Half-Birthday Surprise!

I LOVE SURPRISES. Okay, I take that back. I actually can't handle them and go crazy, so I pretty much hate them. BUT... I love giving surprises! Devin's half birthday is coming up and I have a fun idea planned! I hate that this is technically 'OUR' blog so it probably wouldn't be the smartest idea I've ever had if I just layed out Devin's surprise on here. My birthday is next thursday (exactly one week) and he already has my birthday gift and I'm dying to know what it is! But his half birthday is Thanksgiving Day, which is exactly two weeks from today and one week from my real birthday! How fun... our birthdays are kind of close, only 6 months apart :)

Anyways, I think I'm becoming a real woman. And by that, I mean a real wife.

I truly am changing my ways.

1.I, Ashley Woodruff (still is hard to say) want to learn how to be domestic. I'm taking a sewing class next semester. Can you believe it!? Yeah, I can't. And I'm pretty sure my teacher is going to have a very unexpected semester in the winter with me in her class. I'm pretty sure she has no idea what's coming her way. However, my cooking skills are pretty dang low on the charts but are definitely better than when we started. I have three things that inspire me on my kitchen wall that make trying to cook all the while... 3 cute aprons.

[This is where I'd insert the picture of my 3 cute aprons.]

The lack of pictures brings me to my next point....

2. I have a huge problem with my camera and I'm not crying. I'm learning to actually not cry when I get upset about the smallest thing, or cry when I'm laughing histerically too. Well, that's a big lie. I laugh/cried like a week ago so I guess that one will have to stay.

3. I bought MOD PODGE. I actually have a craft table set up in the other room. That part is no surprise but I need to get more supplies and I'm dying to get done with this stupid semester so I can play with my pretty paper and glue gun and scrapbooks. I feel as if I've abandoned a little child everytime I walk by the craft table and turn my back to it. I'm sure this void of my craftiness will be filled more for the 3 days I have for Thanksgiving break here. Even though I have a lot of homework to do over the break. I will break free and finally give in to my beautiful crafts :)

4. I am still alive. I'm learning to cope with Devin leaving on his business trips. I HATE THEM. I'm learning to complain less when he leaves and keep crying at a minimum while I'm by myself. Seriously, I don't know how all the military wives do it. PROPS TO YOU! I honestly prayed for all of you the other night. You are an inspiration to all woman-kind. Anyways, I've accepted that I'm a weenie and pretty much disfunctional when he leaves. I just stay at the library from open to close and pray real hard that the days will go by fast.

While we're on the listing tangent. I put together two REALLY long lists in the 3 digit range that I'm dying to put together and .... I will stop myself there. If I finally get my camera up and running one of these days, I will put pictures up after Devin's half birthday and Christmas :) I'm so excited!!! I just hate waiting to give surprises to someone. I've almost given Devin half of his Christmas present a million times already. I'm not sure if I'm worse at waiting for surprises for myself or waiting to give other people surprises. Oh and I'm starting to put together my sister's family's present for Christmas and I cannot WAIT! I hope it turns out the way I want it to.

My next listing epsiode is my list of things I want to do while Devin and I are in Virginia for 14 days over Christmas break:

SO FAR...

-Crafts - finish christmas presents
-Visit the eastern shore of maryland where i grew up (I want dev to see it!)
-DC sites!!!
-Chinatown in DC (that gets its own bullet)
-GYM ... (I haven't been once since I've been married so I want to at least write down that I WANT to do it, not say that it will happen but it sure makes me feel better!)
-Hang out with Aimoku and Tyler (My best friend got married 6 days before me and they will be home for Christmas too!)
-Marine Museum
-GO SHOPPING!
-Go to my sisters house and play with the nephews and cute new niece!
-TP my brothers house
-Visit the ZOO if it's open and the animals aren't all dead like last time
-Baltimore Aquarium
-Pentagon while David's working
-Watch season 3 of Prison Break

Oh Christmas how I love you! I have missed you so much over these past 323 days.

DEVIN MICHAEL GETS HOME TONIGHT! It's a holiday for all! CELEBRATE ONE AND ALL!

The man stepping it up.

Devin picked out this ugly background... it's not my fault.

Goodbye Wonderful Jeep

BYU-Idaho has always treated me extremely well (minus the disfunctional health center) and I was very upset to have a new hate on campus - the automotive department. They suck.

The jeep has been having problems with the brakes for a few months now and Dev put the jeep on a list for the school to be looked at a LONG, LONG, time ago. Well, we felt like we had won the lottery when the school finally called us and told us they were able to look at the jeep! Woohoo - we could actually get the jeep fixed! And getting it fixed on campus seemed like the best idea because:

1. Just on campus at the Austin

2. Only have to pay for the parts

3. Labor Free BANGARANG!

Well, I got the location part right and that's about all. Not to mention everything else that happened wrong with the jeep. We had to take it in 3 times before they could find anything wrong with it. Then they were excited to fix it and so were we! Well, keep in mind that this is our only vehicle and we live all the way past walmart, almost out to Sugar City. The Austin kids (that's what we'll call them) were made aware of this each time we brought it in and told us that we would have our car back two days later on a thursday. No problem, we thought. Well... LIES, LIES, LIES. We went back Thursday for it and they weren't done. They then promised us Tuesday. Well, Tuesday we go back... still not done. Surprised yet? Nope, us either. Finally Thursday rolls around and I march down there and take the car anyways, I'm just glad they were actually done that time. No worries instead of a $175 job it ended up being $285 because they decided to put another part on that we DIDN'T NEED! Ahhhh.... I'm graduating in April. Only a few more months of dumb school stuff like this. Honestly, nothing like this ever happens I just can't believe how ridiculous it was.

Meanwhile, Devin and I had to take the motorcycle everywhere... FREE-UH-ZING! Rexburg is not the warmest place I've ever been. But we were able to make the most of it and actually had some really funny times not having the Jeep.

So devin signed us up to do ward sealings and just reminded me that they started at 6 and i said that was fine but one problem, i got off work at 6. He told me he would just bring my stuff with him and we'd be just a little bit late. So I agreed and was like, oh crap... he has to pick out my outfit! Boys shouldn't do that! Wait, I take that back... DEVIN SHOULDN'T DO THAT! I know as a boy this probably doesn't mean anything but it was really terrifying because I have to help Devin with his clothes big time. So I just told him to bring me a solid colored skirt. That's it. There was no lengthy description of a cute, fashionable outfit that I would have tried to confuse him with. Just a plain colored skirt. So what does he bring me? This nasty wool, plaid skirt, keep in mind that it also had PLEATS on it, that I got at DI as a joke a few years ago. I was like what the freak!!! So I totally looked like a grandma and we couldn't stop laughing at how ugly I looked.

Anyways, so we walked out to the parking lot and I totally forgot that the car was still in the shop so here we are just with the bike. So just imagine this - me climbing on the bike in my grandma skirt with my bookbag on and two big temple suitcases inbetween us. I'm just trying to reach around the suitcases to hold on to beltloops of dev's or anything i can reach. I told him to go SUPER slow up the hill because I didn't want anything to fall off. I'm sure we looked like dumb and dumber going up to the temple. So we get there and get dressed and tell a temple worker we were meeting with our married student ward with the college. She was like, oh yes I think I know where your ward is. So we follow her and go to the sealing room and sit down. We look around and start busting up - there's all these 80 year old couples! I don't know what kind of student ward she thought we were looking for! But I thought the witness guy died at one point. He had to have been in his 90s and he didn't move for like 10 minutes!!! I was about to get up and poke him if he didnt move soon.

Bottom line - there is NEVER a dull moment with this family and I LOVE IT! I'm not gonna lie though, I'm SO happy to have the jeep back and have a warm temple date this week.

Holidays!

I LOVE the holidays. I love fall the most. There's something magical about leaves falling from the trees and the air becoming a little crisper and a cooler breeze blowing. However, the breeze doesn't blow a little cooler here in Rexburg, it blows your house down in an ice storm. But besides that fact... I love fall. The house even smells like fall!

Devin had to go to Wyoming for 8 days for work and since he told me, I've pretty much been miserable since. I told my Mom through lots of tears that Devin was going to be leaving and will you believe it, she came out to visit me!!! She stayed the whole time Devin was gone. I love her. I feel bad because I was in school and working but we honestly did get a lot more time together than I thought we would. And I miss shopping with her! It doesn't matter if it's shopping for tooth paste or underwear. Shopping with my mom = an amazing experience. If you haven't gotten the chance to do so with her, you must. It is a once in a lifetime experience. The Edwards women have this strange thing in their blood where shopping cures them from any ailment and I instantly feel better from any sadness or heartache. I love shopping.

But Devin is home now and I am loving my life! :) Seriously you don't realize how good you have it until your husband is back with you! Aleluiah. I hate Wyoming. I never want him to go back. But I think we're going to Jacksonhole next week to play. We went to Mesa Falls yesterday and it was beautiful! It was the perfect opportunity to TAKE A PICTURE! Oh I would love to, BUT my camera charger is dead... I hate it!!! But seriously pictures of the house, the newlyweds, and all of our new fun adventures are soon to come!!!

I LOVE HAVING DEVIN HOME!

Oh and we finally got married friends! I'll have to update later! But we went on a drive with some of them tonight. It was to show us where they went hunting this past week. Yes folks, we're in Idaho. We hunt for fun. More like - people hunt for fun. I haven't gotten this glorious privilege quite yet :) We're having FHE with them tomorrow night and there will be 2 other couples there! We'll be carving pumpkins and playing games.

OH annnnnd... Heavenly Father loves us! I know big shocker! But seriously it's true! I was praying that we would feel involved in our ward and we met those people TODAY and took a ride with them tonight and are hanging out with them TOMORROW and I was so sad that I don't have a VT assignment or a calling and it's been killing me. Well, the Bishop called us today and guess what!?! WE'RE GIVING TALKS IN CHURCH NEXT SUNDAY! I know I'm super weird and no one is ever excited to give talks and honestly, it's on tithing and fast offerings so it's pretty much the most boring topic we could be assigned but I am SO grateful! I actually feel apart of the ward now. While I was in Relief Society they passed around the role and STILL "Woodruff" was no where to be found on the sheet. I was so bummed but then prayers and BAM!

WE ARE MARRIED!!!!

So married life pretty much IS the greatest... I was right! :) I wanted to write right after we got married but life has been the craziest whirl wind... A whole 3 weeks and 3 days and going strong! Forever is a pretty sweet deal. Both receptions were amazing! It was so fun to see Devin interact with all of my close friends that came to the Stafford reception and I always love watching him with all of his Nampa friends - usually the really old ones... it's so cute. But it was fun to finally meet a ton of people I've heard about for so long. It was funny because the Woodruff family is never ending (I guess that means MY family ha!) and I keep meeting more and more of them. I love it! I seriously love that family so much.

The sealing was amazing. We had Earl C. Tingey seal us in the DC temple. The spirit was so strong. It was definitely the best sealing I'd ever been to :) I can't wait to go do proxy sealings to learn and listen more. I was writing in my journal the other day about the whole wedding experience and I was like, oh shoot! I can't remember ANYTHING the sealer said to us! I asked Dev and he just kind of laughed and couldn't remember either. Anyways, I just remember it was great and one funny thing he said - he told us we were the best looking couple to come through the temple that day ... turns out there was only one other couple that was married that day!

But we won't be getting back wedding pictures for a few months :( I would love to post them but that will have to wait. But we are pretty much all settled in our house and we LOVE it! I'll take some pictures and post them soon!

Pretty much to sum it all up - I love that boy and we're in it for the long haul :)

Cute boys = gorgeous husbands!

Besides the fact that I hate being engaged - I finally found a plus to it! We're having a slideshow at our reception and so my parents and I have been putting together the pictures of us individually - all growing up and then finally grown up and together as a couple and engaged. I LOVE his baby pictures. I am officially marrying the most handsome man ever who just so happens to have been the CUTEST little kid known to man! I love looking at these pictures! :)

I love Devin. Yes, I love Devin! He's almost all mine and no one can have him :) I love that part. Eleven days til we are sealed for all time and eternity. What gets better than that!?! Umm... maybe some icecream :) but that's about all that I can think of besides that. I get to see him on Sunday when I pick him up from the airport in Baltimore - I can't wait to see him! I know I'm going to cry when I see him. It's been too long. I'm convinced that long distance is the worst thing known to man.

I've been soaking up the last times with my family without being married though. I feel bad because my mind is totally just on the future though. I keep thinking about the sealing, the honeymoon, the reception in idaho, my classes next semester, and living with my best friend! I think being married seriously is like this amazing secret that everyone has kept from me. Who wouldn't want to be married!?! As long as it's to the right person... I'm all about it! Of course this is from the before stand point but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to love it just the same.

So I got this horrible ear infection. I knew it was bad but I didn't want to be a weenie about it but finally my Mom made me go to the doctor. Good thing she did! Apparently I almost have a cartilige infection. Weird, right? How do you get those? I have NO idea! I swear I get the most random things. I had this huge lump on my head when I had mono, I had emphitigo twice, sun blisters on my mouth, now almost a bone infection, carpal tunnel last summer, the list goes on... I think my body is not a good one. I want a new one!

It's a sign!

So of course as a wedding is near sight - a girl wants to get in the best shape of her life! But I started thinking about this a little late haha... I started wanting to be SUPER fit as of a few weeks ago and I have little self control and I love sugar! But I have been running this 3 1/2 mile loop around my house which goes through the woods lately and I love it. It's actually a really cool run with great scenery. Well, yesterday I was running and just jamming out to my music and made it to wooded area of my run when BAM! A deer runs out RIGHT in front of me! I almost got run over by a deer!!! What if I had died before my wedding because of a deer? How sad! And then this morning I was about to jump in the shower and there was a huge wasp in there just buzzing around!!! First of all I was freaked out because who likes bugs?! But I have no idea how it got into my house, let alone all the way upstairs to the guest bedroom! Weird. I'm not sure if all these wild animals are a hint for something but so far I'm not getting it. If I end up getting charged by a herd of possums this week, I'll figure it's for sure a sign.