This Thanksgiving the fam bam all gathered at Grandpa and Grandma Chamberlains new home in Provo! It was fun to finally all be together having a meal in the " Downtown Abbey" house..Thats what we call it haha.. It even has fabric squishy walls..
For some reason this Thanksgiving felt very special to me. I feel like there was so much going on last year and there will be a lot of changes next year so it was that perfect scene that I just wanted to freeze for a little. Some of the family was missing still, but I just looked around at all of the families there and just could not believe how big the once " Little babes" were..And how old I was haha! Seems like just yesterday when Lexie and I would be at Thanksgiving at the Chamberlains dressed in gowns and crowns from the playroom dress ups. A lot can change in a year and I know for a fact that we won't all be together next year so it was kind of hard to leave the house at the end of it all. I love my family so much!
Because this is a designated " Thanksgiving" post, I wanted to share what I am thankful for..
I recently had a church interview for a recommend. Usually I just want to get there, get the questions over with, and get the recommend..Not the best attitude towards a recommend. I never know how long to look at people in the eyes and with interviews I almost feel like you HAVE to stare at your bishop the entire time without blinking or they will think your shifting eyes are trying to tell them that you are lying and have sinned hahaha... I dunno maybe thats just how I look at it sometimes..But obviously he trusts you regardless so I shouldn't worry about that, I think my eyes just start to burn ya know? Haha. Anyways, I went in and sat down and he began to ask me the regular recommend questions. Question after question I was able to reply with a sincere and honest heart YES to what I believed and NO to the questions that had to be asked to make sure you are worthy to enter the temple. As I began to answer yes, no, etc the stake president looked up and said, " That is extraordinary." I know there are a lot of people who are able to answer honestly and have never done drugs or whatever before either.. But when he said extraordinary it made me choke up a little.. He looked at me probably thinking I did some past sin and just lied to him haha but I caught myself blurt out, " Wow I love my parents." I just sat there for a second thinking about my mom and dad. They had raised me in a way where I was NEVER even tempted to lose their trust or make them ashamed of me... I had never been tempted towards drugs or anything related because I loved them and that stuff didn't appeal to me AT ALL nor will it ever. And it all comes down to their christlike example to me. I am not meaning to say this to look perfect, cool, wife material, whatever it may be haha..Im not trying to brag.. But I AM proud of it. And I am so proud of my parents and for their example to me throughout my life! They put so much time and money to give us musical talents, be athletic, took us on family vacations to grow closer as a family and taught us important lessons about responsibility. My parents famous quote is: Freedom comes from responsibility.. I learned that the hard way a few times with curfew... Fun Fact: When we were in high school my dad would give us a curfew and set an alarm on his phone and go to bed.. We had to be home before the alarm went off so that he would not wake from his slumber hahaha. It is just funny how subtle he was about, " Hey you can be late and I will wake up but then you are grounded." He was never that parent calling impatiently freaking out on us..No he would just turn on his alarm and sleep. That was a way for us to learn responsibility I think.. It felt like you were a ninja too..Because you would be speeding home, stealthily go into his room on your tippy toes and deactivate the bomb before the dragon awoke. I dunno thats how I thought of it haha...
I really hope to marry someone just like my Dad.. No joke there have been times that I have decided if I should date a guy or not because I will say in my head, " Is that like Dad?" Or, " My Dad would never say those things or do that..( Younger or now) " My Dad obviously had fun teen years or whatever..But he had fun without drugs or anything. He also has never done anything to be ashamed of. He has always just been a solid guy..Supposedly even a little geeky and shy in high school..But i'll let you in on a little secret of mine.. I ALWAYS go for the shy guy. Of course there have been a few guys that were the typical sports jock cool guy..But guess what.. They never work out for me.. Whoops. Some people think I am so weird with my taste in guys..You should hear my sister when I like a guy. It is always the same, " But he is SO shy!" I think it is just more attractive to me when a guy isn't showing off and crazy, but the more humble shy ones..Then I balance them out with my extrovert personality. They say opposites attract.. I know, kinda brutal..But I mean you date someone and you either get married or break up..So I guess I just help the process. Might as well say it because I do really think it! I feel like the biggest thing that impresses me the most about my Dad though is his love for serving others. If there is ever a service project to do in the ward he is the first to sign up and be there. The other day my sister Sarah was telling me about how an ambulance went to the house next door and she was on the phone with my Dad who wasn't home. Next thing you know Sarah looks out the window and sees Dad over at the neighbors with the bishop. He ALWAYS puts other before himself. He has served me personally in so many ways. I graduated a year early from high school and it seems easy peasy once you get to college and realize high school was nothing..But holy cow it was probably one of the hardest things.. My dad was my teacher. He taught me everything. He was a science, math, and history teacher to me from 5pm-12am..even 1am some nights.. And then he would wake up and go to work all day to provide for our family. He's a pretty cool dude.
Then there is my Mama.. My mom is the most humble, shy, selfless person you will ever meet in your entire life. And I am not just saying that because she is my mom..Well maybe there is some influence from that, but others have also admired her for being so selfless and humble. Honestly I don't know how she does it...She's like scary perfect. She is the definition of an elect lady! I absolutely love when she laughs..We will be in the car on a road trip and play a game and she laughs so hard that she cries! It is seriously the best. She is never distracted by a hair appointment, nails, shopping, gossiping.. NEVER. I have to BEG her to go get her nails done with me if anything haha..She just doesn't care about those worldly things. Those things are fine, but it just also shows the type of person she is. She cares more about her family more than anything else. She puts that first. I remember how she would read to me every night and we would start really good book series together and how much she cared about our talents and took us to lessons every day. I remember this one day specifically where my violin teacher yelled at me ( And if you know me, if someone yells at me I just cry.. I am such a wimp about it.) I cried all the way home and almost quit violin.. I was just so frustrated at the time with it. She took me to good ole target and bought be a treat and said I could decide on whatever with violin and that it was my choice.. It didn't matter to her that she and my dad had invested SO much time and money into violin for me. I loved how she doesn't push things on anyone.. The next week she drove me to violin still and I continued.. I guess I just remember that because I know how many times I hear that kids were forced into practicing and going to lessons.. But she just wanted me to be happy even though she loves when I play the violin. She is such an amazing example to me.. Oh AND the most amazing cook. I also love her example of going to the temple regularly and never missing one day of church in her life except for maybe having a baby or being really sick haha. I have been thinking lately about how cool it will be to be able to go to the temple with her. I hope I can be as good of mother as she is one day. I'll start with my cookie skills..They are lacking.
I remember just sitting with the stake president telling him how grateful I was for my parents and the fact that I could answer to all of those questions with confidence and true honesty. I am able to live with no regrets because my parents set such a high bar of their example to me. I just kept repeating to President Featherstone about how I have no idea why I was so blessed...How was I allowed to be born to such amazing parents and be born and raised in the gospel? He took off his glasses and had to wipe tears from his eyes too which surprised me because I thought that I was just being more annoying than spiritual haha. But anyways, I was trying to find the root of why I am so happy and have the gospel and have had such a good life compared to others in the world and it all comes down to my parents..They have Christ's light. So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for them.. Because without them I wouldn't have the gospel which brings true happiness and is why we are even on this Earth.. Maybe I would have found it eventually if I wasn't born to them..But it sure was given to me pretty darn easy..I will never be able to repay Heavenly Father for that..But I can help him out by KEEPING those commandments and one day raise a family to love the gospel too just like they have for me.
I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! I am grateful for YOU! I am grateful for the gospel in my life, a loving home, an amazing job as a nanny to the most amazing family, and much much more that I could list out but might take me all day.
Ash
Here are a few of my favorite photos of my Mom and Dad!
Dad facetiming me when I moved to Utah...Making me laugh when I was so lonely!!
Pretending to be Tom Cruise in Prague.... I think he did the running scene better don't you think? Could take Tom out of business..
My sweet mama in Prague <3
Not sure what Dad was trying to do.... This was right when we arrived in Halstatt Austria so he was pretty excited..
Me and my Mama in Germany!!
Reading to Jack Jack
Speaking in his famous Donald Duck voice for Jackson
BEAUTY
Gilbert Temple open house!!
Lovin in Prague
Daddy and his baby girl<3
Mama playing with Jackson!!
