for the sake of updating

i started a private blog, so i've been giving more attention to that lately, plus also, we've been more busy than ever! a few updates:

1. I have loved every minute of my new job. It's still extremely overwhelming, and I'm starting to feel like I'll never get the hang of it all, but I think it will just take a little more practice! The guys in the shop are hilarious and also really nice, and the customers are awesome. The shop definitely has a good reputation. Plus also? It's pretty funny to take the company car for a spin every once in awhile :)

2. Sean and Chloe are having a BOY!!! I am getting a new nephew! I married into 2 nieces and a nephew, and even though Addi was still a baby when I met Devin, it will be so different to have a niece/nephew born since I've been an Ashby! It's been fun to watch Chloe and Sean through the pregnancy, and the other night, Chloe brought over the DVD of the ultrasound and we got to watch! I had never seen a video of one before and I was totally amazed by it! You could see the tiny little heart beating inside baby ashby's chest, and you could see his brain! He is going to be so, so gorgeous! Sean has already nicknamed him "blue" because as Chloe has tracked the size of the baby with those fruit things, Sean got hooked on calling "it" (at the time) "baby blue" - now it definitely fits, being a boy and all! I am so excited for them to be parents. They will be so great! 

3. We are moving in ONE WEEK. Holy cow. Where did this last week go? Now all the sudden we have TONS to pack and move in the next week. It's going to be exhausting! I keep looking at the pictures I took on my phone from when we first walked through the house, and it gets me more and more excited. I can't wait! Devin has already set up the internet and i'm pretty sure even the utility bills. The only thing left to do is sign the lease officially and get those keys!!! (Did I mention there's a pool?!)

4. Kelli's birthday was on Wednesday! My big sister is 24! It's weird to think that my husband is older than my older (est) sister. I've just always seen her as so much older and more mature! We get to celebrate at dinner with Kelli, Sean and other friends tomorrow. I love my cheech SO much! I wish she didn't live so far away :(

5. Strawberry soda. I forgot how much I loved this stuff. When I was at UVU, I would buy a can of Welch's at one of the little cafes in the LA building almost every day, and then forgot it existed. When Devin was craving soda at the grocery store the other night, and we saw there was a sale... I couldn't help but get some! So good. So, so good.

6. Shortly after Devin started working for Momentum, the owner and his good friend, Jeff, commissioned him to build a team-building program for businesses. This week, the program launched! Not only am I so excited for the kinds of things this will mean for the gym, but I am SO proud of Devin! This is the kind of thing he is going to school for, so for him to be getting this experience right now, while he is just starting the Outdoor Rec. Management program is HUGE! I'm a proud wife :) read more about the program here.

7. It's wedding season. Which means that Devin just finished up editing the last photos he's taken, and it also means that our weekends are booked for receptions of dear friends. Tomorrow? A mission companion. And next Saturday (which is also move-in day!), our dear friends Brit and Joe! So happy for them!

8. My One Tree Hill marathon has finally reached season 2. I love this show so much. I just forgot for... several years... haha!

9. We are PUPPY SHOPPING! If anybody has any information on affordable mini australian shepherd puppies/breeders in Utah or Idaho, please let us know! We are willing to drive pretty much anywhere in the state to find the perfect puppy! We don't need any show dog AKC kind of stuff. Just a cute little guy to be a family dog. Now that we will be living somewhere puppy friendly, we won't last very long without a puppy! 

10. I would also like recommendations for a good new book to read! I'm fresh out! Not that I've had much time for reading lately or anything... ha!

our days our numbered

in Orem, I mean. Our days our numbered in Orem. 

because why? because we're moving! 

Our months and months of apartment searching have finally come to a close and we have found a new place! We're moving to a townhouse in Herriman in 2 weeks, and we couldn't be more excited. A lot has been leading up to this, and we've been working for it for a long time now! It's good to finally see the result of the work we've put in to finding a new place, and it's going to be a big change for us, but a welcome one, and more importantly, the exact kind of change that we need right now! 

more details later... i've gotta pack! 

my week via iPhone

 

< breakfast

> nights when devin works = laying in bed watching TV. endlessly. 

 

< garden veggies from my visiting teachers

> riley came for a visit

 

< pool time with my sister

> i started a One Tree Hill marathon. no shame!

 

< sunburn resulting from the afternoon at the pool... ouch!

> fun new photos app

 

>< more photo app fun

 

< made this scalloped bunting banner

> J-Dawgs for dinner / new job celebration

 

< midnight snack. literally.

> finally sucked it up and threw away my wedding bouquet.

 

< devin's dad loaded us up with tomatoes and a few jalepenos so i made salsa to take to sunday dinner!

> double date with Kelli and Sean to The Pie!

 

< naked baby and her uncle devin

> and her popcorn

and she sang me happy birthday!

getting ahead of ourselves...

so.... 

i responded to a job posted on ksl.com recently for a receptionist position. got a call, and they wanted to interview me. on my birthday. i was okay with that. mostly because of how desperate i am for a new job. so i interviewed on my birthday. got along so well with the girl that interviewed me. that was last friday (uh, my birthday, duh) and then on monday, or maybe tuesday, i sent her an email. an email that basically said "i really want this job and will do practically anything to get it. just so you know". she loved it. i got called in for a second interview with one of the owners. got major points for being early. got major points for the email. and was told several times throughout the interview, by him, that i was doing a good job. sweet! today, they asked if i would go sit in with the current receptionist and just observe. you know, to make sure it's really what i wanted. so i did. for an hour. and i had a blast. called the girl back, told her how much i loved it, told her i wanted the job even more so now, after the hour i spent with that awesome staff, and she offered me the job on the spot. WAHOO!!!!

a lot of this feel likes "finally". i am so happy to have finally found something new! i have nothing but good things to say about my old job, but when you're unhappy about going to work every day? you're doing it wrong. i hate the idea of working for the weekend. if i'm going to spend more time at work then i will at home with my husband, then freak. i better enjoy it. 

and this place. a family owned company w/ a few locations around the county... they're awesome! i am so excited to be a part of this. i know, it's just a receptionist position, but it's what i wanted. as silly as that may sound. but it's what i need. and it means we can finally start making these other big things happen! 

i got the call while devin and i were on our way to his parent's house tonight, and was thrilled enough to cry (but i didn't). and then we got some j-dawgs. mostly because we didn't want to cook because we're lazy. but in my head, it was to celebrate my new job. because i like to celebrate. we came home and started looking at the pamphlet from the apartment we want, and we started measuring around our house to get an idea of the room sizes. and then we started sorting through things, making a D.I. pile, and talking about moving arrangements (like who has trucks, and time to help us move, so we can do it in 1 day), and we started talking about how we would pack things and where they would go, and talked about decorating our new apartment (i'm so excited!!) needless to say, we may be getting a little bit ahead of ourselves...

and we may be getting a puppy for Christmas... (if i have my way, at least) :)

i am so excited and so ready for this change. draper will be a breath of fresh air, and it will force us to make new friends and get out of our comfort zones. i'm excited to make the changes that have seemed necessary for so long, but have also seemed unattainable. 

things are happening! 

Autumn

Fall is fast approaching, and it's a good thing, too. All my life, I thought I was a summer girl. Maybe it's the fact that I'm not in school anymore, so summer lost that special freedom. Maybe it's the incredibly hot and dry summers we've been experiencing in Utah these last couple years, but I totally take it back. I'm Fall and Spring, through and through!

Last year, Fall fashion became a really big deal. Bigger than I had ever noticed before. And this year is just the same. By mid-July, I was already pinning fall-inspired wardrobe pieces, and I'm anxious for this heat to be replaced with chilly weather and red leaves. I am by no means a fashion blogger. In fact, I'm pretty positive I've never even done an outfit post. That's not what this blog is about. Instead of sharing what I wear, or how I did it, I choose to keep this blog the way it's been since 2009, when I started it as "Wishful Thinking" (most of those posts got deleted for reasons not worth talking about...): a lifestyle blog. That being said, after the recent birthday shopping spree I had with my sisters and my husband on my birthday weekend - I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe. I feel more in the fashion loop than I ever have. Some of these trends have been around for summer, but I'm excited to carry them through to the colder months. Here are some of the things I've stocked up on for autumn:

neutral layering pieces

bright tees for layering (I grabbed these two colors)

fall colored denim (similar): so far, i've got black, white, olive and eggplant (each pair I bought was under $30, from either Charlotte Russe or Wet Seal - which both have great-fitting jeans!)

statement necklaces (similar)

chambray (similar)

and some pieces that have yet to find their way into my closet:

bright pea coat (similar)

equestrian style boots

neutral/neon color blocking

lace detailing

lace pencil skirt (similar)

converse (similar)

hunters!

and looks i love:

white on white

mixed neutrals

dressy relaxed

preppy

bright color stories

now if only the weather would cool down...

our first place: an updated version

I posted photos of our apartment (that we are still living in) when we were first married. Things are different now. It looks much more finished. Much less "newly-wed", and everything's rearranged. Since we're moving any day now, I knew I wanted to document this place. We love it here. It's been perfect for us. We love the quirks, and have tons of stories about "our first place" and I'll never forget it! I'm sad that we'll be leaving, but I cannot wait to move. It's time for some change.