Wordless Wednesday

fb lifted from Nnenna Ezeh

Wordless Wednesday

Peeta Mellark is my new fake boyfriend

Oh hey there bloggy world!

It is I, your favoritest blogger in the world!!!!!

..... or whatever.

Yes, yes, I have been MIA forever and a half!

I have no good excuses other than being lazy, forgetful and lazy.

meh.

Anywho, how was your weekend?

Probably not nearly as lovely as mine unless it was spent watching this:

and sleeping in this:

with this:

Talk about a perfect weekend.

Just me and Peeta Mellark's mesmerizing brown eyes

 making me weak in the knees 

and my lovely bed and snuggle buddy. 

Oh, and maybe a few hundred screaming fan girls.

I may or may not have seen 

The Hunger Games three times in two days. 

I may or may not be thinking about how many times I can fit it in 

this weekend with conference and everything.

Don't judge me.

:0)

This lovely lady has summed up my feelings about the movie far better than I ever could. 

Read it. It will make you cry, but in a good, slightly fan girly way :)

Life is good people.

THE List

Well, its that time of year again. 

No, not the time that I actually write on this here blog 

(sorry bloggy, you know I wuv you!!). 

It's my birthday! Well, not yet, but soon! Like next week soon! 

Yeah! Happy Day!

So to celebrate I have a made a list of all the things I want you wonderful, generous souls to give me :)

You might think I am joking, but I'm not. I'm fo realzzz yo!

Actually it is a birthday/christmas list which my dear family and friends will refer to when 

wanting to buy me loverly gifts of awesomeness. 

Weird? No! Tacky? Maybe.

However I am lazy and instead of compiling two lists 

to send to my family, I'm just doing it on here for them. 

Because I'm lazy.Did I mention that already? 

And I forgot my book today.

The numero uno most important, most wanted, most needed thing ever in the history of my existence:

preferably cuddling one of these:

or one of these, I'm not picky:

If for some unbeknownst reason you cannot gift me with Aidan Turner 

standing on my doorstep holding a baby/puppy, I will forgive you. 

Heaven knows you tried your best. 

Therefore, the following items will, hopefully, mend my poor romance deprived, babyless heart.

*sigh*

2. Harry Potter Wand 

(mama, you got this right? I hope so!)

3. David Beckham Signature for Her

4. Pearl and the Beard (any cd)

5. Ampersand earrings (found here)

6. Baguette Pan (found here)

7. Better Batter Gluten Free Flour Mix (found here)

8. Move Giftcards

*kloveyabye*

the potter mobile

As most of you know I am a hugehugehugehugehugehugehugeHUGE!!!!! Harry Potter fan. A couple years ago I decided to get a personalized license plate to show my love for the boy who lived. Needless to say this was probably the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. Ever.

Soon after getting the license plate my family and I started referring to my car as "The Potter Mobile". Though I loved this nickname but I felt as though it didn't really warrant such a wonderful and magical name. Why? Because it was just an ordinary car with an extraordinarily awesome license plate. 

And so, my journey began as I searched for other awesome Harry Potter stuff that could be put on a car i.e. bumper stickers. It's taken me a little over a year of searching, saving, buying, freaking out about whether I really should be spending my hard earned cash on such novelties and then decided that yes, of course it was absolutely necessary! Although my search has yet to be completed, I think what I've gotten to far is pretty good. 

What do you think?

Not too shabby, eh? I still have some Ravenclaw stickers to put on (once I find them that is) and I really desperately want a cool "Weasley is our King" sticker as well.

Wanna help a girl out? Let me know if you guys find any cool HP bumper stickers for sale :)

tip #1 for the dudes

When it comes to dating, it is always a good idea to ask women questions. I mean, that is the point of dating right? To get to know the other person, to see if they would be a compatible match for you. So how the hell do you think you're going to find that out if  you don't actually ask the girl about herself??? 

Friends of Armadillos Club

Several nights ago I dreamt that I had an armadillo. An armadillo named Dillon. I loved Dillon the armadillo so much that I started a Friends of Armadillos Club where fellow armadillo enthusiast could come together and "dork out" among their peers.

I had set up meetings for the club in a place that resembled that episode of The Simpson Treehouse of Horrors where homer get trapped in a 3rd dimension. The one where he throws a triangle and it punctures the floor and creates a black hole that he gets sucked through just to pop out in the "real" human world. Do you know what episode I'm talking about? It was weird.

Anyway ....

These meetings happened to occur at the same time my alarm clock would go off. Each time my alarm went off I would suddenly appear in the 3rd dimension type room, wait for a few seconds for others to arrive and then leave when they didn't show up. This kept happening over and over again. After a while I got really upset that no one was coming to the meetings. Suddenly, several people appeared with their armadillos in tow. They were not very happy with me because I would always leave just as they were arriving. Once they said this I remembered thinking to myself "Oh yeah, that makes sense". Then we all linked arms and skipped down the yellow brick road into the sunset/rainbow. At least, thats what would have happened had I not woken up.

A decision has been made people

I have finally decided what to name my future kids. Yes, this may be a very silly thing for me to do, but gosh darnit its my blog and I reserve the right to do silly things. So there! Now, if you don't mind my blankie, teddy and I are going down for a nap time before Barney starts because evidently my maturity level is that of a 3 year old.

Boys:
1. Roan Alexander
2. Brandon West (or Garrett for the middle name, not 100% yet)
3. Frederick Nathan

Girls:
1. Eliza Jane
2. Ada Jude

love you, love me

my bucket list

Side note: When I first started thinking about this post I badly wanted to have a picture showing a list of buckets. Get it? A list of buckets cuz this is a bucket list...? I know, freakin' hilarious huh?! Sadly, I could not find any pictures of a list of buckets, only a bucket that had a list in it which, as we all know, is not nearly as funny.

This is my bucket list. I quite like it. I hope you do too. If not that's alright. I just wont be friends with you anymore. Except that I will, because that would be stupid if I stopped being your friend because you didn't like my bucket list. Although, it would be pretty stupid if you didn't like my list. I mean come on, it's a list of totally awesome things that everyone should want to do.

I have issues.

1. Run like Phoebe from the tv show Friends
2. Go on a hiking tour of New Zealand
3. Visit the Black Forest in Germany
4. Visit France, specifically:
1. The Louvre
2. The Champs Elysee
3. Normandy
4. Paris
5. Versailles
6. Marseilles
5. Tour all of Scotland
6. Tour all of Ireland
7. Try haggis
8. Visit Crete and Meteora, Greece
9. Go on an Alaskan cruise
10. Go backpacking in a different country (other than those listed above)
11. Tour the sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica
12. Go cliff diving
13. Run a half marathon
14. Kiss a complete stranger
15. Go skinny dipping
16. Learn the entire dance routine for Thriller 
17. Learn the entire dance routine from Napoleon Dynamite
18. Learn how to knit
19. Grow my very own vegetable garden
20. Learn how to reupholster furniture
21. Bake a pie
22. Attend a masquerade ball
23. Learn the tango
24. Audition for a play
25. Be an extra in more movies
26. Write a letter to each of my family member letting them know how much I love them
27. Try Kobe beef

28. Go rock climbing
29. Build a fort in my living room
30. Volunteer at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving or Christmas
31. Go to the airport and take the first flight that leaves
32. Dance in the rain
33. Play in the mud
34. Skip somewhere instead of walking
35. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (at least once)
36. Attend Mardi Gras
37. Visit every state in the US
38. Create my own super hero outfit
39. Pay for a stranger's groceries
40. Provide Christmas gifts/dinner for a family in need
41. Give $100 to a stranger
42. Spend Independence Day in Boston
43. Spend St. Patrick's Day in Ireland
44. Go snorkeling
45. Get a degree in French
46. Volunteer at a Children's hospital
47. See a Broadway musical
48. Be in a flash mob
49. Learn to snow board
50. Learn to ski
51. Go sailing
52. Visit Stonehenge
53. Learn Gaelic
54. Travel via train
55. Ride a horse bare back
56. Make a quilt

57. Swim in an ocean
58. Have family pictures taken
59. Go on a family vacation
60. Take Archery lessons

love you, love me

serious post about cheese

I would like to talk to you today about something very dear to my heart: my favorite cheeses.

What? Are you laughing? HOW DARE YOU!!!!! Cheese is no laughing matter, sir and/or madame! Cheese is one of the few things that brings happiness to life. Cheese makes everything better. I'll have you know that not liking cheese is akin to hating puppies, rainbows, sunshine and America!

ahem... So without further ado, I give you my top 5 cheeses (in ascending order)

5. Brie

I first came into contact with brie a few years ago at a darling Scottish restaurant located on 1300 East. The brie was served warm and slightly fried, as is Scottish tradition, with slices of green apples and a raspberry puree. To say this dish was amazing would be an under statement. My roommates and I devoured the thing and almost bought another. Although the Scottish restaurant is no longer open :( this cheese has now made it to my favorites list because of their dish.

4. Cheddar

Cheddar - oh how I love thee! I don't remember a time when cheddar wasn't a part of my life. Whether it be medium or sharp, yellow or white I love it. Probably one of my favorite dishes containing cheddar would be my grandpa's tuna fish spread. This stuff is made of legends and we guard it most diligently (not really). My grandpa says he came up with the recipe by "taking all the things no one else liked so I wouldn't have to share it". It  contains the usual suspects like tuna fish and mayo relish but the key ingredients are a sharp white cheddar (must be Cracker Barrell) and a butt load of jalapenos. You would think that with the amount of jalapenos we use that you couldn't taste much of anything else. But you'd be wrong. The white cheddar is a perfect complement to the the jalapenos. It tempers the heat a bit all while adding a tang and creaminess that is just as powerful.

3. Havarti

Not much to say other than I love it! It is uber creamy and has a beautiful light taste that is not over powering but can still hold its own.

2. Muenster

This is probably my favorite sandwich cheese. I'm not a fan of mustard but I like to have a little kick when eating my ham sammiches. In comes the muenster. Just as creamy as Havarti but it has a nice powerful pungent taste that I just love!

1. Chevres (Goat Cheese)

My all time favorite kind of cheese ever. EVER! It is creamy and rich and earthy and delectable! My eyes were opened and my world changed for ever when my mom took me to a spectacular restaurant called Baci's. This restaurant, which has been closed for many years now much to my chagrin, had amazing food. The best I have ever had. On this particular afternoon, my mom and I felt a little adventurous and decided to get an appetizer of rosemary pita bread served with goat cheese and of dash balsamic vinegar. I was a little hesitant at first, but after my initial bite I was hooked. It had the most glorious flavor I had ever tasted. It was earthy, gamey but not disturbingly so. And its creaminess was almost sinful. I ate almost the entire plate, becoming more and more in love with each bite. And that love has only grown. Now, if I ever see anything on a menu that contains goat cheese I order it. Hands down. No questions asked. Because cheese, especially goat cheese, makes everything better.

ummmmm......

So I haven't been around much lately. Or at all, really. It's certainly not because I don't have anything to write about. Because I do. Life has been pretty interesting as of late.

No, the biggest issue regarding the lack of posts comes down to confidence. For a while I was reading several blogs that were extremely witty, funny, intelligent, etc. and it made me feel a little ashamed of my own blog. I started feeling like my blog (and therefore me (or is it I?)) wasn't even remotely funny enough, witty enough or smart enough to write  a blog that anyone would want to read. :(

Sadly, this has been a theme in my life for quite some time. Always comparing myself to others and always coming to the conclusion that I, Ashley Garrett, fall horribly, disturbingly short.

Luckily for you, but especially for me, I am now working through these ridiculous and irrational thoughts and have come to realize this: I enjoy writing. I enjoy blogging. Just because someone else has a funny/witty/intelligent blog out there does not mean that my blog is worthless. Or less than theirs. It's just different. And that is just fine. It's better than fine actually!

So, I guess what I am saying is that I am back people :)


p.s.

After writing this I did a spell check and nothing needed to be fixed. I repeat NOTHING NEEDED TO BE FIXED!! That, my friends, is a freaking miracle!

some of my favey fave videos

Wonderwall by Oasis



covered by the lovely danielasings



Kid History part 2





livelavalive - gotta love these guys!





The amazing wheezy waiter. Very possibly my favorite youtuber of all time!!!





FLight of the Conchords - need I say more? Didn't think so :)





The Sound of Music Horror Trailer!!!




Marcel the Shell with shoes on





Wheezy Waiter with one of my new fave youtubers Duncan Rocks! Watch until the end, it's definitely worth it!!




Hey it's FRED!!!!!!!




Callie Moore a local Utah artist from Provo/Orem area. I'm sure many of you have heard me singing this song. I love it!! Definitely check her out (Zen Garden is my fave song of hers but I couldn't embed it :( )

2011 is gonna rock your (my) socks off!

Oh hello.

Hows it goin? Good? Good.

Yeah things are going pretty well here. No compalints. Ok that was a lie. I have complaints. More like annoyances really. But lets not talk about that. Lets talk about something different. Something that nobody else in the world is talking about right now, nope not one single person. Lets talk about....

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!!!!!

yay, aren't you so freaking excited?? I know I am!  :D

So I am not going to talk about last year's resolutions because they were a bust. However, I will tell you some pretty kick ass news about something else I posted, specifically about turning 25. In my post I was talking about how I wanted to make my 25th year the best year of my life thus far. I know its only been a couple of months but I can honestly say mission accomplished!!! Booo-freaking-yaaaaahhhh!

I don't know what it was exactly but something inside me just clicked and I realized that I need to stop sitting on my butt compalining about how I never do anything and never see anyone and just get out there and do. Be proactive. I've made  apoint of spending time with my friends and actually like contatcing them. I've made it  a point tio accept invites to parties and to be socialable. I'm even talking on the phone again. For long periods of time. Do you have any idea how huge that is for me?????? I used to HATE talking on the phone. My longest phone calls were to my mom an dthey'd usually last about 5 minutes. But now, I can just talk, and talk and talk. And I like it. It's been so much fun catching up with friends and it's made me realize that I'm not boring. I have things to say, thoughts to share, stories to tell, etc. It's been great!

One of the best things that has come from this is that I a lot more confidence. I don't fee l like some weird loner girl who has no one. I feel like awesome and loved, not just by other people but by myself as well.

It's seriously been fantastic and I cant wait for the awesomeness to continue!

Ok so now for this year's goals:

 1.  Live a healthier lifestyle - this is one from 2010's goals which is still something I need to work on in a big way. As I've always said, I don't want to be stick thin. I don't care about the number on the scale, it is what it is. I care more about how I feel and right now I don't feel healthy. I want to get back to the way I felt in High School. I was still definitely over weight then but I was eating well and exercising regularly. I could drop to the floor and give you 50 sit ups with no problem. And whats more is that I actually enjoyed it! I loved learning new techniques and feeling the burn that comes when you use your muscles.

This year I want to get back to that. It's going to be hard especially with the schedule I have come March but I can and will do it.

2. Be more involved in church - this is also from 2010's list. I have a difficulttime explaining why this one is such a big issue for me. All my reasons sound and probably are petty and ridiculous but they're big enough to stop me from fully committing myself to the gospel. I love it. I do. And I know that my life has always been better when I make it a priority but I am still struggling. I just need to man up and grow a pair. (was that a little too sacrilegious?)

3. Be a more positive/nicer person - part of this is from 2010 again. I'm starting to think I should have put more work into those sheesh! Generally I don't think of myself as bad or mean or negative person but I do find that I tend to swing that way pretty easily, especially when I'm driving. This year I want to be better about taking a breather when I start to feel/get this way and reflect on why its happening and how I can turn it into something more positive.

4. Date more - maybe this should be at the top of my list? I don't if many of you know this but I had a very, very long dry spell in the dating department. Three years to be exact. Well maybe four, but I think it was three. Anyway, it was a long time.

In teh beginning I took a haitus because I was just having one bad date right after the other. It was like all the guys had joined forces to ensure that each date got worse. The final straw was when this guy brought his friend with him and talked to him the entire night, completely ignoring me. Right around the time I was about to start dating again was when things in my personal life got messy and I ended up with some pretty big issues that needed work asap. It took me a long, long time to work through these issues because I was scared. So very scared of living again and opening myself up to people again. Issues that are just now finally being resolved.

I do want to get married some day and start a family. But that day will never come if i don't date more often. I'm now getting back into the dating scene but need to make more of an effort in 2011.

5. Get a handle on my finances - bloody hell I hate money and my relationship with it. I really need to reevaluate my budget and plan something that is more livable than what I have right now. It may mean extending the time it will take to pay off my debt but that is okay if it means I can stay within my means more easliy.

umm ok love ya bye  

Letters #1

Dear Self,

Do you remember Thanksgiving and how glorious it was? Do you remember being able to eat and not feeling like you were going to die of pain afterward? Wasn't it wonderful?

Do you remember the pizza incident? Yeah, it was bad. Really bad. The pain was so bad that you were practically bed ridden  the entire night.

So why? Why do you keep doing it? Why do you keep eating things with gluten when you know what it will do to you? Do you want to feel like holes are being burned through your stomach repeatedly? Because that's exactly what will happen if you continue.

So please remember Thanksgiving dinner. Remember that it is possible and easy to eat gluten free with a little planning.

love,
me and your tummy

Dear makers of this sweater,

If only I could make you understand how much I love and long for this sweater. Sadly, it cannot be mine since you do not make it in a plus size. Why is this? It is a very flattering style for bigger girls and I wouldn't think it'd be that much work to make it a size or two larger.

I mean come on, if you think skinny jeans flatter us (which they don't - trust me!) why not this sweater??

love,
me




















Dear cute boy,

You are cute but also frustrating.
I want to talk to you, I do, but not if I'm the only one carrying the conversation.
Next time, hows about you ask me some questions, deal?

love,
me
















Dear handsome/sexy/rakish man,

I like you.
Do you like me?
I honestly don't know sometimes.
Some days its yes. Some days no.
Right when I start to get you out of my head you do something to catch my attention again.
I'm so confused.

love,
me


















Dear California Screamin',

I thought you were going to kill me. But you didn't. Instead you let me over come my fears of roller coasters and allowed me to have an awesome time.

Thank you. Love you long time.

love,
me

Dear Patrick,

I am muchos excited to start training classes with you tomorrow. I know you will love them and you will catch on quickly because you are a super smart puppy.

You are adorable, especially when you make that groaning sound when I rub your ears. And when you tilt your head to the side when you're trying to figure something out.

Silly little boy.

Love,
me











Dear video,



I find you ridiculously hilarious.

love,
me





Dear Riley,

I adore you. You are such a good, sweet tempered little lady and I am so blessed to be your person.

Thank you for keeping me company when I'm sick. Thank you for the cuddles and sweet kisses. Thank you for being such a good pup pup.

But please stop sitting next to my bed at 4 AM staring at me. Its creepy.

Love you!

love,
me







Dear sign,

I really wish you said "Tasty Wieners".

love,
me

It's my Birthday!!!

Today is my birthday. I am officially 25. I am a quarter of a century.

As many of you know I have been Freaking out (with a capitol F!) about turning 25.

Not necessarily because I think it’s old because it’s not.

I think it’s more the fact that I don’t feel like I am 25.

I feel so much younger, like I did right after high school and that just seems incongruous with being 25.

I also think it has to do with the fact that I haven’t accomplished very many of the goals I set out to achieve by this age. I admit that I feel like a failure sometimes because of this and I think that may be the biggest issue I’ve had with this birthday.

However, everything has changed the last couple of days.

I had my birthday party on Friday where I had originally planned on going to dinner at a restaurant with my friends. Seeing as how I am in my mid-twenties I thought it would be the correct adult thing to do.

But then, I decided that I didn’t really want to do that.

I wanted to do something fun, something I loved when I was younger.

I wanted a sleep over!

And that is what I did. It was awesome and so much fun!

I got to spend time with people I love and adore and I got to be me.

Then the following day I was talking to my neighbor who mentioned something that really struck a chord with me. She said that when she was 25 it was her best year ever.

Simple right?

But oh so eye opening.

It made me realize that I can make this year be “the best year ever” just by being me.

And accepting me. I don’t have to conform to what I think a 25 year old should do or not do.

There is no wrong or right other than doing what makes me feel good and happy.

So this year, my 25th, will be awesome

because I will make it so!

Terrilyn Folkman Grundvig

On September 10th my sister in law TerriLyn passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer about 4 years ago and went into remission after about a year. In September of 2009 we learned that the cancer had come back and had spread to her bones and liver and that it was incurable. She went through many difficult treatments in order to keep it from progressing as quickly, always with the knowledge that the treatments would eventually stop working. In August she came back from a wonderful visit to Seattle where she grew up only to find out that the treatments weren't working anymore and the cancer's growth had accelerated to the point where there was no healthy liver tissue left. Being the fighter she is they opted for one more treatment, one more miracle. Sadly the treatment was too much for her body to handle and she was hospitalized with an infection. She stayed in the hospital for close to three weeks, being visited almost constantly by large groups of people whose lives she had touched just by being her.

 On Friday September 10, 2010 I received I received a call from my brother telling me to get to the hospital ASAP. I raced there to find that her kidneys were failing and that her time here on earth was coming to an end quickly. The day was long, full of waiting and tears. What I remember the most was the amount of love felt in the room by all those who surrounded her. By the love that was given in the prayers said by her father and my brother. I thought about how we, being imperfect beings, can show that much love and kindness to one person how must it feel to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father and Saviour? Even now my heart breaks at the thought of what all of radiating love must feel lie. And at that moment I was able to let TL go because I knew for all the love we possessed for her she was going to be enveloped in that a thousand times more at least.

After almost an entire day TL's vital signs were starting to stabilize and I decided to go home and do some much needed laundry before I came back later that night. Not too long after I got home (9:55 PM exactly) my niece Haley called me saying I needed to come now as fast as I could. I threw on whatever I could find and flew like the wind. I was almost there when Haley called again to say she was gone. I assured her I'd be there as soon as I could. My thoughts during that time were jumbled but the two I remember the most were 1. I am so glad I was able to say my goodbye's to her earlier and 2. I need to hurry and be there for my family. When I arrived and walked out of the elevator door I immediately found Haley and then Gabrielle and Ryan. We all embraced for a long time and I just kept trying to let them know how much their mother loved them and how she will always be with them. I then went to find my brother who assured me that she went peacefully. I was so relieved and comforted by the fact that she was finally at peace and no longer in pain. Most of all, that she was with her Father in Heaven.

Through this entire ordeal I came to the realization of how truly exceptional TL was. She has hundreds if not thousands of people who love her, adore her because of her loving and accepting nature and zest for all that life had to offer. She touched so many lives and those people have in turn touched me. Thank you to everyone who was there for her whether in person or in spirit. To everyone who helped and loved TL and her family every capacity.

TerriLyn, thanks to you most of all for being you - a beacon of brightness to all those who met you.

Love you,

Ash