Flashback Friday...An Angel Among Us.

As you might have noticed I like to post pictures....Have you noticed?

I post photos about anything and everything.

I never leave home without my wonderful camera, {the Nikon D50 outfit}

I love my camera almost as much as the pictures I photograph with my camera.

I love to post photos in every blog post.

I think photos tell the story far better than any words ever could.

I love to photograph the BEAUTIFUL things in my life that I truly love.

When I look over my blog posts and see old photographs it always brings a smile to my face and sometimes a tear to my eye.

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DISCLAIMER: most of the photos in this particular post are not ones that I have taken.

My daughter Ashley called me the other day and asked me to send her some of the photos I had of her son Hewitt. As I was going through them I ran across so many of her, the memories just came flooding back, so I decided to do a post dedicated entirely to Ashley.

Besides, I MISS her IMMENSELY.

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A daughter is a miracle that never ceases to be miraculous...full of beauty and forever beautiful...loving and caring and truly amazing.

When I think of how my life has been affected by this BEAUTIFUL soul I am

OVERWHELMED

When she was born, almost instantly she became a Daddy's girl. I loved watching the 2 of them together. I had never seen that side of J. She truly changed his heart.

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Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.

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Daddy's little girl {For Sure}

*Varsity Cheerleading Team Captain

*Utah State Champion {Individual cheerleader}

*6th. place at Nationals {Individual cheerleader}

*Award winning choreographer

What can I say...She's simply AMAZING!

Is it obvious that I am proud?

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Ashley always had the BEST friends, we loved all of them both male and female.

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I guess she hasn't always done exactly as we wanted lol.

We were a little dismayed when she opted to accept a dance scholarship to Utah.

THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL

How could we let our daughter attend that school. Well it didn't take long for us to get on board. Help with tuition? That thrilled us no matter what color she would be wearing. And an opportunity to watch her dance yet again. We just wished she didn't have to wear so much RED....

I remember the day we dropped her off at school, it was one of the hardest days of my life. I had thought about it for the weeks prior to her leaving and felt like I could handle it, but I was not prepared at all for what was ahead of me.

J and I helped her unload her stuff, as we were carrying boxes up to her dorm room I could feel myself losing it. Trying to hide the tears and the anguish of leaving my last child was extremely hard.

We unloaded the last box and took a little walk around campus and now it was time to say "GOODBYE" to our baby I gave her a hug desperately trying to hold in my emotions, and Then J had his turn to say his goodbye's. I watched him put his great big arms around her and give one of those hugs that she loves so much, he was holding on tight, as if he never wanted to let go. And then in "Good Old Ashley" fashion she said "I love you Daddy," Our confidant little girl was ready to start her new life.

J finally "reluctantly" let go of her and we were on our way.

I swear that was the longest walk back to the truck we have ever taken. Not a word was exchanged by either of us. We climbed into the truck and sat there for a moment no words were spoken, no words were needed, we looked at each other and then it happened. We both started to cry.

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She's all grown up and still a "Daddy's" girl, but she has made enough room in that big heart of hers for me as well.

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The big wedding day.

I always wondered if Ashley would find a man good enough for J to approve of.

The answer~~~~Yep!

Brandon loves her for who she is and I think he understands what an amazing women he has.

{Jordan is missing from this photograph, he was serving his mission in the

San Fernando, California Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, during this time}

Nope full time missionaries don't get to come home for sister's weddings.

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I love it when Ashley comes to visit, there is never a DULL moment.

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In 2003 I hired Ashley to be my Varsity cheer coach and choreographer at Orem High School, {Wow! did we ever make the perfect coaching team.} She choreographed the most AWESOME routines. Such a talented girl.

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She became much more than just an a assistant to me, she became my best friend, and she was much more than just a coach to our girls.

They all loved and adored her so much.

Every single one of them past and present came to her wedding and bridal shower and so did their parents.

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On our way home from cheerleading nationals.

Our little OHS squad from Orem, Utah took first place in the large varsity non-build division, with a routine choreographed by our own Ashley.

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Our beautiful daughter in the role as "Mother"

When I look at the kind of mother she has become I hope that she learned some of that from me.

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Mothers and daughters are closest, when daughters become mothers.

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I took this picture of Ashley and Brandon's family, it's one of my favorites ever. I think it truly captures this beautiful little family.

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When she lived here in Orem she would bring her boys over everyday. J and I loved those times just hanging out with Ashley and her boys. It broke our hearts when she and Brandon left for Texas in April. We have both been counting the days until they return in September.

This has been the LONGEST summer we have ever had.

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It's not hard to see from the pictures that Ashley is a GORGEOUS girl, but her outside beauty is only a fraction compared to her inner beauty.

It blows my mind to watch the kindness and compassion she exhibits everyday. Everyone that knows Ashley loves her, she has a way of making you feel that you are the most important person in the world. When people tell me that she and I are so much alike, I am so flattered to be compared to such an incredible human being. {I think what they might be referring to is our love of talking} no one has ever accused either one of us of not having enough to say.

Here's a quote that Ashley loves.

"Live your life so that those who know you but don't know Christ, will want to know Christ because they know you"

Yeah, it fits our Ashley.

Some day I want to be like my Daughter~~~~

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