just a little note....

I was just sitting here thinking about how AMAZING 2011 has been to me. I normally like to do a recap of the past year...but I just haven't had the time to put something together. Maybe another time... ;)

in the meantime (and probably forever) here's just a list of things I feel I have accomplished in the past year:

I have grown. lived. loved. cried. laughed. planned. had adventures. seen new things. experienced. trusted. risked. jumped. danced. been overjoyed. dated. flown. spread my wings. sewn. decorated. 

in short...I have FLOURISHED.

Enjoy your new year's eve celebrations. :o) And I'll see you next year!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 52nd Edition

Today's tender mercy comes in the form of my family. I am so blessed to have the family I do. They are the bestest ever.

I have really been enjoying my time here in Virginia. I haven't had to be up at a certain time. We've gotten to play lots of games and get to know the newest edition to our family. There have been movies, lots of good food, and new traditions. My family is just awesome and they make life bearable when times are gray.

I am so thankful for my family and the support they lend to me constantly. I really don't know where I'd be in this life without them. :)

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful time of year and the time you (hopefully!) get to spend with your families! I know that I am enjoying every. single. minute (all the while missing Monkey Man). Here's a little something that I wanted to share with you that will hopefully put you in the proper mood. Much love!

Friday Things!

Hello my dearest Internet friends! I apologize that it's been several days since I last posted, but with spending a whole day on a plane/in an airport and then enjoying the lack of responsibility that I have right now, I just haven't felt like posting! However, I thought on today, this being Christmas Adam and all, I would leave you with a few things..... :o)

• Being with my family is awesome. I haven't seen them since my sister's wedding in June and it's great to be able to spend time with them.

• I am starting to catch up on sleep and it is wonderful. I really love not having to wake up to an alarm clock every day. :o)

• Having the Brother-in-law around is...different. It definitely makes things more interesting. Not bad, just interesting. 

• I am intrigued to see what happens when there is more than one significant other around here. That will be fun times.

• I wonder what the coming year will bring. While I had a year full of growth and flourishing - it still feels like I did a lot of the same old same old. I guess that's an adult life for ya....but I still wonder what next year will be like. I'm excited for it to come so I can see. :o)

• I miss Monkey Man like crazy. When we said goodnight/goodbye on Tuesday night (really early Wednesday morning) I thought that the next 8 days were going to go by SO SLOWLY. But then we were talking last night and I realized just how quickly my vacation was going to come to an end. I think it helps that I'll still have a holiday and a few days before having to go back to real life once I'm back in Utah.

• Monkey Man got me a great Christmas present: a really pretty brown infinity scarf + black hand warmer things. (like fingerless gloves without the finger parts) He did a great job for the first gift giving-ness in our relationship. ;)

• I haven't been to the gym since Monday evening...but I'm going later this afternoon AND I am going running with my dad tomorrow morning. So that's good.

• Virginia is not that cold right now. In fact, when I stepped off the plane it was balmy 63 degrees. I love it. The house is a little cooler than that - it's the way the house was built, but the fact is there is NO snow, NO ice, and NO need for crazy amounts of layers. I am totally okay with this this year. In fact, I prayed for it. ;)

Basically, I am really enjoying my time off and my first real vacation in a LONG, LONG time. I don't really count the week I took off for my sister's wedding or any of the times I took off for other reasons and had a "staycation" as vacation. This is my first REAL vacation in a year and boy, do I deserve it! I hope you all have the best Christmas weekend ever! I'll be in touch...eventually. ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 51st Edition

Well m'dears. The fact that I haven't posted in a week should be a testament to how busy I really have been in the past week. Since last Tuesday I have:

• gotten my hair done - it looks fantastic! I'm in love with it.
• Played volleyball
• Hung out with Monkey Man countless times.
• Made pumpkin bread and white chocolate popcorn as gifts.
• Done my visiting teaching.
• Collected sub-for-Santa gifts from people in my ward
• Sung in my ward's Christmas program
• Hung out with Truit + Husband. They met Monkey Man. It was good times.
• Went to temple square...again. :o)
• Went to a wedding reception
• Caught the bouquet without trying. (seriously. It fell into my hands. No jumping required for this girl!)
• Had roommate Christmas
• Have my bags 75% packed (checked bag is 99% packed, carry-on and personal item are almost done)
• Checked into my departing flight :o)
• Taught several ballet classes
• Went to they gym and worked out with my trainer - twice!
• Worked on my day off. :(

It's been a very busy past seven days. I still have a few things to take care of this afternoon/evening. But once my ballet classes are taught I should be go to go and then I'll get to hang out with Monkey Man all night and have Christmas with him. :o) I'm excited. I'm also sad to be leaving him for so long. Thankfully there is plenty of technology to help us stay in contact for the 9 days I'll be gone.

This is not the point of the post  - the main point is to tell you about the most wonderful tender mercy I had this past week.

Life has obviously been really, really busy for me and I've been very stressed - especially the past couple of days. However, I have had times when the spirit of Christmas has been so strong and has blessed my life and reminded me why I do what I do at this time of year.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to help organize a sub-for-Santa for a couple of families in the home stake that feeds into our single's ward. It has been a wonderful experience to see people from my ward step it up and shower these families with generosity. These families that weren't going to have any kind of Christmas are now going to have a wonderful Christmas filled with love and laughter. There are so many wonderful people in the world and I feel so blessed to be able to know so many of them.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 50th Edition

Hello my dears! I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. My brain is feeling a little on the fried side, but I had the most wonderful evening last night. After frosting cookies, Monkey Man and I along with some friends played with the xbox Kinnect. Totally counting that as my workout last night. The dancing game rocks my socks.

But let's get to the point of this post - my tender mercy of the week. Saturday was going to be an insanely busy day for me and I had 5 different things that I needed attend because of my responsibilities. However, as Friday evening progressed 2 of those 5 things got canceled. This made me so happy and honestly made my Saturday much more bearable.

It is always the smallest things that will make me realize how very blessed I really am and I am so thankful for all the blessings I have been given since I started this meme. It's hard to believe that it has been over a year already since the induction of this meme.

As I reflect on the past year (and get ready to do my yearly recap) I am blown away by the love that has been shown to me in SO many different ways. My word of they year - Flourish - has been so very good to me. I'm currently brainstorming different words for next year's word of the year. Any suggestions?

In the meantime....I'm starting to freakout about EVERYTHING that needs to get done between now and next Tuesday....I'm not really positive on how that's all going to go down :P Here's hoping I can be productive this evening! Ciao!

9 days and counting!

I leave for Virginia in NINE days. I have so much to do between now and then I'm not sure how everything is going to get done.

Also, work is crazy busy and my brain is fried. I'm sure I was going to tell you something amazingly interesting (or not) but I can't remember what that might have been.

hmmmm.

Yeah, I gots nothing. Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting. ciao!

A Friday!!!

Hello dearest friends.

Guess what?

It's FRIDAY! Oh how I love that today is Friday. Tomorrow is going to be my busiest day of the month BY FAR, but I'm still excited for it to be the weekend. This is mostly because this is my last FULL week of work until the middle of January. (I have planned my vacationing/time off well.....  ;) )

Last night Monkey Man took me salsa dancing. It was a blast. I loved every minute of it. He's a very good dancer and I enjoyed being in his arms throughout the evening. Loved it.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Don't implode! ;) (that's my one goal this weekend - don't implode)

Thursday Things

Hi guys. things are crazy. When are they not crazy right? but really....this time of year is always nuts-o in the office and this year is NO exception. I have just a few thoughts that I want to share with y'all today.

• I went to the temple last night with members of my ward. It was so wonderful to be there with my friends. I love going to the temple and last night was no exception. I had a wonderful expereince and can't wait to repeat it sometime in the near future.

• Tonight Monkey Man is taking me salsa dancing. :o) 

• I'm nervous and I think I know why. See...the last time a significant other took me dancing it was SwingKid and it was @ Blue Tango - a venue we frequented often when we were dating and a place I still frequent. (In fact, I'm ditching Blue Tango tonight for salsa dancing.) And I'm just nervous about dancing with Monkey Man. I'm sure he's a fabulous dancer...but it's still a little nerve wracking. I'm sure it will be fine, but for now I'm nervous.

• I leave for VA in 13 days. I have WAY too much to do between now and then. I have no idea how I'm going to get everything done in the next 13 days. GAH!

• Have I mentioned that work is insane? Yeah. INSANE.

I am pretty sure there are more things that I was going to share with you. Unfortunately, my brain is not working very well these days. I think it has something to do with a) the insanity at work and b) being twitterpated. ;) Hope you all have a great evening. I'm pretty sure I'll be back tomorrow. ;)

thoughts of my heart

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Tender Mercy Tuesday - 49th Edition

Hello dears.

It has been a week FULL of tender mercies. It honestly has been one thing after another and I have been so blessed in so many different ways.

I think the one that stands out to me the most is in relation to my calling. Being over so many sisters and needing to know their needs and concerns so that I can help them can be very overwhelming at times.  This past week has been full of small moments of me being given ways to help these sisters and feel like I am, in some way, assisting these sisters to learn and grow. It's a good feeling to know that these sisters are being watched over and that Heavenly Father is working through me to help His daughters that he loves so very much.

How wonderful this gospel is to be full of light and happiness and a Heavenly Father who truly cares about each and every one of His children. It's amazing.

"it's busy season!"

that is our  go-to phrase here at work these days. My coworker is super cute when she says it to justify our three-week lead time on our product. The months of November/December are always crazy in the office, but this year it seems to be amplified 100x or so. Life is INSANE around the office.

Anyways. Seeing as how it's been almost a week since I last posted I figured a bullet-point list would be the best way to catch you up on my awesome life. (seriously, life is uber awesome.)

• Monkey Man is the sweetest guy in the whole wide world and I'm the luckiest girl ever. Seriously. I catch myself staring at him all the time and thinking to myself, "how did I get so lucky?" things are good.

• Went to Temple Square on Saturday night w/Monkey Man and another couple to see the lights, go to dinner (Z'Tejas @ Gateway. okay food. not my favorite restaurant) and then party it up at the Clark Planetarium. We took fun pictures on the moon and mars. It was a blast (although VERY cold).

• Had the annual Christmas tour day for my ballet company. that was a day full of driving and stuff. Nothing bad happened and it was a pretty good day overall. 

• Made Aebelskivers last night w/Sister B and her husband and Monkey Man. Also, we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and played games. It was fun times. 

• during the course of this week, Monkey Man and I have something together to do/attend 5/7 days. :o) I'm very excited about this.

• I'm finding it hard to believe that it's been a year. Part of me is shocked it has only been a year. At times it feels longer. 

• I'm addicted to cherry coridal kisses and m&ms. :o) yummy.

• I haven't been very good about going to the gym the past week or so. My trainer is going to kill me.

• I get to party it up with my ballet girls tonight. I'm rather excited to see all my friends. It's been awhile.

• I leave for VA in 16 days. EEK! Christmas is going to be here before I know it. :P

• I need an idea for a mass gift for my RS sisters. Any and all ideas are welcome. a DIY project is not really feasible at this point, but I need to keep cost down as well....so yeah. Please suggest something. ;)

• My office was a brisk 56 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. SO COLD. Stupid next door office that controls the thermostat and doesn't leave it on during the weekends. :P

• The world is very, very small. Roommate R (one of my favorite persons EVER) is friends with someone that Monkey Man knows as well. Insane how small the world is. ESPECIALLY in Utah.

Basically, I'm really  busy with life in general but I'm super happy, twitterpated, and joyful as an elf.  :o) Have a wonderful day!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 48th Edition

As I sit here remembering my past week I can think of one huge tender mercy in my life.

My parents.

Someone commented (to someone else, but I heard about it) about some of my actions. I had done a good deed without really thinking anything of it, but it really impressed some people that didn't really know me. I can honestly say that it is because of the way I was raised that I too the actions I did that night. My parents are so super awesome and have always been there for me through everything that I've had to deal with in my life.

Today I am grateful that my parents are my parents and I am just realizing how many of my tender mercies in my life come back to my parents. They are so great. :o)



p.s. I made things festive here on said blog - Happy Holidays!

Holiday Hangover

I am not wanting to be at work this morning, I have an awful holiday hangover. It's definitely a Monday morning around here and I'm hoping that I don't die from the insanity of it all.

I had the most lovely Sunday yesterday. I waxed domestic yesterday and made a pot roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots. I also had prepared a green salad, my favorite holiday jello salad and a pumpkin pie. OH! And crescent rolls. I had a major craving for those. So, I made a lot of food. :o) Then, I invited Monkey Man and a couple that are really good friends with him. (I like them too, for the record.) We had a blast eating good food and playing Ticket to Ride. It was fun times. After the friends left Monkey Man and I decorated my Christmas tree.

I rather enjoyed decorating my tree with someone. It was fun. After we were done, (it didn't take long, it's a tiny tree) we were sitting in the glow of the tiny twinkling lights and we started talking about the month of December. Now, December is a  busy month for anyone and there's always so much going on and as we started discussing the different activities (i.e. parties, wedding receptions, date nights etc) that we had planned we both pulled out our planners and started writing everything down. We are very busy in the month of December. :o) However, I am so excited. Monkey Man definitely wants me involved in his life and that makes me happy.

Also, we talked about New Year's Eve. We have an idea of what we want to do. It is a crazy idea, but it could be a lot of fun. I don't want to tell you what it is yet in case I jinx it and make it so we can't go....but let's suffice it to say that it would be my most adventurous New Year's Eve ever. :o)

Anyways, it's been a good weekend. I am thoroughly enjoying my relationship with Monkey Man and I know that the next 3.5 weeks are going to just FLY by and I will suddenly find myself in Virginia celebrating Christmas. :o)

This happened yesterday:

Christmas threw up in my living room. here, i'll prove it to you.

yup. definitely a disaster zone right now. so what do I do to combat the disaster that I need to deal with?

• I made a mail organizer. (I tried to follow this one tutorial, and then....me being my mother's daughter I tried to guesstimate on my own measurements. This mail organizer is one of THE ugliest things I have ever made. but....it's functional!)

• made a pumpkin pie. I did not do any pie baking for Turkey day (we ate dinner @ Mimi's cafe...that story coming later!) so today I did a little baking here and there.

• made my favorite jello salad. I'm cooking dinner tomorrow night for Monkey Man (and maybe some friends? we'll see) and I'm rather excited about it!

• danced around in my kitchen to the wonderful sounds of Michael Buble and She & Him Christmas albums (seriously, they rock. go buy them! The She & Him one is only $5 on Amazon MP3 Downloads right now!)

• went and bought fun new Christmas floral things. as if i didn't have enough Christmas stuff to begin with...

• and now I'm contemplating making some new pillow covers for the holidays.

and yes...the mess is still in my living room 24 hours later...ha ha ha ha. I promise it will be gone....eventually. ;)

Thursday Things - Thanksgiving Edition

I have so many wonderful things to be thankful for this beautiful Thanksgiving Day. Here are just a few things that I am grateful for today:

• My family - they are have always been supportive of me and my dreams and for that I will be eternally grateful.

• The restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I seriously don't know where I'd be in my life without it.

• My sweet boyfriend. I was not feeling well last night, at all, and he took time from his busy schedule to bring me chicken noodle soup and sit and just hold me. After he left I felt tons better. He's amazing and I am the luckiest girl in the world to call Monkey Man mine.

• My jobs. I work for the best company by day and do what I love by night. Not very many people are as lucky as I am in that regard and I feel so blessed to be able to do it all.

• My church calling. As hard as it can be sometimes to be over so many people and have so many responsibilities, I love it. I love the joy that comes from being able to serve those around me.

• My apartment and roommates. I live with the best girls in a great apartment. I am so glad that I found this place 2.5 years ago. 

• Technology and other comforts that come from living in the 21st century. I am very blessed to live in this day and age. 

I really am so very blessed in so many different ways. I hope each of you will take some time today to be thankful for everything you have been given. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesdsay - 47th Edition

BEST Tender Mercy ever was given to me this weekend you guys. 

So remember last year when I got to perform and it healed my heart, body, and soul?

Yeah, I remember that too. :o)

Well, it's happening again this year! Wahoo! We're doing a director's piece to Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley. We're not dancing to the entire six minutes - the music will get cut.

I am so excited at the opportunity to perform. I think it's really important for our dancers and their parents to see the directors dance. They get the chance to see that we really are skilled at what we do. :)

Dancing has always been such a great place for me to release my emotions and what not and I feel so blessed that I am still able to perform.

We had our first rehearsal last night and these girls that I get to dance with they are just....AMAZING. I love them so much and getting to spend time with them on a fairly regular basis is going to keep me so happy.

it's official

I'm twitterpated.

You're all probably going, "um....duh Alishka. You've been twitterpated for weeks now."

And this is true...but it's a much deeper twitterpation.

You see, the more time I spend with Monkey Man the more I discover all the great and wonderful things about him. I wouldn't even know where to start in telling you everything that I enjoy about him. I am loving where our relationship is right now and really enjoy having someone call me theirs.

In fact, last night someone said, "I need to find myself an Alishka," and Monkey Man said, "well you can't have this one, she's taken." It was so sweet! sigh. He's just so wonderful and I feel so blessed to have him in my life right now.

We had a very low key weekend, but it was so much fun. I am really looking forward to spending lots of time with him this week. There's volleyball night, dinner with his family, (oh yeah, did I mention that I am eating Thanksgiving dinner w/his family on Thursday night? Well, I am. I'm rather nervous about it) movie night, basketball (maybe) and possibly ice skating and bowling. We'll see about those last two. :o) It's going to be a great week! I'm so excited!!

Hope all of you had a great weekend! :o) Have a lovely Monday.

Happy Dance!

guys. I love love love Thursdays. I always say that because it is oh so TRUE! :o) This week has been just awful in many ways and I am very glad to have weekend just about here. I have a lot of random things, so let's get this party started shall we?

• BLUE TANGO! TONIGHT! I am so excited to go dancing! One of my favorite peeps to dance with is going to be there tonight and I'm rather excited about this.

• Tomorrow is Date Night. In fact, this last weekend Monkey Man was conversing w/someone from the ward about Movie Night and the next movie we were going to do and where and such and the topic of when came up. This other person mentioned how we could do Friday and Monkey Man said, "Friday night is Date Night. You can't mess with Date Night." I was SO EXCITED to hear those words come from his mouth. I love Date Night. On the agenda is dinner, apple pie making and the annual lighting festival at the Riverwoods. Sounds festive right? :o)

• I am going to be crafty this weekend and I am just so excited about this. I'm going to make a new bag for my church stuff. :o) It should be pretty sweet. Maybe I'll take pictures and tell you about it. Maybe.

• I got whacked in the face with a volleyball last night. Got whiplash. WORST headache EVER. but it was a fun night regardless.

• Also, last night I had a training meeting with the General Relief Society board. It was a wonderful board. I took so many pages of notes of things that I can be doing better. Part of me LOVES these meetings and another part of me hates them because afterwards I just feel so inadequate. There is so much room for improvement.

• I am just so happy these days when it comes to Monkey Man. After an emotional breakdown (over things that have been building up for some time now) on Tuesday evening, Monkey Man let me gripe and complain. He lent the best listening ear. The conversation led to other topics and his philosophies on life and the gospel are so well aligned with mine it is sometimes scary. I really really really really like him. I think he's the bee's knees and love being able to spend time with him any way I can.

• My cousin is blessing her baby up in L* this weekend. Sister B, Brother-in-Law T and I are all going up to spend time with them. Monkey Man may or may not be coming depending on his schedule on Sunday. Regardless, I am excited to spend time with my cousins.
• I really love going to the gym. SO GREAT.

• I'm really excited for the Holidays. They are going to be so much fun this year.

• Also, what does when get a boy they've  been dating for a short time (*cough Monkey Man cough*) for Christmas? I'm thinking maybe I'll make a stocking and stuff it with cute, fun  knick knacks, but I'm not sure. Your ideas are welcome.

Have the most fantastic weekend ever friends! Loves!

just a thought....

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 46th Edition

Hello  Tuesday! I am so glad to see you. Mostly because it means that I only have two more days to work this week. :o)

I am so very blessed. Honestly, I can't believe how wonderful my life is sometimes! I am continually thanking my Heavenly Father  for all of my many, many blessings.

So, this week's tender mercy comes from just the other day. Every 2nd Sunday I have an early morning Stake Training meeting for my calling. It's at 7 am at my church building and it is always a wonderful meeting to go to. I just love it. The night before I had watched a movie with Monkey Man and some of our friends from the ward. I didn't get home from said movie night until one in the morning. Smart, I know. Well, as I was getting ready for bed I had the prompting to get everything packed and ready for my meetings the next day. Now, I had set my alarm and had left myself plenty of time to get ready, but I just felt like I should have everything packed up. So I packed my church bag and set out my outfit for the next morning. Now, I normally set out my outfits for each day, but I set out every little detail of my outfit down to my nylons and shoes and then I went to bed.

Normally when I set my alarms I set two on my phone to go off within three minutes of each other and then I set another one on my iPod touch that is a music alarm to help continue waking me up while I snooze the other alarms. :o) Well, my music alarm goes off and I doze in and out and then start to realize that my phone alarms aren't going off, I finally get out of bed to see what's going on and it's 6:58am. Needless to say I freaked out and started getting ready SUPER fast. Lucky for me, EVERYTHING was laid out and ready to go and my hair looked just fine from the day before. I felt so blessed to have been able to receive and follow inspiration. I think it is amazing that Heavenly Father helps me with the big things in my life as well as with the little things.

Life is amazing. I hope you all have a great Tuesday!

The Grandest Wish of all....

At 11:11 today (11/11/11) I will be driving to Spanish Fork whilst on my lunch break to take care of a stupid ticket from my car accident on Halloween. pooh. BUT it means that I probably won't miss this auspicious event. :o)

All morning long I've been thinking of what I should wish for because a wish made on such a day as this is bound to be pretty amazing AND I would think it has the highest chance of coming true. :o) So...what does one wish for on this great event?

I have no idea.

While I continue to ponder my wishes so I can make that great wish in just a matter of hours, I want to take this time to thank all of the veterans - including both of my grandfathers. They have done so much to help keep our country safe and I'm grateful for their sacrifice. The world would be a much scarier place right now without them.

And finally, a little jovial Friday Fill-ins for ya today. I hope this day brings you the most happiness possible. Loves!

1. Turkey is delicious. I love eating turkey - especially turkey sandwiches!

2. I love pumpkin pie. And plan on making plenty of it this year. :o)

3. On and on and on we go day in and day out.

4. The last time I saw my good former roommate Peximus Maximus was three years ago - until Wednesday afternoon! It was so fabulous to get to see and visit with her. She makes my heart happy.

5. Can you believe there are less than 2 weeks to Thanksgiving? This year is going to be over before we know it!

6. I need a personal assistant. There are too many things that I need to take care of that I just don't want to deal with right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my dinner date with Monkey Man, tomorrow my plans include rehearsal and cleaning my house and the Ward Dinner + Talent Show and Sunday, I want to make something yummy!

Happy it's Thursday!

Wow. Is it just me or has this week been eternally long? Honestly....Yesterday felt like it should have been Friday and yet it was only Wednesday. Also - work has been absolutely insane and I think I'm slowly going crazy.

Anywho. Let's get this show on the road before the phones ring again and I have to get myself to a meeting....

• I burned myself with my 3-barrell curling iron on Saturday. :( 

• I have a dinner-date with Monkey Man tomorrow night. I'm very much looking forward to that.

• There's Blue Tango dancing tonight (like always) but I'm not sure I'm going to go. I might come home and go to bed instead. We'll see.

• I'm subbing for another teacher tonight so I'll be teaching later than normal. That is one of the reasons why I might not go dancing. Plus...I am really, really tired right now. But maybe I'll have more energy later?

• I know last week I hinted at doing a post on my trainer...it's coming. Promise.

• I think I need some cupcakes. I really like cupcakes.

• I have a girl's night out coming up next week and I am just SO excited about it. PLUS I love the girls that I'm hanging out with which means that that evening should be just utter fantasticness.

• I have too many craft projects that I want to do. :P

• So I think I might need to have a crafty afternoon where I don't worry about how clean my house is - but instead I just craft away my day. Sounds like a good plan right?

I'm pretty sure there's something else I was going to mention to y'all today, but seriously? My brain is fried and the phones haven't stopped ringing. It seriously has taken me all day to post this. sigh. maybe tomorrow will be better??

Cloud 9

I just may float away....here are some prints that express my thoughts perfectly for today. :o) Have a great day y'all!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 45th Edition

I was so sad to have missed Tender Mercy Tuesday last week, but I'm back this week! I have had a good past couple of weeks filled with so many different tender mercies that it is hard to pick which one(s) to share with you.

Let me start with last week - Last week we had Stake Conference and it was the most wonderful thing. It was exactly what I needed that weekend and it lifted my spirits and answered questions for me in my life. 

My other tender mercy comes from last night. I had to make a decision whether or not to spend some one-on-one time with Monkey Man and most likely stay up late OR go to the gym and get to bed at a decent hour. I had told myself when I got into a relationship again that I didn't want to drop things that I like to do (like going to the gym) just to hang out with my significant other. However, last night I felt like it would be more beneficial to me AND my relationship with Monkey Man if I stayed and hung out with him.

BEST. DECISION. EVER.

Even though I only got 4.5 hours of sleep last night (i know, i know), the benefits of getting to be with Monkey Man were TOTALLY worth it. We watched a movie and after the movie was over, Monkey Man and I sat talking for over an hour and I learned so many things and got to know him even more and I found something out - he's committed to me. I mean, he didn't SAY those words exactly, but we were talking about the holidays and things coming up and Monkey Man told me he'd go to my work Christmas party w/me (we got our save the dates yesterday) and he's already put into his phone when I'm going to be gone to see my family. He told me he'd love it if I took him to DC someday, we're going to do something on New Year’s, he put my birthday in his phone...etc etc. And while that is just a whole bunch of little things that could or could not happen it's a BIG deal to me, because I’ve had past boyfriends that don’t like to commit to things in the future. Lots of guys feel that way. They don’t like to plan for things to far in advance just in case “it doesn't work out.”  I HATED that about those guys (or guys who would never plan ANYTHING *cough Grizzly Bear cough*.) Because, so what if we're not together THEN at least commit now and show me that I'm important to you! And Monkey Man did that. He hinted about meeting his family (well...warned me that I had no idea what they were like yet...and then kind of told me about them. It was fun) Also, he just....is amazing. I could tell when we were talking and discussing things that he cares about me and he wants to plan on spending time with me, and I love that so much. So there you go. A little insight to my current relationship, and while we haven't sat down and had a "DTR," I feel like I know where things stand based off of his actions and to me that is much better than any kind of DTR conversation we could have right now. :o) 

Basically, I'm happy. Monkey Man and I are dating and it's so great. It's gone so smoothly and effortlessly that I can't help but wonder what is in store for us in the future. It's just GOOD and I like it. 

Have a great Tuesday y'all!

Today has been....

officially declared "stupid people day." At least, at my place of work it has been. Today has been ridiculous when it comes to stupid people and their stupid requests.

ANYWHO. The good news is that today is THURSDAY and I just love Thursdays. (I think I say that every week, but it's so very true that I'm okay with saying it every week. :o) )

onward and upward!

• Not only is today THURSDAY, it's my FRIDAY. My weekend starts as soon as my company class is over tonight - 8pm. I can do this!

• I am sleeping in tomorrow. My Friday schedule is a little different than past Fridays and that includes sleeping and sleeping until  I can't sleep no more. Or 9:30 am. Whichever comes first. ;) 

• I'm going to the temple with a dear former roommate (Roommate LZ) on Saturday morning. I'm so excited to spend time with her in the best place ever!

• I haven't been serious grocery shopping in WEEKS. That is being rectified tomorrow. I even have a meal plan for several crock pot meals to make this next week. I'm excited. I hope they turn out...

• I have a post in the works about my gym trainer. He's a rock star (literally) and I can't wait to tell you all about him.

• Speaking of the gym...I'm going tomorrow AND Saturday. I'm just that cool.

• I also get to practice being a mime on Saturday for a show in April. Again...I'm just that cool.

• Monkey Man is adorable and I'm quickly falling head over heels for him...and yet I'm very calm about it. (most of the time) It's a very interesting ride and I couldn't be happier. 

• I love Greek yogurt. ESPECIALLY Greek yogurt by Yoplait. mmmm....yummy.

• Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away! WOO HOO! I love holidays.

• the pile of sticky notes that have been used this week is ASTOUNDING. It has been so super busy this week. ai yi yi

• I played volleyball last night and at one point I chest bumped the volleyball. It was AWESOME.

• There was A LOT of laughter at volleyball last night. SO MUCH FUN. I loved it.

• Sometimes being a Relief Society President is hard. I do love it, but it's HARD.

• I have some fitness goals to share with you...but they're not completely finalized yet (which is bad of me...but deal with it.) I'll probably share them in the near future. Get ready for THAT awesomeness.

• I just realized the year is drawing to a close and I'm noticing how many things have helped me flourish this year. I need to start brainstorming a word for the year for 2012. 2012 is going to be good....I can feel it.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...but this has been a very long Thursday Things already, so I think I'll be done. For now. Until next time my dears, STAY HAPPY!!

WEDNESDAY!

So....I missed Tender Mercy Tuesday. I'm sorry! I had a great one planned in my head...but after a CRAZY Halloween night (car accident :( [my fault. so sad] and a party w/Monkey Man) and a VERY busy day on the phones....posting just didn't happen.

BUT I'm here today! The party with Monkey Man was so much fun. I love spending time with him and getting to hold his hand. :o) Everything is still very surreal to me. (a very good surreal though)

Tonight is going to be busy, but should be fun.

My brain is scattered, so I'm going to leave you with this AWESOME YouTube video that I shared via twitter earlier this morning and call it good. Happy Hump Day all y'all!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Hello my dears! I hope you are having the most splendid (or spookiest) Halloween ever! Mine has been pretty spectacular so far. This weekend had it's up and it's downs - but unlike Nottingham, the ups have definitely outweighed the downs. I've been trying to figure out how to best tell you all that has gone on...I think we'll do a day-by-day update. okay? okay!!

Friday

Friday was the "down" part of the weekend. I was ornery all day long, I was exhausted and I pretty much felt like crap. I've been fighting cold symptoms all week long and I just felt icky. I picked up a free pizza that I earned from Papa John's and sat on my couch moaning the demise of my BYU Cougars to the TCU frogs. sigh. I went to bed at 9:20 pm and slept for 10.5 hours. BEST THING EVER.

Saturday

I woke up feeling SO refreshed. I ran my 5k and did SO WELL!!!! I don't know my exact time (yet) but I know that it was better than the last time I ran a 5k. I'll be sure to post my time once I get it. ;) After that I came home and did a few pointless things before going on a TRIPLE date that I put together last minute.

See....I had this Groupon for miniature golfing for up to 6 people. (it was only $9!) It expired on 10/30 and so when SwingKid and I were driving home from the race I asked if he and his new girlfriend (who was in his Master's program. She's so nice and I'm happy they are dating) wanted to go. He asked if it would be weird,  I said no. So plans were made. I asked Monkey Man if he was available and he said YES! THEN looking for 2 more people, I thought of Surfer Boy (who has just started dating A* a girl in my ward who is one of my best friends and I just love that these two are dating!) and texted him, and him and A* were definitely in! So, if you were paying attention...I went on a triple date with my former crush and his GF and my ex and his GF. Weird? Not at all. ha ha ha ha. I didn't warn Monkey Man prior to this excursion that my ex was going to be there, but it did come up at one point. He laughed at me and told me that I had a weird relationship with him. I concurred with that statement. However, it was great fun being with two other couples doing something as simple as miniature golfing. After that triple date there was Stake Conference (which I will probably talk about more tomorrow) and then after THAT I went over to Monkey Man's place and we watched Captain America. :o) SO MUCH FUN! It was a great Saturday. :D

Sunday

I got to sleep in a little bit (no extra meetings!) and then went to Stake Conference. Monkey Man sat by me and at one point during church I looked over and thought, "oh my gosh. I have a boyfriend." It continues to amaze/shock me that I'm dating someone. It just sort of happened. And while I am not complaining, I am constantly finding myself in awe of the fact that I am dating someone. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I mean, really?! How does one just POOF find themselves in a relationship? Anyways, it feels nice to be with him and yet I don't feel this overwhelming dread when I don't see him. I am still me, still doing my own thing but with someone that I can share things with and I think that is the best possible thing EVER.

After church my roommate and I worked on her Halloween costume. I sewed a detachable wedding dress train to a shirt and then we went outside and trashed said wedding dress. It was AWESOME. I even drove around the block with the dress hanging out of my car. BEST THING EVER. She's one awesome zombie bride today! I finished off my evening with Ward Prayer and The Little Mermaid. :o) LOVE that movie so much.

So there you go. A not so little nutshell of a weekend...but fun none-the-less. Tonight Monkey Man is having a Halloween Party that I'm going to and all-in-all it should be a pretty good day. :o) Have a spooky kind of day!

Happy Friday!!

I am SO happy that it is finally Friday. This has been one VERY long week and I am very much looking forward to my weekend of Halloween celebrations!

So without further ado...Friday Fill-Ins!

1. Beware of spiders and other spooky creatures..

2. I am definitely not ready for the snow.

3. And since we are on the subject, I've decided I need to learn how to snowboard this winter.

4. Do you believe in supernatural spirits?

5. Where there is chocolate is where I want to be right now.

6. Any kind of soup is one of my favorite meals when it's cold out.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a couple of Halloween parties, tomorrow my plans include running a 5k, doing some baking and enjoying Stake Conference and Sunday, I want to enjoy the fact that I don't have any extra meetings and I can take a nap!

Thursday Things

Hello my dears! Yesterday was quit the craptastic kind of day and I am soooo glad that it is finally Thursday! Thursdays are usually really good days in the office - plus they always consist of fun things for me in my personal life. :o) Even though I have to work tomorrow (ick) it will be all good because it is finally the weekend! So let's get to this shall we? I have lots of fun things to tell you!

• Like I mentioned earlier yesterday was a really awful day. I came home from work and instead of getting myself to the gym like I should have - I took a 1.5 hour nap. That was WONDERFUL. 

• My Halloween costume consists of me using my superhero costume from my birthday. However, since going to the temple it's a little short for every day wear and seeing as how I want to wear out in public....yeah I added a purple ruffle to the bottom. It's 90% done and looks AWESOME.

• Speaking of Halloween....I have SO MANY different things going on TOMORROW alone! I have to choose and decide what I am going to go to, but I just feel cool that I have so many options.

• Tonight I'm dressing up for ballet class AND for Blue Tango's Halloween Bash. :o) I'm excited to dance in my costume. It's going to be GRAND!

• Last night I played volleyball and Monkey Man did show up. I got teased endlessly by several ward members but it was all good. We left at the same time and were able to talk for a little bit in the parking lot. He's a sweetheart and while nothing is "official" we did talk about how fast we want this relationship to go - and we're both on the same page with wanting it to not fly out of control. I feel good about things and I don't think I'll be going out with anyone else for a little bit... :o) I did get a couple of kisses goodnight. I forgot how nice it is to kiss someone goodnight. 

• Seriously, I slept VERY well last night and I am attributing about 50% of that nice sleepingness to the good night kisses I received before going to bed. ;)

• We don't have any set plans for the weekend....but I know he's not about to back down, I'm just not going to see him every day at this point. And like I mentioned to him - that's what I am trying to work on. See....when SwingKid and I broke up we had been dating for 2.5 years. We were at the point where I did see him every day, talked to him throughout the day and went through withdrawals when those things didn't happen. So I have forgotten how to gradually get to that point. I told that to Monkey Man last night and to be patient with me. I'm trying really hard not to get too crazy and to keep doing all the fun things I've been doing without a boyfriend and once we decide to get a little more serious then I'll see him more often and we'll incorporate each other more into our lives. Until then though....I'm NOT going to freak out and I'm going to continue to enjoy my life with a little added bonus of someone that I'm dating. ;)

• We have Stake Conference this weekend and I just love Stake Conference. It is always SO GOOD. I'm looking forward to not having any extra meetings as well. :o) 

• I am feeling really good about today. It is going to rock. Hard Core.

• I'm running in this 5k on Saturday with SwingKid. I'm hoping my time is better than the last 5k I ran unknowingly on a torn ACL. :o)

• The work day started with me finishing putting out a fire that was discovered yesterday while listening to Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. Nothing can go wrong when that is the first song on your Pandora station.

• My hair looks cute today. The end.

• I'm wearing a comfy sweater today - see....nothing is going to be awful about today! I KNOW IT!

• Pretty much, life is much better today compared to yesterday and I'm a happier camper for it. here's hoping everything continues to go swimmingly.

Have a great day everyone!  :o) I know I will!!!

Wordless (-ish) Wednesday

{it explains every bruise on my body}

{this is me this week. too many spiders}

{every. single. time}

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 44th Edition

I have the best Tender Mercy to share with you today!

Back when I was learning to drive (many, many years ago), my dad would take me on back roads from Spanish Fork to Payson to help me get used to going faster without any cars around me. I remember that being so scary! (going fast - not the back roads. ;) ) Well, yesterday that knowledge of back roads that my dad shared with me finally paid off! I missed my exit (well...more like it was closed and I didn't realize it) on my way to Spanish Fork to teach my Monday night ballet class. The next option was to take an exit that put right in the middle of the back roads my dad used to take me on. I was surprised at how quickly the knowledge of these back roads came back to me - it was seriously like riding a bike again. I was pretty sure where to turn and once I made that first turn everything was surprisingly clear to me. I am so grateful that I have a father who would teach me things that I don't think are necessarily important or useful, but then they end up being for my good.

Our Heavenly Father is like that too. He teaches us lessons and skills that we don't think we need, or that are there just to spite us and make us sad; when really, all of these lessons truly are for our good. Heavenly Father doesn't just randomly decide to teach us something. He has a plan for us and He knows what we need to know and when we need to learn it so that we can use it later for ourselves and for the betterment of others. How cool is that?!

Anyways, that's what I am so grateful for today. I definitely have some amazing men in my life. The End.

best weekend EVER!!!

hey you guys! (every time I say that phrase I say it like THIS. ha ha ha ha)

I hope you had the most fantastic weekend. Mine was, to quote Monkey Man, "sublime."

Friday was just fantastic and filled with great things. Saturday was also great (two straight days of sleeping in? Yes Please!) and was made even better by BYU winning their football game without question.

THEN. Then, there was Ballet West's Dracula. This ballet was absolutely exquisite. The brides of Dracula were very ethereal, creepy and yet gorgeous at the same time. The special effects added to the charm of the storyline and didn't  feel like they were there just because they could be there. (If that makes any kind of sense.) Monkey Man had never been to a ballet before and I just love being able to indoctrinate people into the awesomeness that is ballet. :o) He really enjoyed it, which is a good thing.

So, he held my hand while at the ballet and basically on our entire date. ;) There's just something about holding hands that is so great and it makes me happy. I wore a new top that I found shopping with Roommate A with my long brown skirt and I felt so pretty. After the ballet it was decided that we would go grocery shopping, so we swung by my favorite local grocer and did some shopping. I love grocery shopping and I think it's a lot of fun to do with a guy (for some odd reason.) After that, we went back to his place to take home his groceries and then he walked me out to my car.

Now, here's the deal. I have learned from some very trustworthy sources that Monkey Man has not kissed a lot of people. So, by this point in the evening I was convinced that a kiss was not going to happen (which I was fine with, I mean, I would have been fine either way to be honest) and so I didn't think about it as we were saying good night. So, we say thank you, and as we go in for a hug (i think) I realize about 2.2 seconds too late that Monkey Man was going in to kiss me. GAH! I felt so bad! He kissed me on the cheek and I realized that I had just shafted this really cute, sweet boy. I felt so bad, and so I returned the favor and kissed him on the cheek as well and as we pulled back a little bit he looked at me and then went in for it and this time I didn't shaft him...and we kissed. Just a sweet little peck. a few times. It was adorably sweet and nothing like any other guy I've ever kissed.

See...I feel like when other guys have kissed me it has been leading into the possibility of making out. And not that making out is a bad thing (I do rather enjoy it. TMI? Perhaps?) BUT it was very refreshing to just have him just kiss me.

Now....here's where I wax all philosophical. See....Monkey Man is nothing like any guy that I have ever dated. In fact, when I get to this point in a relationship with a guy, 9 times out of 10 it's because I've been crushing on the guy for quite some time and I've made things known that I wouldn't be opposed to dating said guy. Well....with Monkey Man he sort of came out of nowhere. Not that I didn't like the kid, we were friends before all of this happened, but I hadn't been crushing on him, or sending signals or anything. HE has done all the work. HE has made all of the initial moves. (Now, I have encouraged him....but still.) So...I'm sort of freaking out on the inside. Not on the outside...but definitely in the inside. This relationship is different than ANY relationship I have EVER had and the reason that that is so scary is because people (i.e. every married person I know, including my SISTER) has said that that's how it goes! It's the person you're NOT looking for, the person you DON'T expect to date that gets you married. sigh. I'm trying not to over think things...but let's be honest. I'm a girl. I over think EVERYTHING. So right now...I'm just trying to enjoy this crazy, wild ride that I have suddenly found myself on. So...if it ever sounds like I'm freaking out - just tell me to chill out. k? okay.

REGARDLESS. I'm really, really all sorts of giddy, twitterpatedness over here in Alishka land. Hopefully I can focus. ;) Have a great Monday Y'all!!!

ps. If you read this to the very end then I am very impressed and you deserve a gold star. So consider yourself starred. ;)

Thursday Things

Good Thursday Morning lovelies. I hope you're having a FANTASTIC day in the neighborhood. I know I am! :o) I'm rather excited that it is finally Thursday. Around here it's Friday because I don't work tomorrow. Halleluiah. :o) Let's get to the good stuff shall we?

• My date with Monkey Man was a BLAST. Seriously. So much win. My pumpkin carving skills are awesome AND Xbox Kinnect? TOTALLY WICKED!!! Seriously. SO MUCH FUN!

• I'm really excited for my weekend. It starts tonight after my ballet class with a hair appointment. super stoked for THAT tonight. THEN I'm going dancing. Will get my flirt on...etc etc.

• Tomorrow I'm sleeping in, going to the gym, helping my sister changer her name on her driver's license, going to the temple, rehearsing my ballet company and going to movie night. (Star Trek anyone?)

• Saturday includes sleeping in, going to the gym, being crafty, watching BYU Football and THEN going to see Ballet West's Dracula.

• My date for the ballet? Monkey Man. yup, I asked him last night after our date got over. He wasn't sure he could go because of previous plans...but then his friends canceled said plans. So our ballet date is a go!

• Monkey Man was really cute last night...he held my hand again - but it was cute how anxious and unsure we both were and trying to read the other person on their thoughts of holding hands...yeah. He's cute.

• Here's an interesting fact and something I discussed with my coworkers this morning - I have a crush on Monkey Man, but it's not the same as other crushes (i.e. Fryman, Surfer Boy, Grizzly Bear, etc); with past crushes I have imagined how everything would play out (dating, to kissing, to getting engaged, to getting married, etc) because I am a girl and I fantasize about EVERYTHING. I haven't done that with Monkey Man at all. My one coworker thinks it's because I'm not having to do all the work (not that I always do all the asking with other guys...but I do do a lot of encouraging/inviting etc). I think she's right. She also told me that's how it worked for her and her husband and another former coworker of ours and her husband. They never really thought of their husbands as potentials until after they started dating. So...I'm not forecasting anything, I'm just making an observation. ;)

• In other non-boy related news, Katria sent me this link to an AMAZING dance performance. YOU NEED TO WATCH IT. Even if you don't really like dance, WATCH IT. It's INCREDIBLE.

• Also incredible? This non-traditional version of Swan Lake. SWEET CRAZINESS. I thought my jaw was going to fall off. So amazing.

• This article about BYU and the Big-12 was very interesting. I learned new things.

• My little bro turned 19 yesterday. He's getting to be SO grown up! I just can't stand it. :o)

• Finally, let me leave you with this awesome print I found on pinterest. :o)

Have a great weekend folks! :o)