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

Easter Morning

Today was Easter Sunday, and while my husband and I didn't do eggs, or a big fancy dinner or anything like that, it was still a beautiful day. This morning as I walked to church, the sun was still behind the mountains, so it wasn't supper warm yet, there were clouds in the sky that looked like they had rain in them, the birds were chirping and saying hello, and it was just so calm and peaceful. It's mornings like this that I think are like the morning when Christ was resurrected. While the sunny, beautiful spring mornings are wonderful for Easter Sunday, it's the mornings that are little bit covered in clouds, the sun barely rising, that reminds me more of Easter than anything else really.

Easter Morning

The most wonderful thing to me about Easter is that it was the day that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, was resurrected after three days in the tomb. He had died to pay for our sins, and he did so through the Atonement. I think this is part of the reason I like mornings like this. While it's not all bright and sunshiney, it is still a calm morning, a peaceful morning. I know I've said this a lot, but this, to me, is a morning where it doesn't seem like a lot has happened, something has. The day is new, the sun is rising, and there hasn't been a lot to show the world that something spectacular has happened, that's the beauty of it; something spectacular has happened. The Lord is risen, and he has broken the bands of death. We will be able to live again, and be able to live with him and our Heavenly Father again. All of this because of what he did for us, dying for our sins, and then rising again the third day. I do believe this to be true!

So...yeah, that is my Easter Sunday. I hope that everyone had a great day and that your Easter Sunday was an enjoyable one where ever you live!

Talk to you soon,
Ashley