Friday, February 22, 2008

Beautiful Vermont

This past President's Day weekend we headed for the beautiful state of Vermont with our good friends Jordan and Sara. We were able to see many great sites of the East as we drove up the coast. We even survived the traffic of New York City as we 'cruised' through the Bronx. It was fun to see the Empire State Building and night lights of NYC from a distance.
Vermont was covered in snow and quite a temperature change from DC. We stayed in a little cabin on the countryside, complete with dirt roads. We are very grateful that the car made it through the icy dirt roads, hills and snow, thanks to Jordan's good driving. We only got stuck twice and we didn't even have to push the car. :) The trip included a beautiful day of skiing/boarding on the slopes and a relaxing day of hiking and playing games in the cabin. (We even made pancakes for breakfast, which included the original Vermont Maple Syrup...yum!) Brett tried snow boarding for the first time and he is now converted to boarding vs. skiing- he loved it even though he has quite a few bruises. While we were in Vermont, we stopped by the little town of Sharon where Joseph Smith was born. It was neat to see the prophets birthplace and learn a little more about him. On our way home, we stopped by the Yale University Campus; the buildings we saw were really authentic and old, it was cool. We had a wonderful trip and enjoyed the chance to get away from work and school.









Sara and Me in front of the cabin. The other picture is of Brett trying to keep me warm in below freezing weather.
Standing in freezing rain! (Freezing rain is not the most exciting thing to drive in...yikes.)









Stowe Ski Resort. I took lots of pictures and enjoyed the lodge while everyone was skiing.
Here is a picture of the front of our cabin. The scenery was beautiful, a good break from city life!









This was a typical dirt road that we traveled on, a bit different from DC. The other picture is of Brett standing in front of our cabin that was named, 'The Bear's Den.' :)
Welcome to New York City! This is a picture we took as we drove through the 'Big Apple.' The Bronx was quite a place to see as well. We hope to make it back to NYC in the near future to really see what's inside of this city, but I think we'll ride the metro vs. driving.









The Bronx...(you can't see the graffiti very well in the picture.) We saw a sign that read, "The Bronx Zoo,' and we thought that described the driving pretty well.

A Day in the Life of a 4th Grader

Here are some pics of our 4th Grade Program. I have to admit that these kids are pretty cute! I'm having a lot of fun teaching. My little class is dear to my heart, even though they can wear me out sometimes. :)
Crazy children! My class has a lot of personality!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Soldier Boy


Christmas in the Ashton home is never boring, there is always entertainment! Here is a video clip of Dave, Laura and Spencer dancing to 'Solider Boy.' (Dancing lessons are given upon request.) Good times!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

While we were in Colorado for the holidays, we were able to see Douglas and Jalayne's new baby girl, Hailey. Congrats Douglas and Jalayne, she's beautiful!! Here are a few pics of Hailey in her new Christmas pajamas. :)

A Christmas to Remember


We had a wonderful Christmas! It was fun to see the sites of Christmas in DC, Colorado and Utah this year. We especially enjoyed being with family and friends for the holidays. Thanks for a great Christmas!













National Tree

Nativity Fun at the Parke's









Brett helping narrate for the nativity

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Rock Climbing in Great Falls Virginia!


Over Thanksgiving, Brett, Cory, Sarah, Joel, and Pat went rock climbing in Great Falls, while Emily was at work. They had a wonderful time 'hanging off a cliff' over the Potomac River. They saw some great scenery with the changing leaves. Virginia is a beautiful place!




Cory and Brett mapping out the climb.



Brett climbing over the Potomac River.













Joel cruising up the rock.









The Falls



A 'Fountain of Blessings' at Thanksgiving!


We spent Thanksgiving in DC with our good friends Cory, Sarah and their family. We had a great time playing football, eating yummy food, and touring different sites in DC. Thanks for a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We were thinking about our families at Thanksgiving...we love you!














The mighty feast and the football warriors!





The Tate Family at the WWII Memorial.



















Arlington Cemetery. We are grateful for all those who serve our country.

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