my new lawnmower!

i love mowing my lawn! i love the smell, the look of a freshly mowed lawn and the time i get to spend outdoors! we were using dad and mom's lawnmower, and i thought it was about time to get our own. i went to lowe's to get some pricing. i called paul so excited and we went shopping that night. of course the time spent at lowe's is another story...(no help around for about half an hour, by the time someone came around, i was the inconvenience, how i dare i ask for help, and of course i tell myself i won't go back there again! well, i can't shop at home depot because believe it or not, their service is way worse. if i tell myself i can't go lowe's either, where can i go?) we got home, took it out of the box, paul helped me put it together and i took it for a spin that night. i couldn't wait. i got up early the next morning and finished mowing. i hope you all

love mowing the lawn too! 

-ash

a sweet little boy!

i was looking through my computer at all the pictures of my nephew conrad. i can't believe he is 8 months already! it seems like yesterday he was born. here are some funny pictures i just love...they make me laugh when i look at them. the top two are when paul is making him smile. the middle show off how he poses for pictures and the bottom is conrad helping me make dinner..i sure do love this boy!

-ash

my favorite dish!

i wasn't really a fan of macaroni grill at all. i'm not a huge pasta fan. our friends aaron and susie took us to dinner there one night last year. i was looking at the menu wondering what to get. i saw halibut with pesto rice. i am a huge halibut fan! i wanted to try it. i don't do well at trying new foods either. those who know me know what a chore it is for me to eat. i am such a pain, i know! well, the waiter brought out my dish. beautiful! fresh tomatoes, basil pesto, halibut and fresh parmesan cheese (with a squeeze of lemon)...i was in heaven. the only problem for me, is i crave it all the time. i must have my pesto rice with halibut. at $17.99ish, it is a little pricey. sure i can justify it, but i can't do that all the time right? so, i thought i can recreate the dish. i bought some pesto, rice and grilled halibut. totally good. but macaroni grill does something with their rice. i finally put in a herb garden with a lot of basil. i now make my own pesto and i am trying to figure out the rice. my justification now is i know i can get the rice just right if only i buy that dish one more time....maybe twice... if you try it, let me know what you think!

-ash

4th of july

paul had the 4th off this year. well, he worked for a few hours. i got the house spic and span, while i waited for comcast to come and install internet. that's right...after 5 years of marriage we broke down and got internet. my time slot for comcast to come was from 8am-noon. i waited and waited. (i felt like kramer on seinfeld when the cable company makes him wait and wait) 1:30 comes and here they are. the funny thing is they acted as though it was a burden for them to come to the house...i was bugged. it's not like paul and i could have left for a bike ride or something. i know the second we go, they show up, then i get in trouble for not being there. i finished getting the house spick and span, watched tennis, paul got home from work. they finished around 3pm! my whole day was gone...boy was a bugged!!! then i have to sign the papers. he told me to initial the boxes. i read the top one and it said something like comcast employee(s) arrived within time slot given to customer. he checked yes...then the next line says something like customer understands additional hours spent will be tacked onto their bill...he was waiting for me to check the darn box. i looked at him and said "my time slot was from 8am to noon". he said "ya, that's right". i said "you didn't get here until 1:30 and you checked the box yes, you didn't get here within that time slot". (i hope i didn't sound rude) he grabbed the paper, crossed out yes and circled no. he left fast thank goodness. then paul and i went up to swim with the rest of the family. we had hotdogs, homemade icecream, talked with family and left to do fireworks. we got home and i was still bugged that i wasn't able to do a whole lot that day, so dad, paul and i went on a bike ride. loved to get out! we got home just as darkness fell and we started the firework festivities! it was so funny to do our little 4 feet screaming ones while our neighbors had gone to wyoming and had a very impressive selection of huge fireworks. then we all thought it would be fun to go down to provo and watch the stadium of fire fireworks. we drove to a field we thought would be the "top spot" and couldn't see a darn thing, then drove further into provo. we went where ben and jerry's used to be, parked the car just in time and grabbed a bit of grass. as the fireworks were going, i noticed a guy walking around the parking lot with a little talkie. i couldn't concentrate...then a tow truck showed up. we all got worried that the car would get towed. i finally got up and asked what they were doing and if our car was okay. as i talked to him he booted 3 cars, and put a nice little note on their windshields. he said that they watch those that come in and park. if they stay within the property, no booting or towing would happen. it was for those who parked in business parking and walked over to see the show. he said they then put a white x next to the car to be towed or booted. i walked to ransom and katie's car. no x! there were x's next to the cars around them. it was beautiful the rhythm these guys had. i saw 4 tow trucks and several, several boots. i walked back to our bit of grass. i could watch the rest of the fireworks in peace. man that would be the pits to come out of the stadium, go to your car and find it isn't there...glad that didn't happen to me... happy fourth!!!

-ash