Hello, everyone. Once again, I have neglected to update the blog. BUT there are some things that should be known!
1. We got the internet at our house! (which means I can blog more, yay!)
2. It's cloudy and cold and dreary in Missoula averaging 35 degrees.
3. Casey likes to keep the heat at a burning 60 degrees. (Which means I'm freezing!)
4. We just got back from Hawaii a few weeks ago and it was AMAZING! Pictures to follow.
5. I'm 7 months pregnant! And we are so excited to be expecting our first. Baby Boy on the way:)
Those of you that follow my blog, that I'm aware of, should already know that...but on the off chance that you didn't: SURPRISE! I'll post some baby bump pics when I get a sec.
I'm am in total nesting mode right now, which means I am trying to get all the fixins for the nursery! I'm not going to paint anything because we are in a rental, but so far we have a crib (thanks mom and dad!) and a desk that was made into a changing table (thanks Casey!) and a few clothes and some receiving blankets (thanks Momma Miller!). It is a very exciting time and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome this little bundle of joy into our lives. Can't wait 2 more months...
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
FUN in Missoula!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
The long awaited tale of the Miller's move to Montana
Fourscore and 7 years ago...
That's kind of what it feels like right? My apologies!
August 1st, 2011 we rolled into town in our little Toyota Camry anxious to find a place to live and a place for me to work. It was my task to do both while we lived out of a hotel as Casey went about doing his work as a new Area Manager to At&t. After a week and many hours of searching we finally found a place we loved and fit all of our needs. It was quite a bit more expensive than we wanted it to be but we had run out of other options and hotels aren't cheap!
We moved in all of our stuff and went to our ward that first Sunday in town. Casey suggested that we bear our testimonies so people in the ward could get to know us. So we did and it turned out to be fruitful. We made a lot of fast friends that we love being around. I got hired about 3 weeks later at a plasma donating center, Biolife, and Home Depot where I worked in the paint department. It was a lot of fun working at Home Depot, but I came to find that between both of my part time jobs that I didn't like working 60 hours a week. At Biolife, I am a phlebotomist in training. It has only been a few months that I have worked there, but eventually I will be sticking people and hooking them up to machines where they lay for an hour donating their plasma. I really enjoy working there.
We explored our surroundings quite a bit upon our arrival. We drove to a few different neighboring cities that had more of the country feel toward them. I was actually kind of surprised to find out that Missoula had a Target and a Home Depot and a Costco. I guess I thought I would be moving to live in the barn with the horses among fields and fields of pine trees, and rivers, and mountains full of bears. I didn't expect to live in a little neighborhood with tons of neighbors and no yard. But we love it! And don't worry, there is still plenty of fields with pine trees and rivers and mountains, and you only have to travel 10 minutes to get there! It is gorgeous here.
Casey drives around a lot for his job. He is the Area Manager over 6 At&t retail stores in Western Montana. 2 of the stores are in Missoula so he doesn't have to travel too far. Then he goes to Helena, Bozeman, Kalispell, and Great Falls. He visits each store each week. Some of them are 2-3 hours away so he is on the road A LOT. He really enjoys his job and is learning quite a bit from his Superiors. He is a very hard worker and is always smiling about his situation, even when the going gets rough. I am a very lucky woman to have such an amazing husband.
We visited a lot of fun places over the last few months. They include Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, LoLo Hot Springs, Flathead Lake, Seattle, and of course back home to Utah:) We miss that place. We miss our friends and our routine and all the delicious restaurants and entertainment. But we are excited to be in the beautiful country with plenty of outdoor adventures to pursue! I'll post some pictures of the place we are renting and some of the adventures we've had.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
BISON RANGE
YELLOWSTONE/JACKSON HOLEWe stopped at Yellowstone on the way down to Jackson Hole. It was a quick visit to Old Faithful and then we met up with our friends, Lindzi, Aaron, Isla & Whit in Jackson. We had a lot of fun there. We went to the Bar J Grill, got ice cream, went swimming, hiking, shopping and just hung out in gorgeous Jackson. Casey and I rode the lift at Teton Village to do the mountain bike trails over and over. It was super fun! And really good to see our awesome friends.
SEATTLEWe went to Seattle for our 1st YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! We went to the Public Market and rode the ferry to Bainbridge and saw the Space Needle. We went to the temple on our anniversary to remember our covenants and it was really neat. We had tons of fun, despite the really long drive it took to get there.
Well, now you're caught up on August thru September...ha ha. I suppose I'll have to write another long post about October until now!Tuesday, October 11, 2011
alright alright alright...
I know. I know. I have like SOOOOO many fans out there that are wondering, "WHY has our ashley gone dark?" As in, "why does she never post anything on her blog?" Yeah, I know. I'm big-time into the blog world. Super missed when I don't post for a month to be sure! But don't worry minions. I will be back into business here soon enough and I've plenty to tell you; so hang on to your britches and get ready for the next posts!
We've had a lot of weekend trips...and I still haven't "introduced" you into Montana...so I have lots to share. Thank you for your patience and your undying support! I just love being missed.
As for now: you can rest assured that eating a bowl of popcorn at 11:30 at night has brought me great comfort and zero guilt. Until next time.
We've had a lot of weekend trips...and I still haven't "introduced" you into Montana...so I have lots to share. Thank you for your patience and your undying support! I just love being missed.
As for now: you can rest assured that eating a bowl of popcorn at 11:30 at night has brought me great comfort and zero guilt. Until next time.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Crunch!
September 7, 2011
1. Pour Ice Cold milk into deep bowl.
2. Spill Kellogg’s New “Crunchy Nut” cereal into bowl of milk.
3. Fetch Large spoon from drawer.
4. Eat. Smile. Repeat process
Kellogg’s new “crunch nut” cereal is the best cereal known to man, Second only to Coco Pebbles. Although, entirely different levels of nutrition, naturally. I found it to be nutty, crunchy, and all around golden delicious.
Buy some. Try it.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Things to be grateful for...
Does it count if I list all the things I DON'T have and then work up?
Internet in the home.
Then you don't have to go to a stuffy library where smelly transients hang out (trust me...their lack of hygiene is completely evident!) or to Barnes&Noble where they strategically place their outlets AWAY from any chairs or tables; therefore giving your laptop about 30 minutes of juice for prime internet time. Enough? Hardly.
Kids.
If you have kids you can hang out with them all day and feel like you're actually accomplishing something because they add meaning to your life. Not to mention they make life so much more unpredictable and entertaining. Right?
A Job.
I did technically get a job, so that's exciting news! However, I don't start for about another month and that can be just as difficult waiting for it to come along. There is only so many "errands" I can run as well as exercise I can do before I get tired of it all. Yes...I've increased my time practicing the piano, guitar, doing crafts, reading, writing, dancing, cleaning, sighing, watching movies, learning how to sign, learning spanish, racking up the cell phone minutes, and floating the river as many times as I can. Oh, and don't forget...cooking...dun dun dun!! So I suppose I can't complain all that much. I have "plenty" to do...but it still feels like I'm not accomplishing all that much.
I'm the sort of person that needs to be kept on a schedule. **GASP** I know! SHOCKER to all of you who think I'm this perfectly unbound free spirit that never needs anything to do but free time in her life but it's a lie. The busier I am forced to be, the more efficient I become. The less I HAVE to do...the less I do. It's a weird concept I know...but whit gets it. And so does mom.
On the upswing I AM grateful for the fact that I DID get a job, I DO have an amazing husband, and I'm in a wonderful new place making lots of new friends and doing lots of fun things. Maybe next time I'll blog about the fun things...:) I just can't handle the rancid smell of the library's occupants anymore. Chau for now!
Internet in the home.
Then you don't have to go to a stuffy library where smelly transients hang out (trust me...their lack of hygiene is completely evident!) or to Barnes&Noble where they strategically place their outlets AWAY from any chairs or tables; therefore giving your laptop about 30 minutes of juice for prime internet time. Enough? Hardly.
Kids.
If you have kids you can hang out with them all day and feel like you're actually accomplishing something because they add meaning to your life. Not to mention they make life so much more unpredictable and entertaining. Right?
A Job.
I did technically get a job, so that's exciting news! However, I don't start for about another month and that can be just as difficult waiting for it to come along. There is only so many "errands" I can run as well as exercise I can do before I get tired of it all. Yes...I've increased my time practicing the piano, guitar, doing crafts, reading, writing, dancing, cleaning, sighing, watching movies, learning how to sign, learning spanish, racking up the cell phone minutes, and floating the river as many times as I can. Oh, and don't forget...cooking...dun dun dun!! So I suppose I can't complain all that much. I have "plenty" to do...but it still feels like I'm not accomplishing all that much.
I'm the sort of person that needs to be kept on a schedule. **GASP** I know! SHOCKER to all of you who think I'm this perfectly unbound free spirit that never needs anything to do but free time in her life but it's a lie. The busier I am forced to be, the more efficient I become. The less I HAVE to do...the less I do. It's a weird concept I know...but whit gets it. And so does mom.
On the upswing I AM grateful for the fact that I DID get a job, I DO have an amazing husband, and I'm in a wonderful new place making lots of new friends and doing lots of fun things. Maybe next time I'll blog about the fun things...:) I just can't handle the rancid smell of the library's occupants anymore. Chau for now!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Mizoozles!
Mizoozle is the affectionate name I've given my new town of residence! (Formerly and more commonly known as Missoula, MT).
Yes, we have an empty house, but we do have a house, well...townhome. At&t packed us up a couple weeks ago and said, "you can expect us to deliver your things sometime in between August 2nd and 12th." (Great! thanks for the 10 day gap heads up)!
Turns out, they are coming tomorrow so we may not have to sleep on a cheap old air mattress anymore, yay! I've been applying for every sort of job imaginable. I've applied at the airport, a few restaurants, a teen home, REI, ranch resorts, river guiding shops, the Post Office, and a nanny site. So far my efforts have proven to be fruitless but I'm not losing hope. I still have the dental office, Famous Footwear, Barnes & Noble, and any clothing store in the mall that I could work lousy retail hours making next to nothing for a discount that I would probably spend the whole of my paycheck on...I suppose that is the last resort...:) I've even thought seriously about getting my Pharmacy Technician License renewed so I can work in a Pharmacy somewhere around here.
So far, Mizoozles has proven to be GORGEOUS and very exciting to explore. Casey and I were finally able to find a nice place to rent so we weren't having to live out of a hotel anymore. We went to the hot springs, a small hike, and tried to get our fishing licenses for MT. Good thing you have to have a MT Driver's License for 6 months before you can enjoy the lovely season price of $26 as opposed to the out of state $70 license. Eee. May not be fishin' til the spring boys! We also went to church on Sunday at our new ward and Casey suggested we share our testimonies to meet new people in the ward(since last time it took us 9 months to make friends) and it proved to be a good thing since I have a few more people to talk to in person than the walls and Casey in the evenings. Casey is loving his new job! He is very busy and gone quite a bit, but people revere and look up to him and he is setting the high standard of being your best in all of his stores! He's happiest when he's busy and working hard. And trust me..he's ALWAYS working:)
We've got plenty of things on the list of things to do and see, including visits to:
Lolo Campground (I love camping:)
Flathead Lake
Glacier Lake
2 Waterfall Hikes
Floating the Clark Fork River (here in town)
So, if anyone wants to come visit we've got plenty of room(but not for the 10 ft long church pew that was previously serving as our living room couch....NOOO!) and lots of adventures to fulfill!
Love and miss you all in the beautiful Salt Lake.
And don't worry because I know you were all wondering...we ARE within walking distance of a movie theatre! Casey and I are planning on buying within a year and I'm pretty sure it'll be out in the gorgeous country but for now we are still in the city and that's alright.
Casey and I are just having the time of our lives here!
Exhibit A:
No, really, we are!
Yes, we have an empty house, but we do have a house, well...townhome. At&t packed us up a couple weeks ago and said, "you can expect us to deliver your things sometime in between August 2nd and 12th." (Great! thanks for the 10 day gap heads up)!
Turns out, they are coming tomorrow so we may not have to sleep on a cheap old air mattress anymore, yay! I've been applying for every sort of job imaginable. I've applied at the airport, a few restaurants, a teen home, REI, ranch resorts, river guiding shops, the Post Office, and a nanny site. So far my efforts have proven to be fruitless but I'm not losing hope. I still have the dental office, Famous Footwear, Barnes & Noble, and any clothing store in the mall that I could work lousy retail hours making next to nothing for a discount that I would probably spend the whole of my paycheck on...I suppose that is the last resort...:) I've even thought seriously about getting my Pharmacy Technician License renewed so I can work in a Pharmacy somewhere around here.
So far, Mizoozles has proven to be GORGEOUS and very exciting to explore. Casey and I were finally able to find a nice place to rent so we weren't having to live out of a hotel anymore. We went to the hot springs, a small hike, and tried to get our fishing licenses for MT. Good thing you have to have a MT Driver's License for 6 months before you can enjoy the lovely season price of $26 as opposed to the out of state $70 license. Eee. May not be fishin' til the spring boys! We also went to church on Sunday at our new ward and Casey suggested we share our testimonies to meet new people in the ward(since last time it took us 9 months to make friends) and it proved to be a good thing since I have a few more people to talk to in person than the walls and Casey in the evenings. Casey is loving his new job! He is very busy and gone quite a bit, but people revere and look up to him and he is setting the high standard of being your best in all of his stores! He's happiest when he's busy and working hard. And trust me..he's ALWAYS working:)
We've got plenty of things on the list of things to do and see, including visits to:
Lolo Campground (I love camping:)
Flathead Lake
Glacier Lake
2 Waterfall Hikes
Floating the Clark Fork River (here in town)
So, if anyone wants to come visit we've got plenty of room(but not for the 10 ft long church pew that was previously serving as our living room couch....NOOO!) and lots of adventures to fulfill!
Love and miss you all in the beautiful Salt Lake.
And don't worry because I know you were all wondering...we ARE within walking distance of a movie theatre! Casey and I are planning on buying within a year and I'm pretty sure it'll be out in the gorgeous country but for now we are still in the city and that's alright.
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