young&restless

there's something cute about the restlessness and curiosity of young children.
last weekend while having dinner with Tyler, his family, grandparents, and 4 young cousins i was asked a couple of the cutest questions...

Shelby[who i believe is 5]- "Hey Ashley..."
Me- "Yeah Shelby?"
Shelby'- "Uh... are you going to marry Tyyyyler!?" [in front of the whole family at the dinner table]
Me- "Well Shelby, if he behaves then yes, yes I will." [of course I turned and smiled at Tyler]
Mackenzie[who is 8]- "So you probably won't marry him then"
and our end of the table let out some laughs.

later on while everyone was off doing their own thing i was setting up a game of "Guess Who" for me and mackinzie and shelby came up and had yet another question for me...

Shelby- "Ashley, do you loooove Tyler?"
Me- "Of course I do."
Shelby- "Have you guys built a house yet?"
Me- "Haha no we haven't gotten that far yet."
Shelby- "Oh ok."

This isn't the first time she's asked me questions like this. My first visit back during winter I stayed at their house for my last week and I got asked many questions:
"Are you and Tyler married?"
"Are you gonna marry him??"
"Do you really love him?"
"Can you guys build your house next to ours?"
"Will you have kids?"

but what made me really smile was when they all three came into my room the night before I had to go back to iowa and said:

"Hey Ashley! We want you to marry Tyler. Then, then you can be our cousin-in-law! We like you a lot"
So I agreed with them that I would haha, and then said goodnights and gave hugs. And after they left Raeanne the youngest girl, maybe 3, came back in real quick and hugged me and said "I love you Ashley" it just put the biggest grin on my face.

They're just too cute!

kiss the cook.

so i figure it's about time i learn... or should say teach myself... how to cook.

now, it's not that my mom never taught me, she cooked/cooks all the time for my family, but it is my sister who always stood by her side and helped with all the ingredients... i was always either on my computer or not home. last week or two ago, tyler made a DELICIOUS marinaded steak [possibly the best i have had], and he made chicken two nights ago, and cooked some frozen pizza a the night before that... so whether it's homemade or frozen, he's always the one doing the cooking, maybe it's time i learnt to do it as well, but don't get me wrong Tyler loves to cook... he has 2 of his own cookbook =D but i would like to be able to do it too!

[i would however like to add, i can bake very well despite my lack of full meal cooking skills haha]

so today i'm going to make the marinaded steak tyler made a couple weeks ago, we had three top-sirloin steaks leftover from then, sooo why not! i even added my own touch to it... less of a few things, more of others... i think i can get the hang of this. =D
here's the recipe i used...

1/2 cup soy sauce.
2 tbspn apple juice
3 tbspn brown sugar
1 tsp ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
*blend together and marinade steak for a least 2-3 hours. flip once in awhile. keep in fridge.


how ever i doubled the soy sauce and apple juice, and added 1 tbspn of b. sugar, it covers the bottom of the pan [i wanna say it's a 9x13?] better, and those are the main tastes. also before adding the steaks i poked each side about 5 times with a fork so they will soak up the marinade better. and i am soaking the steaks on each side for 3-4 hours. [tyler did this at night and let them sit on one side over night, and then on the other side the next day while he was at work.]

hopefully this turns out well, i guess i don't see how it couldn't lol.
after this I have a somewhat complicated spaghetti sauce recipe from my mom, and an easier "chicken tortilla soup" and "barbeque chicken pizza" recipes from another blog by a friend, all to try out and hopefully not ruin lol.

<3

summertime.

so it's the end of may and i think i can already say this summer is going to be awesome. last summer was probably the worst and best summer of my life thus far, BUT this summer I believe will only bring out more of the best.

i finally have a roommate to share my apartment with, her name is Caro/Caroline Neveu, she's from Quebec and it's been a blast getting to know each other and learning about Quebec.
last night we [Caro, Tyler and I] went to Ralph's and met up with some friends Elisha and Matt, they had a mechanical bull... and believe it or not, i rode it, we all did.

but yes... last night i had a blast and i know this summer has many more good times to be had.
i want to see b.c., and lay on one of it's beautiful beaches, and see big bears in the mountains. i want to eat my heart out in slurpees and convenient store gummy candies and walk the same coulee trail every day while the sun beats down giving me amazing flip flop tan lines. i want to make sure that when i leave in the fall that i am close to my roommate and the others i've befriended so i can keep in touch.

most of all though, i want to spend the summer with my man. no heartbreak this summer. no drama, no doubt, just me and him. having fun, growing in our relationship, making jokes and poking fun at eachother. cooking dinners, watching movies, 10cent wings, no name apple juice, SPITZ sunflower seeds... and so much more.
this is my summer, this is our summer.

Pictures:
top-Mt Haleakala a yellow flower that bloomed in the freezing foggy weather.
middle-sunset at Pa'ia Bay in Maui, Hawai'i
bottom-Tyler James Hanet in the living room @ YWAM

mothers.

so, as mother's day was just the other day i felt compelled to write a shout out.
i want to thank my mom for being overprotective, for being so hard on me over the past year, i want to thank her for everything she has told me whether i was in agree-ance or not, i want to thank her for still loving me through all the times she's wanted to pull her hair out because of me. i think most of all i just want to thank her for her support... she supported me in Maui, and when I've been home since. thanks mom for the gas money, insurance money when i couldn't afford it, thanks for the extra money in Maui, thanks for all the food and for giving me a place to call home for 19 years. thanks mom, for not giving up on me, and thanks for being a part of me life, and especially for being the Godly influence you should be as a parent, thanks for keeping me on the right path, and pushing me to keep my eyes on the Lord.

i know i've taken my parents for granted from time to time, but over this past year i have realized some people would love to have parents that have been half as supportive, loving and caring as mine. i love you both.

and mom, Happy Mother's Day... everyday.

why i am an american.

this isn't about my choice to be an American, but more so why no matter where i go i will be considered an American. This is just a general statement, not necessarily facts about me but about Americans in general, so don't take offense. As you read I'm sure that at least one of these will apply to you, if not a few.

• I am an American because each day when I wake in the morning I expect to eat a minimum of 3 meals, plus some snacks.
• When I need to go the bathroom I expect there to be a toilet that flushes with a door that locks and a sink with soap and hot water not to mention enough toilet paper on the roll to fully wipe.
• I am an American because I expect to have a full and "free" education at least until I graduate Highschool, then I expect either my parents, a bank loan, or scholarships to pay for my college.
  
• I expect some type of new clothing for my first day of school each year and after each holiday break, and possibly with a new haircut and fresh manicure and golden tan.
• When I am tired and want go to bed, I expect a comfy mattress with sheets and a comfoter and a couple pillows.
• I expect a bedroom with enough space for all my clothes and things, a TV with a DVD plalyer, and a 5-disc CD changer Stereo. A lamp, a ceiling light, and a fan, central air are almost needs.
• When I go to the mall I expect to be able to buy at least a couple new things, whether I pay or my parents do... or even a friend. Then I will go to the movie theatre and pay 9$ for my ticket then buy my 5$ small popcorn and my 4$ small drink, maybe even a 5$ box of candy to go along. I will do this almost every weekend.
• During my birthday and Christmas I expect to get new things from my closest relatives and something big from my parents, and I open every card expecting money to fall out before I even start to read the writing. I also expect a feast of food and drinks.
• When I get my license I expect my parents to buy me a car either before summer or for the next gift giving holiday... which ever comes first. Then while I'm in school "studying hard" and "can't work" my parents will pay for my gas and insurance. Even if that means my tank needs filled every other day because I drive when I don't need to.

Try to tell me that isn't true? I have suddenly started to have a passion to visit a place like Africa, where some countries are so poor, so diseased, so unlivable that I will never take for granted...ever!... the things I've been given and offered in my life.

things to know.

so, i have a "sitemeter" on here that tells me how many people visit and where they are from... the country, state/province, and even the city, how long they visited for, and where they found my link.

pretty cool eh? well you'd be suprised at all the random locations people are looking/reading from. i have people from New York, B.C., Ontario, Mizzou, Georgia, Cali, Iowa, Colorado, and many more places... since April 1st 184 people have at least looked at my blog, SO i feel if you're taking the time to take a peek at my blog you should at least know some things about me. so here are 20 things you may or may not need to know about the writer.

1. I am a devoted Christian.
2. I am seriously almost deathly afraid of the dark.
3. My citizenship is with the U.S. although until August I'm living in Canada.
4. My boyfriend is Canadian.
5. I think asparagus and avacado are the nastiest vegetables, although I've never tasted either.
6. I have a Pomeranian names Haanz, Pom's are a German dog breed.
7. I hate when people chew with their mouth open.
8. I'm disappointed that Canada doesn't have Popeye's Chicken or Jimmy Johns.
9. I want to be a Photographer.
10. Since May of 2008 I have only been home to Iowa for a total of 4 months, and not all at once.
11. I lived in Maui, Hawai'i... I would love to speak pidgeon.
12. I will live either in So Cal or back in Maui within the next 4 years... hopefully if not sooner.
13. I cherish my family now, more then ever.
14. I don't think any other man can compare to Tyler in any way.
15. Summer is my favourite, I hate snow, the cold, and rain.
16. I like ladybugs and butterflies.
17. Someday I want to name my son Burkely James-Diesel Hanet, and/or my daugter Ellie Gwendolyn-La'ren Hanet.
18. I am going bear hunting in a week.
19. I pee'd outdoors for the first time in the Alberta Rockies. [i think that's where we were]
20. I hate fish, but love shrimp, lobster, crab, clam and calamari.

If you take the time to read my blog from time to time, don't be afraid to let me know by leaving feedback!
With love.