Discovered Delicious Taco Soup

Hey all, it's been a while since I've last written. It's been a few months actually, and there are some things that I should be catching everyone up on. For the most part, things have been going the way that I would like them to go. Richard and I are doing well, my job is excellent! Even better than the last time I wrote actually. We're in our apartment for a year now, we're getting our stride here now. It's been a wonderful six months since we've moved here, and we're loving our place more and more.

One of the best things that's been about my job is that I have been promoted. I'm no longer a library aide, which is kind of side. I did love seeing all the books and playing in the shelves and shelves of books. I am now a public computer specialist along with Susan. I going to be paid more now, and I'll be working with computers and the technology in my library. I also have to dress business casual as well. I no longer get to wear jeans all the time, but I get to dress better now.

Also with my new job, I will have three days off a week, in a row, and I have decided to not be so lazy in the cooking department. I have made it one of my New Year's Resolutions (as of right now), to start getting more recipes and making more homemade food. If I have three days a week off, I need to start making more food, homemade food, and just trying recipes to decide what it is that I like.

Starting off with this week then, I have found a taco soup recipe that I think is to die for. Richard actually helped me modify it to our tastes as well, and we love this dish. It's definitely one that we'll be using more often at least. So, here it is:

Quick, Easy, and Delicious Taco Soup

1/2 to 1 pound of hamburger

Onion powder

28 oz. tomato sauce

15 oz. can corn (undrained)

1 small can of kidney/black beans

1 envelope of taco seasoning (hot/original)

Season and brown hamburger with onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, and lemon pepper. Once the hamburger has been browned, add the corn and let cook for a few minutes. In a separate pot, combine the tomato sauce, beans, and a little more onion powder. Then add the hamburger and the corn to the pot as well. Then add the taco seasoning envelope, and let the soup come to a boil. 

Once the soup has come to a boil, reduce heat, let simmer for a few more minutes to let the flavors meld and then enjoy!

I love this soup, Richard loves this soup, and if you add some corn tortillas you've baked in the oven, and it is DELICIOUS! 

I hope that you enjoy this soup, and if not, you go out there and find your own new recipe to try. You never know, you might find your new favorite recipe.

Talk to you later,

Ashley :)

It's That Time of Year

And no, I don't mean Christmas. It's Autumn, one of my favorite

times of year. The mornings are crisis and cool, the sun warms the air just right, all the hooligans are in school, and the leaves are starting to turn colors.

I love this time if year. Now don't get me wrong, the other seasons of the year are great as well, but there's just something magical about watching the leaves change color, knowing that you're not going to bake in the heat of summer, or freeze in the cold of winter, and there's almost a magic that comes at only this time of year.

Right now, Richard and I are visiting his parents, so we're not actually at home, but it's still a place where we feel at home. I'm sitting at my mother-in-law's islando as I'm writing this entry. Richard and his father have gone to fill up the GTO with fuel, so that it can be driven, his mother is doing the bills, and I'm writing till I'm needed. I love coming to my in-law's, it's a place where we can both relax and help out.

There are a lot of things that I love about Autumn, but I think my favorite thing about it this year is that I have one of the best jobs ever! I work as a library aide in one of the best library systems ever! I love my job, I love my co-workers, and I know what I want my future career to be. I want to be a librarian I had flirted with the idea for a little while this summer, while I was freaking out about not having a job, along with the idea of being a teacher.

As soon as I started my job at the library, I knew what it was that I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to work in a place that I love and feel like it's a home away from home. And all of my co-workers are amazing, they're geeky, weird, funny, and we all fit in with each other.

This has been my life, and I love it so far. I'll continue working at my library and start working on getting my Master's in Library Science.

Talk to you later,
Ashley

I Have Got A Job!

Whoo!!! I got a job, I got a job, I got a job! 

More like "You got me job!"

Yes, after a month here in Oklahoma City, I have a job! And I have got to say, it's most likely my dream job. I have finally got a job, and it's a job in a library. A branch of the Metro Library System of Oklahoma. It's a part time job, but it a place where I can figure out if I want to be in the library (most likely do), and just enjoy where I'm working.

So, here's to the next adventure in our lives! And mine especially. :)

Talk to you later,
Ashley

We're Going to Be Moving... GAH!!!

So, as you can probably read from the title, Richard and I are going to be moving. Like...really soon. As in, "the end of this month" soon. Holy. Crap.

But seriously, where did all the time go. April, I graduated from college (finally), and I wrote about the time going so super quickly. Now here I am again, writing about how time is going super fast. But let me give you a little bit of background for the fastness of this move and the "why" behind the move.

As you probably know by now, I moved to Provo, Utah in 2010 to begin my college career. In doing so, I switched my major, met and married my husband, visited India, and graduated college. This has taken me five years to do. Come this past April, I started looking for work. Now, remember, I am in PROVO, UTAH where college degrees are a dime-a-dozen. I had interviewed for several jobs, and I did well in all of the interviews. At least, those interviewing me said that they liked talking to me, that I would do well in the job environment, and I felt good about all of these jobs.

Yet, I would always get a call, and even one person emailed me rather than call me, that would say "Yes, we loved you, but we decided to go with someone else. But if something else comes us, we'll call you." Boo. I hate all of you.

A combination of this and many other factors, we're going to move. And we going to move to Oklahoma. Richard has a job secured there, and I have a better chance of finding a job myself. We're
going to move onto a new chapter in our lives, one that is sorely needed.

So, the next time I write, it'll most likely be from our new home. Till then, enjoy this picture of me as Rainbow Dash! :D

Talk to you later,
Ashley

The Last of Us

Or at least, the last of me in school.

It's true, this is my last year of college, and I'll be graduating in a week. A WEEK I TELL YOU! Yeah, I'm pretty shocked too.

For the past five years, I have gained higher education at Brigham Young University. For the first two years of my college career, I worked towards getting into the Advertising department here. My application was rejected, and I realized that I didn't really have the time to try and apply again. I switched my major from Pre-Communications to Anthropology and I realized that I should have probably started here from the beginning.

My first class was Anthropology 101, and I just feel in love with learning about so many different cultures, lives, and just realizing that while I thought I had an open mind before, it'll be nothing compared to how wide my mind is open now. I also realized that I needed a job, and my TA, Stefanie, suggested that I apply to be a Anthropology 101 Teaching Assistant. I did, and it was suggested that I wait for one more semester before applying again. I did so for Fall Semester 2013 and I got the job. And it's a job that I've had and loved ever since.

I then started to prepare for my field school. I knew that it was something that I needed to accomplish
in order to get my degree, but it wasn't something that really hit me till Winter Semester 2014 when I started to getting ready. I would be leaving my husband, my home, and my country, for three months to study cross-caste marriage in Visakhapatnam, India. Richard would be recently graduated and looking for full-time work and I would be leaving him. Not only was it hard for me to do, but it was also something that I realized that I can do. I can live outside of the country, and I can do what I'm supposed to do as an anthropologist. I can do what it is that I have been training to do for the past year!

I came back to realize that I only have a year of school left. A year left before I would be done at BYU. I analyze my data, and start to get everything ready for my senior thesis. This time is now...I'm finishing up my senior thesis, and I realize that these past five years have been all for this moment.

This little moment where I will walk across that stage at 8:00 in the morning and receive my diploma (cover...actual diploma will be delivered in 4-6 weeks in the mail @.@). It's so strange for me to think that just a few years ago I was getting married, and just a couple of years before that I was just graduating from high school and heading straight to college. I really can't believe that I'll be graduating in just a little over a week.

This has been a whirlwind ride, but it's a ride that I would do over again. I love going to school, I love learning, and I there are things that I never would have been able to do, unless I went to BYU and made my major Anthropology. I never would have gone to India, I never would have presented my research in UCUR, or the Utah Conference in Undergraduate Research, and I never would have discovered my love of teaching.

I have loved my time here at BYU and if there's one thing that I can say to upcoming students is take advantage of all that your college allows you to do. But most of all, enjoy your time at college to grown and figure out just a little bit more who you are. This is a time to learn. Why not learn who you are inside?

Talk to you later,
Ashley

Soon to Be Released!

Yes, soon to be released, the awe-inspiring...Ashley! Yep, soon, I'll be released into the wide, open world of the "real" world. Oh, jeez...

Anyway, moving on. As you probably know, unless you've been living under a rock, is that yesterday was Valentine's Day! Whoo!! For many here, it's a day to celebrate the time of love. Le sigh... For many others, it's a day to celebrate being single, being able to date many people, or just spend this time to being with friends. Either way you celebrate, it's just a good time to be with those that you love.

And yes, I do mean "love" in all it's forms. Romantic love, plutonic love, familial love, all the love! As the Beatles said, "All you need is love." What seems to get me though, is that a lot of people seem to have a problem with Valentine's Day; this day to celebrate love seems to create a lot of apathy.

What I like about Valentine's Day though, is that you don't have to go out and have a big to-do to celebrate being with those you love, be it spouse, friends, family, or your cat. I don't have a cat, but I

do have a spouse. We didn't go out to eat, we didn't go out to see a movie, or even have a huge dinner. We made our own chicken wings and green beans, and watched "George of the Jungle." That was our Valentine's Day. I ran into a girl on campus, buying a helium balloon so that her and her friend could suck the helium and celebrate that way. And for those of us still in school who have the three-day weekend, we can celebrate Valentine's Day with a glorious three-day weekend.

So, if you're married, single, or just enjoying time by yourself with your roommates all gone, I hope that you all had a happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy those chocolates, flowers, and movies!

Talk to you later,
Ashley

Day 7 through 8 of My Trip Through North India

The very last post about my days in North India. I know, this is a very long, long time in coming. This will also be a shorter post as we only have a full day in Agra and a half day in Delhi. So, onwards we go!

Day 7 - Agra

The entrance to the bounds at the Taj Mahal

We woke up early today, at about 6:00 a.m., to go and see the Taj Mahal! Whoo! It's the one thing most people think of when they think about visiting India, seeing this beautiful place. And I was able to do this! I loved visiting this place, and I'm really glad that, even though this wasn't specifically on my bucket list, it did happen!

Anyway, once we got there, we all had to pay to get in. It was actually kind of funny because I had several native Indians tell me to go stand in the citizens line. I really do seem to look like an Indian. :) When we paid for our tickets, we headed inside. The dawn was just starting to break, enough that we could see, but it was still slightly cool. Well, cool for India at least. Now, just be warned, all of my photos after this will have scores and scores of people in them, even at early in the morning.

This was one of the first photos that I took once we got in. This was at about 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. And yes, there are that many people there already. But the Taj. Just look at the Taj Mahal. It's beautiful! What's most interesting though, is that I never really know what it was. I never really knew what the Taj Mahal was, I just kind of assumed that it was a palace of some sort. It's not! It was actually built as a place of burial for a favourite wife of a Mogul Emperor. It's kind of  a romantic story. But it's actually pretty cool. Also, another random fact, the pillars that you see around the main building? They were built with a two degree lean outwards so that if something like an earthquake ever caused the pillars to fall, they wouldn't fall of the actual building. They would fall outwards. That's pretty cool.

So, the majority of our day was spent wander around the Taj Mahal, as well as just relaxing in the hotel room once we were done. So, I'm going to spam pictures now.

We wandered around everywhere while looking at all of building. It really is a magnificent building, and it was just so cool to go and be able to walk around the Taj Mahal as well as inside. You know how I told you earlier that it is the burial place for the favourite queen of a Mogul Emperor? Well, this guy loved symmetry, which is why it's all symmetrical like it is. But, when he died, his son, who was kind of pissed at him for spending all of the money on this building as well as on wars and other things, also buried his father with the wife, and now it's not symmetrical. At least on the inside it isn't. You go inside, and you look at the sarcophagi, one is right in the middle, and that one belongs to the wife. But you look to the side, and there is another one. It makes the inside completely unsymmetrical. It doesn't look bad, I just think that it's funny that the son would be so petty.

The Red Fort in Agra, India

So, yeah, once we were done at the Taj Mahal, and were making our way out, the line just to get it, snaked out and around the outside perimitter. It was kind of scary how many people were there after just a few short hours of us inside. And it was only about 10:00 in the morning. I kind of wish I had taken a picture, but it was still pretty awe-inspiring to see. When we got outside, we split into groups again. Steve, Jeannie, Kendra, Westen, and Jamie all went to explore the Red Fort, while Lizzie and Taylor went off somewhere else. I have no idea.

The Moonlight Gardens

Once we were done walking around, we headed back to the hotel. And basically just sat and vegged for the rest of the day in bed and with the TV on. That was great! Once we were all done resting of the day, those of us who went to the Red Fort headed back out. We were then headed to the Moonlight Gardens, which is a ground of gardens across the river from the back of the Taj Mahal. That was a pretty cool sight as well.

Jamie, myself, Kendra, and Jeannie all in our bed :)

After that we explored the gardens, we all headed out to dinner. It was a pretty damn good dinner as well. I normally wasn't much of a fan of the Indian food that we had while on this trip, both in South India and North India, but what we had that night at dinner was excellent! I loved it! If I could have any other kind of food from India again, it would be the food from that dinner that night.

After dinner that night, we all headed back to our hotel room and literally just crashed into bed. Till You've Got Mail was on TV. Then we got Jamie, Kendra, Jeannie, and myself into our bed and watched that movie. Seriously, one of the greatest chick flicks of all time, and I love it. That was a great way to end the day in Agra.

We then woke up the next day, and then caught the train to Delhi.

Day 7 - Delhi

Hard Rock Cafe in Delhi

Once again, we caught our last train to New Delhi. I took a nap. For being hot, unair-conditioned
sleeper car, they are actually quite excellent for naps. When we got there, we checked back into our first hotel, and then Kendra, Jamie, Steven, Jeannie, came with me to the mall where I could finally eat at the Hard Rock Cafe in Delhi! Whoo! That was very nice for them to come with me, as I had wanted to go the first time we were in Delhi earlier that week. And it was just so cool to be able to go to the Hard Rock in Delhi. When we were done there, we headed back to the hotel to sleep.

The view from our table in Hard Rock

The next morning, we literally just wandered around the city till it was time for our flight back to
Vizag. Once there, we visited this amazing place, where unfortunately we could take any pictures. Which kind of sucks. There were carvings of elephants EVERYWHERE! And it was just such a huge and large structure, and it was beautiful!

When we were done exploring, we still had a few hours till our flight, so we decided to wander around the little shops just to see what it is that we could find as some last minute gifts for everyone at the main house and for everyone back home. Then it was time to go back to Vizag. We caught an underground to the airport and we took off, heading back to Vizag.


If there is one thing that I could say about this trip, is that it was something that I never thought that I would ever be doing. I am so grateful to everyone who helped me come on this trip as well as everyone who supported me throughout this trip. My parents, my husband, my friends. Without them, I wouldn't have felt that I would be able to leave all that I know and am familiar with and live, literally, half-way across the world in a place unfamiliar to me.

I'll hopefully have more adventures to talk about more soon.

Talk to you later,
Ashley