Needed Reassurance

Last night I had a minor freak out session. Just minor. There was no panic attacks and loss of breathing. Just a lot of unnecessary thinking that involved me freaking out.

No big deal.

I started doing the whole "you always want what you can't have" type thing. Why am I going to Arizona? I hate the desert and crazy hot weather. I like the beach, I like seasons. What's wrong with me? I'm going to feel trapped in Arizona where there is nothing for miles except cactus'. Awesome.

But then my mom calmed me down a bit and made me think of all the reasons why I chose Arizona. I'm quite the planner and thinker and therefore, it's obvious I didn't make my college decision on some whim. I thought it out. So what were the things I loved about Arizona so much that San Diego paled in comparison?

After thinking all those things through, my heart rate was back to normal and so was my mind. Sometimes all we need is a little reassurance that we made the right decision. Moms are usually the best for that type of reassurance. :)

Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. My favorite color is light blue. Like a aquamarine, turquoise type blue.

2. My travel destination of choice is Italy. Everyday I dream about Italy.

3. My favorite food is fruit. A big fruit salad is my favorite things in the world.

4. My happy place is anywhere in a good chair, with an amazing cup of coffee and a book.

5. My favorite saying is "Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others." and

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. "

6. Something friends might say about me is that I am happy? Wacky? haha I don't know!

Falling in love on a ferris wheel

Growing up, my mom was not fond of the State Fair or any carnival/fair in general. circus'? forget it. so i grew up not being entirely fond of them myself.

Yet I've always held a little love in my heart for ferris wheels and the swings that go so high in the air you feel like you are flying. it's probably the hopeless romantic in me. i secretly (or not so secretly now) hope that someday i'll have that Notebook style romance.

and we all know about the infamous Notebook ferris wheel scene. swoon!

i guess the fair is a little like Disneyland to me. it gives me a little hope and lets me feel five years old all over again.

Smile

Sometimes it takes me a while to admit how happy I am. I try to cover it up by thinking about the 10 bajillion things I have to do and just being happy gets lost until I have to remind myself that I actually am very happy.

But then sometimes you just have to give up. Let go of the chains pulling your shoulders back and just smile. one of those geeky, almost creepy, "why is she smiling so big?" kind of smiles.

Because those are the best smiles. and those are the best moments. when you let everything go, every little insignificant moment that's not worth your stress be free, you'll realize how easy it is just to smile and be happy!

Don't be afraid to let that geeky smile be seen every once in a while. heck, let it be seen every hour!

Photo: Here

Watch the Stars

I'm usually happiest when I am checking things off my to-do list and running at full speed.

But occasionally, all of that running becomes tiring and it's nice to just lay back and look up. The stars are one of those things that instantly remind me of how small I am and how big this wonderful earth is.

My friend and I went to this place called Top of the World to see our town from higher up and it was beautiful. Going from looking at the twinkly lights below us to the sparkly lights above us was unreal.

And it makes me all the more excited to star watch in Tahoe next week. :)

My Heart is Heavy

The bombings in Norway weigh my heart down with sadness. I don't understand what prompts someone to kill 92 people. All I can do is sit here and pray for those people's beautiful faces and for their families. Because truthfully, I can't even begin to imagine how they're feeling. 9/11 hit hard for every American but I am lucky to say I did not know anyone personally involved, therefore I have no experience with these kind of massacres.

All I can say is God bless their families and keep the ones who have passed on safe in Your arms.

To cheer up a little bit, I found this trailer for a movie called Main Street. It has 3 of my favorite things in it: The South, Colin Firth, and Orlando Bloom. Definitely seeing it. :)

What I Love This Friday

1. Roses in my Coke bottles.

2. Tahoe in a week with my friends!

3. Finishing a good book. Especially one set in the South. :)

4. Anxiously anticipating seeing this movie next week!

What are you loving today?

One of a kind

I am blessed with the best of the best type of friends right now. I have people that have my back, I can have a serious heart-to-heart with, laugh till we can't breathe, sweetest people ever kind of friends.

All the people below mean the absolute world to me. Without them I'd be lost and wandering. Well, I'd be me in middle school and let's just say I never want to go back to that girl.

So friends, if you are reading this, thank you. And if you have friends who are the best possible people in your eyes, you're lucky too.

We're all lucky if we have people we love in our life.

I'm not a shoe person...

Honestly.

I'm mostly all about TOMS. (see logo) I have about 5 pairs and a pretty aggressive TOMS tan to show for it.

But because I'm going to be moving out and have to stop stealing my sisters and moms shoes because I'm too cheap to buy my own shoes and like to buy clothes instead, (world's longest sentence-whew! Breathe...) I decided I should probably buy some sandals. My own sandals.

But then I fell in love... these gold and beautiful boat shoes caught my eye and I knew I had to get them. One look and I was a goner. But don't worry, I also picked up a pair of black sandals. I didn't completely fail in my mission.

I'm thinking they'll last me a good few years till I have to buy more shoes. :)

Go Giants!

Yesterday, I got to go to a Giants game with some of my closest friends.

I used to love going to baseball games, especially for the Giants, way back when we lived in the Bay Area. There's something about the chanting, hot dogs, peanuts and enthusiastic fans that just scream American pride and I love it! It's just one of those things that bring us all together.

The Giants won 5-0 last night and I like to think we had a little something to do with it. I know my foam finger definitely helped.

And today is my sisters 16th birthday! Happy Birthday Colie!

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

"All you need is trust and a little bit of pixie dust!"

-J.M. Barrie

If you noticed, I changed my header. I had been meaning to for some time now but I couldn't find a phrase of some sort that fit how I feel right now. Then, yesterday, I was watching Peter Pan and in it the phrase, "Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust" hit me harder than it ever had before. So let me explain:

I have quite a few changes coming up in my life with college and leaving home coming in about a month, and so having faith and trust in myself, God, and my family and friends has more weight than it ever has before. And the pixie dust part has a special place in my heart also.

I am a huge Disney fanatic. I love, love, love Disney. My ideal vacation is staying at the Grand Californian and staying at Disneyland for about 5-6 days. You might say, "But Allie, what is there to do in Disneyland for 5-6 days?" And I say, "Plenty, my friend. Plenty." I am the queen of navigating fast passes and wait times etc.

So the pixie dust portion of the phrase is my way of remembering magic moments in everyday life and shows my love for Disney. Because as J.M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan) said, "All the world is made of faith, trust, and pixie dust."

Words of Wisdom

"When you are in a relationship, you are aware that it might end. You might grow apart, find someone else, simply fall out of love. But a friendship isn't a zero-sum game, and as such, you assume that it will last forever, especially an old friendship. You take its permanence for grandted, whuch might be the very thing so dear about it."

-Emily Giffin

Photo: Here

To be free

This summer has been one of learning. I feel like I have grown the most

this summer and yet at times, have felt the most immature.

It's been a whirlwind of a ride and I think I'm finally ready

for my last big adventure of the summer- school.

I'm going to trust and believe that everything will

turn out all right and just like when I jumped

out of that plane the other day, I'll let the wind

be my guide and just jump.

And what a feeling it is when you finally let yourself

be free.

Photo: Here

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day person) morning person. i love how simple and easy the morning is. It's my favorite time to read outside with a cup of coffee.

2. My favorite Pandora stations are Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mat Kearney, Mumford and Sons.

3. 3 of my "must-have" songs for a road trip playlist are Anything upbeat and fun. When a downer song comes on it tends to ruin the fun road trip feel .

4. My favorite pattern is floral, floral, floral. Just take a look at my closet and you'll see what I mean .

5. My favorite perfume is Honestly, I don't have a favorite scent yet. I like my new Anthropologie scent right now though.

6. Rules are important. I'm a big rule follower.

7. My most overused phrase or punctuation is "Awesome" anything. I think way too many things are "awesome." .

In other news, I dyed my hair today. I was trying to go for something blonder but it ended up being more neutral and with a bit of red thrown in. I have no idea where the red came in.

Reminders that are so true

I found these on tumblr here and decided I had

to share. Some of these are a wonderful reminder

and great to hear.

What flying feels like

This must be what flying feels like.

Wind beneath me and my complete silence except for the wind whispering secrets into your ears.

I thought it would be something more like flailing, and instead it was graceful and wonderful.

One of the best decisions I've ever made.

What We're Built For

"A ship in harbor is safe- but that is not what

ships are built for."

-John A. Shedd

That is one of my all time favorite quotes.

I have a tendency to live life on the safe side and

not venture into the unknown. Yet tomorrow,

I'm throwing those tendencies out the window, if

only for the day, to do something crazy; something

unlike me.

I'm going skydiving. :) And boy, am I excited!

Photo: Here

The Scientist

Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

Photo Here

A Simple Prayer

Lately, I haven't been well. My mind has felt like a constant battle is being fought and the winner will never be determined. I could never find a way out of this battle without surrendering to the darker side. But I refused to surrender.

Instead the battle raged on and was slowly eating away at me until finally I would scream from so much conflict. And the conflict all ended as of last night.

I don't often talk about my faith on here, but I believe in a powerful God. I believe he moves mountains. Last night I heard this retired Lieutenant in the Army discuss his love of God and how he has seem miracles happen on the battlefields. Afterwards, we prayed and I prayed that I could be a better person and let my newfound selfish and jealous tendencies disappear.

And while I don't believe they have disappeared completely, they have certainly decreased the power they have over me. The praying worked and I feel like I can breathe.

Instead of confessing my fears and jealously to the people that don't deserve that burden, I will walk away. If I know something is going to bring those feelings back to shore, I will leave. Because I was washed clean of them and they don't deserve to be brought back to the surface. Sometimes all we need is a simple prayer.

Thanks for listening. Has anything similar happened to you?

Photo: Here

Stop what you're doing...

and watch this promo video for a new show called

The New Girl which will air on Fox on

September 20th! It looks so hilarious and

awkward and basically, fantastic. :)

So excited!

Fill In the Blank Friday + Some Thoughts

*Warning: Long post ahead

Ever since I was little, I knew there was something special about reading. When I was younger,

and my mom would force me to sit down with a book when all I wanted to do was run around

outside, I would flip through the pages and skim trying to find something to grab me. I think

it was Judy Bloom who first grabbed me and took my breath away. Suddenly I was invested

in these characters lives and was friends with each and every one of them. And to this day,

that same feeling of a newfound friendship happens to me when I find a really good book.

That's how I judge if a book if good or not. If I feel like I transported into that story and am

now friends with these characters, then the author did his/her part. Yet the saddest thing happens

at the end of these stories- the friendship ends. Sometimes I re-read a book just to try and meet

that friend again. Am I alone? Does anyone else experience this?

Sometimes finishing a book is one of the worst things in life because I lost a friend.

And now onto Fill in the Blanks!

{the delicious sweet biscuits @ Tasty n Sons}

1. My plans this summer include reading even more than I already have, be with friends, spend time with family, go to Tahoe with friends, and go to college .

2. The best summer I ever had was maybe going to the East Coast. It was perfect and made me realize that's where I want to end up .

3. Summer is otter pops, swimming, heat, lying around because you can't move because it's so hot, laughing a lot, red cheeks (and let's be honest, sunburn everywhere) .

4. My favorite summer food is watermelon. Hands down. And otter pops.

5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is with the Peet's Jasmine Lime Tea Cooler .

6. My summer uniform consists of dresses and flowey items of clothing .

7. The best thing about summer is the lazy days, the endless time spent with friends and family and the rejuvenated sense of self .

*Told you it'd be long.

(Photo source: here

Scared

I'm not scared of never meeting you.

I'm scared of having met you, and let you go.

-Here

Can we take a moment

and admire Kate Middleton's clothes?

On their tour of Canada, I have been constantly

admiring all the dresses she picked out and even the

more casual outfit is fantastic!

Love the Peter Pan collar.

Favorite dress.

Basically, I think I have a girl crush. Her clothes are too good.

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. :)

Sometimes...

you just have to give in. Surrender.

Throw your hands up in the air and say "Fine! You win."

Tonight was one of those nights. I was highly anticipating seeing the south shore fireworks on Lake Tahoe, and my stomach decided otherwise. Yup, I suddenly became nauseous. Awesome, right?

After a few tears (crybaby, I know) and some convincing, my family and I decided going on a rocking boat when ones feeling nauseous is probably not the brightest of ideas. So I opted out of joining them on the boats and instead watched the New York and Boston fireworks instead.

And you know what? I was pretty happy. I made myself some hot cocoa and watched these spectacular fireworks on the television with my dad. In the end, it all worked out.

But doesn't it always when you finally stop the blubbering and go with your gut? Even when you were hoping for something completely different, I find, that if you put a smile on at least once after you surrender, you're bound to have a good time with what you chose.

Oh yeah, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! God Bless America!

What I'm Reading

So far, I'm loving it. There was a moment when I was overcome with sadness over John dying so young. I don't think it ever registered in my mind how young he truly was and how horrific the accident was. I almost feel like I'm snooping too much into his life until I realize she wrote this so we could figure out more about him. Overall, I'd probably recommend it. But I'll let you know when it's done.

HAPPY 4TH ON MONDAY!

To be young

"They talked some and perhaps dreamed some, because

they were young and the day was beautiful."

-Brian Friel

(Taken from Christina Haag's memoir called 'Come to the Edge')