twos

Two Names You Go By:
1. Story time...as a young child I couldn't say 'Monroe' for whatever reason, so when asked my name I'd respond 'Ashley Meemo'. In high school this lead to my friends calling me 'Meemo' which then was shortened to 'Emo' (not my preference, but oh well...Arica was 'baby emo' haha). Once my last name changed to Smith, Arica and Andrew opted to refer to me as 'Shmeemo' or 'Shmee' for short. Also not my preference, but it is endearing and I'll take it.
2. Ashley (my name was going to be Sashelle...dad chose Ashley at the last second...hmm)

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. blue polka dot one-piece swimsuit
2. wedding ring

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. A new cell phone
2. Cops to go away so Jeremy stops getting speeding tickets

Two People Who Will Fill This Out:
1. Erin Hoy (Tag).
2. Erin Nelson (Tag).

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. Rented and watched the stupidest movie ever
2. Went to dinner with mom, Jerm, and Alex

Two Things You Ate Yesterday:
1. Panda Express
2. A donut

Two People You Last Talked To:
1. Alex
2. Jeremy

Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
1. Reveling in the fact that we get to go to church and don't have to teach primary...yay for primary program practice!
2. Watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Your Two Favorite Holidays:
1. New Years
2. Christmas

Favorite Vacations:
1. Disneyland
2. Cruise

Favorite Beverages:
1. Water
2. Pepsi

scrappin and cards

Arica suggested that I put up some pictures of my new hobby, scrapbooking/card making. I started a mission scrapbook for Jeremy this summer, but card making has taken over the last few weeks. Here are some of my favorite cards and scrapbook pages.

Arica told me to...

I checked out my color...Violet Tulip.
February's color is Sheer Lilac (Jeremy's birthday is Fragrant Lilac...curious).

I love turquoise-y shades of blue probably more than any colors, but I also have an appreciation for purples. When I first got my roller skates, the wheels and laces where purple. I recently went to Wal-Mart and bought two shades of purple nail polish as well as a purple shirt from t-shirt mart. Purple gets a bad rap I think, but it's A-ok in my book. As for the three words/personality traits and the explanation about me, they couldn't be more correct...amazing! Click here to check yours out!

Spoons!

Once upon a time some kids sat at my house making me watch these weird short videos on the internet made by this chubby kid about toothpaste and things of that nature. These videos made absolutely noooo sense. So what did the world do? They gave Andy Milonakis his own television show. After flipping through channels one day with a former boyfriend and watching the show for about 30 seconds, he told me that it was the worst thing on television and that I was forbidden from ever watching it again. Now, I agreed that I wouldn't watch it, and for the most part I had no desire to watch it, but I couldn't help but love the skit that my little sisters shared with me a short while later. I apologize in advance for sharing this clip with you, but it holds a special place in my heart and I can't resist. Enjoy...hopefully...

25 years, and Prop 8

Today is a very special day, the 25th wedding anniversary for my parents. In awe we all look on at this huge accomplishment. Way to go mom and dad! Someday Jeremy and I hope to be there too. As we celebrate this today, something else weighs on my mind...what marriage means. More specifically, what marriage means to our state. We must pass prop 8. While only a definition is really what we aim to solidify, it is imperative that it be known as union of a man and a woman. If it does not pass, state curriculum will be altered and our children will be taught that marriage is a legal union between any two people. Teachers will no longer be able to use phrases like "mom and dad" or "parents". Instead a child's parents must be referred to as partners. With this in the mix, I felt that I needed to write the following and share it...


In Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, the author states that “when a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves…I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize,” (pg. 3). This phrase caused me to think differently about rebellion and the government as Thoreau calls out to the public to rebel. He then appeals to our emotions by asking, “Why does [the government] always crucify Christ, and excommunicate Copernicus and Luther, and pronounce Washington and Franklin rebels?” (pg. 6). With this sentence I can only think, “If these great men found throughout the world’s history are named rebels, then I’d be proud to be one as well.” The use of these great figures and icons stirs up feelings of contempt in me for the government as a Christian, a scientist, and a patriot. These emotions make me want to emulate these icons and reevaluate the government which I live under.

“I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it,” (pg. 1). I immediately think about how the government could be better and the problems I have with it. Thoreau teaches us that we are deeply rooted in the destiny of our country, and we need to know what change we want to see so that we are better able to bring it about. Also, Thoreau says that the government “must have the sanction and consent of the governed,” (pg. 15). This phrase causes us to evaluate the power we have as voters, as well as the responsibility politicians have to please those that voted them into power. Thoreau states that the government “does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished,” (pg. 1). While men are placed in positions to uphold the documents established by our forefathers, they are not the ones who do the great things in this country. I make this country what it is, as do millions of other Americans today and as millions of others have done throughout history. If we want to see a difference in our community, state, or the world, we are the ones that must start making a change.

While government is a machine that is necessary for our nation Thoreau suggests that “all machines have their friction…let us not have such a machine any longer,” (pg. 3). Thoreau explains that too much friction came from the machine of the American government because it governed slaves. While this is not a concern that we have today, it does help us see that there may be things about this country today that we do not agree with. The current issue of this nature that we must rise up to fight is that of gay marriage, its definition, and the threat that definition poses to our nation’s and children’s futures. We may not be seen as rebels today for voting for this proposition to change things we do not want to see in the future, but we are finding what needs change, and we are taking action. If the outcome is not what we desire then we have no one to blame but ourselves. If we do not devote our own time and means to this cause, then our children will live in a world that suffers the consequences.

this weekend with the Smiths...

Yesterday I made Cafe Rio-type burritos for the parents' early anniversary celebration. Thanks Julie-friend for the recipies.

The Class Rules in our primary class are starting to work! We had the best behaved class yesterday that we've had since we started (and sadly that includes times when parents or the primary president sat in). But yay! The rules might seem a bit silly, but they were chosen by us and the class and they make a huge difference. Here they are:
• Be Quiet
• Raise Your Hand to Talk
• Don’t Turn Off the Lights
• Stay In Your Seat
• No Sitting or Climbing on Chairs in the Back
• No Bathroom or Drink Breaks During Class
• No Telling Stories Unless Asked

BYU played an awesome game! PAC 10 announcers blamed Washington's loss on a bad call and penalty given for celebration after the last touchdown. I have yet to understand how BYU blocking a point after try was due to Washington having to kick from a further distance. Um, isn't a block a block? I'm pretty sure we would have had the same outcome regardless of that penalty. Way to go Jan Jorgensen!

Cousin Melanie is engaged and I am so excited!! We tried to find pictures of things she wanted for decorations (chinese lanterns, green and black for colors). We came up with this...

Eight

...Things I'm Passionate About
1. Jeremy
2. Family
3. the Gospel
4. Dancing
5. Piano
6. Music
7. Reading
8. Learning

...Words Or Phrases I Say Often
1. Ah Doodie
2. Do da de da do
3. Take out the legs!
4. Ancestors protect meeee.
5. May they protect yoooou.
6. Don't even ask, just bring it!
7. Hey little girl, I can't have cherry, it upsets my stomach.
8. I know, right?

...Things I Want To Do Before I Die
1. have the babies
2. have/decorate a house
3. ride an elephant in India
4. live in a foreign country
5. go on a mission
6. convert someone to the gospel (not on a mission)
7. be able to play all hymns/learn chords
8. watch chelsea play in England

...Things I Pray For
1. to sleep well
2. to be forgiven
3. to have a soft heart
4. to be able to forgive
5. to be able to follow the Spirit
6. to accept the Lord's timing
7. to understand the Lord's timing later if I can
8. for help...w/a job, having kids, health

...Things I Have Learned
1. There's no place like home.
2. Marriage is a marathon.
3. Even when you've walked to the edge in the darkness the Lord will ask you to take one more blind step, and it's worth taking.
4. Don't sweat the small stuff.
5. You can't change someone, but anyone can change if they want to.
6. I'm not given anything I can't handle, and it's all for my good.
7. I treat people as if they were telephones. If I meet somebody who I don’t think likes me, I say to myself, “Ashley, this one’s temporarily out of order.” You know. Don’t break the connection. Just hang up and try again.
8. You ain't cool unless you pee your pants.

I now tag Chrissy, Mom, Melanie, and Nikki!