A house for Christmas?? WOW!

We've been working on buying this house for a few months now...and the time has finally come! We're moving in next weekend! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. :) It's going to be a week of finishing up finals, cleaning, packing and moving...yet i'm totally looking forward to it. We'll have more space for ya'll to come visit us :)

I'll post pictures of the inside once we're in...it's even better than the outside! :) We've been so blessed in this whole process that i'd feel ungrateful if I didn't make mention of all the miracles we've seen. The Lord's hand is in our lives daily if we but just look for it :)

Christmas Ball

This past weekend ASU institute had a Christmas Ball. The institute building was beautifully decorated with Christmas decor and everyone there looked ravishing :) They had a catered dinner with a dance following. Trevor and I and Caraline and Ryan (the other married couple in the picture standing in the back with us), decided not to stay for the dance. Rather, we went over to Caraline and Ryan's place and played some fun games :) It was loads of fun! We love that couple and can't wait to go camping with them ;)

I made the headband i'm wearing in the picture and am quite proud of it. I'll take a closer picture of it and post it later for you to check it out! :)

I love this Christmas season. Everyone is filled with love (except the stressed students at school). Finals are over next Wednesday...i'm counting down the days!

Adrenaline pumping funny morning

How many of you have had a morning like this??...

Yesterday morning Trevor and I carpooled into work and school. I dropped him off at the light rail at ASU so he could ride into downtown Phoenix and then hoped into the driver's seat and then parked the car in the institute parking garage.

Important note: We both have a set of keys to each of our cars. Naturally, since Trev drove, we had his set of keys. The reason this is relevant is because he hated carrying around two key fobs. Those "clickers" really make your set of keys more like a wad and he doesn't like that in his pocket. To solve this solution, he leaves the key fob to my car at home.

Anyways, so I park the car at the institute, lock the doors the old-school way- from the inside since I didn't have the clicker, and that was that. Except then I realized I wanted to leave something in my car so I didn't have to carry it around in my backpack all day. So I walk back to the car, insert the key into the door, turn the key...it unlocks...AND THE ALARM GOES OFF! I was on the second floor of the garage and it echoed so loud! It scared me so bad, my heart started pounding, my adrenaline was pumping, and my mind was running a million miles an hour thinking of ways to turn it off. Since I had opened it from the passenger side, I dove across the car, stuck the key in the ignition and started it...that did NOTHING! It still thought it was being stolen. I clicked a few more buttons...nothing. So I called Trevor.

Me: "Trev, the car alarm is going off and I can't turn it off!"

Him: "Are you serious? Did you start the car?"

Me: "Yes!"

Him: "What?"

Me: "YES!" (yelling because it's so loud)

Him: "Unlock all the doors?"

Me: "Yeah nothing works. I need the key fob! Why don't you at least keep the freaking key fob in the car? I don't know what to do. It's so loud! I have to go to class soon."

Him: "I'm coming."

Me: "What are you going to do?"

Him: "I don't know."

Right then, it turned off by itself. Thank heavens. I was so relieved. But I was shaking...it scared me so bad. All my mind was thinking was, "how am I going to turn this off. I have to go to class, Trevor has to be to work, and our clicker is 45 min away!"

All was fine, and I was calming down. The car door was still open and the alarm was off so I went to open the driver's door...AND IT GOES OFF AGAIN!! Scared me half to death again. I was still on the phone with Trev and our conversation went about the same way. We finally decided to just lock the doors and walk away. So I did. Slowly. Waiting for it to turn off. It did...finally.

I went to class all hyped up on adrenaline! There was no doubt I was awake that morning. I opted not to get my scriptures out of the car for institute because I was so nervous to open the car. The time came at the end of the day when I needed my power cord. I was nervous, but I opened it from the driver's side with the key this time, and no alarm. Talk about a relief.

I laugh so hard about this now...at the time it wasn't so funny. Especially when people at the institute look at you like you're stealing the car, or ask "do you not know how to turn it off?" It was quite the experience. I will never drive that car without the key fob again.

Cabin Trip

This past weekend Trevor and I took my family up to Palmer's cabin for the weekend. We had a blast! We drove up late Friday night and stayed through Sunday afternoon. Family vacations are ten times more fun with your best friend/ husband now with you! :) We played games, road quads, enjoyed a warm fire and good food, and watched a couple movies. Such a relaxing weekend. It got so cold tho. Keeping the fire lit in the cabin was a must and no one was equiped with the proper jackets. lol Saturday we went to Woods Canyon Lake and it started snowing! This was my first time seeing snow fall. They were little round balls tho instead of flakes (and no...it wasn't hail. lol)

Somehow I managed to get Trevor's first reaction of the falling snow on camera. His excited face tells it all. um yes...sometimes Trevor calls me crazy. lolHow cute are we?? haha It started snowing harder and actually turned the ground white :)

My Fam on the RimUS! :) on the Rim...check out those clouds!...we're in them!

Wedding Pictures are in!

Our photographer put our wedding pictures online for all to see! Here's the link if you're interested in taking a peak. http://www.pictage.com/697986

Enjoy! We love them and hope you do too :)

I'm so excited for the Holidays! This overcast weather the past couple of days has really put me in the mood for Hot chOcoLate, ChrIstmas DecorAtions, shopping, fireplaces, and familY gatheringS :) Not to mention- the institute is already decorated for Christmas...LOVE it! Hope you all are doing well! Hope to see some of you at THANKSGIVING :) YUM!

Introducing....Mr. & Mrs. Trevor Palmer

HAPPY TWO WEEK ANNIVERSARY TO US! 2 weeks ago today Trevor and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa, AZ temple!! I love knowing that i'll be with him FOREVER! He's amazing! Our wedding day was awesome! We had so much fun with all of our friends and family there to support us. We both thank everyone, especially those who took work off and those who traveled, for being there for us. Here's a few of our wedding pictures...reception pictures are coming!
For our weekend honeymoon we went up to Christopher Creek and stayed at the Palmer's cabin. We love love love it up there. We had dinner at a quaint little home-town stake house on Saturday night. This after dinner...and our first "non-formal" picture as a married couple! :) Yay! I think we're pretty darn good looking ;) lol

Sunday night we went up on the rim at sunset. It was finally cool enough for both of us to wear our Palmer jackets that I made for Trev for his birthday (and it was finally legal for me to wear mine...haha) After this picture was taken, we were walking back to the car and the lady said, "Hey! Palmer! That's my last name!" I quickly jumped at the opportunity to say, "Hey! That's OUR last name too!" haha Trevor just started laughing at me.

Trevor was obsessed with taking pictures of the sunset. Here is one of his masterpieces :) Gorgeous view from the Rim!

We went horseback riding at Khole's Ranch. It was gorgeous weather and really nice to spend some time in the trees. We were definitely saddle sore after we got off tho. I don't know how cowboys can sit on a horse all day long!

Sunday we visited the Christopher creek Branch. Everyone is always so friendly there. Trevor even randomly ran into a guy from his singles ward back home in the valley. Small world!

There was a runaway campfire forest fire on the rim. You could see the flames at night but the camera wouldn't capure it. It was crazy! Here you can see the smoke.

While Trevor was obsessed with the sunset, my obsession was with the fall colored trees...specifically the RED ones! I loved them! I would make Trev stop the quad on our rides so I could look at them! lol


We had a great time up north but was glad to get home and get settled into our new place together. Trevor just got his new snowboarding pants in the mail this week...can you tell he's excited for snow season?? haha I love him! We have so much fun together :)

I'll post more pictures of our reception when I get them...stay tuned :)

This is the final countdown...

I'm supposed to be studying...i have three exams this week...but i'm waiting for the motivation to kick in. lol

We moved our stuff into our apartment this week! Woohoo! It looks great! Saturday was Blake's swim meet so we went and watched him for a bit. Trev and I were timers for the races which made it alot of fun to interact with all those high school swimmers. Trevor was reminising of the days...and wishing he could swim that hard core again.

I finally got to meet Trevor's sister Rhonda last night! Yay! That was alot of fun! ...Jeff & Alice- you're the only two left I haven't met. I can't wait to meet them this week!

FRIDAY is the exciting day! We can't wait! I'm so appreciative for my mom and all the time and effort she's putting in since I have massive school work. I love you mom!

Can't wait to see you all Friday!

Checkmarks

Our big day is coming quickly! We are so so excited! Since i've started school, time has flown by!! I went through the temple for my own endowment on Saturday September 12th! What an amazing experience. I'm so excited to go back this weekend! The experience was made even more special being there with Trevor and surround by those I love. Thanks to everyone for coming. Thank you to my dad for taking the picture below...he was there too :)





We took our wedding temple pictures a week ago and they turned out FaBuLoUs!! We love love love them! In fact...I'm having a hard time not posting them for all to see! haha

School...yes...that thing that gives you the opportunity to learn lots but requires much time, energy, and stress. I survived my first two exams yesterday. GLAD that is over. The next two in the same classes are the day before the wedding!...wish me luck. International econ is giving me a run for my money.

I attended my first career fair yesterday! I was nervous to go but it turned out well! It's crazy thinking about being out of school and working full time! I need to fix my resume...like yesterday... employers are ready to see it!

Our announcements are out! Woohoo! What an exciting thing to hear from people who got them in the mail. Makes me so excited!

Life is GREAT! We're counting down...today....23 days!

Newly created website just for you!

I have recently created a wedding website for me and Trevor. I'm working on getting it finished in the next couple of days but if you feel so inclined, you're welcome to check it out. We created it mainly to help our guests with directions to our reception but there are some other fun items on the page.

The web address is www.mywedding.com/trevorlovesashley.

Enjoy!

Fall Semester is here...let the fun begin!

Welcome to the building that is excited to welcome be back to school TOMORROW! Between walking all over campus and hiking many of these flights of stairs everyday I have class, it's no wonder there's no need to go to the gym! (ha! totally kidding) Anyways, summer has officially ended and i'm bracing myself for one of the busiest, craziest, yet most exciting semesters EVER! Here's a short list of the most exciting things on my mind right how as I head into this new semester:
1. LAST YEAR of school! Where did time go? I'm seriously almost done? Am I really a SENIOR in COLLEGE? Those people always seemed so old!
2. TEMPLE! This has nothing to do with school but i'm so excited to go through the temple in a few weeks!
3. Getting MARRIED! ...okay, this one is really number 1 on the list...but i was thinking that was too obvious. lol OCTOBER 16th isn't coming fast enough! I'm so excited!
4. House?? We'll see how this one turns out but we're in the process of buying a house. This is exciting! ...if not house, apartment. Moving halfway through the semester should be an adventure as well!
5. Tutoring????????...not so so sure i'm super excited for this, but partially excited. It's alot of fun to help people with their studies at school and be paid for it :)
6. New ward! This comes with getting married and moving...change is in the air! So many new adventures ahead!
7. Interviewing for full time jobs...hmm! I'm a little scared for this to be honest! ...yet still, an exciting adventure.

Maybe I should've named this post "exciting adventures await..." because that seems to be the theme. I'm excited for them all!

bRiDaL.sHoWeR.THANK.YOUS!

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who participated in my bridal shower last night! It was so so fun to see you all! I'm so excited to be able to decorate our new house with so many cute things, be able to cook and eat with the proper utensils and dishes, and so much more! You are all so wonderful!

A special THANK YOU shout out to my family! Thank you Karen, Lauri, Grandma, Brittnee, Ashley, and Mom for all you do for me! I feel so loved!

MOB (Thanks for not being MIA...haha sorry I love that movie! Koodos to anyone that can name it...)

2 months and 2 days and counting! Could we be more excited??...and submit that we cannot! :) Love you all! Thanks again for EVERYTHING!

I'M ENGAGED!

Hey blogging friends! My family and I just returned from our trip to Idaho on Sunday night. We had a blast. I will definitely be posting some exciting pictures from this trip in the near future. But in the meantime...I have a great story to share...

This story took place on this very Idaho vacation and involved two very blessed, very cool, very good looking,...i mean, very humble, people. His name is Trevor Palmer, her name is Ashley Chapman. The met in December of 2008, fell in love, got engaged on July 7, 2009 and will be married on October 16th. How did this handsome lad pop the question, you might be asking?

Well he takes her up to the top of a huge mountain, called Sawtell... A place she loves to visit every year she's in idaho. They talked and laughed and tried to stay warm by sitting behind a rock that blocked the freezing cold wind. As the sun started to set, they made their way to the top of the mountain. This is where the magic happened. She requested a kiss to warm her up, he agreed :) Then knelt down and popped the famous "will you marry me?" question. She said YES!

These two have never been happier :)

Keeping warm behind the large rock. {please excuse the no makeup...it doesn't exist when you're in the mountains :)}

Trevor found a large rock to put in the spot where his knee landed so we can go back and visit it :)

This is the rock...in the spot! lol

Sunset silouette to top the night off... how romantic i know! lol

Back to Back: Havasupai & EFY

CAUTION! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK OF ENJOYMENT...

THIS POST IS LONG...but full of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The last two weeks have been non-stop. Two Monday's ago, I headed up with the Palmer's to hike Havasupai. We arrived Monday night, "slept" in the dirt parking lot so that we could wake up and start our hike early before the sun came out. We headed down the trail Tuesday at about 5:30am and it was actually chilly. We were blessed with the more perfect weather. It ended up being overcast all the way down! The 8 mile hike down wasn't too bad...it was more the distance carrying a heavy pack that was more difficult. We finally made it to the village, located the lodge, changed and hiked down to the falls. The water was cold and it was still over cast so we didn't swim much. After discovering all the falls, we hiked back to the lodge, cooked up some delicious Top Romen and made fun of each other as we gimped around because we were already sore from the day's hike totalling 16 miles. Wednesday we hiked down to the falls again and played in all of the them! What a gorgeus site to see. However, last summer a huge flood came through and re-routed the water so Navajo Falls is all dried up and no longer exsists. If you look up before picutres of this fall, you'll notice how much of a tropical cove it is...differing from the others. It was a bit sad. Anyways, after hiking back to the lodge, cooking up some yummy mountain man dinners, sleeping, we arose around 4:30am to start our hike back out. It took us just as long to hike out as it did to hike in...which was an amazing 4 hours! Not bad eh? The hike out was a little more grueling, especially the last mile of steep switchbacks. We all made it...but agreed a helicoptor ride down and out next time would be greatly enjoy :) After sitting in the car for an hour, we got out to use the restroom and none of us could walk properly. It was really hilarious how stiff we were!

Above: The Crew at the End (i need to locate the before picture...)

Below: The Crew at Havasu falls

Above: Mooney Falls (below Havasu)
Below: Me & Trev below Mooney Falls

Above: Rope swing below Mooney Falls
Below: The beginning of the instensely insanely freakishly scary desent down to Mooney Falls

Above & Below: Havasu Falls

Below: Dried up Navajo Falls

2 New waterfalls were created from this flood.
Above: New waterfall #2
Below: New Waterfall #1

We arrived home late Thursday night....

I was home Friday....and left Saturday for EFY!
This week was amazing! Definitely dubbed a week of miracles. My kids all got something out of the week and some even made drastic changes to their lives. I was over 10 girls, my co-counselor had 10 boys. Our company's name was THIS IS FOOLISHNESS from Alma 37:6. Great name for cheers and chants...everyone knew who we were! It was great! EFY is an awesome experience but exhausted me! I am grateful I was able to do one week...but that was enough for me...I missed Trev! Here are a few pictures of my group! Love them all!

Above: One of our girls got sick so she was quarentined to her room for a day. My other girls decided they wanted to heart attack her.

Below: Me and my co-counselor, BillyAbove: The whole company
Below: These two of my boys auditioned for the Variety show but didn't make it so they put a show on during free time

Above: Pizza Night
Below: "This is Foolishness" at banner and cheer night Below: most of my girls after breakfast on Tuesday