'Twas The Night Before Christmas

As I watched my Nephews and Niece this morning, it made me reminisce the magic of Christmas and this time of year. The magic of all the lights on the trees, the mystery of Christmas morning, and it made me think about all the traditions we use to do as a family. Here are some that I will love forever:

Christmas Eve:

-Torch Light Parade
-Sibling Gifts
-Acting out the Nativity
-Watching Luke 2
-All the sisters sleeping in the same room
-Setting out our stockings
-Martinelle's and a big Christmas feast

Christmas Morning:

-Waking our parents up through the heating vents (now we have cell phones)

-Lining up youngest to oldest in the hallway waiting for Dad to start a fire and getting ready for us to come out

-The excitement of seeing all the presents set up and put out

-Getting our favorite box of cereal next to our stocking

-Christmas Omelets

-Sledding behind the car

-Skiing as a family

-Making a luge

-All waiting to use the shower and put on our new clothes or out fits

Christmas is truly a magical time, not only because of Santa and the excitement that goes a long with that, but because it is a time where we celebrate the birth of Christ. Someone who has truly influenced all mankind and has shaped the way many of us live our day to day lives. There is magic in this time because it is not only a time of family, celebrations, and festivities, but a time of remembering and celebrating the birth of Christ. Christmas is still magical for me because of the people I am surrounded by and the love that pours out. It fills my soul. It fills my soul even though I have suffered a great deal of loss the past two years and this time of year brings not only joy, but grieving. I sat at Matt's grave today and an overwhelming amount of sadness filled my soul, my whole being. I miss my best friend, I will always miss him, I will miss his smile, his laugh, the way he talked about things, the way we talked, his passion for life, for everything he did. I love him and miss him with all of me. This time of year brings back those many memories with friends, with Matt and his presence is still here, but it isn't the same. Will it ever be the same? I love Christmas and I love all of you. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Allegiance

On this day, Saturday November 28, 2009 the Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars face each other in the most anticipated game of the season, every season. It is known as the Holy War. I have been asked numerous time who I am rooting for considering I have lived in Provo the last two semesters and do attend most of their games as well as the Utah games, but my blood runs red through and through. I will cheer for the Utes and hopefully they will win! 

Let The Battle Begin!

Thank You!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY Y'ALL!! 

Hope your day was full and bright! It was a beautiful one! I am thankful for you, for my family, my friends, snow, the place I live, a college education, and so many other things! What a great day!

(I loved this and I hope you do too!)

Rubik's Cube Extravaganza

I know that Halloween was almost a month ago and I have not posted pictures, but that is only because I don't have very good ones, just ones from my phone, but it is better than nothing!

This is the rubik's cube in progress, hand stitching those squares was not easy and was time consuming. Thanks to Mama K, things moved a lot faster

My beautiful shots right after finishing the project at 11:30 at night! It was well worth the work, but I was tired and over it at the time! And when I showed my Dad he asked well you don't look like a cube! Great Dad, great!

Finally Halloween night! This was at the end of the night, but Sally (my amazing hairstylist at 7Sundaze) did my hair all curly and big with an intercate braid in the front (cubish?), but seeing as my hair does not hold curls very well it went flat! I was one cute Rubik's Cube if you ask me!

xoxo, A

Internship

Yes on top of everything else I got an Internship!!! It is with Utah Sports Action or "Utah's Source for High School Sports"!! This is a new website that provides all the information needed for high school athletes, teachers, fans, parents, college recruiters, and the media. It is still up and coming, but it should be great. I am really excited about promoting this website because I think it is a great resource for high school athletes and college recruiters, I wish it would have been around when I was in high school. 

What you get from the site:

- Highlight videos

- Scores and Stats

- Players of the week

- Schedules

- Pictures

- Articles (some by me!)

- Player biographies

Check it out and see what you think! I will be helping with events, advertising, promoting, writing articles, and just informing people about the site in general. So please check it out if you are interested at all!


xoxo, A

Freaky, Sneaky, Creaky, Halloween

Oh Halloween I do love you, but I haven't been able to enjoy you all that much this year because you were a little bit sneaky and snuck right up on me!

Very creepy!

I know you are in suspense and want to know what me, Ali is going to be for Halloween, I do have to top my homemade Giraffe costume from last year and I hope I can do just that.

Drum roll please......

A RUBIK'S CUBE IT WILL BE!

How you ask and why? Because it is neat and original and I hope cute and creative! Yes I am being the 80's most wanted, most talked about, most tried toy for Halloween! Oh boy what have I gotten myself into?

Pictures will show evidence of this costume after Saturday the 31st Muhahahahahaha!!

New Obsession

Currently my new obsession is Top Chef Las Vegas. If you haven't ever watched this show do! It is on Bravo every Wednesday night and it is addicting. I am not even a good cook even though I want to be, but these chefs are put to some crazy challenges and if they have one bad day.... they are sent home or as the host says, no longer in the runnings to be the next top chef (of course with emphasis on the last two words). What it trust me you will be hooked or don't if you don't want to get hooked.

The Wind in My Hair

Some people may think that driving can be relaxing, meditating, thought provoking, but seeing as I drive about 4-6 hours in 4 days, a week I can tell you driving is over ratted. As I am writing this post I am trying to think of good things about driving, things that make me happy, but honestly I can't think of any! Sure I get to listen to music (thank goodness for pandora on my iPhone), look at the beautiful scenery of i-215, Provo canyon is beautiful, but honestly driving is a time consuming, not so fun activity that I do too much of these days. I thought today, I will probably die in this car because I am in it so much, not because I will die in an accident, but I feel like I live in my car. Good thing I have named my '08 Mazda Muhammad and we have a great relationship, we are still trudging a long. I am decided to write this post because when I got home tonight after traffic, lights, bad drivers, music, and a headache I had to vent. I feel like my brain is fried and I am going full speed a head. What am I doing? I think I ask myself that several times a day and I still don't have an answer!

(I wish this is how I looked and felt while driving! That would be awesome)

 On a lighter note considering I haven't blogged in a long time here are the happenings, comings, and goings of my life:

1. I applied for an internship with Real Salt Lake doing Marketing/Promotions

2. I will officially be a college graduate as of May 2010

3. Dating up a storm (though dating is hard)

4. I finally did learn how to drive a clutch on my road trip with Liz to Boulder Colorado to see Connor

5. I got a new, super cute Nikita snowboard jacket

6. We decided what we are going to be for Halloween (Old Skool Basketball Players, I did want to be a rubics cube, maybe one night I can be! I have great ideas.)

7. Fall is still in the air, but I want it to snow so I can be up on the slopes

8. Saturday: BYU vs. TCU and UTAH vs. AIR FORCE, what a college game day

9. I am trying to figure out what to do with my life once I become a responsible adult and about of the real world society (aka: not in school anymore yikes!)

10. Working on things!

Love you all and I hope you have a happy hump day (Wednesday that is)! Only means the weekend is a couple of days away and I just can't wait!

Favorites

This weekend I have been thinking a lot about this past summer and the cool pictures I got to take thanks to Peter and Britt Chudleigh. As I look back over these pictures I can still not believe how professional and stunning they are (Thanks to the photographers!). Here are some of my favorites from all three of the shoots that I did with them:

It is strange how something can become our favorite, like your favorite movie, color, food, candy, song, band, clothing store, number, joke and so many more. I think that these type of things become our favorite because they make us feel good, they make us happy, smile, laugh, and be present in the moment. I not only got to experience being a model, but also being confident in myself and the type of photos I could deliver. Think of some of your favorite things! Here are some more of mine

Movie: Tommy Boy

Color: Green and Pink

Number: 5

Food: Sushi

Candy: All candy, but probably Mambas

Joke: What did one volcano say to the other? I Lavvvvaaa you!

Song: Too many!

Band: Too many!

Think about it, it just might bring a big smile to your face!

It's a Raw Revolution!

To start off sorry this post is so late! I have been meaning to share my happenings in fabulous Las Vegas since I got back, but it has been a whirlwind trying to get caught up with everything.

VIVA LAS VEGAS

I was in Vegas last week doing a biking (bicycle) convention called Interbike. I was there promoting an organic raw energy bar called Raw Revolution

It was such an awesome experience and I was able to make some great connections for the future (which is not that far away... yikes). Even though the days were long, I got to learn and get a feel for PR in some sense and the world of biking. Here is a recap on what my week looked like:

Day 1: Outdoor Demo- Dusty, biker shorts, lots of raw revolution samples! Lots of guys hitting on me and an awesome sandal line.

Day 2: Outdoor Demo- Dusty, biker shorts, and even more samples! A way nice dinner at Nebo, inside the Hardrock Hotel.

Day 3: The Sands Convention Center! Freezing cold A/C, lots of people, and lots of samples! That night Brooks came into town! Went to the Oakley sponsored party on the roof of the Rio Hotel, which was awesome, made me want to become a DJ!

Day 4: Sands Convention Center! Made friends with surrounding booths and got the ins about free stuff! (Brooks and Jeff are obsessed and really good at getting it!). Interesting dinner at the Hardrock with David Friedman (the owner) before he took flight back home to New York.

Day 5: The last day to enjoy the cold inside weather of the Sands Convention Center! Got lots of free T-Shirts and promoted myself, without business cards (duh!) packed up and headed home to the beautiful, clean, and simple Utah!

I had a blast on my little jaunt down in Las Vegas, but one thing it did make me realize is I do not know how people live their lives like they do in Vegas! It is such an interesting place, where sin really does happen

Weekend Check

WEEKEND FUN

1. BYU Football game vs. Florida State 

2. Tailgating, need I say more

3. Homework

4. Hanging out with ROOMMATES!

5. Meeting new people

6. Pack for Las Vegas

I think that all sounds pretty good for a weekend, well maybe except for the homework part, but I have been swamped since I leave for Las Vegas for an entire week!

A Day To Remember

August 15, 2009 was a good day. It was the day that Lauren and Jeff Allen got married!! It is crazy to think that I have known Lauren and Liz since birth and we have continued to be best friends all of our lives. We have shared a whole lot of memories together and a lot of those memories involved talking about Jeff and hanging out with Jeff! We all knew that Jeff and Lauren were meant to be and it has finally happened! It is funny that this post came on their one month anniversary, but I am excited to continue to watch them and to be a married couple right a long with them someday, it will only get better from here. I love you both and I hope that it is ok that I totally sniped these pictures from your blog! Best of luck Mr. and Mrs. Allen, you are the greatest. Just don't forget you still have me and Liz ( I hope Jeff knows that we will only be around for life! and he better get use to it!)

The Bride and Groom:


The Three of us outside the temple (I absolutely love these!):




The Bride and Groom with their Bridesmaids and Groomsmen:


The Bride and her Bridesmaids:

It's a perfect day, a beautiful day, and a joyus day! Thanks Laur and Jeff for letting me be apart of it! Love you all time!

XOXO A

Delete

Yes, I deleted my facebook! It was time! I feel so proud! Follow my blog now it will be great fun I promise!

XOXO, A

The Mona Rope Swing

For Labor day and to celebrate no school and the beautiful sunshine some friends and I went out to the Mona rope swing and let me tell you we were not the only ones celebrating this day off with the rope swing in mind. There were probably 75+ people there and I guarantee most of them were students. It is this little spot with a rope swing and tree to jump from! It was great. Not only did we get to enjoy the water and the thrill of jumping in, we had Liz's brand new portable BBQ (Thanks to Laur and Jeff's camping shower) and grilled hot dogs, they were a hit. Overall it was a pretty awesome day! Sorry I have no pictures, I don't have a camera so it is no fun! Happy Labor day to you all, hope you celebrated it in a fun way just like me! One love



XOXO- A

Storming the Streets

Last night was quite an experience if you ask me! Liz and I went to a friends house to watch the BYU vs. Oklahoma game and it was amazing! Who would have thought the 20th ranked Cougars would beat the 3rd ranked Oklahoma Sooners (Whatever a sooner is I do not know) is absolutely amazing. It was such a fun game to watch especially in the company of some cute, energetic and enthusiastic guys. After the game seriously everyone stormed the streets. The intersection right by our apartment was covered with students chanting, honking their horns, running back and forth when the walk symbol was up. It was complete madness and it was awesome. Liz and I joined in chanting and screaming at the top of our lungs. We then migrated down the street to the stadium which was even crazier! It was a blast and night that Liz and I will remember as one of the best in our college careers and we have had some good things happen. It was also funny because that day we were talking about how we couldn't leave Costco, Wal-Mart, or Great Harvest without meeting some cute new guys. We we did leave all three places without meeting anyone, but when chanting on the streets I noticed the cutest guy in a cute blue baseball hat and wanted to meet him. We kept seeing them and then didn't see them when we were leaving the stadium, oh well right? Wrong! As we were walking back up the stairs to our apartment out walks the boy in the blue hat (his name is Steve) from the apartment kitty corner from ours. We strike up a conversation and end up playing soccer with them for about an hour. Overall it was a great night! A success if you ask me. Who knows what will happen next? The joys of college!


Check out the Storming of the streets

*Truth is chaos; maybe beauty is chaos*

"Truth is chaos; maybe beauty is chaos" *Thanks Bob Dylan*

That is exactly what my life has been as of late, chaotic and overwhelming! I started school this week and being back (after two weeks) feels good because it is fall and fresh. Everyone is still excited to be in school! I also moved into my apartment in Provo! I am just pulling things together as of today! I will have pictures later today or tomorrow, but I wanted to give a brief update because I have done such an aweful job at keeping up this summer. Now that it is over and I will be on my computer a lot more for school hopefully I can keep you up on the happenings of A-Train, Beezy K, or just Ali! Love you all


XOXO, A

Industrial Shoot

Peter and I did a photo shoot in an alley way in downtown Salt Lake and it was so much fun! It was as close as I have come to feeling like a real model. Here are just some shots. I need to add more later! I promise I will and I am so sorry my posts have been so inconsistent lately. My life is school, work, and some play. This was something that I loved though! And there will be more to come I hope!

Some photos





The Fence Sitter!







This shot is one of my favorites! The expression on my face mixed with the setting and the bullet hole I just think it is awesome! Talk about awesome photography! I just love the photographer









These ones remind me of the old time movies or the movie Sin City!