Quickies- Vegas and Graduation

I graduated (well walked since I have not defended yet) in August.  Thanks to all my family and friends who have supported and inspired me durring my graduate work.  Here are some photos I took on my phone during the festivities.  
This is Me and Megan backstage at Convocation.  We were laughing so hard!!  Look at our cute hoods :)
This is Me and Jessica when we sat down at Commencement.  It was so fun to be on the floor of the Marriot Center will all the Master Degree Canidates.  We were on the third row center, we could almost reach out and touch Elder Scott who was the keynote speaker.  He had a great message about having a successful life.  The best part of it all was sitting with all my friends, Josh, Kyle, Megan and Jess.  I'll miss them tons!

If any of my fam or friends have cute pictures they took, could you pretty please send them to me?  Thanks

Vegas was a total blast!!!!

Andrea made this amazing photobook for our parents with such cute and amazing pictures with captions.  My Mom was dying over it and showing it to everyone at Valie's Princess Royal Ball :)  

I did not have the camera with me, so all my photos came from my phone.

This is Vickie holding her winnings at the slots.  She put in a dollar and came out with four!  
She gave one dollar to Cam who quickly lost it all!  That's the way Vegas rolls, Baby :)
This is Steve at a Buffet.  They ran out of small cups for melted butter for crab, so ingenuative Steve just grabbed a bowl!  I think it was a stroke of brilliance :)

When we got back from the buffet, we found Aaron fast asleep with his Popi.  It was the sweetest moment.  
These are the FHOAs (Future Hearbreakers of America) and while Aaron and Popi were sleeping, Evan and Jack were running around with GiGi.  They are the cutest boys who have those smiles that get them out of sticky situations :)  Aren't they adorable?!

We all had a great time in Vegas, lying by the pool next to Dion Sanders, spending time in the cabana or taking a nap and ordering pool food, eating at buffets, shopping at H&M 

Let's Go Back -- ASAP!

Midnight at the Kansas City Airport

The Rat Who Hates Me

So we have a family of rats living under our portch and they taunt us all the time.  They come out in the middle of the day while I'm working and stare at me through the window.  They are not afraid of us at all!  

We put out some bait when we first moved in May, but they never even touched it.  

Haley took Lesley to a specialty store and got some powerful poison that comes in green bars.  

We (meaning Lesley) have been putting out tons of rat poison and the rats are taking it (yay!!!).  Well for the last few weeks, the rats have not been taking the poison so we foolishly thought they were gone, but when we got home from Vegas, the bars were gone so we put more out.  Haley quickly reminded us of when we had gerbils as kids, they had 12 babies like every 2 weeks.  

Well the bars were gone on Monday and then yesterday we put bars out before WW, when we got home it was gone so we put more out, then after our errands they were gone again, so we did more.  I think it came out to a total of 3 or 4 bars in a 24 hour period.  Let's all hope they shared it and they will all checkout of Hotel Under Our Portch! 

Las Vegas

Post is forthcoming with visual evidential support (aka: photographs)

Ode to Google Reader

Oh beloved Google Reader, how much I do love thee.

Thou hast made it possible for me to keep up-to-date on all my dear friend's blogs as I have been in the deserted wasteland of sociality on a self-induced exile from blogger.
Thou hast allowed me to read all of the latest posts and not just on my computer but on my phone as well.
Me thinks thou art a gift from above.
Even though thou dost make it nigh impossible to leave comments, I still turn to thee daily as a refreshing break from the dungeonous torture that has been "my thesis".

I am forever in your debt-
Alli

Severing the Past

After over 9 years with simple trims, I have made a huge step and cut my hair.

Student Alli

Professional Alli


AHHHHH! It's so short, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of styling it :)

Come One, Come All! It's Going to be Groundbreaking

North Campus Drive
Provo, UT 84602-1400

You and your guests are invited to the opening of a major new exhibition at Brigham Young University Museum of Art:


Turning Point: The Demise of Modernism and the Rebirth of Meaning in American Art

Free Admission
Free MP3 and Cell Phone Audio Tours Available

Opening Reception:
Thursday, July 17, 2008, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Light Refreshments | Live Jazz

Lecture Series:
Dr. Campbell Gray | October 2, 9, 16

http://moa.byu.edu

Nose to the Grind

As sad as this makes me, I have to announce that I will be taking a blog break until my thesis drafts are submitted. I love my blog (maybe a little too much!) and I need to eliminate all distractions in order to get this done. Wish me luck :)

Letting Go

Well I finally did it. I had done it mentally weeks ago, but yesterday, with the help of Kendra and Lesley, we all made a physical manifestion of a mental/spiritual decision. We went and got three black balloons, wrote all of things we are letting go and giving to the Lord in silver pen, and then went to the park and literally let them go.


I didn't feel as great as I thought I would right after but I did feel really good this morning, like a weight had been lifted from my chest. It was probably one of the most spiritual moments I've had outside of church. We read scriptures and a quote from President Monson, then we each took a turn saying what we were giving to the Lord. We all cried but only a little. As we let them go, I thought the relief would be immediate but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it takes work to let go. I have to constantly remind myself that I've let go.


It feels good.

Peonies and Snow Cones: It must be June

The peonies are finally starting to bloom- Yay!!! Only the bushes along the side of the house actually have flowers, but the ones in the garden are thisclose to getting big buds :)

The Snoasis opened this past weekend and I finally was able to go last night. I got butterbeer of course :) Valie, Ashley and I rode in the back of Cameron and Vickie's convertible and had a great time. The line was long of course, but the girls waited as patiently as possible. They are so cute together!



Now to a completely different topic. We moved into Andrea's house a month ago and now I'm finally getting around to posting pictures. These photos were taken on my phone so they are not the best quality and we aren't totally finished yet, but I wanted to share with you how beautiful the slipcovers are that our wonderful and talented mother made for us. I LOVE them!!! I love living in this house and the spirit that lives here. It is peaceful and welcoming; I actually want to stay here, which is something I have not had in a long time in the places I have lived recently (ie: the nightmare that was/is PROVO). It's so nice to be happy again.



Better photos are to follow and I totally just realized that Lesley's blanket is lying on the couch (oops!) We still haven't cleaned the windows yet; there are two tiny handprints of Evan and Jack and I kind of don't want them to go away- can't they be an homage to the boys?! LOL

Guess Who?

As today is Jack's first birthday, I am reminicent about the births of all my nephews.
Here is a little game- guess which baby is which.
Have fun :)




Now here are some cute pics of all my nieces and nephews. Can you tell I adore them? LOL

24

*Singing the Happy Birthday Tune*
Happy Birthday to Me (and Lesley)
Happy Birthday to Lesley (and Me)
Happy Birthday to Us
Happy Birthday to Us

Disneyland Day 3 (of 3)... well technically it was 4 days, but I only went to 3 :)

We spend our Friday in a very, very, very crowded theme park.
We got fast passes to as many rides as we could, but it proved to be difficult. We went on Alice and Wonderland and Storybookland as soon as the park opened.

Then we rode Indiana Jones again and Space Mountain (if you're counting that makes it 4 times in three days on that particular ride- yay!). Then we headed over to California Adventure and caught up with Cam and Vickie. Since it was over 100 degrees according to my phone, we met them at the fast pass counter at Grizzly Rapids- which we couldn't ride for 3 more hours. Then we went on Mullholland Pass (it's like a wild mouse kind of roller coaster). Lesley and I went as single riders as Cam and Vickie already had a fast pass and guess who was their single rider?... Lesley!! It just worked out perfectly since the same thing happened when Les road Soarin' as a single rider and ended up next to Haley and Kristen. How lucky is she? VERY! LOL






Then we went over to the Hollywood Backlot part of the park and saw a live production of Aladdin. It was a perfect first play for Valie to see as it was only 40 minutes and plus it was air-conditioned!! A huge plus in the sweltering heat.



After that we got fast passes for the Tower of Terror, went to Grizzly Rapids and only got a little soaked. It was a great way to cool off and the fast passes were totally worth it- you just walk right on the ride.

We were all a little worried that we may push Valie too much with all the rides and Tower of Terror might scare the pants of her. Boy is that girl brave!! It ended up being her favorite ride and as soon as the ride was over she said, "My bum fell off the seat!" She wanted to go again and again. When she told GiGi about it when she picked us up from the airport she said, "we said goodbye to the real world [and entered the Twilight Zone]." I added the last part- that is the line from the ride as you wave at yourself in a mirror that changes to be all freaky. Well Val is a freaky girl and I am so proud of that! Here is the photo- you can't see her face since the person in front of her has their hands up- but she had tons of fun!



Then Les, Cam and I went on Screamin' California and right as we were about to be put in a row to get on the roller coaster- it breaks and they close the ride down temporarily. I'm not sure how long we waited there, and right when Cam gave up to go home to go swimming with Val and Vickie- it started working and we got to ride. I loved it, but I think a little music would have increased the fun potential exponentially. Les and I wandered around the Pier, then went over to Disneyland to get a hot dog at the Corner Cafe, sat on the curb on Main Street and waited for the parade. I ran to get a yogurt parfait at the Bengal Grill in Adventureland, and get a Dole Whip Float outside of the Tiki Room. I got back just in time for the parade- it was fun, but I was kind of bored to tell you the truth. After the parade we went past Snow White's Grotto and wishing well.





We walked the back way to Frontierland and then met up with Cameron and Vickie. We road Pirates again since Val had fallen asleep. Then she woke up during the ride and was totally with it and alert. I think that girl has two speeds, on and off.
We then went over to California Adventure to see the old Light Parade. It is still how I remember it; even the music just brings back feelings of childhood!! I love the Magic of Disney :)
Then we rushed back to Disneyland as the fireworks were going off to get a spot for Fantasmic. Long story short, we got reserved seating. Then we went over to Splash Mountain, but the wait was 45 min so we went to Haunted Mansion- it is a very effective ride at night! LOL Everything was WAY TOO CROWDED so we headed back "early" at 11:30 pm.
And so ended my Disneyland trip. The next day, Lesley upgraded her 3-day pass to a 4-day and had tons-o-fun with Cam, Vickie and Valie while I stayed in the hotel and worked on my thesis-yuck. Oh well, we can't all "leave the real world" for too long :)



Thank you Cameron and Vickie for an AMAZING vacation that I'm sure I'll never forget.
xoxo- Alli

Disneyland Day 2 (of 3)

We got Magic Morning Passes for Thursday and spend the whole hour in line to get on Nemo (totally over rated, but then it could just be me). We went on Space Mountain (again), Splash Mountain (again), and Teacups (again). I loved it all! We rode Indiana Jones, had fun exploring Tarzan's Tree House, and then went over to Pirate Island where we met Captain Jack Sparrow.





He totally played it up with Vickie as he checked out all her jewels! LOL! It was hilarious and he really did look and sound like Jonny Depp! :)


Then we went to Fantasy Land and rode all of those rides. King Aurthur's Carousel was fun and no line! :)









We came home from the park a little early and went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory less than a block from our hotel. I love California- the wait was only 5 to 10 minutes instead of 45 to an hour here in Salt Lake! It was yummy and filling :)