You'll find me laughing.

Here's the thing. I completely forgot that this blog even existed actually. But luckily for me, I found it. A lot has happened over the last two years, a lot of things I wish I had known would happen. For my sixteen year old self's sake (or perhaps for my current one right now), I wanted to write a letter to my past self, telling her all the things she would learn in the years to come. So, without further due... Dear Ash, Hey girlfriend. Me being the pal that I am, I wanna let you in on a few tips and secrets that it took me a couple years to figure out... First off, you can do it. It may not feel like it all the time, but you can do anything you put your mind to. To follow up on that last one, everything you do does NOT have to be perfect. Cut yourself some slack, or you'll do more harm than good. Your heart will get broken... multiple times. But don't keep running back to the person who broke it, look for healing in someone else. It's okay to not be ok...

This is an essay I wrote for my AP english class, and I love it so much, so obviously I posted it...      Five score years ago, and probably even before then, the human race discovered a known fact: life is hard. It does not even come close to being fair or easy. It often fails our expectations, and it presents challenges to us that we did not ask for. Life is something we all experience, and at one point or another, we get rather sick of it, and begin to dream up the idea of how life would be if it were perfect.         Even one hundred years later, life is still not perfect. One hundred years later, and there is still heartbreak and sorrow. One hundred years later, and there is still disability, death, and discrimination. One hundred years later, and there is still no solution to stopping adversity. But instead of dwelling on the hopelessness of it all, I am here today to fantasize of a flawless fate.         As Ma...

Today I had an amazing three hours of church; the kind that just fills your soul with joy and gives you a knowledge of God and His love for all of us. The biggest thing discussed today for me was the new youth theme for 2016: Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ (2 Nephi 31:20). I believe this is the perfectest thing that I could have heard today, especially due to a new semester coming soon, and not to mention a new year (happy new year btw). To press forward means to continue on, to never falter, to not stop and sulk. And to do so with a steadfastness in Christ? Well that's the key to everlasting happiness right there. I pray that we might be able to press forward in all 366 days of this year, that we can put our full trust and faith in the Lord and let Him guide us through whatever 2016 may bring us.  And if you ever have a bad day? Just remember and reflect on these words:  "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still ...

Dear Grace, I literally have less than no idea of how to write this. But it's your birthday and I figure I'll get through it one way or another. Also, in case you didn't catch it (even though I know you did), the title to this post is a play-on-words of that Hannah Montana song. There are a whole lot more things that I don't hate about you, but for todays purposes I'm just sticking with 17. Because, ya know. You're 17. 1. You're hilarious. When I say you're one of the funniest people I've ever met, I mean it. Sarcasm, puns, awkward inappropriate words, random jokes, holding a stranger's hand; the list goes on forever. I can't tell you how many times you've made me cry from laughter. Being with you can literally turn my day around, and that is a quality that is rarely possessed by human beans. ;) 2.  You're smart. Like really smart. And thank heavens you are because if it hadn't been for both of us being in ACAD f...

About three weeks ago I went on my very first cruise. Needless to say, it was one of the best vacations of my life and I feel the need to share it with you... (You can read the whole post, or watch the video , or both. You decide.) This is my dear sweet cousin Madi. We're bff's and I wouldn't have wanted anybody else to vacation with. I would also like to point out that while she is older than me, I am still taller. :) The flight to Houston was definitely one of the most interesting flights I've ever been on (which is saying a lot because I've been on my fair share of flights... #flyDelta). We felt the need to take a picture of the lady that made it so entertaining (she's right behind my mom).  THIS IS THE COOLEST MOST ACCURATE FORTUNE I HAVE EVER RECIEVED.  Courtesy of Pei Wei in the Phoenix airport.  This is downtown Houston, on our way to Galveston. I love this city so much. Check-in line was killer.  We didn't e...