2011 review - in numbers

(please note that some of these numbers may be more guesstimates, rather than actual figures)

Sarah's number of. . .

students mentored = 73

weeks of efy worked = 4

credits completed = 28

zumba classes attended = 55

Pizza Factory bread twists consumed = 41

Cities visited in Mexico = 2

pounds lost = 15

articles of clothing eaten by our bedroom = 6

Ashley's number of. . .

concerts performed = 5

times she's driven a Range Rover = 2

nieces born = 2

boys that drooled over her singing voice = 32

ward parties planned and implemented = 5

phone numbers from customers = 21

shifts worked at Pizza Factory = 2384920375847538957

cars purchased = 1

Together. . .

General Conference sessions attended = 3

late night trips for froyo, In N Out, etc. = 34

times we've laughed so hard we cried = 68

apartments lived in = 2

trips to Tucanos = 3

nights we stayed up too late doing nothing = 103

peanut butter M&M consumed = 311

pointless drives around provo, singing at the top of our lungs = 39

another year as best friends and roommates. . .

priceless

peace, love and temple marriage

baby come back.

that awkward moment when sarah leaves me. alone. in utah. for like three weeks.... awkward.

so it's been almost two weeks of us being apart. it's been the weirdest two weeks of my life. is this what newly-wed life is like when your spouse goes on a trip and you don't know what to do with yourself because you've secluded yourselves from the world of social interaction because you're so in love? well that's exactly what ashley-sarah life is like because we love each other so much we don't socialize. but for real though. i'm not joking, we don't talk to anyone else when we're together, it's bad. put us in a room of 100 people, whether we know them or not, if we are together it will stay that way. we'll get lost in our own world and just talk to eachother (probably about nothing) and yet be thoroughly entertained and content. probably not good. BUT, i have come to find the good in all of this. how many people have someone in their life that they can be that close with and have that good of a relationship with and not be married or dating them? not many. but i am a lucky girl because i just happen to have that good of a relationship with my best friend. and she loves me even though i'm crazy, loud, hyper when she's ready for bed, crazy, embarrassing to take out in public, embarrassing when we're not in public, awkward, crazy, sarcastic, crazy... oh and did i mention CRAZY!?! and even still, considering that tiny list of the beginning of my flaws, she liiiikes me (inside joke). and the best part about all of this.... she still loves me even when she is super sexy and i look like THIS. (see breathtaking picture below.. and remember. coveting is a sin. so try your absolute best not to covet my stunning beauty).

may i just add that this picture was taken on my computer in the movie theatre while waiting for the midnight showing of breaking dawn to start? we were in public, and i made that face. shamelessly. and she STILL sat next to me. see what i mean? the girl's a saint. you are probably beginning to understand why i keep her around.... because no one else can handle it. HAHA jk... because i love her of course!

baby come back.

peace, love and temple marriage.

we've got skills.

Ashley has been one busy girl, showing off just how amazing she is.

First of all was her concert at Sammy's! The first of many to come :)

Seriously, she ROCKED it. Everyone looooved her. Her voice sounded amazing, and she looked so poised and beautiful on stage. She played guitar and sang, and even included two originals! It was definitely a night to remember.

If you missed it, do not fear! She's coming back soon for a second appearance by popular demand to the Sammy's in Rexburg, ID this weekend!

(p.s. she also brought down the house at the ward musical fireside the next day with a stunning rendition of I Know That My Remember Lives. I need more than my fingers and toes to count the number of boys I saw drool this weekend . . .)

Ash has also been workin' it out with her calling as Activity/Service Co-Chair. One of her many responsibilities included the Tri-Ward Halloween Party Monday night. Needless to say, it was a smashing success. There were caramel apples, pulled-pork, donuts on a string, dancing, giant twister, tug-a-war, and a pie eating contest -- that Ashley participated it! She looked good doing it too ;)

As for Sarah? Umm well, she made this cool pumpkin?

Okay, now it's obvious who is composing this post. I guess I should try and find something else more interesting.

I got a internship for next semester!! It's the exact one I wanted, which is very exciting for me because they were only hiring two interns after three weeks of interviews. I will be working the the Wellness Programs at Utah Valley University, doing my FAVORITE part of public health: planning programs and getting to work one-on-one with people on the basics of health that are so essential to a happy life, and what better population to work with than college students who are just beginning to make those important decisions and form habits that will impact the rest of their lives! Ahh, okay, stop bearing public-health-testimony. Plus, it comes with a stipend at the end, which a rarity in the public health internship world. Anyway, I can't wait to start :)

And of course we HAD to celebrate by going to Tucanos. . .

That's all for now! We hope you all are anticipating November 1st as much as we are! (aka beginning of Christmas music + Justin Bieber's Christmas CD comes out. . .)

peace, love, and temple marriage

the boys in our lives

I know a lot of our followers are probably wondering about the boys in our lives. It seems to be an element that is often lacking in our posts. Well I am here to clear up all questions and give you a full and complete description of all of the most important boys in the lives of Sarah and Ashley as of late.

(in no particular order)

1) General Authorities

We got to go to General Conference last weekend! We were able to watch/listen to all four sessions (and we'll be catching up on the Priesthood session shortly) and loved every minute. We seriously have a countdown each year for Conference, and we can't wait until April. Some personal favs were the talks of Elder Uchtdorf, Sister Dalton, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Callister. To read/listen to any of the talks from this and other conferences, go here!

Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures during Conference weekend (sad!). So, I thought I would share the background of both of our computers - a very cool depiction of the most used words from all 5 sessions last weekend, made by our good friend Samuel.

2) BYU football players

It's that time of year again. We LOVE going to BYU footballs games. It is seriously such a blast. Of course, we love some players more than others. . .

While Jake Heaps was playing QB. . .

Once they put in Riley Nelson!

3) Rascal Flatts

Fulfilling Sarah's lifelong dream (not exaggerating), and letting Ashley's experience their wonder for the second time, we spontaneously bought tickets to the Rascal Flatts back in September. Three words: Ah.ma.zing

4) Santa Claus

Anyone that is around us during this time of year knows that we have INTENSE love affair with Christmas. We are already anxiously waiting for when this guy comes to town. . .

Well, there you have it! We hope it wasn't too much a let down for you ;) We hope you all are enjoying your Fall season!

peace, love, and temple marriage

oh hey... remember us??

remember that one time when sarah and ashley updated their blog?? yeah, me neither. epic fail on our part. but we're back!! better late then never, right? well we'll update you on what's been going on since... march. wow, really?? march?? dang. okay well hmm... let's make this fun so we don't lose all of our (three) followers. true or false....

1. sarah and i are terrible at updating our blog.... true. (oh yeah, this is ashley btw. i guess i'll just speak in third person from now on so no one gets confused. oh, i forgot only moms look at our blog.... btw = by the way).
2. sarah was the most amazing, spiritual, and BEAUTIFUL efy counselor out of every counselor that counseled this summer (and every other summer) ....... true. duh.
3.ashley got married, moved to alaska to pursue her dream of igloo building and has two children..... HAHAHA false. (if any of you answered true we will be religiously updating this blog everyday.. and we'll keep you in our prayers).
4. sarah is graduating from BYU this coming april..... TRUE! :]
5. ashley is graduating from UVU this coming april.... FALSE! hahaha oh if only...
6. ashley's parents are moving to utah next month..... false. THEY'RE MOVING HERE THIS MONTH!!!!!!! as in the month of october, as in three weeks, as in 21 days!!!!!!! :]
7. ashley got a white iphone 4..... true.
8. sarah got a white iphone 4..... true.
10. sarah and ashley are pretty much in a relationship.... true.
11. ashley is the man in the relationship.... most definitely true. (she specializes in sports and opening jars/water bottles).
12. sarah has a poster of justin bieber above her bed..... false.
13. ashley has a poster of justin bieber above her bed..... true.
14. god frowns upon those who judge.... TRUE. (apply to #13)
15. sarah went on a cruise to mexico with her family...... si! (true)
16. sarah wants to go back on her cruise to mexico with her family... false. she would never ever want to go anywhere without ashley... okay fine, true.
17. ashley went to lake powell for the first time.... TRUE.
18. ashley wants to go back to lake powell..... TRUE.
19. ashley wants to get married in lake powell..... TR- okay false. unfortunately, they didn't announce a new temple being built in lake powell this weekend in conference.
20. sarah got a promotion at her job.... true true true!!! she has an office... so legit.
21. ashley now has THREE nieces and they are the cutest girls in the entire world.... 100% true.
22. sarah looks cute... SHE LOOKS NICE!!!!! ...... true. (inside joke... just move on to the next question).
23. sarah replaced ashley with a new best friend. his name is harold..... true. (not an inside joke.... harold = library at byu).
24. ashley wants to buy a hamster and name it hamsterdam..... true. (refer back to #14).
25. you have been entertained by reading this long overdue blog post..... true, or else you wouldn't have even read this far.



well there you have it. our lives over the past 7 months in a nutshell.... more or less. we sincerely apologize for our long absence, but have no fear! we have most definitely returned to the world of blogging. hopefully this time for good.. instead of months at a time. but nevertheless, we're back. more to come soon. :] but until then.....




peace, love and temple marriage.

go girl. it's your birthday.

Well, Ashley's birthday was a success. She is now officially no longer a teenager! Here's how the day played out:

We started out the day with a delicious breakfast of unlimited french toast at Magleby's. BUT WAIT! Let's not forget what Ashley saw on her way out the door. . .



A beautiful array of hearts from Sarah! ( a couple hearts from random, not nearly as funny people) Each heart has a different inside joke or memory. It was just fun :)

Anyway, Magleby's was BALLIN. We went with our roomies, Jess and Whit, and Kristin, Martin, and Jennifer.


And then. . . our lives were changed forever.



TUCANOS. oh my lanta. So. Good.
And Ashley got a special birthday treat :)

cute.
(p.s. didn't Ashley look SMOKIN?!)

Then we went to Brandon and Maryellen's for cake (made by Sarah) and ice cream.

(hecka thoughtful wishing)



It was a beautiful day.

peace love and temple marriage.

p.s. we like to eat.
eat.
eat.
apple and bananas.
And whatever food boys make for us.


oh the beauties of self timers. We're a pretty attractive group.

20 years ago today. . .

. . . this beautiful girl was born.




HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY INCREDIBLE BEST FRIEND ASHLEY CHRISTINE HESS!!!

love you shmootsy :)

p.s. photo credit goes to the ever-talented jana beck

peace, love and temple marriage

obsessions

Obsession #1:

The Bachelor



We know, it's kind of embarrassing, but Tuesdays were definitely our favorite night of the week for the past few months. Here's what went down on those fantastic evenings known as "Bachelor Tuesdays":

We couldn't watch the show on the night it aired, Monday, because Sarah's the FHE mom and so her presence is always required at FHE. So, we would all go to our roommate Whitney's boyfriend Sam's apartment on Tuesday nights and he would play the Bachelor on his fabulously large TV via Hulu. We would also always have a treat (often something from Pizza Factory since we'd pick Ash up from work on our way to Samuel's). It was a very beloved ritual in our apartment. So, for the finale this past week, we knew we needed to do something special. We decided that we would make a yummy dinner, complete with dessert, and bring that to enjoy while we watch Brad give out the final rose. But Sam and Whit had a little something extra to surprise us with when we got there. . .







Such a fun surprise! The food was wonderful, as was the final episode. YAY EMILY!! ;)



Cute roomies!



Obsession #2

BYU Basketball

Have you been following this?



It has been such a great season and so much fun to be a part of it! Everyone at BYU has been going just a little crazy over it. We might have waited in like for 4 or 5 hours just to get decent seats. . .



TOTALLY worth it. And now we're into March Madness. GO BYU!! Oh, how we wish we could be in the crowd.







Obsession #3

Nail Polish

You will not see either of us without nail polish on our fingers. Usually in a crazy color. We feel naked without it. But just fyi, from personal experience, don't let boys paint your nails. . . bad idea.



Obsession #4

California

WE WANNA GO BACKKKKK!

ugh, we can't talk about it anymore.



Obsession #5

each other

duh.



peace, love, and temple marriage

In Loving Memory.

Yesterday, March 2, 2011 I lost someone very near and dear to my heart. My grandpa, Wendell Hess. He was truly the most amazing man I have ever known. He was an amazing husband, father and grandfather, as well as coach, teacher and war veteran. He lived a great life and was loved and looked up to by many. Our family feels so incredibly blessed to have had him stand as the patriarch.

One of the things I loved and admired most about him was his love for my grandma and the relationship they had. He would have done anything for her and visa versa. They were the perfect example of true love. I could see their love for each other every time I was around them and you don't see that kind of love very often. I appreciate that so much, mainly because my dad saw the way they loved and respected each other and was taught to do the same. Now my parents are the exact same way. I have seen the blessings that come from a happy, eternal marriage from both my grandparents and my own parents. It sets the bar high for my future husband because he sure has big shoes to fill considering the examples i have been blessed with.

Another thing I loved about this man was his wisdom and sincere care for each member of his family. Every time our family would go visit, he would pull me, as well as every other member of my family, aside and check up on me personally to see how i was doing, how life was treating me and if there was anything he could do for me. I loved that so much and looked forward to it every time i visited. He always gave the best advice and knew exactly what i needed to hear, whether it was before we had the chance to talk or not. He lived so close to the spirit and had such a strong testimony. And who can forget his sense of humor! He was so witty and fun to be around. He had a way of making you feel happy and comfortable. I'll never forget his infectious smile.

So grandpa, I want you to know how much I love, admire and respect you. You have inspired me to be a better person and to live up to the bar you have set so high. I want to thank you for being the incredible person that you were and living the incredible life you lived. I also want to thank you for teaching, loving and raising my dad into the man he is today. I love listening to him talk about you because i see the love and respect he has for you. He has so many of the great qualities you had and i see those same qualities in my brothers. I love that. So thank you grandpa. Thank you for being the best grandfather any grandchild could ever ask for. I'm a lucky girl.

I know you're in a better place now and were welcomed with open arms by loving family members. I look forward to the day when I'll see you again. Until then I will love and miss you, forever and always. <3

Peace, Love and Temple Marriage.

we're back....

fact: we haven't blogged in a month and a half.

fact: we've talked about blogging for a month and a half.

fact: people have seriously asked us why we haven't blogged... (we had no idea people really looked at our blog)

fact: we are terrible bloggers. new years resolution maybe?

so i bet you millions of people out there are wondering, what's new in the lives of sarah and ashley? nothing. absolutely nothing. we are still doing the same things we were way back when we used to blog with no excitement, whatsoever. okay, the no excitement thing is kind of a lie because who are we kidding? we are super exciting. but life really is fabulous. OH YES! there is something new AND exciting. not only are we living under the same roof but now... drum roll please. we are in the SAME room. the stars have officially aligned and the world is now at peace. :)

so something we meant to blog (a month and a half ago) was this lovely picture... well pictures.

frame one: being creepy.

frame two: laughing at our creepiness.

frame three: realizing the camera was on photobooth mode and still taking pictures.

frame four: laughing hysterically.

oh the beauty of the macbook.

we hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are making the best of this new year.

peace, love and temple marriage.