Runaway Bride

Today I took a little trip to the D.I. to finish my Christmas shopping {Awesome, I know right?} and happened to cross the movie section.

Do you know movies sell for ONE BUCK there?

Ya, and they all aren't just Buns of Steel.
I seriously found the Jack Pot.
I hope my future husband is okay with the fact that my little splurge of my life will not only be ice cream, but buying movies. And now he has no need to worry about our pennies falling out of our pockets!
Sweetheart! D.I. for a buck, dude!

So I purchased some...stuff...which also included a little movie called Runaway Bride.
Can I just say I have always and still love this movie?
Ya, I watched it right when I got back from my little shopping run and my young teenage years suddenly rushed back to me. I love this movie! And you know what? Though Julia Roberts will always play "Julia Roberts" {if ya know what I mean} in every movie she is in, I still enjoy watching her.

Then I started wondering about something. As I watched the young "Maggie Carpenter" fail to commit...I thought about how I feel about all that stuff. That little word called Commitment.
Yes, I am only 19 years old, thank you very much, and am not planning on saying "I DO" for quite sometime...but it's sort of scary knowing that it's becoming more of a reality more than "something down the road". Instead of thinking and prodding at my ideas of a perfect "ally" wedding...could it be that one day it really will happen?
I know the answer is yes...but wow.
Instead of watching those chick flicks as a single young woman, I'll have a little ring on my finger and be eternally with my sweetheart forever.
WOW.

I've realized that dating is just a wee bit different after high school.
{Que "amen sister" now}
In high school, you're all just good buds. If you do end up "being" with someone, it's only on rare occasion that something ends up coming from it. Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of awesome couples that dating in high school or were just buddies and now they have been happily married for years. And that is so great. But as a general note, most of the time, dating in high school is just free, whateverness. It's not like you're dating for marriage, though I strongly believe and know that dating is a chance to learn and find out what we want in a future spouse and it is very good to just have fun and get to know people.

Well, then there's AFTER high school. Men, if you're a pre-missionary and going on dates, you have a "mission" shield on anyway so step aside for just a second.
Girls, we have a whole different story. We could take 5 million paths.
1: Get married right out of high school
2: Go to college
3: Become a model or something
{Hey, my friend is doing that right now}
4: Work, work, work.
5: Study abroad
Etc.

The list really is just full of any option, for reals.
Eventually we all get married and start our own families, but what about until then if you're not a "right out of high school" type of girl?
So here's my deal. After high school, though you may have plans, you're kinda free game. You go on a date and you actually like them and they like you...you care about each other a lot...it's not really a "high school" option anymore of just saying, "well, we'll date and stuff, but he's got a mission...we're just in high school...etc.".
You could actually marry the kid.

Pure honesty for just a second. Can a tell you a secret? I'm sort of really scared of a PART of commitment. If I date someone NOW in my "after high school" state and like them and they like me...but after awhile of dating I figure they're not the one for me...then it's awful and ouchie and someone ends up getting hurt. Honest.

Though my fear is still there...my dad told me something once when I had just had my little teenage heart broken.
"Ally, you know, before you get married, you're gonna get your heart broken a lot. It hurts and it's not fun, but think about how happy, after all you've been through, you'll be to finally have someone that was worth it. And he's yours for eternity."

So...my dad's pretty cool. ;)

Ya Dad, I guess you're right. :) It's all worth it. Sometimes you just have to take the chance of getting hurt...because you won't get anywhere if you don't. And hey, he'll mend all my brokenness anyway. ;)

So though I know I would never RUN AWAY on my wedding day,
I can commit and say for other things in my life:
I will not run away.

Happy Holidays
Love Always,
Little Besty

Drops on my Head and Flakes underfoot

Drops on my head
and
Flakes underfoot

*****

Since the moment I walked in the door as an official "done with first semester of college" girl, I don't think I've breathed. Really breathed. Within 45 minutes of just getting home for my wonderful month of break I am sitting at the Best Family Christmas party, eating chili with Frito Flakes.

Then the whirlwind begins.
Tying quilts, writing letters, reading scriptures, visiting my kids {little drama buds}, working-WORKING-WORKING!!!, eating, driving, shopping, looking at lights, dates, making hot cocoa, watching David Archuleta and my choir, chilling, dealing with my back, church, crying, laughing, watching Letters to Juliet, worrying about friends, planning Christmas, Missy, family......it just goes on and on and on.

Then I determined this.
It's totally worth it.

Let me explain the title of this entry and the few phrases at the beginning.
"Drops on my Head and Flakes underfoot"
::Saturday morning I awake to my mommy nudging me to get up. "It's time to go to work". Really? Do I have to? I get dressed, and head out to my job. At least Mommy is working with me today. She always makes working a lot easier.
SUDDEN WORRY as I lift my body out of bed.
*This is not a good back day*
I feel the oh-to-familiar ache of my lower back and am very aware of the space between my ribs. I can feel the bones out of place and my rib cage hurts as I breathe.
This is usual for me, after my little back problem incident, which only gets to be a big deal when either I work really hard {aka lots of lifting} or very frequently, exercise, am physically active, or eat alot. ;) It's something that I just deal with. I'm just lucky I don't have shattered discs or something like my dear family friends. My pain is nothing compared to them.

So I tell myself to just tough it out and, yet again, not let my body take over and stop me from accomplishing what I want to do with my life. I get to the shop of Brown Brother's Catering and start getting everything ready. The pain...I can handle. I walk outside to go to the car and look at the snow under my feet. I sigh at the rain lightly showering on my head...it feels so good. And then I am grateful. So grateful to work. That I am able to work...what a blessing.

One of my favorite things in the world? Hard work. I love working hard. My job is so wonderful. I love getting done with a party and feeling so accomplished with the work I've done. In the moments of working-like filling up the fruit tray or talking to the family at a wedding-I am happy. I love my job. Responsibility and hard work are one of my favorite things ever.

So, with the drops on my head and the flakes underfoot, I am happy. Purely and most joyfully happy. Life is good, and I am so blessed to be alive.

Love you world.
The Pain is worth it.

Love Always,
Little Besty

"It's a Christmas Miracle!"

I'm going to David, I'm going to David!!!!

No WAY!!!

Sitting in my computer chair, mentally preparing for the day ahead.
I'm thinking about our plans for me to head out in a few hours with Squilliam to go wait for approx. 5 HOURS
in the standby line at the conference center, praying we by some miracle get tickets to see one of my favorite artists of all time sing with my beloved Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The family will join on with me later.
It's not just the fact that David Archuleta just happens to be singing with the Motab, but my family goes EVERY single year to this concert. Either we happen to be lucky enough to get tickets, or some gracious family friend involved with Motab gives us some of their tickets. It's a tradition to attend this concert!

So we're all about to cry this year because no tickets have appeared. WHAT? AND it's David this year for crying out loud! It's not like I've waiting my whole life since the pop star hit the stage at American Idol to meet this kid or even see him!
Ah. Ah man.

Back to this morning. I sit at the computer, going over my instructions, really not wanting to wait in the cold for that long without even knowing if we're going to get tickets. Yes, I love David and would be willing to wait days to see him in concert, but gee wiz! It's a coin toss chance at this point.

Then the phone rings.
"Patricia Smith"
No way.

"Hey, Lisa?"
"No, this is Ally"
"Oh hey Ally, how are ya? I was wondering if you guys wanted these tickets to the concert tonight. I have four of them."
Silence due to shock and loss of breath.

We needed EXACTLY four tickets.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You sure have a sense of humor.
Giving us those tickets the DAY OF.
It's a good thing I like you.

"Patricia! We TOTALLY want them! That's so great! We were gonna wait all day..this is awesome...oh my goodness thank you!!!"

"Yeah no prob! We'll leave them at Will Call under Chris Smith. Merry Christmas!"

My life is now complete.
Does anyone else agree I should marry David Archuleta?
Just sayin.
He's on the short side, two singers put together=good good, he's super humble, wonderfully LDS....I mean, come on!
Ally Archuleta has a nice ring to it!

Okay I'm totally kidding, but sort of not.
Don't worry friends, I am not an obsessive David lover,
but I do believe he is extremely talented and I admire him for never giving up, even when he suffered from paralyzed vocal chords.
Go David!

And as for my Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I love you. It's as simple as that. How many memories do I have in this gospel that involve you? All those Christmas concerts, seeing my family and friends sing in the choir, Music and the Spoken Word, traveling all around the world....you're incredible. Maybe someday my dream will come true of singing among you as a member of your choir. ;)

Merry Christmas to all.
May the blessings of our Savior and Father shower upon you.



Love Always,
Little Besty

Just a word or "Tuo"

Wow! I can't believe it! I'm almost super much done with finals! Ok, maybe there's 2 1/2 more, but they're going to be pretty breezy and I am so excited!

Greatest part of today?

My Jury. Say what?

For those not in the music program, SUU has juries for all music majors. You perform one song of your choice that you have learned over the semester to all the professors of your area. After that, they choose another one of the songs you've learned. You then do some sight singing, scales, and intervals.
{Thank you sweet Dr. Herb and Mama Warby for pounding that stuff in my head!}
They make is sound like the end of the world, but it's not. As I left, I said to myself,
That was it?

My favorite song, "Per pieta, bell'idol mio" by Vincenzo Bellini was super fun to sing for my professors. I guess I improved dramatically since the first time they heard my voice and I was just so tickled! Finally! I get to show people what huge voice is really inside this little tiny body. ;)

So? Ya. It was great. Soon afterwards I had my Italian and English Diction final of life. I sang my "Per pieta" song again and then Professor Modesitt plopped down a 11 pg. final on our desks. I was pleasantly surprised, as I looked through the pages, to find that the test was actually pretty chill. I knew almost everything on that test! I walked away from slamming {ok, maybe not slamming} that test in Modesitt's lap saying, "e-o! I feel good!"

So now I sit here with only one little 5 minute final at 1:20 tomorrow and a smile is on my face.
It also helps that I'm wearing bright pink sweats and a blue v-neck.
Just sayin.

Love you world.
Love always,
Little Besty

Flashing Lights

A blur
Cold touches my cheeks
I am suddenly extremely aware of the little pounding in my chest
Blue jackets
Flashing lights of blue and red...almost like they're flashing to the rhythm of our hearts
Beeping...
Breathing...
Life hanging by a thread.



As I sit at the top of the stairs, holding on to the rail...I see a man fight for his life.
My eyes are holding back the tears. I can see his wife trembling in a nearby chair...praying that he does not pass on, leaving her on her own.

My chair is abandoned. I stand on the cold ground finding it hard to form words.
This is like a nightmare that I can't wake up from.
We all knew it would come to this.

If I was to utter anything to any soul right now, it would be this.

Life is precious.
Life is pure.
And life is worth living.

Hearing the ambulance twice this week
and actually BEING where it was going sort of puts your life into perspective.
Tears form in my eyes as I go back to these images in my head.
One instance, it was brought upon by one not loving the gift God gave them: A body
The other, age...heart attack...possibly his time.

I see two opposite ends of the spectrum. Two ways we meet the passing to the next world.
And I can't help but realize how precious life is. In a moment, your heart could stop beating.

Now is the time to take that second in your crazy and busy life to tell someone you love them. Tell someone you've been dying to tell them how much you care.
Because you never know when you may have the chance to tell them again.

Love yourself. Love your body. Love your soul.
It was a gift to be cherished.

All my love,
Little Besty

Little Spidy-backpack

This morning I was walking in the bright sunshine

{along with the frozen snow beneath my feet}
to my 9:00 AM class.

I had my apple-juice bottle in hand and Nutella sandwich successfully on it's way down my esophagus. Suddenly, I hear a creek of wheels and little chirps of small voices.

Kids.

I looked up and saw a mommy and daddy. The greatest part? They were pulling a little wagon with two little boys on the back. How could this picture get any better?

It does.

The little boy on the back was wearing a Spidy Backpack.
My whole universe just shattered. ;)

I don't know what it was about this little family that made me so happy. Actually, yes I do. :) This little family is so humble. They're all bundled up in their winter clothes, Mom and Dad are willingly pulling their little kids that they love so much...on their way to class or work or where ever life is taking them at this present time. Kids are jabbering away in the back...and that Spidy-backpack. I can't get over it.

This is what I hope to have someday. Walking along in the fresh morning air with my husband's hand wrapped around mine and we're pulling our little kids in the wagon. All of us on our merry way in life-TOGETHER. We couldn't be happier then in this moment.

And I will be buying my little boy a Spidy backpack. ;)

Love Always,
Little Besty