New Years Resolutions...

Hello chums,
(I'm fairly certain that means "friends", but now as I read it I'm not so sure...)

Anywho! It's that time again...a year has already gone by? Wh-wh-wh-what'd chu say? The thing that REALLY gets me is I've already finished my first semester of college. That's what I like to call a little cray-cray. Here's what I've learned: I'm actually not very good at remembering peoples' names. You have to put soap in your laundry for it to wash- don't forget it. My time management skills have fallen slightly. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral has four components which I can't seem to say on spot. Dr. Duke loves Jews. So does Brea. I'm not very good at keeping phone appointments.

I also learned a bunch of academic stuff. Don't worry, Mom.

But overall, these last few months have brought to light some of my weaknesses, which is healthy! As long as I realize I have strengths too. :) So anywho...after much thought here's my list of New Year's Resolutions (some of them have to do with weaknesses...others...not so much).

Here we go.

1. No Meat...For at least one month.
Starting in September, I stopped eating all meats except chicken and fish. Why? You may ask. The inspiration came from my mentor/friend/coinstar buddy/one week summer mother...read her blog chalked full of life lessons and what not here. Anywho, I have been feeling led to fast all meat, and I'm not quite sure why, but shouldn't be too hard. I'll just have to start hanging out with The Brea more. She's going full vegetarian all year long.

2. Listen to only Christian music for one week each month.
True, I'm not really a fan of Christian music that isn't worship or praise, I'm not quite sure why, but just not my style. However, over the past two years I've realized when I put good stuff in my spirit, good stuff comes out. After all, Philippians 4:8 "...think on such things." I spend one month a year listening to onnly worship music in my spare time (I can't really help when I'm in other peoples' cars or homes), and sometimes it's hard, but overall it only does good. SO I decided to extend it throughout the year! Hopefully this works out too, cause I break it down till the break of dawn and sometimes it's just a little hard to dance to KLOVE.

3. Finish writing my VBS Curriculum.
So I haven't really gone into depth on my blog about my love for children's ministry, but that is where my heart is. Seriously, my fave thing is to travel and speak at churches and camps, and that's usually what I spend my summers doing. BUT, here's the thing. Recently God laid this idea for a VBS curriculum on my heart, and I'm hoping I can finish that by the latest May. Good thing my favorite person, Janny, is partnering with me. We've been working in CM together for SEVEN YEARS, and I trust her opinion.

Here's some of our camp adventures with Our GREAT friend, Tori:

Oops, I mean.

Good ol' Janetorial...That's what I like to see!
4. Cross 20 Dreams of my List This Year.
Another secret to the blogging world is my possession of my dream book. It is filled to overflowing (or rather to 500) with things I want to accomplish or try or go to or whatever. Some are random, some are serious. Things like- be on a game show, or go to Brazil...the list goes on. The point is this is the year I'm going to try new things! I'm the kind of person who establishes a plan and likes to stick to it.

It's true, I am a control freak...

But this is it.
This is the year!Adventure is out there, and there's not really much stopping me from living it up this year. And things that are stopping me? I guess overcoming them is what makes life interesting!

2012, here I come.

These are my resolutions, loves.
What are yours?

Our Christmas Eve-ning.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! :)

This is just goig to be a quick little post about how wonderfully blessed our Christmas EVE-ning has been. That's it...WONDERFUL! My sister and I sang in the choir at church, and though it might not have been our best performance, it was fun to be in such an intimate setting with our church family worshipping together! Then we broke out the candles, and lit 'em up!

Next thing you know, we're headed back home for some family fun in our home! My aunt and I diddled a little piano tune, while the family chatted around the tree. Now we're singing and dancing and listening to stories from both grandparents, cause they're all here! Tamales will be served, and friends will arrive soon, and all I keep thinking is how truly blessed I am! God is good all the time, and the fact Jesus came (even as a baby) amazes me! I thank Him for that and my family because they are the two best Christmas gifts I could have ever gotten!

And I finally finished my shopping today!

Have a holly-jolly Christmas, friends!

Love!

Tis the Season for Tamales...

Falalalala-la-la-la-la.

This has probably been one of the most Non-traditional and yet still familiar Christmas Eve-Eves I've ever had. My grandparents and aunt came all the way from San Diego to stay with us for the holidays, and as you might've guessed, it's been a clash of cultural and familial traditions, but it hasn't been bad at all. In fact, it's been truly wonderful!

And I still have learned a few things, so here are...

Key Things to Remember During the Christmas Season in My House...

1. Christmas Decorations are our fave.

You should see the inside...that's where the magic really begins.

2. This year we actually took part in the Mexican tradition of tamale making!
It took many long hours, and a lot of patience from my grandma and tia as they tried to teach me and my sister, but we actually did it! And can you guess what we're eating tomorrow (And probably for days to come)? :)

3. All Christmas shopping takes place on Christmas Eve.
This isn't a rule, it's just usually how it goes down...tomorrow we will be shopping, then heading over to the candles and carols service at church.

4. This is a rule. ^^

5. At some point, if you expect Christmas to come to our house, we will watch "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" (my two absolute fave movies), and "It's a Wonderful Life".

These past few days have been a little out of the norm for us, but it brought to light some really important things...

Christmas isn't about our traditions, or the gifts, or the songs, or any of that. No. 1 It's about the birth of my Savior! Happy Birthday, Jesus! :) And Two, being with our families and understanding, though we all are different, we are blessed to have each other! And I am so glad I was reminded of that today!

And I still got to watch my movies! :)

Love.

How Old is Too Old to Sit on Santa's Lap?

Seasons Greetings, good friends!

I hope all is well, and as it should be! Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a bit...that's what happens when you put off Christmas shopping till the last minute. And by last minute...I REALLY mean that. Last year my mom wanted a cheetah print snuggie, and we went ALL over town on Christmas Eve after church till we finally found one! Who would've thought those things would've sold out?

Anywho, this year I'm trying to get on the ball before every last item on my shopping list is sold out. But it seems every time I go to the mall or a shopping center, or even the airport, I am faced with the same dilemma...Confronting the expectations of society and the desires of my heart all in one question-

 How old is too old to sit on Santa's lap?
I have come up with a full-proof and fool-proof formula to figuring out how old is too old.

 
Here we go...You're too old for Santa if...

1. You're bigger than him- he is old and has a lot of houses to visit in one night, he can't have and broken legs.

2. You push a child off his lap so you can get your Christmas list in- if you're with a youngin'
3. Your hair is whiter than his- that's just wrong.

Unsatisfied with these rules, I decided to interview some kids at a Christmas event I face painted at, and some of the answers I got were:

"Well, my dad doesn't do that anymore and he's like 83 or something.."- Diego, 9

"I would have to say 127...then you should call it quits...maybe 427." -Nikki, 18
"Ten. Then it's just weird." - Andrew, 16

He always comes to my house, so we're in the good.
I guess it's just up to you...I probably wouldn't sit on Santa's lap cause that could end up being Soups Awk.
Hmm...I guess all that can be said is simple.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!.
And I guess there is no formula, but all I know is I love Santa.


And YOU.

How To Smuggle A Fish Onto A Plane

Hey There.

As you may know, I just endured an hour long flight back to my homeland of good ol' Yuba County (Why-You-Be-A County?...get it?!) Well besides getting to fly home with my good friend, Jerrica -
our moms coordinated- we found out another girl from Fourth North, Emily, would of courth be on the same flight as us!What luck!
But alas, there was a little bit of a down point when Emily realized her goldfish Pearl would starve over the Christmas holiday.

So she decided to try the impossible...

This is
How To Smuggle a Fish Onto a Plane (one-0-won):
The thing to remember here is you have a few options
(And that metal detectors don't detect liquids)

Option A: Zip-And-Slip.
- You will need a ziplock baggie, a fish, water, and cargo pants to slip this past security.
- Put the baggie full of the fish and water into one of your many pants pockets and hope you don't get patted down

Option B: Hide and Go Sneak.
- You will need All the above, minus the pants (they're an optional fashion choice), plus a tall hair do or wig.
- Cradle the fish in a comfy beehive hairdo or under your wig.

Option C: Lead with it, Rock with it.
- You will need all the above minus the hairstyle or wig (again, optional) plus a leash and sunglasses.
- Tie the leash to your fish and pretend she's a guide fish.

...
When all these fail, this is how it REALLY works:
1. Fill a water bottle with 3 ounces of water, this only works if your fish is health conscious like Pearl.
2. Carry it with you up to the security checkpoint.
3. They will have you empty the water out and put water from their facility in it.
*Note* Your fish will be so scared they will dirty the new water.
4. Live happily ever after.
5. Till death due you part.Awww, look at Happy Little, Pearl!



I hope this helps you with any future trials you may face. Remember when you really want something, don't let anyone stop you from trying.Also what God has brought together, let no airport security guard bring asunder.

Stay Classy.
Love.

The Necessities of a Junior High Girl.

So…a friend posted a video from Hannah Miller: middle school aged, how to extraordinaire. That’s right, from hair to make up to boys, Hannah has the answers. So here’s the deal, the three keys to being successful in Junior High according to Hannah Miller:

1.      Get Beach waves.

2.      Wear make-up.

3.      Get a Boyfriend.

BAM. Winning. Done.

But we’re going to focus a little on point three right here. I’m not gonna lie, if you were to take a time machine trip to the mid 2000’s (you know, ’05-’07) and visit junior high Allison, you might be a little surprised. I was, what you might call a “flirt”. Shocking, I know. It was bad, I would spend all of class passing around little surveys with questions like who was the prettiest girl, and other adolescent shenanigans. And yes, I even had “boyfriends”, yes in quotes, and yes plural…It was a bad time for me- hand holding galore. Anyways, after walking a little down memory lane, I decided to try the words of wisdom of Hannah out on my good friend, Carol to see just how valid they were.

So here we go.

            Step One: BEACH WAVES.

(You may want to add the side pony for extra flair).

            Step Two: MAKE UP.

Attractive.

            Step Three: BOYFRIEND.

With this face, step three's completion is only a matter of time.

Thanks for the tips, Hannah! Maybe your tips will work for college too! Make sure to watch Hannah's video, she’s grand like you.

Love.

Christmas STALKings!

GOOD FRIENDS,

Do I have News for YOU! Remember way back when, when I wrote my first post? Yeah, you do!…I said I’d tell you about all the people I was stalking?? Well, it’s that time! But better! My hall FOURTH NORTH (of Courth), is doing a hall-wide creeping event! That’s right! It’s time for “Christmas STALKings!” Everyone on the hall (all 45 of us) drew a name and now have the honor of creeping all day, er’ryday. Leaving notes, telling them what they ate, where they were, and finding things on the internet about them! One girl even found an essay her person wrote in the THIRD GRADE online! Yeah, we fourth northers are pretty intense, and this should be an interesting two weeks to say the least.

My stalkee, is a little hard to get info on, but I saw her twice and wrote her notes about it and what she was doing. That’s right…her chicken burrito looked delicious! Anywho, I was bummed my stalker had yet to contact me. Well, today when I got back from work, this note was on my door!

LEGIT.

I LOVE getting notes! I also love these girls. I HIGHLY recommend this as an extended team builder! I’m seriously so excited to see where this goes.

This is my excited face.

Love!

Midnight Flights.

            Oh…hi there. I know what you’re thinking. “Allison is that you? You’ve been M.I.A. for a while, I didn’t recognize you.” Well, all I can say to that is I’M SORRY. My b. But I’m just certain I can win this bet still. So, you must be wondering what I’ve been up to. I’ll tell you- Midnight Flights.

Not like this.

But this.

Just kidding.

But, last night, in the wee hours of the morning, my good friends Brea and Carol and I (The A.B.C.'s)

 made a giant paper airplane. And by giant…I mean GIANT.

So what else do you with a giant airplane, but fly it of course? So that’s what we did. We grabbed our vessel and went out to the Fourth Floor Balcony and let our paper bird soar. It was GREAT. The wind blowing our hair, the bird flying far and high…Actually it hit the tree and landed right next to the building’s entrance. But it was just grand, and we got to play with it today which was also delightful. So that’s a random story, or what I like to call “anecdote”, for you. What? What’s that you say? A lesson? Well, I hadn’t thought of that, but if you insist.

How about this?

            Sometimes life gets windy and you might even hit a tree or two, but the important thing is to get back on the balcony, and jump.

            Oh…actually that sounds not good.

                        DON’T jump. There’s always a way out.

Maybe this.

            When you have a dream of flying, you can’t let the fear of turbulence stop you from trying.

Actually…pilots do that all the time.

That’s why I write a blog and not inspirational greeting cards.

Love you.

Ear Plugs and Life Lessons.

So last night something happened that changed my entire worldview. The center of the universe shifted. Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration (drama, drama, drama). But it is something I feel needs to be shared before more of you make this mistake. So instead of my usual (psh..how many times have I posted like 3?) how to or things you should know, this is life lessons from ear plugs.

            Last night, after listening to my wonderful seester’s choir concert (shout out, Amanda!), we came back to our cozy little hotel room. Our tummy’s were starting to rumble as the cider was a miss from the “Carols and Cider” concert. As her and I were talking, she randomly asked if I wanted a marshmallow. Of course, I asked her where she had been hiding the marshmallow. She answered flippantly with a question if I wanted it again. I said sure, and was about to pop it in my mouth, when what do you think I realized?

            IT WAS AN EARPLUG!

Wow, thanks sis. Talk about disgusting. Though this trickery was done out of a blatant attempt to humiliate me, I learned a valuable lesson. Things are not always as they appear! So many times we overhear the end of a conversation or witness some seemingly sneaky activity and assume the worst. The fact is, children, the only way we can be sure of something is if we communicate! Just because you friends stop talking when you walk in the room, doesn’t mean they’re talking about you. Just because you see your parents setting out the presents doesn’t mean Santa’s not real. (The world may never know.) Being aware, and talking things out is the way to go…and though it’s unfortunate I had to learn this through what I like to call a “rude awakening”, I’m glad I learned it anyways. This has been life lessons with Allison…I hope you enjoyed it, but better yet, I hope you apply it. Now, isn’t that what you like to hear?

Lovelove.

How to Save Seats

HELLO GOOD FRIENDS,

How’s life? Mmhmm…mhmm….That’s what I like to hear. Me, you ask? I’m just dandy! Thank you for caring. Just spending the weekend with 24,000 other people in the San Diego Convention Center. Good thing it’s been a blast. I mean who doesn’t love people pushing you into the wall to grab seats, and mean security guards who think they’re all that and a bag of haribo gummy bears with their electric yellow vests. Well, once you get inside in your cozy seat, everything is fine, but after the doors first open…you better be prepared.

            That is why this post is an essential for concerts, conventions, and life in general. This is How to Save Seats Without Getting Knocked Out, Kicked Out, or (Overly) Worn Out.

1.      Know where you’re going.

           * When seats aren’t assigned, know where you’re going to meet up with yo’ h0m!3z. This is  when it starts to get crazy.

2.      When you see a row with enough seats move in.

* Even if someone is standing there, pretend your big money and politely tell them to move in an intricate way. Try to work in broken down cars, kittens in trees, feeding orphans, ginger snaps, butterfly kisses, and flash mobs if possible.

3.      If they don’t move tell them again,

* More Obnoxiously.

4.      If they still don’t move start unpacking your bag onto the seats.

* Booty bump them as you pass behind them.

5.      If they get in your face, scream for security.

* They’ll be so scared and probably run away.

6.      Start singing to them.

* You’re angel voice will soothe them potentially and they’ll gladly skip away humming out of delight.

7.      Pretend you’re going to throw up on them so they’ll run away.

* Full proof…unless they are a kind soul looking to help you or something.

8.    Lay down on the seats…

♥ I don’t really recommend this one…

TRUE STORY,

My mom in an attempt to make a point to someone who was snooping around our section, began planking on the row (okay, okay she wasn’t laying down completely…). Pretty soon security comes up to her, taps her on the shoulder and says “Excuse me, ma’am, do you need medical assistance?” That was not a good moment. Keep this in mind whenever you are about to enter an arena or stadium, but remember, every now and then, some people just need to be slapped.

Love.

College Must-Haves!

Hello, good friends! J After thinking over who might be reading this (shout out to: Ale, Nikki, Alex, Tan-Tan, Carol, Janet…) I realized some of you are not in college yet, and might be baffled when reading about all my college adventures. So I decided to cater this one to YOU. Yes you. All you future college kids, get ready….

This is THE list of College Must-Haves:

1.     Scooter (Shout out to LEO!)

2.      Rolling Back-pack…seriously.

3.      Cap-Sac.

4.      One of those helmets with cups with a never -ending supply of caffeine!

5.      A best friend so you’re never lonely (start clinging during Orientation week).

6.      R00m!3 photo shoot.

7.      Costumes, costumes, costumes!

8.      Easy mac (don’t forget the water).

9.      Come hither face (for making friends)!

10.  Dance Moves!

Forget the books, these take priority. TOP priority (just kidding, Mom). Trust me, I’m in college. With these necessities, you’ll be well on your way to living the college life of your dreams- full of some good, clean, wholesome fun! Yupp, with these and a good SAT score, you might even be what people like to call the “cool kid on the block”! J

You’re welcome.

Love.