TAG YOU'RE IT!

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

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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.
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You'll like her too. I promise.
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She recently, posted the following:
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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?

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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

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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!
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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

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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?
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THREE. What is the strangest thing you have ever done with your hair?
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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.
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Here I am at age four when my parents apparently hated me. I looked like a flippin' boy.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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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:

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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!

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

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REDNECK YACHT CLUB

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We were given an old boat for free. After assessing how much work it needed, Andrew decided it wasn't worth the cost. So instead, he hauled it to a local pawn shop and received $200 smackaroos.
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Then he went out and found a little aluminum boat for the same price (well...he talked them down a hundred bucks) and brought it home.
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Look at how pleased he is with himself. =)
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The "new" boat was sure ugly! But he had big plans for it.

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And for the camouflage lovin', boat floatin', fisherman readers of this blog, this tutorial is for you! Since that defines the majority of you, here we go...
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First, he put on a base coat of khaki color paint (leaving the interior a hunter green).
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Then, using a pine tree branch as a stencil, Andrew sprayed a design with black and green spray paint.
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I think the final product turned out awesome! Not tacky like I had imagined.
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Then, trough the trading of some old, unneeded tools, Andrew was also able to obtain an engine to put on the back. We couldn't wait to take it out on Island Park Reservoir!

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The four of us were the coolest bunch of rednecks you ever did see, floating around the lake with our cooler full of drinks, eating our donuts, and attempting to catch a darn fish. I wish I had more pictures of that day, but I thought it wise to leave the expensive camera back on solid ground.

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I'm excited for all the summer adventures that await us on our little boat!
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Now he's going to fix up this old boat for his dad!

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(I'm assuming that is Andrew's 'tough guy' face.)

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Anyone want to go fishin'?
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SHEEP FALLS 2010

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We're off for another weekend of camping!
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We passed the Tetons and were half-way to Yellowstone...
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...before we turned off the highway, followed a dirt road, and arrived at Sheep Falls. Justin and Beth took us here a few summers back, but we wanted to share it with the brother and sister.
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Here's our camp with the foil dinners already sizzling on the fire. Go team Ashmore...er...and Jolley! Team Ashmore-Jolley with a hyphen!
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Lane set out right away carving marshmallow roasting sticks. Very, very important job.
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Smores, here we come!
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Waiting for dinner to cook.
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What can I say? We're crazy. And in love.
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My new favoritestest picture of Becca.
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After it got dark, the temperature plummeted, and we stayed very close to the fire.
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Hanging by the fire.
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Roasting marshmallows and having a grand 'ol time.
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The next morning, I dragged Andrew out of his tent, bright and early, for a hike down to the falls.
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From our campsite...

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...we hiked down this pretty, little trail...

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....down, down....
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...for about 15 minutes, until...
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...we arrived at the river...

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...and Sheep Falls.

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Me on the cliff above the Falls...

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And Andrew, who was apparently, still a wittle bit tired.

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But the early morning was sure breathtaking!

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Happy wildflowers.
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. And happy Becca, who just moments before, I had watched skip to the edge of the cliff and trip. I just about passed out into the river. Luckily, she caught herself, and I didn't have to watch my sister die in front of me.

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This is what she would have fallen into.

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Being the oldest, I then felt the need to get after her for being a doofus brain and almost killing herself. Of course, she got upset with me for being over-protective and refused to move, after which, I hiked out to my own lookout cliff and pouted. Did I mention that she is a doofus brain?

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Mostly, I just love her a lot, okay?

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My beautiful view on the hike back up for breakfast.

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But as usual, we were friends again soon enough. We discovered a tree that had fallen over the path and while sitting on it, it had the springiness of a trampoline. We were pretty pleased with ourselves.

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After a delicious meal of eggs and sausage and bacon (thanks Becca!), Lane enjoyed some early morning smores, we packed up our camp, and our little troupe headed out to the Island Park Reservoir...

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We had to try out our new boat!

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HAPPINESS AND LIME GREEN CUPS

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Having siblings move to Rexburg has been lots of fun...but it has come with its trials. The most trying has been the dirty dishes. More specifically...the cups.
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It is really quite miraculous the transformation our kitchen sink underwent after two more joined our ranks. Rebecca doesn't live with us technically, but sometimes she might as well.
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For example, in one evening of being all together, our kitchen sink will hold approximately two hundred fifty dirty cups. I didn't even know we owned that many cups! When it was just the two of us, Andrew and I could share a single cup for an entire day. With everyone, we never knew who just used what cup, so we would just get out another one...and another...and another. This sudden onslaught of cups had the potential to drive me insane.
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One day, when I came upon a four pack of cups for a buck at the grocery store, I knew it was fate. I bought them, brought them home, and presented to everyone at Family Home Evening my very own plan of happiness: personalize your cup with permanent marker, use only that cup, wash that cup, and don't dare even touch another dern cup from the cabinet. Brilliant, I tell you.
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Here's what each person ended up with:
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Andrew. Builder by trade. Lover of boats, camouflage, and barbecues. A staunch left-side-of-the-bed sleeper.
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Andrew's cup. Just in case you weren't sure.
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Rachel. Author of this blog. Hater of dirty cups, men opening the fridge for no reason a thousand times a day, and crows. Taker of showers that always last as long as the hot water does.
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Ta-dah.
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Rebecca. Writer, reader, and random singer of Disney songs. Strange mix of peace and insanity.
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.This is hers. Feeling the need to point out the "Princess Awesome" lining the bottom.

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Lane. Lover of Japan, Netflix, and potato soup. Sleep talker extraordinaire...

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...And apparently very cool.
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Anywho. It's been gloriously successful thus far. Goodbye, dishwasher loads entirely made up of cups. I won't miss you a bit.
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