TAG YOU'RE IT!

.
.
.

Nicole and I at good 'ol Mesquite High School my sophomore year.

.

I had a friend in high school named Nicole. High school was not a happy era of my life, but all the memories including Nicole were bright spots. She was one of those friends I regretted losing contact with, so I was very pleased to reconnect with her recently. If you're looking for a light, happy, uplifting blog, go check hers out.
.
You'll like her too. I promise.
.

.
.
.
She recently, posted the following:
.

Consider yourself tagged. Yep all of you. :)

questions for you...

1. Name 5 songs on your mixed cd from high school.

2. What is your favorite board game of all time?

&

3. What is the strangest thing you have ever done with your hair?

Comment me if you play so I can check out your answers

.
.
.
.
I haven't done many of these tag posts, but with the extra bit of time I've had lately, I figured why not? I'll play!
.
.
ONE. Name 5 songs on your mixed CD from high school.
Well, it's hard to pick, but here are a few that I remember jammin' to back in the day (click to listen):

• Because I am a Queen by India Arie
• Cleveland by Jewel
• I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Furtado
• I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden
• No Such Thing by John Mayer

.
.
.
TWO. What is your favorite board game of all time?
It is way too hard to pick one. But here is my latest fave. Heard of Ticket to Ride?
.
.
.
.
THREE. What is the strangest thing you have ever done with your hair?
.
I went back through old picture trying to find some "strange" examples. It was kinda hard. I suppose I haven't been very adventurous with my hair.
.
.
.
.
Here I am at age four when my parents apparently hated me. I looked like a flippin' boy.

.
.

My cousins and I used to do our hair up all crazy and march around the neighborhood singing silly songs (Ah, to be young again!). Luckily...I mean, unfortunately, I'm not in this picture, but I remember my hairdo was pretty strange.

.

.

This isn't my hair, but it is on my head. In high school, I went to an opera. Backstage, my mom's friend (a very nice but very persistent lady), insisted I model this costume for the camera. This is my, "I am humiliated and want to melt into the floor" smile.

.

.

Here are Becca and I as teenagers, modeling poofy wigs at the mall.

.

.

And, because it seemed appropriate for this time of year, here I am modeling flags in my hair the summer before my senior year.

.

Now I am tagging all of you who might be interested in my silly game. And because I am a fan of pictures, here are my assignments:

.

1. Photograph the front door of your home.

2. Photograph your favorite piece of furniture. Why do you like it?

3. Photograph the inside of your fridge as is. Don't hide that moldy cheese!

4. Photograph the shoes in your closet. How many pairs do you own? Be honest now!

5. Photograph the view from any window of your home.

6. Photograph your view from where you lay on your bed.

7. And photograph yourself--right now! No primping beforehand!

.

.

If you accept these challenges, leave a comment so I can see! Have fun. =)

.

DEAR DAD,

.
.
. Hi, Daddy. This is you, at Grandpa's funeral, in your favorite stance. You always stand like this.

.
.
.
.

See? I have others, but I think you get the point.

.

I stood next to you once, while you were in deep conversation with someone, and mimicked all of your stances right along with you. You never noticed, but I sure got a kick out if!

.

.

Don't think I'm being disrespectful. That's not the point of this post. I'm just teasing. Don't all daughters tease their dad's idiosyncrasies? Think of it as a term of endearment....another way to express my affection. It is Father's Day, after all. Here are a few of my Father's Day ponderings:

.

.

.

.

1.) I appreciated the treat drawer at your computer desk...that you sometimes knew I took from...and sometimes did not. There was always something yummy in there.

.

.

.

.

2.) What fun it was to draw with Daddy's nice pens and paper at Daddy's nice drafting table! It made me feel like a real artist. I liked that.

.

.

.

3.) From the times I tried to wake you up earlier then you had planned, I noticed that you always slept with the crook of your arm up over your eyes. I remember that.
.

.

.

.

4.) Do you remember that time when you picked Becca and me up for a visit one summer? You asked what we had been up to, and I'm sure our teenage responses afforded you with as little information as possible. Then, in what I can only guess was another attempt for the lowdown, you asked if we were keeping out of trouble. Becca said yes, and I said no. You paused for a minute before declaring: I don't believe either of you! I laughed a lot at that.

.

Even now, I laugh whenever I think about it.
.

.

.
.

5.) I can't hear a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir without thinking of being at your place. You put them into the CD player every Sunday morning. It created a nice feeling in the house.

.

I recently bought my own CD, in order to carry on the tradition.

.
.

.

.

6.) You once made us sunshine eggs for breakfast, and you were so proud of yourself. I was proud of you too! I had never seen you cook a thing in your life that wasn't frozen first.

.

.

.

.

7.) Remember long car trips? We only went on a couple thousand. I usually got bored and resorted to teasing my younger siblings with me in the back. Then the little punks would start whining and fighting and you'd angrily reach behind with the gial of stopping the contention. Remember how we kids would flatten against the card doors to escape your blindly grasping hand in search of someone...anyone to discipline?

.

Remember how it just made us laugh? Those were good times.

.
.

.

.

9.) Daddy, you always treated us well on Valentine's Day. I still have that heart -shaped box you painted for me when I was little, sitting on my dresser.

.

.

.
.

10.) When I was three or four, I remember leaving my bed in the early mornings to find you eating breakfast before work. You always ate toast for breakfast. I'd climb up next to you on the counter, and you'd make me a piece of toast too. The magical part was when you squeezed the honey on to the bread in an "R" design...for "Rachel", of course.

.

Anytime I ever put honey on my toast today, I always queeze it out in an "R" shape before spreading it around. I bet you had no idea what an impact you would have on all of my future toast-making-experiences!

.

.

.

.

Well, I guess that's all. There are my random thoughts of you. Have a happy Father's Day, Dad. .

.

Love,

Funny Face

.

.

.

.

-December 29, 2006-

How it all began...

Version I: By Andrew

We were first introduced by her sister, and since Rachel was/is so cute I asked her out on a date. Of course she was dieing to go out with me so she said yes...We went to the D-Backs game and we were together everyday after that. She was planning on serving a mission, and actually had her call already...so I knew that I didn't have a lot of time to work the magic, so I laid it on pretty thick. After 2 weeks I knew that she was the one I wanted to marry, so I popped the question. She thought I was a little crazy, but was willing to kick around the idea! Sweet! Well, to make a long story short, she took a week to thing about it and we were married 3 months from our first date!

Version II: By Rachel (A much more accurate version)

I moved from BYU-Idaho back home to Arizona to prepare for my MISSION to Charleston, West Virginia. My little sister, who had met Andrew at the high school where he had coached wrestling, introduced the two of us in passing in the hallway at church. I thought nothing of it. A few weeks later, however, I noticed that he kept smiling me and I could just tell that he was going to ask me out. I was annoyed. I tried to avoid it until one Sunday Andrew cornered me and asked me to a Diamondback's game. I was focused on a mission and wanted nothing to do with the drama of dating. I did not want to go! But I love baseball and so I went for the game. I remember dreading that date the entire time before he picked me up. Most first dates totally suck but my mom says that when I got home after this date, I was floating on cloud 9. It was the best first date ever! We saw one another every day after that though I kept reminding him that I was leaving in a few weeks to West Virginia. (Why do you keep asking me out??) Ten days from our first date, Andrew asked me to marry him. Well...sort of. He never really even asked me the question or showed me the ring because when I realized what he was about to do I freaked out, refused to let him ask, and told him he was very much a cRaZy person. That next week I couldn't shake the feeling that I should at least think about it all because there had been way too many coincidences to list in the circumstances that allowed me to meet Andrew. As I prayed about it, I continued to go forward with my mission plans. I even gave my farewell in Sacrament (with Andrew watching from the back row) and set the date for my TEMPLE endowment. Exactly a week after he proposed, I got an unmistakable assurance that I was supposed to be with Andrew Ashmore. So, in the Celestial Room of the Mesa Temple, I told Andrew that I would be his wife. Two and half months later we were married and moving up to Rexburg, Idaho, to start our new life together. I haven't regretted my decision once!

Andrew's Harem?

Going through our old pictures the other day, I came across this: Apparently, Andrew was popular with the ladies in high school. Though, I am not surprised that other females find my husband adorable...this is an embarrassing spectacle!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

A favorite memory with my Dad:

I was so excited to go to this Daddy-Daughter Country Western Dance. As we were leaving at the end of the night, I begged Dad to keep dancing the new steps I had learned even after we were in the dark parking lot.

Favorite Game to Play with Dad:

(probably because he has yet to beat me...much to his chagrin)

Favorite Bedtime Song Sang by Dad:

" Home on the Range"

Favorite Treat Made by Dad:

Air-popped popcorn. He is the King. To this day, it is probably my favorite treat.

Favorite Words of Wisdom from Dad:

"If you're gonna be a turd go lay in the yard."

A Favorite Hobby of Dad's:

No Further Comment.

We went on A LOT of road trips with Dad growing up. I can just picture it now:

Ritz Crackers, Smarties, Books on Tape, The Moody Blues, Taco Bell, Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing battle songs, and Frequent Stops to take Pictures of old houses. Also, Dad has an unnatural love for wildlife. He would risk sweeping across lanes of oncoming traffic and killing us all rather than miss getting the herd of deer at the side of the road in his headlights to watch them bound away. I have to admit that he passed this on to me. I get irrationally excited when I see something like a deer, wolf, or hawk in the wild.

Becca, Aurora, Dad, and Me

Favorite Presents from Dad:

He totally made these himself ...along with a wooden car mat pieced together to make either a painted city or a green countryside depending on which side we chose. This came with painted wooden block buildings too. SO COOL. As kids, Becca and I had all of these wooden people carefully named, divided into families, and imagined personalities developed for each.

I'd have to agree with Aria on this one: Thumbs up for Dad. He's alright.

____________________________________________

ANDREW'S DAD

Hey DAD! I just wanted to wish you a Happy Father's day, I tell you how much you mean to me...In my Eagle Court Interview, they asked me who my heros were and my reply was, "my dad." I attribute all that I am and love to you (and mom of course).

My love for the outdoors came from DAD! Hunting, fishing, camping, water sports...I just loved being with him!

and because of Dad, I never want to grow a mustache...

Besides Bishopric and High Council, I can't think a single calling dad had outside of scouting! It was always fun to have him around.

Dad NEVER missed a single wrestling match...He would spent the whole day at the tournament; updating his bracket every hour. Even with all the noise of cheering fans and yelling coaches, He was the only voice I heard.

Tributes to our mothers

Rhonda, you make really cute babies...I'm sure glad.
(Look at those eyes!)

.

You must have been a super mom in order to raise Andrew so super.
.

Andrew says that he got his super strength from you...

Not surprised. Check out those guns! =)
.

I can tell where he got all that personality too! =)

Happy Mother's Day! We're both grateful for you.

___________________________________________

I've always been told I look like her...that's just fine with me.

.

I sure appreciate her dealing with my crap.

(I was an exceptionally bossy, strong-willed little snot...still working on that.)

.

Cool shades, Mom! I'm guessing this was the early 90's??

Mom made for a very happy childhood. Even as a busy, single mother, she worked hard to give us all sorts of enriching experiences:
camping, vacations, museums, days at the park, planetariums, art, dance, and music lessons, plays, hikes...just to name a few. I remember her reading aloud to us often, sharing movies she loved, playing with us in the pool, and chaperoning us on field trips.
.

Even more than all that, I remember the times we spent talking and laughing in the living room. We always had such a good time together.

.

Mom is one of the few people I know without guile.
She's such a wise, cheerful, good-hearted woman.

.
Ahhh, Look at us...aren't we a cute little family? Thanks mom. You did good.