Jan-June trips

In January I went on a little road trip with a fun group of friends, actually I only knew 3 out of the 20(?) people that went so it was fun meeting the rest of them. We went up to Weston, Missouri to a cute little ski resort that I didn't even know existed. I tried skiing for the first time there and then quickly switched to snowboarding, haha. Tubing was another thing I did for the first time towards the end of our day there and I didn't want to leave! They had to come find me and I begged for "just one more time please?" My friend, *hand on hip, holding up one finger with the other hand* "Okay Ashley just one more time". Hehe. ;) And that last time took my breath away. The two guys that were sending me down were trying to get me to do a spin each time and I kept saying no...and then not yet, I'll do it on my last time down. So I got back up there and said, "Okay, this is the last time, so you can give me a spin". I sat down in the tube and was just saying, "Thanks guys... but my breath caught on the guys when they whipped the tube around and I went spiraling down the hill. Aagghhh. T'was awesome!

And it is here that I regret to say I didn't take any pictures on the camera. 

From the following trip to WY on I've had that camera stuck to my side like glue basically. :)

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1-2 weeks after that my brother Dylan and I went to Wyoming for my friend's wedding. It was a sweet wedding and I am so glad we were able to go. We were supposed to leave Sunday but our friends actually managed to somehow persuade us (okay it wasn't really all that hard, hehe) ;) to stay and have Monday be a snowboarding day at Snowy Range. Yay for them having extra snowboards, snow pants, boots, gloves, and stuff + yay for cheaper passes when reserving ahead of time! On our way home (phew that was a looonnng trip, straight shot home; most of it across Kansas as we went a different way than we've ever gone before; and Kansas is BORING) we went through Colorado Springs, CO and saw the Garden of the Gods!

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Dylan snapped these two stunner sunset shots, talk about gorgeous.

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In February our family had a little get away in Branson. It didn't matter that it was only an hour away from us, we had a fantastic time. We had two rooms in a lodge there side by side. There was a balcony we could go out on from each of our rooms with a view of the lake/hills/trees/cabins during the day and the lights reflecting in the lake /stars at night. It was chilly but I had my Bible time out there one morning with my coffee (Jesus + coffee = :D -am I right?) which was wonderful. 4 out of the 5 mornings I woke up before everyone else, woke up whoever had said wanted to come with me, we bundled up and took off for the boat dock in the dark. The Canada geese that had been on the water all flew up and away as we found a place to settle in for the sunrise. It was stunning when it topped the hill and the first rays shot out across the rippling water casting sparkles in all directions. I loved hiking all over that place, making friends with the great blue heron, and having fun with my family. On one of the last days we went to Springfield to the Fantastic Caverns...how neat! So much history in that incredible underground place.

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I got this adorable little rock turtle from their store. <3

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We got a call from good friends of ours in Nebraska that were coming down to volunteer at a family camp in Arkansas, and they asked if Dylan and I could as well. It had been a long time since we'd seen them and the camp sounded fantastic so we did. We stayed for almost a week which held 2 camps. Just as we were getting names down in the first group they left and the second group came. They were easier though as one of the families turned out to be my best friend and her family (didn't even know they had reserved a place there until the day before, I can't tell you how excited I was and how great it was seeing them!) and I was doing better at really talking and interacting with the rest. I made another friend as well and now I miss her! The camp was wonderful. Great messages, one of the longest zip lines in Arkansas, bow shooting, fun little old fashioned shops + jail house, and beautiful trails. I definitely recommend it for families to get away and spend time together. Check out their website here: Fort Rock Family Camp

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In April I turned 21! :O Which still sounds crazy to me. Hoowww? Paige and I rode with a friend to St Louis and helped one of her friends who had just moved and had a lot of littles. We had a good time helping out, holding babies, seeing the arch before we left, and getting coffee from Starbucks for the first time.
We all drove up to Nebraska and Iowa which was a sad time as it was for my Aunt Tracy's funeral. It was good seeing family and friends while up there but the circumstances were very hard.

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And May was pretty uneventful except for making a surprise trip to Arkansas to spend the weekend with my bestie. Great times! I love the drive down, Arkansas' rivers, mountains, + flowers are all so pretty. And this barn. It gets me every time.

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That catches y'all up on our trips. I love traveling more and more all the time! The beauty of God's creation just blows me away at times. He is so good to us!