Lazy Sunday with the Oscars

Wooot, they were tonight!

I love watching them to see everyone all dressed up :) Nick even watched it all with me and gave input on what he liked and didn't like. Inception was definitely a favorite of his ;)

Overall, it was just a lazy day for us. It was nice to just lounge all day in comfy clothes and do nothing. Especially after celebrating our anniversary Friday and Saturday!

How did you all like the Oscars? What's your favorite part? Was your weekend amazing?
:) Happy Sunday, all!

Two Years!..and a whole bunch of pictures!

Nick and I celebrated our two year anniversary this past Friday, and everything was perfect! I would have posted something awesome then, but we decided that we were going to take a break from electronics this weekend, just to spend it with each other :) it actually wasn't very hard either!

We went to dinner at El Gaucho in Tacoma, and got all dressed up for it! The waiters there are obviously professionals, but it's still awesome to see how nice they are each time we go. Everyone there thought we were already married too. When I was opening my presents they noticed the box and asked what we were celebrating. When I told them it was our two year anniversary, they all congratulated us and asked if we had kids or were still in our honeymoon stage :P it was fun to pretend for a night though! Oh, and the food? Uhhh-mazing! I love the lighting in the restaurant too, super dim so it sets the mood nicely!

What you see from upstairs, as soon as you walk in.

Nick being himself :) I was testing out the settings for my camera still.

Nick taking his turn with my camera.

Opening my present! And yes, that is a Tiffany's box! ;)

Time for dessert!

Bananas Foster - with a candle in it for our anniversary <3

Then we came back to town and decided to rent a hotel for the night! It was a lot of fun just to be able to lay together and not have to worry about his siblings being loud, or either of our parents asking us to do things all night long. And I, of course, took more pictures of my presents since there was actually good lighting in our room ;)

Cuddling at the hotel :)

Close up of the presents!

Our yummy hotel breakfast the next morning!

Tired Eyes!

It was an absolutely perfect weekend, and I couldn't be happier with anyone but Nick. I'm so happy that it's already been two whole years of us being together, and I can't wait to see what fun things our future has in store for us!

I love you baby, to the moon and back!

Thank you for being such an amazing boyfriend and loving me the way you do! 
I don't know where I'd be without you <3

Kittty!

Yep, that's right! My momma got a brand new kitty today!

We haven't decided on a name yet, but she's working on it! In her words, "I didn't have time to prepare and think of one ahead of time, it was just one of those 'I have to get you' type things" hahah. I love my mom :) this picture seriously does not do justice though - the kitty is only almost three months old, so it's tiny!

Next to the laundry basket, curious as can be!

I couldn't resist - it looks like he doesn't have a body!

Playing with his paws! He tends to get a little stuck when he's on his back too :p

Just waking up from a nap with momma :)

Nick getting excited about the new addition!

I had to :p little baby kitty in a teacup!

Drinking milk for his first time! Well, with us ;) That little cup is one of the ketchup dishes you get at restaurants too! Makes it a little easier to tell how small he is :)

Just in case you can't tell by the already million pictures, I'm so obsessed with this kitty! I think it helps that it's so baby-sized though :P Plus, my mom and I have never had a kitten before! Or I think any pet that I've actually gotten to help raise! Can you believe it?! We're going to have a good time with this little guy though, I can already tell!

Eeeep!

I can't believe that mine and Nick's two years is on FRIDAY! :D!
I'm so excited! He is too which just makes it all that much better :)

He's silly too..
We both like to plan something to look forward to everyday when we're counting down to something, that way we don't spend the day just doing nothing, waiting like crazy! Thankfully tomorrow we have a lunch to go to and Nick works! Hopefully we can come up with something for today though, yikes!

Either way,  I CAN'T WAIT!
I just hope the weather is permitting the rest of the week into the weekend..

Much Love, Illy

Where to start?! Ilene, aka illy, is such a sweet girl :) I don't know her personally, but I've had the chance to email her a few times and she is so kind. To a complete stranger! Well why, do you ask, am I blogging about her? :P IT'S HER BLOGIVERSARY, and she's having some awesome giveaways over at her blog - much love, illy! :D! Seriously, you definitely need to go check these out! Plus, her blog is fantastic anyways! I can't help but read it daily ;) So go .. look! I promise you won't be disappointed :)

Sunshine

It's amazing how something as small as a sunny day can change your whole mood. I woke up to the sun shining through my window, just like it does in the summer time. I can tell you now, I'm waiting for summer and the times when this happens every day! Especially when I get to travel to Cape Cod for a few weeks with Nick and his family :D! We went to Colorado last year, and that was awesome with us driving! Thankfully though, we're flying this year :P

Just one of the million pictures I took that trip. This is from the first family dinner in Colorado though! The restaurant was called Steamworks and was delicious!

But anyways, I decided after my rough morning yesterday that I was going to do something completely and entirely for me. What was it that I decided to do? Experiment with my camera :D So I headed down to the waterfront where the ferries come and go, and sat there for a good hour taking pictures!

I was even able to sit by the water for a while and just look out and listen to the waves. Let me tell you, that itself was extremely peaceful.

Like always, these are only a few of the pictures I took yesterday. It was really nice to be able to get out and experiment like that, especially since I'm still getting used to my camera! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Hope you're enjoying the three day weekend, too!

Unless you're one of the lucky ones who gets a four day weekend!

Family

They're supposed to be there for you regardless of your past. They're supposed to love you unconditionally, and wish you the best. They aren't, on the other hand, supposed to make your life terrible. Sure, they're doing what "they think is best for the situation at hand", but that doesn't include taking away real family.

From left to right:

Me in the blue dress | Emily with the blonde hair and braces | Our mom, Monica, in the purple top with black jacket |
First youngest sister, Chelsey, with the purple top and black skirt | And youngest sister, Isabelle, on momma's lap :)

 Emily, my second youngest sister (and the one on the top row next to me), was adopted by an aunt and uncle in a time of a desperate need for help on May 11, 2010. They said this was what was best, and they would never take her away from us or try to be us, her real family. Well, we now know that was a load of crap. My mom received a phone call from her brother, the uncle that adopted her, saying we will no longer be allowed to see Emily. After seeing her every week, to every other week, to once every other month, to now not at all? Fantastic.

Really guys? She's OUR sister, NOT your daughter. From Emily Christine to Emily Christine Anne? Yeah right. (In case you're lost, everyone in their family has Anne as a part of their middle name). You are still her aunt and uncle, regardless of what she calls you two. And quite honestly, you are losing respect from you family members each and every day. I can't believe you all. Taking away our phone privileges with her, canceling visits with her, blaming us for your insecurities when it comes to her. No thank you. I won't be putting up with this anymore. Especially after today. The way you treated your own mother? Not acceptable. at. all. End of story. You're lucky she didn't press charges against you. There is so much more I could say about this, but I'm trying to keep it somewhat civil, and this is where it ends.

Picture taken probably a week before Christmas, the last time I was actually allowed and able to see Emily.  
Thankfully, we both live in in the same city, and I got lucky and ran into her at Wal-Mart sometime closer to Christmas! 
Awesome, but almost pathetic, right? Oh well. I take what I can get!

Just know that I WE love you, Emily Christine! Me, Mom, Chels, and Iz! You will always be our sister and momma's daughter, and nothing in the world will ever change that! You mean more to us than anything else and we look forward to the day that we will be able to see you again. Hope to hear from you soon! I love you sooo much, chicka! <3

Love Always,
Your Biggest Sissy,
Ashley! :)

I know God will not give me a problem that I cannot handle.

/rant.

DYC

DYC is that youth conference I was telling you all about that is usually Valentines Day weekend, and why this year was the first one I've actually spent here with Nick!

But anyways, I was browsing Facebook and saw that today is the first day! TEAR. I miss going there excited for the long weekend ahead and coming home closer than ever to God. The worship is always fantastic, and it's almost like a mini concert with them since everyone rushes to the stage to see who can be front row for the songs! Oh, and the messages and speakers? Uhhh-mazing!

This was the logo from last year, probably my favorite year too. I remember during one of the messages I completely started bawling. Not because I was sad though. I just felt this enormous closeness with Christ and it overwhelmed me. The music, the setting, the people around me. It was all so perfect. Words can't even begin to describe that moment in my life. It was almost like I just let everything around me go for those few moments.

The whole video is fantastic, and a recap of some of the moments from two years ago! If you skip ahead (after) or pay attention to 1:33, that's me and my friend Melissa dancing around, having a blast :D!

and just for the fun of it, this was for Late Night at the Hoop. Pretty much a 3 on 3 basketball tournament along with volleyball, soccer, and cheering for those around you! So, Mackenzie and I decided to get dressed up for the event! I wish I had an outfit picture.. but this is Erik w/a "K", the leader of the whole DYC event! He's awesome to say the least :)

I really wish I could be at DYC this year, but I hope that everyone who was able to go gets the absolute most out of it! These are only a few of the pictures I have from my two years, but trust me, I have sooo many more!

You learn something new everyday

Yesterday in my English class, we received the prompt for our next essay. The theme is to pick a belief that you have and expand on it. Sounds easy enough, right? Well I started thinking really hard about what beliefs I had (not religious beliefs though, more like moral ones) and I began to realize that mine were pretty cliche. Not that there is anything wrong with "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", I just really wanted something powerful. After some pondering, my professor said we were going to write down our beliefs and then do a walk-around. Most were unique and funny, with the exception of the few cliche ones (ahem, mine) but then I found one that stood out to me.  

I believe that God will never give me a problem he knows I can't handle.  

How true is that? I felt like I had to share this with you because it's been in the back of my mind ever since class yesterday, and I can't stop thinking about it and how true it is!

What are some of your beliefs?

I'd love to hear :)

My First Valentines Day Home!

It's weird to think that Nick and I will have been together for two years next week, yet this will be our third Valentines Day together! Well, sort of. The past two Valentines Days I have been in Oregon for a youth conference called DYC. Those two trips were awesome and I couldn't have been closer to God then, but now that I'm out of high school, I was able to be home for my first Valentines Day with Nick! <3

So here are some pictures of what we had going on that day! :D!

This is what Nick set up for me in my room while I was still getting ready for class :)

Our delicious Bella Bella Cupcakes! All of their new flavors for the month, plus my favorite too :)
Lemon Raspberry!
 

Making Valentines, just like when I was little!

My five year old sister, Isabelle, making her first Valentines too!

I was so happy to get to spend this first with her! :D!

And since Nick took the weekend off for our anniversary, he got stuck working Valentines Day ): But I was able to surprise him during his meal break though with a little homemade dinner! (if you know me at all, I don't really cook :p)

So there it is guys, my very first Valentines Day home with Nick! These are only a few of the pictures that I took that day, but I figured these captured it all! I hope you all had as good of a time as I did!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to you and yours today! <3
Especially to all you lovebugs and lovebirds out there! :D
I hope you all had a fantastic day full of surprises!

Old School

I love finding old music that you used to listen to way back in elementary and middle school! I definitely found my old iPod from a few years ago and it's so funny to see how much music I listened to back then! I still listen to a majority of it now, but I still completely forgot about some of it! Alexa and I have been sending YouTube links back and forth to each other too in Facebook chat from some music videos that we've recently come across. It's always so much fun to remember the "good 'ol days" and reflect on how life has changed :)

Life is complicated, full of ups and downs.

I never really realize how great I have it with my life until I see one of my friends go through something terrible. It shouldn't come down to that. I should be thankful for what I have every day of my life, regardless of what goes wrong or even goes right for that matter. This is something I am determined to work on. To be happy with what I have, no matter how much or how little. To not envy those around me. To know that working hard pays off, even if it seems like things are going nowhere. I want to be a better person. I want to be more honest with myself and others in my life. I want to trust God with everything that I have, just to hand it all over to him and leave him in control. It's never been easy for me, but I really want to take an honest shot at all of this. Even if it takes some time.

SUPERBOWL!

Get ready for awesome commercials ;) that's all I'm really looking forward to this year! They've had some pretty hilarious ones in what I've seen so far too! I love big game days at the Braun house though, we always have the best food :) hahah. What are your plans for Superbowl Sunday? Any awesome game day parties or food recipes? Who do you want to win?

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you "can't" or "shouldn't" do.

And so it begins..

MY ONE TREE HILL MARATHON! :D!

I decided earlier to start with Season One and work my way through the rest! It's so much fun watching all of the first episodes all over again! I still get so into them even though I know what's going to happen too :P I just can't help it! I guess that's what happens with your favorite show ;) hahah. I can't wait to watch all of ones that they don't show on Soap Net anymore, those are always the best.

 

Oh, and the original theme song is still, by far the best version!

<3

Math Test

Definitely did better on this one than my last! Still not the best, but a 76 percent isn't bad! Hahah. And, since Jessica and I did better than our other friend in class, he bought us coffee thanks to our little bet! :P Chai Tea was a very nice addition to this morning's class :)

Hope you all are having a good Thursday!