Home Sweet Home at Last

Here is our bedroom.  We painted the dresser over the summer and found some black knobs for a total of $3 at the local Habitat for Humanity 'ReStore'

The set of stools I'm using as nightstands were $6 a piece at Goodwill,  and I'm in the process of painting them (as you can see here) to match the tan rustic look of the dresser.   

Tan couch: free from a storage unit in Colorado (thanks Dad!), and of course my thrifty place matts and $3 curtain rod from DI

We're using the extra bedroom as a study for the time being

I used masking tape to mark off this bulletin board while I painted chevron stripes on it.  I think it makes for a cute addition.   

Some of my inspirations on the wall opposite the desk

I don't need Instagram to make my photos appear aged and fuzzy.  My old school five mega pixel camera should do the job :D

It's been about a week since we've finally settled into our luxurious two bedroom, one bath apartment in Laramie and we're loving all the open space we have here!  My friends probably hate me as much as Taylor Swift's friends do her; always nervous that I'm going to post something personal about them on my blog.  But I am excited about our new ward and all of the cool families we have met here.

Mike started Med school last Monday, and has recently taken up the hobby of stalking our deck-mates: the pigeons.  He's quite hilarious waiting by the door, broom in hand for them to sneak into his masterfully crafted "pigeon trap" which entails a small opening through the bottom of our cardboard fortress, allowing the pigeons onto the deck area where they can comfortably poop all day long.  While watching them the other day, I recorded his following remarks: 

Mike: "the beauty of it is that it's only open on one side, so they can't escape.  So I can beat them to a bloody pulp if I wanted."

        -continues to monitor their movements with keen interest

"Seriously.  Dang pigeons.  I'm going to obsess about this."  ....

"It's like a rat trap...It's like a 'rats with wings' trap."

       -sees one on the deck and *shhhh's* me for coughing too loud

"Here pigy-widgies.  What do pigeons eat?" ....

“Seriously, if they don’t go away, I’m going to have you buy mouse traps to put out there by the entrance to their hole.”

Mike finally cornered one and started swatting at it with the broom until, and this does not reflect negatively on his manhood, he let it go free with the send-off "Go tell your friends!"

Over the past few weeks we've developed a system that serves us well.  I cook an "omelette du fromage" (Mike's French is compliments of an episode of "Dexter's Lab") for breakfast and sammi with Triscuit and Banana for lunch.  He goes off and learns stuff while I take care of homely things, then he returns to draw medical things on my anatomy and care for my ailments.  We've enjoyed spending time with each other, the new Batman movie (!!!!!), decorating the apt, cooking together, battling each other, visiting with the fam, and meeting the other people in the program and our neighbors.  

Since last Tuesday, I've had the worst cough, phlegm (I hate that word worse than 'sphincter' and 'secretions' combined), and fevers combined with some heavy fatigue.  After some detailed research on my part, and what Mike describes as “Ashley’s favorite new past-time for herself: creating illnesses for herself on ‘web MD,” I learned that I most likely had a virus that caused a little case of Bronchitis.  (But seriously, I did love typing in different symptoms and seeing what the outcome was, especially when a red box popped up, warning: "If you have all these symptoms, please go to an Urgent Care facility at once!"  Me: “ooh!  They have ‘fits of rage’! Sorry, just let me hulk out.  And urinary incontenance…let’s add that to my list of symptoms…”).  A long overdue trip to the doctors today, some Halls, Mucinex, chicken noodle soup, an inhaler, and other medicine I can't pronounce later and I think I may live.  

Photos that Never Made it, and Thoughts on Life

I have some ADD thoughts and photos that I need to express.  

Last night I played Coldplay's "Yes" over and over in my head as I drove Mike up to work.  I love the beautiful dissonance and the whole tone of the song.  The weird thing was that unprompted by me, Mike started humming the melody when he got home.  Weird!  We are totally bumming brain waves off of each other. 

There were two mud-daubers frolicking in the parking garage for a while, and one awesome dragonfly performing loopdy-loops out in the courtyard, reminding me to just be happy and enjoy the warm summer weather.  

I had the coolest experience volunteering for Dr. Culatta's Early Literacy Program the other day.  We had all prepared lessons with phoneme blends for K---, but after teaching him for a minute or two, it became apparent that it was way above his level.  So I quickly switched gears and threw together games for recognizing the /k/ sound (the beginning sound of his first name); "Hot" and "Cold" with /k/ sound words, Pin the /k/ words on the cat; practice tracing /k/ & c.  Afterwards, teaching E--, J---, and H-- went really well.  We did some active running games (like rag tag) as well as singing and stories.  The best part was when they ran up to their parents afterwards to show them the "flag bags" they'd made and tell them about the fun they had.  I felt like I'm really making a difference, and it was really cool to get experience teaching the same things that I will be doing as a paraprofessional next year (fingers crossed).

It's so strange to think that our college experience is drawing to a close.  The other day, I finished my application to Albany County School District--my first REAL JOB--and got to take a look over my transcripts again at some of the classes I've loved.  They include:

Flexibility:  A 20 minute nap and getting to wear my stretchy-pants each day = awesome

Social/Cultural Anthropology: With Dr. Crandall talking about the menses of Himba women in his "Perfect English accent" (don't ask, don't tell)

Conversational ASL: (no words necessary)

Beginning Jazz, Contemporary, and Latin Dance

Descriptive Astronomy: Reclinable chairs, mythology, and learning the secrets of the Universe

Elementary Skills & Activities: getting to be a kid in P.E. all over again

Clinical Phonetics:  IPA is another great language to learn

Human Anatomy & Speech Anatomy: Nothing was more valuable to my learning experience than the tactile sensation of handling cadavers. 

Principles of Statistics 

Language Structure & Impairment: Taught by the brilliant scientist Dr. Fujiki

University Orchestra

Hearing Tests and Measures: Almost made me wish I was going into Audiology

Parenting & Child Guidance: Awesome tips & theories that I will use

History of Creativity

Figure Drawing & 2-Dimensional Design

Mind/Body Health:  A Holistic approach to health.  LOVED this.

Missionary Prep:  Who doesn't love Bott?

This reminds me of some photos that never made it to the blog; ones that kind of describe what we like to do, more or less, when we're not competing for who can watch the most episodes of "Prison Break" or buying leather-bound books.  

We like to:

Celebrate Birthdays together

Inject my knee with "pain," "swelling," and saline for $120! (participate in BYU's knee pain study)

Volunteering to chalk the walk for cyclists at the Special Olympics in Utah

Go to awesome bridal showers for old apartment-mates (from left to right: Diedre, Lauren, and Sarah)

See some of our greatest friends, the Blumel-Sloats get hitched!!! (sorry for the corny smiles)

Attend my beautiful roomie Amberly's wedding reception

See some more of my old roommates,  Danica & Melanie at beautiful Kelsey (the Bicmore)'s  wedding reception
Before I met Kelsey, I had heard Mike and his roommates refer to her as "the Bicmore" because she was like the hot item in our singles ward. 

Get lost at Cornbelly's Maze with the Merkley's

Visit the Salt Lake City Temple & sealing room where we were married

go camping in wyoming with the fam

Snag great finds that used to belong to other people (Lost and Find or "Finders Keepers" sale at BYU)

Make and eat food with the RS sisters of my ward

Part-ay like it's 1984 with my work friends from the Skyroom restaurant 

Work as a Server at the Skyroom with my cousins & other lovely people (Amanda, Mariah, Me, Maria, Leslie, Jessica, Israel, and John in front)

Play Dance Dance with the Heath's & Co.

Celebrate the summer with my family at my Grandparent's place

(I love my dad & sister Bri)

Mike made awesome George Cloony T-shirts from the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou.  (On the back, they say, "I'm a Dapper Dan Man!")

Hoost "Spook Fest" at our apt.  *Yes, those are brain cakes, graveyard dip, tombstone pudding cups, monster chocolate Oreos, caramel corn, and eyeball eggs

These are the awesome Cosbys.  They just happened to match

Jani made these costumes herself! (Prince William & Kate Middleton)

And of course, we love the Killens as Alfalfa and Darla from The Little Rascals

It's hard to tell, but we dressed up as Forest Gump and hippie Jenny

Watch concerts at the SCERA outdoor theatre and Monday-night movies in the park

Craft! I spray painted this small dress frame from Hobby Lobby ($2)

Decoupaged light fixture (easy: Modge Podge + Scrapbook Paper) 

Decorated presents this year with brown paper bag wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, & salt dough ornaments.

Bought this $5 picture frame & a $1 table runner & made a DIY earring holder (it turned out cute!) 

Made my version of a coffee filter wreath (wreath frame: DI for $1)

Looking back on these experiences is bittersweet.  We've developed so many great friendships here and we will deeply miss Provo and the people here when we leave, but we are excited to get out to Laramie and begin a new chapter of our lives.  One this is for sure, College was everything I expected and more!