My Elephant...One Bite at a Time: Jerusalem!!!

So I am going to attempt to get caught up on the past year (14,000 photos) of my life... but just like the elephant I am eating... or Old & New Testament I am reading... It has to be one step at a time... And thus... the one a day! AND just to preface: not all of these will be edited images--as this is not my professional blog ;) to see those... please go to http://ashleycrist.blogspot.com or http://sunrisebeachmassage.blogspot.com and these will be updated one a day as well! And just so you know... refer a friend for massage and get 10 minutes free on your next session, and for photography receive 15% off on your next service.

Cheers!
AshleyI figure since I mentioned my goal to read the entire Old and New Testaments this summer... I would expound on why... I got accepted to BYU Jerusalem!!! Many of you know that this is something I have dreamt of for years now, and was accepted to do the year that Scott died... I am finishing up my last 3 classes @ BYU currently, have applied to walk in August and will finish up and attend Jerusalem this Fall! The only parts that make this a lil' bitter-sweet feeling are: the really good men I am dating, my family going on a cruise in September, and my having to decide 'where next' after Jerusalem... in the words of Jason Reeves: The end is such a scary place to be... I don't know where to go from here...

Snowshoe PC...

Great trails in Park City... snowshoe, bbq, & hot tub!!!

Congratulations Liz!!!

One of my best friends, Liz, moved here last October...her birthday was shortly after that and Erin and I decided to throw her a fabulous party--and fabulous it was!!! And... we made her a bucket list of things to do while she lived in Utah and one of the things on the list was to get baptized... and that Erin and I would sing at her baptism... well, we all know that you don't get baptized without meeting with the missionaries and searching to know for yourself if the restored Gospel of Jesus is true... and well.. Liz did just that and was baptized this past semester, I am so happy for you Liz!!! And I Love you. There is nothing quite like a good friend experiencing the joy of the gospel to remind me what is most important in life!!! After erin and i sang, a woman came up and asked us how long we'd been in the mission field... she assumed we were Liz's missionaries--this was truly one of the best compliments I have ever received!!!

Happy Easter!!!

A wonderful Easter Weekend and General Conference too! Things are great--really great--better than they have been in years. Hope y'all have felt the Love of God and gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ:

http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages#p/a/1/9ddXNF29goo

65GB

That's right... on top of finishing up a degree @ BYU and work as a massage therapist... I have been pursuing a love... and in the past few months I have had some incredible photo opportunities...AND with midterms have gotten a little backed up...that's right 65GB backed up. It's not really that bad considering that I shoot in raw--which is, in the words of Pulitzer Prize winning Brian Smith "the only thing to do..." in fact he said "to not do so would be like taking only Polaroids."

Most can be categorized quite simply as:

People I Love: FAMILY!!!--my family--most especially Sydney, Stockton, Samantha, Hadyn & Olivia

The Gospel of Jesus Christ: GOD!!!, although this is a part of all the dimensions in my life it is also the best way to categorize somethings such as opportunities sharing the joy of the Gospel with people, or notes from a BYU Devotional or a CES Fireside etc. I love the Lord and hope to share that knowledge with everyone I meet.

Fabulous Vacations: TRAVEL!!!--Mexico, Maine, Arizona/Grand Canyon (with recaps of Europe & Washington to come)

Massage/Life Therapy: MASSAGE!!!Something that brings me great joy is helping people and since I get paid to do it...it actually makes for a VERY great trade-off...and as I realized today...I can acquire clients anywhere and then vacation there while building my business, travel and life experience!

Great memories captured: PHOTOS!!!--the opportunity to capture those memories for my family as well as for others is something I truly love--it is almost as though i can make a moment stand still in time. The joy of a child laughing, the sorrow of loss, the excitement for the future, a couple in love!!!

Suicide Prevention: PREVENT!!!...yes if you know anything about me you probably already know that since I lost my brother Scott to suicide in 2006 I will do all that I can to help others and prevent suicide as the social epidemic that it is. If you have a problem with this...

AND as always the incredibly random: RANDOMNESS!!!... Everything from cooking tips to decorating tips to tricks about stain removal... Wow... it's as though I am a Home & Family Living Major @ BYU and that ever since the time I was a little girl I have wanted to grow up and be the ideal wife and mother...

I guess this should be entitled my lifelong dream or Home & Family Living: HOME!!!...Which leads me to my next topic...

Epiphanies/Late Night Ramblings: EPIPHANIES!!!--quite self-explanatory.

Finally... DREAMS!!! Things that I desire to do with my life. I want to more actively speak of the desires of my heart as an exercise of faith that those things will be realized, and offer gratitude to God for the dreams accomplished!!! 4 Years ago I made a list of "impossible dreams..." And so far i've accomplished 50% of those...so IT IS TIME TO START MAKING AND ACCOMPLISHING MORE!!!

Tendin' Liv... Love tendin'' Liv!

A Great Birthday Surprise...

Happy Birthday Mike! A group of us pitched in to send a friend home to see his family and be with his sister when she reports her mission--it was one of the highlights of the semester.