tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457983179625774272024-03-20T14:50:16.596-07:00A Pocketful of SunshineBrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-14575772368465596192013-08-12T11:25:00.001-07:002013-08-12T11:25:12.041-07:00The Unexpected..It’s funny how life always keeps us on our toes and always hands us the unexpected. I found love when I least expected to find it. After traveling across the world to “find myself”, my motives in life became based on me, and only me. After living a life focusing on others, and letting others make decisions for me, it was time for me to start etching my own rare and unique story. I wanted to live an exotic life with a job that allowed me to travel and experience culture. I wanted to take care of myself and rely on only me for a while. It seems that all my life I had lived in effect to my family situations, especially being the youngest of my 3 siblings. I had reached the time where I wanted to speak with my own voice and live for myself. It sounds selfish but I knew it was my turn to make something of myself. We all have to be a little selfish sometimes. After re-focusing my views in life and making goals for myself, I thought I had my life all planned out. It’s like I made checkpoints for each age in my life and had this pre-written story. As I forgot about dating and started spending my free time engaged in other activities and spending time with friends, I felt content and happy. As I spent time focusing on myself, little did I know I was actually preparing myself to meet the man of my dreams. I wanted to wait until at least twenty-five to settle down and get married but at twenty years old, I happened to meet a man that would change my life forever. Just when I thought love was something I didn’t need at that time, it came knocking on my heart. I came to find out that love, of all things, has set me free more than anything. I have a man by my side for eternity to be my best friend and to root for me, hold me, and support me. Love has motivated me to do more than I ever imagined doing. Dreams are becoming realities because love was a dream I never fathomed of becoming a reality for a very long time. It’s funny how life always keeps us on our toes and always hands us the unexpected. I found love when I least expected to find it, and love has truly set me free.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb4VRXVJm15525Ot0fFA0BplQuIwEOfSsHVES-FiLxWdCHkDjN_nW1PVTSS53gwxS5Tz7cpFcqWY2n_TUUHR69NFmojkImG6oCugGczjQmwdGk_mgBMDBPjpI9zb6BFLNMgdeyGSMFCU/s1600/IMG_8986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb4VRXVJm15525Ot0fFA0BplQuIwEOfSsHVES-FiLxWdCHkDjN_nW1PVTSS53gwxS5Tz7cpFcqWY2n_TUUHR69NFmojkImG6oCugGczjQmwdGk_mgBMDBPjpI9zb6BFLNMgdeyGSMFCU/s320/IMG_8986.jpg" /></a></div>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-38342870563539212872012-12-29T10:53:00.000-08:002012-12-29T10:58:56.911-08:00The Proposal.. <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7qp9uYhxIbrpgDr1h4jDV1KoZfJvOgS_kn7FSnG7e_wpV2VS7fpcZPKxNeCQgxlNxbYH7UTXDr70rQGd-CrhN-gXqVh0e1wweo4G9nePd2RWWvPrhkf5gBDfXrHpV0Uoj_1JqbPbiZw/s1600/207633_4709930519169_1555711749_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7qp9uYhxIbrpgDr1h4jDV1KoZfJvOgS_kn7FSnG7e_wpV2VS7fpcZPKxNeCQgxlNxbYH7UTXDr70rQGd-CrhN-gXqVh0e1wweo4G9nePd2RWWvPrhkf5gBDfXrHpV0Uoj_1JqbPbiZw/s320/207633_4709930519169_1555711749_n.jpg" /></a></div>
December 27th, 2012 declared the best day of my life so far. I was asked to marry the love of my life and the man of my dreams. He kept it a great secret but in my heart I knew it was coming. We talk very openly about things like marriage and our thoughts and opinions so marriage and engagement was something we had been talking about for a while. After Chris moved away to California, I think we both really knew that we couldn’t live without each other. So this is where our story begins.
Chris had been working on a Christmas present of mine for about 6 days. We would chat everyday and he’d always say, “oh just working on your big Christmas present”. The day came that I was getting my “big present”. Chris woke me up that morning and made me breakfast while I got ready for work. He drove me to work and then he left to plan the evening. The only things I knew were that we would be going to the mountains, he needed 4 of my favorite love songs, and that I needed to dress up a little bit.
I had thirty minutes to get ready after work. I rushed home to throw on a cute outfit and some makeup. He came to my door wearing the most adorable red sweater with a dressy shirt and tie underneath. He looked so handsome and adorable. We walked outside hand in hand as we headed south to the mountain.
We drove up Provo canyon near squaw peak but he put a blindfold on me so I couldn’t see. The sun was setting and he took the blindfold off. It was just he and I in the beautiful snowy mountains and he opened his laptop. Next came the tears.
He made an eleven minute slideshow of pictures of us growing up and meeting each other and dating. It was so sweet and special, and I know he worked so hard on it. When I was watching that video I knew what was coming next. The video ended and the blindfold went back on. I was then guided by Chris’ youngest sister out of the car and took my blindfold off to find all of his family and all of my family lighting a pathway with candles and beautiful roses to Chris standing at the end with a big bouquet of red roses. The tears were busting out of me as I saw each person that I love so much standing in that pathway lighting my way. As I got to Chris he took my hand and spoke my full name. He told me that I complete him and that I am the love of his life and that he can’t see his life without me. He got on his knee and asked me to be his wife. With tears continuing to poor out of my eyes I said yes and gave him a long sweet kiss. He took my right hand and took off my traditional Irish ring that I wear and hold very dear to my heart. It has a lot of meaning to me. He placed the ring on my left hand with the heart facing outward showing that I am engaged from the traditional background of the ring. The symbolism that the Irish ring has in my heart means so much to me and that he chose to propose with that ring makes it even more dear to my heart.
The day that every girl dreams of their entire life happened to me. I am engaged to the love of my life and I couldn’t be happier. I know that every single event in my life has led me to Chris and also prepared me to be all that I need to be for him. I cannot wait to truly start my life and live to love and laugh and cherish every growing moment that we have together.
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Here is the slideshow that Chris prepared! Enjoy some awkward cuteness, I love it!
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BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-27556591372756785352012-05-05T18:49:00.001-07:002012-05-05T18:49:38.395-07:00"All She Needs Is You"She smiles to hide that she's unhappy,
She does her makeup every morning to hide her emotional scars,
She wears tall heels to feel noticed,
She plays hard to get because she thinks that will give her worth,
She pretends she's strong but cries from feeling weak,
She holds on too tight because she is often alone,
She calls too much to prove to herself that she has someone to rely on,
She offers to talk out your problems just so she can forget her own.
She has faults, everyone does.
You get confused with what she needs and wants.
You think it's difficult, but it's really simple..
All she needs and wants is you..
A man to make her smile unexpectedly,
A man that loves her for her natural beauty,
A man that stands tall and noticed next to her in a crowd,
A man that will do anything to get her,
A man that will wipe away her tears,
A man that will hold her tight every night,
A man that will call her unexpectedly to say I love you,
And A man that will help her to forget all her problems.
All she needs is you. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdaeIdNkKdbRMlQhl4JmL0Asi4soK2LXEMjdBk5iJE0wPjw6YeRqFlhUXxGiWUvnXvGv3Ic7TWHs5zg1MFqwdeAArxjt__K71oONoqPtF2HrmFMQunTS1OUpyZv2pwrIUAYPK22-ABZI/s1600/alone%252Clooking%252Clooking%252Cback%252Cwatching%252Cwoman%252Cphotography-ad2512450c0bc889adf515e621aef1dd_h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="194" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdaeIdNkKdbRMlQhl4JmL0Asi4soK2LXEMjdBk5iJE0wPjw6YeRqFlhUXxGiWUvnXvGv3Ic7TWHs5zg1MFqwdeAArxjt__K71oONoqPtF2HrmFMQunTS1OUpyZv2pwrIUAYPK22-ABZI/s320/alone%252Clooking%252Clooking%252Cback%252Cwatching%252Cwoman%252Cphotography-ad2512450c0bc889adf515e621aef1dd_h.jpg" /></a></div>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-65569761188563452952012-04-30T08:12:00.000-07:002012-04-30T08:12:09.633-07:00When You're Patient, Everything Works OutSo I have an android phone and it's about a year old but two of the buttons have officially broken and it still works but using it everyday is just a pain. So in my attempt to get a new phone I searched on KSL for a temporary one until my phone can upgrade with T-mobile. So I found myself an older iPhone and decided to purchase it on a whim. I get it home and I'm trying to figure out how to work it as a jail broken phone. In my attempt to waiting for my phone to connect I got impatient and started pushing buttons on my iTunes and long story short.. the iPhone got stuck in a restore state that I cannot get it out of. So of course by this time I am quite frustrated and I was just ready to go to bed. I took a deep breath and just told myself to go to bed and come back to it the next day. After that I wasn't worried, I wasn't stressed, I was calm and collected. I woke up the next day and had a great workout, I got ready for work feeling great and ready to take on the day. I just plopped the iPhone in my purse and had a great day! It was hitting 5 O'clock when a good friend popped into the office. We started chatting and I felt prompted to ask him if he knew much about iPhone's. He didn't know how to fix my phone but in his attempt to figure it out he turned to me and said, "you know what? I have at least one older iPhone sitting at home that I would love to give you." I was so relieved and said thank you a thousand times! Looking back on this story, I realize that staying calm after everything happened and knowing in my heart that patience makes everything work out for the better, everything had worked out! This story has another lesson to it as well; what you give is what you get. If you are frustrated and negative about events that happen in life, it is more likely that you'll find negativity and frustration within results. But if you are positive and calm and happy, the results are usually far greater! I love the little lessons I learn each day! The simplest of things can have the greatest outcomes on life! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXmAIz5lL1D1YFSMLtCTkYd_WerttTT5B-05Lx7IhCH5KjRInpyvXhqx2EIomWGT5rH_gp-6vHIF7VnyA7xnxrRV4T7lXjMPcDboG8YKY0dTGmouNRToIRikx0hEtYYubW1FEOwsvGds/s1600/1449430954_8a2820516b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXmAIz5lL1D1YFSMLtCTkYd_WerttTT5B-05Lx7IhCH5KjRInpyvXhqx2EIomWGT5rH_gp-6vHIF7VnyA7xnxrRV4T7lXjMPcDboG8YKY0dTGmouNRToIRikx0hEtYYubW1FEOwsvGds/s320/1449430954_8a2820516b.jpg" /></a></div>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-23149476716650797612012-03-02T23:09:00.002-08:002012-03-02T23:09:49.393-08:00Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7Tgj3FoWJvYJEAkH9AwnbixnM15tckBuMNfzeSa0HxCU1LlymYeTX7FCzolHx39Xu__JRv5VsfTt4sWWMioF-EuN89mvu_S0F4JBeVP1iByY1BEVpOLBKXFgD676N0i1iLNQ0lBA4ec/s1600/calla-flower-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7Tgj3FoWJvYJEAkH9AwnbixnM15tckBuMNfzeSa0HxCU1LlymYeTX7FCzolHx39Xu__JRv5VsfTt4sWWMioF-EuN89mvu_S0F4JBeVP1iByY1BEVpOLBKXFgD676N0i1iLNQ0lBA4ec/s320/calla-flower-14.jpg" /></a></div>
I have learned am amazing lesson over some period of time. Vision defines what life will create for us. If we envision what we want, we will see it come alive right before our eyes. I was told a story tonight about a girl who wanted to test this in a very simple way. She chose her favorite flower, a Calla Lilly. She began by placing the photo of a Calla Lilly on her mirror so she could see it every morning. Next she put it as her background on her phone and then placed another photo in her car. Every where she looked she saw a Calla Lilly, she was envisioning what she wanted to become present in her life. One day she was at her friends house and she noticed a beautiful vase of Calla Lillies peering at her from the kitchen table. She saw them but still knew she needed to keep it a vision and it would come to her without her having to take physical action. She was heading for the front door when she heard a quiet voice. She looked behind her and came to find her friends daughter holding a calla lilly in her hand and saying, "have a beautiful flower". Something so simple had come to her by just envisioning it. She was amazed at how this worked and she started to envision everything she wanted in her life. Everything she wanted was rephrased from I want this to I will have this. She stayed focused on envisioning her goals and she had success in every area that she had envisioned. Vision is everything. If you see it, you will believe it. Faith goes along with this, even though it seems contradictory.. with faith, you don't have to see it to believe it. To explain how this goes together is envisioning all things through faith. If you have faith that you can achieve something, then faith becomes vision and vision becomes success. It is a beautiful lesson that we can all apply to our lives. Envision your dreams, breathe them, see them, and you can live them..BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-922404577194133232012-02-15T21:07:00.000-08:002012-02-15T21:08:25.363-08:00The simplicities in life...I'm sitting in Salt Lake Brewing Co. waiting on a friend and watching people come and go. Oh coffee shops you must do something to my head because I always have the best moments and writing epiphany's while sitting in such places. I see an old man come in wearing a raccoon hat and take a seat. I see a fragile lady vigorously typing away at her laptop and snatching a bite of her veggie sandwich. People come and go, orders come and go, cars come and go. It is such a busy life we are all living in. Clocks ticking, things moving, invisible molecules sifting through the air. Things moving at fast speeds and never stopping. I keep my eyes busy glancing here and there then I look to the ground and fix my eyes on something shiny so I lean down to get a better look. It's a penny faced heads up. I get super excited and think to myself, Oooh a lucky penny! I pick up the penny and slide it into a little pocket in my zebra striped planner that has sticky notes piled out the sides. I keep my mind on this little lucky penny, something that was probably so insignificant to someone in which case they probably carelessly tossed it on the floor, then here I am thinking its lucky and letting something simple make my day. This just reminds me of a quote I wrote once. It said, "happiness is made by the simplicities in life." The smiles of a stranger, the kiss on the forehead, the whisper in an ear, the flower peeking up between cracks in a sidewalk, the laugh of a child, and even the heads up penny on the floor of a coffee shop. I am so grateful that I can notice these simple moments, I find such happiness within them. If you're ever lacking happiness in your life, take a look around you and pause the busy movements of this world to find the simple joys. You will start to realize how happy you truly are..<3BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-82123071063728947232012-02-02T23:44:00.000-08:002012-02-02T23:44:57.165-08:00Hitting rock bottom..A new friend of mine recently mentioned a quote about hitting rock bottom. I smiled really big when she mentioned that once you get there, the only direction left to go is up! Reflecting on this conversation I thought about the last year and how I unintentionally hit rock bottom, and man did I hit hard. I went through some rough times and I was on my knees more than a few times. I often wondered why me as I rolled out of bed early every morning either killing myself in the gym or going to early morning classes. I lost happiness and comfort in the simplicities of life and I was often hit with stressful situations. I just tried to keep my chin up. A change in this way of life started when I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Singapore! Singapore was probably one of the most amazing places I could have ever traveled to at that time in my life. The country was just pure and clean and the people were all so different but that didn't matter, they were all so beautifully nice and helpful in every way. Being in Singapore and away from my natural sense of the world was the perfect place to heal and listen to my heart and look into myself at who I am and what I want out of life. It was such a beautiful time of reflection and a fresh start on life. As my time in Singapore came to an end, I felt refreshed and ready to take on my life waiting for me back home. I walked off the plane with a smile on my face and a brave feeling of growth and accomplishment. I knew life could only get better than it had been. Taking this blog to reflect back on how my new life has turned out makes me amazed at how prayers are answered and gives me a firm testimony that if you patiently endure trials, they do in fact make you stronger and more able to take on the world. I have been back from Singapore for exactly one month and in the last month I have had more amazing opportunities than I can count on two hands. My first amazing opportunity was the chance to go back to my wonderful job working at Striders running store. Running is my relaxation and my way to cope with everything so being able to work around that atmosphere everyday is so amazing and I am so grateful for that job. My second amazing opportunity is the chance to start my certification process for personal training and deciding that working out is what makes me most happy and teaching others about health and fitness everyday will make me wake up every morning with a smile on my face excited to get to work! My next amazing opportunity was the chance to be contacted by Urban modeling agency and have faith and comfort by prayer to sign with them as a model. Through that I was also hired as a scout for them and it is a great opportunity for me to use my networking skills and open doors for young aspiring models and actors! I feel so privileged to be apart of that! The best opportunity I've had while being connected with Urban is making new friends that have opened many doors. But the biggest blessing I have received through all these amazing moments in the past couple months is the reassurance that Christ lives and loves us and has felt our pain. He has guided a path for us that we can humbly follow. This life is tough so we can gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to understand Him. I am full in my faith when I say that everything in fact does happen for a reason.. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1iCNfooxjPo_fBpNQdaaznRMWegiaK6Uihyphenhyphen6AR0BwhM3LgpTL7doSB0om2Swd__G0DaDXozrQWQVhMxMLb6jmFSFFyj-oPkYBb8CWoxwfqsr2BKMfDZ0gECYE1iZhMhC2fLe91V9azs/s1600/tumblr_ls5cfwpoMP1qhmhdfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="208" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1iCNfooxjPo_fBpNQdaaznRMWegiaK6Uihyphenhyphen6AR0BwhM3LgpTL7doSB0om2Swd__G0DaDXozrQWQVhMxMLb6jmFSFFyj-oPkYBb8CWoxwfqsr2BKMfDZ0gECYE1iZhMhC2fLe91V9azs/s320/tumblr_ls5cfwpoMP1qhmhdfo1_500.jpg" /></a></div>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-27010316828817768182012-01-29T23:31:00.000-08:002012-01-29T23:31:39.729-08:00Music That Speaks to my HeartMary J. Blige, you did it again! The first time I heard 'The living proof' I just closed my eyes and tears welled up. This song feels like a plea of my life. I have been through a lot of very hard times in my life and those hard times have taught me to be strong and use the lessons i've learned to teach those around me. I would not be who I am without the trials I have seen and I want to be a voice to those around me and say, "I am the living proof". Enjoy;
<iframe width="480" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GOH6PrD7PxM?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-46761474485992333972012-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:002012-01-26T11:17:10.781-08:00When You Wish Upon a Star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBq6GHTpyRpElJS-dA9eMxAwpvfztJfcNG1TngX8hGWsKZLDTqhgZU0tCZNXsW5P5q-mZtZ_DgIcn8IeUT0Vgivn-liGXRIRoBR4z0mE67Yd6lxDBdr3g5cC5jTGy88U98AcDDtGcJGw/s1600/8689473-shooting-star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBq6GHTpyRpElJS-dA9eMxAwpvfztJfcNG1TngX8hGWsKZLDTqhgZU0tCZNXsW5P5q-mZtZ_DgIcn8IeUT0Vgivn-liGXRIRoBR4z0mE67Yd6lxDBdr3g5cC5jTGy88U98AcDDtGcJGw/s320/8689473-shooting-star.jpg" /></a></div>
It’s 4am. I’m sitting here on a plane in the middle of China as I look around me and see everyone sound asleep. The plane is dark and I feel restless. I lay down my head and slide open the window shade. I look out and see every single star in the night sky. The sky is rich and dark in color with a slight hint of orange. I gaze out at the stars and their spectacular brightness and beauty. I glance to the right and see a breathtaking view of a star shooting up across the sky in a color of blue and white. It looked like a crystal piercing the sky. I closed my eyes really tight and made a wish. Of course I cannot tell you my wish or else it won't come true, or so they say. When I opened my eyes I got a rush of gratefulness for this time in my life. I am grateful for little spectacular events that God grants us to send a smile or a warmth to our heart. Being above a strange country by myself was a little scary and discomforting but I find faith that God sends angels no matter where we are. We are all his children and he has a plan for all of us whether we are in China, America, Africa, or anywhere else. Another comforting feeling was the beauty that surrounded me no matter where I was. I've always been one to try to find the beauty in all the moments of my life but how beautiful was this particular night in the sky above China. My heart has been filled with joy and experience. I am forever grateful for this simply spectacular moment I had on a plane in the China sky..BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-52926933197106231532011-12-18T06:26:00.000-08:002011-12-18T06:26:45.484-08:00Learning to Swim..<blockquote>"<b>At times life may toss us into the sea, but it is up to us if we sink, or learn to swim."</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote> It was a gorgeous stormy morning in Singapore today! Being Sunday I don't have to nanny so I have the day to myself. I wanted to spend my day writing as much as I could, because the last week and a half has been spent getting settled here. I dropped the kids off at their church service around 7:30AM and I had 6 full hours to myself. I was in the heart of the town so I could have gone wherever I wanted, but I looked out the windows and it was pouring rain. I looked across the way and the first thing I saw was a cozy starbucks and some big comfy chairs. My first thought was, "Oh yes something I'm familiar with!" Sometimes it is nice to feel at home once in a while. I walked inside and the smell was just as if I was back home! The first thing I noticed was the glass case of goodies. There were the usual Chinese snacks like potato curry puffs, and fishy stuff, but I looked up to see a fluffy, thick bagel! The only carbs I've had these last 2 weeks have been from rice, so I was thinking bring on the bagel! I sat down in a big comfy chair with my perfectly toasted bagel and phillidelphia cream cheese and a hot drink (not to mention it was about a 12 dollar meal haha). I pulled out my laptop, my journal, and my iPod. This is danger zone for a good writing session! I sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote! I had about 5 different pages open of my book and my journal combined. I looked at the time and 3 hours had passed in the blink of an eye. I couldn't believe how time had passed and somehow within it all, my drink and bagel were gone. But I was still hungry, hungry for words and thoughts. I glanced out the window as I noticed a flash of lighting. I heard the door rush open and I got a whiff of the exotic rain. Then and there I read over my notes and I saw, "At times life may toss us into the sea, but it is up to us if we sink, or learn to swim." It's funny because so many times during my writing sessions I am unaware consciously of what I am saying because it is usually just pouring from my heart. It is very important for me to go back and really ponder things that I say. So I read that quote again and again and it really spoke to me (gotta love that I'm learning from my own words haha). I am here in this strange place, and I have gone through a lot of trials the last couple years. Life has definitely thrown me into the sea in many different areas of my life, and on some days, every area of my life. It was such an amazing moment for me to look back and notice that I have indeed learned to swim, and I'm getting stronger, and eventually I will reach the shore, but until then, I will continue to swim and endure the sea. That is the only way I can become strong enough to reach the shore. This quote reflects directly to our life. We are sent trials to make us stronger. That strength and knowledge we gain here on this earth is all that we can take with us when we pass on to the next life. So indeed, we must find strength in our trials, and enjoy every minute of life. Some sea's are cold and dark, but some are bright blue and warm. It's your choice of how you interoperate the sea in your life, and it's your choice to sink or swim..</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7kqlY1odY1rrObhY6IE8-l1VWDZDxO6i99Oa7r9aClEt3Rixqa3SAJAtrN-YAx4gTMpV8u-Dbbd3AN2GmSGml0Mvv2rhDnhfs-MtOorB56Waeiw9xz5OjBT7ncrj1yub1o1AImwE1Ys/s1600/a7a1bb098ee14b29612a00802608_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="218" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7kqlY1odY1rrObhY6IE8-l1VWDZDxO6i99Oa7r9aClEt3Rixqa3SAJAtrN-YAx4gTMpV8u-Dbbd3AN2GmSGml0Mvv2rhDnhfs-MtOorB56Waeiw9xz5OjBT7ncrj1yub1o1AImwE1Ys/s320/a7a1bb098ee14b29612a00802608_grande.jpg" /></a></div>BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-85017383775018061182011-12-15T06:22:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:45:14.128-08:00Bucket List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am a firm believer in following my dreams and living a full life. Im my journey of living my dreams I have slowly created a bucket list of the things I want to do before I pass on to the next life. Here is the beginning of my bucket list, the ones that say check have already been completed:
-Go for a run on The Great Wall of China
-Become a personal trainer
-Watch the sunrise in New York and the sunset in Los Angeles on the same day
-Become a photographer
-Invite someone without a family to my families holiday dinner
-Kiss under the mistletoe
-Make a wish at the Trevi fountain in Rome
-Run through a field of sunflowers
-Watch baby turtles hatch
-Have a son
-Go to the olympics
-Go to Greece
-Meet John Mayer
-Spend the night in an igloo
-Ride in a hot air balloon
-Watch the sunset with someone I love
-Throw someone a surprise party
-Spend an entire day watching disney movies
-Lay on my back and watch the clouds all day
-Swim with dolphins
-Go for a run in central park
-Buy a homeless person a meal and hear their story
-Go into an airport and buy tickets for a random flight
-Dance with my dad at my wedding
-Ride an elephant
-Ride in a helicopter: CHECK.. I rode in one over the Oregon coast and it was amazing!
-Find my soulmate
-Build a treehouse
-Learn how to surf
-Ride first class: CHECK.. I rode first class on a flight from Georgia to Portland
-Spend time volunteering in Africa
-Give people a reason to remember my name
-Go on a camping trip with all my friends
-Own something from Tiffiany&CO.
-Have a birthday party in Las Vegas
-Walk the rad carpet
-Write a letter to myself and open it in 10 years: CHECK.. I just have to wait 9 more years to open it
-Kiss someone I love on New Years
-Go there and back again
-Put a piece of gum on the gum wall in Seattle
-Be a bridesmaid and a maid of honor
-Own a pair of Louboutins
-Backpack through Europe
-Die with no regrets
-Run a marathon
-Adopt a child
-Send a message in a bottle
-See a tornado: CHECK.. I was 3 years old and we were living in Missouri
-Make my best friends dreams come true
-Have my own star
-Save someone's life: CHECK.. I have saved 3 people from committing suicide.
-Become an inspiration
-Eat Chinese food in China: CHECK.. yeah it's better in America lol!! except the rice!
-Set foot on all 7 continents
-Be called Mommy
-Have my own library in my house
-Take a trapeze class
-Have a summer romance: CHECK.. my first love ;)
-Watch my children get married
-Move to a different country
-Ride a camel in Egypt
-Be kissed unexpectedly
-Change someone's life for the better
-Pack everything up and get away: CHECK.. Singapore :)
-write a book
-Receive a promise ring
-Let go of 100 balloons at once
-Kiss underwater
-Complete a whole journal
-Find a four leaf clover
-Tan on a nude beach
-Have one secret that no one knows
-Dance with my kids in the rain
-Live fearlessly everyday.
I have a very long list and as soon as I check one off I try to add another! All I can say is watch out world, because this will be a good life!BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-5873725890468816172011-12-15T04:42:00.000-08:002011-12-15T04:48:50.760-08:00Welcome Home Brookelyn..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DrQ6VKOTSBinsoPX2NSnVhk3jsyaBsJja3IUxSFoIYNWrqVLUew-NpWdknnD22LJeb6LHGWrn4kcheR31WWRJ-iXnw9ewX9t2g7dacDY1Nj8Zr_XsYWVyFPSEgn02TBs5h9yC91QAOc/s1600/DSCN1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DrQ6VKOTSBinsoPX2NSnVhk3jsyaBsJja3IUxSFoIYNWrqVLUew-NpWdknnD22LJeb6LHGWrn4kcheR31WWRJ-iXnw9ewX9t2g7dacDY1Nj8Zr_XsYWVyFPSEgn02TBs5h9yC91QAOc/s320/DSCN1108.JPG" /></a></div>
Sitting on the plane for 20 hours I had a lot of time to think. I thought about who I am, what I want, and where Im going in life. I felt a sense of peace in this moment of my life. I looked around the plane and saw many different people. Were they heading home to visit loved one's? Were they going out on an adventure like me? The more I thought, the more I realized that wherever we are, we are still human. We breathe the same air, we love, we laugh, we live. With that thought the plane started to descend into Singapore. Through the window I saw teeny islands all by themselves, and I saw thousands of ships in the harbor. A smile came to my face and I felt at peace. I felt a warmth in my heart and said to myself, welcome home Brookelyn.. Singapore has been waiting for you <3BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-85103330902463422692011-12-01T12:08:00.001-08:002011-12-01T12:11:56.604-08:00Passport! Passport! Passport!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is where it all began! I was surprised when my lovely friend Jane who I nanny for asked me to come out to salt lake one day! She told me to bring a few items and I started wondering what we were doing. She had talked to me about her and her family going to Singapore and I wanted to go so bad! I met up with Jane and her husband Jeremy and their two kids in salt lake and they surprised me with buying me my passport for the trip! It came 2 weeks after we registered for our passports! I was so excited when it came in the mail because I realized I was really going out of the country! Here is my picture of excitement when I got it in the mail!BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-845798317962577427.post-82746808156007526522011-11-22T00:22:00.000-08:002011-11-22T00:22:40.827-08:00A sleepless nightEveryone has been telling me that I need to start a blog so they can keep up with my journey to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Singapore</span> and I decided I better start one here at home if I was ever going to start one. So here it is! My first post and my first blog. I've been trying to fall asleep for about two hours now so I decided that if I was going to be awake I might as well be productive. I wanted to start this blog for two reasons; one being that I want my friends to see my life in Singapore and get a taste of what I'm experiencing, and second, I have officially started writing a book and I am looking forward to blogging about it and getting some feed back and support. Many of you that know about me wanting to write a book keep asking what I'm going to write about. Ill let you know that I virtually have no idea what I'm writing about, but I'm just putting my heart to it and seeing what I can come up with. I know it will have a lot of stories from my own life in it so it will be a great way for me to express myself and to share my lessons learned. As for now all I can say is that I have a lot on my mind tonight and I think I will be able to write quite a bit. Im also very excited to head to Singapore for 3 months and grow as an individual through experiences. I'm looking forward to seeing what this life has to offer me <3BrookeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00630231939123214854noreply@blogger.com0Layton, UT, USA41.0602216 -111.9710529000000241.020459599999995 -112.03941840000002 41.0999836 -111.90268740000002