Merry Christmas

and

Happy Holidays!

Joe and I have had a fabulous year and we appreciate every one of you for being a part of it.

We've had our ups and downs.

Joe and I have both ventured into the world of the self-employed, have enjoyed finding fun new places in our city to explore, have enjoyed finding new cities to explore, have wanted to quit, have wanted to keep with it, have made new friends (and missed our past friends), but more than anything have found new reasons why we are perfect for each other.

We love you guys,

Joe and Ashleigh Miller

New Pet

So the economy is at a all time low or something, so Joe and I decided to "not participate" in the recession and go buy a new vacuum. Because our current one smells like a small explosion every time we use it. So we went to Target (of course) and bought THIS!!!:



I Love! my new little vacuum friend! We sat and watched him for a good 14 minutes. He does a great job, even when he gets stuck on the carpet. At first it was like having a cute little pet but even better because he doesn't pee in the house or have to be fed. Then I realized that he doesn't fetch or come when I call or have a heartbeat, so I decided not to name him. Even though he is still a him.

Top 5 Reasons the Office Rocks

1. While watching I consistently vary between laughing and squirming.

2. That's what she said.

3. Michael Scott reminds me that real life idiots aren't so bad.

4. Throwing out random quotes can let you know who your real friends are.

5. It gives us something great to do on an otherwise not so great night.

2nd Worst Blogger Ever

Ok, I know I am way over due for an updated blog posting. Here it is.

Joe's bro, Sam, is ok. He was bitten, by a pit bull... in the face. But 50 stiches and a week and a half later, he is doing just fine. He is no stranger to weird injuries though. 3 years ago he was slamed in the stomach with a bat which resulted in his galbladder being removed 2 years later. So, strangely 50 stiches on his mouth was relatively mundane. We were all relieved. It could have ended up much worse.

So, back to Joe and I. Things have been crazy of course. We had fun watching the election results. It was a pretty interesting night, no matter what side you were rooting for. I'm excited to see how our country handles the next four years. I think that we have many smart, caring people in this nation, and if we can let the best of ourselves come out we will be able to accomplish some cool things.

Anyway, other than being interested in the future of our nation, Joe and I have been working. Work is picking up for Joe and has led to a couple of partnerships with people he's been working with. He is getting very busy, but I think he likes what he's doing and that is what matters.

I've been working teaching Pilates and pulling together a one year ribbon cutting party for the studio I work at. Yeah! The party is Wednesday and should end up being a lot of fun.

On top of that, I am recommitting some time to get a book written. I've been working on a book to help dance studio owners not get burried under all the work that it takes to keep a studio up and running. I think I'm on draft 27, but it is getting better as I go.

That is it for now. But I promise to write more often. We hope that all of you are well!

Updates from Arizona

Hi,

I hear that we don't post quite as often as people would like. I will work to amend that. 

Arizona is bea-utiful right now. Everyone is joking that this is the time of year that reminds us why we live in Arizona. I will admit that even though it has been in the pleasant 80's all week, I have definitely pulled out all my sweaters/jackets to start wearing. I remember visiting my aunt in Mesa once about this time of year and seeing people in jackets. I was fresh from the frozen tundra of Utah and so was quite happy in my tee shirt. I remember thinking how weak the jackets made the people look and that I would never be like that. Well, that determination didn't last very long. One year in AZ and I was pulling on my hoodies with the rest of them.

Now, on another note, we had some sad news last night. Joe's brother Sam is serving a mission for our church in Indianapolis right now. Yesterday he was knocking on doors when a pitt bull attacked his face. They say he is ok, but he had to go to the emergency room for 50 stitches and visit the plastic surgeon yesterday. It is very sad and we are all trying to send good vibes to Indianapolis. We'll keep you updated on how he is doing.

Joe and I are plugging along as usual. I really like being a Pilates instructor and Joe really likes the idea of not being in school one day.  Life is crazy and good.

Vintage Stake Dance Moves

I have been volunteering with the young women in my church. This week they were showing me some of their moves for their church youth dances. I, in turn, shared one of my group's tried and tested moves from my youth dance days. It was fun to share the wealth. 

Wedding Picts

I was cleaning up and found our wedding pictures. We will have our 5 year in December, which is crazy! Almost as crazy as how young Joe and I look in these. I decided to share.

Joe and I were pretty goofy for all of the pictures, but did anyone expect anything else?

We like this picture because Chels and Dal are almost standing together. This was, of course, before they were even dating.

My Fam. Awe.

Joe giving a "Waz Up!" to one of his friends.

Phone Survey

A couple of days ago I volunteered for the Yes for Marriage campagn. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some grass roots experience. I was assigned to call lists of random voters and ask if they were voting yes or no on legally making marriage defined as between a man and a woman. As you can guess, there were many different responses. My favorite one was a man who tried to hang up on me but couldn't find the cradle (on an old school, plug in the wall phone) so I heard a good 15 seconds of plastic clicking plastic before I was disconnected. It's the little things in life.

None of the responses were too bad, but that was expected since we had the Republican voters lists. I just feel bad for the volunteers who place calls in October when they call all parties. Ummm. I feel like I got my fill of cold call experience. I'll have to leave that for someone else.

To show appreciation, we were given these bumper stickers.

I think I'll put it above our Obama '08 sticker.

Picture Tag

Hi.

Janice tagged me a while ago (sorry Janice :) I love the idea though, so here you go

1. My sink

2. My fridge, in all its glory.
3. My bathroom. Notice a color theme?

4. Self portrait

5. My favorite room (After doing this I realized I really like our office better. Maybe it will get its own blog.)
5. Our closet. Biggest closet we've ever had.

6. My favorite shoes. Bought them while visiting Chels and Dal. First heels I've had in years.
I tag Chels, Samantha and Flo. It's ok if it takes you a few weeks :)

Montana Picts

We were able to visit Chels, Dal and their cute family in Montana last month. Here are some pictures from a hike we took.

Joe and I are big fans of Chels and Dal's oldest, Logan. The kid is awesome.

Braelyn is in a league of her own. It was great to be around a baby, and she is one of the cuter I've seen.

Me. Hi.

Here is Dal showing Logan a squirrel. The squirrel declined participation in this photo op.

Note: Chels had previously been playing airplane with Logan in a waterfall, hence the wet shirts.

*&#@! :(

My PDA has been my great friend these past 8 months, keeping me on track, on time and happy.

It's been my constant companion. Here we are at Harvard.
Everyone is impressed with it's sleek design and convienient functionality.

It is a good dancer, which is why I took it to my friend's wedding.

All in all it has been a great assistant. To my utmost sorrow, this week I discoverd a manufactures defect in my Palm. Don't worry! It is alright, it just needs some repairs, which means I will be without my trusty sidekick for 2 weeks!!

How will I continue while my Palm is away you ask.

Um, ya.

It's going to be a long 2 weeks.

Pilatification

Ok, Sarah Eden has agreed to be a guinea pig for the pre launch of Maximum Pilates (where I work) at home exercise video. As part of her trial run, we asked her to keep a journal of sorts about her experience with doing Pilates at home. Here is what she came up with...

http://pilatification.blogspot.com/

Montana Really Is Beautiful!

Whoa.

We got to go up to Montana this last week to meet my new niece, Braelyn, and see the rest of the fam. There will be more on our excursion later (don't worry, there will be video involved). But I must say, my impression of Montana this time around was much better than when we went in January.

I'd always heard that Montana is extremely beautiful. One of every three Arizonans I talk to love Montana and visit once a year. For a while I wondered what state they were talking about because when I was in Montana in January, it looked... bland.

I am happy to report however that Montana is actually one of the more scenic places I have been. Amazing what warm weather will do for a landscape.

A new Elting!

My sister, Chelsea, had a little baby girl on Friday!!! We are so excited for her. Joe and I are headed up to Montana on Friday to visit for a few days. Check out Chels and Dal's blog for more details. http://thedalchelslogantings.blogspot.com/

Adventures in Arizona

Hahaha.

We have some frineds who took us out to the desert to go shooting. This is something I haven't done except for the once or twice on my Grandpa Johnson's farm... when I was 7. It was a lot of fun, even though I barely hit anything. Joe, on the otherhand was hitting 75% of the stuff he aimed for and he has never shot before either. But he is usually good at anything he tries.

Here is a 2.5 min video highlighting my more... entertaining moments. I was trying to channel Angelina Jolie. What do you think?

Attack of the Cockroaches!!!

Ok, cockroach. Singular. But still yucky.

I was starting to sit down for church when the lady behind me said "Just to warn you that that is the roach isle."

Huh?

She pointed to the floor and sure'nuff there was a large, brown cockroach perched under my chair waiting for me to sit down so that it could attack my feet! It'd probably claw me with its little spear legs! Needless to say, I not so calmly walked around the back of the room to the non roach side. I remained calm except for a jump when I saw the brown, shiny horror skittering to the next isle. Yuck.

Joe said once sunday school was out and all the women had left that a couple 12 year old boys grabbed the roach with a piece of paper and proceeded to show everyone the squirming specimen before taking it out. 

Leave it to the Deacons.

I was tagged...

Four jobs I have had...
1. Dance Teacher
2. House Cleaner
3. Modern Dancer
4. Pilates Instructor

Four movies I have watched more than once...
1. Hope Floats
2. A Walk To Remember
3. Farris Buler's Day Off
4. Celine Dion's A New Day

Four places I have lived...
1. Orem, UT
2. Provo, UT
3. Orem, UT
4. Scottsdale, AZ

Four TV shows I watch...
1. So You Think You Can Dance
2. The Office
3. The Bacholer
4. Wipe Out (Best show ever!)

Four people who e-mail me regularly...
1. Palm Newsletter
2. Escape the Cubicle Nation.com
3. Chelsea
4. uh... (man, my e-mail life is dead)

Four of my favorite foods...
1. Chicken Coconut Curry (yum yum yum!)
2. Tapioca
3. Lasagna
4. Hummus

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year...
1. Spending time with Joe! (I love my Hubby:)
2. Having a non sitting job (see below)
3. Writing my book (more about this later...)
4. Seeing what crazy thing life will throw at us this year

New Chapter

Ok, I know it sounds cliche, but this last week I dove into a new chapter of my life. I call this one "One Step Closer."

My previous chapter, "I Think I Can, I Think I Can..." was an interesting experiment involving me and a normal job. Not a combination that has lasted long in the past.

Summer 2000

20 hours a week

I worked at a desk in my dad's office. I had three responsibilities: greet guests, answer phones, enter data. I really liked it for the first week. After the first week I noticed I had a hard time sitting that long so I started looking for other things to do, like organizing my dad's desk for him. I was very happy with my work, he was not so happy because apparently he couldn't find anything anymore (poor Dad :). I went back to sitting. I lasted 6 weeks.

Fall 2005

30 hours a week

I'd never tried retail before (except for an unfortunate cheese job the Christmas after graduation) so I thought I should. I started a job in a home decor store at the mall. Loved it for the first month. They let me redecorate the displays sometimes. After that I realized I don't like redecorating that much so I started looking for other things to do, like telling the owner things that would make her business run much more smoothly. I was very excited about my work, she was not so excited because apparently she liked the way she was doing things already (poor owner).  I went back to sitting. I lasted 2 more weeks.

Fall 2006-Summer 2008

40 hours a week!

My dad was so proud that I was actually working full time. I was an admin at an actuarial firm. I answered the phones, greeted people and got to help with making the company more efficient. It was really good, and I enjoyed working with the employees there. But I was still sitting. Darn. I lasted 22 month. Pretty darn good.

Lesson learned? Ashleigh + sitting job = not so good. I think Pilates and I will get along much better.

Ugh

So it is 12:10 and I am wide awake.

This is not normal for me. I think it has something to do with the concoction of food I have in my stomach. My wisdom teeth were yanked from my face on Monday, and I haven't been up to chewing much since. So, if the food is mushy, it is fair game. For instance, this morning I downed a container of cottage cheese, a serving of that green super food stuff and a smooshy cereal bar. Yum. For lunch I had a lot of soda (that stuff goes down good!) and 6 mini bites of a Chipotle chicken burrito bowl with extra guacamole (I love Chipotle, and they love me, because I am half the reason they do so well down here). More soda at a work party. Dinner included fries, chicken nuggets, chili and a chocolate shake. And orange juice. All nice individually, but put it all together and what do you get? Ashleigh awake at 12:16.

Boston Street Performers

Here are some more clips from our trip.

These are some street performers we ran into.

D-Backs Game

Sometimes we are blessed, by Joe's dad, with tickets to the D-Back's game. The games are usually really fun. It is a little slow, but I think it is nice to have some time when I can't be doing anything other than watch a bunch of guys throw a ball really fast. I also appreciate the game a lot more when the people are right infront of me and I have a better sense of how far and fast they can throw/bat/run. I must admit though, one of my favorite parts of baseball is the "butt skoot." You know what I am talking about... the move that batters pull when the pitch comes close to hitting their... hip.

Anyway... here are some pictures of our latest game. We went with one of my friends from work, Kim, and her friend Brock. Brock is the performer in the video clip.

Boston Trip

We had so much fun in Boston with our great friends Mindy and Darin! Here is a sample of our trip; Enjoy!

Shameless Plug

Ok Women, Sarah Eden, my sister-in-law, writes books and they are fabulous. They are period romances and always G-rated (thank goodness!). I have found them to be quick reads and highly enjoyable. I particularly like them because the characters are believable and much of the plot involves the characters getting out of their own way so they can get to the good things waiting for them. Maybe I like them because I can relate to them so well...

So if y'all are looking for a fun new reading adventure, I would highly suggest ordering one of Sarah's books. But be warned, I have found them rather addicting! Here is a link to her website: http://www.sarahmeden.com/

My Latest Project

So, it has been a little while since I have blogged, and even then I use the term loosly because I am much better at putting up video than actually writing (I'm working on that).

Well, here are the latest videos I've cut together (with the help of a nifty little site called Jumpcut). This started as a little side project with some coworkers to create a desk calendar for the office and exploded into many fun, and funny, lunch breaks. I can't tell if it is funny for non-AMC people, but I thought I'd through it out anyway. It takes about 10 minutes to watch all 3 videos. Enjoy.

We had an "Official Calendar Release" day at the office. Here is a bit of the calendar and the set up for that day.



Where's Jacklyn: The Making Of A Calendar



The Blooper Reel

Love in a Time of Jelly Bean

My brother Sam has killer eye-to-mouth-to-jelly-bean coordination. This is a video of his last night before leaving on his mission to Indianapolis. Good Luck, Sam. Give 'em Jell....-y Bean.

Catherine's Turn

Hahaha! It was all I could do to hold the camera still for this one. My neice was driving in the car with us when she came up with this masterpiece. Please note the Napoleon Dynamite "happy hands" inspired ending to her dances.

Enjoy.

Doin' the Bull Dance; feeling the flow; working it...working it

So my nephew John has a disease that is triggered by sound waves pulsating through his body. The result is a loss of control and involuntary muscle movements (also known as dancing).



With more intensive treatments, we are hoping that he will be able to channel the movement into something more like this kid:

Pilates Adventures

So I have been working hard the last few months training to be a pilates instructor. I have personally been doing pilates for over a year and LOVE it. It involves some normal looking exercises and some crazy ones on moving machines and springs. It isn't abnormal to be exercising upside-down! Totally up my alley. Besides being fun, working in pilates has fixed yucky pain in my hips and knees and I am definitely converted.

So with that excellent base of experience, teaching pilates just seemed like a logical step. And I figure, I've taught five year olds to prance across the floor on command, I think I can handle teaching 35 year olds (though, sadly they will not be prancing).

Many people have heard of pilates, but don't really know what it is or why it is good. If you have any questions or want a new exercise adventure, let me know. I'll talk you into it :)

Here is a picture for those visual learners. (This is not me)

Doesn't that look like fun?!!

Fridge Fun

I don't like to cook.

Shocker.

Anyway, Joe is pretty good about making sure we stay fed. It is coming to the end of the semester though and the man has been doing a lot of studying lately. So one night we opened the fridge to make dinner and saw this!



Don't worry Mom. We did have full cupboards.

For you who cook for more than two, an empty fridge is probably something you have not seen in a while. It kind'of creeped up on us, but was pretty funny once we realized what we were down to.

We went grocery shopping that night.

Birthday Date

Joe got me tickets to see a French Circus for my birthday. I love most performing arts and I'd had an inkling to see some Circus. Yea Joe! It was crazy. There was a lot of gasping from the audience, which is always fun. I am trying to think of how to describe it, but I can't, so watch this.





My favorite part were 5 little Mongolian girls who could sit on their own heads (contortionists). They honestly moved like snakes. It was so crazy.

Anyway, we had a blast!

Going to Boston!!!

We have been talking about taking a trip to Boston ever since we got married. Joe served a mission for our church there and LOVED it. And of course seeing pictures and hearing about all the cool history and culture out there for four years has made me fairly eager to go too.

Well, the planets have aligned and we will be making the trip this May. Yea! We are very excited.

This is Harvard. Reminds me a bit of UVSC campus.

This is the Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. I don't know exactly where Bunker Hill is, but I am going to find out.

Ashleigh's so hip

Ashleigh's hip likes to get caught, and I like to watch her try to get it un-caught. It's funny because I picture some Middle-Eastern ritual dance of the hip that is similar movements to her dance. If these middle easterners don't pay tribute to the God of Hips (or maybe hippos) he will smite them with a hundered famines.....back to back, each lasting a few days, and when all of them are put together it makes like a year's worth. The people don't like that much famine so they do the dance. It is a pretty clear choice if you ask me.....or them.

'Zona

So we have now maintained residence in Arizona for two and a half years. It is surprising to think that we have lived here longer than we did in Utah.

Ashleigh likes it here and I already did; we love Scottsdale, which is where we now live. The location is great as it is close to work and school. It is the rich part of the valley and carries quite a connotation with it. Everyone gave us a hard time when we told them where we were moving. It makes us feel like we're better than others. We like that.......a lot.

All kidding aside, we do like the 'Dale and love our current digs. Very spacious and quiet for the most part. Our friends Mindy and Darin came down from Salt Lake and said we lived in a resort. We like that, too........a lot.

I'm currently a finance student at ASU (go Devils) and Ashleigh is throwin' down as a pilates instructor. She likes it a lot as it pays well and makes her feel better than her clients. She likes that.......mucho. (Didn't see that one coming?)

I'm not sure why I am writing such dumb stuff but I have found I will go to great lengths to amuse myself.