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