first day of school finds

today was the first day of school.

it was good! i really enjoyed myself.

one of my favorite things about college is the ability to create my own schedule. taking advantage of this freedom, my first class started at 1:00 pm.

i woke up, lounged around, ate a costco muffin, and took care of some paperwork in the apartment's office.

for some reason i was really excited for school this morning! all i could think of in my head was nemo saying "first day of school! first day of school! first day of school!!!"

above is the first day of school outfit i carefully selected a few weeks ago. pinstriped shorts to keep cool, the sweater to give pop of color, and the leftovers from yesterdays curl to say "yeah my outfit is cute, but im not doing my hair for all y'all. im engaged." as far as i'm concerned, they're lucky i wasn't in basketball shorts and a youth conference t-shirt. give it a few more weeks.

and let's be real- the first thing i did on campus was buy chocolate milk from the creamery. you know it's in the list of "top 5 reasons i came back to byu" haha.

i feel like when i come to school i transform into some nerdy/artsy fool. my first class was in the MOA (museum of art) and i arrived a punctual 1.5 hours early. long story.

anyway, i didn't mind. i was secretly kind of excited to walk around the museum.

i love looking at all of the different exhibits, but i try to limit myself to 1 or 2 a visit so that i always have a reason to come back. last year on occasion when i had nothing to do between classes, i found myself in the moa staring at this painting:
all the time. i think it's my favorite favorite. i wrote a paper about this piece and Carl Bloch freshman year... ever since then i've been obsessed. there is so much to it, you can't just glance at it. so much detail in the background and on the faces.

when i was little, john would sit down with me and we'd look at art books. he's the one who introduced me to art, and we share a love for paintings. i knew who vincent van gogh was before i knew what a playstation was.

while walking around the museum, i came across something that i can't stop thinking about!

it's like a giant cube made of books... just solid books. i had to force myself to walk away from it haha.

its kind of mesmerizing.

and it was huge!!! i've never seen anything like it in my life. what made me really happy was that all of the edges were almost perfectly smooth. there were a few sticking out, but the top and the corners looked completely even.

and i saved the best for last. i really hope this video works...

my favorite find of the first day of school:

random freaks dancing in the quad.

enjoy!

SURPRISE!!!

well today has just been straight up CRAZY.

full of surprises.

ready?

you know how i am with lists.

1. wake up- SURPRISE!! moving day! this is real! really happening right now!

2. volvo- SURPRISE!!! tank full of gas!! (thanks dad)

3. say bye to family - SURPRISE!!! i bawled my eyes out. wait... that wasnt a surprise.

4. say bye to scotty- SURPRISE! only took like 10 minutes. i thought i'd be there all day but we couldn't take it any more.

5. waiting 2.5 hours to get to cedar city for cafe rio- SURPRISE!!! miss the exit. crap.

6. had to pee since st george and was waiting until cedar- SURPRISE! missing the exit was a double wammy. i wasn't about to turn around.

7. make it to beaver - SURPRISE!- and made it to a toilet in time! (major surprise)

8. downloaded 2 new cd's for the trip- SURPRISE! they were awesome. more info on that later.

9. get off the university ave exit- SURPRISE! i forgot all the streets/directions to everything! including my new apartment. that was fun.

10. look at thermostat in car- SURPRISE! it's only 95 degrees here! did i bring a sweater?

11. park car & stand up- SURPRISE! i couldn't move because i had to pee so bad! let your imagination finish the story.

12. haul crap to apartment- SURPRISE! no one is there and i dont know the key code. (moment of anxiety)

13. standing on the doorstep not knowing what to do- SURPRISE! alyssa walks up the stairs. perfect timing!

14. unpacking- SURPRISE!!!!!!!! ALL OF MY CLOTHES FIT IN THE CLOSET!

i even provided proof for your unbelieving eyes.

(i wouldnt believe it either)

i know. i know.

i almost got teary eyed. this is one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me. i have that line for hangers, a space above it, a dresser below it, and my four rubbermaid container things under my bed.

15. my four rubbermaid container things under my bed- SURPRISE! all four fit. amazing. miraculous. all i'm gathering from today's events is that i am meant to be here.

16. carrying boxes from car to the apartment- SURPRISE!! out of no where a fleet of 3 boys offered their services to carry the boxes for us. i forgot people are nice here!! (dont worry scotty, you know i was waving that left hand all around in their faces)

17. getting ready to make my bed- SURPRISE! forgot sheets. hmm.

18. i thought i would be tight with space with 5 other roommates... especially in the bathroom -SURPRISE! perfect set up. i have my own towel rack, my own shelf above the toilet, my own drawer under the sink, AND a little mini shelf between the mirrors. holler.

19. take a break from unpacking to check twitter- SURPRISE!!! jimmer is engaged. can't wait for this to be the talk of the whole school next week... not.

20. two weeks ago i planned on crying all the way to provo, getting to the apartment and sobbing on my bed until november - SURPRISE! i am weirdly excited to be here. im fine. im happy. yes, this might change in a few days. but as of right now... this is fun!

i'll keep you posted

100 day journal

alright, listen.

i'm not trying to toot my own horn here or anything...

but basically, i came up with the best idea ever.

and i think all of you single/engaged ladies would be wise to follow in my footsteps

this here is my "100 day wedding countdown" journal.

if you're not so hot with taking obvious hints, the journal is to document the 100 days before my wedding day. it has been my favorite thing lately! i only write wedding-related things in it (what else would i write about, anyway?!) and i think it will be so fun in 10+ years to look back and remember all of the little details and remember what an exciting time this was. i dont want to forget anything!

the dedication page (yes, my journal has a dedication page) reads as follows:

this journal is an attempt to document every last bit of excitement, planning, stress, ideas, drama, color changing, booking, annoying moments, and all other emotions that accompany the difficult task of putting together a wedding, in hopes that one day my dear children will find it entertaining or of use, or perhaps my sweet scotty and i will read it for laughs. or maybe i will come to realize that this book is of more use to ME than others- giving me a space to rant, rave, vent, or spill all of my "I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!" giddiness so the public's ears can have a rest. regardless of where this will go and who it will help, i'm doing it! so join me for the next 100 days until i become a lawfully wedded wife.

awesome.

i have no problem filling the pages because i have a million things on my mind!

and every day, something new comes up that i can write about.

it's a nice stress reliever, and as stated before, it will be enjoyable to read later.

AND since i am channeling all of my wedding excitement into this book, you should feel relieved to know that there will be a significant downswing on the wedding blog posts.

it's a win-win-win all around!

coming of age

i've realized over the past few months that i am getting really old.

older than dirt, i feel like.

i might as well start looking into glasses and walkers.

i mean, im going to be a wife in a mere 96 days.

i still feel like a little 16 year old bopping around vegas and eating fro yo every day!

doing the stupidest crap and taking a million pictures of myself!

see what i mean?

don't get me wrong- i'm totally excited to grow up and be a wife. it's just weird. DIFFERENT. so unreal. i used to look at girls who were getting married and think that that phase in life was so far away for me, and now here it is! 96 days away!

i am SO excited.

yet at the same time, i feel SO unprepared!

will i make a decent wife?

why haven't i stepped foot in the kitchen the past 10 years?

why haven't i made a dish for my family that wasn't spaghetti or chocolate chip cookies?

why didn't anyone tell me how horrifying the gyno's office is!?!?

what in the world am i supposed to cook for my sweet husband every night (starting in 96 days)?

all of these are questions i've asked myself recently.

so i've taken the next three months and dedicated them as "ashley's wife preparation"

it's gone pretty well so far. i wore an apron for the first time, and i made a four star dinner. the whole family liked it, which is saying something considering tanner is part of my family.

(click anywhere inside these parentheses for a video supporting my last statement)

my bread (that i made ALL ON MY OWN) isn't exactly the prettiest shape... but it was delicious.

and it beautifully complimented the entirely-home-made chicken fettucini i whipped up. (ALL ON MY OWN)
it was a pretty big deal.

i also acquired my FIRST DISHES this past week (thank you kim!) and am starting our collection of kitcheny things. so far it consists of a can opener, lasagna dish, pie dish, and two other dishes.

also, i've even been doing some homey crafts and purchased my very own hot glue gun.

i guess you could say things are getting pretty serious!

p.s. did i mention 96 days?