Movie Junkies

Over the weekend James and I randomly drove to Kaneohe to pursue my cravings for a BK Whopper! I've been so over McDonald's since I got married. (Well I love their fries & vanilla cone) Anyways, here's the movie we decided to see!! TRUE GRIT! It was really funny, I was surprised that I enjoyed it, the ending was kinda weird though :)



Movies, Movies, Movies! Thanks to our Netflix account, we're able to stream all types of movies at a click of a button, seriously. I made some spaghetti, rice crispies and James made some chicken wing appetizers to go along with our homemade pina colada's. Definitely a comfort food night that went perfectly with our television :) Tonight has been so far, an Al Pacino Movie Night for us. James has got me hooked onto his movies, although some scenes I have to look away from (gross-o blood & language!). We both try to figure out the angle in the movie before the other. Anyways, we are both addicted to the rice crispy treats. It's 2 in the morning and we're suppose to be heading to town early tomorrow!!!

Our FIRST of many HOLLY JOLLIES!!

It's so exciting going through so many 'FIRSTs' together as a couple

Christmas for the Laie Aspinall's was fun & a learning experience

We combined traditions from our own families with ones we created on the spot :)

I have always enjoyed opening gifts from James. Not ONLY because they're GIFTS, but it's funny to see what he thought to get me & why, lol. I can remember the most hilarious but sweet ones came for my birthday, our first year dating. Memories!! After our Christmas morning together, we cleaned up and headed over to my parent's house for my Mom's big Christmas breakfast. Here are some shots of her gorgeous and awesome decorating skills. I think if there really WAS a Santa Clause (Sanoe I hope your boys don't see this post) my Mom would be the Head Elf, cause she goes crazy for December!!

My Mom always decorates her archway every year. Yes this is ALL done by HER HANDS with REAL Christmas tree branches. She has done this so long that she's made friends with the chronics (straight from her mouth) that sell tree's at Alamoana and they always keep a supply for 'their Auntay'. She strings the lights in, and decorations that she's collected over the years. It is ALWAYS an eye-pleaser for everyone that comes over, first thing they see & 'wow-ed' by. She also makes all the garlands for our home by hand too.

My Dad likes Snowman & my Mom likes Gingerbread and Nativity Sets (I got her some from Paraguay and Argentina)

My Mom has NEVER owned a fake tree (which has rubbed off on me) & she always gets huge ones. Their home was under construction for a while, which caused my Parents to get their tree late with a limited selection/prices. However, this tree was originally a whopping 13 FEET and cost over $400...if you know my mother, then you KNOW she talked the salesman down to barely over a $100 and arrived home with her giant tree. My older brothers had to cut/trim it down. It was still very HUGE in person. 

Dad has always read from Luke before opening presents (followed by a long BUT sweet prayer). I am so grateful that my siblings and I were blessed with a wonderful example of a Priesthood Holder. I can't imagine a home without this powerful and spiritual blessing that only Father's can bring. He has served from callings of Primary Teacher & Boy Scout Master to callings of High Council & Bishop. I love my Dad and am so happy he decided to serve his mission, learn Navajo :) and meet my crazy Mom! He is part of the reason I fell in love with James, because my husband shares many of these Priesthood & Fatherly qualities I admire and want for my own babies to come :)

Dad already wearing his rain boots we got him for his construction areas & Mom excited to use her new vacuum from Isaac. No really, she made my brother put it together and started vacuuming away and then  went to James and said "Look at how much it got from just this little area!!!" Although she was proud, I was embarrassed, hello that was definitely a dirty carpet LOL.

Hill got the best gift from Eric....a baby pot belly piglet!!

Rockin' the pencil skirt at 21 Weeks....i love dressing my pregnant body, its fun!

lights, tree, ornaments

Cute little Christmas craft I bought

It's the weekend after finals and freedom feels soo good. After our last tests Thursday, James & I headed to town to escape Laie. We had a yummy dinner, caught a movie, & looked at Christmas lights on our drive home. James LOVES blue Christmas lights and wants everything blue next year. (YEAH RIGHT!) Sorry love, we're sticking with the traditional colors :)

Now with school out of the way, we can definitely feel and ENJOY the Christmas season even more! (Plus a break from my 7:30am classes) Although we wanted to sleep in really really late the day after Finals, we both got up early and cleaned every inch of our house because the 'Finals Week Tornado' had hit! It took us an entire day to achieve our thorough approval, but it was worth it. Our house can breath again once more!

Here are some shots of our Jolly Season so far:

It was our ward Christmas Party & I helped out with the desserts. Yum, yum, YUM, I decided to make some Cherry & Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts. It's a very simple & inexpensive recipe.

the nilla wafers  bake into a crust, cool huh?

Poor in your cream cheese mixture over the wafers and bake for 20 minutes. After they cool, spoon some cherry or blueberry pie filling over as a topping. Our dessert was the first to be devoured & everyone loved them!

We have some many more yummy things to bake this season. One of my favorite things to do is finding recipes online from other wives. Even when groceries are limited, type into Google all that you have and you will always find a great hit. 

Our lights are plugged in 24/7. The majority of our ornaments were again STOLEN from my mom's decorations, haha. My mom loves Pier 1 & since I can't afford that place, I shop at my parents house for things. They have the best home decor ever, especially for Christmas. I love our tree, it was a gift from my parents. We come home and our apartment is FILLED with the smell of Christmas (Real trees are the only way to go!)

Eternity, stop missing out on it =]

This past weekend was very special & came as a wonderful break before heading into finals week. It began Friday evening when my beautiful friend entered the Laie Temple for the first time. I enjoyed every moment of the session, especially since I had waited since June to enter the House of the Lord again. The things you learn, the emotions you feel, the people you are surrounded by, makes you wish that everyone in the world could enter and be apart of such a heavenly place. If only they knew.

Rejieli is the lucky woman in the gray cardigan, with her Mother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law & Sister

So proud of her, this woman is a perfect example of faith <3

Continuing on with the endless blessings our temple provides, this morning I was able to attend my FIRST temple sealing. I was so so so (you dont even know how much) EXCITED to have the privilege in attending Jason & Roimata's sealing. Nothing is better than being a part of a Temple Marriage, you dont realize how much you had been missing out until you have a temple recommend!! Sorry for all of you that have to stand around outside, hey lets just say you all have a goal now to work towards!! Trust me, its definitely worth it. Especially since you'll always have the chance to be reminded of the counsel & love expressed when it was once you holding onto your husband's hand. I left the temple that day with a greater appreciation for our gospel, living next door to our temple, being sealed to my family for eternity and the greatest of all...falling in love with James all over again.

Congratulation to Mr. & Mrs. Jason & Roimata Sam

Gorgeous Bridesmaids Danica & Nea, loved their romantic attire

Their Reception was at Waimea, the open lanai & scenery plus the night time & candles totally beat Koolau

us nightshow girls dancing an auana hula with Roi, yes dancing in pink with my baby girl

Update: 19 Weeks & 2 Days

Thank you Thank you for my friends allowing me to spend such special memories with them this weekend, I truly needed it. Now its temple dates with my husband & many more with friends too.

Pretty in Pink

Friday morning we were able to see our baby girl

She was sleeping at the time, so the doctor had to keep trying to wake her up

Already she isn't a morning person like me!

But also, she's quite a lady, she wouldn't open/keep her legs open

haha, very classy <3

James was so excited when Doctor Lyon announced the sex

since he was publicly cheering for a girl

We were suppose to keep it quiet and announce it on Christmas Day

as a gift to everyone, but we couldn't hide our joy!

Mommy Group here I come :)

"Hearts Bound Together"

James & I loved our lesson today on the importance of genealogy and how we can all be Saviors on Mount Zion to our kindred dead by attending the temple regularly and taking in names with us.

I was touched by President Eyring's counsel when he said:
"When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. ... They rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them...As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them."

Na Ka'ahanui

Thanksgiving Deliciousness

Our Thanksgiving Holiday came at such a perfect time. Break from school, great weather, good spirits & fun family memories. We had the entire meal course split between my mom's oven and mine. So the turkey was cookin' on Naniloa Loop while the ham was sizzlin' in TVA. 

Mom & Hill came over EARLY Thursday morning, my apartment really smelled delicious!

Here's Hill "lomi-ing" the potato salad, lol, she had to make a lot

 As a tradition, we turned on the Macy's Day Parade!

Just in time for Jessica Simpson

This ham filled my whole apartment, I kept picking at everything!

Yummy Yummy deviled? eggs :)

Did you know that yams sold out everywhere the day before Thanksgiving! All the shelves were totally cleared out & people were buying cases of them, geez.

Thanksgiving Day was very busy w/all the preparations going on, but Im happy we started early. I was also able to put a load in and clean my apartment. After we finished all the dishes & desserts were transferred to my parent's house.

It's so nice spending time with your family and eating home cooked meals. I'm grateful for my husband & the health of our first expected baby, for my parents, my siblings and the gospel :) Im so happy for these family traditions that my parents have established, I look forward to continuing them w/my own! Even when James & I move to Auckland, I told him we're still celebrating Thanksgiving haha.

RELAXATION!!!

I was soo excited to get this in the mail!

 

James & I decided to stay home and to my surprise have a Facials Night!

I wanted to try out all the new things I got in the mail

and James seemed just as curious :)

This product is pretty expensive, but I was able to score a DEAL!

It's very gentle & does the job!

I stopped by Walgreens today & this was on sale!

Famous Queen Helene's Mint Julep

Try this out guys, feels WONDERFUL after :)

WAIT

Before we started, we ordered pizza

and popped in the new

Jim Carey "A Christmas Carol" dvd

Here we go:

1. Mask

(James tied a cape bc he thought the mask would stain his white T)

2. Exfoliate/Cleanse/Rinse

circular motions to get rid of all the 'impurities'

3. Moisturize :)

Yes to Carrots smells so yummy, plus its organic!

This was such a fun night + dinner & a movie

ALL found at the comfort of your home
Next is pedicure night...lol

Midterms Stress

MIDTERMS ARE OVER!!!

Messy house, loose line paper everywhere, stacked textbooks, etc...

We're soo glad that our midterms are over

Plus we had to fit in a baby appointment in between classes

Get to work to make money

And clean for Saturday's White Glove Check

It was definitely a busy week!

James was a superhero, while I was an emotional mess :)

Pregnancy hormones + school stress + unsatisfied cravings + limited sleep

EQUALS=

Grumpy, tired, Ashlyn stuck w/a huge tension headache

(not able to take any medicine!!!)

while my poor husband has to endure me "going off" 

about how dumb TVA is for having cleaning checks

until my headache finally allows me to fall asleep

leaving superhero James to spend the whole night cleaning our house!

Everything was spotless the next morning, & our RA passed us!!

Thanks to James <3

It was also my little sister's 20th birthday

Family get-together's w/close friends are the best kind of birthday parties

Especially the home cooked meals & cake
Now on to another full week...at least Christmas is around the corner!

heaven is family

"I wouldn't know how to speak of heaven 
without my wife or my children. 

It would not be heaven for me."
--Elder Holland

Grateful. is how i feel because i am sealed to james.

& our little one to us...taste of heaven to come

What a beautiful Sunday today has been, for resting, for family time & for worship.

Some of my Relief Society sisters shared beautiful thoughts today in testimony meeting:

 "When I'm most grateful, I find that things will fall into place."

 

I'm glad that I forced myself to be reverent and to pay attention in church today

It's hard sometimes because I keep fidgeting to find comfort

or the hunger pains start to roll in

But today was wonderful, especially when James & I kept laughing 

at my struggling efforts to stop the wind from blowing my dress over my head!

James also laughed at a little gift I got him:

I stopped by the Country Sister's Craft Sale just across the temple

There were so many beautifully handmade crafts for your home

Yes I bought a ton, especially to decorate for Christmas

Anyways this "Honey-Do List" caught my eye & I had to get it!

“Love your companion. Make him a part of all you do. 

He may be short or tall, thin or fat, handsome or homely-but he’s all yours.”

--President Thomas S. Monson

Good-bye October!

Halloween came & left soo fast! Here was how James & I celebrated our Halloween weekend together:

13 weeks!

As a family we visited the Laie Temple Open House Saturday morning. Bro & Sis Mata'u were our guides and they were awesome. Only if everyone could see the temple's beauty...even without its dedication, you could feel the spirit.

If you live in LAIE you know that majority of the residents are predominantly LDS (Mormon). Therefore, since Halloween was on a Sunday this year, our town trick-OR-treated on Saturday to observe Sunday's reverence :) Yes Mormon's are the bomb, even the less active ones too!

My Dad & I set up this walk-thru castle & other blowups for my mom. The little kids LOVED it, seriously. Some of them forgot to get candy, they just wanted to walk through. IF your kids didn't stop by, they truly missed out. My Mom gave out caramel popcorn balls, toys, saltwater taffy from Utah & pumpkin bags for little kids that only had a Foodland bag for their candy LOL.

the whole setup, get your candy from the witch, walk thru & then look at all the blowups. moms took a million pictures.

I TRIED to be a geisha, LOL...eh, my Dad kept calling me Mulan! I got this sheer top for like 2 bucks at Jean's Warehouse red tag sale, it's actually 3X!! I had to double wrap the strings around my waist, but it added to the Kimono-ish feel :) The fan was actually a wedding favor from my friend's wedding.