Here's to summer.

Here's to new adventures, new jobs, and new apartments.

Here's to tiki masks, dance parties, midnight movies on LoveSacs, and trading hoodies. 

Here's to hours of night games, hiding under bunk beds, inside showers, and behind closet doors. 

Here's to riding on a mattress in the back of the Suburban, jumping off cliffs, and swinging on ropes.
Here's to best friend alerts, the Twerk Team, and a summer fling. 

Here's to a thousand McDonald's runs, sushi nights, and a dozen trips to PacSun. 

Here's to too many people in a car, being Beyonce's staff in Ikea, and dysfunctional family dinners.
Here's to paint twister, lunch dates, and campus golf.
Here's to freshmen stalkers, staff sanities, and finding a thousand and one ways to wear grey t-shirts. 

Here's to road trips, Dirty Dr. Peppers, sugar cookies, and Friends marathons. 

Here's to fountain swimming, statue climbing, hallway dancing, and firework mishaps.
Here's to 7 am meetings, 21 hour work days, and double jobs.
Here's to midnight drives, the Fourth of July in Huntsville, and JT jam sessions.
Here's to this summer, the memories made to tide us over until next year, and the friends that came with the summer.
Here's to summer, and here's to us. 

Escape from reality.

With two of the original roommates out on their missions, the remaining four of us decided there was nothing else to do but escape our lives and responsibility for the week. St. George was the best way to forget about the chaos of our lives for a second, and it was an excellent way to catch up with my best friends. 

I'd never been to Tuacahn before, and Kenzie got a ridiculously good deal on tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie. I loved musicals before, but I decided that there's no better way to experience than nestled in the red rock of Southern Utah. That ampitheater is beautiful. And the musical itself made me want to live in the 20's more than I've ever wanted to before. 

We also learned a very valuable lesson...don't let the adorable old lady attempt to get a picture of you jumping into the pool. 

Obviously, we spent a majority of our time laying out by the pool. It was nice to finally let my skin see the sun, after being in polos and at work every other day this summer. [And I didn't get a sunburn. #winner.]

This picture is really only here to show you how excited we were to not be in the cave anymore, not have jobs to worry about, and be in air conditioning--well that, and how stoked Lauren was to share a bed with me for four nights. I may or may not talk in my sleep. And she might have woken up with me taking over the whole bed and with my arms around her once or twice. I like my sleep, okay?? Also, it's almost physically impossible for us to take a decent picture together. This is about as good as it gets. 

This basically sums up our whole adventure. A whole lot of time together, no makeup, top knots, swimsuits, enough shopping to fulfill my wardrobe wishes, and hotel beds. 

I guess you could say I consider myself very lucky to have had some of the best roommates imaginable. These girls keep me sane--and that's not always an easy job. They understand when I flip out in the middle of traffic, and don't judge when we decide to sleep through the hotel breakfast. They get the fact that I'll watch Friends at any hour of the day, and laugh at my weird jokes. 

I'm so glad I can call these ladies my best friends, and can't wait to see where this year takes us. 

I wish you all 5's, girls. :) 

It's all the same to me.

It's days like today that make a girl think. One of my friends gave his farewell address this morning, and it was just another one of the many surreal experiences that have been happening lately. Watching Blake on the stand, Emi and I just kept looking at each other and saying, "Blake, OH Blake." in some weird voice or another. But as I listened to his talk, and heard his testimony, I couldn't help but be proud to call him a friend. Then, as the (super attractive) RM giving his homecoming address spoke, there was this almost overwhelming feeling that came over me that that is what I want these boys to become. Not that the boys I hang out with now are anything short of amazing, but this kid had matured in ways that aren't possible outside of the mission field. He knew where he was going, and how he was going to get there.
And while it's hard to comprehend sending these boys away for two years, seeing the "finished product," so to speak, makes it all seem worth it in the end.
There's a quote I've seen that says something along the lines of, "missionaries leave their families for two years so that other families can be together for eternity." When you think of it that way, it's hard to not say goodbye. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and ^^^ this little beauty is completely true. Blake's parents were called to serve as mission presidents in Detroit, Michigan, so he moved out there the summer before our junior year--which will be two years this August. (?) Those two years flew by, which gives me some sort of crazy hope that the next 2-3 will go just as fast. I know it's wishful thinking to hope that we'll all be friends and still around by the time these kids all get home, but it's what every girl thinks right as the boys leave. And who knows, it just might work. Blake will be one of the first kids our age to leave, but Trent leaves for Ghana in October, and Matt leaves for Arizona in September---which is so not OK---and while it's weird to think that these are my best friends heading out there, I know it's the right thing for them to be doing. And I couldn't be more proud of them.


In other news, tomorrow, the entire Bell clan is invading Lagoon. And by Bell clan, I mean....
Me, Brittany, Ryan, Emily, Aubrey, Mary, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Jo, Maddy, Carrie, Clint, Evan, Owen, Amy, Brent, TJ, Brevin, Davis, Ian, Melanie, Dan, Kenzie, James, Breanne, Laura, Zach, Hyrum, Sheron, Branden, Megin, Dallin, Lolly, and Addy.
AND, I'm in a walking boot for my leg. It's going to be an adventure, to say the least. Today, when we were talking about it, I told my aunt Amy that I was going to wear a swimsuit all day because of the water rides. "Ash...there is no way you're getting married in the next year then, just saying." Finally, someone that is on my side.
Park City in four days. Be prepared for pictures, summer flings, and lots and lots of stories.

Summertime, swimtime.

So I entered a giveaway for a Lime Ricki swimsuit via Pink Peonies. If you haven't checked out either of their sites, you definitely should, because they're great. Lime Ricki is a swimsuit company that makes modest--and super adorable--swimsuits for us girls that are interested in modesty and high fashion. They're adorable, and also affordable, unlike some of the other companies out there. Check them out here. And enter the giveaway if you want! It's worth a shot, huh?