Oh, boy.

Because sometimes you just wish you could throw a rock at a cactus

And go Black Friday shopping with your sisters

Today was one of those days.

Christmas come faster!

Reasons to not be stressed

We literally spent two weeks in pathophysiology talking about how terrible stress of any kind is for your body. I could tell you about cortisol, decreased immune response, decreased healing rates, and the negative effects it has on almost every body system but that just makes me even more stressed. So instead of remembering how stressed I really am at this moment I am going to make a list of reasons to not be stressed.

1. Christmas music. Particularly this song.

2. Only four more days of school classes.

3. This semester will eventually end, really soon.

4. Naps seem to be solving everything for me right now

5. Warm beaches are in my near future

6. I've got everything I need to make s'mores bars when life seems impossible

7. Alyssa and I have a lot of little fun things planned for finals week.

8. Amanda did not murder me in my sleep for calling her "Mandy"

9. Jan (or should I say Santa?) agreed to bring stockings on the Christmas cruise.

10. I've got enough Diet Coke to get me through finals week

11. Another weekend in Washington Terrace with the Robertsons and Joshua

12. I have a book to finish on Kendall's Kindle

13. Dinosaur sheets

14. It only snowed a baby bit last night which did not make my walk to school impossible

15. Temple lights on Saturday!

16. I can do hard things.

Inconsequential

-I walk past this tree every day and get sort of creeped out. Can you tell why?

-While the original picture was great, the one with moustaches is even better. Nursing students be crazy.

-The BYU Tree of Life sculpture is no more. It was demolished about a month ago.

-Tonight I sang along to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You" to Joshua via video chat, he was not impressed.

-I had to park on the street because my roommate's dumb boyfriend took the last spot in our parking lot.

-Only two more times that I have to go to pathophysiology

In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

In no particular order, here are twenty things that I am so thankful for this year...

-Hot Tamales

-Three sisters that are all so unique and lovely

-The BYU Nursing program

-Friends in my nursing classes that help me love school

-The Provo Temple

-Airplanes that let me get to see the people I love

-Video chats which also help me see the people that I love

-Joshua Lutes

-Regina Spektor and her ridiculously intricate song lyrics

-My physical body and all of the tiny processes that make it work

-Harry Potter

-Laughter

-Really great roommates who are also my best friends

-The Lord's timing

-The opportunity that it gives me to learn patience

-A Saab named Vince

-Adrienne Sage, Henry Rex, and B. Elliot

-Sore muscles and Zumba

-Family time

-The ability to learn

-The joy that comes from doing what I know to be right

Are we there yet?

TWO DAYS!

until my D&C final project is due

until I get to play with Henry Rex (and Kendall)

until I am finished with pathophysiology test 4 of 5

until I get to forget about school for the weekend

until my best friend comes into town!

until this photo gets to be recreated

because it is my favorite.

In two days I will be the happiest girl in the world.

I moustache you a question

Don't ask me why, because I don't have a reason. Please don't ask me when, because I couldn't tell you. And for really reals, don't ask me how, that's just how it is. Yes world, the rumors are true, I am one of those weird people that loves the moustache. People can think it's weird, and I'm okay with it. I like to think that it makes me interesting. Mostly I just try to aim for the unexpected.

Anyway, Amanda wanted to have an 11/11/11 party and I wanted to have a moustache party so we combined the two. Also, I was thinking that if I couldn't get married on 11/11/11 I might as well do something awesome, like celebrate moustaches. I'll hit you with some highlights in the list below because I find it impossible to explain my life in paragraph form and still make it interesting.

+I cut out at least 10 different moustaches and glued them to sticks. People just held them up to their faces and visited with each other.

+I tried to have my picture taken with each one throughout the night.

+The moustache on the wall is at least 5 feet long and surrounded by famous people that have moustaches. Very classy.

+Cookies, chips, and soda were the refreshments

+Mt Dew spilled on the kitchen linoleum. The floor is still sticky after being wiped down 2 times.

+Party guests included nursing friends, work friends, old friends, London friends, ward members, and roommates.

+One party goer attended via picture text. (my favorite)

+Strangers showed up to our party which means it was, obviously, a real college party.

+It has been decided that we'll have a weirdly themed party once a month. Keep your eyes open for the Kevin Bacon and Mug party.

+The post party roommate chat was a really great extension to a really great night.

But here is the really big question that I have for you. Are you ready? Someday when your children ask what you did on 11/11/11, will you be able to tell them something awesome? I sure know that I will be telling them all about my 'stache party, and they will think I'm awesome.

Halloween Times

Henry didn't quite know what to think about his favorite Aunt having a moustache.

We're just a hipster and a dude, trying against all odds to be friends. Somehow we make it work.

Sometimes I make us take sad pictures. because I think they are hilarious.

But we're actually pretty happy. Actually, we're really happy most of the time. Especially when we've got delicious food in our bellies. Hooray for Halloween celebrations!

10. Somethings

1. I've got a mattress topper on my bed that refuses to stay on top of my bed. It constantly looks like my bed has a muffin top.

2. There is a box of winter clothes under my bed and I am really hoping that it won't need to be opened until after November is here.

3. Zumba is kicking my trash. (but in a good way) I know it was just a normal day when I have a hard time lowering myself onto the toilet seat the next day.

4. I am in nine different classes this semester which means that I will have NINE different finals come December time. Heaven help me.

5. The apartment I'm living in does not have a dishwasher which is not so bad since I've decided to live off cup of noodles this year. Just add hot water!

6. Being in the nursing home one time a week for five hours is hard work. I always come home feeling fulfilled but smelling of urine. It motivates me to be healthy now so I don't have to live in a long term care facility when I'm old.

7. I am qualified to give people injections. And I have had more shots in the last two weeks than I have in the last 10 years. Sometimes I get to do nurse-y things in nursing school.

8. I did attempt making donuts in the oven tonight. They ended up more like mini Texas Roadhouse rolls with cinnamon and sugar on them. DELICIOUS.

9. I wish I were eating something pumpkin flavored. Why is it Fall and I still have not eaten everything flavored pumpkin? (reason: see #4.)

10. We may or may not have spent 15 minutes taking self timer shots. This about sums up my life. Happy Fall from Allred 8!

Because sometimes pictures are involved

So this one time Joshua came to visit. We embarked on the Great Salt Lake 2.o trip and had a marvelous time. Everyone should do this at least once. Of course I had to have my picture taken with the statue of a buffalo because we couldn't find any real ones. I peer pressured Joshua into his own photo.

Utah State Fair with Alaina, Brad, Adrie, Elliot, and Joshua was good times. Good thing it was raining or we probably would have stayed forever! Well, probably not. But I would like to have my very own calf.

College kids like to have parties for no reason and since Amanda loves cheese we decided to celebrate its greatness with a party. Queso dip, cheese ball, cheetos, doritos, and cream cheese frosting made up the menu.

She's still Japanese but I promoted her from the closet and into the room next door.

I've got a talented sister that will take my pictures every now and then. Junior year of college photos are going to be the next big thing! Mark my words.

Lucky for me Rachel's got the Conference ticket hook up so Amanda and I got to have this cool experience. Thanks again Rach!

School is hard and life is busy but I'm still finding things about which I can be happy. It's about the journey, right?

Since when does Lance Bass go to BYU?

Thoughts on repeat

School has started and despite the million new things to learn only a few things seem to stick.

-Math and science are the same thing and somehow there is A LOT of math/science involved in the Nursing program. Maybe I don't hate math so much after all.

-This picture of my grandparents comes to mind quite frequently as of late. Something about this candid shot makes me hope that I can have everything they ever had. How did I get so lucky to have lived and loved them this far in my life?
-And somehow I can't stop thinking about a certain boy and a certain day.

Highlights from a Summer with a cell phone camera

Walking Kino before 7am and finding some of the best surprises in people's front yards, letters with pictures (I think my stick figures are improving!), 4th of July sugar cookies, cross stitching and sewing projects, my second story break in, the lovable lump that is Elliot, being crazy with Adrie, watching Henry learn how to crawl.

TABLE=7 points

I am a crafter. If I'm not working on a project then I'm planning my next creative endeavor. Usually I see something that someone else has made and think, "I could totally do that". And that proved to be the case with a set of resin poured Scrabble tile coasters that I'd found on etsy. I made scrabble coasters and even a few button coasters for Christmas gifts but somehow that didn't seem like enough. I don't know when I got the idea to cover a whole table top with Scrabble tiles and resin but it sort of turned into an obsession sometime between Christmas and April. I did a ton of research about pouring resin table tops online and spoke to my Mother about it quite frequently. The project always seemed a little bit like a fantasy until it switched to reality when M&D gave me this table for Easter.
Excitement does not seem to quite put into words how I felt about the coming project. It's not everyday that your dreams come true.
I worked with a power sander to take off this weird crusty stuff off the top of the table. Holy, talk about some hard work for your hands. By the time I was satisfied with the smoothness of the table top my hands were bright red and mostly numb from constant vibration.
The next step was to spray paint the table top black. I do not think I would make a very stealthy graffiti artist. I went to work that day with black paint all over my fingers. When my coworkers asked what I was doing to get paint on my hands I told them that I was spray painting a table. They all thought I said "spray painting people". We had a good laugh about that.
With a moustache and a little bit of mischief, Joshua helped me spread the tiles out on the sanded and painted table top. There are almost six games worth of Scrabble tiles on the table. That's about 600 tiles for those of you that don't play. I should probably count the exact number. Maybe I will sometime when I'm real bored.Once the tiles were where I wanted they had to be glued down. Each tile had a tiny bit of wood glue spread on the back with a q-tip and was then pressed onto the table. Yes, it did take forever.About two weeks later, I finally found the courage to pour the resin on my already expensive table. As much as I've worked with resin before, it is still fairly unpredictable. A layer of masking tape and clear packing tape went around the table to create an edge to catch the resin. Talk about one stressful morning.After an emergency run to Michael's for another kit of resin, it all got poured and looked pretty good. I spent almost an hour blowing out and burning air bubbles with a butane lighter. I've probably got three different kinds of lung cancer from all of the fumes that I inhaled but it was worth it. Two days later I peeled off the tape to reveal the hardened resin edge. It was beautiful. I don't think you can understand the relief that I felt when I saw that all my hard work had actually produced something of which I could be proud. Also, if you look really close you can see the tail end of poison oak on my right eye. Don't get poison oak on your face, it's not fun.The last finishing touch was to sand off the sharp edge from where the resin and tape met. I got out the power sander again and buffed away that sharp top. My name and "fun" are the only two words that were intentionally spelled out on the table. Everything else is completely random. It took weeks of work but here she is, all finished and beautiful. My biggest and most expensive craft project ever and I am in love. I cannot wait to have this table forever.

Redundant redundant

Life as a cashier is pretty repetitive but I still like it. Here are some of the things that are commonly heard and seen at the check-lane.

"I should buy a lottery ticket!" -After a purchase comes to a certain total like $12.34 or $111.11

"Do you want some kids? I'll sell them to you real cheap." -When a Mom is overwhelmed by her out of control children (which happens a lot)

"A man must have designed this" -Usually from an older lady when I have trouble finding the barcode on a large item like a vacuum or a tv

People call me "hon" sometimes and I love it.

I am always surprised when a guest calls me by name. I usually forget that I'm wearing a name tag.

The game show network is almost always on in the break room. I have watched more Family Feud and Lingo this Summer than I care to admit.

"What time are you off?" -One of the first questions the cashiers ask other cashiers

"I usually can't leave this store without spending less that $50."

"What did I even buy?" -When a total is especially high and there is not much merchandise to show for it.

The beep beep beep always makes me wish I could be on Supermarket Sweep

For the most part the day to day activities are similar but something about going to work gets me excited. The people that I work with are mostly fun and so supportive of each other. I did get invited to go 80's dancing with some people from work. Too bad I'm only 20 and I hate the 80's otherwise it could have been a lot of fun.

Pretty close to perfection

-Bike riding, and lots of it! Downtown Portland, Seaside, Fort Stevens, the KOA campground
-Sun, all four pair of shorts I own worn in four days, and a light breeze
-Berry picking. And by picking I mean picking which boxes of berries we should buy
-Allergies that are the worst
-Scrabble table
-Bananagrams
-Trying to find Indian food and failing miserably. Next time we'll just go to Applebee's or something.
-Voo Doo Donuts
-Learning that Joshua does like some things delicious
-Patriotic songs in church
-Teaching the Laurels about avoiding crisis living and realizing that it was probably a hint that I should stop procrastinating so much
-Hanging out with my best friend from high school and her fiancee
-Realizing that peanut butter sauce and grilling is not my most favorite thing
-Warm sand between my toes and someone to enjoy it with
-Patriotism

-Mo's clam chowder and a kid with an eagle face
-A little extra on top because I'm special
-Salt water taffy, meh.
-Just a little bit of a sunburn
-Nearly dying from smoke inhalation and cold but doing it because we love America and fireworks. And it was worth the 30+ minute show put on by the good people of Seaside
-Sleeping on the ground, with a towel for a pillow, in a tent full of snore-ers and not even noticing because I was so exhausted.
-Reading some of the projects I made in the fifth grade. Obviously all poetry should rhyme and be borderline depressing.
-Slurpees and Mary S. Young park.
-Laughing so much that it hurts and enjoying things more than I ever thought possible

I wish I had something good to say

-I wish that the sun made an appearance more often in Oregon
-I wish that Julia could fill the spot of mystery roommate number 4
-I wish the 4th of July would come faster
-I wish that I could dance like a robot
-I wish that I could hang out with my really cool niece and two nephews

-I'm glad that I get a break from school
-I'm glad that I know roommates 2 and 3 are pretty awesome
-I'm glad that time eventually passes
-I'm glad that I can watch So You Think You Can Dance to fill the void
-I'm glad that quality time with Kent and Jan involves watching the Adjustment Bureau

History repeats

Am I the only one that thinks Zack from Saved by the Bell and Justin Bieber look related? Maybe it's just their matching mischievous boy, teen heartthrob attitudes.

But let's be honest. Justin Bieber will always win. at anything. because he will never say never. and he just wants somebody to love. And now we're celebrating J.Biebs Friday. You're welcome.

Thoughts and other things

-I hope I'm not getting cancer as I stand in front of the microwave, waiting for my food to cook.
-I'm constantly surprised by the amount of money people spend on greeting cards. 6 cards for $30...are you serious?
-Eating frozen cookie dough is not nearly as fun without Alyssa. That mission had better be worth it!
-I have weird moments of creative inspiration as of late. The amount of projects I've started, and the others that I've dreamed up are stacking up in a rather ridiculous pile.
-If you have an old Scrabble game you're not using, I'll pay you to send it to me.
-I've stopped closing my blinds when I go to sleep. I find that I like being able to wake up to the morning sky. It's usually not sunny but today was the exception.
-I tip my hat to those people that ride their bike for transportation.
-I'm ready for Christmas to be here already.

Rice Krispie heart

I'm not going to lie, I got some pretty awesome gifts for my birthday this year. Between a pendant necklace with an anatomically correct heart on it, a year long subscription to Entertainment Weekly, a Scrabble game with a note from a certain roommate that made me bawl my eyes out, and a generous donation from my parents to the London fund in an exchange for my slave labor services all Summer, a girl couldn't ask for more.

Unless she knew what four batches of Rice Krispie Treats made into one giant Krispie looked like.



I keep thinking that I'm going to take a bite of Krispie treat and be sick of it but it never fails to be delicious. I am so lucky to have thoughtful friends that know just what I need. Thanks again friends!

When I die, please stir my ashes into a batch of Rice Krispie Treats and take me to Disneyland. Oh, and don't forget the mini M&Ms.