the things i've learned in my mid-twenties.

1. Life has a funny way of surprising you and will turn out completely opposite then what you envisioned. Embrace it, love it,every single moment. And most importantly be okay with it.
2. Don't worry what others think about you. Be you, and only you. It only matters if you are happy with yourself & the decisions you are making in your life.
3.Don't plan ahead too much. Live each day. And live it fully. You will stress yourself out and probably miss out on some really great moments.
4.Only be friends and surround yourself with those who are  positive, who uplift you and make you a better person. Make sure your friendships go two ways. There is nothing more draining. Also, there is nothing more rewarding then a true & loyal friend.
5. Dress up more. You never know who you will meet.
6.If you’re missing someone, it is okay to write him or her a simple a text — even when it’s been too long. Sometimes, relationships fizzle, but can easily be repaired by someone making the first move and saying hello.
7.Workout, eat healthy, and be active. You will thank yourself later.
8. Forgive & be patient.
9.Along with paying all of your bills pay yourself each month. Save. Those pennies will come in handy.
10.When it comes to dating: if it doesn't work out that Is just fine. There will be someone else who makes you happier. Don't sweat over it. There is a reason he didn't make it in your future. Be okay with that.
11. Find whatever it is that you're passionate about and make it a hobby.
12. Travel. Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer. It gives your perspective. It is the best education you can give yourself. It teaches you more about life then you'll ever learn anywhere else.
13. Have alone time. This will keep you sane. And it's healthy. "I think it's very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person."-Oscar Wilde
14.Write in your journal more. It makes you happy. After all, this is the story of your life.

Night Ramblings

-It's already starting to feel like Valentines in these neck of the woods. My roommate always makes the cutest banners & decorations for our apartment. I love the homey feeling it gives our little space.
-I feel like the older I get the faster time is flying by. Where has January gone? And have I really only blogged like once?
-Speaking of getting older this week I have had this conversation several times, "REALLY?? You're 25 almost 26? I never would have guessed that!!!"  So either I look younger than my age, or people these days are just extra nice! I guess i'll take it as a compliment?
-My new years goals are still going strong! Which makes me a happy camper. I will report back in a different post one of the hardest yest most fulfilling goals I have achieved this month!
-My parents started remodeling their mail level of their house. As excited as I am for a new fun change for them it's just crazy to think that my future children won't see the house exactly how it was when I grew up in it. And that just breaks my heart a little.
-It is a small small world. I made some crazy connections with some people I met this week that they grew up with people I knew.
-I saved a lady that fell out of her car onto the ice and talked to 911. So,I guess you could say i'm now a superhero.
-I have had writers block for so long and it feels good to just write as I think.
-I may be having some exciting changes in the next few months. Decisions are so hard, yet so exciting!
-I have been drinking a lot more water lately, and that my friends is a huge accomplishment!
-Jeff is in town. And that always makes my heart happy!
-I've been watching Fresh Prince this week while editing, and that itself is just amazing.
-I got to spend time with some blog friends last week & it was epic. (more on that later!)
-I decided I hate awkward elevator happenings. Maybe i'll start talking the stairs?
-Last thought of the night goes to the fact that it's freezing outside and yet I still open my window to my bedroom to cool off my room before I go to bed. You would have thought I grew up in a cold dark basement or something? ;)

a normal day.

Today actually felt like a normal day. I worked my day job & had a great day. After I went over to my parents house so my mom could start re-teaching me how to crochet.(more on that later.) Then I got a good work out in at the gym (haven't been there since September.. yikes!) ran to the grocery store, made a good dinner at home, edited pictures, crocheted while watching Netflix & just got to relax at home. I know this all sounds so silly but it was nice and refreshing to have a day not to be rushing from one place to the next, editing between my day job & running to a photo shoot, meeting deadlines & stressing out. I am not complaining one bit but running a photography business and working another full time job during busy picture season is a little overwhelming. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is my outlet of creativity and I love it but it sure does make me appreciate days like today. I feel so blessed to have been so busy this fall & still have a few more weeks of sessions before my 'slow' season approaches but I am excited to work on a few personal photography projects as well as expand my knowledge and talents. I just want to give a shout out to my wonderful family and friends for being so supportive of me in my career choice. It brings me so much joy to be doing what I love (even though there is a few sweat drops & tears along the way) I feel extremely blessed. I have received so many kind compliments & referrals and those just always make my day! Being an artist is a hard and a beautiful thing.   

the nights i want to remember

 The nights I want to remember are nights like these. I love these people and the memories we make. A year and half ago I would have never guessed I would live next to and with such amazing people. I love looking through old pictures and realizing how much my friendship with these four have blossomed since when i first me them.The nights that are my favorite are we when stay up talking. Bugging Bryan about his dating life, giving each other advice, driving to McDonald's at one in the morning even though we all have work in the morning, and then we stay up talking & laughing. 

"good company is hard to find." -twin forks

sunset.

 

  Sometimes I forget I live right by a lake. I am literally 5 minutes from Utah Lake. I love nature and being in it's presence :) Something about being near a lake or an ocean makes takes you back and realize how beautiful the earth is. I feel so blessed to live so close to the mountains and lake. The older I get the more I love Utah and love where I live! I love watching the sunset at the lake it just makes me happy. I can't believe we are already in August now the summer is escaping quickly and I need to soak in every second of it.  

my passion.

 

  i don't usually share a lot of my photography work here on my personal blog but i was so excited about these that i just had to share! plus i have been such a slacker on posting to my photography blog. and when i say slacker i mean i haven't posted in a year. i got so behind and like to post chronologically so it has been put off! i guess that's what happens when you get busy. sometimes it's  great to do a more relaxed shoot that is simple, elegant, and carefree. i had so much fun doing this shoot and it was a perfect spring evening. plus, i got to do her makeup which made it that much more fun for me! i just had to share this photo session because pretty much i'm in love with spring/summer evenings, sun, and gracie rocked it. isn't her hair to die for? i am so glad i get to do what i am passionate about part time and use my creative outlet. the other day i got to thinking about how i imagined my life to be at this stage in life and i would have never guessed to be where i am at. i never guessed i would say that i am a photographer. i feel so blessed to be paid to do what i love. i still have a long ways to go to be where i want to be professionally but i feel so happy as to where i am now. photography has opened up so many opportunities for me that i never would have guessed. it has stretched me to be a better person, meet wonderful new people & to be artistic. i love capturing people in their happiest of times. even though i may not be doing this full time yet, i feel so grateful to love what i do- because everyone should!   happy weekend!  

my jeffie.

jeffie and i met in august of 2006. we were both freshman at snow college. we happened to live right next door to each other. one night as i was walking back to my apartment from dance practice i saw a boy sitting down on his porch against the door talking on the phone. being the flirty nosy 18 year old i was i interrupted him and asked him who he was talking to. and thus began our friendship. i couldn't imagine my time at snow without jeff. we were goof balls. he was my boy bff. the one i could complain to, cry to, laugh with, & became the younger brother i never had. after snow i moved back to my home town and moved back to washington dc. a few years later he came back to utah to finish up his bachelors. i was so happy! even though we didn't hang out all the time i am so glad that we have still kept in touch over the years and would occasionally hang out. i'll always remember all of our memories from playing sing star to building forts to going on adventures to staying up late playing games to birthdays to dennys runs at 2 am to hot tubbin. jeff just recently graduated and moved back to dc. these pics are from our little lunch date before he left. i am so proud of him and his big accomplishment! i was so sad to see him go back to dc but am so excited for his new chapter in life! i can't wait to some day go visit him in dc. thanks for being such a wonderful friend all of these years.i'm going to miss you. lots and lots.    

black and white and color.

 

today at work something reminded me of someone i used to date.which led me to thinking back on some of my past relationships. as i was trying to remember details of feelings, events, conversations, & activities we would do.. i couldn't. why is that? it all feels like a dream sometimes. yes, i do remember some things and memories but they are very vague. the color pixels are fading to black and white it seems. i just want to know why i can't remember all the pieces in between. am i just getting old and forgot that part of my life? did i block it out because i was hurt at times? did i not want to remember? did i make myself forget so i could move forward? i could kick myself sometimes for not keeping a more detailed & consistent of a journal the past few years. i do keep a journal but sometimes i purposely leave parts out :)  i want to remember. not because i miss them terribly. but because it's a chapter in my life that i feel like got ripped out of the book. i hate that. do any of you get frustrated when trying to remember the past? i guess all i can do is learn and be more detailed in my current journal and be happy when the rare occasion does come when i remember something that i forgot happened. after all because of the different relationships i have been in they helped mold me into the person i am today. so, thanks boys.    

the things i learn.

 

    this past weekend i learned that:     my perfect job would be a professional makeup artist/photographer/organizer/food critic/shopper. saturdays are my absolute favorite because i get to sleep in. i love cleaning on friday nights so i don't have to lift a finger on saturdays. i am a shoe addict. i haven't updated my ipod in over a year. i love spring cleaning. waffle love has won my heart over. sometimes i have blacked things from my memory for a reason. i have the best roommates. ear infections are horrible. buying people magazine makes me happy. the older i get the more i don't care to have a wedding reception. brie, strawberry, & chocolate grilled cheese are fabulous. i get attached to clothes and have the hardest time giving them up when spring cleaning.    

necessary.

Change is a funny thing and not everyone can handle it. It can sneak up on you. Things aren’t what they used to be. Your whole world has transformed. You realize the ground beneath you has shifted. Things are uncertain and there’s no turning back. The world around you is different now, unrecognizable, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re stuck. Your future is staring you in the face and you’re not sure you like what you see. Like I said, I’m not big into change. -alex karev   I am not big into change typically. Although, sometimes it is very necessary for us to progress. Even though I can be stubborn and don't love change, I know it's good for me. Lately I have been focusing on the little things in life that I need to. I have made a few changes even though they may be hard. I have let go, moved forward and progressed as a person. With my yearly goal to reach my full potential I have tried to wean myself from my computer and social media in the evenings. I will be the first to admit that I used to be attached at the hip with my computer and my phone was glued to my hand. I'm not saying that at times that still isn't the case, but I have made progress. It all started with my computer dying a few months ago. I became more social as I got new roommates and became a little more social with those that live in my complex & ward. I have made it a habit now to only be on my computer during the week when I need to work. Habit is everything. It's crazy to me as we make our priorities habit that everything else falls into place, we become happier, and we realize what is necessary in our lives and realize the things that are not important. As much as I love social media & being consumed in the 'blog world' it has been so rejuvenating and relaxing to focus on the relationships in my life, meeting personal goals, doing things I love, and spending time with those I love. I don't want to give out the idea that I hate social media or blogging- sometimes it's nice just to live the life behind the blog and not worry about staying up to date with the latest and greatest. Right now I feel so content and happy in life. I am blessed with a wonderful job, am so passionate about my photography business, have the best family, great roommates who have become some of my closet friends, fabulous neighbors, and I could go on and on. Little changes in my life have been so perfect for me in this time in my life. Letting go of things in the past and looking forward to those things of the future. I can already tell that 2013 is going to be one of my favorites.    

at peace.

the other day after work i was craving some 'ashley time'. (this girl likes her me time) i ran home grabbed my camera and went on my way. since my first favorite spot is closed for the winter i went to my second favorite, utah lake. growing up in utah we went boating every week in the summer. a lot of the time we would go up to deer creek. and when deer creek was too cold we went to utah lake. for some reason i always thought the lake was so gross  and it was a lot of the time but i was always afraid a fish was going to come and nibble on my toes when i jumped in the water. over the past couple of years i have fallen in love with utah lake. i have come to have a new found appreciation of its beauty. i love how it is minutes away from where i live. it's beauty gets to me every time i am near it. i always feel so close to god in nature. it's a time to reflect and think about life. i think it's so important to spend time on your own doing what you love. for me that is with my camera, messing around with makeup or choreographing a dance. i feel so at peace when i can go and spend time working on my hobbies and talents. “I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone.  You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.”  -Oscar Wilde

words.

 

    the other night i listened to a talk about using kind words. it really hit me hard about how we speak to each other. and how we speak of ourselves. i encourage you all to watch or listen.     sometimes we don't realize how much of an effect our words good or bad can have on those around us. we never know who is struggling or who needs encouragement. or if we say a negative thing to someone i don't think we know how hurtful words can be. we all need to take a minute to reconcile and reevaluate our words. think before you speak. there is always room for improvement. we need to speak words of encouragement and those that uplift others and ourselves. i know and am guilty of this as well and want to be more positive. we need not to gossip or talk about others.  elder holland put this all so beautifully and it really struck me.   "Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail. "   i hope we can all speak kinder words that edify and encourage those around us. words really do make all the difference.   happy wednesday, friends!