things that have been on my mind for one reason or another

whenever i take out eggs from an egg carton i have to take them out so the remaining eggs' weight is evenly distributed. for example, if i am using two eggs i will take one from the upper right hand corner and one from the lower left hand corner on the opposite side.

also this boy is rather attractive.

i meet him in italia at the GANZ (giovani adulti non sposati)

dear Sister Campbell, you are assigned to labor in....

the WEST INDIES mission

here's a map

which thankfully was included because i had no idea where the West Indies were

I am sooo excited to serve the people of the West Indies. I'll be sharing the gospel in my native tongue of English (although I hear their accents are pretty sweet and it takes a while to catch on). Whoa for warm climates and tropical rain storms!

and winner for most awkward photo of the night. haha.

but look how happy we all are.

secret time

so there have been many awesome things happening in my life, such as receiving my mission call, but i will get to that post later. it deserves more time that i have, as i am only blogging this because it's a small distraction from the massive paper i have to write in a foreign language and i think this a rather funny.

okay here is my secret. i havent showered since sunday. and here it is tuesday night...well technically wednesday morning.

when school gets busy i give up on the minute details of my life such as showering and making my hair look presentable.

will this last longer than the three almost four day span that it has come to? only my weak and tired body can determine that after i roll out of bed (if i even go to bed)

when its a choice between twenty minutes of sleep or a shower. sleep always wins.

thats all for now,

ashley

cultural diorama

single non-latino white female from moderately sized city in northern california
*this is a project for my multicultural education class in which i had to identify three artifacts that represent me socially, culturally, and ethnically.

If someone were to walk in my room one of the first aspects that they would notice would be all the books that are occupying my shelves, nightstand, and desk. If they were to look a little harder they would also notice the boxes of books that take up space in my closet. Even when I think about it I cannot pinpoint the one book that got me hooked on reading, I guess I have always been a reader. When I was little my mom was always reading books to me. I have a very distinct memory of me sitting on her lap as she read, for probably the millionth time, The Napping House by Audrey Wood. Books provide me with love and strong emotional connection to stories, characters, or issues being explored.

Books represent me, not because I am exceptionally smart which I’m not, but because I love to learn and explore other words, perspectives, and do what I cannot do myself. Books can keep my attention better than any film or television show. They are filled with wisdom and thought provoking themes, characters, and lines. It is these aspects that grip me by the heart or gut and force me to think of something I have not thought of before. They are able to do something I cannot. In life I feel that experience is one of the most important ways to learn and to find out who we really are, through books I can have so much more experience than I could just on my own. Books are a part me because I am a part of them.

I think that this artifact from my life represents me in several ways. First I am from a technology based era, a time when having tens of thousands of songs on a piece a plastics smaller than card and almost as thin. The world I live in is fast paced and always changing and advancing and almost anything is only a finger touch away. I have an iPod nano and since I have had this particular iPod, Eloise as I call her, there have been many new editions improving the quality and capacity of my music listening needs. I however have refused to trade her in because she is mine and I would never betray her for the newest, shiniest thing.

Second I feel that this artifact represents me because I love music, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t listen to at least a song or two. I appreciate all types of music as each variety speaks a little differently to my soul or heart or feet. Songs have the power to change people, whether for better or for worse. No matter what mood I am in there is a song that speaks to me even if the song is solely instrumental. I have a weakness for piano and cello pieces, probably because I cannot play either instrument. The melodious sounds that are produced from the piano and/or cello, to me, seem to be heaven inspired and it is when listening to these two instruments that I think most profoundly about who I am.

In my room there is a framed picture of Christ that I have had since I entered Young Womens when I was twelve. My leaders gave it to me as a welcoming gift and as a reminder to always be thinking about Christ. I feel that this picture represents me because I focus on centering my life on Christ. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints religion is not only in my life it is a constant part of life. It has shaped my cultural and social values through the principles and beliefs that are taught.

I feel that this picture represents me because it shows that I am relying on a power that is bigger than me and bigger than the entire world or universe. There is a being that knows and controls more than I can. I feel that this picture represents me because it shows that I am a follower or Christ, a Christian, that I believe in the gospels and believe that through Christ I can become a better and closer to who God wants me to be. I think that this picture also reflects my views on morals, what type of people I associate with, and with this specific picture that I am a member of the LDS faith.