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Charlotte Ashley

How the West Was!

Baby· Newborn· Travel· Trees

25 Mar

As much as I dreaded moving to Tennessee back in 2007, leaving the life I thought was planned out for myself here in SC, let me just say that it was one of the BEST relocations for Jason and I due to all the lovely friends we made there!  In fact we still take that trip about twice a year to make sure to have time with all the wonderful folks we met and became best of friends with!  One couple in particular, we only were able to hang out with for about 6 months before they had to make a move themselves… to Arkansas.  Our husbands both work with the US Forest Service and to advance with that agency you pretty much have to make a couple of moves (thus why we moved to TN in the first place).  Well… a couple of scrapbooking crops with Carrie and cookouts between our two homes reinforced that we wouldn’t hear the last of Seth and Carrie when they told us they would be moving on.  In fact, after they had moved to Arkansas, and we had already made yet another move ourselves, back to SC, they visited us for a little vacay at Fripp Island.  You can read that story here.

Well, the reason behind this blog post today is this:

Trip to Libby, MT

Yours truly FLEW on an airplane (lol)… to MONTANA!  (Yes, I was the dork on the plane who busted out a camera to snap pictures out the window.  You see, I just don’t fly much and what a breath-taking sight this was for me!!!) Seth, Carrie and their little family have since moved on from Arkansas to Montana now!  And this is the view from down in front of their home. Can we say, JEALOUS of this one!  This is the beautiful Kootenai River.

Kootenai River, Libby, Montana

And this, my friends,…
Huckleberry Pancakes, Libby, Montana

is Carrie’s home-made HUCKLEberry pancakes!  Mmmm, my mouth just watered as I wrote that.  They were so delicious (as you can see) that I couldn’t take one more bite without taking a picture. HA!  Now, we are some blueberry pancake-aholics around these parts in SC, but my friends, huckleberry pancakes trumped blueberry ones by a LONG shot!  They are a little tart and sweet at the same time.  Carrie knew the day was about to get crazy so I think she sensed she needed to fill our bellies early on.

And here’s the precious reason why…

Newborn Photography, Newborn Photographer, Libby, Montana, Columbia, SC

Meet little Griffin.  He is 14 days new here.  🙂  I was so privileged to be their official newborn photographer!  And I’m so honored that they thought to have me come out to share in this wonderful occasion!  Here are a few more frames captured of his sweetness!

Libby, Montana Newborn Photographer, Photography, Columbia, South Carolina

Libby Montana Newborn Photography, Libby Montana Newborn Photographer

Libby Montana Newborn Photography

 

Newborn

Dad and Newborn Son

Doesn’t Carrie look absolutely GAWgeous? 🙂
Libby Montana Newborn Photography

Mother and Newborn

Mother and Newborn

We also made some time for a few family shots down by the river 🙂
Libby Montana Family Photography, Photographer

After the ‘technical’ photo shoot was over I decided to snap some random photos (well, I was actually doing that the whole time).  Here are a few of the nursery that Griffin and his big sister share.  Carrie has it decorated so nicely with a little pink for girl and a little blue for boy.

Baby nursery

I particularly loved this wall as it housed one of the photos that I captured while we were all at Fripp when baby girl was 6 months old.  Aww. 🙂

Baby Nursery

I also got to do a bit of sight seeing while there and was fascinated by two things in particular:  One… the river ROCKS!  Aren’t they GORGE???  We pay BIG money in SC for bags full of these type of rocks.

Kootenai River Rocks

And… the treeeeeeees!  If you didn’t know, I’m a tree girl.  LOVE trees and LOVE being in the woods.  Dendrology was my absolute favorite class in college, and while I learned about Western Red Cedars and Ponderosa Pines and Spruces and Larches, I’d never seen any in person… until now!  Here is the beautiful red bark of a Ponderosa Pine!

Libby Montana Ponderosa Pine

And… I also was able to see many of the native wildlife species!  Here is a picture of a herd of Big Horn Sheep; all ewes.  I also saw many white tail deer, a bald eagle, some mule deer, and even flushed up a grouse while on a walk!

Libby Montana Big Horned Sheep

And one evening before making a pit stop off at a local restaurant for some pizza and moose drool, we made our way higher in elevation to view Turner Mountain (and play in some snow!) which has some ski slopes owned by the US Forest Service. 🙂

Us girls at Turner Mountain

I wish I could share so many more pictures; I eventually will. I just want Carrie and Seth to see them first 🙂  So, I would definitely add that if you ever get the chance to visit Montana, DO IT!  It’s amazingly beautiful!  Seth and Carrie, once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  Being able to make such wonderful memories myself while at the same time capturing some for you will always be a treasure in my book!

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Comments

  1. Susan Dickerson says

    March 25, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    Charlotte, these photos are wonderful – you do beautiful work.

    The scenery was gorgeous and just makes us want to go out that way sooner than later. Probably headed out west in 2013!

    Love ya
    Susan & Gary

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Meet Charlotte!

Hey, hey friend! :) I'm so glad you're here! God gives me all the strength to navigate this crazy, beautiful life of mine; and this is my attempt to keep it somewhat documented and organized! My family and I believe we are called to be stewards of the land and try our hardest to live a biblically-based, holistic life. You'll discover a whole lot about nature, photography, and being a creative entrepreneur if you poke around a little bit on the site! Enjoy. More about me...

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MLM. There I said it. It stands for multi-level ma
MLM. There I said it. It stands for multi-level marketing. I don’t even like to talk about it because it brings up such negative, icky feelings for so many who have been wronged by SKETCH companies. 😔 And rightly so! But how do I know this? BECAUSE- “Hi! 🙋‍♀️ It me.” ha! I let that rule my mindset about all network marketing companies, for awhile. Lumped them alllllll together. And now that I understand the business model, I can see the differences. One day, I desperately NEEDED health help. So, I sucked up my pride and succumbed to trying another essential oil company. I knew those little bottles of plants worked… it was just a matter of finding the ones not tainted (I’m learning all about the 4 grades of essential oils right now in a course being taught by a PhD of chemistry; more on that to come later!)

Anyways, the reason I’m writing today is more of an educational post about what exactly it is that I do. I think it confuses people. By now, we’ve all heard of “referral links or promo codes for a discount” for online shopping. That’s how my business with Young Living operates. I do not have to stock up inventory. I do not have to invest $100’s or $1000’s of dollars to start a business (it’s literally a $14.99 business packet of information, if you’re wondering). I do not *have* to order every month to generate an income. I simply share a link, and if you use my link, your account is associated with me for at least a year (or just create a free account and be educated🤷‍♀️) . That’s where the work comes into play! There is work, yes; as with any business. 🙃 If I spend the time with you, educating and helping you, on behalf of Young Living, then I am paid a commission if you decide to order and use their products. But I also can just leave you alone. It’s TOTALLY up to you how much I’m involved!!! Just please communicate your wishes. 😘

(Continued in comments. 🤦‍♀️)

“All gave some; and some gave all…” Forever
“All gave some; and some gave all…” Forever grateful. 🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸 

#allgavesomesomegaveall #memorialday #americanflag #oldglory #onenationunderGod


We are officially DONE WITH SCHOOL for the ‘22-‘23 school year, as of this past Friday. We ended it with a field trip to Carowinds, too. 🤗 A season pass to Carowinds has been one of the best gifts our boy received for Christmas. 🥰 He’s a roller coaster NUT, y’all! 😳🤣

He rode this coaster literally 6 times in a row- yeah, we hit it on the PERFECT day for no lines! 🎉 

Bring on summer break!!! And I’m sure there will be many day trips to Carowinds this summer, so y’all let us know when you go! 😉🤗

#carowinds #amusementparks  #intimidator #rollercoasters #sweetsummatime #daytrip

Memorial Day weekend savings!!! Let’s celebrate
Memorial Day weekend savings!!! Let’s celebrate with Young Living FREE SHIPPING! 🤗

Details:
🌱 Any size order for new customers + my existing personally enrolled customers, using link in comments (excludes loyalty rewards orders for my existing customers)

🌱 May 27- 31, 2023; offer ends at 11:59 EST ON May 31.

🌱 Screenshot your checkout and send it to me, because I am personally refunding shipping. 

Happy shopping, friends!

“Two are better than one; because they have a go
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.” - Ecclesiastes 4:9

For me, network marketing just hits different than being a solopreneur- I’ve now been a part of both. I didn’t understand network marketing until 2017, when I decided to study it. I learned (with Young Living at least), it’s a community where all ships truly rise with a rising tide!!! And vice versa too, of course. 

I don’t know how other companies are set up, and run, but this one understands Ecclesiastes 4:9 to its fullest extent; and for that I’m grateful! 🙏 

Would you like to understand Young Living’s business model more?
.
.
.
#2023springplanting #youngliving #businesstips #businessmodel #risingtide #risingtidecommunity #risingtidesociety #businesspartners #ecclesiastes4v9 #together

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MLM. There I said it. It stands for multi-level ma MLM. There I said it. It stands for multi-level marketing. I don’t even like to talk about it because it brings up such negative, icky feelings for so many who have been wronged by SKETCH companies. 😔 And rightly so! But how do I know this? BECAUSE- “Hi! 🙋‍♀️ It me.” ha! I let that rule my mindset about all network marketing companies, for awhile. Lumped them alllllll together. And now that I understand the business model, I can see the differences. One day, I desperately NEEDED health help. So, I sucked up my pride and succumbed to trying another essential oil company. I knew those little bottles of plants worked… it was just a matter of finding the ones not tainted (I’m learning all about the 4 grades of essential oils right now in a course being taught by a PhD of chemistry; more on that to come later!)

Anyways, the reason I’m writing today is more of an educational post about what exactly it is that I do. I think it confuses people. By now, we’ve all heard of “referral links or promo codes for a discount” for online shopping. That’s how my business with Young Living operates. I do not have to stock up inventory. I do not have to invest $100’s or $1000’s of dollars to start a business (it’s literally a $14.99 business packet of information, if you’re wondering). I do not *have* to order every month to generate an income. I simply share a link, and if you use my link, your account is associated with me for at least a year (or just create a free account and be educated🤷‍♀️) . That’s where the work comes into play! There is work, yes; as with any business. 🙃 If I spend the time with you, educating and helping you, on behalf of Young Living, then I am paid a commission if you decide to order and use their products. But I also can just leave you alone. It’s TOTALLY up to you how much I’m involved!!! Just please communicate your wishes. 😘

(Continued in comments. 🤦‍♀️)
“All gave some; and some gave all…” Forever “All gave some; and some gave all…” Forever grateful. 🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸 

#allgavesomesomegaveall #memorialday #americanflag #oldglory #onenationunderGod
We are officially DONE WITH SCHOOL for the ‘22-‘23 school year, as of this past Friday. We ended it with a field trip to Carowinds, too. 🤗 A season pass to Carowinds has been one of the best gifts our boy received for Christmas. 🥰 He’s a roller coaster NUT, y’all! 😳🤣

He rode this coaster literally 6 times in a row- yeah, we hit it on the PERFECT day for no lines! 🎉 

Bring on summer break!!! And I’m sure there will be many day trips to Carowinds this summer, so y’all let us know when you go! 😉🤗

#carowinds #amusementparks  #intimidator #rollercoasters #sweetsummatime #daytrip
Memorial Day weekend savings!!! Let’s celebrate Memorial Day weekend savings!!! Let’s celebrate with Young Living FREE SHIPPING! 🤗

Details:
🌱 Any size order for new customers + my existing personally enrolled customers, using link in comments (excludes loyalty rewards orders for my existing customers)

🌱 May 27- 31, 2023; offer ends at 11:59 EST ON May 31.

🌱 Screenshot your checkout and send it to me, because I am personally refunding shipping. 

Happy shopping, friends!
“Two are better than one; because they have a go “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.” - Ecclesiastes 4:9

For me, network marketing just hits different than being a solopreneur- I’ve now been a part of both. I didn’t understand network marketing until 2017, when I decided to study it. I learned (with Young Living at least), it’s a community where all ships truly rise with a rising tide!!! And vice versa too, of course. 

I don’t know how other companies are set up, and run, but this one understands Ecclesiastes 4:9 to its fullest extent; and for that I’m grateful! 🙏 

Would you like to understand Young Living’s business model more?
.
.
.
#2023springplanting #youngliving #businesstips #businessmodel #risingtide #risingtidecommunity #risingtidesociety #businesspartners #ecclesiastes4v9 #together
🤗 🤗
Idaho ink. 😁 . . . #itsjustastamp 😆 #2023spr Idaho ink. 😁
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#itsjustastamp 😆
#2023springplanting
#modernoilers #stmarieslavenderfarm #friendsforever
Happy Mother’s Day to any and all who mother! 🥰 

I awoke to this beautiful wildflower bouquet from my fellas. 💐 #lovethemsomuch 

#wildflowers #wildflowersofinstagram #wildflowerseason #vetch #iris #daylily #wheat #confederatejasmine #daisyfleabane #oleander

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