It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. -Rita Rudner
June 9, 2008
I will try to keep this as anti-cheesy as possible, but today I want to express my love for my husband! Why? Because today marks our one year anniversary! I can't believe its already been one whole year, and I also can't believe we're not together on this day (because I am currently visiting my family in Tri-Cities this week but that's another post at another time). So I just wanted to take a moment and write about how we met and share with you everything from "my" perspective of it all:During the summer I was 16 (June 2002), I walked into church with my best friend Laurel. She talked me into going with her because she had just recently moved to Pasco and had not yet met anyone her age. Me, being the good friend that I was, decided to go with her. We sat down and immediately she pointed out a boy (yes they were boys back then, not quite men) she had her eye on. Myself, on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off this dark haired, green eyed boy sitting up at the sacrament table. I then asked her, "Who is that!?" and she said "That's my cousin Marcus," at that moment I knew I had an in. After a few weeks at church and a couple of mutuals later, I asked Marcus out on a date while we doubled with Laurel and Ben Fox. Sparks flew between us at Red Robin and bowling, and we even got scared by a Finley Ghost. I knew I was in love...and from that moment on, I came home and said, "I'm going to marry that boy someday!" This was before I found out that he had a girlfriend...
After this, I spent the next two years pining for him: begging Laurel to drive by his house with me just to get a peek of him and giggling relentlessly behind him during sacrament meetings. Of course we had gone out a few more times but all in all he said I just wasn't his type, tears were shed and hearts were broken. All of my friends in Burbank knew of the crush I had on the infamous "Marcus Henry," so it was a surprise to one of them when he came into her work at RealLife to have his senior pictures taken. After finishing his photos, she grabbed and extra one that was thrown away and surprised me with my very own Marcus Henry, an 11x14 senior picture! (which I still have today). The picture sat in my room because it served as a good laugh to many. It must have rubbed off on me, seeing his face everyday for two years, because six months before he came home from his mission, I quickly started up the letters and packages again (assuming my competition of girls had probably dropped off writing him by now). When he came home, I was glad to see that my efforts were not in vain. I called him the day after he got home and we talked on the phone for 3 hours (I knew I had to get to him before he gave his homecoming talk and all the rest of the girls tried to snag him) and this began our year long courtship. A summer filled with love and jet skiis, two semesters at BYU, and one grand proposal and wedding later, we were married.
Most couples say they married their high school sweetheart, but Marcus' is even better, he married his high school stalker! Okay, not literally, but everyday I am so glad that that black haired, green eyed boy took a chance on me. What a loving, caring, and patient husband I have. Even though today we are not together, it is not the big events in life that continue to keep us together but the little everyday things that occur that just make me fall in love with him more and more everyday. Thank you Marcus for all that you do, I love you.
I will try to keep this as anti-cheesy as possible, but today I want to express my love for my husband! Why? Because today marks our one year anniversary! I can't believe its already been one whole year, and I also can't believe we're not together on this day (because I am currently visiting my family in Tri-Cities this week but that's another post at another time). So I just wanted to take a moment and write about how we met and share with you everything from "my" perspective of it all:During the summer I was 16 (June 2002), I walked into church with my best friend Laurel. She talked me into going with her because she had just recently moved to Pasco and had not yet met anyone her age. Me, being the good friend that I was, decided to go with her. We sat down and immediately she pointed out a boy (yes they were boys back then, not quite men) she had her eye on. Myself, on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off this dark haired, green eyed boy sitting up at the sacrament table. I then asked her, "Who is that!?" and she said "That's my cousin Marcus," at that moment I knew I had an in. After a few weeks at church and a couple of mutuals later, I asked Marcus out on a date while we doubled with Laurel and Ben Fox. Sparks flew between us at Red Robin and bowling, and we even got scared by a Finley Ghost. I knew I was in love...and from that moment on, I came home and said, "I'm going to marry that boy someday!" This was before I found out that he had a girlfriend...
After this, I spent the next two years pining for him: begging Laurel to drive by his house with me just to get a peek of him and giggling relentlessly behind him during sacrament meetings. Of course we had gone out a few more times but all in all he said I just wasn't his type, tears were shed and hearts were broken. All of my friends in Burbank knew of the crush I had on the infamous "Marcus Henry," so it was a surprise to one of them when he came into her work at RealLife to have his senior pictures taken. After finishing his photos, she grabbed and extra one that was thrown away and surprised me with my very own Marcus Henry, an 11x14 senior picture! (which I still have today). The picture sat in my room because it served as a good laugh to many. It must have rubbed off on me, seeing his face everyday for two years, because six months before he came home from his mission, I quickly started up the letters and packages again (assuming my competition of girls had probably dropped off writing him by now). When he came home, I was glad to see that my efforts were not in vain. I called him the day after he got home and we talked on the phone for 3 hours (I knew I had to get to him before he gave his homecoming talk and all the rest of the girls tried to snag him) and this began our year long courtship. A summer filled with love and jet skiis, two semesters at BYU, and one grand proposal and wedding later, we were married.
Most couples say they married their high school sweetheart, but Marcus' is even better, he married his high school stalker! Okay, not literally, but everyday I am so glad that that black haired, green eyed boy took a chance on me. What a loving, caring, and patient husband I have. Even though today we are not together, it is not the big events in life that continue to keep us together but the little everyday things that occur that just make me fall in love with him more and more everyday. Thank you Marcus for all that you do, I love you.
History of Nauvoo, IL
June 3, 2008
This past weekend, Marcus and I took a trip to Nauvoo, IL. The reason for this trip was because a lot of our Church History comes from Nauvoo. It was an amazing day and it really made me appreciate all the pioneers and what they did before heading out West to Utah. We took a lot of photos and heard a bunch of great stories. I learned so much from this trip and decided that I wanted all of you to read about it and learn as well! 
Our first stop was the Nauvoo Temple. Originally the temple was built in 1841 and was completed in 1846. Church members only used the temple for 2 years before the mob drove the church members out of Nauvoo. I can't even imagine how hard the early saints must have worked to complete this beautiful temple, only to have to leave it two years later. The mob then burned the temple and years later a tornado took some of the walls down. In 2002 a replica was built of the temple from 1846. The only thing that was left of the original was 31 Sunstones. (Fact: One of these being held at the Smithsonian Institute!)
We than began to tour some of the original houses back from the 1840s. One of my favorites was the home of Sarah Granger Kimball. She took part in organizing the women's relief efforts during that time until the Relief Society was organized shortly after. She was often alone, while her husband was
away on business, and took care of her family and mother. Her husband was not a member of the church and she became so tired of his unwillingness to move to Utah, she gathered up her children and mother and took her whole family out there by herself. Her husband joined the church right before she left and he passed away 
shortly after while leaving to serve a mission. What an AMAZING women! This was her original home, floors and everything! (Fact: Notice the ropes on the bed sides. They would use these ropes to tighten the bed, or put slack into it. They would then use a stick to hit the straw mattress to get rid of bed bugs. Hence the saying: Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!) We also got to
visit the home of Brigham Young and John Taylor. The second and third president of the LDS Church. Two extraordinary men. These two men endured so much throughout their lives and it was very emotional and spiritual to be where they had served the Lord. We also visited the local blacksmith, bakery, hall of the seventy (basically the Missionary Training Center of their time), and brick maker (Fact: A bundle of bricks took 6 weeks to make!).
Most of the homes and business we saw were made of bricks; including Wilford Woodruffs (the fourth President of the Church) who used 60,000 of them on his house!
Can you imagine how long that must have taken to make, as well as all of the hard work that went into it? He only lived in that house for less than 100 days before him and his family were driven out of Nauvoo. (Fact: He
served a mission in England and after that, he decided he never wanted to be cold again. Thus, he had 6 fireplaces in his home. One for each room!)
We also went into the cultural hall. This is where shows would be performed and gatherings would take place. This is where Joseph Smith mapped out the route to Utah in chalk on the floor. A very touching and spiritual room to stand where a Prophet of God stood. Among other places we stopped was Joseph Smith's
mother's home, the grave site of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Emma Smith, as well as Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith and others were martyred. I just wanted to share briefly his death because I believe it demonstrates his excellent character and
also how he gave his life to serve the Lord. Joseph Smith was called to the jail under false allegations of destroying a printing press. Joseph and a few others kissed their families goodbye, knowing this was the last time they would see them. He went to Carthage willingly, yet was never put on trial. While in Carthage, himself and eight others, including his brother Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards, all were serving in the dungeon room upstairs in 125 degree heat!
The homeowner and his family took pity on them and placed them downstairs in a cell. In this downstairs cell, the men prayed, sang hymns and worshiped. The homeowner became nervous for the men when the mob started to circle the jail. He then placed Joseph and the others into his own room upstairs. When the mob rushed into the house, his brother (who was very tall) tried to barricade
the door of the bedroom but was shot through the door where the bullet went into his cheek. Joseph went to the window and was shot by two bullets in the front and two in the back, where he then fell out of the second story window. Willard Richards was the only survivor who was not shot and John Taylor was shot by one bullet that hit his pocket watch and another that hit his hip. When the mob rushed from the house, Richards and Taylor covered themselves in straw inside the dungeon room in order to hide from the mob. The Lord must of had more work in store for them because they both became two great leaders of the church. Throughout his life, Joseph Smith was a humble, caring, and great man who could have easily denied his beliefs; yet, he stood by them until the day he died. The mob thought that by killing Joseph, it would also end the Church; however, they were wrong because the Church
was not Joseph's and it has continued on because it is our Heavenly Fathers. Because of this, it has lived on today. I'm so grateful to have the gospel in my life, and that I had the opportunity to visit such a spiritual part of our history. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and I will be eternally grateful to all those early saints and pioneers who endured and suffered so much.This past weekend, Marcus and I took a trip to Nauvoo, IL. The reason for this trip was because a lot of our Church History comes from Nauvoo. It was an amazing day and it really made me appreciate all the pioneers and what they did before heading out West to Utah. We took a lot of photos and heard a bunch of great stories. I learned so much from this trip and decided that I wanted all of you to read about it and learn as well! Our first stop was the Nauvoo Temple. Originally the temple was built in 1841 and was completed in 1846. Church members only used the temple for 2 years before the mob drove the church members out of Nauvoo. I can't even imagine how hard the early saints must have worked to complete this beautiful temple, only to have to leave it two years later. The mob then burned the temple and years later a tornado took some of the walls down. In 2002 a replica was built of the temple from 1846. The only thing that was left of the original was 31 Sunstones. (Fact: One of these being held at the Smithsonian Institute!)
We than began to tour some of the original houses back from the 1840s. One of my favorites was the home of Sarah Granger Kimball. She took part in organizing the women's relief efforts during that time until the Relief Society was organized shortly after. She was often alone, while her husband was
away on business, and took care of her family and mother. Her husband was not a member of the church and she became so tired of his unwillingness to move to Utah, she gathered up her children and mother and took her whole family out there by herself. Her husband joined the church right before she left and he passed away shortly after while leaving to serve a mission. What an AMAZING women! This was her original home, floors and everything! (Fact: Notice the ropes on the bed sides. They would use these ropes to tighten the bed, or put slack into it. They would then use a stick to hit the straw mattress to get rid of bed bugs. Hence the saying: Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!) We also got to
visit the home of Brigham Young and John Taylor. The second and third president of the LDS Church. Two extraordinary men. These two men endured so much throughout their lives and it was very emotional and spiritual to be where they had served the Lord. We also visited the local blacksmith, bakery, hall of the seventy (basically the Missionary Training Center of their time), and brick maker (Fact: A bundle of bricks took 6 weeks to make!).
Most of the homes and business we saw were made of bricks; including Wilford Woodruffs (the fourth President of the Church) who used 60,000 of them on his house!
Can you imagine how long that must have taken to make, as well as all of the hard work that went into it? He only lived in that house for less than 100 days before him and his family were driven out of Nauvoo. (Fact: He
served a mission in England and after that, he decided he never wanted to be cold again. Thus, he had 6 fireplaces in his home. One for each room!)
We also went into the cultural hall. This is where shows would be performed and gatherings would take place. This is where Joseph Smith mapped out the route to Utah in chalk on the floor. A very touching and spiritual room to stand where a Prophet of God stood. Among other places we stopped was Joseph Smith's
mother's home, the grave site of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Emma Smith, as well as Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith and others were martyred. I just wanted to share briefly his death because I believe it demonstrates his excellent character and
also how he gave his life to serve the Lord. Joseph Smith was called to the jail under false allegations of destroying a printing press. Joseph and a few others kissed their families goodbye, knowing this was the last time they would see them. He went to Carthage willingly, yet was never put on trial. While in Carthage, himself and eight others, including his brother Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards, all were serving in the dungeon room upstairs in 125 degree heat!
The homeowner and his family took pity on them and placed them downstairs in a cell. In this downstairs cell, the men prayed, sang hymns and worshiped. The homeowner became nervous for the men when the mob started to circle the jail. He then placed Joseph and the others into his own room upstairs. When the mob rushed into the house, his brother (who was very tall) tried to barricade the door of the bedroom but was shot through the door where the bullet went into his cheek. Joseph went to the window and was shot by two bullets in the front and two in the back, where he then fell out of the second story window. Willard Richards was the only survivor who was not shot and John Taylor was shot by one bullet that hit his pocket watch and another that hit his hip. When the mob rushed from the house, Richards and Taylor covered themselves in straw inside the dungeon room in order to hide from the mob. The Lord must of had more work in store for them because they both became two great leaders of the church. Throughout his life, Joseph Smith was a humble, caring, and great man who could have easily denied his beliefs; yet, he stood by them until the day he died. The mob thought that by killing Joseph, it would also end the Church; however, they were wrong because the Church
was not Joseph's and it has continued on because it is our Heavenly Fathers. Because of this, it has lived on today. I'm so grateful to have the gospel in my life, and that I had the opportunity to visit such a spiritual part of our history. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and I will be eternally grateful to all those early saints and pioneers who endured and suffered so much.The Traveling Orkin Act
May 29, 2008
Yesterday someone asked me what my address was...normally, not a very difficult question. However, these days we really don't have an address because we are currently living here. Yep, that's where you'll find us, in O'Fallon, IL. And next week we'll be in Eastern St. Louis...and the week after...Columbia, MO...and the week after, who knows! In relief society I was asked where Marcus and I were currently living and I had to admit sheepishly in the extended stay down the street. Oh such joys lie ahead of us this summer...
Speaking of relief society, this past Sunday we had a male teach our class! His wife (who was suppose to teach) was at home sick, and so he taught our class on prayer. It was definitely a first for me! Have any of you been taught by a male in relief society before? That poor man, how intimidating!
Well for the next couple of days I will be working on some of these. My sister in laws decided that we should start card making once a month. Luckily for me that means I now have something to keep me busy with during the days...! What are you doing today?
Speaking of relief society, this past Sunday we had a male teach our class! His wife (who was suppose to teach) was at home sick, and so he taught our class on prayer. It was definitely a first for me! Have any of you been taught by a male in relief society before? That poor man, how intimidating!
Well for the next couple of days I will be working on some of these. My sister in laws decided that we should start card making once a month. Luckily for me that means I now have something to keep me busy with during the days...! What are you doing today?Yesterday someone asked me what my address was...normally, not a very difficult question. However, these days we really don't have an address because we are currently living here. Yep, that's where you'll find us, in O'Fallon, IL. And next week we'll be in Eastern St. Louis...and the week after...Columbia, MO...and the week after, who knows! In relief society I was asked where Marcus and I were currently living and I had to admit sheepishly in the extended stay down the street. Oh such joys lie ahead of us this summer...
Speaking of relief society, this past Sunday we had a male teach our class! His wife (who was suppose to teach) was at home sick, and so he taught our class on prayer. It was definitely a first for me! Have any of you been taught by a male in relief society before? That poor man, how intimidating!Well for the next couple of days I will be working on some of these. My sister in laws decided that we should start card making once a month. Luckily for me that means I now have something to keep me busy with during the days...! What are you doing today?
Speaking of relief society, this past Sunday we had a male teach our class! His wife (who was suppose to teach) was at home sick, and so he taught our class on prayer. It was definitely a first for me! Have any of you been taught by a male in relief society before? That poor man, how intimidating!
Well for the next couple of days I will be working on some of these. My sister in laws decided that we should start card making once a month. Luckily for me that means I now have something to keep me busy with during the days...! What are you doing today?The Two Ashley Henry's
May 24, 2008
Although many of you might not know this, but when I, Ashley, married into the Henry Family I knew that I must always do my best to uphold the Henry family name. Of course any of the original Henry's will deny this, but lets be honest here. When thinking of the Henry's, what are some words that come to mind...Cheerful (Bill)....Great genes, ex;Beautiful daughters (Rachel, Tara, Jen and Ashley)...Wonderful Cooking skills (Carolyn)...and Hardworking boys (Nate and Marcus). However, I had the privilege of not only having the Henry name tacked on to my name, but I also share my first name with my sister-in-law (Laura Ashley Henry) who goes by Ashley Henry. Yes, you heard me correctly, two Ashley Henry's in the same family! The Ashley's.Fortunately for us, we really get along great! Sure the whole family differentiates between the two of us by calling us either Ashley Bauder-Henry or Marcus' Ashley and Ashley Henry or Laura Ashley Henry (including Emma) and Cory still never knows which Ashley Jen is talking about when she tells him a story about either of us,... but up until now we've gone almost a whole year without any problems!
So last week my mom went to Marcus and I's bank to deposit some money into our account. She filled out the deposit slip and the name as going to me: Ashley Henry. For the last week, Marcus and I have been waiting for it to turn up into our account, but it never showed. We finally started to get worried and I called the bank to ask them where this "missing money" had gone. Finally after 3 phone calls, 2 phone transfers, 30 minutes, and one very unhelpful bank teller later, she finally determined that the money had been deposited into Laura Ashley Henry's account and not ours; even though my mom had written the right account number on the deposit slip! I then asked the women why she couldn't just transfer the money from Laura Ashley's account to ours and she said she couldn't without Laura Ashley Henry's permission. After my annoyances began to settle, at that point I was just grateful that I actually "knew" the other Ashley Henry and she could give the permission that was needed to withdraw the money back from her account into ours. What a mess right!?
At the end of it all, the bank teller politely said, "Sorry about all the confusion Laura, have a great day!" I grumbled a mere "Thanks," and decided to leave it alone. Nevertheless, even after all of this, I just wanted to post proudly that I love sharing a name with the other Ashley Henry, almost as much as I love her... even when it complicates things
Although many of you might not know this, but when I, Ashley, married into the Henry Family I knew that I must always do my best to uphold the Henry family name. Of course any of the original Henry's will deny this, but lets be honest here. When thinking of the Henry's, what are some words that come to mind...Cheerful (Bill)....Great genes, ex;Beautiful daughters (Rachel, Tara, Jen and Ashley)...Wonderful Cooking skills (Carolyn)...and Hardworking boys (Nate and Marcus). However, I had the privilege of not only having the Henry name tacked on to my name, but I also share my first name with my sister-in-law (Laura Ashley Henry) who goes by Ashley Henry. Yes, you heard me correctly, two Ashley Henry's in the same family! The Ashley's.Fortunately for us, we really get along great! Sure the whole family differentiates between the two of us by calling us either Ashley Bauder-Henry or Marcus' Ashley and Ashley Henry or Laura Ashley Henry (including Emma) and Cory still never knows which Ashley Jen is talking about when she tells him a story about either of us,... but up until now we've gone almost a whole year without any problems!
So last week my mom went to Marcus and I's bank to deposit some money into our account. She filled out the deposit slip and the name as going to me: Ashley Henry. For the last week, Marcus and I have been waiting for it to turn up into our account, but it never showed. We finally started to get worried and I called the bank to ask them where this "missing money" had gone. Finally after 3 phone calls, 2 phone transfers, 30 minutes, and one very unhelpful bank teller later, she finally determined that the money had been deposited into Laura Ashley Henry's account and not ours; even though my mom had written the right account number on the deposit slip! I then asked the women why she couldn't just transfer the money from Laura Ashley's account to ours and she said she couldn't without Laura Ashley Henry's permission. After my annoyances began to settle, at that point I was just grateful that I actually "knew" the other Ashley Henry and she could give the permission that was needed to withdraw the money back from her account into ours. What a mess right!?
At the end of it all, the bank teller politely said, "Sorry about all the confusion Laura, have a great day!" I grumbled a mere "Thanks," and decided to leave it alone. Nevertheless, even after all of this, I just wanted to post proudly that I love sharing a name with the other Ashley Henry, almost as much as I love her... even when it complicates things
Welcome to St. Louis
May 21, 2008
Well here we are in St. Louis! Marcus is working Pest Control for Orkin this summer and I am running the office for Daryl Kelly who is the manager out here. Besides misspelling St. Louis wrong a dozen times, living with only a microwave (no stove), and working 6 days a week 10 hours a day, things are going great! Marcus has done really well with sales, and I have been busy reading blogs and catching up on my favorite television shows. What a life! This summer we are going to be moving around the Midwest to a new city almost every week. So although moving our stuff will be a pain, we are looking forward to seeing this part of the country. Although, we have quickly determined that there's not a whole lot to see in between cities! St. Louis is beautiful. It is surprisingly VERY green, but there has also been a whole lot of rain. Right now we are currently on the Illinois side of St. Louis in O'Fallon but we are enjoying our time in Extended Stays and Motels...and yes, we know, crazy right? We have become "those people" who stay for weeks at a time in armpit motels...But what an adventure! This is the only time in our lives where we'll actually have the opportunity to just get up and go while living in new cities every week without worrying about anything. Or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves to make this seem bearable. Marcus said the other day, "Remember when summers use to be fun?" and I thought back to those lazy days of summer out on the Columbia, staying up late at friends' houses, and looking forward to getting off work just in time to go on that special date with a certain someone. Man have things changed! However, there's nothing better than actually being able to go home at the end of the day "with" that special someone :) Now...Does anyone have any ideas on things to do here?
Well here we are in St. Louis! Marcus is working Pest Control for Orkin this summer and I am running the office for Daryl Kelly who is the manager out here. Besides misspelling St. Louis wrong a dozen times, living with only a microwave (no stove), and working 6 days a week 10 hours a day, things are going great! Marcus has done really well with sales, and I have been busy reading blogs and catching up on my favorite television shows. What a life! This summer we are going to be moving around the Midwest to a new city almost every week. So although moving our stuff will be a pain, we are looking forward to seeing this part of the country. Although, we have quickly determined that there's not a whole lot to see in between cities! St. Louis is beautiful. It is surprisingly VERY green, but there has also been a whole lot of rain. Right now we are currently on the Illinois side of St. Louis in O'Fallon but we are enjoying our time in Extended Stays and Motels...and yes, we know, crazy right? We have become "those people" who stay for weeks at a time in armpit motels...But what an adventure! This is the only time in our lives where we'll actually have the opportunity to just get up and go while living in new cities every week without worrying about anything. Or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves to make this seem bearable. Marcus said the other day, "Remember when summers use to be fun?" and I thought back to those lazy days of summer out on the Columbia, staying up late at friends' houses, and looking forward to getting off work just in time to go on that special date with a certain someone. Man have things changed! However, there's nothing better than actually being able to go home at the end of the day "with" that special someone :) Now...Does anyone have any ideas on things to do here?
It was Wicked...and we liked it!
May 11, 2008
Along our travels, we stopped in Hollywood to see the Broadway play WICKED. What a great show. The play itself was pretty good, but the music was phenomenal! We prepped by learning the songs beforehand, but we were afraid that we would be disappointed once it was in person. Luckily we were not let down! Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch) had a better voice than anyone we had ever heard and
Glinda (The Good Witch) was a close second! All in all, the show was wonderful and we definitely recommend seeing it. After the show, we had a chance to meet the stars as they signed autographs and took pictures. And you bet Ashley was rubbing elbows with all those kids to try and get autographs and pictures! We had a chance to talk to the Wicked Witch and asked her how she becomes green for the show. For all of you who wonder the same thing, they actually use a powder base and it takes a half hour to apply. Shesays it is really easy because it comes off with soap and water and she just sits there while others apply it! What a life? We would have never suspected that she actually did look normal until we saw her after the show! So the next time any of you are in L.A., Chicago, or New York, it is worth the time and effort to get tickets and to go see it!
BEFORE
The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba)
The Good Witch (Glinda)Along our travels, we stopped in Hollywood to see the Broadway play WICKED. What a great show. The play itself was pretty good, but the music was phenomenal! We prepped by learning the songs beforehand, but we were afraid that we would be disappointed once it was in person. Luckily we were not let down! Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch) had a better voice than anyone we had ever heard and Glinda (The Good Witch) was a close second! All in all, the show was wonderful and we definitely recommend seeing it. After the show, we had a chance to meet the stars as they signed autographs and took pictures. And you bet Ashley was rubbing elbows with all those kids to try and get autographs and pictures! We had a chance to talk to the Wicked Witch and asked her how she becomes green for the show. For all of you who wonder the same thing, they actually use a powder base and it takes a half hour to apply. Shesays it is really easy because it comes off with soap and water and she just sits there while others apply it! What a life? We would have never suspected that she actually did look normal until we saw her after the show! So the next time any of you are in L.A., Chicago, or New York, it is worth the time and effort to get tickets and to go see it! BEFORE The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) The Good Witch (Glinda)Life of a Beach Bum
May 8, 2008
We're finally back from our trip and finally in St. Louis! Our cruise was everything we hoped for and more. We tried to think of the best way to write about it and decided that we would just post everything in one post. So bear with us!
The Ship: We had too much food, met some interesting folks, and even got sea sickness to boot! It's actually harder to adjust to than we thought, but our ship was beautiful and the entertainment on board was hilarious!
Cabo San Lucas: The water was amazingly clear, the locals were...interesting (to say the least), and the snorkeling is the best in Cabo. We took a water taxi to Lover's beach and had the greatest time looking for tropical fish. Mazatlan: Had a great beach, but was pretty ghetto in some parts. We took a boat to a secluded beach on Stone Island, where there was all you can drink pina coladas and daquris. Unfortunately they couldn't make them without alcohol, SO, we didn't have any. We took a banana boat ride (which was kind of like tubing, only on a banana), and it was pretty scary to be so far away
in the middle of an ocean. Our food wasn't so hot, but it was definately authentic. Right before they fed us they said how many people in Mazatlan feed iguana in the place of chicken because supposedly it tastes the same. We can testify that it doesn't because we ordered the chicken and it didn't taste like chicke! Luckily, our cruise was having all you can eat crab that night.
Puerto Vallarta: Was so much fun except for the sleazy Latin men. We took a Canopy Zip Line Tour in the middle of the jungle over canyons and waterfalls....we even did it backwards while hanging upside down! We became quite the adventurous duo! The beach was okay, but the markets were the best for picking up souvenirs!
Overall we had a great time! Luckily Marcus spoke Spanish, otherwise I don't know what we would have done. So many people tried to rip us off just because we are American tourists. Mexico has a completely different culture and it was really hard to get use to their way of life.
Nevertheless, we were glad to get back to the United States and are so grateful for all that we have, more beach and snorkeling pictures soon to come!
We're finally back from our trip and finally in St. Louis! Our cruise was everything we hoped for and more. We tried to think of the best way to write about it and decided that we would just post everything in one post. So bear with us!
The Ship: We had too much food, met some interesting folks, and even got sea sickness to boot! It's actually harder to adjust to than we thought, but our ship was beautiful and the entertainment on board was hilarious!
Cabo San Lucas: The water was amazingly clear, the locals were...interesting (to say the least), and the snorkeling is the best in Cabo. We took a water taxi to Lover's beach and had the greatest time looking for tropical fish. Mazatlan: Had a great beach, but was pretty ghetto in some parts. We took a boat to a secluded beach on Stone Island, where there was all you can drink pina coladas and daquris. Unfortunately they couldn't make them without alcohol, SO, we didn't have any. We took a banana boat ride (which was kind of like tubing, only on a banana), and it was pretty scary to be so far away
in the middle of an ocean. Our food wasn't so hot, but it was definately authentic. Right before they fed us they said how many people in Mazatlan feed iguana in the place of chicken because supposedly it tastes the same. We can testify that it doesn't because we ordered the chicken and it didn't taste like chicke! Luckily, our cruise was having all you can eat crab that night.Puerto Vallarta: Was so much fun except for the sleazy Latin men. We took a Canopy Zip Line Tour in the middle of the jungle over canyons and waterfalls....we even did it backwards while hanging upside down! We became quite the adventurous duo! The beach was okay, but the markets were the best for picking up souvenirs!Overall we had a great time! Luckily Marcus spoke Spanish, otherwise I don't know what we would have done. So many people tried to rip us off just because we are American tourists. Mexico has a completely different culture and it was really hard to get use to their way of life.
Nevertheless, we were glad to get back to the United States and are so grateful for all that we have, more beach and snorkeling pictures soon to come!
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