"Showered" with Gifts!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER! :( Life has been so busy the past few months. I have been working two jobs, planning a wedding, and now getting settled into married life and our apartment. So there hasn't been much time for blogging. Unfortunately, I have skipped a lot of important events on this blog. But I promise to be better from here on out, and hopefully I can get all caught up!

My first bridal shower was on July 16th. My cute aunt Sue (wish I had a good picture of her) had a great idea to throw a "couples" shower. So all of the men got to come with their wives, including Josh. It was fun to have everyone there, and I think Josh enjoyed being included in the gift opening ;) thats how I bribed him to come!

Here we are getting ready to open our first gift.

What could it be? A salad spinner from Scott and Kerri! YAY! Plus, a beautiful bowl and some salad tongs to go along with it. We LOVE our salad spinner. We use it more than probably any other gadget in our kitchen. Scott and Kerri had some other family events that night so they couldn't be at our shower, but it was so sweet of them to send a gift that we absolutely love! I posted this picture just because I think it is funny. I'm not sure what surprised my mom so much, but I'm guessing its something she was excited about! :)

Towels! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Greenwell :)

This next gift was my very favorite from this shower, and maybe even from our whole wedding. My parents gave us this amazing picture of the temple. I don't know if you can see it, but in the bottom right corner it says "Josh and Ashley, August 6, 2010". I saw these photos of different temples at a bridal show back in January, and had to have one. My mom was pretty sneaky and figured out a way to get one for us without me knowing. It is hanging in our living room as we speak and we love it. It is great to have something in our home that reminds us every day of our eternal commitments and helps us to strive to keep doing the right things so we can continue to go to this incredible place.

We were also given some silverware, a fan, a shower curtain and other bathroom decor, some decorative platters, etc. All in all, it was such a fun day! I love being able to spend time with my family...I don't see them nearly enough!

The next day, my long time friend Ali threw me a shower for all of my friends. Silly me, I forgot my camera that day! Can you believe it?! I am pretty upset. But at least I have the memories in my heart and I love all of my friends (especially Ali) for being so loving and supportive!

The day after that, (yes, I had showers three days in a row!) we made the trip down to Gunnison for the Madsen/Cox family shower. Again, we were completely spoiled rotten at this shower. This family is one of the most supportive families I have ever known. Pretty much everyone from both sides of the family came, other than those who live far away. We were pretty lucky!

A lot of hard work was put into this shower as you can see, and I appreciate everyone who spent so much time and effort into planning it.

We got our comforter set that I absolutely love! Our bedroom is now awesome thanks to my mom, sister, and sister-in-law! We also got this beautiful quilt from Grandma Madsen...

(Apparently Kerri didn't want to be in the picture, but she is in it anyway and looks great as always!) Grandma Madsen amazes me. She is not in the best of health, and it is hard for her to get around, but she still manages to be so supportive. And to make such a gorgeous quilt?! I wish I had her talents.

I wish I had pictures of every single gift we got, but I don't. And even if I did, I'm sure you all don't care to see each of them, so I just posted the highlights! Trust me, there were LOTS of highlights. We got so many other gifts too! Like a gorgeous clock from Heidi and Jess, a minky blanket frome Kerri, and tons of much needed things for our home.

Thank you Kelly for allowing everyone to come to your beautiful home!

And thank you Kerri, Heidi, and Jess for helping to throw this amazing shower.

Lauren, Heidi, me, Jess, Kerri, and Krissy

Mom, me, Brittany, and Lydia

Some women in my ward also threw me a shower on the 29th of July. Pictures were taken on a friend's camera, and I am trying to track them down. When I do, I will post them! We received a lot of our dishes, glassware, a rice cooker, and other gadgets as well as some gorgeous photos and decorations for our home. Without all of these showers, our house wouldn't be complete that's for sure!

The weekend before the wedding, my sister Brittany and sister-in-law Lydia threw me a bachelorette party. My sister threw it at her apartment, so we were all able to go down to the pool that night and sit in the hot tub together.

It was fun to be with all my girlfriends and just relax and hang out! They made me wear a little tiara/veil, a feather boa, and a sash that said "Bride to Bling". And trust me...this shower was ALL about the BLING! :) The girls all got to wear necklaces and rings and pretty much play dress up! That's my kind of party!

Why I post embarrassing pictures of myself, I don't know!

Thank you Brittany and Lydia for the fun party! I have the best sisters a girl could ask for.

I look at all of these pictures and think about all of the people who love and care enough for Josh and I to drive long distances and spend their time and money to support us. I feel humbled that so many people showed their love for us. I'm not sure we quite deserve it!

WHEW! I know that was a long post! Stay tuned...because I'm sure there are plenty more long posts to come :)