You Never Know Who You'll Meet...

So last Sunday was Dan and I's first week at our new ward. 

We go to church and meet this nice old lady who was born in Hungary and we chat quite a bit. 

She ends up sitting next to us in Sunday School and when it ends, she turns to me and asks what we have planned for after church.

Since I had not nothing planned but unpacking (ew) I said nothing. She then says, "Well I would like to take you on a tour of the Capitol." I'm thinking...ok. As far as I know little old ladies don't go around doing impromptu tours of the Capitol, but what the heck? We agreed to pick her up at 3:00 that day for our tour of the Capitol. 

I think we were imaging her taking us around outside of the Capitol and her passing on the knowledge she has gained from living in DC for the past 30 years.

We were wrong. 

It turns out that our tour guide was the widow of Congressman Tom Lantos from California, also originally from Hungary. He was in congress for twenty something years. We parked directly in front of the Capitol, tourists were definitely staring, and walked right past security into the Capital on a Sunday afternoon. 

One of my personal favorite moments was when a guard stopped us and asked where we were going. Sister Lantos simply turned around, he saw her and her all access pink, and apologized profusely. 

Pretty cool.

Since it was a Sunday afternoon we literally had the whole place to ourselves. We were fascinated as she told us story after story and explained what we were seeing. She lit up being able to share her memories with us. It was an amazing experience and an awesome way to kick off our journey here in Washington D.C. 

Another thing worth mentioning....we found out later that Sister Lantos and her husband are Holocaust survivors. They have a fascinating story of survival. 

Wow, what a day.

A painting depicting the baptism of Pocahontas

400 years of American History is depicted on this frieze that circles the rotunda

The rotunda in the Capitol

The Hall of Statues. This is the room where the House of Representatives originally  met.

The location of Abraham Lincoln's desk when he was a member of the House.

This is the room where the Congressman meet before and after their sessions. Those vases in the background are gifts from the French, from the Palace of Versailles.

Count Your Many Blessings

" So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end."

-Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Count Your Many Blessings is a hymn we sing at church pretty regularly. 

Lately, it has found a special place in my heart. 

In the pursuit of Dan's future career, we having dedicated 2011 to gaining valuable experience to add to Dan's resume. Dan is a finance major and his dream job would be working for one of the big investment banks in New York City. 

However, due to a little think called the Financial Crisis, jobs for Finance majors are super hard to come by. 

I would know, as a 2009 Finance graduate. Yuck. 

Let alone jobs at prestigious firms that Dan wishes to work for. 

So we decided that it would be better for Dan to graduate a year later than planned with lots of experience and a wonderful resume that will potentially land him a job, then to graduate on time with no experience and no serious job prospects. 

So Dan started applying for internships. He received his first one at Citi Bank in Miami. We were there from January 2011 to July 2011 while he interned for the Credit Risk Division. 

He recently received his second internship in the Capital Markets Room at the Untied States Treasury. 

So we took off for DC. 

We have been here now for 4 days and we have just been amazed at all the blessings that have come into our lives in the past year. 

This month, (the 20th to be exact) Dan and I will be married for one year. In that year we have lived in three different cities in three different apartments. We have certainly had some trials, and sometimes we (mostly I) have become discouraged and frustrated. 

Moving, especially, (oh and driving across the country) can do that to ya. 

But we have stood amazed at all of the blessings that have been poured down upon us. Dan and I decided that we really needed to document these blessings, as they have truly been miracles in our lives. 

The Silliman's generous offer of their fabulous apartment in Provo at a steal of a price. We loved living there and it made the perfect first home for Dan and I. We were truly sad to leave it. 

Our friends Dan and Kelsey telling us about a job opening at the company they work for, Digital Gateway. I ended up getting that job and it has been such a blessing. When Dan got his internship in Miami, I gave notice that I would be leaving. Without my knowledge another (angel) had recommended me for another position within the company, one that I could do from home. I got that position right before we left and have had steady work throughout all of our moves and have not had the tremendous stress of finding a new job every few months. I cannot put into words how huge this is to Dan and I. 

Dan receiving his first internship for Citi Bank in Miami. He had been so discouraged about his resume not being impressive so he took the initiative to make it better. He is always willing to do things others aren't, and I just know that will help him in the end. 

We found a FABULOUS apartment through another BYU intern that was there the term before we went. We lived in a highrise right downtown Miami. It was literally right next door to Dan's office, so that in itself was a blessing for our one care family. It was like living at a resort with a fitness center, hot tub, and pool. We had a beautiful view of Biscayne Bay. It was a fabulous six months. 

For this beach bum, the location of Miami was a blessing. 

The next blessing came in the form of a friend Dan made at BYU who told him about the internship at the treasury. He really rooted for Dan and talked him up. He got Dan the interview and Dan took it from there. We are really so grateful for his friend and all help he gave Dan. 

Then Dan, through hard work and preparation, got the internship at the Treasury. This was a truly special moment for us as a couple. Dan wanted this internship so bad. It is well-known and looks amazing on a resume. Not to mention, this is truly Dan's Passion. He follows the markets every day on his own, and that is what this internship is all about. It's perfect for him. We worked together to get him prepared to apply and interview and the moment he got is was special. Together, we accomplished an amazing goal, we were so blessed. 

Next came the apartment hunt. We only had two weeks to find a place and it was quite the struggle. Everything was SO expensive (especially since this internship is UNpaid) and we just didn't know the area well enough to know what was a good area. We also only had one car, so being close to the metro was super important. We didn't see how we could find something we could afford. Then we posted on a local ward's website that we were moving to the area and needed a place to live. The next day, we got a call. A member of our church here in DC just happened to have a basement apartment that we could rent short term. The price was PHENOMENAL, and now here we are. We are living in the Capital Hill area of DC. Dan's commute will be no more than 20 minutes. Amazing. 

Last but certainly not least came very unexpected. I got a raise at work! I can't imagine for a second that the timing is a coincidence. As soon as we accepted an upaid internship, my anxiety levels rose to crazy levels. Then I got a raise. Blessing? I think so. 

Now here we are in the our Nation's Capital for the next five months. We are so excited to be here and ready to explore all that is has to offer. This is another great chapter in the adventures of Dan and Ashley.

Whenever we get discouraged, we remind ourselves that we have been ridiculously blessed throughout all of this and know that we can rely on God for anything. Come what may.

Myrtle Beach 2011

So my favorite type of vacation in the world involves sleeping, going to the beach ALL day, repeat. 

Throw in a little shopping and you have my own personal paradise. 

My family has been going to Myrtle Beach, SC every summer since before I was born. I don't remember a summer that I didn't get to spend some time in Myrtle Beach.

The MB crew has always consisted of myself, my Momma, Caroline, Courtney, Preston, Spring, Aunt Mary, Bryce, and Danny. 

This year was special because it was Dan's first year. He is a guy after my own heart because he LOVED it. 

I knew I married the right guy. 

We only got to spend two days there because I had to work...yuck. 

But we made the most of our time there redefining the world Beach Bum, eating some crab legs (Dan only watched), hit up the outlets, and even got to meet Kelly and her parents for dinner one night.

Success. See ya next summer MB!

Of course I took no pictures, but I did snap our annual family pic in the living room of our condo. Light was funny, but what can ya do?

Hawaii Recap!

I am excited to finally get my Hawaii post up. It has been so crazy since our move. We went straight to Hawaii the day after we moved, and had an amazing time. It was the perfect blend of adventure mixed in with laying on the beach laziness. Much needed relaxation was accomplished (except for Dan's two interviews at 4 a.m.) other than that it was totally rest and rejuvenation.

We went with Dan's parents and his younger brother, Jake. His other brother Nick, and his fiance Kendall couldn't come due to school and work, which was a total bummer. But we will see them in about two weeks for THEIR WEDDING! So excited but I digress.

We stayed on Oahu on Kailua Beach. Dan's parents lived in Hawaii (BYU Hawaii Alums) for ten years so they were amazing tour guides. We were seconds from the beach which was amazing for this beach bum. I was so amazed by the beauty of Hawaii. Not only are the beaches fabulous, but everywhere you look is lush green tropical-ness (not a word but work with me).  While we were there we had lots of beach time, went to the Polynesian Cultural Center complete with Luau and amazing show, checked out the Temple, BYU Hawaii, went ocean kayaking out to an island where we jumped off of a cliff after scaling the island to get there (not a joke), we hiked to the peak of Ola Mona which was very uphill and included rock climbing (you can be impressed by the pics to come), checked out the North Shore, walked through the ocean to Goat Island, went to Pearl Harbor, shopped at the swap meet, Dan and I stayed a night at Waikiki, Carol, Dan and Jake got a little beat up  by the waves at Makapu Beach, ate pineapple ice cream at the Dole Pineapple Plantation, we went snorkeling at Hunama Bay, we hiked to Manawilli falls and jumped off of the Waterfall, I got to eat some AMAZING shrimp from a truck on the side of the road at the North Shore, and we hiked to a light house to catch some amazing views.

It was such a fabulous vacation, Dan and I were legitimately sad as we were boarding our plane to leave. Hawaii and I are soul mates....I will be back. Thank you Rob and Carol for an amazing trip!

All of the surfers at Waikiki

The Gould's at the North Shore

Polynesian Cultural Center

Luau with fresh flower leis!

About to jump off of Manawilli Falls

Carol Takes the Plunge

Apparantly these aren't big waves...I must have missed something

Dan at Pearl Harbor

Part of the U.S.S Arizona under water

"Our Beach" Kailua Beach, Oahu

See that peak in the background? We hiked to that!

Our Adventures Continue in.........DC!!!!

For the past 8 months Dan has know that he wanted to intern at the United States Treasury in August....bad. He has been dilligently preparing to apply and interview, trust me, no one was prepared as him for an interview ever. He kept up on the financial current events EVERY day, read tons of boring  informative financial books, worked on his resume until it was near perfection, and of course practiced interviewing with me as the stand in interviewer time after time. It was pretty stressful becuase we moved out to Miami for the Citi internship with no way of knowing what would come next. They didn't start accepting applications for the treasury until the SAME week his Miami internship ENDED. That's right, we packed up and moved out of our apartment in Miami having no idea where we would be heading to next.

We took our stuff to my parent's house and headed out to Hawaii for two weeks on vacation without hearing anything from the Treasury. (PS the internship was set to start on August 15, we left for Hawaii on July 11, talk about cutting it close). Well a few days after we arrived in Hawaii, the Treasury called Dan for an interview, which he did at 4 am Hawaii time. This interview was pretty easy, just discussing the internship and they asked a couple basic questions. He was then invited for a second phone interview. If the first interview was slow-pitch style, this was was fast-pitch. Rapid fire questions one after the other, but Dan did great! A couple days later he was offered the internship! So we left Hawaii with no word and came back with an offer! We will be heading to DC in a couple of weeks where Dan will intern at the U.S. Treasury in the Capital Markets Room until the end of December and we are feeling even more blessed for my job that I can do from any part of the country from home.

Now I just have to express my gratitude for being married to such a motivated, hard working man. His dedication was inspiring. He sets goals and does not expect the acommplishement of those goals to just fall in his lap. He goes above and beyond and works hard for what he wants, and that hard work paid off. Congratulations Dan Dan. I couldn't be more proud.

Now we just have to survive the apartment hunt....

Dear Miami...

Well its official...our time in Miami has come to an end. We made it through the last couple of days while we both worked full time and packed up our apartment into a million plastic bins, which by the way are the only way to go when moving, especially if you move often. Yesterday we loaded up a uhaul trailer and drove to South Carolina to my parent's house. As we were moving out, the next couple arrived and started moving in simultaneously...not the best scenario. We ended up rushing to leave and it felt so strange to see people moving things into our home. We may have only lived there for six months, but at this point it is the longest we have lived anywhere as a married couple. It was definitely bittersweet. We grew to love Miami but we are ready to start another chapter in our lives, whatever that may be. For right now...it's Hawaii. I am actually writing this post from the Dallas airport on my phone. We had a long drive from Miami to Goose Creek through many rainstorms and we made it too SC around ten last night. We unloaded the trailer, visited family, and prepared for our early flight this morning for Honolulu. It was craziness but we are so excited. So with all the craziness I haven't had the opportunity to reflect on our amazing adventure in Miami...so here goes...

We had our first experience living downtown in a high rise, we hot tubbed ALL the time, we strolled around the Miami Zoo, we belonged to a spanish speaking ward although we spoke zero spanish, we saw whales, dolphins and all kinds of sea creatures at the Miami Seaquarium, we learned the art of defensive driving, we were rear ended by a guy who offered us fruit to let him drive away, we went to the beach as often as possible and lived the high life a few times in our comfy chairs, we cruised to the Bahamas with Dan and Kelsey, we took in a spring training game in Jupiter, we welcomed Wyatt Waltrip into the world and spent lots of time with his mom and dad, we went to the Orlando Temple, we lived my dream of visiting the Kennedy Space Center with my family, we rode an air boat through the Everglades with the Gould's, we had lots of visitors including The Gould's, Courtney and Caroline, Kelly and Jackie, my momma, and Dan and Kelsey Itri, we watched the Florida Marlins play the Philadelphia Phillies,  we had an amazing view of Biscayne Bay every day from our balcony, I got to get some gelato from the Jersey Shore Gelato shop, we got to walk to a couple of Miami Heat games and attended a road rally during play offs, we discovered the joy of food trucks, I burned my leg pretty bad with boiling water and got a rash on my face from my translation headphones from church (haha),we para sailed and jet skied, Dan got some valuable experience at Citi and much much more. It was a great time for us to grow and learn as a newly married couple. We will always hold Miami close to our hearts.

*I know this post is late. My phone wouldn't let me post from it, so I wrote this before Hawaii and now I'm posting it after. Hawaii Posts to come!*

Happy Birthday America!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! I personally love this holiday and all that comes with it. This year Dan and I had a simple and relaxing fourth. We were going to go enjoy our last beach day in Miami but the cloudy weather put a damper on that plan so we went out to lunch, did some shopping, and went down to Bayside Park which is right next to our building for some fireworks. I must say, Miami knows how to do fireworks.