rushley & crew

Catch up on my love story with parts 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , and check back every Wednesday for a new installment :) Part Six - Kiss the Girl After our first (second?) date, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to kiss him! I liked him so much, and kissing was the logical next step. But Russ wanted to take things slow. His last relationship had been bad, and at this point, he was still trying to make sure I wasn't just a rebound, and he was also in no hurry to add physical dimensions to our relationship. Luckily, he told me how he was feeling. He said, "I like you, A LOT, but I'm going to take this almost painfully slow. It is killing me right now to not kiss you ;) but I want to try it slow and see where things take us." I think this is one key to why our relationship worked out so perfectly . . . If you'll recall from part 2 , I had two very short relationships earlier in the semester. The 2-day guy and I only held hands, bu

Why, hello Blog World! It's been awhile. And that's because I was busy enjoying myself in Seattle with Husband and family. I will do a recap of that trip this Friday, but today I am linking up with If These Walls Could Speak and K.Gilby  for their weekly My Life in Lists link-up. The list for today is things from pinterest that have changed my life I most often use my Pinterest account for craft & fashion ideas, and occasionally for recipes. I wouldn't say any of these things are "life-changing," but I definitely enjoy seeing all the different things I can make or things that I can do with my style. The most life-changing part about it is that I am much more into crafts than I ever was before Pinterest, and would consider crafting to be one of my main hobbies. So now, some Pinspiration :) one. Mod-podged letters and string heart . My letters took on a much different style, and my string heart is a lot smaller scaled, but these two pins are the o

This series is turning into a novel! So if you don't want to read  part 1 ,  part 2 ,  part 3 , or  part 4 , I wouldn't blame you. But if you do, there you go :) Part Five - First Date . . . or Second? When we last left off, Russ and I were finally interacting more and we both knew that we liked each other. But he still hadn't asked me on a date! But sometime in early December, he finally remedied that. On a Thursday, he asked me if I would go stargazing with him on the coming Sunday evening. I was super excited :) But in the meantime, he kind of asked me on a different first date, but I didn't really know it. He texted me on Saturday morning, asking if I wanted to go on "a walk" with him. Fully loving every minute spent with him, I readily agreed! But let's be clear--it wasn't a walk. It was a hike. Which isn't a big deal, except that hiking through rocky places requires different shoes than those used to walk on the nicely paved sidew

Guys. This weekend was so good :) That may have a lot to do with the fact that the semester is suuuuuuper close to being over (just two finals to go!) so I don't have the stress of a million assignments and tests going on--just two :) But it was also just great :) On Saturday, after studying for and taking a final, Russ and I drove up to IKEA. We ate delicious Swedish meatballs and had so much fun looking at things and thinking about how we want our future home. For the record, some of the things I most look forward to in a future home are: Dishwasher An island in the kitchen--aka counter space A backsplash in the kitchen Dishwasher. It's here twice because I really really can't wait for the day that I have one in my life. And though we were tempted to buy a lot of cool and unnecessary things, we actually exercised some self-control and came away with exactly what we went for: a shelf and some brackets to hang the shelf . Spending only $17 in IKEA? I conside

Easter isn't about bunnies, baskets, or big blocks of chocolate. It is about the resurrection of the Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ.  Because of Him, our lives can have meaning. Because of Him, we can be with our families forever. Because of Him, we can live again.  How has your life been blessed as a result of the life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ? **ashleynicole

I've seen a bunch of cute Easter printables lately, but some that I really liked were ones you had to pay for, which I simply did not want to do!  So instead, I created my own printable . . . and it's not only free to me, but to YOU as well! Just click on the download button on the top right of the picture below, and you have access to this 8x10 printable! But if you do use it, I would sure appreciate it if you followed me via bloglovin' and/or GFC! :) Enjoy! :) He is Risen.pdf **ashleynicole

Today's 5 on Friday is going to be a short one since I'm busy studying for finals and such, so let's get started! one.  Thanks to everyone who weighed in on their opinions about which bag I should get last Friday. I ended up choosing . . . none of the options I posted. Well, sort of. I picked option two in color three: From Target two. My birthday is officially less than a month away! And I still have no clue what I'll be doing. Still open to party ideas . . . anyone have any? ;) three. Classes are over! And so, as I said, all I have to do over the next few days is take a few finals. I love it when semesters end :) four. Off to Seattle in less than a week! So excited to have a trip with my man, and so excited to go see some family! :) What are your recommendations for things we absolutely have to do  while we're there? :) five.  It's Easter weekend! We're excited to celebrate this weekend with some of Russ's family. Since my parents liv

New here? Catch up with part 1 , part 2 , and part 3 ! Part Four - Let's Get This Party Started It was now the beginning of December (2011), so our FHE group made plans to see the lights at Temple Square together. We had to take two cars up to see the lights, and sadly, Russ and I did not end up in the same car. However, I can't remember the reason, but someone asked me to text someone in the other car with a question. So of course, I texted Russ! After getting the answer to the question, we continued to text. As we passed Thanksgiving Point, he mentioned that he had never been there before. When I replied that I hadn't been there either, he said, "We should go sometime!" At this point I was freaking out inside, and said "We as in me and you, or we as in our FHE group?" and he said, "The former :)" And that's how I knew he liked me. Haha it sounds so ridiculous now, but the whole beginning process of falling in love is always

I've been thinking a lot lately about how life changes. I'm normally one to say that I love change . . . I love moving to new places, not knowing anyone, and having/getting to start over; I love switching up my haircut (though, it's a much longer process to go from short to long than the other way around . . . ); I love new semesters filled with new classes. Some changes are harder, though.  As you go through life, you meet lots of different people. Some stay acquaintances, others become fast friends. Some friendships, though strong, are short, while other friendships are lifelong.  Like I said, I'm usually a fan of change. I realize that even though some friendships are only temporary, they are still worth it. I don't regret my childhood friendships just because they're mostly over now (except for the occasional FB hello). I don't regret the time spent with friends in Jr. High because I learned a lot from those experiences, and I enjoyed that tim

Lately I have been looking for a nice purse. I always carry a bag around, and so I want something that looks nicer and more grown-up. Trouble is, I can't make up my mind! So for today's 5 on Friday, I'm showing the options I have. Please help me out! :) one.   couldn't find a picture online so . . . you get my inadequate photography skills on this one :) Cobalt Bag: Burlington Coat Factory Similar:  A.   B. ++pros big enough to fit my planner best price ----cons might be bigger than I want limited organizational features (only two giant sections; no smaller compartments and zipper areas) two.  Coral Bag:  Target ++pros smaller size love  all of the compartmental options ----cons I have a lot of shirts this color, so it will look either too matchy-matchy, or the two very similar colors will clash won't fit my planner three. sidenote: I don't actually wear cross-body purses across my body (pict

If you're behind on how my relationship with Russ got its start, catch up with part 1 and part 2 . Part Three - Changing Plans It was around the beginning of November. I was sitting in the second hour of church, like I normally did. I was on one side of the room, and I glanced over at the other side of the room. At that exact moment, Russ looked back at me.  So me, being the awkward person I am, made some kind of crazy face. Probably something like this. He responded by looking back in a confusion-meets-you're-so-weird! kind of expression. And don't ask me how, but from that little exchange, I knew  he and his girlfriend had broken up. It was something like . . . he looked more free. Maybe a little sad, but also glad to be free of her.  Again, don't ask me how I got all that from our weird face exchange. Anyways, I confirmed this suspicion with Lance (his brother) later that night, when we got together to do our planning for FHE. Lance re

one.  Remember that secret I mentioned last week ? Well I guess I'll tell you now, only it's in a sad way rather than an excited way. We were contemplating moving to England for six months sometime next year (around May). It was a secret because we hadn't decided whether or not we were going to do it yet. But now we've made our decision, and we're not doing it. But I figured I should still mention it since I left you all hanging last week. Someday . . .  two.  As I browse blogs, I often come across bloggers wearing adorable clothes and linking up where they got the clothes from. They always say stuff like "I got this amazing dress, and it's so affordable! " I'm amazed to see what prices people call "affordable." And I'm not trying to be mean--I just think I have a different definition of "affordable." I could afford  just about any outfit that people post about. But I'm a bargain shopper. I don't pay more

If you missed part 1, find it here ! Part Two - A Surprise In single student wards at BYU, there's this thing called FHE. It's actually a part of any time of life as a Mormon, because FHE stands for Family Home Evening. Basically, it's once a week where families all get together to spend time together and to teach and learn about spiritual things, because the best spiritual teaching happens not at church, but in the home. What we learn at church should supplement the things we're already learning at home. Anyways, so since you're away from your family when you're at college, FHE groups are created by putting an apartment of girls with an apartment of guys to form a pseudo family. One girl and one guy act as the "mom and dad" of the family--basically only meaning that they're in charge of planning the activities and delegating responsibilities for FHE.  Our apartment was paired with . . . you guessed it! Russ's apartment.  I w