and tickle Rachel Ashmore. And that's my story, the end. 

Hi-YA,

Rachel

FOUR YEARS

I have such a good man. Our wedding anniversary makes me think back to that crazy courtship of ours, and what a miracle it was that we ended up together. (I'm not going to go over our story now, but you can read it HERE.) It was absolutely meant to be.

This song makes me think of that time. Everything was so full of unknowns and uncertainties, but two things helped me through it:

1.) I had distinctly felt that marrying him was what the Lord wanted. I was assured that Andrew was a good person, and God's word was good enough for me.

2.) My family supported me in the decision. I can only imagine the fears going through my mother's mind upon learning I was to marry a man neither of us had known more than a few weeks. But she stuck true to her promise: After expressing her concerns once, she went forward with 100% support and trust. There wasn't even a hint of dissatisfaction coming from her during that whirlwind engagement.

But I'm sure it also helped that Andrew's good heart became increasingly evident the longer we knew him. We all fell in love with him fast, because he is good. And I feel blessed to have had the Lord be out matchmaker. God knew what He was doing.

And doesn't Carrie Underwood sing this song so beautifully? Listen to those high notes!

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A LESSON LEARNED

Andrew learned an important lesson today.

The success of our marriage and family is based on *principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, wholesome recreational activities, and...NOT EATING RACHEL'S ONLY LITTLE DEBBIE CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE.

It's good that he learned this early in our marriage, I guess. But he still has to learn not to laugh when I get angry. 
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I don't care how cute he thinks I am. 

*Refer to THIS.

WE TOOK A DRIVE.

Andrew and I were feeling a little stir-crazy after a weekend indoors. So we got in the car and drove several hours to the north...just to take a walk.

Everything had that golden autumn glow.

The sun was warm and low in the sky.

And the leaves were shimmering with color. 

We found a quiet dirt road,

That eventually led to a bridge,

Where we watched the water float lazily by...

And took mushy, romantic pictures.

As the setting sun sank even lower in the sky,

we returned to our car huddled together...the final rays leaving behind a chill in the air. 

Fall is fast flyin' by, my friends. 

My favorite pretty pictures from this adventure are found HERE on my photo blog. Check 'em out!

DR. COUCH'S LAUGHING GAS

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I've had the same nightmare for about three nights now. It is really, really awful! I wake up in a panic, my heart racing, my hands clutching at the pillow...I don't even think I can talk about it.
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Okay fine. You've convinced me.
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It always opens, as I come upon a magnificent view. Like a sunset or summery landscape. It's the most picturesque scene my eyes have ever beheld, and I stop, catch my breath, and exclaim to those around me to come and see. Nothing has or ever will compare to it's beauty.
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Then, I excitedly reach for my camera, aim, compose, and shoot...except...something is terribly wrong! My camera isn't working!! I frantically mess with buttons and dials between desperate glaces at the quickly fading scene before me. And then...it is too late. It is gone. And I've missed my chance forever, to capture what could have been a life-changing photograph.
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I told you it was awful.
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On the bright side, I treated myself to new shoes yesterday.

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I know I just got rid of half my shoes, but in order to justify buying these, I had to get rid of yet another pair from my closet. And I've been pining after red flats for a LONG time.

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This morning, as I was getting dressed for church, the red shoes were the first things I put on. As in, I had to remove my pajama pants from over them...which wasn't easy. And I've been home from church for 5 hours now, and...oh look...these babies are still on my feet.

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I love them.

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So, I'm guessing that summer in Rexburg is in full swing...judging from the line at the local SnoShack the other day.

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I'm thinkin' that my red flats and I should take a walk for a snow cone sometime. Andrew can come too if he wants.

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Our Friday night dates tend to be a source of contention. We usually don't have something specific planned, and neither of us want to be the one to come up with the night's activity.
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But this time, I manned up (yeah that's right), and did the planning. We had a comedy night.

• Madlibs
• Laffy Taffys
• A comedy off of Netflix (Planet 51)

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The whole evening cost us two bucks, and it was actually really, really fun.
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But I am not, I repeat, NOT planning next week's date (Andrew, are you reading this?). It's HIS turn. (I love you, babe!)
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My dentist's name is Dr. Couch. I imagined getting my teeth worked on while laying nestled in a soft, fluffy, microfiber couch. The experience was not as pleasant, as I had envisioned. Maybe I should sue for false advertising.

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After the all-day appointment, my jaw was so stiff and sore...I couldn't fit a spoon of Frosted Mini Wheats into my mouth for a week. I was sedated and on laughing gas, so I really don't remember much of the horrible ordeal. But I do remember two things:

1.) I woke up once to the the dentist's assistance wiping tears from both of my cheeks. Apparently, I had been crying. Slightly embarrassing.

2.) I woke up soon after we had begun, giggling like a goon (laughing gas, remember). I needed to tell the the dentist something, but the thought of saying it out loud sounded so silly to my brain, that it took a few moments of delirious chortling before I could even get it out.

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"Ummm...Dr.? I...have...to...PEEEEEE!!!"

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I was a little out of it, but I'm pretty sure this was followed by another fit of hysterics.

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I'm also pretty sure that Dr. Couch sighed heavily before un-clipping my dental bib. And that the assistants had to practically carry me to the bathroom where I very indignantly chastised them for thinking I needed any help whatsoever in the stall.

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After I got home, and the medicines began to wear off, and I started to review in my mind the day's events...my cruel memory began to piece together that my oh-so-hilarious peeing episode may not, in actuality, have been an amusing dream. My reserved, appropriate self, would never announce such a personal need to perfect strangers. Right??

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At this point, I'm maintaining that it was another nightmare.

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But it wouldn't hurt to avoid Dr. Couch's office for a little while either. Just in case.

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RED PICNIC TABLE

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We inherited an old picnic table (shout-out to the Grimmers!) earlier in the summer, and had big plans for its makeover.
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We spent several afternoons sanding it, priming it, and painting it red.
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Then we laid down on this blanket to watch it dry...
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...And make eyes at each other.

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We do that sometimes.

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Anyway, for 2-3 weeks out of the summer in Rexburg, it gets to be unbearably hot. I know that my Arizona relatives are laughing at me right now, as they sit in their 120 degree temperatures.

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But THEY have air conditioning.

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By about 4:oo in the afternoon, when the western sun is pouring through the largest window in the house, and I have to start thinking about firing up the oven for dinner, I get to feeling that we live in a literal oven. Our only escape is the shady patio and our happy, red picnic table.
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.It is so heavenly out there. I've gotten to where I just automatically set that red picnic table for dinner every night.
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...or barbecued hamburgers.

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Our standard of living since this red picnic table entered our life has improved significantly.
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You guys should all go out and get one.Just be sure to paint it red. The color will make it or break it, I'm tellin' you.

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Happy Summer,

Rachel

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OUT OF THE BLUE

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Andrew: So...In The Sound of Music, does the nanny fall in love with the father?
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Rachel: (after a stunned silence) Yes, they get married.
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Andrew: The dad wasn't married?
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Rachel: No, he was a widow.
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Andrew: Oh.
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Rachel: Maria was about to take her vows as a nun. That's why it was complicated.
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Andrew: (nods) That's right.
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But she wasn't a very good nun, was she?
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Rachel: No.
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Andrew: (nods)

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(silence)
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...Maybe we should watch that move again sometime.
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Rachel: (stares back to gauge sincerity) ...Okay...
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Andrew: Maybe it'll give me some culture....
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Rachel: ...Okay.
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Andrew: ...so I don't just watch "man movies" all the time.
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Rachel: (laughs) Okay.
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SPRING BREAK DAY 4

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We watched our church's General Conference via the laptop. I enjoyed a Sunday without formal meetings...a Sunday where we were able to see each other before the evening meal.

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.Between sessions, I worked on updating our picture frames with more recent photos. I now have 12 frames to redistribute through the house.

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And Andrew surprised me with a homemade Easter Cake as he called it. =)
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Yes, the tulips continue to be an ever-present source of joy. They follow me around the house depending upon the room I am currently spending the most time in.

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Afterward, our need to expend extra energy took us on several walks. The second one lasted an hour and a half. We talked, laughed, pushed each other into puddles, and picked out aspects of neighborhood houses we'd want to add to the our dream home.

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Believe it or not, this was the least embarrassing of the photos we attempted.

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We also came across the Easter Bunny formed from quickly melting snow...

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And traces of big foot in our very own town! Check out that footprint!
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We hope you all had a happy Easter. Ours was the simplest, happiest, most relaxing of holidays. I love my Andrew, the church is true, and there is still one more day of Spring Break!

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BUMMER.

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JUST ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS

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Between work, school, and church callings,

sometimes dinner ends up looking like this:

• Andrew tapping away at a calculator, an Excel Spreadsheet open on the computer, and Survey of Accounting open in his lap...
• While I flip through Grammar Made Simple: An Easy-to-Use Teaching Resource, between fork fulls of my sweet n' sour pork.

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How romantic.

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TRUE LOVE

We make a good team, Andrew and me.

Despite our challenges learning to live with each other.

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For example, Andrew is NEVER to TOUCH ME while I'm applying eye makeup (Very important to his physical safety). And I am not to deem Andrew's stinky toots: the end of the world. (They may be even slightly funny--believe me, I've come a long way).

Because, I don't think we could ever NOT live with each other.

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Without him, my cell phone would never get charged.

(I can hardly ever find my phone, let alone keep it charged.)

And without me, the lint trap in the dryer would never get emptied.

(I swear, our dryer will one day explode on us)

And besides, who else would eat all the bugs from his hair?

You see? A Perfect match. We need each other.

Happy Heart Day, my love!

THE TALE OF TWO BRAINS

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Andrew was assigned to watch this video for his Family Relations class. He enjoyed it so much, he called me in to watch it with him that evening. Basically, I laughed til I cried. I recommend watching this with your spouse if they're around. It'll make it even funnier.

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I love the way this dude illustrates what goes on in my head with the buzzing, emotional strings...connected...to...EVERY-THING! I couldn't have explained it better myself. It's impossible for me to stop all the buzzing and connecting and emoting going on ALL THE TIME! I swear, being a girl is utterly...exhausting!

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As for Andrew and this "nothing box," I'm not so sure. He goes stark crazy doing "nothing." If he has nothing to do, Andrew'll start pacing the house like a caged animal. But as for the boxes not touching each other...holy cow. My man is definitely a one-track-mind kind of guy. He'll become obsessed with one idea until it is resolved and put away forever. Whereas for me, because everything is so interconnected, I don't think I could focus on only one thing, like, ever. I tried once. My brain nearly exploded.

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Can anyone relate?

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*If you're interested, check out the other clips by this guy on YouTube.

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SIGH.

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DINNER:

Peppermint Icecream and Brownies

Oh, don't look at me like that.

I'm an adult. I can eat whatever the heck I want.

And besides...it has been a BAD DAY.

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I miss Andrew.

Parent Teacher Conferences Thurday.

And a little disorder known as ADHD (not mine).

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KYLAN'S WEDDING

This my cousin, Kylan. I recently posted about his mission homecoming, as some of you may remember. A couple months later, here I am posting about a wedding to his darling high school sweetheart, Karyn. Hooray for love!

This is the mother of the groom holding her granddaughter Ada, at the SLC temple. Picture in your mind the coolest person you know. Got it? Okay...Now, I'm sorry to tell you this, but my Aunt Joy here, is probably cooler than whoever you were just thinking about. She is who I want to be when I grow up.

I have made it a goal to get more pictures of my mom. She usually avoids them like the plague, so it's been a bit of a challenge. Outside waiting for the happy couple to come out from the temple, I got a few while she was distracted. I think candid shots are usually the best, anyway.

For a mother at the age of 50, it is my personal opinion that she's a total babe. Anyone know of any good, Mormon, single, rich(why not?) guys in search of a wife? She deserves it.

Amidst a swirling blizzard, the new Mr. and Mrs. Brown emerge!

Apparently, Kylan is famous for his bad luck. The weather was bad enough on a wedding day. But among other things, mechanical difficulties at the temple veil delayed the wedding by about 40 minutes (who has ever heard of such a thing??) and that morning, the lady making the cake collapsed into the cake and had to be taken to the hospital! A quick replacement cake had to found instead. They were good sports about it though. Just happy to be gettin' hitched, I suppose.

That night there was a formal dinner on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

We ate dinner surrounded by full length windows. They afforded a view of falling snow and downtown Salt Lake glowing beneath us. So beautiful!

While we were in Salt Lake, it happened to be our anniversary. To celebrate, we ate at a Chinese restaurant called The Mandarin. Yes, in case you were wondering...it was very romantic.

The restaurant was still decorated for Christmas. It's hard to see all the details in this picture, because the lighting was dim, but this place was fancy! The food wasn't so bad either (quite de-lish, actually). If you're ever in Bountiful, UT, go check it out!

That's all. =)