'be fit' check in...

tonight was our first check in for our 'be fit' challenge. we gathered outside and came clean with how our mini goal went. mine was to drink a lot more water than i do. well, since i (okay, all of us except for ransom didn't do ours) didn't do mine as well as i could have, i had the opportunity to do push up's and sit up's. the challenge is, each week i fail at my mini goal, i have to add to the push and sit up's. i made a new one for this week (along with still working on my last one)...which is to go on a bike ride on the circut each day.
we then had an activity...the looser of the game has to do a service for the winner (part of 'be fit' also). if the service doesn't apply, one can be thought of on the spot. we were going to play poison, but couldn't remember how, so we decided on spud. we have been playing that game since we were little. everyone picks a number and the ball is thrown in the air. if your number is called, you run to grab the ball and yell spud. everyone else runs for the hills. if you do by chance catch the ball, without letting it touch the ground, you can re-toss it in the air, calling out another number (hopefully catching someone off guard). everyone freezes and you try to hit one of them with the ball. they can only move one leg when you throw the ball at them. each hit you get a letter until you become a spud and then you are out. mom was the first to get out (after proudly telling us how athletic she is and how she was nationball champion in grade school). she stood there in awe that she was out. it was pretty funny. the last two players were me and dad. I WON! i am so excited to get a car wash from mom...of course i will take pictures, and i am sure a waterfight will break out (mom+ashlee+water=waterfight).
-ash

bike rides

i want to be more active and play outside with the wonderful weather, so dad and i made it a goal to go each day on a bike ride. there is this route that dad and mom have named 'the circut'. not sure if that is the correct name, but that is what they call it. we try to go everyday. it is 30-40 minutes of pure bliss. i get to be outside with the trees and with those i love.

-ash 

dad, abby, kelsie, mom, & my eyeball

bridal veil falls

today was tuesday, which is my favorite day because i get to watch conrad. he, katie and ransom have been out of town for the past week, and so we had some catching up to do. ransom's brother, david, came up with them to hang for a week or two. he came too. david likes to be active, so i thought it would be fun to ride our bikes up to bridal veil falls. what was i thinking? when i go up to the falls, it is just me, pulling me...this time, i carted conrad (who i swear weighs 50 lbs now) all the way up. i hate to say this, but by the time i got down to the trail, i was kicking myself in the butt! i knew i could do it, i just didn't want to die doing it. on some of the hills, i had people running faster than me. it was really embarrassing. when we were almost there, i started to whimper out of anger, frustration, rage and my legs hurt like crazy. plus i am the sort where i don't really like to stop to take a break...(i am stronger than that for pete sake!) 

the way down wasn't as easy as it usually is. the trail on the way down was really wet from the rain. the tire tread kicks the water straight back. when we got home, david and i had mud on the backs of our shirts and poor conrad had a line of dirt all over his face and head. poor thing. it was pretty funny though. 

we then got to harmons and picked out some ice cream. it was so worth it. the rest of the night was me waiting for my legs to stop throbbing. 

-ash

david and me on our way down. i wanted to get a photo of conrad with us, but my camera ran out of batteries before i could get the photo...

our night

kim and i go way back. we are the same age, and we even have the same birthday...though i am not sure who was born first...during high school, we had a culinary class together. we would make plans to open a bed and breakfast and she tried to teach me how to write cursive lowercase z's (not sure why i really struggled with that letter). i will say every time i write one, i think of her and fits of jealousy run through me because i know mine will not turn out like hers. i love kim for a lot of reasons. she is such a real person, what you see is what you get. she tells things like they are, she has great skin, we share the same hair color, we both have a passion for cooking, we love movies, and she makes me laugh a lot. we had planned on doing a girls night, and of course, we are both busy. last night we finally got together and watched a movie, talked for a few hours (which i loved), and ate the most delicious tart. yes kim, it was worth waiting to eat with you! i can't wait to have another girls night...i will text you to plan the next one. thanks kim for a great night. next time we ought to add dinner or something.

-ash

yes...it is this good!

hill afb air show

for those who aren't doing anything the 6th of june, you must head up to hill air force base and watch the air show. it is only held the summer of each odd year. in 2005 paul and i went and loved it. we were able to walk through the huge planes that transport tanks, kids can sit in black hawk helicopters, you can watch planes take off and land, plus more...it was really cool. so we thought we would make it a tradition. so in 2007 we looked up the dates, and they couldn't do it because of budget! we were so bummed. this year they are doing it and we are going. it is from 10-5ish...look at their website for more info. it really is the best. plus it is FREE!!! we aren't sure what to expect this year, but we are so excited to go!!!

-ash

so you think you can dance...

I AM SO EXCITED!!! i love this show and can't wait for it to start tomorrow. i have to watch it online because i am usually not home on thursday nights (bummer)...this really is the coolest show...i wish i thought i could dance!

-ash

moments

each of us have perfect moments that we would like to find ourselves in constantly...i was talking to paul last night about mine...
mine would be in the kitchen, wearing the brown apron mom sewed an oakleaf on, listening to ella fitzgerald, frank sinatra, or louis armstrong, with the smell of bread baking. of course my kitchen would be FULLY stocked and i could bake anything!

that would be a moment i would like to have myself in over and over again.
-ash

talbot time

wesley (wesman) is leaving on his mission to long beach, ca on wednesday (may 13). we got together to have some hamburgers, and play games (shoe & sock game one of my favorites) when did he become old enough to go on a mission. speaking of growing up, when did chad become a father and when did brett move away from home. it is sad and true that we are all growing up. i am so thankful though that we have grown up close. 

i love getting together with them. all but wes have gotten hitched and i love their spouses. i feel like we have been family all along. the talbots will always hold a tender place in my heart. we have gone to koa's, bear lake, tubing down the river, skiing, christmas traditions, and many bbq's and game nights. i will always have a lot of memories of them. i will share just one now...we were at bear lake talking around the fire (brett, chad, amanda, katie, lindsey, wesley, and me). mom poked her head out of the trailer and told us to go to bed. we started picking our chairs up and the boys said we need to put the fire out. they told us to turn around...the smell was horrid. i grew up with sisters and a dad who did not do stuff like that. we laughed so hard...i still laugh today. by the way, thinking about that trip, reminds me of the 'scandal' at bear lake. all the talbot kids and the birrell kids shared a tent...please we were like 8-15 years old...it was by far the best bear lake trip i have ever had. I LOVE THEM!!!

-ash

the birrell & talbot kids1. lisa & wes 2. wes, brett, chad & jake 3. chad, jenilyn & ava
4. mike, lisa & wes 5. jennilyn, marnie & amanda 6. the talbot family

1. playing table shuffleboard 2. conrad 3. conrad & ava
4. my bunless hamburgers :)

1. mike & ava 2. katie & ransom, paul, mike 3. ashlee & paul, chad
4. ashlee, lisa, amanda, marnie 5. jake & amanda, abby, lisa
6. wesley, katie, amanda

mom's day

i love mom. she is a very compassionate, giving, funny, quirky, and just down right nice. we got together for dinner and had a great time. dad, paul and i got her a gift card to blurb so she can print out her blog (of course i want a copy too!). i love being her daughter and i hope that i can one day be a mom like her. she is a cool woman!
-ash

mothers day gift

for every holiday that mom might get a gift, she always tell us for weeks before... "don't buy me anything, i just want cards and for you to get along". this year for mom's day, she asked for us all to come and help get the yard ready for summer. YES!!! for once she asked for something. i was so excited to help her.
i love yard work and to help ease some stress from mom, i am all for it. paul and i got over there, and i started pulling the weeds, and paul started taking out the trees. it was wonderful. the best part is that dad had been outside earlier and he pre-wet the planters so we could get the weeds out earlier. (THANK YOU!)
the day went by pretty fast. we had on some great music, we laughed, danced, sprayed each other with water, laughed more and kept on pulling. it seemed that each time i looked at paul, he was acting like 'iron paul' with the shovel and his muscles. what a sight.
it was beautiful weather. we were all so happy to be together. i know it also helped dad...as he hates yardwork.
-ash

strawberry jam

mom came over last night to say hi (well truthfully, i went over to dad & mom's house to get more jars for the jam...of course i can't just make one batch). she came into my jam production room and said "oh ashlee". i know, i know. but i had the strawberries and i wanted to make jam. plus paul wanted to have more of a variety...not just peach every morning. i made 6 batches (each batch makes 5 jars...you do the math). i must say the jam is glorious... let me point out some of my "must haves while i cook/bake"...

1-a movie (or music)-in this case i am watching 'that touch of mink' with doris day and cary grant

2-something to munch on-white cheddar cheez-it

3-lots of dishes to dirty up really well

4-an accent where i pretend i am the host of a cooking show (that means no one else is with me)

i have way to much fun! i will say that if i could have it my way, i would be able to stay home all day and cook my heart out!

-ash

not my favorite...

today i spent part of my time, going through my yard picking the yellow flowers and the "soon to procreate" seeds that somehow thrive with no water... hopefully by the end of the month i will have solved this problem. paul got me some spray and it seems to be working...i hope so. 

i don't think i have to say much else...I HATE THEM!!!

6 years!

today, paul and i are celebrating our 6th anniversary...what the heck, first of all, when did i become old enough to be married, let alone for 6 years! i have loved being married to paul. he really is the best thing that has ever happened to me. i didn't know i could love someone so much. plus he is pretty easy to love. there is this book i read when we first got married that mom gave me. it is by dr laura schessinger (i know i spelled that wrong). it is called the proper care and feeding of husbands. it helped me understand how a man thinks, and all he wants to be is your knight in shining armor. if you let him love you and do things for you (mind you, not the things we whisper in his ear to do for us, but the things HE comes up with. you also have to truly appreciate what he does), he will thrive. so i tried it and it has made us both REALLY happy. i look forward for the little things he does for me. only paul would think of them!

one of the biggest lessons i have learned being married to paul the great communicator, is to communicate. he can't read my mind, so i tell him what is on my mind (he loves it).

we are celebrating today by doing some yard work and having some taco salad. he took work off on friday and we are going up to salt lake. we will go to the salt lake temple (where we were married) and do a live session and then hang out in the city. we haven't been back to that temple in 6 years! i am really embarrassed about that, but we are really excited. there is a big rumor that the salt lake temple will close for a couple years when the other temple opens in the fall, so we wanted to get up there before it closed for earthquake proofness.

i love that i was smart enough to marry him...

-ash

lotion blobs

mom and i don't need expensive toys to keep us entertained. just give her a lotion bottle. i think i was trying to fall asleep and i felt something hit me. i turned on the light, and mom was laughing so hard. she had been putting lotion on her hand, smacking it towards me. i can't remember how many times she did it, but we were laughing. i do remember when she was done, i turned off the light and put my head on the pillow. i turned my head and my face hit something cold and wet. i turned on the light again and sure enough...a lotion blob!
she found this picture and i had to write about it. it is one of my favorite moments. i love enjoying the simple moments that make life wonderful....thanks mom
-ash

road block

okay, with this whole biggest looser thing...i said i couldn't have a specific kind of ice cream (baskin robbins pralines and cream), guess who brought me a container of that ice cream...PAUL DID!!! he didn't even slap my hand as i grabbed a spoon in record speed...something is not working here...

-ash

biggest looser

dad of course outdid himself with the roast and mashed potatoes, sour cream cabbage and sauted onions...i think it is my favorite meal!
tonight after dinner, lindsey and katie unveiled the kick-off to our family's biggest looser. we painted t-shirts and each made a weekly goal that will help us get to our final goal in september. we are each working on different goals, but it is nice to know we all want to be healthy. hopefully we will be a good support to each other (that means no ben and jerry's, baskin robbins, bread, etc.). we will have mini challenges and a lot of fun throughout the summer. by the way...how is the chocolate chip skillet dessert going to help us in our goals? well as lindsey says, we can still have the things we love, we just have to make sure we are eating healthy and exercising so we can!
my mini goal for this week is drinking more water and paul's is to and pauls is to work out 3 times a week...wish us luck.
MY SHIRT ROCKS!!!
-ash

pajama party?

i have to remember this!

paul and i just got done with doing some work in the yard. it was about 9pm, and paul came into the family room and said, "get on your pajamas!" i had no idea what he was talking about, which apparently was obvious to him because he said "get on your pajamas now!" i asked why and he said, "we are going to a pajama party." instead of getting him a little flustered, i decided to just put some jammies on like a good wife. he took me out to the truck and took me on a short little drive to baskin robins!!! he told me he wanted to try to do  "special" things for me so i always know i am loved! well, i am loved because i was able to get my very favorite pralines and cream! (with a lot of caramel and pecans!). i sure do love him. and yes, we were the only ones there with pajamas on...

-ash