Jack and Aaron's turn in the purple flowers

I took these photos of Aaron and Jack just a day after I took one of Ashley, Jaiden and Evan, but I haven't been able to post them until now. :) I hate when real life gets in the way of my blogging! LOL







Aren't they just adorable?!

So You Think You Can Dance

Now I usually am a big proponant against American Idol; it's glorified kareoke and not even in an entertaining way. So what... you can sing...woo hoo. Ironically, one of my favorite shows of all time is So You Think You Can Dance (which starts May 22, 2008!!!!), the sister show of AI. This show is entertaining and wonderful as you really do watch people improve and the leaderboard is always in flux (so exciting!). I'm sure we all will be watching (well Haley, Vickie, Andrea, Lesley, and Myself) but for those of you who think it's not for you, or have never heard of it, I wanted to share a clip of my favorite dance from all 3 seasons. This is Heidi and Travis' contemporary dance with the park bench from season 2. I love it!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQu7qO5Otg

(you may have to copy and past the link in your web browser)

Let me know what you think?

Purple Flowers

Every Spring little purple flowers grown in the lawn; it is an inexplicable phenomenon that we adore.




















Can you tell we're starving for Spring?!

I Need a Change

I am in desperate need of advice and council. I have an appointment to get my hair done this Monday and I'm not sure what color to do. Do I want super blonde like I usually have in the Summer, keep the redish/blonde that I have now only have more of a contrast, or do I want to go brunette but in a lightish version? I want a change but I don't know what will look good on me. What do you all think? You are my trusted advisors in this intensely difficult decision! LOL

The Glacier of 2008

It is now April 7th and it's still there. This is what the weather at the cabin still looks like...



*Please see the post "Snowed In" from February*

Maybe Spring will get here in August :)

An Affair to Remember

The following is a story read at my recent Weight Watcher's meeting. To make it more personal, I substitute "cookie" with "ice cream"- enjoy!

He was only a chocolate chip cookie,
but I loved him...
I met him at a party. There he was at the end of the buffet-
a loner, the last one on the plate.
He had a certain something- a sweetness, a sensuality.
He was one hot cookie.

I felt as if I'd always known him, always hungered for him.
When he looked at me with those warm brown eyes,
I melted.
Before I knew it, I had my hands on him, my mouth on him-
In public.
After that night, we were inseparable.

With him I could be myself.
He didn't seem to care about what mood I was in,
how I looked, even if I gained weight. Together, we had
the recipe for happiness.
No one satisfied me like Chip.

Then things changed.
My friends said he was no good for me.
He started to give me heartburn.
I felt crummy but it had to end.

Now we've gone our separate ways.
I hardly think of him anymore.
Oh, if I see a certain TV commercial, a particular
magazine ad, a coupon for 10 cents off- that old longing returns.
And when we run into each other in the supermarket, we nod.

We're friendly, but it's over.

(1986 Hallmark Greeting Cards, Inc.)

Tag, Hoe-Bags!

A- Attached or single: Very Unattached
B- Best Friend: Lesley
C-Cake or Pie: Pie. Definitely Pie, preferable chocolate creme :)
D- Day of Choice: I like Thursdays for no apparent reason
E- Essential Item: my iphone
F- Favorite Color: Green
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Worms (remember our late-night gummy run Kendra?!!)
H- Hometown: Holladay
I- Indulgence(s): ANTM, DWTS, EAB, Letherby’s, Blogging, and You Tube
J- January or July: July because I love the 4th of July and all the birthdays that month (Steve, Jaiden, Kendra, Evan, and Ashley)
K-Kids: ZERO!!!
L-Life is incomplete without: Ice cream to share with my family & friends
M- Marriage Date: When the time is right :)
N- Number of Siblings: 3 sisters, 1 brother, 1 step brother (2 sister-in-laws & 2 brother-in-laws)
O-Oranges or Apples: Neither, I'm a berry person
P-Phobias or Fears: Being Alone, Needles, All creepy things that creepeth.
Q-Quote(s): “Yes, Please!"- Alice Tinker from the Vicar of Dibley
R- Reason To Smile: Almost graduating with my Master's Degree, yipee!!
S-Something new: New make-up from Sephora (Thanks Lesley)
T-Tag: Everyone that reads my blog... I know who you are and will hunt you down til you do it! :)
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I sweat bad, like embarassing, need to change my shirt bad.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I prefer not to buy into labels that catagorize our society
W- Worst Habit: I bite my nails
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds (I should know since I've had three in the past month and a half!)
Y- Your Favorite Food: Steak, mashed potatoes, ice cream, and the list goes on an on :)
Z- Zoo animal: Elephant

Happy Easter

I love Easter Sunday and this year was pretty great, except we all missed Lesley (some more than others, but that's neither here nor there).
I loved that the girls made the centerpieces... ... that decorated the tables.
Then we had a great Easter Egg Hunt, this year without real eggs (yay!), except I really missed dying a million of them, but I helped Ashley dye a few last night. She had to make one with everyone's name on it with the magic of crayon :) Even little Aaron understood the goal of the hunt and it was so great to see him crawl after eggs, pick them up, and put them in his bag, with the help of his mommy of course to dodge the pinecones!



After all the plastic candy-filled eggs had been snatched up, all the kids played on the swing set and jumped on the tramp. I hope their mommy's didn't mind them getting all dirty in their nice clothes, but they had fun, which is what it's all about, right?

We even put Jack and Aaron in a swing together and they looked like Siamese Twins! LOL
We all had a blast.



Then we all went inside and the girls watched Nightmare Before Christmas and the boys played in the playroom kitchen. Evan made me muffins and cookies for breakfast; what a sweetheart!! Aaron just kept putting all the food in is mouth, which reminds me that I need to get a can of lysol!

It was a great Easter because I got to spend time with the ones I love and remembering our Savior's sacrifice, triumph, and abundant mercy on this precious day.

Love to all :)

Halt

Am I hungry?
Am I angry?
Am I lonely?
Am I tired?

So, I go to the cupboard, open it up, my eyes scan the shelfs for something... and I think "Halt!" Am I hungry?.... Of course I'm hungry! Why else would I open the cabinet? I'm starving!!!... Okay so I'm obviously angry too since I'm yelling. Am I lonely?... humm.... well I'm talking to myself, so yes. And I must be tired because I'm hearing voices.

Solution: Eat as many M&Ms as I want. They are my true friends.

SPRING

I wish it looked like this outside, but I guess we still have to wait a little longer even though Easter is next weekend. At least it's possible to enjoy the outdoors, even if it still looks like winter outside, just without the snow. It will come; it always does. I love the spring because of the strong symbolism of the Resurrection. The Earth dies in the winter and then comes back alive in the spring. It is hopeful and fresh. Everything comes back new, like winter never happened, and it happens every year. No matter how long winter seems to last, we always know that spring will come and the grass will turn green, the trees will bud and flowers will pop up out of the ground. It is magical and exciting. Each day gets warmer and more green. It is wonderful!

Easter is my favorite holiday of all time. I love the candy, I love how we get to spend the day, and most of all I love the reason why we celebrate. I just wish it wasn't so early this year. Which reminds me, I need to go stock up on Cadbury Mini Eggs to get me through the rest of the year :)
Happy Easter everyone!

Grad Park No More: A Tragedy

On the file cabinets in our Art History Graduate Student Office are magnets. Megan collects them and when we were in Vegas in September, we just had to go to the magnet store at the Miracle Mile (formerly known as Desert Passage). We had a lot of fun; and both Meg and Ash bought a ton of really cute and funny magnets. I did not buy any as I had just spent all my money at Sephora.

Well, since I sit in the same desk everyday, I stare at the same magnet every day which say, "I'm very receptive to compliments today." There is another one on the fridge that says, "Meaningless tasks are just part of what I do." For some reason, those both resonate with me today. I feel that the majority of the work I do really doesn't get me anywhere and I am definitely not receptive to compliments today. I think I have a migraine and I slept on my arm weird and it can't really function today. I know that we all have those kind of days where we feel fat, ugly and useless and today is one of those for me.

Then to top off my bad day, I get to school to find that our Grad Park poster that has been hanging on our door since September has been stolen. Who would steal a poster that is a total inside joke?! At BYU?! In the art building?! I know that it was stolen and not removed by custodial as the tape was still left on the door and they would have put it inside our office and given us a warning. I talked with our secretary Jeana and she was just as concerned as I was (she is the sweetest woman alive) as she hasn't seen it either. I'm kind of heartbroken. It was kind of like our flag, our unifying identity as a graduate program, plus it was funny and we all loved to see it everyday as it brightened up our monotonous lives. I'm seriously considering talking to Campus Police as they are directly a floor below us. Maybe they can at least provide us with closure :)

A good thing about today is that ANTM is on tonight and I'm going over to my friends Lant and Kendra's house for a viewing party. We actually have one every Wednesday since we started watching Project Runway together. Lesley texted to remind me and that instantly brought on a smile. Thanks Lesley!

I have such great people in my life that truly bring me peace and joy. And it is all in the little things, like my sisters calling me up to vent about something or by brothers calling to say hi and share funny emails. Or my friends just emailing or texting me sweet notes saying they are thinking about me. By small and simple means...
Thank you for giving me perspective and doses of reality. There is life outside of graduate school and we are here to have joy.
I guess this post really isn't a tragedy, I'm just a little melancholy today.

I take it all back...

The Cast of Twilight So Far

One of my You Tube friends sent me this video and I've been trying to send it to my sisters who are now obsessed with the series, like everyone else whose read them. Why does it have this all encompassing power and hold over readers? Is there anyone who doesn't like them?
Anywho, I have some issues with who they picked to play a couple of characters, but what do you all think?
Wouldn't it be great if we turned this into our own little Twilight forum? :)

The Symphony

So Lesley and I went to the Utah Symphony tonight. We dressed in our best suits (well they were both mine, and I was so happy that Lesley was borrowing my clothes instead of the other way around which is typical these days) and took Trax downtown. We felt SO cosmopolitan and London-ish. I love going out to cultural events and being all fashionable and fabulous while taking public transportation :)

It was the annual Bravo! Broadway performance and imagine our surprise when the male vocalist came out singing and I instantly recognized him as Trevor Graydon from the Original Broadway Cast recording of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which I listen to while I write. Had I been writing all week? Indeed I had been writing all week. It was like a gift from above- LOL

Every performance was breathtakingly magical and to top of the stunning evening, all three performers came out into the lobby under the Dale Chahuly sculpture afterwards to sign autographs (and sell CDs). We waited in line and were at the very end so we weren't rushed whilst talking to them. We got all their autographs and I planned on scanning the program into the computer, but just haven't yet. This will keep you all coming back to check for updates!
Yes I am a tricky girl :)

Remember, Comments = Love

xoxox-
Alli

Snowed In... Even if Only for a Day

For President's Day this year, we went up to the cabin. I have never seen so much snow up there ever- seriously. The photos do not do it justice- it was pretty impressive. The light posts usually come up to about my shoulder if not higher and we could only barely see the tops! It was the best snow day ever with the snowmobiles and sledding.




Cameron put the helmets on the Valie and Ashley and I have not laughed so hard since I watched the Bachelor with Haley: "All my special parts are on the outside and he saw them and didn't want them." LOL
I can hardly type for laughing!





Anywho- I was encourage by Meg to put these up. Sorry I don't have better pictures of the cabin to show Kirk but I hope the point comes across :)

Love to all!

Radical Changes

So I turned in my perspectus 2 weeks ago. Well my committee wants me to make some major changes. My focus is back to regeneration and maternity is now just one of my three chapters. I feel good about this development, but now all my research that I've been focusing on since May is obsolete in a way. I feel like I am starting my research all over with this new focus. I fear that an April defense is far too optimistic at this point with this new development.

Pray for me; I need all the help I can get!

On a happier note-
I went to the gym last night and was on the elliptical for an hour and 15 minutes and I didn't even get out the ice cream after. I'm pretty impressed with myself as I really wanted to eat my feelings :)