The Bride Claire

A few days ago I catered a wedding at the Grand Hall at the Gateway. Must I say, it was absolutely gorgeous in every way. If you haven't been to the Grand Hall, it's just breath-taking. It almost reminds me of a mini old school strain station. Ya know, with the huge domed ceiling? Well everything is trimmed with gold, so it's like a palace in there.

The colors of the wedding were gold, red, and orange. Her lace was lace {of course} and the boys had black tuxes and the groom had a grey tux {of course}. The groom had classy, brown thick framed, old school glasses and he looked absolutely splendid. {Of course not more than my Chad. But you get the picture. } The center pieces were surrounded by pine tree branches with oranges and glass containers of cranberries and candles among them. Oh good golly. It was beautiful!

SIDE NOTE: Sorry. Sometimes I just have to spill on what I see when I'm catering. It's one of the reasons I absolutely love my job because I get to see everyone's creative ideas at their own weddings. :) You better believe I had my whole wedding planned before I was 17 for that reason alone. A compilation of lots of others ideas mixed in with my own creations = perfection.

Anyway. Back to the wedding.

The bride has a lady come in with vinage furniture. The lady actually does this for a living. She'll bring any furniture you want to your wedding {that she has of course}. The stuff she brought was gorgeous. Vintage {like what you would see in a palace} deep yellow/gold couches, red chairs, old doors, gold trim mirror, cream bed frame to set gifts in, cream birdcage with ribbons hanging from the top, brown old doors to go behind the bride and groom-perfect! And there was a massive self portrait of the bride, PAINTED. And it looked EXACTLY like her. To the T. Amazing artist right there.

So the point of my post, besides ranting on how amazing this wedding was.

What grabbed me the most was when the dancing started. Having seen a lot of receptions, I've seen a lot of different brides when it comes to dancing. The ones where they inch, back and forth, because their dress is restricting them {I feel ya, girls}, the ones who obviously just did dancing because someone in the family wanted it and they'll sway back and forth to get a smile on the face, the "I feel awkward" bride, the half-rock out bride {which is understandable with how dog-gone tired you are at the end of the day as a bride, or the THIS IS MY WEDDING AND I'M GONNA PARTY! bride.

This girl was the I'M GONNA PARTY chick.

I loved it! She was in her dress and everything and not once did I look over and see her NOT dancing. It was inspiring, actually. You could tell what kind of day it has been when she danced. Splendid. Her new husband definitely didn't commend dancing as his forte, but she was wonderful about including him and making him NOT feel out of place or uncomfortable. Talk about loving. By the end, he seemed totally relaxed and basking in the glow of his over-joyous and beautiful bride.

Having been a bride, I understand how exhausted you are by that point. I was. I was ready for some shut eye, but for Chad and I, dancing was important! We loved to go to dances together in high school. We loved to go to stake dances. We love to groove and enjoy some good dancin! So for us, dancing had to happen. I was so serious about it that I changed out of my dress into another, more casual Sunday dress so that I didn't have restrictions from my dress. And we had a blast dancing with everyone.

Anyway. Sorry for the tangent there.

I just loved watching her have the time of her life on her wedding day. It reminded me of my wedding reception and the dancing we had there. It was so so fun and we were greatly supported by so many friends and family. I was deeply touched. This bride was a reminder to me to remember the good times we've had, and the good times to follow.

So, thank you, Bride Claire for your inspiration to me to keep going and enjoy the journey, not just to trek it. You were beautiful and I hope you enjoy all the blessings that come from marriage.

Loves,
Ally J

December!

Okay, so I've refrained from posting because my dear dear computer is in the hospital right now and I can't do jack with my husband's Mac due to stupidity-but I just have so much to write about that I just can't wait! So I rumaged through my husband's collection of photos so ya'll had something to look at while I rant and rave. :)

So! December has been CRAAAAZY crazy crazy, as always, Chad and I were buried deep into studying for finals and performances the first two weeks of december. I honestly didn't see him very much at all in that time! I remember him calculating up the hours and there was one of those weeks were we had seen each other a combination of 3 HOURS the whole week! Now that is just gross and sad. But! We prayed together both morning and night and read scriptures together every night, without a doubt. That, my friends, holds ya together in the hard times.

On a good note, we only spend 25 dollars on groceries this month! All thanks to forgetting we had money on a gift card still and we returned our blender that was letting off a rather smokey smell. Also lots of nights spend with family and friends that provided dinner for us. :) Hooray! It's the small things.

One of my many performances at the end of the semester included singing at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square. I LOVE temple square, especially during Christmas time with the buzillion lights everywhere. It brings back such memories being there...my family has gone every single year since I was pretty much birthed. Yeah. Way to go Brent and Lisa Best for making that happen with all us kids!

The performance went rather well, I thought! I performed with UVU Masterworks Chorale and UVU Chamber Choir. The sound in there was awesome and WE were awesome so....:). Here's a pretty sweet picture of Chamber performing. I'm the little one on the end with the long locks.

I have the best support team ever back home, so I was so fortunate to have ALL my family there, plus my Aunt Missy and the girls! {Mads, Kenzie, and Kate}. Seriously. My fam comes to everything. And most of them have already heard everything we've sung multiple times so...they rock. What a good lookin' group!

{Carter in stroller ;)}

Here's me and the most attractive man in the world! How lucky! I love my husband. Might I mention he held Mr. Carter the majority of my performance and he was so good for Chad! He's gonna be the greatest daddy ever.

I had a performance at the Gateway later in the week with the UVU Jazz Octet. It was bitter cold, and my Chad,Daddy, William, Tom, Leafy and Carter came all that way to see me, and they were pretty much our audience! Score, Ally's fam!


December was still off to a steady pace of filled events, even when finals began to come to a close. My brother-in-law Ryan and his wife, KacyAnn  had their first baby! Sweet Averi Belle Johnson. If you don't already know, I love ALL things baby and Chad has to restrain me from jumping into piles of baby food and rattles at the store {ha, jokes, but really}, so to have baby Carter at 5 months, AND a baby girl niece all together was and still is blowing my mind! I can't handle it! Anyway, I was pretty darn excited to see my new niece. She's a doll.

Proud Uncle Chad and Aunt Ally. And no, this is not OUR child. {We were asked that. ;)}.

We LOVE being Uncle and Aunt to our nieces and nephews. Here's one of Baby Carter too!

Ah. Look at that handsome boy!

We are so very very blessed!

Next on our agenda was Christmas parties and getting presents. Chad and I were actually pretty good because we had a majority of our family presents done by the beginning of December! But of course, were still doing things last minute. Chad and I had a lot of fun having a small little budget for gifts and figure out what we could do to get everyone in our families something, and some things for each other. Being poor can be fun! Haha. And we accomplished our goal within our budget! Wahoo!

I'll write more about Christmas parties and Christmas and the like soon. Overall, we had a wonderful, beautiful Christmas and are fortunate enough to have both our families close by. Again, we are blessed!

Hope your holiday season has been both merry and bright. :)

Loves,
Ally J

December

I decided I needed a little breather from studying and life for a little bit. :)

I just adore December.

One of my favorite parts is standing outside when it's snowing, and listening to the silence. It's like this heavy mask of peace has just set over the whole world. Do you know what I'm saying? Honestly it's impossible to describe. But it's absolutely perfect.

This year has especially been needful of Christmas cheer. I must admit, I'm usually the biggest advocate for "no Christmas music till after Thanksgiving!", but this year...I just needed that music. I  needed to have my Christmas and December memories surrounding me.

These last few months have been just a tad difficult. Always blessed, always. But some days were just harder than others. School has been killer (almost done with the semester!), transitioning into married life has been an adventure that I love but definitely takes some getting used to, having a job that I have to work for as much as possible in order to pay the bills every month, and all other things have made things crazy.

So I needed a little Christmas spirit a little early this year. And no worries, friends. I am so so so happy. :) Really! I just needed a little pick-me-up, and December was the perfect trick.

I have so many cherished memories of this time of year. I literally could do 25 blog post about it and STILL not be even close to being done explaining all my memories. But let's do one for today, yes?

          When mom would get the tree out every year (we've had a fake one forever due to my Dad's burning of the tree story), we would pull out all the branches and pull apart the pieces to make it look all pretty and not like it had been sitting in a storage room for a year. I still remember the smell of the fake pin needles. After we would pull out the branches, Ben would bring out all his Ninja Turtle action figures and we would place them in the tree and play with them for hours. They would hid among the branches and do crazy-out-of-this-world tricks, jumping from the top branch to the bottom and surviving. It was the best thing ever. Then mom would say it was time to decorate the tree, so we had to put the Ninja Turtles away till next year.

I think about all these little traditions that didn't seem like anything, but were the world to me and hope my children make ones of their own. I hope Chad and I can create a home were our children feel they can play make-believe. I want them to feel magic, just like I did and always will because it was that precious to me.

I ADORE CHRISTMAS/DECEMBER.

Love always,
Ally Jo

Date Night in the Fort

Chad Edward and I try to have date night every week, which can sometimes be difficult with our demanding schedules and stuff stuff stuff. But we must date! Even after you get married, you're still dating! True story.

So. We decided to go ice-skating with our pass-of-all passes. Sweet! Free skating, right?

WRONG.

We go and the lady say, "ooo...ya you can't use those. They only work at the rink February through June" or somethin' like that. Oh ok. Not her fault by any means, but it did put a damper on our little date night. And a Plan B was in order.

So. We went to the donuts. Which means, we went to Fresh Market and got some donuts and hot chocolate. Yes, we had a little tuffle deciding which hot chocolate to get and I don't take it this time and say it was my fault.

Kids? Don't be angry over hot chocolate mix. ;)

Anyway. Turns out we got home to find a present at our door that my mom had dropped off for my neighbor, and guess what. That's right. That same EXACT hot chocolate we had tuffled about like 15 minutes before at Fresh Market was in the present, with a wonderful, plush, brown zebra stripped blanket. :):) I think Heavenly Father was trying to teach us a lesson, and DEFINITELY make us laugh. And we did that. We laughed and smiled at our silly childish ways. 

After that, we MADE A FORT! Well, more like I did and Chad held up the broom pole to keep it standing while I adjusted everything so it would stay up. Poor guy. He collapsed before the fort was even done!

We made some hot chocolate {The now officially named Tuffle Hot Chocolate} and ate our donuts in our wonderful fort.

We decided to play some Dominoes! Here's the thing, though. We got it out, got it all ready, then started telling memories of playing Dominoes with Grandmas and family....and before we knew it it was 1 hour later and Chad was talking about being super smart at math in 3rd grade and was cooler than all the other kids. I couldn't tell you HOW we got there, but we did and Dominoes remained UN-played. Then it was sleepy time.

So! Successful date? YES! Time with my hubbie, hot chocolate, donuts, fort, un-played Dominoes, childhood memories and kisses. Yes. Good.

Date night = Rockage.

Love always,
Ally Jo

My New Hair

My birthday was coming up, and I was trying to think of something I would enjoy for a present. 

I'd also been getting to the stage with my hair where I needed a change. My hair had been the same for 3 years and it was time for something new besides just my usual color I did every few months. It was a big deal though, because I had grown really attached to my hair and was scared to change things up. But, it was getting drab and boring. 

Chad knew I was looking to do something new with my hair, and he suggested I should do that for my birthday. What a brilliant man. ;) And it worked out great because the girls in Chad's family decided to go in together and get that for my birthday present from all of them. {Thanks, guys!}

Chad's sister, Tiffany does hair so I had the perfect girl for the job. I discussed different possibilities with her and mentioned I didn't want anything insanely crazy. Just a little spice. And sista? She did a great job! We decided to go with a caramel melt. I think it turned out super well! AND. Chad LOVES IT. So? Mission accomplished. :)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 It's sorta hard to see since my hair is pretty long and I could only capture the top half of my head with the camera, but I think you can kinda tell.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

 

Yep. Just a little pick-me-up.And the best part is I don't have to keep up with it like when you have highlights. That's why I never get them, because then I have to re-do my roots over and over. But this will just grow out.  I absolutely love it! Definitely just what I was looking for. Thanks, Tiff!

Love always,
Ally Jo

Girls Night Out

Remember conference weekend like over a month ago?

Well no worries that I'm JUST getting to posting about our girls night while the boys were at priesthood session. ;)

Basically, my mom, sis, and sis-in-law all met up at the best and only amazing Spagetti Factory for some grub. It was delicious as always, and we all got some much needed family girl time. Though it was a girl night...we did have our little guy, Carter tag along. :) I love my nephew so much! He is just growing and growing everyday, and I can't believe what a cute little man he is. Ah. To die for. 

We went to University Mall after our dinner and looked around for birthday present ideas for Leafy and I, since her birthday was that weekend and mine was around the corner. It was fun! And we got to attempt to stuff blankets around Carter in the mall strollers because he was just a tad bit too small for them. :)

Over all, it was a wonderful night out. Favorite part of the night? Being with my girls and having Carter hold my little finger as we strolled around the mall. :)

Yeah for Conference Weekend!

Love always,
Ally Jo

The Hamster Goes Missing

So...sometimes I'm ridiculously 5 years old and do crazy things at our house.

As most women can relate, I feel like I loose half of my head of hair when I get in the shower. How do I loose that much?! I mean it's just insane. And down right gross.....especially when we forget to remove the hair when we're all done. ;) I usually always remember! But one morning....

...Chad mentioned something.

"Hey Hunny, so I found a hamster in the shower this morning."

Wha?

"Yes. A hamster."

I'm still utterly blanking and don't understand how a hamster could possibly get into our shower.
 He laughs and begins to relate my wad of hair to a hamster.

Oh dear.
 I probably blushed a little, then laughed lots for my and my husband's silliness.

So the hamster was removed.

But I wasn't gonna let this be the end of our friend, the hamster. So I got up earlier one morning, took a shower, and went about my devious plan. And this is what Chad woke up to.

Mwah hahaha!

Chad's reaction?= what did I marry?

:) Perfect. Ha ha! Basically what went down for clarification, I removed all my hair that morning from the shower, which meant our hamster escaped! Which only meant utter panic with a hamster on the run. I had to warn Chad!

...So maybe I'm a little insane and crazy beyond all reasons, but it's the little things that keep marriage wonderful and fun. And remind you why you love the other one so much you could just squeeze their guts out. All over.

The hamster tends to make an appearance from time to time, but generally speaking, we have frightened the poor guy off. Case closed.

Love always,
Ally Jo

My Super-Hero Husband

I love my husband.

I'm know all of you out there with husbands of your own love them too.

Chad is my source of joy when I feel low. He loves me when my hair is greasy and gross and tells me I'm beautiful. He dances with me in the kitchen. He builds forts with me in the living room. He remembers special things. He races me to the car clear across the neighborhood and grabs me and spins me around. He snuggles up to me and massages my neck and plays with my hair. He makes me killer omelets. He opens my door for me. He reminds me that I'm loved. He reminds me I have a purpose. He goes to the temple with me almost every single week.

He has caused me to believe in love. Real love. He's convinced me that we really can be together forever and there is a great, incredibly brilliant plan behind having a man and a woman come together. You better believe it can be sorta sticky living with a member of the opposite sex ALWAYS. Not just a semester, but this guy is stuck with me everyday of forever. Ha! I love him for sticking it out with me, even when I turn into a monster. And believe me, I can be a monster.

He's my super hero. I'm convinced his white spot on the back of his head is really his only link to his secret identity. Because really? He's a super fighting machine. He saves millions. That's right. Feel jealous that I found a super-hero for my husband.

Chad wipes away my tears so very tenderly. And I cry lots, so he has mastered this skill. ;) He knows exactly what to do when I'm having women-time-of-the-month days. Chocolate, Cosby show, heated water bottle and blankets. He's pro. ;)

He's my rock. He's my teacher. He's my companion. He makes me laugh like a screaming banchee. He makes me feel special. He makes me feel like the luckiest girl ever. AND I absolutely love holding his hand and walkin' around town because, let's be real. I have something to show off. ;)

Oh ya. And he's ridiculously good looking. :)

I love my husband. I just get giddy thinking I get to be with him forever. Love you, Sweetie!

Love always,
Ally Jo

My Bike

These past few months of m life, I've had moments of this. Moments where I've been on the bike and all that's getting me through staying up is telling myself that I just gotta keep moving. Gotta keep moving....gotta keep moving....

This semester is school has been hard. Not gonna lie. And my adviser wanted me to take MORE credits than I already am! HA. That's all I gotta say. Anyway. I've had a lot of things thrown at me. Credits lost. Stubborn jaw. Tired body. Not enough air. Insecurities.Not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Spiritual pain. I'm sure everyone can relate to my version of "biking up that huge hill".

But I'm glad that I have things along the way to keep me going. Keep me balanced. I've had to step back a lot and look at what I CAN do, rather than trying to be superwoman and do everything. And that's hard because I love opportunity. But sometimes, not all the opportunity in the world is supposed to be grabbed all at once. 

So I was a good girl today, and decided to let one thing go. It was hard, because it's a good thing, but I just need to "clean out the closet" and feel a little more spacey so I can do better in the things I am doing. I'm sorta doing that "spring cleaning", but in the fall. :) And I feel a little bit lighter. 

I love the changes of season because it's a testimony to me that I can change too. This weather has literally been good for me not only because it's just plain lovely, but 'cause I feel like the season is my friend encouraging me to cleanse myself as they do. 

I need to breathe. I need to enjoy the air flowing past me on my ride on my bike. 

Did I mention "my bike" rocks?

:) Loves. 

Ally Jo

Cartsie

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE my little nephew, Carter!

I think all of us in the family can say, "What did we ever do before Carter?". He brings so much joy to our family that can't be explained. I know all of us have felt more hope with him around. If I have a bad day, I know I can just look at Carter and feel all better again (when I get to see him) "Ok. Life is good. Carter. Good.", and everything seems easier.

I find such happiness being his Auntie! I just can't explain the love I have for him...and I'm not even his mommy! I can't even imagine what love Leafy and Tom must have for this little guy! I could watch him for hours. Every time he gives me that gummy, crooked smile.....ah. Kills me. I love kissing his chubby cheeks and watching him grow and grow. He is SUCH A CUTIE. Gah. What a little man!

He's been such a blessing in all of our lives. Our family has a new dimension now, and it's very cool to feel and see. The world makes more sense with is presence. Everyone is happy when Carter is in the room. Just hold him for a second and your heart will instantly melt.

This little guy has definitely made Chad & I really excited for the day we have kiddies of our own!

Love you, Cartsie! Never forget Auntie Ally loves you!

*muah. Baby kisses.

Love Always,
Auntie Ally Jo

Updating

Life has been quite good lately. I don't have much I can complain about. Plus complaining just sounds nasty as a word anyhow, so why would a talk about that?

Chad and I have been busy at schoolwork, work, and activities of many sorts. The other night, we went over to my brother and sister-in-law's house, Chris & Julianne to have some beef stew! AH. We love that lovely beef stew. It warms you up like none other and makes Chris and I's nose run. :) Thought you ought to know. I just love being with them. They are such good people and are both so very talented! They make Chad and I laugh and keep our spirits up. 

We went to our ward Halloween Party and it was a blast! They put so much work into it and everyone came with the cleverest costumes ever! I would have never thought of that! My favorite by far was the Daddy was a monk, the Mommy was a nun, and their little girl was Nacho. CLASSIC. Her little onesie had chest hair attached and everything. So cute! We have such a great ward and Chad and I are enjoying getting to know everyone and make new friends. 

We're getting a new car on Halloween! Thank heavens, hooray. Seriously. It's a Mazda 6 and we are eager to get our new little addition to the...family. Good thing that sounds like we're speaking of a child. 

We got callings! Yahoo! Chad and I are Choir Committee Members, which means we help choose music, organize treats, and help plan the Christmas and Easter Program. Oh ya. And the Bishop informed me that I'll be accompaining some songs too. AHHH! If you know me, yes, I play piano but playing for people is not my forte. But the Bishop said it would be good for me...grrrr....and I know he's right. So! Here's to not messing up too bad in front of the whole ward. Chad has also been called as the Assistant Secretary to the Elders Quorum Presidency. He's very excited about that and gets to work with some awesome men!

Overall, things are going very well for the Johnson Family. We are SO very blessed and just love being newlyweds. I'm glad I got him to keep my laughin' when life gets tough. Take care, all. 

Love ALWAYS. 

Ally Jo

Liebster! {Good thing this post took me forever to write}

Yeah for Liebster!

I was reading some of my favorite blogs today and saw some "liebster awards" going around. What is this? I must know more!

A Liebster is a German word meaning dearest, sweetest, cutest. The award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.


I was scrolling down the list of nominations on some blogs {demonstrated below}, and sweet! My blog cropped up! Well isn't that just peachy. :) Thanks, one and all to those who nominated my blog. I feel like we should share PB&J sandwiches together sometime.

But really, this award is really cool because it gives bloggers a chance to, like the award says, "discover new blogs!". I love finding new treasures {blogs}, so I love this. With the award comes some "rules". Here they are:

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 
• Answer the questions the nominator asked, and create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
• Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag-backs.

So, let's get to it! 11 things about little ole me....

1. The day I got my braces off was one of the best in the whole entire universe {I think anyone who has been through this day would whole-heartily agree}. The slimy, smooth texture of my teeth was completely satisfying in an indescribable way. I don't think I've ever touched the front of my teeth with my tongue that many times in one day in my life!

2. I love crackers and chippies. Ask my husband. He says that more often than not, I can be seen holding a cracker or chip in hand. I try to stick to the crackers. :) But there is just something about a salty crunch that gets me. Ah. I need a cracker. 

3. I have some big dreams. But there are 3 MAIN big dreams. 1:Be A WIFEY. [Done.] :) And thank heavens it's an eternity thing, not just a momentarily thing. I adore it. 2: BE A MOMMY. Ah! I want, more than anything, to be the epitome of a mother. The thought of having little heads all around me-having tickle fights, flour fights, peanut butter all over the walls, crayons on the floor, soccer games to attend, room mother duties, concerts to enjoy-----you name it and my heart is full. I want this more than anything. I can't wait for Chad & I's special little spirits to get here! And 3: Go to Africa and many other places around the world helping other people through service. I LONG for this. Helping children in orphanages, making schools, helping sick people...I want to be apart of that. I want to participate in a hard core humanitarian group. 

4. When I was 6 years old I said I liked 11 boys. Mind you, they were people like, "the one kid I saw at the gas station on our trip to California". :) I was so silly....

5. I didn't know Tweetie was a boy until 3 days ago. Huh.

6. Scary movies? Not my thing. I don't like the evil spirit I feel when I watch them. Doesn't make sense to me WHY someone would openly invite that. 

7. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. :) Proud of it. 

8. My husband is better than Spider-Man. I know. LUCKY!!!!

9. I had extremely Blondy hair as a child. It just turned darker with age. 

10. I LOVED high school. Yeah, there's the not so dandy parts, but overall, I had GREAT friends, GREAT teachers, a GREAT community to support me, and lots of love. Proud to be a caveman!

11. "My Man"-Barbra Streisand from Funny Girl. Ah. "People" as well. Gets me every time.

And here are my questions from Jeannie and Allie. {I chose some from each} 

1. Why do you blog? Why? Because it gives me a space to keep my thoughts. I do have lots of journals, which never can be replaced. Nothing is like gliding a pen along that holds your deepest wishes and joys. Blogging is just another form of that for me...clicking of keys....and I can keep friends and family updating on what I'm doing and see what my friends are up to.
2. Favorite piece of furniture (and it can't be your bed!)? I love really sweet coaches that have awesome fabric on them. But mostly, my family's navy blue coaches that are now resting in peace. :'(  Such a sad day when we had to throw those away! So many memories on those couches!
3. What is your signature dance move? Penguin waddle. Gets them every time.
4. Character in a movie/book you related to most? Gah. This is hard. Don't you feel like you can always relate to someone in a book in some way? Of course I felt like I could relate to Hermione when I was a young teen. :) What girl didn't? The rest shall remain anonymous for now.
5. Number one place you never want to go? The Land of Mis-Fit Toys. How sad would that be?!
6.  What is your biggest pet peeve? Disrespect. Oh baby. It makes me cringe when people talk over others, don't listen to the teacher, or are just plain rude and cruel. Absolutely hate it.
7. Favorite word? Today? Superbly. :) My visiting teacher text it to me and I can't stop thinking how superbly superbly is!
8. Guilty pleasure? Cookie dough. Deep fried chocolate {jokes ;)}. Nutella.
9.  Which TV show do you never get sick of? Cosby Show! And Boy Meets World!
10.  Thoughts on breakfast? I wish I had more time for it to be a hard-core breakfast eater. Like actually getting up and making waffles sounds like a dream! Like a lot of everyone, I usually grab and go.
11. If you were a tree, what tree would you be? Acorn Tree! Then I would have kisses* all over me to give away to passerbys.
 

Alright. Now it's my turn to nominate. :) 

Here's my questions for them now because my computer is being nuts and won't let me post them after. 

1. What is your deepest more wonderful life dream for yourself?

2. Shoes or no shoes?

3. Did you have a favorite thing when you were little? Like a blankie, stuffed animal?

4. How do you eat your oreos?

5. Paper, or plastic?

6. If there was ever an opportunity for you to go skydiving, would you?

7. Favorite kids show as a child?

8. Did you get babysat as a kid? If you ever babysat, any stories?

9. What do you do for your "me" time?

10. A person you admire.

11. Why blog?

 

Good thing this post took me 2 weeks to write. HA! Love you all!

Aly: Becoming Louisianans

Steph: A&A

Alisha: Lisha Bisha

Abby: Abigail

         Leafy:Tom & Elise

        Amanda: Hermansen Family

        Eliza: la vie de les grants

       Erika: Linen & Wool

       Makenzie: A Teacher Named Life

Rachael: The Fortune Cookie

In Christ Alone

When I get in hard-core study attack sessions, I listen to some songs over and over again to get a certain mood and rhythm going in my head. It's interesting, because certain types of songs don't mesh well with my studying brain. Some classical songs totally work with my study-gel-brain, but others are completely awful. There are songs that I absolutely adore and will play over and over again in the car, but could never study to them.

In high school, I was the drama/speech sterling scholar {I know, right?}, and I remember sitting at the computer for literally days creating my portfolio. The only thing that kept me sane was a playlist of the same songs being repeated over and over again. I even typed up the list at the end of sterling scholar because I wanted to remember those songs. They literally inspired me and kept me going when I had no ounce of juice left.

So today I've been listening to a certain song over and over to keep me sane in my studying vortex. My husband showed this song to me awhile ago, and I instantly fell in love with it. I didn't even know Owl City had this song! What a shiny find! He started listening to it a lot in the last few weeks and I noticed the peace it brought me. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to this song in my moments of sadness, anger and happiness.

I think the message is simply exquisite in this song. Maybe you'll listen to it and love it just as much. :) My Savior has brought me such unexplainable joy...and no words can describe the rest. Just take a listen, and maybe you'll understand my feelings a little better. :)

"In Christ Alone" -Owl City

Love. Love Always.
Ally Jo

We Can Make It

My new temple. :)

I absolutely love Fall.

Adore it, more like.

I discovered this year that about 3/4 of my clothes are long sleeve. Who knew? In the warm months I was always trying to be creative, but most of the time ended up with a t-shirt and jeans because it's the most comfy when I'm hot and sweaty. But now I look in the closet and see endless possibilities!

Ha. I'm a goober. There may be endless possibilities but it all depends if I EVER get up out of bed (with the worst bed-head and morning breath ever) and feel like taking the time to actually get dressed up instead of just a sweater. {Except I would NEVER say "just sweater" because it would hurt sweater's feelings.:) And sweaters rock}.

Anyway. Enough of sweaters.

I'm feeling a bit crazy lately. Like I'm here...but I'm not. Anyone relate? Like I go where I go, but there's this glass case around me and it's like I'm watching all these people and interactions, but I don't think I'm really there. {Chuckles}. It's a real scream, but definitely true. I'm gonna go back under my blanket now...

I LOVE apple cider! My favorite thought at this moment is getting in my footsie pajamas and cuddling up with a hot mug of cider and a good read. Mmmmm.....Bliss.....come to me.

Oh yes. I've started a Savory Scripture text. Basically I send you a scripture everyday with my little thought. That's all. No monthly fee, no commitment, no hassle, no anything. :) I would even send you a piece of chocolate with it if it were possible. If you want to become apart of the Savory Scripture love, just....contact me....somehow....{probably facebook message} since I probably shouldn't give out my number on here for creepy people sake, and give me your number and I would LOVE to add you to my list! You can even be someone I don't know so well! Or you can even give me a number of a friend or family member you want me to send it to and I'll do it!

{Good thing I have unlimited texting...:)}

This has really been a cool experience. Just to feel like we're all scripture friends, ya know? We all have our hectic days we're going through-and to just take a moment and think about our Savior as we look at our phone...it's good. And I'm right there with everyone. I hope it's lifting those who receive it in some way.

I'm about to be 21 years old, friends. 21. Where in the whole hundred acre wood did I find myself staring at THAT number? Wow. I remember when I was little I would imagine myself as a "mature" woman. {Ha...mature...} And I have to say...I imagined myself a little bit taller, ha! But basically...I wasn't too far off. :) I shall share more of my "becoming 21" times with you when it gets closer.

I hope everyone is doing good. And by good, I don't necessarily mean perfect. 'Cause things can be pretty tough lately. I don't even know exactly what every human is going through, but I know something is happening behind that face. Some concern, some worry, some stress. Something. And I just want to say, "Ya. I feel ya". But I also want to say, "We can make it, friend".

And we will.

I am very proud of the courage you have to fight against the monsters under your bed. The scum between your toes {alfalfa anyone?}. The room without a nightlight.

Let's face it. You all rock. And I'm glad.

Hopefully your week is pleasant. It's tough for it to be perfect, but just remember. It's your best day. :)

Take care, all.
Love always. Just do it.
Ally Jo

Birthday...love...happiness

Well now that I finally figured out the camera situation, I can put up some photos, as of late!

My goodness, my hubbie is now a whopping 22. ;) Who would have ever thought. We had such fun on the birthday festivities {ha, and it wasn't even mine!}. Ryan and KacyAnn {bro and sis-in-law} took us out to Oliver Garden, which was fantastic, especially when you're newly weds. After dinner, they took us to Nickelcade and we had such a great time! His mom took us to Los Hermanos and Chad got nachos that were the size of France. Literally. It took him a week to eat them all! After that delicious dinner, we went to Comedy Sportz, which is always a deep pleasure. 

The two of us went to a movie {which was so-so} and afterwards I took Chad to the mall to get a new outfit for life and fun. :)

Look how stylin' he is! And yes, those are red pants. :)

Myself for birthday happiness. Get this! Chad TOTALLY picked out those smokin' pink pants on our honeymoon! He's got style...

So for his birthday we didn't have a cake or anything, so we got him a Krispie Kreme donut. :) What could be better on a birthday than a donut, spider-man cup, and a wife? So his birthday deemed spectacular.

About a week later I went on a weekend trip to Hurricane with the fam. Unfortunately, Chad couldn't come because of work :(, but I had a good time catching up with family. I just love Hurricane. It brings complete rest and joy in my soul and I always feel refreshed when I go. Seeing my grandma and cousins just makes the world a better place. 

I'm amazed this picture turned out like it did because in reality, I was a gross, sweaty mess on that car ride!

This past weekend I performed a solo for a "Best of Chamber" concert at UVU. The chamber choir is raising money so that we can go on tour to CHINA {I know, RIGHT!} this year, so we put on a fundraising concert. Everyone came with solos, duets, quintets...you name it and we all performed. It was actually super fun! It was so great to hear all my colleagues show off their stuff. I sang, "Astonishing" from Little Women. I've always wanted to sing that song, but it's a beast. But hey, I thought I'd give it a shot and it actually went pretty well. :)

My hair for the performance. :)

I think the best part of the evening was when I was sewing a button onto my vest before the concert started and one of my friends said, "You really ARE a little woman! Look at you sewing!". :) That's RIGHT!

Before the show, my Daddy and Mommy took Chad & I out for dinner at my favorite...The Old Spagetti Factory. Ah. Let me tell ya. Special dinner is a GUGILLION (yes, gugillion), times better when you're married. Yes, anything in regards to food is wonderful. So I was triple-foldly glad for my parents and their love. It was so good to see my parents! I miss them like crazy and don't see them very often, so any sighting is fantastic.

So yeah for some happy times of August/September. Here's lookin got October! My birthday month!

Love. Love always.

Ally Jo