http://ashmoresnapshots.blogspot.com/

After lots of adventures and lots of snapshots, I have decided that I want to share them with all of you. It's one thing to take a some pretty photographs. But to compile them for display and declare myself a "photographer" suddenly adds some pressure that is very intimidating...I am no professional. But here goes! (Remember to be really nice!) Introducing:

A new blog entirely devoted to my little snapshots.
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Go check it out!

Our Class Play

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At the end of the school year, my class put on Yuuki and the Tsunami, a folktake from Japan. It was our culminating activity to a mini unit all about Japan. At first, I had meant it to be a small deal: half the class performing for the other half before switching. But parents started to ask if they were invited...and other teacher's heard about it and wanted to bring their classes to watch too. In the end...our little class play turned into quite the production...

We spent hours on the set and so I want to show it off. There were students assigned to the set crew who did most of the painting and props. Above, is Yuuki's hut. Andrew was kind enough to use his skills and fashion a sturdy roof for it.

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Our tree made out of cardboard boxes and butcher paper. The kids each made a Japanese lantern that was used somewhere on the set.

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I love how the backdrop turned out. I drew it out in pencil, the set crew painted it, and then I outlined it in black to help it POP.
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At one point in the play, Yuuki takes a torch from the fire pit in order to set fire to the village...in order to save everyone from the tsunami!
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When Yuuki sets fire to this rice stack, a student who is sitting inside it sticks her arms out through holes in the side and waves around orange and yellow tissue paper. Someone inside the hut does the same thing...waving the tissue paper out the side windows. It looks SO frickin' cute.
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Because Yuuki sets fire to the village, everyone runs up to the mountains (a.k.a. standing on the table behind these cardboard peaks) and is saved from the approaching tsunami. .
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Can you see the two students under the blue sheets to the left? When the tsunami comes through and destroys the village, they stand up and run around the stage with the sheets held high over their head and trailing behind them. This is accompanied by a tsunami sound played loud over the speakers... compliments of a special sound effects CD. Same goes for the sounds of fire crackling, calm ocean waves, and Japanese festival music. If I do say so myself, this play turned out awesome! I was so proud of them.
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We Almost Died this Weekend

A bunch of the family met up in Utah to make the 5 hour drive down to St. George, Utah. My cousin, David, was having his Homecoming. We all squooshed into Grandpa's van for a horrifying journey in a vehicle that among other things, swayed back and forth as if we were in an ocean storm. Probably the only thing that saved us was that Grandpa wasn't driving.

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Uncle Rob drove while he and Grandpa Brown spent the entire 10 hours that we were on the road heatedly debating business and politics. My cousin Janaya read her books while Aunt Joy (the only person I know with the ability to whip up 3-course meals in a swaying 15 passenger van) laughed at all of Andrew's jokes.

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The van's A/C was also a little sketchy, so the rest of us stewed on the back benches.

(Andrew takes care of church business over the phone, Tikla folds origami flowers that will soon decorate her wedding reception, and Karsten...makes us all laugh.)

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My cousin Davin beautifully displays the general mood of the van:

hot, tired, and uncomfortable.

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This is my miserable self. Wouldn't you know it...I woke up the morning that we left with a fever and sore throat.

Despite it all, whether you believe me or not, we really did have a good time.
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Once we arrived, I met up with people like mi madre and the lil' sis. They drove all the way up from A-Z.

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Cousin Tikla:

Sickeningly in-love with Austin Fife, tan and sexy islander, loads of fun to have around


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My mom and my husband's handsome GQ pose.




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The happy climax was seeing my sweet, David friend again. Here I am with David and Heather after his Homecoming talk. I loved living with these two cousins while I attended Dixie College. Good times.

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You Know You Live in Rexburg When...

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...you are taking a walk in the park and come across the entire Plan of Salvation drawn out on the sidewalk with chalk. I almost died laughing. Rexburg is SO Mormon.

(Spirit World)
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(Mortal Life)


(Spirit Prison and Paradise)

(The Three Degrees of Glory)

Becca, aren't you excited to move here? =)

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Take a Walk With Us

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Do you not blame us for taking

this walk every chance we get?
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We love Rexburg.

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We are the Coolest Adults Ever!

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Or maybe we're just ridiculous. I'm afraid to ask.

But, for our date last weekend, Andrew and I built a tent out of quilts and sheets...in our living room...just for fun.

It was AWESOME.
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Didn't you all do this as a kid? Drape blankets over furniture and hold them in place with big heavy books? My sis and I used to do this and sleep in our make-shift tent for as many nights as possible before Mom made us clean it up. Good times.

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After dipping into our giant bag of popcorn

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...we crawled inside our creation...

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...positioned the TV so that we could see it from inside, and watched us some Harry Potter.
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I love that for days afterward, I kept finding Andrew in there: talking on the phone, working on homework, or chillin' in front of a movie. =)

Rhonda,

I received LOTS of compliments today. =)

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