So the last couple of weeks have been super busy. We had mid-terms, I pulled out with mostly B's. I'm okay. It's only half over, so I can pick them up a little bit. So, last weekend Carissa, Annie and I went on a trip down to Utah! Where, as Mother Nature would have it, we drove 35 miles per hour (average) the whole way. It took us over 5 hours. But Bertha is a tank, so we were totally fine. Thanks Daddy for helping me out with my new tires, they really came in handy. It was so funny! Blue skies were in Salt Lake, the storm had passed, but for some odd reason I couldn't use my lights. I could see my brights reflecting off the signs, but it was just off. So we pulled over to the side of the highway to check it out. When we got out there was SIX INCHES of snow plastered to the front of my car! I wish we would have taken a picture. It was crazy! So there we are scrapping it off with our fingernails... What a sight to see. In Utah we stayed with Carissa's dad in Sandy, you will all meet her, I'm bringing her home in April, for she has not been to much of Oregon. But anywho, we stayed with her family which was super fun. She has a little brother Nathaniel who is Down's. He is the sweetest kid ever! We watched Up! On the way home we met up with my homie Jared Bench, which was really fun. We went to a frozen custard place. Do we have those in Oregon?! I'm not sure, but it was delicious! We made it home in a whooping 3 hours! Yay! For blue skies and sunshine. Speaking of that, this last Tuesday it was 38 degrees outside, but felt like 70 after weeks of teens and negatives. Everyone in town was in shorts and t-shirts, driving with the windows down, and doing "outside" things. I thought it was hilarious! Only in Rexburg! Our excitement of the week, my mother might get mad at me for. Oops! But that's what college is for right. FYI Mom, I wouldn't have done this if I didn't go to a church school..... well, maybe. I live at the "Ridge", which is the rich, upper class side of campus. So here all the boys drive BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and super jacked up trucks. So Carissa and I got super bored and put our numbers on all the cars/trucks we liked. I had 7 people call!! It was freaking hilarious, cause we found out one of them belonged to one of our Family Home Evening brothers! He's a cattle rancher! Someone else who is a complete hick! We got a new roommate this week. Her name is Meredith. She is from Seattle. West Coast REPRESENT! She is pretty cool. Laid back and just fits right in. I am super glad for that. This weekend I am going on a blind date. Kinda odd, but apparently that's how things work here. I'm kinda excited. All my roommates are going, so it should be fun! Well, I think that's all I got! Hope everyone is doing well! I am off school from April 9-20th. So I will definitely make it home. I might even go to Canada as well! My friend Matty is from Calgary and Carissa and I might go stay with his family! I'm excited to finally use my passport! Well. Gotta go study..... yeah... right! Haha. Love you all! I forgot to tell you!!! I gave blood yesterday! I was completely exhausted, cause my body is not used to it, but I was so happy that I was able to! Yay!

My mother keeps bugging me.......

I had a really awesome experience this last week. I had an assignment in writing class to do a personal profile. I had the opportunity of interviewing my home teacher Mike Miller. He shared the most amazing story with me, it was really inspiring to write this story for him. He was in the last months of his mission when he taught and baptized a young man in Mongolia. Three weeks after he was baptized this young man, who was a welder, forgot his mask and worked all day without it. He went blind from the light. Mike and his companion went to this mans house and asked him if he knew where the power of the priesthood came from. He said he did. Then Mike asked if he believed that, with enough faith, he would be able to see again. And he did. So Mike and his companion gave this young man a blessing. Mike wasn't expecting a miracle, he knew that if he saw again it would be over time and maybe not to the full capacity. But after a few minutes of sitting in silence this young man gasped and started to sob. He was able to see. I thought this was so cool. To hear about this young man, who had just learned about Jesus Christ, have enough faith in Him to be healed like that. It was moving. Other than that classes are the same old, same old. Well... I'm pretty sure Brother Harmon wants to kick me out of his class. Can you guess why??????? Yup... Too much talking. Which brings me to my next exciting piece of news.. A boy has a crush on your little obnoxious Ashley.. Amazing I know! I haven't found out what's wrong with him yet. It was so sweet... He bought me a bacon-cheeseburger. Now that's love. Carissa, my roommate, and I are decorating our apartment. Our walls are so bare it's horrible. So we decided to get some coloring books and paper and get creative. Grandma Murder would be proud. The use of color and shape is phenomenal.. Haha. Right?! Last night we had Family Home Evening. I gave a lesson on consequences. I got to make this sweet monster that convinced people to do bad things. It was pretty fun. Then we had epic battle of SPOONS!!!! Of course, I WON! I am in the ward choir and am singing this coming Sunday in sacrament... It should be really fun. My choir director Eli is a music major here. He has such an amazing voice and can arrange music like no other! I think I'm going to have him give me voice lessons..... Haha.. I know for most of you that will be funny... But I am NOT joking. My new friend Tessa is also teaching me how to play the piano. I am learning tons of new life skills! Yay for me! Well. I will actually try to be on time from now on with my posts. So hopefully I'll be able to get on this Sunday. Love you all so much!! I'll see you in April!!!

So... As some of you may not know.. I had some huge issues with my roommates when I first got here. They just weren't living the kind of life that I want to live.. So I moved! And this is my new roommate Carissa! We bonded instantly and have been having fun together ever since! I love my new apartment. There are two other girls who are sisters. Kerstin and Brita. They are also pretty awesome. So... Last week I was busy with tests :( I got an 84% on my other one. But A's and B's are good. I am kinda nervous for the one tomorrow.. American Foundations.. All about the constitution and what not. I mean it's interesting and all, but my teacher is monotonous and puts me to sleep almost everyday. Saturday was kinda a sad yet good day. My little boy Max is now resting on the other side of the veil. I was really upset at first because I was kinda in shock. I don't remember life with out him. So some of my girlfriends and I decided to have a little party to celebrate him.... When I found out that our church believes animals go to Heaven!!! I've always wondered but never had read anything doctrinal. But it is true! I will see my little Maxi-pad again! It was such a joyous time. Oh, and by the way we celebrated with wings and lemonade! It was so good! We then went to see the BYU group Vocal Point!!! Oh my goodness were these men AMAZING!!!! I suggest anyone see them perform if given the opportunity! Something I have noticed since I've been here is I have learned to appreciate and try more, new things. For example.. every weekend I am attending some sort of acapella or theater function. I have also found that I really do like avacado! Yummy! My dating life is still super lame... But it's cause I always busy. I really need to make some time to get out and do something before I go cookoo. Well. That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have some more adventures to tell you about this week!

This last week and a half has been crazy! I moved from apartment 204 to 207. I love my new roommates! They are amazing girls! My classes are going great and I had my first experience with a testing center. The most awkward 45 minutes of my life. You go into this giant room filled with desks and classical music. Not an empty seat in the whole place. I got a 90%! So that's good for my first official college test. I also have another tomorrow and one Friday. It's been fun spending half my life studying. This last weekend I went on a trip to Idaho Falls with my friends. I introduced them to Mongolian Grill! it was so delicious! So this last week I dropped a table on my foot. It's pretty black and blue. Hurts a little. But it's all good. It was so dumb though. The table crashed down and not a single person got up to help me. Jerks! Haha. It's cool though. It was pretty funny. As you can see from my picture my friends and I had a little too much fun with some red-vines. I think I look like Mario. You know.... from the Nintendo 64! Haha. I went with my new roommate Carissa to her friends house. Where we had a dance party to Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and N'Sync.... Did I forget to mention that these friends are male??? Hahah! I was so much fun. Well. I haven't been doing much.. so that's why I haven't been writing a ton. But I am liking it here. I Have made a lot of friends and have had many fun experiences. Tonight we're gonna have a movie/game night. Oh! And I am learning Español! My conversations with my friends Dawn, Reyven, and Gaby have to be at least 80% in Spanish! It is so much fun! I am having a blast! I'll try to be better about writing more often!

Love you all!

The show must go on!

So this week has been kinda interesting. I am doing really well in all my classes. I have made tons of friends, and my social life is blooming as we all knew it would. I got my calling in church today. I am a Family History Research Specialist. It should be really fun. It pretty much consists of looking at old records and inputting them into a computer..... Not too strenuous. I also got the assignment of a lifetime this week! I get the opportunity to write my own obituary! It took me three days to figure out how I as going to die..... Which I don't really include much in my paper, but I'll share it with you. In Salt Lake City there is a colony of little people. These particular little people are very hostile toward big people. To make a long story short, they kidnap my friend and I go try to make a peace offering, seeing as I am an almost little person. They take me as a sacrifice and the big and little people live happily ever after. Yeah... I really am that awesome! Haha. Other than school and homework my life has not been too interesting. I went to the temple again this Saturday. I love living across the street from one! It is an amazing opportunity. Tonight we had a bunch of guys from a neighboring apartment over for dinner and games. We played this game called "The Game of Things". Oh my goodness! It was so much fun! Everyone should have it! Great icebreaker. Well.. I don't have much more to say because I have my Grandma Murder's memory and forget it all.... I am prolly going to start writing more than once a week.. just so it's all fresh in my mind and I actually have something to write about. Hope all is well! Love, Ash!

My First Week In Rexburg!

It has been a wonderful first week in Rexburg, Idaho. I got here Monday and spent most of the day unpacking and getting to know my roommates; Melissa, Ashley, Hailey, Michelle and D.D. They are some really amazing girls. I am really going to like living with them. Tuesday I attended "Get Connected." An organized fun night to get to know the school and other students. This turned out to be more entertaining than I thought.... For I spent two and a half hours in the ER. A girl in my group got a concussion from the sumo wrestling! It was crazy! The rest of the week I spent in class! I've never had so much homework in my life. I am doing well in my classes so far and am keeping ahead of schedule so I won't fall behind. Friday night I had the opportunity to do baptisms at the temple. It was such an amazing experience. We plan to go every week. Yesterday we went sledding in Yellowstone National Park. It was pretty fun... though I really am starting to dislike the snow. Then last night, my roommates and I tried to go to the hot springs only to get caught in a snow storm (don't worry Mom, I wasn't driving). We then preceded to get lost on some sketchy back roads! It was an experience. Haha. Overall the week has been great. I wake up to a view of the temple every morning, what a great way to start the day! I have made many friends and I am excited for the adventures we will have together.

Less than a week!

Wow. Six months ago I would have said I couldn't wait to be at this point.. But now I'm actually getting a little of the "I'm a big girl now" gitters. Sam's plane ticket has been purchased, everything but my wardrobe is packed, and Bertha will soon be filled with gas and the 7 boxes that consume my life. My housing is paid for, my financial aid came through, and I seem well on my way. I am so excited yet really nervous. I have almost left home many times now...... and it had fallen apart at the last minute. But I am grateful. For I am not the same woman I was a year ago. It seems I wasn't meant to go to school at that time. There were things I had to accomplish before I'd be ready for this new adventure. For starters..... this last year I was able to earn my Young Woman's Recognition. I had the opportunity to teach with the missionaries and watch a beautiful woman grow in the Gospel. I have faced many adversities to test my faith. And I am glad to say that it has only strengthened my testimony. This last week was my third "birthday" of joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so grateful to be at this point of my life. I am glad that am ready to start on this path that the Lord has made for me. If you had asked me five years ago where i would be when I was turning 20.....well I never would have guessed this... Haha reminds me of something I heard once... "How do you make God laugh???.......Tell Him your plans."