M.R.S. Degree

Ash is currently obsessed with THIS. He even printed the degree requirements out for me and everything to read when I got home today.

Yes, BYU has a Home and Family Living B.S. degree program. Ash is perplexed as to why it's a Bachelor of Science and not Arts. I think it's funny. And according to his Mormon office mate, this is a very popular major option at BYU among the female crowd. And evidently it's as desirable to the opposite sex as being a cheerleader is at a normal school. All the boys love them.

I also asked his office mate if BYU has cheerleaders and if so, what do they wear? Normal cheerleading outfits was the answer, although evidently they are highly controversial. I was really hoping for some uniqueness here, but alas, I'll have to find my entertainment elsewhere.

-Emily :)

4th of July Utah Style

I thought I'd post a couple of pics a little late of Ash & I celebrating Pioneer Day with a 4th of July-style fireworks show in our backyard.

I decided to don headphones because I hate the loud noises associated with fireworks. Scares me everytime. I know, I suck.

And even though we were shooting off 'illegal' fireworks from our Wyoming trip, Ash was very under control. I was proud of him...he didn't set one tree on fire or blow up any large melons or anything. And then our neighbors screamed at us anyway. Oh, just wait until next year, silly neighbors. It's ON now!

Here's a pic of Ash in action. Lighting fireworks is very serious business and absolutely requires the use of the infamous flashlight you can strap to your head.

-Emily :)

Did you wonder where I was?!?

I'm back! Spent a long weekend in Kansas with the fam...very relaxing and nice to see everyone and get a little lake time in. My new nephew looks EXACTLY like his dad. Can't stress EXACTLY enough. You'll see in the pictures. A rundown of notable events from the trip:

1. I drank too much at the annual Island Party at the lake. I may have mooched some vodka off my friend from high school (thanks Kelli!), shared some Jim Beam with my Dad, and tried to tackle my brother in law. All in good fun, of course. And how else are you supposed to celebrate the first time you've had a babysitter in over 2 months!?!

2. I got to see Erin & Tracee since they were in Hutch, too, for their 10 year high school reunion. After trying in vain to get a seat at a decent restaurant in Hutch during the 'after church' rush, we ended up having lunch at Taco Hut (and yes, it's everything you think it is). The best parts were Erin puking in the bathroom (from being hungover, not from the Mexican food) and the choco taco for dessert. Oh, and it was great to catch up. Erin was a lot more chatty after her purge.

3. Went on a little nature hunt with my niece Ellie. I joked with her that we were going to look for snakes thinking we wouldn't find one, but guess what, we did. I was scared, she wanted to go look at it closer. Ended up it was dead. :) We also found a big green frog and thousands of minuscule baby frogs jumping on the beach.

4. Everyone on our flights to & from Wichita was SO NICE and SO HELPFUL. Helena made friends with everyone on the plane...played peekaboo with people behind us, let the guy sitting beside us hold her...yeah, it was crazy. Someone helped me fold up the stroller multiple times, offered to help me change her diaper, and the list goes on. Hopefully I didn't look so stressed and frazzled that they felt like they HAD to help me...I'm sure they were just being really nice.

5. I saw nearly every member of my family, which was nice. I felt like I had the chance to spend quality time with everyone. See ya at Christmas! So sad...

Some pics from our trip....

-Emily :)

Rotting My Brain

I have to admit I've been watching too much TV lately. I usually don't watch a lot of TV in the summer, but yeah, it seems to be getting out of control with Ash working all of the time. That said, there's some good stuff on this summer...a time when TV usually sucks. :) And surprisingly Ash & I are agreeing on more shows than normal. So, a list of shows I'm diggin' this summer.

1. Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. My sis got me hooked on this one. It's cute. I like Tori Spelling better now than back in the 90210 days.
2. Intervention. There are some messed up people on this show. And you just can't quit watching. Especially during the stupid marathons.
3. Paige's Perfect 10. Reminds me of lazy college Saturdays when Trading Spaces first came out and Erin, Tracee and I would sit around our apartment and watch ALL DAY LONG. They're celebrating Paige's return to the show by counting down her 10 favorite episodes - most of which include cat fights about how someone hates brown.
4. The new season of Project Runway. That show just never gets old.
5. Flipping Out. Another Bravo favorite of mine. Tagline: You think your job is bad...be glad you don't work here. That's what TV's good for, I guess. Making you feel better about your situation by watching people who are worse off. ha!
6. And finally, Netflix can't deliver my Big Love episodes fast enough. I burn through them the minute they get in the front door. As fictional as it may seem, I think a lot of the cultural issues addressed in this episode ring true in Utah. And besides the 'educational' value, it's SO, SO GOOD. I also have a conspiracy theory about who the show is loosely based on. But I'm still investigating. Again, too much time on my hands.

If anyone has a good book to recommend, I'd be willing to listen.

-Emily :)

Dirrrrty

So for over six months I have been telling Ashford we need a new vacuum. Now that Helena is constantly on the floor, trying to eat the floor, throwing food on the floor, etc. and also regularly covered in cat hair, he finally gave in. In typical Ashford fashion, he wanted to get the most expensive vacuum you can find. I know it's probably a great vacuum, but I just can think of so many other things I'd rather spend that much money on. Like maybe going to Jamaica. So, I did some research online and found a suitable, highly recommended one for a much reasonable price.
And from the looks of things, it works very,very well. Maybe too good in fact.









Yes, that is dirt, hair, fuzz, ick and I don't even know what from ONE SMALLISH, BARELY USED ROOM in our house. Ash and Helena were equally disgusted. I had to quit taking pictures because it got way worse from there.












Ash agreed next time he will listen to me sooner about how OUR VACUUM CLEANER ISN'T WORKING WELL! After nearly 5 years of marriage you think he'd realize that I'm usually right about everything.

Pardon me while I go and die.

-Emily :)

Bonus Day

Not working today because it's Pioneer Day here in Utah. I'm not really sure how we're supposed to celebrate, but there may be fireworks involved. I'm also going to try to get some stuff done around the house in the middle of chasing Helena around.

Here's an interesting article about the historical significance of today's holiday from the Salt Lake Tribune. Just so those of you who don't live in Utah can learn something new. Oh, and read the comments below the article...usually interesting things get said down there and cat fights break out regularly. And it seems it always comes back to polygamy.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9978708

-Emily :)

Just tilt your head a bit...

I apologize in advance for this video being 'crooked'...my very rudimentary video skills combined with a bit of laziness hasn't figured out how to rotate it. Might be a camera issue...ugh.

Anyway, below is Helena playing with one of her toys. Ash & I refer to her habit of not letting go of the ball so it can roll down through the toy like it's supposed to as the game of "Just the tip, just for a second, just to see how it feels." She's obviously a genius since she figured out that you can put the ball in, still keep it in your hand to play with, AND enjoy the fun music. We're so proud.

You'll also observe a brief glimpse of her 'ride'em cowboy dance'. Take it from your parents, kid: it's hard to be smart AND a good dancer.