the greatest man on earth

This morning, my sister and I stumbled upon a video that was shared on Facebook. The story of this man is unforgettable. He is truly an inspiration and makes me want to be a better person. It makes me feel so useless knowing that I sit at home complaining about a slightly chilly house, not enough clothes, having to get up in the mornings for school, boring food in the fridge, a stomach ache and all the other pointless things I go on about. What this video made me realize is, I am so blessed. My sister, Chelsea, stood up after watching the video. Which then resulted in her staring blankly at the wall, frozen. The next second she placed her face in her hands, and fell into my lap crying. We both bawled after being so touched by such a man and his remarkable actions.
I wanted to share this video with you all, hoping you could feel the same warmth in your heart that brought my sister and I to tears. I hope and pray that one day I can be as Christ-like as this man is each and everyday. God bless him.

such a great lass

Alright folks, bear with me here. As I begin to tell you this wonderful story of mine, you must understand my absolute love and obsession I have for IRELAND. I will explain it all to you one day (whenever that may be) but as for now, get this...
So during my senior year one of my best friends, Sydney Brereton, told me about a Europe trip that would happen the summer of 2013. It was a trip through her school that would travel to 4 destinations: Whales, London, Paris and... Ireland!! She explained to me that we could both go, and our envisions of beautiful Europe soon entered our minds. I discussed the plans with my parents and they seemed fine with it but they would always act a little strange every time i'd bring it up. Till one day, I figured out why my parents were so uneasy by my persistence. My sweet mom and dad were already planning a trip for our family to Ireland that same summer! Ummm... I CRIED my eyes out when they told me. Tears of joy. My dreams of going to Ireland would finally happen!!!!
Long story short, I told Sydney the unfortunate news of not being able to go with her. She went. And my family vacation to Ireland got pushed back to next summer due to scheduling reasons.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. I'm so beyond grateful I am still able to go at all, don't get me wrong! But reading the detailed emails syd would write me in Ireland while I sat at home was a bit of a bummer. Until one morning I woke up to a text message from my dear syd. She had sent me a link to something. "What's this?" I wondered. I clicked on it with curiosity and as the website started uploading the title of a video came into view. Right then and there I felt as if my heart had stopped. The title of the video was called, ashlyn/ireland. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I witnessed the most thoughtful gift a person could give. And this is what I saw...

click HERE

Today I had a lovely sabbath day filled with friends and family. To start it off, I went to my sister and hubby's ward where they teach nursery. And boy do I love nursery. So I gladly went to help them out. Then my sister Chelsea and I went to my hippie aunt's house so that we could all visit my uncle in rehab. I honestly love my family so much. They're just so much fun to be with, they make me laugh so hard (I almost peed in my aunts car today). Then chelsea and I drove to her in-law's place to have din din with the fam dam. They have the sweetest and happiest family. Their house is like an ongoing party. Afterwards I drove to meet up with my 2 best friends. Hunter Kofford, and Elizabeth Yeager. Whom I like to refer: hunty koffart and rizabeff. I tell ya, they are the funnest people to be around. We have all been best friends since the 9th grade. Don't get us talking about our freshman year though or we'll NEVER stop. It's loaded with psycho-crazy-hysterical memories. Anyway, we slipped on some nice work out gear and headed up the mountain to go on an adventure hike. Not only did we burn some serious calories but we made some knee slapping vines hahaha. People... I love vine. We then cruised through the evening air and took two cemetery trips. We had a sweet visit with Sydney Bruning and Coop-di-loop (hunter's little brother). People often are fearful of cemeteries because they are looked at as spooky and eerie. But I have always loved them. I could go up there every day. In my eyes, cemeteries have always been beautiful. They are so peaceful and still. So I am always up for a cemetery trip, as weird as they may sound to you. After we all cuddled on a blanket and talked to some nearby bunnies, we headed on back to Hunter's house. There, we made cowboy cookies (never heard of them until tonight) and are currently going to start The Notebook. Every girl's night could use a good chick flick right? So far, Utah has been very welcoming. It's good to be home.

Meanwhile, enjoy some of our pictures and vines to document tonight:

the start of a new beginning

A week ago I took a 12 hour drive back to my home in orem utah with the intent of finding a place and staying. I packed every nook and cranny of my silver honda civic (which by the way, his name is sir lancelot), said my goodbye's to my beautiful mother and two darling little sissy's, and went on my way. My dad made the trip along with me to help make sure I got settled in nicely and had a place to stay for the first little bit. Let me tell you, it is quite different being in a house full of new faces and having a space all to myself.
It has now been a week, I have settled in as much as I can- still a few boxes to unpack, I started school, and am living the summer life of a newly found adult. I miss my family more and more each day, but luckily, my older sister and her charming husband live just a city away in their old quaint house (nice to have a home-away-from-home).
I am excited- and scared to start this new journey ahead of me; and that is why I started this new blog. To document this exciting and scary journey. Wish me luck, folks!