"Hoppy Bunny Year"

I'm so clever, with my word puns.
Christmas, New Year's, my 22nd birthday.
It's been one continuous party
since I've been home.
And now, I'm moving back to college life.
Resolutions for this year?
♡ Hone my Japanese
♡ Meet new people
♡ Keep good relationships
♡ Eat more greens like a bunny



An unexpected turn has appeared in my path,
settling sorrow on my shoulders.
But the wonderful people in my life
are hoisting me out of the brambles,
helping me regain my step.
Thank you for reminding me that I have feet.
Bless you all, and hoppy bunny year!

{♪ "Starry-Eyed Surprise" via Paul Oakenfold}

"Jeanelle Loves History"

Jeanie: "Good ol' Abraham Lincoln."

Me: "...Thomas Jefferson?"

Jeanie: "Same difference."

Jeanie: "Didn't we bomb Pearl Harbor? And isn't it in Japan?"

Jeanie: "How did they get there? I thought Egypt was in South America...?"

Jeanie: "Didn't George Washington give the Gettysburg Address from a canoe?"

Jeanie: "Russia is the big one at the top of the earth. So, Russia and the North Pole are the same thing, right?"

Jeanie: {After talking about Alexander the Great} But then Brutus just up and killed him!

This is a test of YOUR history knowledge. Can you tell what's wrong with each one?

Oh, how I love best friends. They keep you alive when life gets dull. :)

{Photos are public domain.}

"Chums, Chow, & Catching Fire"

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams." -Jeremy Irons

The McCabes let me 'third wheel' with them alot. And I'm ever so grateful.

I sigh a little when the weekends come, because even though I love them, they're a little lonely.

Thank heavens for good friends!

Oh, and psst... If you're trying to forget you're single, don't go to a family ward. ;)

Also, "Catching Fire" is a book I fell over my feet for. It's so beautiful.

Something sad, though . . . I'll be in Japan when the next one comes out. Boo.

Good thing Amazon ships internationally!

"Little Bitty Recap"

"Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available."

-Jim Beggs

I came across some old video files and laughed.

Three cheers for good memories and friends attached!

Bryn, Jeanelle, Aubrey, and Nieves (my roommate from Galicia) are shown in these clips.

Love you guys.

"The Epic Day of August 1, 2009"

"Is that, like, an ammo gun or something?" -Ashley S. Harmon

We create drama.

Well, atleast, I do. *cheesy smile*

It's enthralling to take an event as simple as hiking the PG waterfalls and turn it into something extraordinary. Or, if not extraordinary, then atleast more exciting to watch.

The hike is gorgeous, by the way.

"Doorknobs n' HobNobs"

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." -Helen Keller

We had an adventure yesterday.

Corbin, Jeanie and I were cleaning out their car trunk (they're moving into the condo I moved out of) and Corbin accidentally locked the condo door behind us. Our purses, keys, and phones were inside.

...Wanna guess what we did?

Wow, what a split! Once we'd hammered/wedged off the outer doorknob, Corbin kicked us in with his manly boot.

We finally got the broken doorknob out of the hole!

The hammer we used had come from our neighbor. It broke into 3 pieces in about 3 minutes. (Don't worry, we replaced it!)

*low whistle* Look at that mashed-in knob!

We went to IKEA and Home Depot afterwards. That's Jeanelle's hand; she poured wood glue into the cracks and was holding it closed with these clamps.

Oh yeah, and we hoisted their king-sized mattress to the top floor (of the condo) with yellow rope. :) All in a day's work!

(Image copyright Anna Helm; "London Foodie in New York")

One last thing: I ate a "HobNob" for the first time. England has incredible desserts!

What an incredibly adventurous day!

"Disney Counterparts"

"We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What'dya say? Come on." -Hades (Disney's Hercules)

A little bit ago, I was watching Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (again) and noticed that Cinderella is blonde and Prince Charming has ebony locks. I immediately tied that happy couple together as Jeanelle and Corbin. I thought, "aww, that's adorable!"

But then the realization came to me, "hey... there aren't any Disney heroes with red hair who have brunette girlfriends, huh?"

...And then, I watched Hercules.

Simply put, I was ecstatic. It was a triumphant moment in my life.

*Images copyright Disney Animated Studios*

"Character Development: Rin & Ash"

"Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." -Albert Einstein

A comic is in the midst of being made. I've been developing the four main characters lately, mainly the tiger Rin (Bryn) and the fox Ash (me.) The other two characters are the lynx Jamm (Jeanelle) and the marten Bean (Corbin.) You don't have to tell me, I know the names are brilliantly creative. *grin*

Here are some pencil roughs. I really just need to figure out how I want to proportion Rin. His body needs a little bit of help. :) He'll live up to his human counterpart sooner or later! The name of the comic will most likely be Whim-Sical.

"The Birth of Speed Racer-ette"

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one." -Henry David Thoreau

I drove a racecar today.

No really, my car turned into the batmobile and I sped everywhere. I'm surprised I didn't get pulled over. Or arrested. Let me share with you the hullabaloo of the day...

11:50 am: Bank, temple clothing shopping (for Jeanie,) Krispy Kreme pitstop.

12:45 pm: Mary Kay facial (it was a prize that Jeanie won from David's Bridal.)

2:47 pm: Cranky feelings (that facial lasted much too long) and a pitstop at Walmart for shower curtain hooks (of the baby penguin variety.)

3:25 pm: Sold our souls to Gold's gym for some two-year memberships.

3:53 pm: Corbin's apartment (he wanted to show Jeanie how clean it was.)

4:15 pm: Finally home. Grumpy, hungry, and no missionary letters in the mail. (Grr. :P)

This is where it gets nasty...

7:05 pm: Got lost trying to find Janna's reception.

7:38 pm: Found Janna's reception. Had chocolate strawberries.

8:02 pm: Spastically exploded (Liz's reception ended at 8:30!) and sped home (where Jeanie helped me speed-dress into the gown Liz's sister, Bridget, made for me.)

8:15 pm: Still in Provo. Pulling out gray hairs because I lost my cell phone (it had Liz's reception address on it) and because we hit, literally, every single red light (that always happens, doesn't it?)

8:20 pm: Got on the freeway and did 85mph+ all the way to American Fork.

8:30 pm: Exited and sped down backroads towards Liz's parents' house area.

8:35 pm: Found a lit-up, decorated (on the lawn) church and parked, happy to have found the right place.

8:37 pm: Ran back outside, shocked (away from the angry bride who was definitely not Liz.)

8:41 pm: Finally found the right church (Liz and Erik were still there!)

9:02 pm: Collapsed in my car and drove home with Jeanie and Corbin.

9:37 pm: Realized the significance of not having a cell phone.

I don't think I could live day-to-day like this! Sundays are such a blessing.

"Belated Birthday Surprise"

"Young people have an almost biological destiny to be hopeful." -Marshall Ganz

On January 7th (of this year,) I came home to an array of beautiful gifts placed carefully on my doorstep. Upon opening the card labeled "Ashley", my eyes drifted to the name signed at the bottom: Elder Farnsworth. I was in complete shock.

My lovely roommate, Jeanelle, glanced up at me and (after hearing who was the doer of the deed) exclaimed loudly: "He is so in love with you!" I include that not because my ego was boosted... *cough* ...but that it brought the largest smile my face had experienced in a while. ^_^

Of course, I knew of Elder Farnsworth's adoration well before he left, as most who know me will understand. *cheesy grin* But this was completely unexpected. (And I usually can see something like this coming!) All-in-all, it was a wonderful Christmas/birthday surprise.

Oh, and the gifts included were as follows: A bouquet of a dozen rouge-tipped roses, two plush animals (a rabbit and a raccoon,) a box of assorted chocolates, and an electronic keychain photo album filled with various pictures of us (as well as the card.) Thank you, Ben, for the delivery. And thanks to Bryn for being so thoughtful and kind, even while living across the North Atlantic with the Cornish.