Ross

Some of you may know I am a huge fan of the show FRIENDS. I have all 10 seasons on dvd, have seen them all numerous times, and still laugh and cry even when I know what is going to happen. Some of you may recall an episode where Ross goes spray tanning and messes it up and gets the front of him twice. then goes back to try to correct it and does the same thing. lol. he looks so nuts by the end of the episode. Wellllll....................I sorta did the same thing. My friend Sarah works at a tanning salon in Lafayette and so I tried out the spray tan. She explained how it worked and that the machine will talk to me and tell me which way to turn. Well, I couldn't really understand what the machine was saying and sprayed the front of me twice, one side once, the back once, and none for the other side. I went out and told them. LOL. they were laughing at me so much. Turns out it wasn't so bad of a mistake, I was just really tan on front. I had been tanning in Texas anyways, so it wasn't too noticeable. I felt really stupid though. lol. if you make a huge mistake in there you can shower quickly and get most of it off, but I didn't feel it necessary. I did look super tan though. And spray tans fade in about 6 days. So no worries.

Check me out!

This pic is after a few days of the spray tan wearing off. And the light is really bright. but you cant even tell. Check out my eyes though. (I am so vain, i know.)

Halloween 2010

Some years for Halloween I go all out and have some great/crazy costume (troll, hershey kiss) while other years, I am just not feeling it. This year was one of those years. I was still in my bitter, anti-social, dont-want-to-be-around-people, hate-myself mode and I didnt have a good costume or any motivation to make one. However I did finally bring myself to go to a church Halloween party. (or I was forced into it...its whatever) It was in Arlington. Where of course no one spoke to me except the people I went with. (That ward is the most anti-social group of LDS people I have ever met) Then again, I guess I wasn't much in the mood to be social. But anyways, I went. We played volleyball. I refused for the first couple of games. But gave in after some pretty enthustiastic persuading from my friends. I did end up having fun. I got all decked out for this party. Not sure why. I guess I just wanted to look nice for a change. Yeah buddy.

December 5k

I decided the other day that I need to be motivated to work out. I find that 5k's tend to inspire me to do just that. So I signed up for a 5k. Toys for Tots. I also decided I need to do one every month to keep myself inspired. So I have done the "December one", and am still deciding on which January one I will do. I did the 5k alone. It was on December 11, 2010. Amy and I had talked about, long ago, doing another 5k together, but given that we live 10 hours apart, she has 2 small children, and I work a lot, it just wasn't gonna work anytime soon. but we decided the next best thing was shirts that said "Im with Ames" and "Im with Al", and for us to do a 5k on the same day and wear our shirts. so that is just what we did. I made the shirts and sent her hers. I did my 5k and she did one on her new tredmill. I had a horrible time, which I wont tell you. But my goal is to constantly beat my time with each 5k I do. Yea!

Before!After (and still alive :))

My Regrets

"If there was one thing you could do over in life, what would it be?"

That was what my manager asked me today when we were at lunch.

My manager took me to lunch today because I made him a bet earlier in the month and I won. Whoever won got free lunch. muhahaha...me.

So we were eating, and chatting, and my manager asked me, if I could do anything over in life what would it be...I sat there and I thought for a second.

Nothing came to me. This surprised me a little.

So I dug a little deeper into my life.

Nothing.

I looked at him perplexed and with a shrug of my shoulders said "I don't know." He smiled and said, "Come on. There's gotta be something." In an effort to not look like I was just lying or covering up all my huge mistakes in life, I did another quick scan of my life.

Still nothing.

"Yeah, I really got nothing." I told him.

"Wow" was all he said to me and then proceeded to tell me something that he regretted doing in his past.

As lunch went on I pondered this thought. It really surprised me that I couldn't think of something. I figured I must just be overlooking the huge elephant in the room, so to speak, and had forgotten some huge, disastrous thing that I had done. But soon enough, lunch ended and we went back to work. But I kept thinking. I pondered on this for the rest of the day. I scanned over the major and not so major events in my life. I kept asking myself...

Do I regret...

• Joining the church?
• Falling in love?
• Not doing more homework?
• Not making better grades?
• Not going to grad school?
• Studying Interior Design?
• Switching my major (more than once)?
• Moving to Texas?
• Working at the bank?
• Any of my roommates?
• How I have spent money?
• The boys I have dated?
• Going to BYU-I?
• Going to Purdue?
• Taking out my endowments?
• Road trips I have been on?
• Going to Maine?
• Saying no to marriage (to the wrong person)?
• Never drinking?
• Never doing drugs?
• Choosing my standards over the newest boy in my life?

...No. I regret none of them. Some were hard decisions. Some I cried over for months. Some of them broke my heart. But...I will say that I have learned something from all of them. I am a relatively good person (I think) and I feel like these decisions have shaped who I am today. And that's not too shabby.

As the day went on I thought to myself how blessed I really am. I have no major regrets in life. Sure, I could have been nicer at times. Could have held my tongue instead of making a stupid comment. I could have worked harder. Smiled at people more. Little things. I certainly am not without fault or flaws, but overall I feel like I have done life pretty good so far. Yea, me! And I wonder how many people can truly say that about life. I feel like it is more rare than I think. At that moment when I realized I couldn't think of any regrets, I felt overwhelmingly grateful that I have had the life I did and made the decision I have. It was another rare glimpse at the green grass that is on my side of the fence. I feel like Heavenly Father is showing me this side more and more often. And I am grateful.

Do you regret anything?

Me Recipe

Im stealing another idea from Amy. What can i say? she has good blog entries. :)

So here is my 'Me Recipe'

I am:

2 cups of my Religion

1 cup of Loyalty

1/2 cup of Fiest ;)

1 T Blue eyes

1 T Blonde hair

1/2 cup of Teasing

1 cup Silliness

1 cup of Creativity

2 T of a Bad Speller

1/4 cup of Shakin' my booty
3/4 cup Gangsta'

2 teaspoons of Shy

A dash of Crazy

You may need a punch bowl to mix all that. ;)

Mix all ingredients together in a "large bowl" with a mixer on high for 3-4 minutes, or no less than 500 mixing strokes. Put me in the oven and bake me for.....ummmm...well just until I am golden brown. I love a good tan.

Austin

Once upon a time there lived a girl who had a good life. But on occasion her life got a little stressful and she needs to escape. So she did. She ran away to Austin, Texas to meet some new people. It was fun, and refreshing. Then at the end of the weekend she went back to her good life. The End.

Alex was my accomplice. It was super fun. We walked around downtown sixth street. We at pizza on the street and listened to local music and met people. Boys mostly. Really attractive people of the male gender. I think they might be breeding gorgeous people down in Austin. I don't know how they do it. Maybe something in the water? The relaxed atmosphere? I don't know, but I want to go there...always!

I was wearing a batman shirt while we were walking around and i soon realized that I had aquired the nickname "batgirl" amongst the locals. I don't know how this happened considering I got called this more than once, by people who were in completely seperate places of the downtown area. One guy came up to me when we were listening to a guy play his guitar and started out with the phrase, "I dont mean to be creepy"...that is never good right? If you have to give that disclaimer...something is wrong. But before I could saytoo much this "non-creepy" guy had lifted up his shirt and was showing me his Batman tattoo on his chest. Apparently he thought I would want to see this due to the Batman logo on my shirt. Later in the night I got proposed to by a very attractive guy because of my shirt. I said yes. :) Unfortunately his girlfriend was standing next to him when this all went down. It never woulda worked. ;)

Austin rocks!!!

Green Grass

The grass on my side of the fence, i've decided, is green. Yep, green. i know how the saying goes. And i think we all feel like our side has only brown grass, but it's never really true.

I have green grass on my side.

Sure, i have some spots of yellow-green and even some brown spots, but i am working on them. (Shhhhh...don't tell my dad i have brown spots in my grass. he would be so disappointed. He takes his grass very seriously. ;) ) I am raking up the dead grass, putting down grass seed, watering, checking on it every now and then. it will grow back. i am sure of it. And if not, there is always sod. :) But i have a ton...no. not just a ton, but a ton (times a thousand) reasons why my grass is green. I have been angry for the last couple of weeks and i haven't see the green on my side. I have been upset about things i cant presently change. I have seen the spots of green in my neighbors yards and been jealous, and envious, and mad that they get to have those spots of green and i don't. what i failed to see is that their yard had spots that aren't so bright as well. maybe they were just in the back yard...i don't know.

I have been talking to three good friends from high school and college (you know who you are) and as i have been listening to them point out the spots of brown in their yards i have had the rare opportunity to look down at the grass that i am standing in. And to my utter shock, it is green. and as i expand my gaze there are some pretty bright, amazingly green patches.

I am standing in green grass. i know i keep saying it, but i am trying to make a point (maybe just to myself).

I am so blessed in my life. So incredibly blessed. Far too often i don't count my blessings but the blades of brown grass that i am constantly having to rake up. And it's selfish, and self defeating.

I know its not November yet, or Thanksgiving time, but i have a lot of things to be thankful for. Here is a list of just a few. (Afterall, i have a yard full green. I am only listing a few of the blades of green grass)

• I have incredible friends all over. from all times in my life. and they love me, and help me get through my issues.
• I have a job, in a time when they are not the easiest to come by (trust me, i hear about it all day at work)
• Although i don't have a house (which i would love), i don't have to pay for things like a plumber when my toilet brakes. i don't have to worry about a mortgage that is hanging over me for the next 30 or so years (not yet) :)
• i have a family to go home to in Indiana who love me and are always happy to have me home.
• I live near a temple where i can feel the Spirit and be reminded of who i am and what is really important in life.
• I am healthy. I am happy to report my 6 week long cough is gone. (thank you!)
• I have money to pay for things. Not lots of extras, but enough to get by.
• I had enough good sense to not marry someone who I was in love with (who wanted to marry me) that would have made me give up all of the things that i hold the most dear. and that i have enough good sense to rid my life of people who tempt me to compromise my standards.
• That enough though i am not usually happy about being single, there are some great benefits that come with it...like, i can spend my money how i want. i can come and go as i please. i can just disappear for a weekend and meet and flirt with new people and not worry about it (which i really did). I can travel without having to ask anyone about it. i can can pick up and move to a new state if i want to, and i don't need permission from anyone, or have to worry about who else's life it will disrupt.

Yeah. So my grass is really green. Do you see it? i can see it! And i hope that i spend more time looking at my own yard, then comparing it to my neighbors'.

4 weeks

I just counted it out. I got sick 4 weeks ago. Just a normal cold. Probably due to weather changing or something. Or so I thought. The cold went away, and i got getter after about a week. and felt better. all is well. Wait...no...*cough, cough, COUGH*....i still have a cough. It is bad. it gets worse everyday as the day progresses. I have to take Mucinex every evening to keep from feeling like my lungs are gonna explode. I have been told this is what is known as a "dry cough." It has been going around work. But still...4 weeks later! not cool. i have also been told that maybe it is bronchitis. none of these diagnosis's are by doctors, so no worries. i should go to the doctor. i just don't have one here, and i would have to take time off work...blah blah blah. i just want it to go away.

on top of that, i am on the phone all day for work. that is what i do. talk. and it is hard to do that all day. my voice is sure to cut out at least once while on every call. it is so awkward. hate it . ugh. i am complaining. i know. but at least i am updating my blog, no matter how boring. so that is a bonus. yea me!

*cough, cough*

Tattoos

"Don't judge me." I got that phrase, oddly enough, from my coworker Brodrick, who is the person I just so happen to be blogging about. But seriously. Don't judge me. I have been working with Brodrick since January, i think. He is a cool kid. He has several tattoos. He got a pretty big one on his the inside of his bicep a couple of months ago. Ever since my coworkers discovered I could draw, he has been bugging me to draw him a tattoo. I felt a little weird about it, given that I don't have any tattoos...and think that it is best to not get them. Ya know, that whole "your body is a temple" thing. But he kept bugging me about it. Then the other day he was like "really, Alison. I am getting one today and I neeeeeeeed you to draw it for me." I got sucked in. Yeah, i sure did. What can I say? He is cute, and well....I got nothing. So, he told me what he wanted and i drew it for him. He said that he loved it. Which i double, triple, and quadruple checked with him. I mean, lets be real. I cant have him hating me in two months, when he never really liked the tattoo in the first place. Anyways, I just drew out his first to initials (BT) to put on his triceps, with some swoops and an outline...no biggie.

He sent me a picture later that night after he got them. I couldn't believe he actually did it. I mean I believed him, but then there it was, my artwork forever on his body. Crazy! He also told me that the tattoo artist was really impressed with my drawing and said I should really look into tattooing. lol. Apparently you can make pretty good money doing it. I just laughed

and told Brodrick that if I ever lose my job and get desperate then I will consider all my options.

My drawing. It is a rough sketch, knowing the tattoo artist would clean up the lines, and such. And i was under a time crunch with only a pen and sharpie to work with.

As you can see, he changed it a little, but still. And when it heals it will have a gradient from dark to light.

September

I am stealing this idea from Amy. I give her credit. She blogged about her current and past memorable Septembers of her life. So here are mine.

September

1999: It was the beginning of a great school year for me (Junior). im not sure why but something changed in my life that school year. i decided that year that i didnt care so much what others thought of me and i was going to be more outgoing and excited about life. i probably got stared at a lot for being loud and stupid, but again...i didnt care anymore.

2002: I had just said goodbye to a lot of friends who were all off to college all over the country and i had just started a new job at Catherine's. My dad was still recovering from surgery and i spent time taking care of him. I was also anticipating going to school myself at BYU-I in a few months and getting more and more excited as the days passed.

2004: I had just starting going to Purdue. I had probably by this point figured out how to get to all my classes...and on time. I was feeling good and just realizing what i had gotten myself into with Interior Design. I felt good about my life. I was busy and enjoyed my hands on classes.

2008: I had just graduated from Purdue and was still working at the bank. I has just been promoted to full time and a Back up Manager. I loved it. I had just moved into my new apartment and was living alone for the first time. At this point i was still scared by every thud creak, and squeak that sounded in my ears. (i eventually got over it)

2009: I had just moved to Texas a few weeks earlier. I was still lonely

and missing my friends back in Indiana. i made a surprise trip back to indiana for a long weekend and had fun seeing their faces when i showed up at their doors. :)

2010: Today is Sunday. I typically looooooove Sundays. I spend my sundays going to church (and enjoying it) and spending the day with my friends. it is usually great. today is not a bad day, just different. It was hard for me to focus in church today. i just find myself in uncharted territory in life. i have never been in my current mind set before. it scares me. who am i?

Like in Amy's blog, i could not have guessed in each of these previous years what the next september would hold. i wouldn't have believed i would end up at Purdue, or living alone, or in Texas...ever. But as with much of life, we don't get to see too far into the future. We make plans and take steps forward, and hope for the best. Im still hoping for the best.

This is me in San Antonio last September. It was a great trip!

It's official

I have Internet!!!

So many new things

I feel like I have so many new things in my life right now. First lets talk about the picture at the top of my blog. i love the picture...but blown up like that, might be a bit much. what do ya think??

Second, I have a new computer. and love it. I just signed up for internet today and it gets installed on 09/15. who's up for some Skype?? i'm super stoked so see my peeps in real life again. okay...not really real life. but closer...

In addition, i am still learning things on this mac. still a little lost, but once i do figure them out...i'm always like "ooooooohhhh, i get it. totally makes sense. love it"

Third, i finally finished my shower curtain. it looks sooooooooo good. promise. Thanks again Amy and Nicole for the awesome bathroom scheme and fabric. it looks so put together.

Fun Times

Lori, Joseph, Dewey, Alex, Al

Joseph got the ball...meaning they just got a point scored on them...

That's Lori's game face...haha. She hates this picture. Sorry Lori!!!

We spend a lot of time at our friend David's house. We play foosball. Watch movies. Watch sports. And take pictures!!

The Temple

The day I went to the Temple!!!!Lori, Alex, and Me before
After....
Add Lindsey...
Add Dewey, Brother Kassallis, and Charley
We is so silly!

Fun pics on my mac

Haha. That is so embarrassing.

Love it!!!

Brodrick's Bday

My coworker Brodrick had a birthday party last weekend. Alex and I went. It was super fun. It was a club in the basement of an old bank. there was a vault and still had the lockboxes in it. This is Brodrick me and AlexCandy and MeAntonio and MeManny and Me. Manny is completely sober. Although he doesn't look it. He doesn't drink. :)

new apartment party

I moved to Arlington two months ago and had a "New Apartment Party." It was super fun. A lot of people showed up. More than i thought. Probably about 18 people were there from my ward and other places. We had food and played games and laughed and talked. Good times.

Alex and meLori and MeAlex and my 'dead faces'Four boys in my bed??? Awesome. Dewey in the back. David in the middle. Joseph in the other back, and Chinmay (pronounced like Chin-May :)) on the right. And me!

i heart my mac

who would have thought i would ever love a mac? i didn't! i remember not so long ago trying to fumble around on some random mac computer at the Boling's house...and being so frustrated that there was no right click on the mouse. what?!?! that is how you LIVE on a pc. and it seems that everything is backwards on a mac. but..............................i bought a macbook on Friday. yes, sir i did. and it seems that a lot of things are easier on it. it has fancy options/functions...and i just love it. it is perfectly white and...perfect! so my next mission is to get internet and theeeeeeeeeeen i can skype/ichat! holla'!! soooooooooooo for all my technologically advanced friends out there who video chat on the Internet and update your blogs regularly...i am about to join your world. and i am stoked!!

365

One year ago today I rolled into Crowley Texas, moved boxes into a bedroom of a family's house i barely knew, and spent much of the day crying. I cant believe i have lived in Texas for a year now. it has been crazy. Crazy good, and crazy bad. I complied a list of the things that i have done in the last 365 days (in no particular order). enjoy...
1. survived my Camry breaking down
2. cried my way through a car wreck
3. bought a new car (i looooooove my civic!!)
4. Went skiing
5. Fell in love
6. moved into my own apartment
7. took out my endowments
8. paid off my credit cards
9. got two traffic tickets
10. got promoted 3 times
11. made new friends
12. gave a talk in church
13. traveled to Indiana twice
14. Visited Amy in Nebraska
15. Went to the Winter Quarters Temple
16. Traveled to San Antonio
17. Went on a date
18. was confined to crutches for a couple of days
19. have held 2 callings
20. got a personal trainer
21. Sprang my ankle, and messed up my knee
22. threw 2 parties (new apartment party, and birthday party)
23. had a surprise party thrown for me
24. "fell" out of love (or more like worked my butt off to not be in love anymore, *sigh*)
25. Traveled to New Mexico
26. went out w/ my coworkers
27. have saved 59 families from foreclosures on their homes
28. am no longer friends with 2 people i considered my best friends a year ago :(
29. have been to the/a temple approximately 24 times (more than the combined previous 7 1/2 years i have been a memeber)
30. Driven approximately 29,000 miles just commutting for work (just to give you some perspective on that. That would be like driving almost 5 roundtrips from Seattle, WA to Miami, FL. Yeah, ROUNDTRIPS!)

I am super happy here in Texas. More so than i thought i would be...or probably ever have been in my life. I have probably spent more time crying in the last year than average, but yet here i am, a happy little blonde girl, sweating through a Texas summer! Amazing!

a disclaimer

Sorry for never blogging anymore. i moved, dont have internet, and dont know where the library is. i should look into that...

:)

New Apt

So i moved last weekend. Fourth of July weekend. I seem to pick the worst weekends to move. It always happens. And i've moved quite a few times. I plan on taking a video of the apt, but currently the living room (in particular) is destroyed. Boxes everywhere. Shelves aren't put together. etc. You get the picture. But someday you will have a view it. I pretty much loooove this apartment. The living room is set up a little weird w/ the fire place in the place that it is, but i can make it work. I panited in my room. I think the guy gave me the wrong color of paint. Not necessarily a bad color, but the paint sample doesnt really look like the final color. it is a medium plum color. a nice purple. The color scheme for my room is purple, gray, and black. very low key on the black though. i am making a duvet cover for my new (alternative) down comfortable. it's just gonna be white. they are so expensive to buy. like, at least $100. so i am making one, for an affordable $25. i am also making two pillows to incorporate the gray and black. i bought a purple pillow as well. The only furniture i have right now is a bed that i am borrowing, so everything else goes on the floor, including me, when i eat. i have to say that there is something quaint, fun, and exciting about being surrounded by boxes and eating on the floor. why is that? does anyone else ever feel that way? i will probably get tired of it after a while, and be excited when i can save up for furniture, but nevertheless, i am having fun right now. I have a washer and dryer in my apartment. with their own little room. i have a nice big counter space in my bathroom. I have a pantry to put my food in. I have a small little porch, and a storage closet. Oooooooh, and the best news of all...i have a rather large walk in closet. yeah, i love it. all these things make me happy!!

pictures/videos to follow...

Mobile Uploads

Finally! Finally i figured out how to take the pictures off my phone and put them on the computer. Ya know, it only took me like 8 months to figure out. :) so here are some of the pics i have been taking over the last eight months!

Texas Sky! Wow. I mean, WOW!!! That is a real pic. no photoshop. straight off my phone! Love it!
Me with short curly hair. i love this pic.

This was coming home from New Mexico. This sign was posted a few different times at the rest stop we stopped at. Ummm...scary! i dont want to have to keep my eyes peeled for snakes while i'm peeing! It totally creeped me out.

This is a panoramic view of my current room. it is messy. as you can see.

The Dallas Temple at night. I spend a lot of time at the Dallas Temple. I love it!

Dallas Temple during the daytime. "Look at that sky. Talk about blue." Who knows where that quote comes from?? ;)

More temple. Yeah, I might be obsessed. I dont know.

Me in my car. Most likely stuck in traffic. It happens often. Its ridiculous. But i love this pic.

Myself and Lori. I love love this pic. We look so silly.

Oklahoma sky! It was magical. On my way to Nebraska!

Winter Quarters Temple! Omaha, NE

Dallas Temple at night. I told you i was obsessed!

Lori climbing down from an "ant hill" or something. Ant hill is not right. it is something little insects make. i cant remember what they are called. but we were at the zoo. and she had just been sitting on it!

When i was in IN in december, Trevor and i went to get some Apple Cider. or AC as we call it. This was outside the store. Apparently the AC is the boy in this pic. lol.

And there you have it. Some of my life in Texas.