day31.

people i saw: shalem.
things i did: school, piano, the usual. got some things checked off my to-do list. wrote down some more lyrics.
something i learned: i need to be very conscious of everything i say to everyone. it's so easy to hurt someone's feelings. or make them think you're weird... or anything really.
something i appreciated: patience.
lyrics:
lay me down this sound
unbound
the birds of spring returning
your ghost i burn

day30.

people i saw: carissa, sam, jeremy anderson, and lots of other people in my ward.
things i did: had lunch with my dad and my sister des, went to choir, had my car mirror looked at, practiced the piano, made brownies, went to fhe.
something i learned: i am moving on. really.
something i appreciated: the healing power of Christ that changes our seemingly endless misery into hopeful joy.
lyrics:
and lay your head
beside a better burden
until the heal has come
you will see sunrise again

day29.

people i saw: no one out of the ordinary, unfortunately.
things i did: it's a little early in the evening for me to be doing this but. all i did today was go to church and play the piano for all three meetings, then come home and eat dinner. i plan on going to ward prayer tonight probably. and that's all.
something i learned: i really need to bring others to Christ this year...
something i appreciated: the time of others.

day28.

people i saw: aric.
things i did: i organized all my crap in the garage. i babysat my nephews again. i went to old navy. i'm pretty sure that is all i did. i didn't put on any makeup today and i didn't do my hair. it was great.
something i learned:  things never ever ever ever happen how you want them to. ever.
something i appreciated: cookies and pizza i guess.

day27.

people i saw: grace. matt, keaton, shane, shyler, austin, melissa, and emily.
things i did: i practiced piano, went to piano class, practiced some more. grace and i went to lunch at camille's. i took my math test. i babysat my sweet nephews. then i met matt for the first time. he picked me up and took me to dixie rock where we roasted hot dogs with his friends. then we went to his friend's parent's vacation house and ate cake and sat in the hot tub. then we watched mulan. it was really fun :)
something i learned: hard things will always be hard.
something i appreciated: sarah britt. for being the reason i meet some of the best guys haha.

day26.

people i saw: shalem and his roommates, and joey brennan.
things i did: went to school and practiced the piano. went to shalem's apartment and did homework. went to my next class. then i went to the furniture store where joey works and visited with him for about an hour. then i came home!
something i learned: joey has the same ring as me! haha. and we were given them on the same day :)
something i appreciated: seeing a friend i hadn't seen for a while. and getting in touch with a new friend! :)

day25.

people i saw: kiersten.
things i did: practiced piano, went to choir, went to my piano lesson, went to visit my grandma at the hospital, picked up tasha from school, went to swig with kiersten, came home and ate dinner, did some math homework.
something i learned: sometimes we have to change our attitudes even when we really, really don't want to.
something i appreciated: lucy. we've been through so much together this year.

day24.

people i saw: holden, macie, grace, kelsey hermansen, and a bunch of people i don't know.
and jeremy. oh my heart.
things i did: went to school, went to lunch with my mom, took my spanish test, went to applebee's karaoke night.
something i learned: i have no idea what's going on.
something i appreciated: my memories of better days.

day23.

people i saw: everyone in my choir, grace wells, some people in my ward.
things i did: i went on a walk with kirsten, connor, and lady in the rain. i went to choir class. i went to arizona. i went shopping with my mom and desi. i went to fhe with my ysa ward and played dodgeball. i also discovered william fitzsimmons' album that he came out with last march. how i didn't know about it before is beyond me. it's so beautiful. i wish i could be the female version of him so badly.
something i learned: i'm never as smart as i think i am.
something i appreciated: Parker's 3-month-old smile.

day22.

happy birthday to me!
glad to be rid of 20-year-old Ashlee.

people i saw: people at church, people at ward prayer...
things i did: i went to church. on my way home, Sammie called me and wished me a happy birthday and said she got me something. i cried. how someone could be so loving and forgiving amazes me, but that's what this world needs and i'm grateful for it. when i got home i ate lasagna with my family! Ben, my brother-in-law had spent 5 hours in the kitchen making it from scratch, sauce and everything. it was sooo good. especially with the garlic bread he made. mmm. then we had more cake and ice cream. then i went to ward prayer.
something i learned: we aren't who we say we are. we are who we are. and who we are is a sum of all our actions.
something i appreciated: Sammie's kind and loving heart. Ben's hours in the kitchen. my family who made my birthday a good day. all my friends who wished me a happy birthday. Chad was first! and i appreciated that the boy i love had enough mercy in his heart to text me happy birthday as well.

day21.

people i saw: i don't really remember. not anyone i wanted to see except my family.
things i did: i had a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, hash browns, muffins, pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, and orange juice. i went shopping at ross and target. i ate lunch at olive garden with my family. i watched an episode of the walking dead. i played wii with tasha. i ate chocolate cake and played a card game with my family. so it's not my birthday til tomorrow, but we celebrated it today. yay. 21. whoopie.
something i learned: my stomach has shrunken.
something i appreciated: duct tape.

day20.

well crap i forgot to do this yesterday. oh well, here it is.

people i saw: amber, kristi, sarah, levi, cameron, taylor, clarissa, carlos, lots of other people.
things i did: went to my piano performance class, practiced the piano, took my older sister's family pictures, went to costco with my dad to buy all my birthday breakfast food and my birthday cake, went to a karaoke/dance thing at the institute. i sang "see you again" by miley cyrus. idiot. oh, then when i got home i was upset and so as i was pulling up to my sister's jeep to parallel park, i scraped my side mirror against her jeep without noticing. i did notice, however, when it ripped off.
something i learned: i probably shouldn't try to parallel park when i'm crying.
something i appreciated: costco food samples.

day19.

people i saw: ryan, nate, karly, all those otterson's. deric hansen.
things i did: went to class of course. practiced the piano for just an hour. made lunch with kirsten. jammed with ryan.
something i learned: i'm not the only one who has felt this kind of pain even though it feels like i am.
something i appreciated: having someone to talk to and cry to a little bit.

day18.

people i saw: shalem, jeanna rogers.
things i did: woke up and did some homework, went to choir then my first piano lesson, then went to swig and little caeser's with shalem.
something i learned: there is a feeling worse than knowing you broke the heart of the person you love most. it's learning that they don't love you that way anymore, and there's nothing you can do about it.
something i appreciated: being able to eat a shaved ice in january.

day17.

people i saw: the most beautiful person in the world.
things i did: went to all my classes, did a whole bunch of cleaning, laundry, etc. had a 2 hour conversation with the person i love, face to face. talked on the phone with adam and kelsey.
something i learned: love. really. sucks.
something i appreciated: how warm and good it felt to be in his arms, if only for a fleeting moment.

day16.

people i saw: kelsey and tyler. and some new friends!
things i did: drove back to the middle of nowhere to find my capo i left sitting on a random tree, went to lunch and other places with kelsey and tyler, babysat connor.
something i learned: it's scary how you don't know the future, but all you can do is have hope.
something i appreciated: the awesome present kelsey made for me!

day15.

people i saw: the people of my student ward.
things i did: went to church, had some meetings, went on a walk with my family and dogs, went to ward prayer. ward prayer was way fun tonight and i was there more than an hour and a half! i love being in good company.
something i learned: we're all learning, all the time.
something i appreciated: meeting new people.

day14.

people i saw: ryan otterson. all my family that was at the baby shower.
things i did: went to my cousin's baby shower in cedar city. visited grandma's house. as soon as we got back i drove over to ryan's house to jam a little. i listened to some of his beats and then we started recording the song i wrote yesterday. we also played a little super smash bros. it was good to record again.
something i learned: almost everyone i know has been down the road i'm on right now, or one similar.
something i appreciated: the people who still let me know they love me and miss me even though i moved 250 miles away.

day13.

people i saw: grace wells, i don't remember who else.
things i did: went to my first piano performance class, babysat my two adorable nephews, then i drove out to the middle of nowhere and wrote a song. for dinner i contributed and made garlic cheese biscuits. i also made some more new friends.
something i learned: more like something relearned. the only way to get good at something is to spend time on it.
something i appreciated: the silence of being somewhere without cars or other noises. i went somewhere where i couldn't hear anything but my own movement.

day12.

people i saw: mckinney nikolaus, cindy bishop, ellie wiest.
things i did: school: 4 classes. took tasha to piano lessons. made a new friend.
something i learned: i used to think that people said "i need you" to be romantic or cute. but now i definitely know what it means because i really need you.
something i appreciated: free cake.

day11.

people i saw: matt deal. i also saw, as i passed his car with mine, the love of my life.
things i did: went to choir, bought my books, took the math placement test, did some homework, hiked a lonely trail i'd never seen before.
something i learned: i can go from a real smile to sad, real tears in less than three seconds.
something i appreciated: yesterday i was craving a baja chicken sandwich from when i used to work at quiznos. today i went to subway for lunch and their featured sandwich was a chipotle chicken (which is essentially the same thing). yum.

day10.

people i saw: miles manwaring, colten hooker, caleb fielding, bryce lewis, i can't remember who else.
things i did: went to english, math, choir, and spanish. signed up for private piano lessons. applied for jobs.
something i learned: life never stops being hard.
something i appreciated: ben and kirsten.. for always helping me with school. and my parents.

day9.

people i saw: grace wells, brittney kemp, amanda white (merrill), kiersten barlow, cindy bishop, i don't remember who else.
things i did: got most of the stuff for school straightened out so i can actually take classes, went to choir class, etc. and then i got to talk to the person i love on the phone and it was the ultimate kind of bittersweet. i miss him so much.
something i learned: you can't trust everyone you think you can.
something i appreciated: that he called me back.

day8.

people i saw: jaclyn sherman, derrick crowley, brian camp, chandis nyborg, megan phillips, travis tibbs, and a whole bunch of other people.
things i did: went to my new student ward, went to ward prayer, read some more.
something i learned: st. george ysa wards are waay different than provo ones.
something i appreciated: the church.

day7.

people i saw: katelyn jensen.
things i did: went to costco, coyote exchange, the d.i.
something i learned: breakups hurt. for a long time, really hard.
something i appreciated: having my own car.

day6.

people i saw: the color county chapter of the utah council of land surveyors.
things i did: applied for more jobs. ate dinner at Rusty's in
   cedar city with my dad and lots of other people.
something i learned: there's a certain someone who really
    needed me in their life and i just realized the
    importance of it. i'm glad i can be here now.
something i appreciated: BYU's setup for registering for classes
    online.

day5.

people i saw: woody and buzz, grandma and grandpa woolsey.
things i did: went to vegas to see my grandpa after surgery, shop, and eat at the cheesecake factory.
something i learned: it's hard to know what you want to do.
something i appreciated: that st. george doesn't have traffic like las vegas.

day4.

people i saw: family.
things i did: went to desi's follow-up eye appointment. ate lunch at pasta factory. walked the dogs.
something i learned: people care about me even after i move 250 miles away.
something i appreciated: getting to go out to eat without having to pay for myself.

day3.

people i saw: gabby moyes and rodney ball
things i did: went to michael's, walmart, and the college. sat through my little sister's strabismus surgery.
something i learned: don't spill your soda at costco. also, you can't use a card at the costco food court.
something i appreciated: my freedom to do whatever i want with my life.

day2.

people i saw: family.

things i did: took down Christmas decorations, got the oil changed in my car.

something i learned: i am not forgotten.

something i appreciated: family dinners.

day1.

okay so this year i'm going to make a regular blog post every day if i can.
in each post i'll put a picture of myself that was taken that day, and then the few things seen below. as the year goes on i'll probably add things, too. no picture for day1.

day1.

people i saw: Adam Hine.

things i did: went to church.

something i learned: everyone seems to know something about me.

something i appreciated: the Atonement.