A Break

Today has kinda been
one of those days.

Nothing's really gone wrong.
I've laughed a lot.
Smiled.
Rode my bike
in the beautiful morning air.
Nothing's significantly out of place.

Let's just say that this girl
needs a night off.

And thank heaven's
Mr. Week man
for giving me a weekend.

:)

You know when you get up
in the morning,
and you are so comfortable
and just had the greatest sleep,
that you literally feel like glue
is clinging to you as you get up-
so as to keep you in the beautiful
slumbers of sleep land?

Well that happened to me.

Then I was a little less
than motivated to dress up
at first,
so I put on my HUGE
XXXXL
wolf shirt
that is meant for sleeping
to wear for the day...
then decided I could at least
TRY.

So I pulled on
the next best thing,
while still being in a
wonderful world of blissful
comfort.

I can't wait to get home
tonight and pull on the sweats,
well deserved HUGE
XXXXL
wolf shirt,
pull out the {healthy ?}
goodies, put in a chick-flick
and drift into fantastic dreams.

Oooh.
Maybe I'll even take a bubble-bath.

...with no bubble-bath liquid...

Dang.

It was a good thought.

:) Have an incredible,
stupendous, lazy,
goodie, jolly
WEEKEND!


Love always,
Little Besty

Beautiful People

I refused to let myself
sleep until I had collected
my thoughts
and written about something
on my mind today.

Beautiful people.

What comes to mind
when you first heard that phrase?

Did you think
of a movie star
decked out to the 9's?

Sparkly gems
embedded in lace
and satin?

Computerized
model faces?

Well...not me.
I think of something
completely different.

***
Can I explain something
to you?

Let me say a phrase
that you've probably heard
before in your life.

"Don't judge a book
by it's cover".

Once upon a time,
I had really bad acne.
It was flaky.
It was rashy.
It burned.
And it looked red and patchy.

And can I be honest?
I felt insecure.
I felt like everyone
was starring me down
and thought my whole
"acceptance"
depended on the unfortunate
rash that attacked my face.

I was young...
and didn't see the
big picture.

Then I grew up a little,
and the acne went away.
{For the most part}.

A few spots
still occurred,
but it wasn't nearly
as bad as before.

One night,
I was in my room alone,
and I saw my camera.

I took off all of my make-up,
and snapped a shot.

I looked at it...
and I saw something.

That girl was pretty.
She looked like a girl
I once knew when I was 8.

She was happy.
She loved life.
And she didn't care
about her facial condition.

I liked what I saw.

***

This was a simple moment
that changed the rest of my
life as a young woman.

I suddenly saw
that what was on the
inside mattered most.

And even though I was shy,
people might actually
like what was inside of me.

So I let it out.
I don't know what "people"
ended up thinking of the inside
of me,
but I was sure pleased
that I had let myself free.

FREE.

***

I do a lot of people watching,
and I've discovered something,
folks.

Beautiful people
aren't the ones with designer
clothes and flawless make-up.

Yeah, they're pretty.

But my favorite people
in the universe,
are those who are kind.

Who have an obsession
with fantasy and books.

The ones who go out of
their way to go sit by
the one all alone,
and show genuine interest
in their life.

They aren't the ones who
pretend to be talking to the
one sitting alone.

They actually care.
For real.

The beautiful people
are those who have found
within that they are special.

They know their worth.
They are happy with
who they are.

They are grateful
for their awkwardness
and clumsy-ness.

They glory in the
fact that they sweat buckets.

They just...
embrace...
this life. ;)

and, my friends?

They are beautiful.

The most beautiful people
on earth.

Be beautiful.

It's a choice.

Love always,
Little Besty

Fear-less

I have this little dove message
that sits, {quite gracefully}
on my right.

It reads:

"Be fearless"

What does that mean?
Does that mean that
I have to get over my fear
that the wicked step-mother
from snow-white is still under
my bed, waiting to grab
my legs?

Because I'm still afraid
of that.

Does it mean that
I have to get over
the sluggish, slimy,
oozing creatures
that were dared to be
given a name?
A name such as...
Snail?

Because I'm still afraid
of those.

Does it mean that
I can't ever dread
having the ones I love
most be disappointed
in something I did?

Because I'm still afraid
of that.

No.

Being fearless
means facing
your inner most
displeasure...
the one that makes
your tummy and heart
weezy...
and taking a step.

You don't have to
turn the night light
off instantly.

You don't have to
get over the pain
from the one you loved
who broke your heart
in a fleeting wink.

No.

All He asks
is that we give it
a shot.

Try to see
the big picture.

And be fearless
in our attempts
to conquer our fears.

We aren't perfect.
We aren't experts
at this life.

But we are loved.
And loved by a being
that knows how to love
you PERFECTLY.

A higher love
does not exist
in all the cosmos.

Cosmos!

So?

Let go.
Take a breath.
and..

Be fearless.

Love always,
Little Besty

Them

As I squished my body
into the crevice of the
"very muchly
not big enough"
bench
to possess such love,
I couldn't help
but let a few tears gather
in my eyes.

I looked down the line,
and felt me heart
grow ten sizes
with each face I
gazed upon.

And when he
got up to speak?

All of sat,
full attention
on our beloved friend.

It was like rays of
super natural love
were splattering the pulpit.

I think this
is the farewell
where it finally hit me.

Wow.
They really are
getting on a jet-plane
and cruising into the field.

There was so much love
in that room,
that when I slipped out,
I literally felt the difference
in my body
as their spirits left me.

When I re-entered,
it was like a waterfall
all over again.

Dear life,
Thank you for giving
me THE most fantastic
people to be in my life.

I am overly joyful
that I was given the chance
to be numbered among
such a stellar group
of humans..friends..companions.

We make weird noises
and thrive in awkward moments
for fun.

None of us can form
a complete sentence
99 % of the time.

We laugh.
All the time.

And we also know,
if we need to cry?

We're all there for
each other.

"We got your back".

I'm the luckiest girl
in the world.

Take the time NOW
to appreciate the big things,
but most importantly,
the small things that you cherish
and appreciate about your friends.

'Cause it's never till their gone
that you realize
how much you needed
that crooked smile,
that laugh,
that awkward leg stance,
"see ya",
that noise,
that face...
and that heart.

So...
I'd just like to say...

Thanks.

For them.

Love always,
Little Besty

Impact

This morning
I woke up before the alarm
and thought:

"Oh goodness".

My dear friends,
I only have a week
before I journey away
to my Cedar City
and I haven't even
started packing, buying,
goodbyes....
or doing whatever else.

And guess what?
I work every moment
of my life until then.

AHHHH!

****

But can I say...
I probably had one
of THE best weekends
of my life this past week.

I can't even begin
to describe the love
I have for my dearest friends.

With them,
I am completely and utterly
a profound weirdo...
and myself.

It's amazing, really.

Who knew that
the crazy goon that
had been living inside
of me my whole life
was going to break free
when I met these kids?

We're all leaving
each other...
soon enough.

And can I be honest?

My heart is breaking.
Severely.

Don't worry.
I already have tears
streamin' down.

I know we have
our share of goodbyes
in our lifetimes
and we just have to learn
to get through them
and move on...

...but I can't do these ones.

It's the fear of knowing
if it's just a "see ya later",
or really a goodbye.

As I talked to one
of the dear friends
last night about my anguish,
he said,
"Ah, your life will be sustained
by a new happiness
in just a few months."

As true as that may be...
the happiness they bring me
is totally separate.

It's like two different stories.

So to say that isn't
quite fair.

Having talked to my
brilliant mother
who is practically the
same person as me,
she shared some deep
wisdom.

She said
that it is hard.
No doubt about it.
But we learn to find
a new joy above all else
when we start a new phase
of life, like marriage, let's say.

You just have to make sure
you really are ready to let go
and let a beautiful new love
and beginning start
that will take over everything else.

It's hard,
because they will always
be apart of you because they
helped you...
no, greatly assisted you
in becoming who you are today.

But now you have to take
what they so graciously gave you,

and live.

*Sigh*.

Though I know
every word she uttered
was profoundly true,
it's still hurts.

And I'll always care.

So,
it's up to me to
"make it so"
and make sure
it's not goodbye.

But definitely
"see ya later".

My dear boys...
Parker, Isaac, and Matthew.

I will miss you.


I am bubbling over
with joy
for the decisions you
have made to serve the Lord
for 2 years.

I know nothing could
make you all happier.

It has been a pure
pleasure to stand
beside you and explore
the wide world
and go on endless adventures.

I couldn't have done it
without you...
and I wouldn't be Ally Best
without your signatures
on my heart.

All my love to you
as you as you embark
on your
new adventures.

Love forever & always,
Little Besty

Real Beauty

This past week,
I've been doing a
"breakfast-breaks-
lunch-break" catering
job for a make-up
company called Sephora.
I've done a couple
of weeks of this in the past.

They have all these girls
{and some guys}
come out to Utah and
train to sell make-up
and all that jazz
for four days.

They pretty much breathe,
eat, and sleep: make-up
and facial whateverness.

So,
I was minding
my own business,
cutting some pineapple
and suddenly...
one of the ladies comes up
to me and says:

"Wow.
You have beautiful skin...
so pretty..."

..and walks off.

Huh?

Did a make-up artist
just say that to me?

Did I mention
that this is the day
I came to work with
just a touch of mascara
and a small pat of
foundation?

Hmmm.
Some food for thought,
don't you think, ladies?

Now, I'm not
a girl to glob on
the powder and glitter,
but I do wear my share
of make-up.

However...
in recent years past..
the days where I just
put on that dab of foundation
and a little mascara
always feels marvelous.

Because I'm just me.

What happened to when
all of us were eight years
old and LOVED the way
our little face looked?
Or when we didn't
care if the pony-tail
was half falling out
all day long?

Yes,
I like to put
some make-up on,
but let's be real.

Me.
Just me.
Without any scratch
of eye-shadow.

It feels gooood.


And that's what HE loves.

He:
Daddy
My brothers
Best Friend*
Future Hubby
Heavenly Father

The boys
in my family and
in my circle of dear friends
always tell me that
"girls don't need it"
&
"pretty girls=confidence
Not a made-up face".

Now,
I'm not saying we
should never wear
make-up.
It's great to put on
a little somethin'.

...just as long as you
are completely satisfied
with what's underneath.

If someone whipped off
the applied product,
would you be happy
with you?

***
Might I share a
rather personal story
with all of you?

Whew*.
Here it goes.
I can't believe I'm
actually sharing this!

Okay.
When little girls
grow up into
taller and slightly more
mature little girls,
sometimes they
like a boy...
and the boy likes them...
and the little girl+little boy
kinda sorta...
hold hands...
and maybe...
give each other a
sweet, simple...little
kiss.

Okay.
I said it.

I'm not gonna lie.
It's happened to me.

Now,
a girl can imagine
that kiss with that
amazing boy 5 million
times-over and over
and expect certain results.

{Don't judge.
You've ALL done it}

Well,
once there was/is this
brilliant beyond perfect,
best friend, amazing young man.

Greatest friendship
to exist.
Always friends,
but never anything more.
{Due to my stubborness}

This boy has seen me
in every single sort of
mood...feeling... attire..yeah.

Formal dance.
Casual dance.
Hang out.
Nice date.
Sunday dress.
And of course...
Sick-gross days.

Sadly,
he's seen mostly
the sick-gross-sweats
days.

But also,
with that statement
comes a really cool thing.

I knew that he cared
about me and thought
I was beautiful no matter
what I was wearing or what
I looked like.

So the sweats were accepted.

This particular day,
I had been super sicky.
Not contagious, just sick.

I looked...great.
{sarcasm please}.

Hair on top of head
{who-hair as my dad calls it},
sweats,
baggy shirt,
sweat,
...nasty.

But he came over anyways.
Just because I asked him
to because I needed my
best friend to comfort me.

He walked in,
saw me,
and gave me the same
face he gave me
when he saw me all dolled
up for the formal dance
we went to together.

"Beautiful".

Okay, skipper.
Let's not get too
brown-noser like.

:) But he wasn't brown-nosing.

He let me lay my disgusting,
greasy hair on his lap,
and he stroked my face
and combed my hair.

Then it hit me.

As I looked up at
my BFF,
I realized...
that I seriously was
beautiful...
just like this...
to him.

He was always there.
Through everything.
Stupid boy stuff.
"Allytude".
Plays.
Support.
Talks.
Singing.
Crying.
and sweaty-no-make-up days.

So,
that's all it took.

I lifted up my
all too heavy,
stuffy head
and gave him a little...
kiss.

;)
Yep.
Best, greatest, sweetest kiss
was...

Not when I was wearing make-up.
Not when I was wearing a killer dress.
Not when my hair was perfectly combed
and smelled like strawberries.

but when I was totally and completely
ME.

Maybe it wasn't
that kiss I had pictured happening
in my head with this amazing BFF.

It was even better. ;)
***

Love the beauty that
lies within.
You are SO gorgeous,
beautiful, pretty, classy,
smart, funny, fabulous,
and phenomenal...

even without the make-up.

Go ahead!
Have at least
one day a week
that you don't wear a drop
of make-up,
if you haven't already.

May you find
the real beauty
inside of you. ;)



Love always,
Little Besty