Not goodbye... just "see ya later"

So Ryan and I spent our Memorial Day weekend moving some of our best friends, Jeff and Cortney Given, to their new place in Draper, Utah. We stayed the night with them Friday night and woke up at 3 in the morning on Saturday to hit the road.

I'll give you a little background first before I go on.

Cortney and I became friends back in 2010 when my sister Kayla and her started hanging out. I had been going to singles ward for almost 3 years and Cortney and Kayla just graduated High School and were about to join the singles ward. Before we knew it, us 3 were spending all our summer days together and many more after that. I had some of the best times with my sister and Cortney, who later became to feel like another sister to me. Time past and she started to date Jeff, he proposed and Cortney asked me to be a bridesmaid in their wedding, and of course I said yes. :)



Then I had asked her to be my bridesmaid in my wedding, and as all best friends say, she said of course. :)



Fast forward to now, and her and Jeff have been married almost a year and Ryan and I almost 5 months. Jeff got accepted to the "U" in Utah and so they made the courageous decision to move. By the grace and blessings of Heavenly Father, they were able to find a place that is wonderful and will help them to save money for their future.

They had asked us if we would help them with the drive and unpacking of their stuff and driving the truck back to California and we said why not? That's what friends are for. We had a fun time with each other and seeing where Cortney and Jeff will be living. :) And here are some pictures of the weekend. :)


So early!


Having fun!



We were grubbin' at the buffet. :)



Walking up to the new house where their basement apartment is!



Resting after a long day of driving and unpacking



Exhausted. And.. Cortney has a new hiding place! ;)



Playing spike ball and being silly at Jeff's family's outing. We needed some fun after that drive!



Awesome shower :)



Kitchen all cleaned up!!



This is what I looked like but with tears streaming down my face for about an hour... But the thank you card and gift card made me feel better. :)

I know that they just moved to Utah and not across the world, but I am really going to miss them. I am going to miss all the crazy, silly, fun times I have had with Cortney...and Jeff too. ;) All the random trips to 7-11, shopping, rocking out to music really loud in the car, game nights, and double dates.
I know that they are going to have a great wonderful adventure called Life ahead of them. I am so happy to call Cortney and Jeff my friends.

Good luck guys! May the Lord bless you in everything you do. :)

xoxo

The Rouch's

Forever my mother

This year is the first year my mom gets to celebrate Mother's Day with 3 kids rather than the original 2. My mom gained a son this January and she is very excited for her family to be slowly starting to grow.

My mom is one of the most silly, outgoing, loving, and generous women I know. I remember as a child spending time with my aunts and uncles and cousins, and going to different family events with my parents and sister. My mom would be the one telling funny stories, talking to everyone, and dancing on the dance floor and embarrassing me with her not-so-cool dance moves (which I now see, aren't so bad). I looked up to my mom and wanted to be less shy and more open like she was. She was always there for me and my younger sister. She made sure we had everything we needed. And even most of the time what we wanted. She has taught me to work hard for the things I want and need because that's what my parents had and still have to do.

Growing up since I was 8, my family had to struggle to get by because of an unfortunate situation that put my father out of work. Since then, my father has had numerous odd jobs and part time jobs to help our family out. My mom eventually got a job at the Long Beach airport when I was about 13 and up until that point, my mom was a stay-at-home mom for the most part. She didn't want to have to work and be away from us girls, but she knew if we wanted to survive that she had to make this decision and sacrifice.

Over time I have opened up a lot more and have become that woman that I wanted to be when I was little. My mother has taught me sacrifice, hard work, and how to let loose a little more. Of course she is not perfect, and many people in our Stake or in hers may know her very well, but her example to me of going to church and doing what we are suppose to as LDS members, has shown me that all that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. I am so glad that my parents were sealed in the temple and sealed to my sister and I for time and all eternity. I am so glad to have a mother that loves me unconditionally and is willing to do whatever she can to help make my new life with my husband a little easier. She may not think she does much for me, but she does more than she realizes.



I love you so much mom.

Happy Mother's Day

xoxo

The day I became an aunt :)

On Friday afternoon around 1:30 I was just at work with Justin and I get a text from my husband saying, "Ashley, Natalie's water broke, she's in the hospital. I'm going after work, I'll let you know more." So here I am so excited and I just want to leave then and there to be with everyone (but I couldn't). Justin was wondering why I was so excited and I told him that my sister-in-law is having a baby girl. He was so excited for me when he realized that means I am going to be an aunt. He asked if he could hold the baby and I had to tell him no, but that I would show him pictures on Monday at school. He then proceeded to tell me "Miss Ashley, you're going to be a good aunt." Melt my heart!! I hope this kid is right!

So as soon as I was done with work I rushed over to my mother-in-law's and rode with them to the hospital. We arrived around 3:30ish and we got to see Natalie in the room. Just a few contractions now and again but nothing too eventful at that point. Hearing the baby's heartbeat on the monitor was so amazing though. I've never experienced hearing that sound like that before. So then we leave the room and let others go in and say hi. My mother-in-law would come out periodically to give us updates on how she was doing. She was dilating so slowly and it got around 8 o'clock when I decided to go home and change my clothes then come back for the night (the doctor said it was going to be an overnighter) I later got a call from Ryan saying that everyone was going home and that we could sleep then go back in the morning. So we get a call from Ryan's mom at 5 or 6 in the morning saying that she had the baby. A couple weeks ago I had put down on the guessing game at Natalie's baby shower how much she would weigh and what day and time she would be born. Well I won the game, I had put down that the baby would be born April 20th at 2:30 pm, would weigh 7 lbs 13 oz and be 20 inches long. Well I got everything right but the inches and the time. She was 21 inches and born at 5:14 am.

So Ryan and I went later that day around noon to see Natalie and the baby. They hadn't decided on a name really yet but when we got there we saw they picked out the name Sadie. Her name is Sadie Faye Hastings. Ryan just gushed at the sight of her. He is so excited to be Uncle Ryan. She is so adorable and tiny and perfect. It's so crazy to think about this beautiful baby girl as just being with our Heavenly Father not too long ago. She really is a miracle, a gift from God. I cannot wait to spoil her and do my best at being a loving, supportive aunt. <3

I am obsessed! <3

xoxo The Rouch's

Once upon a time...

There was a girl named Melanie and a boy named Preston. They fell in love in High School, and more than 10 years later they finally tied the knot in her fairy tale wedding.

My cousin Melanie and the love of her life got married over the weekend in Parker, AZ so Ryan and I made the trip there on Saturday. The ceremony was literally right by the Colorado River and it was such a fun weekend. I love spending time with my family because there is never a dull moment, and there are so many of us. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress and I have never seen her as happy as I did when she said "I do". Cinderella got her Prince Charming. :)

Although it was lots of fun, we had an unexpected emergency happen while at the reception. I won't go into details but the paramedics were called for a family member. But, what I later realized that was so amazing was that, while many people would panic about the situation, my male cousins and my grandfather gathered around my family member and gave her a priesthood blessing. I am SO grateful to know that I have worthy cousins and uncles that are prepared and can be there in a situation like that. It makes me so grateful to be apart of this great gospel and know that we can be together forever! :)

Here are some photos from that awesome weekend!!



On the way to Arizona! It was so sunny and bright, I couldn't resist!



There were wild donkeys that would just cross the road out of nowhere!!



Just chillin' on the boat before the ceremony with my fam :)



All dressed up and ready for the ceremony :)



This little cutie is Asher. And he was a "groomsmen". Melanie wanted just family as the bridal party.



This handsome young man is Chandler, and Melanie's first nephew. He is 13 now and I want him to stop growing!!



These perfect little angels are Emme and Lily. The flower girls. So adorable!!



Waiting for the ceremony to start with my one and only sister. Twinnners with our necklaces and hats and sunglasses!



The view from where the guests sat. So pretty.



Melanie walking down the aisle with her dad, my uncle Mike.



Lily one of the flower girls.



Chandler and Kira, another flower girl.



My uncle Todd officiating the ceremony. He had some wonderful wise and touching words for them :)



You may now kiss the bride!



Mr. and Mrs. Rice!!



Picture time. Melanie and her mother, my aunt Terri. Both look so beautiful!



My lovely sister posing for the camera waiting for the reception to start :)



Love my momma and sisterboo! I wish they lived closer!



My handsome hubby and I. Love is in the air! :)



Melanie and her 3 older brothers, my cousins Scott, Steve, and Shawn.



And they lived, happily ever after :)

The End.

xoxo

The Rouch's

New life... New post!!

So it's been like a year since I've blogged. lol. But now that I'm married I figured, what better time then now. I have lots of time on my hands after work so why not?! Anyway, I'm very excited to be married and to be starting this very exciting yet different life with my sweetheart. I still can't believe I'm married sometimes, and especially to the one man that I always loved and hoped it would be. I spent so much time pinteresting, and blog stalking and all that silly stuff girls do before they get married, and then it actually happens and you're like woah.. that really happened! I'm a wife now! :) It will be 3 months next Friday that we have been married. It has gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday we were in the temple getting sealed to each other. I am the happiest I have ever been and I am so blessed with a husband that loves me even more than I could imagine. I plan on blogging alot more now, and if I seem to be slacking, just nudge me a little and say, "hey! I want to see what's going on with you guys!" lol. I thought I would post a few wedding pictures, even though you have already seen them on facebook.:) Enjoy!

xoxo The Rouch's