pep talk

I love this kid. I wish I was small enough to stand on the counter in my bathroom and give 

myself an awesome pep talk everyday.

I can do anything good! I like my school. I like my dad. I like my mom. I like my car. 
I like my sister. I like my hair. I like my brothers. I like my room. I like my cousins.
I like my stuff. My. Whole. House. Is. Great!
I can do anything good! Better than anyone!

hey world, it's me, ali

I was just thinking . . . 

                                                  about the future.

I have a lot of plans and dreams - sometimes contradictory ones. 

                 One that occupies a large chunk of my brain right now is school. 

I really want to go to Yale for PA school . . . 

probably. 

I maybe want to go somewhere else. 

I maybe want to say, "Hey, actually never-mind" and do something very different. 

I feel a little discouraged, but not in a sad sort of way.
It's actually a peaceful sort of way. 

I was just thinking that all the plans I make don't necessarily matter. 

Life is an unpredictable thing, isn't it?

The more detailed the plans we make, the more chances we have to see that 

our plans for ourselves are not always the same as the plans God has for us. 

{This probably sounds like I had some major life change, but I actually haven't.
I've just been thinking.}

I'm turning 21 this summer. 

I used to think a mission was definitely in the plan for me. 

I was pretty sure of that from age 6 to 19. 

Until I figured out that a mission actually isn't in the plan for me. 

I thought I would graduate next year, but I'm not going to.

And I'm not too worried about it. 

I didn't think I would be taking so many science classes, but I am. 

And I love it.

I never thought I would lose contact with so many of my friends from high school, but I have.

And it's ok. 

The little heartaches I've had, well I didn't see them coming. 

But I'm a better person because they came.

I didn't anticipate what incredible friends {sisters} I would find at BYU.

But now I can't quite imagine my life without them.  

Life teaches us flexibility, that's for sure. 

So I guess I've just been thinking a lot about life and how
uncertain, or unforeseeable, it all is. 

But thats kind of a great thing about life, don't you think?

It keeps you on your toes. 

thanks for listening.

wanderlust

I have a problem. 

                                 It's called wanderlust. Ever heard of it?

All I can think about is travel. 

Bolivia, Greece, Oman, Costa Rica, Syria, Italy, Nepal, Austria, England, New Zealand . . . 

I want to spend every day living out of a suitcase & a backpack. Moving from one hotel to the next. Catching a train, a trip on a boat, a quick flight here or there. At least for a while. 

This vespa is calling my name. 

I don't think it would fit in a suitcase, but it would be a nice companion in somewhere like . . .

Santorini . . .

. . . or on a Roman Holiday.

*sigh*

I guess right now I can try to satisfy my wanderlust by exploring the 

most beautiful state in the U.S. of A. 

Yep. Fabulous. I love CO. So much. 

That vespa would sure help for better adventures though.  ; )

bridal shower

Last weekend my mom and I gave Allyssa's bridal shower. We have been friends for so long and it is sure fun to see her getting married. I was thinking about all our days of walking to school together, playing tennis and riding bikes every day with our brothers.
The shower was loads of fun and I'm getting super excited for the wedding!
Here are a few pictures . . .

I thought the decorations turned out pretty cute.

I like these cute LOVE bowls with yummy candy.

Allyssa loves Disney, so we had a bit of a Disney theme going on. 

We made jumbo Cinderella cupcakes. They were yummmmmy.

So, we played this one game where you had to kiss the prince. 

I at least kissed his neck-ish. Allyssa was out in the air. 

{I guess she's savin her kisses for Wade}

Dang, look at the hot lips on those girls. 

We like to keep it classy.

Allyssa's mother & my mother. So funny.

Check out that dashing prince. See those lovely lips on his right {his right, not yours} collar? Those are mine. I know, I know.

Ok, so my pictures from the shower are kind of limited, but there's a little bit of the fun. I also put together this stellar video trivia game. It was way fun. 

Can't wait for all the wedding events in June!

funny fb sighting

hahahaha!

i miss . . . provo.

So, I'm home for the summer. I'm happy to have a break after that killer semester. {18 credits plus 80+ hours of CNA classes on weekends is not the best idea for preserving sanity.} It feels great to be back in Colorado, my very favorite state. I love being home, hanging out with my family, sleeping in every day, reading . . . you know, summer. :) I do have a problem, though. I never thought I'd say it, I never thought it could happen, but I miss Provo. I miss all my amigas, and girls nights, and I even a little bit miss school. Basically, I miss all you guys that are in Utah. But anyway, here is what is happening over here in Colorado.

I'm still unemployed, and the job search is looking not-so-hot. I'm looking for a CNA job, hopefully at a hospital. It seemed to me that it shouldn't be a hard thing to get, but so far I haven't found a lot to apply for and I haven't heard anything back. I really truly hate applying for jobs, so that doesn't make it any better.

Also, I need to begin some sort of program because I need to lose a bit of poundage before June. Now don't go thinking I've turned anorexic or something. The problem is, I'm a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding on June 10th. This isn't a problem, but the dress is. I was measured for the dress in December, when I was quite a bit skinnier than I am now. The dress is strapless and has boning down to the stomach and it has to be tight to stay up, you know? Well we were at the seamstress because I'm having sleeves added and I was standing there in the dress {totally unable to breathe} and I legit almost passed out. My face went ghost white, I had to sit down and unzip the dress, my head was spinning . . . bad news. Basically I cannot pass out because of lack of oxygen during my dear friends ceremony, or reception. Therefore, I must lose probably about 5 pounds. Wish me luck!

I have lofty aspirations of completing approximately one million projects this summer. I'm going to work on my papers and such for my Honors great works experiences. I'm going to finally put together my Jerusalem scrapbook. I'm also going to learn to sew. I'm thinking I may give painting a try. I have a bridal shower to put together and weddings to help with. I'm going to start an independent study MMBIO 221 class soon. Oh yeah, and I was hoping to work full time. We'll see how much of this actually happens.

Oh, also I went to see a fun musical in Denver on Friday night with my mom. It's called In The Heights. The set was fabulous, the characters endearing, the story uplifting, and the music compelling. Tomorrow we are going to see a small play called Mama Hated Diesels. One girl in my ward said this one felt like "driving through Wyoming," but we'll see. It can't be worse than when I went to see the weird version of Death of a Salesman or the frightening Blood Wedding at BYU.  South Pacific is coming this summer and I'm so excited for that one.

Anyway
Home is lovely, but I sure miss all of you in Provo!