10 words

today's blog every day in may challenge is to sell myself in ten words or less. i was pretty clueless about what this meant, and i guess it's up for interpretation, but i still needed some help. luckily, this link-up has been HUGE so far, and i read a lot of examples of other girls. I did it in 9 words! I thought this quote was absolutely perfect. A huge part of who I am is my identity found in and through Christ. I have a major tendency to beat myself up for who am I, how I look, what I'm doing with my life - you know, all those problems women deal with on a daily basis. But I take a lot of comfort in knowing who I belong to. And I don't just mean my sweet husband ;) Even though I have a lot of insecurities, I am confident in this.

favorite quote

"dwight, you ignorant slut!" - michael scott

haha, just kidding. well, only sort of. that's probably one of my favorite office lines of all time, though.

in all seriousness, ever since i opened my etsy shop, selling prints, quotes have become a big thing to me. and since pinterest took over the world, too. i love quotes. i love inspiring people (like, people who are inspiring, because i'm not sure how inspiring i am...) and i really don't think i can pick just one!

lately i've been all about:

"i don't care what you think about me. i don't think about you at all." - coco chanel

but my all time favorite is:

"i love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. i love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so i love you because i know no other way than this: where i does not exist, nor you. so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as i fall asleep." - pablo neruda

being a wimp + thoughts on marriage

"I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one's companion. Any man who will make his wife's comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come"

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

thinking lots about marriage with devin gone (and what better example of a loving and healthy marriage than the Hinckley's?!) i already miss him a lot, and i think it's mostly because it's almost 6:00p.m. which means i have to suck it up and face the fact that he isn't coming home tonight and i'm going to have to find a way to convince myself to climb into bed all alone and fall asleep at a decent hour. and try to do so without crying like a wimp. (it's not even been a day! i'm the biggest baby! i'll say it again: i think i have separation anxiety from that man.)

i hope he's safe. i hope his new hiking boots aren't giving him blisters, because he didn't have any time to really break them in. i hope he's warm. i hope his tent partner is clean and doesn't smell bad. i hope he doesn't feel sick. i hope his cold and ear aches don't come back while he's out there. i hope he's having a really good time and taking a lot of pictures. i hope he's learning a lot of helpful tips that he can come home and teach me. i hope he didn't forget anything. i hope that annoying kid in his class isn't driving him crazy. i hope he comes home before "freak out time" Sunday night. because i certainly don't want to have to freak out. 

i spent all afternoon with kylee and bailey doing some valentine's day shopping and lunch eating. i finally bought Mindy Kaling's book, and one of my favorite movies was on the $5 rack. finally. but that's not enough to keep me distracted all weekend. i'm working up the motivation to get off the couch and make a run to redbox for all the girly movies i know devin wouldn't want to watch with me anyway. i want to go before it gets dark. i hate walking around by myself in the dark. even the short walk from the car into the house scares me. so i better get going. 

walk with the dreamers

please, oh please!

day 27: a picture of something you're afraid of.


i'm afraid of spiders first and foremost, but i refuse to post a picture. mostly because it will require doing a good image search for "spider"... and i'm just not willing to risk that! so here's another one.


drowning. i'm not quite as scared of it, mostly because i know how to swim... it would take a lot of effort, or some kind of freak-accident for me to actually drown.. plus i don't normally find myself in situations where this is even an option anyway... but still. i guess i'm also scared of sharks. but fascinated by them at the same time. i love me some shark week! on the bachelor last week, on the finale, brad's final date with chantel was swimming with sharks. i was super jealous! it would be another one of those situations where i would refuse and freak out, but when it was over, i would want to do it again, and think it was amazing!

so today at work, i learned how to search for seminars that are not listed on guests' preview pages, which is complicated to explain, but a big deal.


i also have started to get a taste for the kind of people i will run into. 3 in particular today, that really stood out:


1. a man with a very, very deep voice, name Michelle...  here's some pieces of our conversation:


me: and would you like to bring a guest with you?
michelle: yes i would darling
me: may i have their name please?
michelle: well, i only know his cross-dresser name


and


me: we look forward to seeing you there. have a great day
michelle: alright, thank you doll, and you don't even worry about being good! be bad! be so bad!
(i muted the phone so i could laugh while i waited for her... him... to hang up)


2. an old man, who was no doubt a veteran.


me: thank you for calling conference registration. my name is katie. may i please have your reservation ID located on the ticket next to the barcode?
man: (he proceeded to give me the ID using all the army alphabet phonetics thing.... alpha, juliet, foxtrop, mike... you know what i'm talking about? maybe?)
it was nice, because i usually have to ask people to use words anyway, because it's hard to tell the difference between v p c d g t b e v and z on the phone, but he did it the first time, without being asked.


every other time i asked him something, like when he gave me 2 different phone numbers and his email address, and i repeated it back to confirm, he would say "affirmative ma'm" and i would mute to laugh.


and
3. when i told a man "alright thanks for calling, we look forward to seeing you there. have a nice day!" he said "will you be there katie?!" with a hopeful tone (he knew my name cause i always introduce myself at the beginning of the call) and i said "no, i will not" and he said "well, where do you live" and i said, trying not to laugh "sir, i can't answer personal questions." and he said "dang it! well, i guess i understand. oh well... see ya" and hung up.... uh... creeper!


quote of the day:


devin walks into the kitchen, where his niece kayla was (she comes to grandma's in the morning before school. also note, brandon had stayed the night) and she says "devin's here? and brandon? well that's creepy..." she's almost 9. and HILARIOUS. that personality of that little girl is twice her size. which isn't hard because she's so tiny, but it's just comical that she describes everything as creepy. it's because she would sneakily watch ghost adventures in her room. she would freak us all out saying she would always be hearing noises and seeing things.. yeah she doesn't watched that channel anymore! but still so funny. poor dev. what a creep, apparently haha


speaking of... tonight was a march madness night. watched the BYU's win, which was partial luck, and partial jimmer. and then watched some of the Utah State game before we got too tired and said goodnight. my guess is they didn't win. they were struggling to keep up the whole game anyway. oh well!


mom is off to st george, and before she left i told her we needed groceries. she said "i'm outta here! get the debit card from dad! you're in charge!" can you tell she was excited to leave? haha


so tonight, i ask my dad if i can go grocery shopping, and he goes "what are you talking about? we have plenty of food..."


there are some leftovers in the fridge from WAY too long ago for anyone but him to eat.
a gallon of milk.
a loaf of white bread.
and 2 boxes of cereal.


i told him i wanted wheat bread, fruit and vegetables.


he said we'd talk in the morning.


why are my parents not encouraging my healthy eating habits?!?! so for the next couple days.... feed me! i may not have any other choices then the cereal bars i bought for my work snack! here we go!


usually it's the opposite. when mom would go out of town when i was little, or any time at all, really, that dad was sent for groceries, he came back with the best stuff. the best kind of candy, and he always got the really thick cut, smoked, expensive bacon, hahaha


not saying that's what i want -- but give me some leash here! i'm trying to be healthy! hmph. it's mostly just funny, really.


tomorrow i work both jobs, which will be interesting. and i'm getting so excited for saturday, when dev and i will paint! i'm so excited about the color, and more excited to start fixing up our apartment together! it's getting more and more real every day! i love him so much.


we went to dinner yesterday with megan and timmy who are having a baby boy about 2 weeks before the wedding (hopefully!) and it was so weird to think that in a couple years (definitely at least a couple!), that could be us! neither of us are ready for that... haha


but tonight, we did look up local dog breeders for the kind we want SO BAD and we fell in love a million times with all the cute mini aussies!!! it will be hard to hold back from getting one until we have a place that allows pets, but we don't have a choice! they are ADORABLE.

i'll never get over how cute these guys are!!! please oh please oh please!!!!


one day... [soon! fingers crossed!] haha

Devin Ashby Quote Gallery

i made the mistake of letting this slip to Devin... so it's posting time. It's been a work in progress for awhile, and will probably be updated regularly. Devin just says the darndest things!


"Babe... what if we were black?"


D: "I love putting thoughts into people's heads."
K: "What am I thinking?"
D: "Well, I'm not a psychic!"
K: "Okay, but what am I thinking?"
D: "...Oh, that Devin Ashby!"
K: "Nailed it."


"Oh, what up, snow on the ground?!"


"Dooooooonnnn'ttt!!" (devin quoting ME)


"Done. Cauuuussseee we're doin' it."


"HipSTER!"


"Damn right!" (after fitting a LOT of stuff from ikea into his mazda, said while slamming the trunk shut very enthusiastically)


"Me, you, cuddle, blanket, sherlock, tonight."


"Josh, this is America. No one knows how far a kilometer is."


"well, here's the situation..." (preface to anything he is about to explain)


"oh, what up driving-to-salt-lake,-i-need-a-snack!?"


"i actually kind of like it when there are crumbs on my face, because then you find it later, and it's like an extra treat!"

memorable quotes of the week

kelli: "what's in there?"
me: "oh, i just kept letters and cards and stuff like that in it..."
kelli: "no! the candy, fool!"
(i made this box awhile ago that i kept old letters and pictures and stuff in and a woman in my ward wanted to use it for a display thing, and when she brought it back, she brought it back with a little box full of candy, hence kelli's urgency)


kelli: "when I first met Sean, I thought he was from somewhere else."
me: "yeah?"
kelli: "i was like... 'you're not... where are you from?' ..."
(bahahahahahaha)


me: "okay, here, get the teal. take it and walk away."
kelli: "no! i don't want that one! i want a new one!"
(she was trying to decide between 2 different colored cardigans when we were shopping, and I was getting impatient with her, so I handed her the cute teal one she had just tried on, but she insisted on a "new one" and proceeded to grab a freshly folded one from the stack.)


kayla: "you wanna hear the scariest thing that happened today at PetCo? A grasshopper. Jumped. INTO MY BOOT!"
kelli: "(laughing) Kayla, people can take their pets to PetCo!"
kayla: "this grasshopper had NO SUPERVISION!!!"


Garth: "you only get married once! Well, unless you muder her..."
(hahahaha uh... thanks, Garth.)


Kelli is the funniest person I know. Hands down. I love my sister! She's one of my very best friends. Kayla's almost as hilarious! And Garth... oooh, Garth!

quotes of THIS week

devin: "and that's why I pay you the big bucks!" (something about me editing his paper for english... haha)


katie: "if our child was a ginger, I don't think I could love it!" (I said it like I was guilty of something -- because I kind of am! hahahahaha only kidding... sort of ;)...)


nard dog: "message recieved, little soybean" (okay, maybe it's from the office... but it's hilarious. andy is my second favorite. next to jim, of course.)


kayla: "KASH AND LALA IN DA HOUSE!!!!!!" (we were sent to pick our little brother up from his choir rehearsal, but he wouldn't answer his phone, so we left him voicemails until he saw us...lots of loud, obnoxious voicemails...)


kyle: "I went a whole 6 hours today.... without eating ANYTHING. so, yes! i'm hungry!" (he has a bottomless stomach.)


devin: "okay grab my phone... slide it to unlock it... okay now slide it open to the keyboard.... slide... SLIDE... slide it open... Katie, slide it... (frustrated sigh, grabs phone... slides it open...)" (I didn't understand what he meant. But we were trying to find PF Changs in downtown SLC. It was a struggle.)


devin: "we need another good song I can sing along to (endless browsing through iPod on shuffle) -- (katie rolls her eyes, and laughs)" (i guess he needs to find some sort of entertainment on the drive back from salt lake...:) haha)


kelli knight: "we've been waiting.... for an HOUR AND 45 MINUTES (storms to hostess desk)"
katie terry: "uh oh. kelli's getting fiesty."
(it was really ridiculous. we waited 2 hours for our table. 2.)


rhiannon: "give me your chest!"
caitie: "did i just hear what i think i heard?"
(did i ever tell you that i love my job?)


and also: absolutely everything said during the 2 rounds of NERTS we played at dinner tonight. Especially Sean and Chloe, ranging from yelling in spanish while the baby is sleeping, and getting chastened by an 8 year old... and chloe saying "i'm so overwhelmed!" while looking very flustered. they are HILARIOUS. vicki and gaylon, too. Devin and I are still a great team, but we never won... haha

quotes of the week

I spend time with some pretty hilarious people. There are probably a lot more funny things that were said this week, that I just don't remember.


spencer: "If I could get her, I would do unspeakable, sweet, sweet things to her. Like make her breakfast in bed, and open doors for her and stuff." (talking about how pretty the girl in Prince of Persia is)


chloe: "I hate Mondays. The only good thing about Mondays is The Bachelor." (um.... totally agreed.)


me: "Well, now I'm wide awake!"
dev: "Then I can be the little spoon, and you can cuddle me to sleep." (bahahaha. he really did fall asleep, too.)


kayla: "I'm gonna be so buff! Like Ciara!"
me: "Isn't she fat?"
kayla: "No, that's Mo'Nique."
(hahahahaha, we're rude to celebrities.)


chloe: "It looks like Titanic, in a cave." (about the new movie, Sanctum.)


P.S. In case you were wondering... it's official. Devin's most used phrase when prefacing explanations is, "Well. Here's the situation..." haha Oooooh that Devin Ashby!

felicity

Devin has proven himself to be someone I can trust. Someone I can talk to about difficult things that I don't especially want to have to talk about. Someone who doesn't take offense to those things, and supports me unconditionally, regardless of those things. He has helped me in so many ways, overcome obstacles that I know I couldn't have done alone, or with the help of anyone else, for that matter.


I have been finding myself so grateful lately for the kind of man Devin was raised to be. His parents did an awfully great job! He told me the other night about how he has been taught all his life how amazing pure daughters of Heavenly Father are, and that they deserve to be respected and treated properly. Wow!  


Kylee's blog kind of inspired this, a little bit. I totally agree with her: chivalry is in no way dead! Point to the gentleman that brought her flowers, just as a thank you! That is awesome.


Also, major points to Devin, for being so constantly... aware of me! How I'm feeling, doing his best (and succeeding) to make me feel comfortable, cared for, entertained, all of the above! He has not only made life easier, but much more enjoyable! I only hope he can say the same about me -- I definitely try my best each day to return the favor! I have never felt so loved and appreciated!


My main "Thank You", though, goes to Devin's wonderful parents, Vicki and Gaylon. Not only have you welcomed me into your lives so graciously, but you have become my friends! I will say it again: You raised an amazing man. He is such a great example to me every day, in everything he does. He definitely doesn't let you down! I am so grateful you are both in my life! I look forward to every chance I get to spend with you, whether it be every Sunday for dinner, stopping by to grab mail and some soda or an entertaining game of Nerts! I feel so loved and accepted, and can't wait for all the fun times ahead! I love you both so much! Thank you!!!

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins,then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."


"Words and language are inadequate to express the gratitude I owe to my God for having given me so honorable a parentage." - Joseph Smith 

guilty

Last night, I kept Dev company while he did his english homework, because I (for the first time in forever) didn't have any homework of my own to do. He had to write this thing on guilty pleasures... so I started thinking of my guilty pleasures... I have a sort of long and semi-embarrassing list! But I think it's entertaining...

• setting my alarm for earlier then when I have to wake up, so I feel like I get to sleep in
• wearing jeans straight out of the dryer in the winter
• oreos in peanut butter
• taking notes in classes
• writing on whiteboards
• making lists (ironic... haha)
• paying in exact change
• cleaning. especially mopping with a swiffer
• pebble ice
• when the cashier at fabulous freddy's says "Have a fabulous day!"
• popping my knuckles
• sneezing
• packing for trips
• giving people gifts

Then, I read the research paper Devin had been working on forever, and it reminded me how much I hate works cited pages. You know what else I hate?

• paper cuts
• the paper on crayons
• nails on a chalkboard/forks on plates
• waking up late
• bad handwriting days (yes, I have a love/hate relationship with my handwriting)
• dry skin, especially my hands
• commercials
• worrying/being paranoid
• forgetting homework
• losting stuff
• my alarm clock
• the number 22
• sticky floors
• parking lots
• the smell of the hospitals
• watery eyes

Ok... anyway. I found this quote... and I don't think anything has ever been more true about my life, and how I feel:


I believe everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn how to let go. Things go wrong, so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself and the Lord, and good things fall apart so better things can fall together.


It's comforting to understand that everything happens for a reason, and what's meant to be will always find a way. It's also comforting to know that I don't have to worry anymore. There is no more jealousy or second-guessing. There isn't anymore stressing over things that shouldn't be stressing me out!


It's also comforting to know that Devin is here :)

all things are possible

“Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility, for it thinks all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible.”

-Thomas A. Kempis

day five

My favorite quote.


Um... I LOVE quotes. I have an entire right margin full of them >>>
so how about I just share some good ones with you.
Because I have a tendency of buying journals and filling them with quotes, and then journaling on my blog... so I guess this is appropriate.


Ok, some of these are long. And I know we are all lazy and usually skip the long stuff... but you'll regret it if you do. I'm on a bit of a spiritual high, so I'm going to share my favorite, most powerful gospel-related quotes. Maybe tomorrow I'll share others:


"Words and language are inadequate to express the gratitude I owe to my God for having given me so honorable a parentage" - Joseph Smith


"Our work is to save souls." -Gordon B. Hinckley


"Real disciples absorb the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith with one hand, while holding the Iron Rod with the other. There should be no mistaking... it will take both hands!" -Neal A. Maxwell


"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you on reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord... God has saved for the final inning some of his greatest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in; for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God." -Ezra Taft Benson


"I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it!" - Joseph Smith


"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their jobs, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whosoever will lose his life shall find it." -Ezra Taft Benson


"Our God will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not... our God will deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not... He will deliver us from loneliness, depression, fear, but if not... our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not... He will deliver us from death or impairment of loved ones, but if not... We will trust in the Lord. Our God will see that we receive justice and fairness, but if not... He will make sure that we are loved and recognized, but if not... We will receive a perfect companion and righteous and obedient children, but if not... We will have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that if we do all we can do, we will, in His time and in His way, be delivered and receive all that He has." - Dennis E. Simmons


"Never forget who you are... You are in very deed a Child of God, a daughter of Him. He is your Eternal Father. He loves you. You can go to him in prayer. He has invited you to do so... He is the Greatest of All. He is the creator and Governor of the Universe. And He will listen to your prayers." -Gordon B. Hinckley


"Fear not. Ask questions. Be curious. But doubt not." - Dieter F. Uchdorf


"If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates!" - Joseph Smith


"Glance backward, look heavenward, reach outward, press forward, find your way safely home again." -Thomas S. Monson


"No on else could invent the Atonement. No other person, even of the greatest wealth and power, could ever save one soul - not even his own. And no other individual will be required or permitted to shed blood for the eternal salvation of another human being. Jesus did it once and for all." - Russell M. Nelson


"Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good and worthwhile things. Believe in the nature within you, the divine nature, that you are in every deed a daughter of the living God. There is something of divinity within you, something that stands high and tall and noble. Get above the dirt and filth of the earth and walk on a higher plane with your head up, believing in yourselves and in your capacity to act for good in the world and make a difference." - Gordon B. Hinckley


"Great has been our past, wonderful is our present, and glorious can be our future!" - Gordon B. Hinckley


"There is something in the very posture of kneeling that contradicts the attitudes described by Paul, "proud... heady, high-minded." ...There is something in the act of addressing Deity that offsets a tendency toward blasphemy and toward becoming lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. The inclination to be unholy, as Paul described it, to be unthankful, is erased as together family members thank the Lord for life and peace and all they have." -Gordon B. Hinckley


"I see a wonderful future in an uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel, we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness." -Gordon B. Hinckley


"It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray until we do. If the Devil says you cannot pray when you are angry, tell him it is none of his business, and pray until that species of insanity is dispelled and serenity is restored to the mind." - Brigham Young


"Heavenly Father loves us more than we can comprehend... and we love Him much more than we remember." -Nicolette Hunter


"The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley


"This is a time to be strong. This is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the breadth and the importance of our mission. It is a time to do what is right, regardless of the consequences that might follow. It is a time to be found keeping the commandments." -Gordon B. Hinckley


"It is by the light of Christ that all mankind may know good from evil." -Elder Cook




Ok. I think that's good enough. Like I said, I don't have a favorite. I couldn't possibly choose a favorite. Just reading those makes me feel better!