10 Days of You Challenge--Seven Wants

Seven Wants

One. My own puppy. A Teacup Yorkie to be specific!

Two. More friends at school.

Three. A boyfriend.

Four. More tattoos.

Five. A new iPhone!

Six. For my student loan money to come in.

Seven. To run a marathon... However, I WILL be doing this within the next year.

With love,
Ali


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10 Days of You Challenge--Eight Fears

Eight Fears

One. Never getting married.

Two. Never having/not being able to have children.

Three. Losing people I love/people I love leaving me.

Four. Not being good enough.

Five. Scary movies. Hate them.

Six. Walking alone in the dark. Who isn't???

Seven. Wood ticks. Those things give me the heeby jeebies!

Eight. Graduating college to find that I don't like what I majored in.

With love,
Ali


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How Do YOU Know??

I am sitting in class about 5 minutes before it is going to start. I'm a pretty good day dreamer so I am reflecting upon a few things.

I was thinking back to when I first started dating my now ex-boyfriend. Everyone around me besides my parents kept telling me how bad of a decision it was to date this guy.

Their reasoning? He was too old and we were at different points in our lives. Granted, he is 9 years older than I, but how do they know what's right and wrong for me?

I must say dating that guy was probably the best thing that had ever happened to me. I was so happy all the time. And I was so in love. Which is probably the reason why I was so heartbroken when he decided that relationship wasn't what he wanted.

But that's besides the point.

I am just curious as to why people my own age think they know what's better for me. It utterly confuses me.

AND, no that was not all. When we broke up, people who I thought were my friends had told my real friends, "well it's probably a good thing. It wouldn't have worked out anyway. They are at total different points in their lives."

HOW DO YOU KNOW???

Were you there through our ups and downs and through our whole relationship? Because of the fact that no one knew the circumstances of our relationship (I'm kind of a private person besides this blog) I tend to believe they had/have no clue what is best for me.

Only we know what is best for ourselves. There are those people to bring in their two cents every once in a while, but those are people like parents and BEST friends whom you would hope would tell you what they think. People were also in awe that my parents were okay with it. Nine years isn't that much, people!

Some people just don't understand that other people are strong and able to take care of themselves.

And that's what really bothers me.

That's my reflection for the day.

Thanks for letting me be on a soapbox for 15 minutes.

With love,
Ali


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10 Days of You Challenge--Nine Loves

First off, I want to apologize for my lack of pictures that is going to continue until Thursday. I don't have real Internet right now so I must blog off my iPhone. :(

Nine Loves

One. My Family. I would not be where I am today without them.

Two. Running.

Three. Minnesota in the Summer, Spring, and Fall...and the first snowfall of winter. After that it gets a bit ridiculous.

Four. Singing. Weddings, funerals, church, school...you name it, I sing it!

Five. Children. Adore them.

Six. Sleeping. I am a huge believer in 9+ hours of sleep at night!

Seven. Hunting, fishing, and any other outdoor sports.

Eight. Weddings. Even though they make me anxious for my own future, I absolutely love getting dressed up, looking my best, being with awesome, HAPPY people, and having fun.

Nine. Cuddling up and watching a movie.

Obviously there are SO many more things I absolutely love, but nine was my limit.

With LOVE,
Ali


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10 Days of You Challenge--Day 1.

I've never done a blog challenge before...so here goes my first one!

Ten Secrets

One. I have really bad road rage. Like, I can't stand it when people drive slow in the "fast" lane or are just plain bad drivers. I also have a really heavy foot...

Two. I have never eaten a Big Mac. Yuck.

Three. I am a sucker for reality TV. Big Brother and The Amazing Race in particular. I would gladly go on either of these shows any day of my life!

Four. I cannot wait to be out of college. Yes, I know that everyone says not to rush it and that it's the greatest time of your life, but I just want to be done.

Five. I want more tattoos. I have two, but they are so addicting and if I had the funds, I would get more! ( I would post a picture but nothing good comes from Google Imaging "tattoos.")

Six. I can hold grudges really bad.

Seven. I am in love with country music. Nothing else can describe emotions more perfectly.

Eight. When it comes to my hair, I am a perfectionist. If I straighten it, it has to be perfectly straight. NO waves. If I curl it, ALL of it is curled. Not one single straight piece. Drives me nuts sometimes that I'm like this.

Nine. I want babies sooner than later. Sounds crazy, but I just want to be a mommy. And if it happened now, I'd be ready. (I will be married first though) #toobadidontevenhaveaboyfriend

Ten. I love the relationship I have with my family. They are ALWAYS there for me. No matter what.

Funny story: My brother and I share a cell  phone plan and I went over our minutes...I talk to my mom on the phone A LOT and she doesn't have the same carrier so it isn't free mobile to mobile minutes. Well, I saw a commercial for unlimited minutes if you have unlimited messaging...which we do. I immediately called my brother and told him about it and he said that he already signed us up for it the other day. I was so thankful and said, "Good! Just as long as I get to talk to my mom MULTIPLE times a day...I'm happy!" Seriously...my mom and I talk at least 5 times a day. Not including texting. It warms my heart to think of it now. :)

Brother's girlfriend and their baby are also in this picture.

There you have it!  My ten (not so secret) secrets!

With love,

Ali

5 Things Friday

1. First week of classes is complete!

2. I started my 2nd job today...oh the life of a working woman!

3. Hanging out with my cousin tonight. :)

4. I had a really fun chat (on Facebook) with someone really cute on Wednesday. ;)

5. I'm already looking forward to next weekend where I hopefully get to go home.

Happy weekending!

With love,

Ali

First Day of School!

Man I feel like I'm back in middle school or high school when I say that!

Today was my first day of class and it went really well! I only have 2 classes on Mondays and they go like this...

My first class starts at 8AM...yeah, not too happy about that one. It is a KSP class, which stands for K-12 Secondary Programs. They're introducing us how to teach in the classroom and what the classroom will be like. It was all right. My professor is really nice (so far) but she repeated herself a lot and I got bored of that. But it seems like something I'll like.

My second class starts at 9 and is the same thing. You see, these two classes go hand in hand with eachother. My prof for this class is AWESOME! So far anyway... She was so nice and upbeat and wanted to get to know us and for us to get to know her. I like profs that want to have a relationship with us, not just someone who is there to feed us information.

After class got over at 10:30 I came back to my apartment, ate, and then I was well on my way to a job interview! I think it went really well, so fingers crossed I get a call later this week!

I have a choir audition for the concert choir at Mankato at 3:30 so I pray that all goes well!

I hope you all are having a lovely Monday.

I'm making spaghetti for supper...anyone want to join me?

With love,
Ali

5 Things Friday

I'm linking up for 5 Things Friday with Simple Thoughts From A Simple Girl. This is so much fun. You simply name any 5 things that you're happy or sad about, or some things you just plain love! Here goes!

1. Going back to my apartment either tomorrow or Sunday. So ready.
2. Job interview for a job I REALLY want, on Monday!
3. I've been able to have lots of cuddle time with my awesome niece this weekend.
4. I get to crack open a new book as soon as I have time.
5. School hasn't even started and I have an assignment due Monday at 6. Boo.

With love,
Ali

It's been a while..

Move-in, ID taken, and babies. OH MY!

It's definitely been a LONG while since I've posted and I sincerely apologize. Last Wednesday I moved in to my apartment for college. The first night my mom stayed with me but after that I was SO bored since my roommates hadn't moved in yet. That weekend though both my roommates moved in and we went OUT on Saturday night! We had a lot of fun. However, I got my fake ID taken away so I could no longer get into the bars. Curse me but yes, I have had a fake ID.

Anyone have blonde hair, blue eyes, and stand about 5'6-5'9??? I will totally pay you for one. Seriously. Not even kidding.

Roomies!

I'm the one in the middle. I'm sure ONE person reading my blog HAS to look SOMETHING like me!

Help a girl out?

Besides that little fact, I also got a JOB! Not with a lot of hours, but I'm coaching gymnastics again and it's going to be so much fun. I really, really, really love coaching...especially gymnastics.

AND...I came home on Wednesday because my brother's little family took a road trip up to Minnesota from Illinois so I came to see them! My little niece is such a little peanut. I love her soooo much. I'm babysitting tonight because my bro and his gf wanted to go out. Fine by me! :)

Tatum and Auntie!

I love my carseat!

I go back to Mankato on Sunday. I'll be sad to leave my family, but I'm ready to start school. I start Monday morning at 8am. PUKE. I don't know how I ended up with that early of a class, but I did. I think that's the only way it would work out. May I remind you...I am NOT, in any way possible, a morning person. Hell, I'm not even a night person. I'm just a love to sleep person!

Tomorrow is Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

With love,

Ali

P.S. The Vikings play this weekend! They blew last weekend so hopefully they do better on Saturday. It's only preseason, but man, do I LOVE me some FOOTBALL! 

I Jacked Someone's Internet

HELL YEAH! Haha. I moved into my apartment yesterday and don't have Internet, furniture (besides the stuff in my room), and roommates.

Every day I have been going crazy with only being able to use the Internet from my phone.

Well, today I connected to someone else's! It's a VERY weak signal, but hey, it's something.

:)

With love,
Ali


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Golfing Shenanigans

I was in another golf tournament last Saturday! I had SO much fun, oh my gosh.

Even though we didn't win, my team was awesome. We already agreed to be on the same team next year!

In the golf carts the girls rode together and the guys rode together. Well after too many a few drinks we girls decided that we wanted to be sneaky and play tricks on the boys. So my partner Meggan distracted the boys while they were tee-ing off and I went to their cart and put them in neutral and also unhooked their golf bags from the cart. As we girls were driving away the boys tried to go but were stuck and couldn't figure out why??!?!?! After finally realizing they were in neutral, they started driving toward us at our tee box and down go both their bags! The funny thing is they didn't even notice. One of the girls on the team behind us was like "HEY! Is that your bag?!" Meggan and I were rolling on the ground laughing so hard. Not kidding. I'm mature, I know.

After a while they unhooked my clubs too. Not as funny as the first time but they did get me back!

My dad and his partner came back to where I was because I made jello shots and had them with me...he wanted some! Well...their battery ended up dying so my partners (the ones standing) pushed them out of the way. HAH!

She wasn't my partner but Ashley is one.awesome.friend.

Love her.

For some reason I don't have a picture of our team. I know someone took a picture of the 4 of us but for some reason I can't remember who it was...hmmmm....

After the tourney we went back to the host and hostess' house and ate and drank some more. It was a lot of fun.

At the end of the night, my dad, Ashley, and I ended up in our backyard in our camper playing drinking games. Hahahaha.

Fun times with amazing people.

Until next year!

With love,

Ali

Weekend Project

Remember the bedframe I was talking about earlier that I bought? Well my weekend consisted of this...




Say hi to Grandma Sandy!

At first I was just going to stain the bedframe. But then I decided that I want all my bedroom furniture to match! So we spent about 4 hours on Friday staining and then another 4 hours today. Most all of it is done...thank God!

All we have left to do is the other sides of the headboard and footboard and then put the poly finish on it.

I love the dark mahogany color we got! However, it took about 4 coats of the stain to get it how we wanted it to look. Needless to say, this was a very pain in the ass task to do and I will not be doing something like it again!

My grandma asked if I would ever do this again and I said no way. I told her that I hope I don't need new bedroom furniture until I get married and by then I'll have money to buy new stuff that all goes together. Haha.

Thanks, Grandma, for all you're help! You are so awesome.

With love,
Ali

If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away.

During the Summer number dates don't really apply to me too much unless I have something planned.

That would be why I forgot that yesterday was the 2nd...the third year anniversary of my grandpa's passing.

You see, this year my grandpa would be turning 60. Meaning that he was 57 when he died from cancer. He was diagnosed about 4 years ago with kidney cancer and after radiation and chemotherapy, the tumors had overcome his brain, and had also spread to his spine and shoulder. All the tumors were too dangerous to remove so they continued with the radiation, chemotherapy, and dialysis he was doing three times a week.

Eventually he realized this was not the life he wanted to live. He was such an independent person and did not want people to have to take care of him anymore. After knowing that my grandma was as ready as she could have been to be without him (because that's just the kind, loving husband he was), he made the decision to discontinue his dialysis and other medications.

Words can't describe how much I miss him and wish he were still here. He was such an amazing person. One of my favorite memories of him is when he taught me how to waterski! Another favorite was when he asked my mom to ask me if I would sing at his funeral. It was so heartwarming to know that he wanted ME to sing for him. I don't know how I pulled it together, but I was able to sing the whole mass without problems or tears. I honestly believe Mick (Grandpa) gave me the strength to get through it.

I still cannot comprehend why God makes some of the decisions he does, but he better have a pretty damn good reason for taking my grandpa away from all his family.

About two-three weeks before he passed away, my older brother and I got tattoos in honor of him. We were lucky enough to be able to show him, and boy was he shocked. Tears and words of  "why would they do that for me?" is all he could say. That shows how humble of a man he actually was. He would do anything for you, no questions asked.

Here is that tattoo. I absolutely love it.

It's on the top of my foot. In the picture my toes are in the bottom right hand corner!

There isn't a day that goes by thta I don't think about you, Grandpa.

I know you're up in Heaven being the handyman that you are.

Please continue to look down over your family and know we are thinking you you!

We love you.

With love,

Ali

The Bargaining Blonde

I went to a furniture closeout store today because I desperately need a new bed set.

I found one I really like! One of those "sleighbed" bed frames. It's unfinished pine so I can stain it any color/shade I want. It was definitely a reasonable price so I wanted it even more. Well, I talked to my dad and he said I should try and negotiate so I can get and even better deal.

I thought okay, I can do this. Well, I went up to the guy with a straight-faced-no bullshit look and offered him a price $30 less than the asking price.

And what did he do? He made me feel SO stupid! Literally, he laughed at me and said "No way. This is a great price. I sell hundreds of these, blah blah blah." He wanted nothing to do with me. I was so irritated! I mean, it's one thing to turn me down, but it's another when you make a girl feel completely stupid. Honestly, I was turning hot and red so I knew I had to leave.

I let it be and walked out of the store. However, I still really want that bed and will be going back tomorrow. Dang.

Any similar stories? This was just so dumb!

With love,
Ali