T-Gives 2012

HAPPY LATE THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE

(Disclaimer: this is a long post, but totally worth your time, I think. Not to toot my own horn or anything.)

Oh how I just love the holidays! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are some of my most favorite days of the year. Besides the exquisite food, generally genial company, and overall spirit of happiness, these days provide a time to really stop and think about what it is in life that really means the most to you. And I love that. So, in this time of thanks, there were a few things that really stuck out in my mind that I am especially grateful for.

1.

The gospel of Jesus Christ

I am so thankful for my knowledge of the gospel, and for the blessings that it has brought into my life. The Lord watches out for me constantly, and feeling His spirit in my life is such a priceless gift that I am grateful for every day. I love having my own testimony of the gospel, and being able to share it with those around me. 

I feel so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

(If anyone is curious about my religion, you can find out more here)

2.

My INCREDIBLE fam bam.

I thoroughly don't believe that I deserve them in my life, and am so thankful everyday that I got so lucky.

Every single one of my family members is an inspiration to me in one way or another.

Papa has taught me that people take priority in life. We should always do what Jesus would do. No questions asked.

Mama has taught me that service is the most powerful way to show people you care. And it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to do so.

Cami has taught me to be passionate about life, and to love what I do and be committed to it.

Gabby has taught me to not take myself so seriously that I lose sight of what is important. She's taught me to be myself and use my strengths to help others to feel special, and to let my light shine.

Christy has taught me to always believe in myself and to work my butt off for the things I want. She's also taught me to have compassion for those I come in contact with, always.

Gideon has taught me to be endlessly curious. He's taught me that I can do whatever I want, and to never let anyone stop me. 

Grandpa has taught me that a little hard work and a positive attitude can get you anywhere. There's no use crying over spilled milk!

Grandma has taught me that strength isn't always a loud gesture, sometimes it's quiet faith and dedication. She's taught me to be a good example to others and to always laugh...and a good chick flick can make any day better. 

3.

The people that make my life better: my FRIENDZ.

There are so many of these people that I don't have room to mention...people from back home, freshman year, my various wards, etc etc that touch my life every day and make me happy, but there are a few in particular that watch over me...

Cameron 

Troy

Delaney

Hayley

Beth

Tiffany

Hannah

Kelsey

Adam

and a bunch of others.

These people support me, make me laugh, mock me, listen to me talk about evverryytthiinngg, and just make me a generally happy person. And I will love them forever for making me happy. Hopefully I can give back even a little bit of what they give to me.

4.

My awesome JOB

I seriously adore working at the Museum of Art. I love being that close up to something I am so passionate about, and having the opportunity to have an impact on what is going on around me. 

Not to mention I get paid for touching priceless works of art....wooooooooooooo!

5.

Art and clothes and music and dancing and all the other things that make life so beautiful!

I know these things are non-essential in life, but you have to agree, the world is a more beautiful place to be because of them. I am so grateful to live in a place where I have the opportunity to be passionate about these things. We are so blessed to live in a country that, although it has it's flaws (doesn't every country, though?) allows us the opportunity to do what we want, and what we love. That's a gift that I think I take for granted much to often.

So, folks, that's what I'm grateful for this t-giving season. 

AND NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:

PHOTO SHOOT PICTURES

Bloggity bloggity blog

I would like you all to know that I have this overwhelming desire to make this into a fashion blog. Which I might just have to do...because guess what there aren't enough of in this world: fashion blogs.

oh wait.......

ANYWAY,

I just really love my clothes. Quite a bit actually. I like wearing them. A lot.

Pour example:

Today I wore a long, cream-colored fur vest. And guess what: 

I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT.

Are there style-challenged people who harassed me because of said-vest? Absolutely.

But did I feel like a rockstar anyway? You bet your booty I did.

This is why I love fur vests: because you simultaneously can look totally bad-A and classy. I love both of those words. Therefore, I love fur vests. enough said.

This is almost identical to the one I have:

And I rocked it with some high-waisted blue skinny jeans, a nude/tan blouse with a peter pan collar and my deep red patent leather combat boots. I LOOKED GREAT.

And I sometimes just want to share with the world what I look like. Because sometimes people out here just don't understand exactly what I'm accomplishing by wearing such gutsy clothing.

They just don't get it.

ALSO, today I downloaded a free trial of Adobe Suite CS6...and let me tell you, as a prospective Graphic Design major....I am completely in love. It's tricky to get the hang of...but I'm practicing and I have already created some dang awesome magic with that ish. I am just so in love with what I do. I can't stand it!

So, hopefully I will post some of my work later so you can see just the kind of spectacular things I am capable of. It's gonna be really great.

Well, universe, I think it's about time that I hit the sack. I just had a huge burger, fries and Dr. Pepper...which was a dumb idea. Because now my tummy is full and I am sleepy...but tons of sugar (not to mention caffeine) doesn't exactly work wonders for sleeping habits.

Also, let it be known that tomorrow, November 13th, is

WORLD KINDNESS DAY!

So, please, ladies and gentlemen, please go out of your way to spread a little kindness and cheer tomorrow. Pay it forward, y'all! 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear"

I know it's not Christmas just yet, but here in our little BYU family, the Christmas season is in full swing. We've got constant Christmas tunes going, an excessive amount of Christmas decor, and we even have had the Yule log channel thing going. 

So, by my logic: World kindness day + Christmas cheer = the best day ever.

Make it happen everyone. Make it happen.

I promise you will not be sorry.

NOW, for your viewing pleasure:

Chicks wearing skirts made of cupcake liners!

(I thought this was appropriate with all the fashion talk and all...I mean these little chickies got it GOIN' ON!)

Have an impeccable world kindness day! :)

Remember, spread that cheer!

Oh Sweet Vacation...

There are a lot of things in this world that I love:

BYU

Sleep

My job (believe it or not)

Popsicles

Adventures

My Family

(these are not in order of importance....just FYI...I DO love my family more than popsicles...most of the time)

Church

Music

J-Lo (SERIOUSLY)

ALL of the Rocky movies

People to love

Clothes...and money to buy said clothes

Cute people...cute person in particular...

NOODLES AND CO.

Best friends!!

and mostly right now I love:

VACATIONS!

(here's the thing that I don't really like so much right now: when my brother makes me smell his hand after he feeds the dog...do NOT fall for this trick)

Anyway, I am visiting home right now...and I love it. I love the green trees and the people who know who I am, and the smiling and waving at strangers (it just doesn't happen in Utah the same way it does in Minnesota) and the best friends who know you so well that you don't even have to tell each other what you're thinking...THEY JUST KNOW! Wowza, I forgot how great that is.

Do I miss BYU, you ask? Yeah...I do. I miss my apartment, I miss doing what I want when I want and I miss the people (some more than others) in Utah...

BUT being home is a much needed break from adulthood. Sleeping in, eating food that was cooked by SOMEONE ELSE, not having to go to work (YES!), playing, swimming, JUST DANCE, sleepovers. Basically just being a kid again for a couple of weeks...it's the best. Really really it is. I love it. 

And the best part of all of this is that my family is HILARIOUS.

Seriously. I just soil myself every time we are all together because they are so hilarious. 

Lets just say that there were MULTIPLE instances this last week (enough to make a substantial montage) where people spit various liquids out of their mouths and/or were squirted out their noses because the hilariousness was just so overwhelming.

In essence: my family is hilarious.

My family spent this last week up north in Marcell, Minnesota in a LOG CABIN. A real log cabin, people!

It was, simply put, RIDICULOUSLY WONDERFUL.

We were right on a gorgeous lake, we went canoeing, I learned how to cross stitch. (yes, ME)

and in the process of taking that picture, I accidentally made a video (which is flipped horizontally...please excuse) and I thought that some of you may want to watch it, so for your viewing pleasure, here is 

THE ACCIDENTAL VIDEO

Disclaimer: there is music from Toy Story in the background...yes, yes I WAS listening to this music...no need to judge.

So, yeah. My life eez GOOD.

I hope you all had a fabulous summer! Mine was just crazy...and fun...and CRAZY.

adios mi amigos.

Things that make me smile...

Okay everyone, I am happy. 

:) :) :) Simple as that :) :) :)

Here are some of the things that make me happy:

Being at BYU

Having a job (even if it is at Taco Bell)

Songs like this:

Having super cute clothes. I mean really.

Being a redhead. 

(You have no idea how much enjoyment I get out of that one.)

Things like this:

Is that cliche? Maybe. Probably. But, I LOVE IT.

I love buying a GIANT bag of cheap popsicles and eating so many that I get heartburn. (hahaha)

I love doodling whilst I watch movies. I've always done this. When I watch movies, I write all the names and lines from the movie and make them wonderful. I have excellent penmanship because of this. Just FYI.

My teddy bear named Jack. Here is a picture of the two of us and how happy we are together:

Here are some things you ought to know about Jack:

He is the perfect teddy bear. Reliable. Snuggly. Has an excellent shoulder to cry on. And he is, indeed, the PERFECT density of teddy bear. You know what I mean? Teddy bears that are too solid are uncomfy, and teddy bears that are too fluffy just are not snuggle-able. Jack is the most perfect teddy bear ever made. And I love him.

Well, that's a blurb about me for the day.

OH I have my appointment to get all my hair chopped off tomorrow...wish me luck. If I have terrible hair...well...that would be sad. But I would appreciate it if you all stuck by me and remained friends with me. :) 

OH one last thing that makes me smile:

Blonde boys with blue eyes :)

Goodnight all :) I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight...I'll probably be too happy to sleep. Do you ever have nights like that? Gosh...they are wonderful and just so frustrating at the same time. Oh well :)

So I'm sitting here in the art section...

Things I love:

ART

Art books

Being an artist

Looking at art

Spending my time in the art section of the HBLL

Holding hands :)

Taylor Swift

Floral on floral outfits

Being done with class for the day

Sitting in a cozy chair at the library writing this blog entry

White cheddar Cheez Its

Seeing guys with weird hats and sunglasses (we are indoors) walk past me at an uncomfortably fast pace...

That last one just happened. 10 seconds ago. Weird.

Anyway here is a picture of my floral on floral outfit:

I like it. Some people might say it doesn't match, but I think it is stylish and cute and comfy. So I wear it. And no one can stop me!

I had a fantastic time last night. Like, really fantastic.

Here is what happened and it could have been really terrible.

Grab your popcorn and get ready for soap opera time, cause it's happening. 

So roommate #1 and I were supposed to watch a movie. But then roommate #2 found out and was going to come. So then I felt like it would be painfully awkward so I found some friends and brought them, and we watched Newsies in the media center. Which was fun. A little awkward. But fun.

 And THEN we went to the Tanner building (this really huge cool building with courtyards in the middle and glass so you can see what's going on on all the floors) and we played hide and go seek and sardines. SO MUCH FUN. So much fun. I mean really, this was the first time that I did something like that and didn't get kicked out of somewhere. Because guess what! We are adults.

 We can do what we want. And it was super fun. 

So we did that until like 11, and then we walked around and ended up going to McDonalds at midnight and had some food, and then we went to a park to go on the swings. And it was really fun. And there were sprinklers which we DID run through. SO FUN!

 Until the police came and told us the park was closed and we had to go home. That was boring. 

All in all, last night was so much fun! I got back to my room at like 1:30 am and consequently this morning I hit the snooze button for 45 minutes before waking up to do my homework. Lame.

 But I DID get all my homework done (MOM). No worries.

So yeah. That is the update of my life. 

OOh and I got asked on a date for Saturday! It's a group date! With a boy named Mason. Who is hilarious. And the boys are making us breakfast for dinner and then we are going to a movie. I am excited.

I swear there is more to my life than boys. 

Like GIRLS!   

We made an AWESOME video. Which is long.

It is seriously like 15 minutes long. But in summary: it is a video of me and my roommate and some WONDERFUL wonderful wonderful girls in my hall. Names: Abby (brunette) and Elise (Blonde). They are the best. And they can both dance like rock stars.

So yeah, life eez GOOD.

And for all of you MN people out there reading this: my friends LOVE saying things in Minnesota accents. It's a hoot. Honestly, it is so funny. Most of them just sound Indian when they try it though. 

Which I think is even funnier.

Okay well I shall retire for now. I have to make an annotated bibliography (whatever THAT is) for Friday, and I get that feeling that it will take a bazillion trillion years.

Adios readers. Have a beautiful sunshine-filled day! :)

I should be writing a Rhetorical Analysis...but my mind is busy....

Alright everyone, I may or may not have spent all day yesterday with a boy. 

Who is ridiculously cute. And shockingly similar to me (in the good ways). 

We had a FANTASTIC time. (At least I did.) 

Here are the kickers: He is ONE inch taller than me. He leaves on his mission in November. 

But my heart is all fluttery. Gosh darn it. Gahhhh.

Okay, well. That's that. 

No it's not. 

He is just so cute and sweet! He's a rock-climber and he's gonna take me sometime soon! He loves art and chick flicks (Not in a gay way) and we have the same sense of humor. (Except he doesn't think poop is as funny as I think it is, which is probably for the best) And I feel like a million bucks when I am around him. And he is fun and hilarious and smart and he WANTS to listen to me talk about what is important to me. Like all the weird things no one else really cares about.

All in all, he is a great person.

((Cross your fingers that he doesn't stumble upon this...he might think I'm crazy. Haha we've only hung out like 3 times))

OKAY. Well, I want him to ask me on a date. That's all I will say.

I've been on a Taylor Swift rampage lately. Here is my favorite of today:

I just can't get enough. I listen to this song on repeat too. A lot. I love it so much!!

Seriously. I just love it. 

So I get to go see Harry Potter tonight after my Book of Mormon study group.

(Did you all hear that? YES. STUDY GROUP. So responsible, I know.) 

I've been trying to get my hands on copies of the Harry Potter books so I can actually read them finally. I really need to do that before I die. It's on my bucket list as of....NOW.

I've added a few new things to my bucket list actually.

+ Read all the Harry Potter Books

+Go rock-climbing :) hah

+ Own a Harley Hydra-glide. (The bike in Wolverine. SO HOT)

+ Learn how to cook like a pro. FOR REAL.

I want to make bruschetta like THAT. Ahhh I'm sitting in the library DROOLING right now. So delicious. SO SO DELICIOUS.

I am going to be the coolest. Just riding my hot bike to the farmers market, buying delicious organic food, coming home an cooking it for my ruggedly-handsome husband. Gosh it'll be the best! Someday, I mean. Not soon. :) haha I have to learn how to cook first, and heaven only knows how long THAT will take. 

I'll just watch Julie and Julia a bazillion times until I master the art of french cooking. But I want to make Italian food...so maybe that won't really work out as well as I hoped it would.

Well, it will happen someday. 

It has to, it's on my bucket list :)

Okay, I should probably go be productive. But...I don't want to. I really don't. UUUGGHHH

Oooohhhh this is one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs. 

I just love this song so so so so so much. 

SO MUCH.

Well, I hope you are all having a fantastic day!

May the force be with you.

"4 and a half gold stars for you"...

Here's what I don't like:

When my dog farts. It smells like death. Like, makes-your-nose-bleed bad.

When you sit so long your butt hurts

Sour milk

Saying goodbye

Broccoli

Math homework

Bad grammar

Wet socks

Also: GOVERNMENT MEETINGS. That I have to go to. To graduate. BLECH.

Here's what I love:

School Of Rock

Chillin' in my room in my undies eating chocolate and listening to music

Singing in the shower

Chicken salad sandwiches

Quoting movies. Like a lot. You have no idea. Just ask Cami.

Getting asked out on dates

Having the boy actually plan the date

Bees knees

MAXI DRESSES!

Here is the one I just bought and I am in love with it. I might marry it. 

ALSO: JACK BLACK.

 I love him so much. I pee my pants EVERY TIME I see one of his movies. Goodness he's hilarious. I cannot even handle it. 

4 and a half gold stars for you, Jack Black. 

(I will give whoever knows what movie that quote is from...4 and a half gold stars as well)

Hmmmm other things to blog about...hmmmmm....

WELL 

I got asked out on a date today. Which, regardless of who you are, makes you feel good, I guarantee it. 

So THAT was good.

Plus I looked super hot today.

Something else I have realized lately:

Whenever I'm just sitting on the floor doing homework, (or blogging) or whatever, I always find myself zoned out, rocking back and forth.

 Is that weird? Yes, yes it is. 

Can it be explained? I don't know. 

Am I just antsy? YES. 

Am I just insane? Quite possibly. 

Well, that was just a weird happenstance in the life of Allison Heroux.

Tomorrow is Gideon's 9th birthday. 

(He is my wonderfully adorable little brother.) 

Best little brother in the world! 

For his birthday, we are having a nerf gun war. Yeah. You heard me correctly. 

NERF GUNS.

I can't wait. Get ready to get owned, family. It's on.