Rage on the Road

Driving...one of my favorite things to do. There are few things I enjoy more then a beautiful day, rolling the windows down, turning the music up loud and going for a drive. 

And then there is driving to and from work...that is never really all that enjoyable. Traffic, trying to get to work on time, people who don't know how to drive...such an awful combination, especially in the mornings. I don't know about you but I handle it much better in the afternoon, I am by no means a morning person. 

I don't think I ever had road rage until I lived in Oklahoma. I never remember yelling at cars while driving until I lived here. I won't even start on how these people drive in inclement weather, trust me its not pretty. I will start with tail gating. I hate when people ride my tail, its probably the easiest way to irritate me while driving. I am by no means a slow driver so if I am in your way it is not going to be my fault. There are a few places I know cops like to hide in OKC and I will slow down to the speed limit for those places so if that bothers you, you can thank me when I save you from getting a ticket. Oh and you won't find me in the fast lane unless I am passing someone so there really is no reason to tail me. If you do I will probably just drop my speed a little at a time just to prove my point. 

Merging....did you learn how to do this in driver's ed? I know my dad taught me how to do this. I remember it being scary as a new driver but come on, after a few years you just have to learn to be defensive and go when you can. It amazes me that some of the most traffic causing areas in this city are where two lanes become three. You get a whole extra lane and you can't merge over? Seriously? Your license should be taken away. Typically there is this wonderful sign in areas where merging is involved. 

The YIELD sign! Here let me give you the definition from a driver's ed manual...YIELD: RED AND WHITE TRIANGLE — Slow down and be ready to stop, if needed. Let oncoming vehicles pass before crossing or entering the flow of traffic. A lot of people seem to think Yield means to speed up and cut people off. WRONG! It also shouldn’t be mistaken for stopping and waiting for absolutely no cars to be on the highway at all…ever. WRONG! It simply means to slowly approach and wait for a safe distance between cars to enter the highway. How is this hard? I have had those times were traffic is so heavy I get nervous, I understand but you can’t just stop and sit, that is what causes more traffic. Be logical and follow the rules, take the opportunity when you have it and be aggressive when you need to be. This will make everyone around you much happier! 

And lastly...One of my major pet peeves…texting while driving! Yes I do it. I know thats slightly hypocritical, however I can text with my eyes closed. There are times I barely have to look at my phone so its not as bad. I however find that I would be happier while driving if texting and driving were made illegal in the state of Oklahoma! I survive just fine driving in Ohio and never picking up my phone. I can't even count the amount of times I have almost been hit by someone who looks to be over the age of 40 and is looking at their phone. I'm not sure if they are trying to use it for navigation, texting, trying to call someone, or simply using it as a mirror (we all do it!) but they can't seem to do two things at once. I mean these people seriously seem to be looking at their phones and not at the road...at least continue to look back and forth! I usually honk my horn and let them know I see their stupidity. As if everyone else behind them watching them swerve all over the lane can't see it either. 

As your drive this weekend and for the rest of your life do me one favor...PAY ATTENTION! It will keep all of us a little safer each day. 

Keep Smiling:)
Alli 

Things People Say

Phrases I heard this past weekend...

"I like your calm approach to things..."

 "You have got life all figured out at such a young age…"

"Girl, there is no way you need a medium, I will grab you a small!"

I must really have these people fooled! Seriously, those phrases don’t fit me at all! This weekend I took a little time to pamper myself, shop and have some fun:) Who am I kidding, I pamper myself whenever I feel like it…It's one of the perks of being a single woman! During the span of three days I heard all of these phrases and each one resulted in me fighting back laughter.

You see I talk a lot…that’s nothing new of course but it leads me to some very interesting conversations with random people. The cashier at Target, the old man in the elevator as I’m leaving work, the bartender when I am picking up my To-Go order, basically anyone who looks the least bit friendly. .. That being said imagine how much I talk to people I actually, sort of, know. When I say I sort of know these people I mean my favorite massage therapist (Matt if you are reading this I laughed as I typed that), the girl who gives my pedicures, and all my favorite girls at Loft!

That first phrase came from Brooke my massage therapist. I tried sleeping during my first massage but then I started talking and didn’t stop really. So now I talk while I am facing up and sleep when I turn overJ Anyways she usually asks about my job and my love life and I ask her about her little boy and we just chat. I was telling her about my new job at Devon and recent dates etc. She listens and tells me she likes my “calm approach”….me calm…HA I almost laughed out loud. I am not typically calm, I am a worrier, a planner, an over achiever. Calm is just not a word that I would use for myself. Lately though I guess I have started just to go with the flow a little more…it’s a challenge for me but its progress. I guess I should keep it up if it’s showing in my conversations. We will see how that goes!

The second phrase came from the girl giving me a pedicure on Friday. I was in my usual salon but this was a new girl for me. We were talking and she asked me what I did. I told her I was a tax accountant at Devon and tried to move on. I love Devon and I like my job most days but it’s also very hard to talk to people about what I do. Taxes are just boring to normal people and when I start talking I tend to go into details people don’t care about or won’t understand.  So we started talking about something else and I don’t know exactly where it came from but she told me, “You have got life all figured out at such a young age, you are so lucky!” I said thank you of course but inside I am just thinking, “Yeah Right!” Yes I went to college and got a degree. Yes I am now using that degree in my job every day. No I do not have life figured out….NOT AT ALL! When I graduated college I had this master plan of how I was going to make some sort of impact on the world. A year and a half later I can’t even remember what most of my ideas were...I’ve spent more time trying to find time to do the everyday things that I have barely had time to figure out what I am really looking for yet. I will find it though, I’m not worried…it’s just amazing how fast time goes and how much “life” just takes over.

The third phrase came from one of my Loft ladies! I go to Loft almost weekly and I would now say that the girls that work there are kind of my friends. I mean these girls know a lot about me, my address, my phone number, my email, and the fact that I struggle to wear printed fabrics. I do not think that I can get in and out of that store in under an hour, it’s just not possible. We end up having conversations about me or them, or other customers if I am in there alone, when I will start working there…etc. Saturday I was just in because they were having a sale and I had some rewards so I was just drawn in. The shirt I was wearing was from Loft and Lindsay, one of the girls complimented it. I told her I wished they had more like it and she said they did and asked me what size. That was when I told her I needed a medium and she said she didn’t believe me. That’s a big compliment in my book! It happens to me a lot…apparently my body is pretty deceptive. Some girls in other stores are kind of rude…I will ask for a 6 and they will say “I doubt that” or “I’ll grab you a 4 anyways.” This bugs me! After working retail for 4 years I learned…just give people what they want! Well with this girl I told her I would give the small a try…it was definitely too small! I walked out of the dressing room to show her the medium was the one and she just smiles and says you are so sneaky. She later told me that the customer she was helping thought I could be an XS. HAHAHAHA I don’t even remember the last time I wore an XS in a regular shirt! It had to have been early high school.  Lesson of the weekend for me…I am hiding any fat on my body in a very good wayJ

It’s funny to me how much simple conversations with people can make you think. Imagine how much you would think if you were having conversations with a new person every day. Or better yet if you were having more real conversations with the people you know deeply on a regular basis. I think we get so busy we forget it’s OK to just stop and talk about our days or share a problem. I am lucky, I have good friends who are around to just stop and chat pretty often. If it weren’t for those friends I don’t know what I would be doing sometimes. Go have a conversation today, even if its with a stranger at a store….you might make a friend or you might learn something about yourself.

Either way….Keep SmilingJ

Alli

 

Intimidation....

Well I am just a terrible blogger. It has been a little over two months since I haven't finished a post...yep that's right I said FINISHED! I have 5 drafts sitting and waiting to be finished. I would start writing and then my filter would kick in and trust me my filter is not very entertaining. So those blogs are waiting but I decided it was time to start this up again...hoping that once I start I won't be able to stop.

Let's start with why I had this little two month hiatus from blogging...I have a NEW job:) I am now a Tax Accountant at Devon Energy! I work inside the tallest building in downtown OKC...which could either be really awesome or really scary, depending on the day! The picture below shows what downtown OKC looks like. If you can't figure out which building it is....well then you are just special.

 Since being at Devon I am now able to have a life. I get every other Friday off thanks to a 9/80 schedule. We work 9 hours Monday thru Thursday and 8 hours every other Friday. It is awesome! I also now have a gym to work out in. My first week working there I was asked about working out more then I ever have been in my life...I was starting to take it a little personally. Now I know that it's because they highly promote a healthy life style. 

With that The Well (Devon's Gym) offers physical assessments for every employee. If you know me very well you know that I love sports but have never played one. Last year at Cole & Reed I joined the rowing team which surprised basically all my family and close friends. I also have pretty terrible coordination. I think I walk better in heels then I do in flats, it's kinda embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as my Wii Fit age! 

Today I did one of those physical assessments at work, I found out what my body mass percentage was, my total body fat and did some tests to create a work out plan. I was so nervous about embarrassing myself that I almost canceled my appointment this morning. There is nothing I find more intimidating then working out in front people, especially men. I don't know why but I always feel like I look so silly. I have dated guys who wanted to work out together and I usually said no. It is just completely out of my comfort zone. And guess what, it was a man doing my assessment and I had heard I would have to do push ups. Needless to say this was a big step for me, BIG, and I am glad I did it! I found out that I am not in as bad of shape as I thought I was. You see since I graduated college  I have gained around 15 pounds. 60 hours a week behind a desk for a year tends to make that happen. My mom says she can't see it but my clothes sure could. Today I discovered that I am really normal in all categories for my height and weight. My job now is to tone and maintain a normal weight, gain muscle and lose fat! Like someone told me this afternoon I am too hard on myself and thought I was much worse off. I was pretty happy and slightly less intimidated:) I can lost a little weight and get in better shape and sign up for the next season of the Bachelor...JK...but seriously! There is no way I would go ok TV without looking awesome, there are far too many times you see girls in their bathing suits. So April fill out the application because I will be in shape!

Keep Smiling:)

Alli

Happy Birthday Mom!

Every woman eventually turns into their mother. Its really impossible to escape. Trust me I tried for many years! However, the older I get the more thankful I am to have such a great mom and the more I aspire to be the woman she is.

I was FaceTiming with my parents recently and it is always funny to see Dad's face when Mom and I agree, say the same thing, or have done similar things. It happens a lot, but the reason he makes that face is because of how long I tried to fight it and because it's his fault:) He has created two monsters and he loves it! Right Dad?

Appartently when mom was a teenager Grandma would tell her that one day she would pay for the things she did by having a child just like her. Guess what!? I was that child. Growing up it was not always easy... I tried so hard not to be like mom because like every teenage girl I was usually pretty annoyed with her. When I got to college and I was one my own I would find myself doing things like my mom would and I would literally yell at myself. Slowly but surely I just gave in and accepted it. I can now say that I am like my mother in many ways. We still have some very big differences but a majority of the time I am like her and you know what? I am proud to be like her.

We call mom the General (she's not going to like this blog very much), because she tends to be slightly (HA) in charge. Don't get me wrong, my parents are very much so a team but mom likes to be in charge. My mom is one of the most loving, giving, stubborn, and Godly woman you will ever meet. (She's really going to hate that I am about to brag about her...)

My whole life our house was a revolving door of people coming over for dinner or just to hang out. When I was younger the teenagers at church would come over to hang out and I never understood why they thought my parents were so cool. There was never a time in my life where my parents told someone that they couldn't come to our house. If I wanted to have people over the answer was usually yes. Mom would make food and often if someone asked her to make something she would do it without even thinking. (She's an amazing cook, that is a quality I hope I can live up to one day.) Eventually my friends all grew to enjoy being around my parents too and now I see why.

My parents have a way of caring about every one. Doesn't matter who or when. Every Thanksgiving if there is someone that my mom knows is not with their family they will probably be with us. If there is a surgery for someone we know she is usually at the hospital. If someone is in need she will find a way to get them things.

My mom does things with her whole heart. This is a trait I most definitely have and some days it is a pain but it is also a very powerful tool. My mom loves people with her whole heart but most importantly she loves God with her whole heart. Sometimes her love leads to lectures but that is because she wants everyone to have God in their life the way that she does. If you are not at church she will notice, if she thinks you are doing something that is not good for you she will tell you and she is never afraid to let people know what is important to her. My high school friends still get small lectures from her when they visit. She never stops.

I discovered something this month that I guess is probably rather obvious, there are not many women in the world like my mom.

If you don't know I was working a lot of hours due to tax season. I was asked a few weeks ago to make chocolate éclair for dessert at work one night. Being like my mom I of course said yes. Little did I know nothing would go as planned and I would be making this dessert at midnight the night before. Difference between my mom and I, I was looking for some type of credit in the end which was something she would never do. I complained at work about being up late and just wanted to tell people what kind of effort I had put into it. I have seen my mom stay up late making food countless of times and never expecting anyone's praise. That is the difference between women like my mom and most women today. She is selfless. Nothing she does is really for her. It shows me I still have a lot of growing to do and makes me appreciate all the things she has done and continues to do for me.

I hope one day my kids see me as I see my mom. And I also hope that April gets the child like me:)

I love you mom! Happy Birthday:)

Every Girl Needs a Big Brother

I have awesome siblings...I will even count Micah in on that:) My mom loves to remind us that she wants us to be close forever. I know some families where the brothers and sisters actually do not like each other, but we are not that way. Growing up I used to say that I had four parents because April & Bill loved to tell me what to do, now I would say they are two of the best friends that I could have.

The four of us on vacation in 2009.

 

 

Some would say the age gap between us is weird but I think it worked out really great. Bill & April will tell you that they cried when they found out they were getting a little sister. Little did they know it was the best thing that ever happened to them, I was always getting into so much trouble I am sure I saved them from some things!

Just the three of us in Gatlinburg in 2010.

 

Bill & I have always been a lot alike. When I was really little, before he went to college he taught me to play with Hot Wheels cars and watch Michael Jordan. After he graduated from college he came back to the changing world of a teenage girl. Somehow he still managed to look out for his little sister. I can't remember going through a break up, no matter how silly, that didn't end up with me watching some action movie with Bill and him asking if he needed to hurt anyone. He made sure to educate me on comic book movies and I think we saw every X-Men movie together. He taught me about basketball (and other sports) and was there when dad took me to see my first Piston's game. He also taught me to be picked on and pick on others pretty good. We ganged up on April a little...

Now that Bill & I have both been in OKC for 5.5 years I think I value my friendship with him even more. He has saved me and helped me through more then he ever had to. In the beginning he would lecture me about what I should and shouldn't do. Then he would do a good job of knowing things and just telling me to be careful and ask me to let him know I was safe from time to time. (By the way mom, I never did anything that crazy, and I am sure I was better behaved then him!) Now I tell Bill just about everything and he often my sounding board for the things go through. It took me a long time to realize that the days he was giving me lectures were just because he had been through everything already, I actually think it really didn't fully hit me until we were on the way back from Ohio at Christmas.

Sunday lunches are easily one of my favorite parts of  the week. Every Sunday Bill & I go to lunch after church. We get to talk, vent, and share about our weeks. Starting my career, he has been the best person to help me through the ups and downs of corporate life. I have even started to let him in on my dating life. Sometimes, I even get to give him a little advice on things but not too often:)

How many brothers do you know that would request tickets from work to take his sister to the ballet? I have now seen every form of the Wizard of Oz possible thanks to him!  We both agree we will probably never willingly go to the ballet again though. I will definitely never forget it though.

Two weeks ago after a really bad day I told Bill I needed to go to basketball game to clear my head. A few days later he informed me that he requested tickets for every game coming up and tonight he made that possible (Thank you Chesapeake). He does not have to take me to games when he wins tickets but he usually does. One of these days we may even have season tickets. Its something I love doing with him because we can just sit and watch the game with no questions or distractions.

Home Opener for the Thunder in 2013.

Bill is the best big brother a girl could ever have and I really think I would be lost without him some days. If you don't have a big brother you are missing out because there is always someone looking out for you, no matter what you think. I wish April & Micah would go ahead and move to OKC so that they could hang out with us too. I miss spending lots of time with her and Micah too. Either way we are all lucky to have each other and I love them very much.

Family Vacation 2011.

 

Keep Smiling:)

Alli

Okay...The Truth Might Hurt

The easily offended may not want to read this...

Let's have a little honesty...I mean that is why I started this right??? Let's talk about men....boys...men...I am not really sure what they are, lets call them guys....

I've made a lot of mistakes in my dating life, which means I have learned a lot about what I want. I experienced something this weekend that inspired me to beat up on guys a little. I will start with a disclaimer...not all guys are the same and not everything is directed at one specific guy. I have some very awesome guys in my life and some of my best friends are guys but there are some things I need to get off my chest.

Where have all the cowboys gone? Yes that is a song, and yes its been in my head all day! But seriously, where are they? Which leads to another song..."Momma's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys..." That's where all the cowboys are...being a momma's boy and not acting like a man. I have heard the phrase "I would love to be a stay at home dad" more times then I ever thought I would lately. Seriously!? What happened to the man being the head of the household? What happened to for the natural desire to provide for your family?

And sports...I work in an office where I know more about sports then half the guys there. Usually guys are at least interested in one specific sport or have a basic knowledge but I have had some of the most jaw dropping conversations at times that I just do not understand. Bill has taught me a lot and hanging out with a bunch of boys in high school helped too but it just amazes me when I meet guys who could care less about any sport.

And then there is the ability to talk to a girl. I always thought girls were the ones that played games with their words...I'm not proud of it but I've done it. Little did I know, guys do it too!!! Or they just don't have the balls to actually say what they want. I ran into a guy this weekend that I haven't seen in over a year. He was literally a foot away from me, he made eye contact with me, he pretended I wasn't even there. I may have broken his heart, but I also gave a nice apology for it and this reminded why I didn't date him...he needed to grow a pair. If he had really wanted to date me he probably would have had a chance, but he was too busy being scared to say what he wanted and I wasn't going to say it for him. Oh and NEWSFLASH...if you give a girl an opportunity to wonder what is going on, she will, and she will assume, and she will talk to all of her girlfriends, and they will all give a different opinion, which will only make it worse for you, so never leave room to wonder. Surprise is ok but uncertainty, I promise you, is a bad thing. We are mean in groups, and we will pick you apart when we are in groups, don't worry we talk about your good things too but we will find every way you can do something wrong and its not pretty. Just make it easy for us and be honest, we love honesty whether we are the girl or the friend of the girl.

Let's talk about the sensitive guys...I am all for a guy who is in touch with his feelings, that's great. However, there is a possibility of being too sensitive. If your feelings get hurt because you didn't get the girl you wanted, or because another guy said the wrong thing its ok to be upset. Don't most guys go to the gym and sweat it out? When did all this pouting start? Did it come with skinny jeans? I can see the relation. I mean, do real men wear skinny jeans? My friend Cameron and I have had many conversations about skinny jeans, lets leave them to the ladies, we are meant to show off our curves! Sensitivity however can be as unattractive as it is attractive. I don't exactly know where the line is but just be careful.

Last but not least lets talk about the good guys...they pay attention to the details, they know what they want and they go for it, they make you feel like the most important girl in the room and they treat you the best they can. No games, no worry, no sweat. I'm not sure its that hard, I think its just finding the girl you are willing to be that way with.

Guys...watch an action movie and man up...even the guys in chick flicks are probably tougher then most of you right now. Ladies want to be safe and protected, not protecting. Oh and don't take any of this personally...there are lots of guys who do not fit any of these things.

Keep Smiling:)
Alli

Throwback Thursday

It's been a long week...

It could be the fact that its my first full week of 60 hours thanks to my illness last week.

It could be the fact that I have overslept almost every day.

It could be the fact that I had a very frustrating day Wednesday.

It could be just one of those weeks.

No matter what it has been a long week. I have thought about writing several times but just haven't been able to find the time. This is probably only going to be a once a week thing until April, I've given up hope on anything better. Anyways, to help with this long week I have been closing my eyes and imagining something. I have been imagining one of my favorite places on earth.

Camp. If you are from home you know what I am talking about, if not let me show you! 

 This sign leads to what I refer to as the "pee road" thanks to my sister...so many hills if you go fast you will have to pee.

 You can see God in the sunsets.

 The gates mean you are home.

And then there is fire circle...

Fire circle is what I have been closing my eyes and imagining all week. I went to OC for 4.5 years and the singing at camp, especially during night fire circle, can not even be beat by that. There is something so amazing about looking up at the stars, feeling the fire, and singing from the bottom of your heart with 100 other people. Maybe its the darkness, maybe its because its much more intimate then any other setting, maybe its because of camp, but I love it. I haven't been to camp in 5 years (wow I didn't realize it had been that long!) but I can still imagine singing at fire circle. Does that tell you how powerful it is. Its one of the most peaceful things you can ever experience. 

That's not all there is about camp that makes me happy. I look back often at the really good years, the years before I was even a counselor. When camp was so crowded we had to put extra beds in every cabin. When tables had to assigned. When my whole family was going. I can remember singing "Trouble Some Times" and watching Fred bounce on his feet because he loves that song so much. I remember finding a lizard in my bed and screaming so loud the entire camp could hear me. Raiding the kitchen after lights out. Morning calisthenics. Prayer walks. Devos. Racing down chapel hill for meals. And of course laying in chapel field looking up at the stars. Camp holds some of my favorite memories ever, and that is what has helped me through this long week. Here are a few of my favorite pics from camp...

I wish I had the even older years loaded on my computer but this will have to do. 

Keep Smiling:) 

Alli

Bad Habits

For years now one of Dad's favorite things to say to me is "Take care of yourself." He knows from experience that I like to do it all, all of the time. I was the child that never ever wanted to go to sleep. I was always too afraid I was going to miss something exciting, so I wanted to stay awake as long as possible. I think one of the biggest reasons I avoided clubs/sports (besides my complete lack of talent)  in high school was because I wanted to be able to do what I wanted, when I wanted. If I was committed to something I knew that meant there would be times I had to give up something and that just didn't work for me. I also developed a bad habit of pushing myself so hard I got sick. The ability to tell people no has never been one of my strong points. In high school I would stress myself out so badly I ended up with a bad case of acid reflux. In college I learned how to control it a little bit better but I still managed to run until there was no more energy left in my body. The end result...I do anything and everything I can until one day I get sick and am put on hold for 3-5 days. I've had mono, upper respiratory infections, and just really bad colds. I get healthy and start right back up again. Its a vicious cycle. Truth be told, like so many other things, I get it from my mother. She doesn't admit it but she does that same thing.

Lucky me, I got sick  yesterday...although I partially blame this on all my sick coworkers, I had been missing out on some sleep lately. But hey, that's what sixty hour weeks, keeping up with friends, laundry, cleaning and TV will do to you. Thanks to sitting on my couch all day I am now caught up on TV and have been able to upload some overdue pictures and seriously behind on ironing and work. Oh the joys of tax season! I do not think this habit of pushing myself to the limit will ever go away but I get things done. For the next three months I will be giving up recreational reading, perfect organization, and lots more sleep. So do yourself and your accountants a favor and get them your information as soon as possible, trust me, it makes us much happier people:)

Keep Smiling:)
Alli

A Melody Sounds Like A Memory

Recently at dinner my mom made the comment “Before you date anyone you should make sure they ride in your car with you.” She knows from experience that when you ride in my car the chances of me loudly playing music are very high. In fact I like to think I am rockstar when I drive and I tend to sing quite loudly too and sometimes even dance! When you are stuck in traffic or stopped at a red light, I am that person that makes you laugh because I refuse to not enjoy the good bass and high volume provided by my car and if its warm my windows will most definitely be down!

Dad is to thank for my love of music. He loves to listen to music and taught all of us to enjoy it too. One of my favorite memories growing up is our house on Sunday mornings. We all had stereos in our rooms and all of us would listen to our own music while we got ready for church. Bill, April & I even kept a stereo in our bathroom. It was always fun standing in the hallway hearing or even feeling Bill's all of the music.

While my car is my favorite place to listen to music it is not the only place that I chose to listen. There is rarely a time throughout the day that I am not listening to music. Luckily, my officemate Anne can ignore my singing and loves music too. I have found that music is basically one of the biggest stress relievers in my life. No matter what has happened or what kind of mood I am in, there is ALWAYS a song for that moment. I often wish life was like a movie or TV show when it came to music. You know that moment when someone is just walking down the street or going about their day in TV and you hear music…that’s what I want. When I am feeling on top of the world I am most likely singing a song in my head. Example…every time I have interviewed for a job I listened to “I’m the Best” by Nicki Minaj to get myself ready for it. Mom had to go sit in the car during one of my interviews…she was not impressed with my warm up music at all.

Songs always seem to bring back so many memories for me too. Every time I hear “Friday Nights” by Click 5 I can just imagine Jessica & I driving to football games on Friday nights in high school. When I listen to “Remix to Ignition” by R Kelly I remember Tyler driving Kristin & I home from devo one Sunday night honking every time the chorus said “Beep Beep”. If Full Access comes on my iPod I instantly think of church camp and all the amazing memories that I have there. More often than not a song will put a huge smile on my face just because of the story that is in my memory with it. I listened to “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz every single day the summer before I left for OC. A few boys in the past have even won my heart by sending me songs. And then there are break up songs…if you need a break up song I could give you an entire mix! My favorite would have to be “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson or “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem. I know that not all music is nice and kind but it’s not always about the lyrics, sometimes it’s simply just the beat of the song. I love it all! Finding new songs is one of my favorite things to do when I have down time am wasting time. Here are a few of the songs I have on repeat today!

“Little Things” – One Direction 
“Carry On”- Fun
“Next To Me” – Emeli Sande
“Ho Hey” – The Lumineers”
“Bruises” – Train
“Freedom” – Nicki Minaj

Keep Smiling
Alli:)

Just A Thought

Ever since I was a little girl I have expressed my opinions freely. I was never afraid to let people know what I was thinking. Sometimes this got me into a lot of trouble, sometimes it kept me out of trouble...more often the first. In my time out of college, biting my tongue has become something I struggle with on a daily basis. It is incredibly easy to offend most people these days and I think its something I am unfortunately very good at.

Around my office most of my coworkers would tell you that I like to talk. Accountants are known for being socially awkward and boring and I do not fall in to that category. Surprisingly most of the younger accountants are not all that awkward or boring. However, I still talk more then most people in my office, I was even told I need to be careful how much I talk on my evaluation (I am working on that). It has also become very known that if you ask my opinion, there will be no sugar coating. We are in "Busy Season" and that means that I now see more of my coworkers then I will anyone else until April 15th. When I started working last year I was told we would know each other better then our families by the end of the season. While I disagree with that, I think the point is true, we become very close and learn more about one another then we probably want to know. Spending that much time together means that we work late, take breaks and have random strange conversations.

Today was one of those days where every conversation left me with thoughts in my head that I just wanted to share, which in turn led me starting this blog. I don't know who will read this and I don't know who will care, but if you do you will read my version of truths. Some day's it may just be the song that hits home, a lesson learned, a critique of something that happened that day or just my thoughts. No matter what, its nothing personal, its just my personality. I am who I am and that is something I have never been willing to change.


Keep Smiling:)
Alli