Recent Pics

In this post I am trying to make up for my lack of pictures in basically most of my posts...I am usually too lazy to upload photos. So, here are some photos from the last couple of months...enjoy!



Here is Bryan getting really intense during a game of Bocci ball (which is not an intense game)

This is at my cousin Bryce's wedding. The other girl in the picture is my cousin Amy....apparently she thinks I am hilarious!
Me and my cousin Aubrey

Bryan and our niece Amelia
Bryan and our nephew Grant
Me and my niece Amelia
This was in the parking lot of a mountain biking trail up Provo Canyon

Ribs...yum :)
I promise I am not a smoker, 23 candles just puts off more smoke than I thought!
This is what my face looks like while listening to the Mason version of "Happy Birthday"
Me and Zeus, look how big he is!

Meet Kate

This is my new niece Kate Marie Andersen. She was born September 18th at 11:40. She was 5 lbs 11 oz, and 18 inches long. She is so adorable, and I can't wait to meet her! Congratulations Brian and Courtney! Bryan and I now have 2 nieces and 2 nephews!

Blog about not blogging

Just in case you were all wondering why Ashley is the only one to post anything on OUR blog, let me explain. I (Bryan) am against blogging, and for that matter against I Pods and the majority of technology that makes us all less social.

I am also against facebook in case you didn't know (yes I know I have a facebook account) facebook is just an excuse to not ACTUALLY communicate. We use it to keep in touch with people that in reality haven't been important enough to really keep in touch with. We look into their lives to check in but if we really cared about these people wouldn't we in fact have never fallen out of touch? There are the occasional exceptions, but my guess is the majority of them are the ones not really worth keeping in touch with. I have hundreds of friends on facebook, but i only have about 30 numbers in my telephone.

Now for I Pods, this will make most sense to those of us who have recently graduated college or are in college. You see I walk from class to class and people constantly run right into me as if I were not there. They are paying so much attention to whatever racket they are listening to that everyone else becomes invisible. I wonder how many people have missed out on their next date because of this horrible little machine. I hate the I pod and it has begun to erode our communicative skills in the very least on BYU's campus.

How could I possibly hate blogs? And, yes I am aware of the irony here, in blogging about hating blogs, which in reality is the only reason I decided to begin to write on this blog, that seems to suck my wife away for a couple hours a month. It is nice to see pictures of family and friends and "hear" about what is new in their lives but I am convinced that we should pick up the dang phone or write a dang email. For crying out loud how busy are we that we created this bulletin board so that we no longer have to actually communicate? Thus the reason I hate blogs and I pods and facebook. The hate list could certainly be longer but I don't have time for that today.

I thought since I was writing I should do something productive so I am taking votes on what I should be for Halloween I have narrowed it down to Tobias Funke in never-nude attire or Buddy the Elf let me know.

My First...and Last BYU Football Game

I have lived in Provo for a total of 3 years now, and until yesterday had never been to a BYU football game. Everybody who found out that I had never been told me how I was missing out on something great. So, Bryan and I broke down and bought some tickets and went to the BYU vs. UCLA game yesterday. I can now say that I have been to a game, and will never go again. Seriously I must have been missing something because it was not all that people have talked it up to be. I guess I have to preface my story with the the fact that I did run 17 miles before going to the game, so I was needless to say, a little tired.

Bryan and I absolutely hate any kind of traffic, so we decided to ride bikes to the game with my little brother Eric, who lives with us. I think that was the highlight of the game for me. :) When we got to the stadium it was so hot, and so crowded. Then we found our seats, but didn't get to sit down because everybody stands the ENTIRE game. Seriously, what is the point in standing?!!! So we stood in the crowded stadium with sun beating down on us for like 3 hours, and we even left early! (BYU was up like a ridiculous amount to zero...I can't even remember the score, that is how much fun I was having) When we got home I had a farmers tan and felt so dehydrated! That is when I told Bryan I had no desire to ever go to another football game. Poor Bryan loves football, and married me, who can't sit through an entire football game to save my life!

But, my adventurous day didn't stop after the game! My brother and sister in law Russ and Marie were coming down from Salt Lake to go mountain biking with us, and I didn't want to be a bum and stay home, so I decided to go despite being really tired. I had a feeling it would be a bad idea, but I wasn't sure it was a bad idea until we were riding, and I was so wobbly on my bike because I was so tired. So, there was a big root in the trail that I hit the wrong way and did a front flip over my handlebars....it was at that moment that I was positive that mountain biking was a bad idea after running 17 miles, and then standing in the sun for 3 hours! :) Oh well, I survived with minor scrapes and bruises, and I learned my lesson!

Bryan's Dream Car

I just realized that I never posted about Bryan's new car. Since I have known Bryan he has always talked about some day getting an Austin Mini from the 1960's. He went to Europe when he was about 15 and fell in love with them there, and has wanted one ever since. He has never been the type to be very impressed by things like Ferrari's or even your typical BMW. He would take an old car over those cars in a heart beat.

So, about two months ago Bryan's brother Russ called him and told him about a 1963 Austin Mini that he saw for sale in Sandy, UT. Bryan was so excited about it, but I was a little apprehensive. We drove to Sandy to take a look, and once I saw the look on Bryan's face when he saw the car I knew that I had to let him buy it. So, of course he did, and now Bryan has his dream car at the age of 24! (Good thing his dream car cost less than $8,000) We have so much fun driving around town in it, and I am so glad that he was able to get it!

St. George Marathon #2!!

Last year I ran the St. George Marathon, and I LOVED it. So, this year I signed up to run it again. Unfortunately they have a lot of people that sign up every year, so they have a computer that randomly picks something like 4,000 names out of the people who signed up and I didn't get in. But at the beginning of the month I was doing my visiting teaching, and one of the girls that I visit teach with is running the marathon. I told her how sad I was that I didn't get to run it this year.... and then she gave me the best news! Her dad works for the city down there, and he was able to get me in!!! So, I am training for a marathon in only month! The marathon is October 4th. Luckily I have been working out steadily since the last marathon, so I never got out of shape. I ran 13 miles last weekend, and it felt great. This weekend I ran 17 miles, and it still felt great! I am still really nervous for the marathon, because I am sure that after like mile 18 or so I am going to have a really hard time! But, I am so excited to be able to run another marathon. Bryan thinks I am crazy because he just can't wrap his head around running for fun. When I asked him if he thought I should run it this year since I only have a month to train he said "Do whatever you want to do, but I will never understand why you want to run 26 miles. " I don't really know why I want to run 26 miles either except that it is there, and it is a challenge, and I love a challenge! So, wish me luck!