Shelby Bock (She'll be bock!)

Meet Shelby!  As you've probably observed from this picture she is much cuter than your niece.  We haven't met in person but I know a few things which make her pretty much perfect:

a. She is a trendsetter.  Check the headband, folks!
b. She knows how to pose.  Notice the puckered lips.
c. She's pretty and funny. Shelby Bock (pretty).  She'll be bock! (funny).
d. She has beautiful eyes.
e. She 1 part Robyn and 1 part George and who wouldn't love that combination? Refer to C.
f. She's making a trip up to Spokane to say hello to her adoring fans.

Chloe and Shelby have stolen my heart :)  And there's a nephew still gettin' womb service in Bainbridge that I'd like to meet very soon!  I'm a pretty lucky Auntie, wouldn't you say?

The Outdoorsersons

 

Growing up, I hated the outdoors.  It meant three things: heat, mosquitoes, and work!  I wouldn't say I never had fun outside but for the most part I'd rather stick to A/C, avoid yard work, and focus on Seventeen magazine and getting my hair perfectly straight.



Skookum Lake hike

But, folks, I think I'm warming up to it.  It helps that we don't have our own yard, Spokane has much more moderate temperatures, and tons less bugs!  I'm also in love with the trees, mountains, and many beautiful lakes in this area.

Our perfect camp site near the water

Don't get me wrong.  I still ask questions when setting up a tent, can't name most plants, and do a funny song and dance when I get freaked out by the wasps.  Still, I think I'm finally learning what everyone has been raving about.  The world is a really beautiful place when people don't tear it down and pour concrete over it.


Carson jumping in at about 8pm when it was getting cold out

 It also helps that I'm enjoying it all with this guy!  Seriously, look at those adorable eye crinklies!



Cold but happy :)

Hiawatha Trial

Team Leader: Carson Dipo



Ready to roll

So, yeah, it's a pretty great life for this Dipo wife :) 

Eating for 1

Have you ever been a Mormon female, married for 9 months, and had a healthy appetite?  If so, you were probably pregnant at the time.  But even though 99 out of 100 women meeting this criteria are pregnant, somehow I have managed to become the 1% (bah! lame joke!). 

But seriously, stop asking me.

I will now demonstrate telling the difference between a pregnant person and a person who loves carbs:


A beautiful baby-inside-belly



A post-pasta dinner belly
 

Dreaming Is Risky Business

It's funny how almost everything major that I've ever wanted in my life has come true.  I haven't gotten to the kids part of that (and I'm fine waiting on that one) but pretty much everything else has played out exactly as planned.  You know how plans never work out and you have to change them?  Well, I didn't.  My plans actually worked and I got what I wanted.

But I changed my mind somewhere along the way about a big part of that plan...my big goal...my life dream in a way.  I realized that after all that dreaming, schooling, time, and money that I loved the idea of being a counselor more than I actually loved being a counselor.  Silly in a way but how can I can I be mad at myself when I had to go through it all to actually figure that out?  I'm lucky to have my husband and the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life as anchors so I don't feel like I've completely fallen down a hole of uncertainty. 

If I'm being honest, I had doubts early on.  By the last half of my internship I had major doubts as panic and dread filled me up to the brim on my morning drive there.  I considered looking for jobs unrelated to the field but I looked for anything--related or not.  And if you've ever been unemployed for longer than a month, you begin to get excited about any prospect.  So when I finally got an offer for a counseling job I certainly wasn't going to turn it down.  Besides, I wanted to give it my all before I discarded my dream.  Maybe this time would be different, better.  But nothing, not my wonderful work family or even my really cozy new office could make it better for me.  At the end of the day, after all my positive self talk, all my prayers, all my little strategies to lower my anxiety about it I couldn't help but be so glad it was over.

What I'm trying to say here is that I tried.  I had a dream, I chased it, I threw money that wasn't mine at it (hooray for paying back loans for the rest of my life!).  And even though I'm kind of in this weird place now because of it, I don't entirely regret it because at least I tried.  I tried to do something hard and meaningful and helpful in the world. 

So, world, I'm not turning out to be the person I had envisioned.  Instead, I'm a poorer, uselessly educated, career hopping kind of a girl with a job that no one probably cares too much about.  I'm seeing my last few clients for the next few Mondays and working at an accounting firm for the rest of the week until I can come on full-time.  And I know that I'm probably smarter than my new job but that's kind of what I'm enjoying about it right now--it doesn't need me to care too much or worry about it when I leave or feel guilty for not having done a better job.  Maybe one day I'll figure out my true calling in life and it will matter to me and to someone else but for today, I've manage to narrow it down to "not counseling."

As far as dreams go, I'm still a believer and my advice to anyone else would be to chase them in spite of fears and failure!  I guess that's the thing about dreaming.  It's risky.  And even though this one flopped, I think I'd regret not chasing it more than I regret the debt and deflation of failure.

Founding Fathers and Four Day Weekends

The Seattle skyline as framed by these lovely boats

Hooray for Independence Day!  I'm grateful for all those who have founded and fought for this great country and those that continue to fight for and protect our rights as Americans.  And though I've done pretty much nothing to deserve it, I took that 4 day weekend like I earned it.  So, thank you founding fathers, soldiers past and present, and the occasionally selfless leaders of our country in modern times--thank you for the freedoms and for this especially great 4 day weekend.    

Some of my favorite Dipos and I headed over to Bainbridge Island to play with our other favorite Dipos.  Even though Jenny is pregnant (with a boy!  Did I mention it's a boy!?) and kind of tired and sick a lot of the time, she let us come tire her out even more--what are families for if they can come to your house when it's inconvenient and bug you, right? 

Hammin' it up in the Ferris Wheel

 

But before we showed up with our shenanigans, I insisted that we cross one special little item off my Seattle bucket list.  THE SEATTLE FERRIS WHEEL!  Oh my, how that ferris wheel has called my name on every trip I've ever taken to Seattle.  And finally, victory was mine!  Carson, Diane, Chloe and I all saw the beautiful city and the beautiful water from way up in the sky and it was pretty much as cool as I thought it would be.

Our lovable 'fraidy cat..
erm, dog

If that wasn't enough, Morgan and Jenny took us to a fun get-together held at the home of their family friends and it was right on the water.  We got to ride around on a boat and watch fireworks glisten off the water and relax in a hammock and laugh at Duke jumping in Dennis' lap, frightened to death of the fireworks, and eat delicious food and even at one point have a small gang force you to eat an oyster (which you would never in a million years eat without such intense pressure) but which you ate anyway and even though it is actually as gross as it looks, you're glad you did it just so you never have to again because you can say something like "yeah, I've tried it and no, I don't care for it."So, yeah, that was pretty fun.

But then they must not have believed that we really had a good time because they took us out again the next day for a long boat ride and some wake boarding.  And no, I haven't gotten up the courage to publicly humiliate myself by face planting into a body of water whilst attempting to be dragged behind a boat with only the strength of my flabby arms, but I did thoroughly enjoy watching the success of others while just relaxing in the sun on a boat.  But please don't hate, I ATE AN OYSTER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!  I call that growth.



Chicks digs guys with skills

And lastly, a day at the beach basking in the beautiful sun followed by what I've discovered is the second best pizza ever made: Greek pizza.  (The first being Craig O's buffalo wing pizza, of course).  
                                God Bless America!

Auntie Ashley & Uncle Carson

    During Thanksgiving dinner of 2011, I spent the holiday with my boyfriend of approximatly 1 month and his family.  His boisterous neice, Chloe, said (a little louder than I might have wanted her to) "I want YOU to be my auntie!"  Well, Chloe dear, dreams do come true.  I'm all yours!  You're my only neice and all my auntie awesome gets soaked up in one place.

    So after several months of the joys of aunthood, I've come to the conclusion that I must have more!!  Luckily, my beautiful sister-in-law, Robyn, and her husband, George, understand.  They're having a baby girl in August :)  Carson and I found out in January after Carson said something revolting and Robyn told us she wasn't just gagging at his comment but because her ego was prego.  We really couldn't be happier for Robyn and George and we can't wait to meet our newest neice!

   But, wait!  There's more!  I was clever enough to marry into a family with TWO awesome sister-in-laws and yup, you guessed it, Jenny and Morgan are pregnant too!  They are due in early November.  We haven't found out the sex of the baby yet but we're pretty excited either way.  I'm guessing it will be a boy....or a girl.  You know, depending on the genetalia.

    This year is going to be an exciting one with tiny toes and fingers and soft skin and happy baby giggles.  I'm guessing that it might also be a year of poopy diapers, early mornings, and even some ear-splitting cries.  But that last part is more for moms and dads.  That's why Carson and I specifically applied for the "Auntie" and "Uncle" positions.  Now our dreams are coming true and we love you Robyn, George, Jenny, Morgan, and Aaron for picking the hard job so we can have the fun job :)

   

How Does That Make You Feel?

How does it feel to finally have my very own office? Um, FANTASTIC, that's how!  Since I began working in January I was promised my own office but, man, who would have thought it would take this long?!  After months of being homeless at work, checking everyone's schedule to see which office I might use, having to lug all my things home with me each day, and even having to explain to clients why they would have to bear their souls to me in yet a different room than the one that they already felt comfortable in I finally have a place to call my own.



Teal walls....shocker, I know ;)

It's not complete yet but I've got what I need for the moment.  I feel like I've done a lot of shopping in the past month to get juuuuust the right stuff and I'm beyond pleased with how well everything is creating the vibe I was going for.


Where the paperwork magic happens
Though, I desperately need some wall decor.

And I know I need some knick knacks for the ledge.  Trust me, I am working on it!  But before I can do anything, I've got to get a picture for behind my couch.  I'd actually found this beautiful red tree picture framed in gold that I fell in love with but apparently it doesn't say "Welcome to counseling, sit down and relax."  It was more like "HI YOU'RE IN COUNSELING!"


And last but not least the oh-so-important tissue table:

Only imagine it with a picture in the frame

There you have it.  I went to college, I got married, I got a real job, and now I have an office.  I think it's offical:

I'm a grown up.