Allie-Joy-K

Summer So Far....California!

2010-06-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I flew to LA to see Nick. * Side note, I got my ticket from Southwest like 2 months in advance and it was only $60 total for oneway! It was so nice to spend some time in California with Nick stress-free. He just finished his FIRST YEAR of MED SCHOOL at USC!! Woohoo! I'm so proud. We made it! Only 3 years left. We had a fabulous, relaxing time and the weather was AMAZING, except too cold to go to the beach, which is my favorite thing to do in Cali. Then we drove back together and he is here to stay for the summer. Anywho, enough rambling, I'll move on to the pictures now and just show you all the fun things we did.

First fun place was the Griffith Observatory in Hollywood. It was such a neat, pretty place way up on a green hill. The inside was really cool too, with lots of Greek artwork and solar system deal-ies.

The building looks like a mosque to me. Can you find me in this picture? "Where's Waldo?"

They set up a couple really nice telescopes at sunset and we got to see Saturn. The rings were perfectly visible, it was like seeing Saturn in HD. And, the sunset was beautiful up there, we could see the whole city.

View of LA up from up there. After a few days in LA, we headed down to Dana Point in Orange County to visit my Grandparents. My Grandpa is such a crack-up. I absolutely love to hear his stories. He seems to remember so much. He says, "the trick is to tell what you remember and make up the rest to make it interesting."

We of course had to make a visit to Disneyland and California Adventure. We had a "Zippidy Doo Da" time!

SPLASH MOUNTAIN!! My FAVE!! I said, "Let's try to look like we are bored." Nick said, "Nah! Let's make the most terrified faces we can muster." Here's what we came up with. The people behind us almost peed their pants when they saw our faces.

Ps. Nick's shirt has a shroom on it and it says, "I'm a Fun Guy". This lady in line was all, "Ah ha ha! I love your shirt." Then she tapped her friend and said, "Check out this guy's shirt."

It was pretty toasty outside after Indiana Jones, so we got those delicious pineapple floats!! MMM... refreshing. I could really go for one of those in this nasty AZ heat!!

Then we headed back to LA and went to the Getty Villa in Malibu. Such a cool place. It has Ancient Greek and Aztec art. The outside architechture was really authentic, I felt like I was really in Ancient Greece.

Nick immitating the statue
Me imitating a statue.

That night we made a stop at 21 Choices, the best frozen yogurt place around. All their ingredients are fresh. They have really yummy fruit and other toppings. The people there are so nice, too. They have you taste your yogurt after they mix in the toppings to make sure you like it. =)

Here we are outside of Nick's house, just before we headed back to nasty-weather AZ.

The End

Things troubling me lately...

2010-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy with so many things in my life right now: I'm really happy with school, I love my major and I'm so passionate about it, I'm excited to start my teaching career, I have a great group of friends in the program who are inspiring to me, I love my job at the ASU Child Development Lab -- the two-year-olds that I work with surprise me and amaze me every day, and they too inspire me and help me to look at life in a different way--, I love my relationship and where it's headed, I love the relationship I have with my sister and my other family members. BUT, there's still something ,or rather someone -- someone so vital, so special-- who is missing in all this happiness, my mom. My sweet, amazing mom. All of these wonderful things are going on in my life without my mom. I want her to be here to share in this happiness. Whenever something good in my life happens I think about how my mom is missing out on it-- she's missing out on another milestone, another accomplishment. I KNOW she would be proud of me, but I want her to be here to tell me that. I want to tell her about all of the funny things the kids said to me or did that day -- she appreciated those kinds of stories in a way that no body else does. Oh how I dream of having conversations with her again. I HATE DEATH!! I hate it so badly sometimes. I don't want it to be a part of life! I don't want anyone to tell me it's all okay because I'll see her again! I want her NOW!! It's just not fair, and I HATE it! I hate hating something, but sometimes I just can't help it. It's too hard not to sometimes. Every girl (or most girls) have such a special bond with their mom, a bond that no one else would/could understand. I had a very special bond with my mom that can never be replaced. I don't ever want it to be replaced. I will NEVER stop missing her. It's a scary feeling. But it would be scarier if I ever did stop missing her-- it's just not possible though. Every girl needs her amazing mom to share that special, personal bond. I will ALWAYS treasure the WONDERFUL, AMAZING relationship my mom and I had.

This is a picture of my mom during our last trip to California. I think she looks beautiful. Her favorite thing to do on vacation was her favorite thing to do all the time, relax in a comfy, pretty place, and READ. She absolutely loved to read, she read predominantly mystery books. She was an amazing reader. She would read 6 books at a time, and finish a 700 page book in a week or less. She loved to just escape into a great novel. If only I could get that into reading. I like reading, but not nearly the way she did. Recently my sister and I have started to become interested in mystery novels and we wish she were here to discuss the books with us-- she would really love that. The best times spent with our mom was sitting and chatting. We had such wonderful, thoughtful conversations with her. She was such a great listener and advice-giver-- never judging. Oh how I love and miss my lovely mom.

It's WAY Better Than Ice Cream

2010-01-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

Angel Sweet Gelato is my new favorite dessert. It's so rich and yummy. I'm not really a huge fan of ice cream- I actually prefer fro-yo and gelato over ice cream. They just taste more natural, and they don't make me feel sick and full afterwards the way ice cream does. The day before Nick went back to med school in at USC, we rode our bikes to Angel Sweet Gelato at Riverview. It was a pretty warm day, perfect Gelato-eating-weather.

BEHOLD the delicious flavors of Angel Sweet. My Favs are banana and chocolate.

Look how pretty it is.

We decided to take some silly pics while we were there.

My favorite actvities are always the sweet and simple ones: a bike ride on a nice day, and some yummy gelato. That's my kind of quality time with my sweet boyfriend. =)

Holly-Days 2009

2010-01-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is LONG gone until next year, but I still wanted to post about my holidays now that I have time -- now that I should be working on homework. =) We started off our Winter Break by going to San Francisco, but I don't have my sister's pics from that yet, so I'll post more about that next time. But I will say, it was a blast, and we all want to go back-- there's so much to do there. Anyway, onto Christmas.
*Warning: lots of pictures ahead, but that's the best part of posts anyway, right?

Here is the cute lil tree that I borrowed from my sister. It was just right for my small apartment. I went with a peace them for my Christmas decor this year. The owl and this ball are my favorites.
Our other stockings were lame and out of date, so I made new ones for everyone. (I didn't have time put names on them, but I might just leave them that way.)

See that GORGEOUS purple beach crusiser!!?? That was my Christmas present from my sweet Nick. We rode from my house to Tempe Town lake on New Years Eve. It was so much fun. We have the best winter weather in AZ. I LOVE my bike! Here are our self-timer-pictures. I think they actually turned out pretty nice.

Nick LOVES this one. He likes that it's off-center with the bikes in the background. And, I wasn't even posing in this one, the wind was blowing and I was trying to get my hair out of my face before the timer went off. But it made for a nice candid shot I guess.

I really like this one with the blue sky and deep blue water. =)

DEMON DOG!! Here's our lil family photo. Bender was staring at the blinking light on my camera so he ended up looking possessed. And, that's just how is anyway-- the camera knew the real Bender.

That night we had a Par-tay at Liz and Nav's humble abode. Here is Liz and my sista from anotha motha. I love them both! Steph has always been such a sweet friend/older sister! =)

Nick grilled up some delicious buffalo wings! My baby is a good cook! =)

Happy New Year everyone!

What ever happened to that one girl....Allie was it??

2009-09-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have been wondering through sleepless nights about where I've been and what I've been up to. . . Well, I was on hiatus. I had a very busy summer. I had a full-freakin-schedule, which included a class at 7am!! Am I a morning person in the least bit? HELLS NO! Anyhow, that was my boring summer. Things started to pick up at the end of the summer, though, starting with a trip to Utah. I went to my cousin Tina's wedding, and I also went to pick up my new roomie, my cousin Candice! We moved into Liz and Nav's old place (our garage apartment). We are doing fabulous together, especially considering we are sharing a king size bed in a studio apartment-- and we still can't get enough of each other. I call her my heterosexual-life-partner. I know it's weird, since we're related and all, but what can I say, I love that gal. Oh yeah! A week after we moved in, we decided to stop by the pound and we fell in love with a cute puppy, so we rescued him and called him John Bender (Breakfast Club-- he needed a strong name since he's just a little guy). We've also decorated our apartment super cute, and I'll have to post pictures of that in my next post, which won't take 10 months again. So, let's move on the pictures already.

Here are some pictures from Tina's wedding. Don't mind my ugliness (is that a word?), it was windy and I was on a plane just before.

They got cake all over each other! So funny!

This was a before-the-cake-smashing picture. =)

This is Candice's beautiful sister, Mandy with her adorable new baby, Tia! Love them both to bits and pieces!

Tia was so funny, she would smile until the red light on my camera would go off, and then she'd make her "oh" face! So cute! Doesn't Candice look so cute right here too? =)

Bender imidiately ran right under our bed and fell asleep when we brought him home. Aw... He loves just chilling in the mound of pillows.But don't mess with him when he's playing with his zebra! Isn't he a pretty dog? Oh yeah, this is my new friend, Nick. I met this guy over the summer as well. Here we are at his suprise-going-away-dinner, just before he left for med school at USC. He just started med school and he's only 23. Basically, he is the sweetest, smartest, most amazing guy ever!

Preschool kids say the darndest things...

2009-06-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Remember this show?

So, when working with young children you sure hear a lot of funny and awkward things come out of their mouths. They are so open and honest. They haven't learned tact yet. I remember being that way when I was younger too. Lately, the children have said awkward things about boobs. haha. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the funny conversations I've had while working at the preschool.

Conversation with 5-year-old Josh:

Josh: "I have a Spiderman nightlight in my room."

Me: "Oh really? I need to get a nightlight for my new apartment."

Josh: (Astonished) "You need a nightlight? I didn't know grown-ups got scared."

Me: (Wait! I'm a grown-up? I forgot I was that old. Weird.) ......"uh....yeah, grown-ups get scared sometimes too." (sheesh we're not invincible)

Conversation with 2-year-old Lexi: (While on the couch reading books)

Lexi: "Hey, you have boobs." (said while cupping my boob.)

Allie: ...... "Uh... Thanks?" (Hey, if kids are always honest it must be true. I have boobs.)

Lexi: "They feel crunchy."

Allie: "Okay Lexi, let's just finish our story. What do you say?" (Crunchy?)

Conversation with 3-year-old Maddy:

Okay, first let me tell you that we had a pregnant girl working in the room for awhile.

Maddy: "Allie, do you have a baby in your tummy?"

Allie: (sad tone) "Noo...Maddy, just so you know for future reference, you shouldn't ask girls if they have a baby in their tummy. It hurts their feelings."

Maddy: "Why?"

Allie: "Because it makes them think they are fat."

Maddy: "OOh."

Conversation with 3-year-old Tyler and 4-year-old Jake:

Tyler: "Hey Jake, let's play transformers!"

Jake: "Let's get Allie. I'm going to chop off her leg." (pretends to cut my leg with a stick)

Tyler: "Let's chop off her other leg. Let's chop off her boobs! Let's get her boobs." (don't worry, I was standing up so he couldn't reach).

Allie: (Dumbfounded. Chopping? Boobs?) "Whao, whao, whao. We're not going to pretend like we're chopping anything off. And stop saying boobs, it's not appropriate." (that was awkward).

Those are just some of the daily conversations I have with the kids. I wish I could remeber some of the other crazy things I've overheard. They are hilarious. They sure know how to keep me on my toes. They can be so manipulative sometimes too. But that's what I love about my job-- there's a new surprise each day. Kids are fun and teach me a lot.

Project Time!

2009-05-26T17:24:00.001-07:00

School's finally out! Well, it's been out for about three weeks now. It's so weird, I could not wait to finally have time to relax and be free of stinkin' school projects. But after Liz and I got back from Cali a week ago, I didn't know what to do with all my free-time-- when I got off work that is. I felt guilty just sitting around and actually relaxing. I thought, "What the? Why do I feel guilty? It's okay to just be lazy for a bit after such a rough semester." Nonetheless, I continued to feel this void. Maybe a part of it was also the fact that I hadn't had time to think about much but homework during the semester, and then when it was all over, everything hit me-- sad things like, "wow, I haven't been on a date since February?" and "Gee I could really use my wonderful, sweet mom right now-- one of our fun shopping/lunch dates maybe." So basically I began to feel pretty depressed and lonely with all this free time. However, since my sister Liz, and Brother-in-law, Navin, are moving in about a week, I decided to do some projects . First, I made them a house-warming gift.

(They loved it-- they said it went really well with their style. YAY!)

Then I decided to make some fun things for the apartment since it will soon be vacant. Last weekend I went to some antique stores on Main St. and found two way cute frames for a good price. I spray-painted them black and then decided to make my own paintings to put inside of them. I painted a chandelier and I'm almost finished with the Eiffel Tower-- all the straight lines are kinda difficult. But they were fun to make and I can't wait to hang them in the apartment.

Before:

(Both frames had ballerinas. I think I'll save the cute prints and use them in my future daughter's room-- if I have one.)

After:

Almost finished:

Okay, I finished it a couple hours after I posted. Here's the finished product:

Then, I made this headband for my sister. I have a vintage green one just like this one, that I made for myself awhile ago. And Elizabeth was always saying she wanted one, so I decided to make this one for her while I was in my fun project mode. I think it will look way cute in her new dark hair.

The projects really cheered me up.

Also, here are some pictures from our Cali trip. We had so much fun. It was great to relax and be away for a little bit, without any worries. We watched lots of movies, chilled at the beach and pool, and had fun lunches at Jonny Rockets in Laguna Beach. Their moca fudge shakes are to die for! Seriously, so refreshing!

What have I been up to?

2009-05-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL! That's what I've been up to. Oh my goodness, this semester was nuts. I had SEVEN CLASSES! They seriously took up ALL my time. Early childhood education requires many, many big, time-consuming projects.

First of all, I finished my internship at Longfellow Elementary Pre-K classroom. Fun class. (don't worry, the girl to my left-- your right-- really does love me, she just looks mad in the picture, for some reason.)

Then,

I had a million final projects to do, including this one. It was actually a fun one to make. It's a puzzle I made of one of my students at my internship. She just loved to do puzzles, so I made one of her for a presentation I had in one of my classes. I plan to give it to her. How fun will that be for her when she gets older?

I just used a wooden Tigger puzzle and gluded her pictures on blue paper and then on the pieces. I think this would be fun to make for my future kids. My teacher said she thought it was so cute and that she wanted to make one for her two-year-old daughter because she loves puzzles and pictures of herself.

Here's the cute shirt I got at Tillys with the giftcard my mentor teacher gave me! Last Thursday I took my one final and now I'm FINISHED with this semester! So, I decided to do manicures and pedicures for my sister and I this weekend. We got a fun turquoise blue for our toes for Cali on TUESDAY! Then Liz said, "Let's do french tips!" I think they turned out fun! They match my bedroom wall.

Today I was feeling a little down because it's Mother's Day, so I decided to make myself a necklace. I just used the random charms and beads I had. I started making jewelry awhile ago, but haven't had time to make anything for awhile because of school. Here it is. I like how it turned out. Here's a close-up of all the doo-dads I put on the necklace.

Elizabeth and I decided that we needed a nice little getaway after our crazy semesters so we are going to Cali this Tuesday, and I can't wait! We are leaving right after work and staying till Sunday. We're going to stay at our Grandparent's condo in Dana Point. I can't wait to get out of this crazy heat and just relax on the beach. Then, we'll have two weeks before SUMMER SCHOOL starts. FOUR classes for me and three for Liz. Ugh! But anyway, this vacation is going to be AWESOME!

That's Liz and me on the beach in '07

I'll Share My Secret

2009-04-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

I bet I got you all excited that I was going to share a really juicy secret...maybe not, because you know I'm a dork-face and don't have any fun secrets because I spend my weekends doing homework...I wish...I actually keep saying that's my excuse, but what I really do is sit around, eat, and watch movies and T.V. Yes, I am addicted to T.V. I love to get really into T.V. dramas like One Tree Hill, Desperate House Wives, Gilmore Girls, and others I can't think of. Anyway, I guess I did end up sharing a (totally lame) secret with you (that I'm a couch potato).

But that wasn't the real secret, the real one is where those delicious cookies came from, since some of you commented and wanted to know where my dad got them, I decided to reveal the secret (I asked my dad). It's called Jaquee's Espresso . Hope you enjoy! They have more than just great cookies too, they have yummy sandwiches and other deli foods (so I've heard. I've only had their cookies.)

Special Cookies

2009-04-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

My daddy and I have always been really close. I think it is beacuse we are so much alike. We have similar personalities and even look a lot alike. (What? I look like a guy? No!) My mom would always say, "She looks just like James, but without the mustache." Silly mom. My Aunt Melanie, my dad's younger sister, always tells me the same thing when I see her. She says, "You even have the same voice as he did when he was younger, just more feminine." Thanks Aunt Melanie! Anyway, my dad and I are very close. I have always been able to tell him almost everything. (He still is a guy-- somethings he just wouldn't understand). If it were boy troubles I was having, in my later years, he would say, "Uh...maybe you should talk to your mom." Since she's been gone though, he has become very good at listening to my problems and giving advice, even with my boyfriend troubles. He has graciously taken on those responsibilities of my mom, for which I am very greatful. I love my dad, we have great late-night talks together. He doesn't open up to many people, but I'm glad he feels comfotable sharing things with me. Our relationship has grown even stronger since my mom has been gone. We've really tried to support each other. Anyway, what does the title "Special Cookies" have to do with my lovely dad? Well, for about a year now, my dad has been surprising me with these SCRUMPTIOUS sugar cookies every once in awhile. He gets them at this little sandwich shop in Phoenix when he goes there on his lunch break, and he always picks out a cute cookie for me and leaves it on my desk for when I get home. How cute is that? They are so-o delicious. I always try to savour them, but they are so yummy I devour them in a matter of minutes. They just melt in your mouth. I just thought it was so cute of my dad and I wanted to share with you (all 5 of you probably). Getting these cookies means a lot to me. I'm the type that really loves the simple sweet gestures of love. Thanks daddy! I love you!

This cookie was from St. Patty's day

And this one was from today

Here's my sister, Liz and me with my dad at Disneyland when I was two. My dad was such a trooper on that trip. Apparently I cried the entire time we were there. I was sad that my mom had to stay home and work.

My dad loves the outdoors, so we've been on many hikes throughout the years (Elizabeth came on this hike too, but in the pciture with her, she looked like she bumped her head on the sign because she was bending down pretending to hold it up. haha and her undies were hangin out...sorry Liz =)

And lastly, here we are in Rock Point, Mexico

In Memory of My Wonderful, Amazing Mom

2009-03-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we lost my mom to breast cancer. I can honestly say it was, and still is, the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her like crazy. I yearn to go on one of our lunch dates- where we would sit and talk for hours and hours about EVERYTHING. We often went to Wildflower Bread Company at Chandler mall, then we would do some shopping together. She would ask me to be her shopping consultant to make sure she didn’t pick out clothes that made her look like a grandma. I would also sometimes meet her at her office in Phoenix to have lunch. Those are some of my favorite memories with my mom. She was my best friend. I went to her for everything and she was always so caring and thoughtful about my problems– she never belittled them in any way. I get so jealous when Mother’s Day rolls around or when I hear friends talking about things they’re doing with their moms. Or when someone says they called their mom crying and she made her feel all better. I miss that. I need that. You’re never too old to need your mom.

Exactly a month ago today, February 22nd, was the two-year anniversary of my mom’s death. =( One of her favorite things to do on the weekends was to garden. I love gardening because it reminds of the times my sister and I would plant flowers with our mom on Saturday mornings when we were little. So this year I decided I would remember her by planting flowers in our front flowerbed. That Saturday– the day before the anniversary– I went to a nursery on McKellips and Home Depot and picked out a variety of really colorful flowers that I new she would love, to fill the front bed. I was really happy with how it turned out. I think my mom would have been proud.

Here's how it turned out! (I'm not the best photographer)

My mom was my number one role model who helped form the identity I have today. She continues to shape who I am even without her presence. Her strength, independence, and drive left an indelible impression on my life. Her influence meant everything to me– not just because she was my mom, but because she was the most ambitious and compassionate person I knew. I feel that her ambition has formed my identity and I hope to take after her commendable qualities. I always strive to do my very best in everything. That was one of her most admirable attributes and she was always encouraging me to live my life that way.
One way she showed her strength and integrity was when she was diagnosed with cancer. She kept a very positive attitude which has changed me as a person. I feel that I wouldn’t be able to deal with her loss if she hadn’t been the strong, independent, driven woman that she truly was. An example of her confident attitude was when she lost all her hair because of the intense Chemotherapy she was undergoing, and she decided not to wear a wig. She said, "Eh, who cares. At least it takes much less time to do my hair in the morning." It was sayings such as those, that showed her assertiveness and sheer confidence. She didn’t care what people thought about her bald head. In fact, one day while she was shopping –that was her self-therapy – a woman came up to her and acknowledged my mom’s self-confidence. The lady said something like, "I really admire you for not wearing a wig or trying to cover up your bald head. You carry yourself with such confidence and spunk." My mom was very appreciative of the compliment but humble about it as well.

Mom, you are always in my thoughts and prayers! I miss you dearly and I will be happy if I turn out to be just half the person you were. You taught me many great lessons that I live by daily! I will love you for always and forever!

-Your Bunny Rabbit

How to begin...

2009-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking at other people's blogs, so I decided to create one for myself. It seems like fun to journal online and share silly, interesting, and random experiences with the cyber-world. I thought of all these interesting things I wanted to share, but then it took so long to figure out this darn thing, I forgot all the cool things I thought about posting. I also realized I'm probably not very interesting to other people. But we'll see if I can post anything cool and witty in the future. On the other hand, I always think the "couple blogs" are the most interesting to look at and read. I'm a hopeless romantic and like to live vicariously through others' romantic relationships. I guess I better get in a relationship soon-- no one will want to read my complaints of being lonely. Those entries are the worst. So annoying. I'll try my best not to be "one of those people." That's all for now....

Oh. P.s. Below are pictures from my latest vacation in Utah for New Years. I sure love my family!