ketchup

well...more like catch up.

ANYways.

It has been so long since we have been friends, dear blog. But I just feel like I need to have something spectacular or funny or spectacularly funny to happen in my life so I may blog about it. And guess who has had half a semester filled with papers, music theory tests and a week of severe tonsillitis? THIS GUY RIGHT HERE (points to self). That's right. Nothing to extra ordinary or crazy awesome. But I do have a very small morsel of a story for you... A nugget, if you will.

So I spent this entire weekend with my wonderful manfriend doing fun festivities. A little World Market, a little mall hopping, some Chuy's eating, some strawberry-cheesecake muffin baking (i know right? SO good) and friggin' 28 Weeks Later watching (yeah, i pretty much peed my pants. scary business). But there is one instance that stands prominent in the front of my mind.


It all started on Saturday when we decided to head to Mockingbird Station and go to Buffalo Exchange. A semi-date, if you will... For those of you who have experienced "buffalo exhanging", you understand that it is basically a hit or miss when shopping for a good deal...or something that doesn't look like it was bought from an absolute ridiculous freak of nature. But I digress. As my man and I grazed through the racks and looked for good pickin's, we found a few good shirts here and there..a blanket that was supposed to be a fashion statement, and a nice pair of hooker-studded heels. HOT. Then we mozied our way to the sale rack, women's of course, and came upon two other girlies who liked to talk at "Will Ferrell SNL skit"-volume. One of them had a really long, hot pink, sequined hair ribbon in her hair. Yeah. It gets better. Dan and I were making our loop around the rack and I notice Sequine-Chickadee hold up a leather coat that looks like one I had been browsing online for not only a few days before. Except this one was leather, wonderful and HALF OFF. When she puts it down, I manage to run over to see it closer...and it's a beauty. And only $18! But I felt awkward because I had just seen her hold it up, stating, "Like OMG, should I get this so I have an extra leather coat for the Colorado trip?! For rizzles, I would like, absolutley LAHVE having two leather coats so I don't get bored with one. Like, ya know?? But I've already spent $50 shopping for other things I don't need!" (i'm not kidding, she was annoying.) While I stood near it, talking to Dan about whether or not I should pick it up since she was hovering two feet away, she's all like, "Are you gonna try on that coat?" and I'm all like, "No, go for it."
...BUT PEOPLE. IT WAS BECAUSE I FELT AWKWARD. I know I shouldn't have let her have it, but I figured she'd put it down later.

And yes. That's right. Daniel and I stalked them the rest of the time in the store. And let me tell you. It was infuriating. It was like 30 minutes of 28 Weeks Later. The zombies kept coming back and attacking people and my stalk-ees just kept opening their mouths attacking my ears. Everything that came out of her mouth was obnoxious. And yes, I have been just a little bit bitter. But guys. I needed that coat. Real leather. Fur Hood. Size small. EIGHTEEN DOLLARS.


Sigh. But I digress. The wicked witch bought it and kept raving about not having to get bored or look bad with just ONE leather jacket. Because, you know, she needed two. While I have none.


So I left Buffalo defeated and furious. I swear Daniel was having to hold me back. I was yelling at the concrete because I was so angry. Stupid hot pink sequins (i mean, who does that?).

I hope she lives a long, happy, WARM life. Shout out to Daniel, my sweet, for letting me vent for about an hour. It probably wouldn't have fit me anyway.

Ladybugs?

What happens when you put me, my sister Allison, Jillian, and Jenna in a very well supplied Hobby Lobby? Well, my dear friends, the result is a forest of flowers in my dorm room. yes, a forest is what i said. But it's alright because we like nature.

SO. Funny story.

A while back my sister and I went to dinner at Olive Garden. (i know right? scrumptious)

She ordered something delicous..I ordered something heavenly..we waited and treated ourselves to a multitude of breadsticks and salad with that AMAZING dressing stuff..

"Yada, Yada, Yada..."

We eat, we laugh, we people watch..(especially this really sweet old couple right next to us who held hands and were being really, really cute)..

And then out of NOwhere this is what happens:

Waitress: "Are we going to need to-go boxes?

Allison: "Yeah, that'd be great. Can we get two?"

Waitress: "Absolutely! Will this all be on one check?"

Allison: "No,it'll be seperate..Also, we'd like to get [those donut thingies with the yummy chocolate sauce and fluffy sugar on top]?" *i don't remember the name*

Waitress: "Sure, we'll have that right out, ladybugs."

-waitress walks away-

....

.........................

.......?

I'm sorry, what's that again?

Ladybugs? Allison and I weren't sure to be offended because she talked to us like we were kindergarteners...or be offened because she called us freaking insects. Sure, they are the more attractive in the bug family (besides rolly-pollies), but STILL. I mean, who does that?

It was the weirdest thing. And if you have seen me in a laughing/honking fit..you know this situation didn't end too well. She probably thinks we're a couple of *curse words* for laughing at her...well, actually it was only near/around/towards her. :) And yes, we did tip her. Even though we laugh at her behind her back and bring up this story to laugh at (on occasion)..we do have hearts.

That's all. I've just been meaning to share this story.

Psalms 25:7

"Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD."

Yeah. This happened today.

And yes, I was that girlfriend who was tapping her foot the whole time and thinking in my head "stop poking him, can't you see my boyfriend is in PAIN?!". He was such a man about it though. Barely even moved. And let me tell ya..I was ready to whip out the sympathetic tears if he decided the pain was too much to keep up his manly manner (<- heh). But oh no, I knew better than to think he would cry from pain like this. Because those tiny needles piercing through his skinny-self almost touching BONE...that's not real pain. pff. no way. yeah right.

BUT, here is the final result. Looking incredible.

He has been talking about this tattoo for so long that I cannot even believe it's finally finished.

(sidenote: Do I usually use capital letters in my blog? Weird that I can't remember, eh?)

Believe it or not, this wasn't the highlight of my day. And it for SURE wasn't the fact that I didn't eat real food until after six pm either..

The highlight of my day was the fact that my handsome found a way to share Christ in the midst of his eagerness, nerves and macho-noncrying-ness. And you're all thinking, DUH Alyssa, his tattoo is a freaking scripture verse.

...But he didn't have to tell him the meaning, did he?

He made me quite the proud girlfriend today. As he shared where the scripture came from and what the meaning was, he explained to our new friend, Jorge, that he finds it to be the ultimate and most extravagant gift of grace God has for us. Forgiveness.

my cat is fat.

to set the record straight, i don't mean he is literally overweight.
but i do have reason to believe that there is a tiny-french fry-loving person inside of him.
i'll be going into further investigation with this inquiry.

for those of you who don't know, my kittie Beauxregard (often referred to simply as Beaux), was a birthday gift from my very wonderful manfriend whom i like to mention periodically throughout blogs:] he's very handsome..and now very, very tan. AND WILL SOON BE TATTOOED! <-that's a funny word.


back to the cat: he's sassy, fluffy, spoiled, and white/cream with grey ears, face, feet, and tail. and his whiskers and ear hairs make him look like a tiny old man.
he tends to think he kind of runs the place..he even beats up the mexican cat, Rico! i don't know WHO gave him that liberty. certainly not his mum;] oh, and he loves to be held. and smooched. i've treated him much too much like a human child. i love him:)



ALRIGHT, on with the story..
so, my little sister loves french fries. LOVES them. one time we ordered a box of whataburger french fries, a large box, and snuck them into panera because...well because panera doesn't serve fries. oh, and when we were done eating she asked me to take her back to whataburger for more fries. i don't quite know where she puts it..haha, i love her.

BACK TO MY CAT. so anyway, when beaux was a baby i'd take him over to my big sister's house all the time. he actually didn't mind the car at all. such a good kittie. except when he tries to stare down the people in the cars next to us. he thinks he's the boss. it's a little embarrassing.
but yeah, long story short, i fed him french fries when allison (the big sister) and i would make chick-fil-a runs and eat in the car.
so. cat in the car eating french fries, got it?



well tonight, elizabeth wanted whataburger. so we went. she didn't finish her fries and left them in a bag on the kitchen counter. wellll, beaux is bigger now and he can jump onto the kitchen counter. you following me?

i heard some ruckuss in the kitchen.. i look over. nothing there.
i hear more ruckuss which has now caught the dog's attention. i yell at dog. dog scurries away. heh:)
i hear mooooore ruckuss. i look over. i see beaux with a whataburger bag on his head.

beaux backs up and falls off counter.



he's a dedicated kittie, i tell ya. this isn't the first time it has happened.
you know how normal cats sit at your feet when you open a can of tuna? they come and purr and walk all around your legs?
that's what my cat does when you are eating a box of french fries.
sigh. he's my little potato eater. just the way i like him:)

in high school you try to find yourself. you figure out the majority of your opinions on life. you go to pep rallies..occaisionally sing the school song in front of your entire student body and forget the words. there are days that are memorable. then there are days that fill in the gaps between the memorable days. you want to be liked. you don't want to be judged. you make decisions about how to act and what clothes to wear..usually sticking with the trusty jeans and t-shirt combo with your random choice of "cute" flats that supposedly tie your outfit together and help not make you any friggin' taller. you try to fit in or at least try not to stand out so you can slip by unnoticed. you think that you like the hollister look that every. single. person. and their mother wear in high school (then later come to your senses). you begin to not care what people think. most of them have horrible taste in activities (drinking and being nasty) and/ or in clothes (hot pink, camo-rhinestones and hollister jeans) anyways. you wake up late every morning. you go to prom and quickly realize how overrated it is. you automatically regret the decision of going in the first place. you find your comfortable, sweet friends and stick with them for four years. you cry in your last day of choir class. you have a crush on that one boy throughout all four years whom it never works out with because you're only "friend material" (later being over-joyed because you are now dating that really hot guy in college). you love high school and you hate high school. and with God on your side, you SOMEHOW pass all of your AP classes and government.


ok. in that paragraph, let's switch the word "you" with "I".



you know, for such a big deal that people make it out to be, it's surprisingly annoying. i loved high school, don't get me wrong..it's just all the hype.
eh, i don't like it.

in all honesty, you learn more your first year of college than you do your entire high school carreer. i'm sure whoever is reading finds me silly for stating such an obvious statement. but it's just weird to spend so much time focusing on such little things in high school, only to be set free into the real world where our decisions really begin to matter.

i'm thinkin' i might be mind blown when sophomore year starts. haha:]

it's a learning process.

and so far, i've learned that:

-boyfriends in college = WAY better idea

-clothes? heck..go crazy. wear all the stuff you wish you could've when you were too shy

-classes can be skipped only a certain amount of days.

-when you think you know EXACTLY what God wants for you, He'll set you straight.

-Foy Vance will get you through your first semester's sleep.

-best friends will make fart jokes with you. that's how you know which ones are keepers:)

and lastly...

high school (specifically the location) is dumb.

I got a Clue..

ah-ight. let's start off with a tip:

--get a clue.

no, seriously. go rent the movie clue, gather up your blankets, turn out the lights and prepare yourself to fall in love with the 80's classic. the casting is exceptional and the entire sixty minutes is filled with mystery (love) , humor (laaahve), and incredible costumes (who doesn't love a great-fitted-deep green-silk-poofy sleeve dress?).

well, that was the ending to my fantastic evening. and did i do anything productive, you may ask? in fact...I DID! and yes, i am that excited about it.

besides rumaging through all of my college decor, searching for frames that would fit my lovely photos of me and the boo to set around my room (which now looks like a shrine to everything "daniel&alyssa")..

i, Alyssa Leigh, cooked dinner for my family (daniel would be so proud.)!

it was a stacked burrito pie casserole:] (it sounded soooo good and it was pretty tasty too, small pat on the back..thank you, thank you)

i went to the store and bought the ingredients not yet in my own kitchen, and came home to prepare it from scratch! and from scratch i don't mean i personally handmade my 96% fat free flour tortillas and grew my own beans..i'm not that suzy-home cookin'-woman-lady..person. and i will ignore the fact that my wonderful mother and i were the only ones to munch

on my fantastic feast (bunch-o picky eaters up in my house), but instead focus on my ability to finely chop an onion while only half-crying amongst other various things the recipe called for. like measuring. and stirring. sometimes tasting.

it was actually an extremely easy recipe. but don't tell anyone.

the only thing i may have changed: the friggin' salsa i bought at the store.

it was wayyyy too sweet (i kinda like muh spices). i say bring on the heat! just don't start a fire on my tastebuds, please.

and now. for any of you brave souls who want to venture into the kitchen and try to defeat your casserole fears (ha..ha.), here is the recipe: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/dinner-entrees/casserole-recipes/stacked-burrito-pie-699580/

yes, it is from a family-disney website. i point all fingers to "the google".

thanks for tunin' in, folks:)

what did alyssaleigh listen to all day? check it!

peter bradley adams, the longer i run

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simply fabulous

Today, I took hold of my sister's camera (which was given to her by her second boyfriend, therefore it is a rather old digital camera), my little sister, several pieces of clothing, and my kitten. Now, I'd like to inform you that I am not by any means a photographer. Nor do I own any type of software to edit such things...I simply dolled up my kid sister and pretended to be a demanding photographer and stylist for the day. And let me tell you. SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously, you all have to try it sometime. I am living proof that this can be done with a slightly outdated camera and Windows Vista photo editing tools.

Shout out to my kitten, Beauxregard and little sister, Elizabeth for letting me use them as my toys for the day. Make-up, heels, sun, TONS of jewelry...day well spent, alyssaleigh. Day well spent.

Enjoy some shots:]

• hair/make-up: proudly, me--myself--and I


• shirt: buffalo exchange $8.oo


• skirt: forever 21 $9.50


• shoes: target?...?


• jewelry, sunglasses, bag (free! and from my grandma's)


• location, location, location: muh house

It's livin' time.

Good MORNING! And no, if you're wondering if your clocks are completely off, they're not. And yes, I did sleep in until 2:24pm. BUT, I didn't go to sleep until five am, the butt crack of dawn, soooo I have a decent reason, right? Well, it was lovely all in the same:)
Enough of that..now, who is excited to be breathinng and living and knowing and being?
Today is beautiful in the town of Somewhere, Someplace and I am surrounded by my beautiful family of superheroes and blessed with ears to be enjoying the finer things in life...music.
SO with this being said, I'd like to make a confession to each and every one of you. Last night while driving to Starbucks (heaven), with my wonderful sisters, I, AlyssaLeigh, jammed out to Hilary Duff. I'm not even ashamed. She was probably the only person in the universe I wanted to trade lives with as I spent day to day being super awkward. It's a part of life none of us can avoid. And I know you all have a "Hilary Duff" in you life...don't deny it. Whoever it is, I hope today, or tonight really (we're losing precious daylight!), you will get in your car with that gosh-awful cd, remove it from its dusty case, pop it in, roll down the windows and sing. Sing your little heart out. Enjoy it. Savor it. Live it.
Life is a ticking time bomb and if we don't learn to remember and love every inch of it, even the embarassing inches, we're not living correctly.
"Music is a total constant. That's why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else has changed in your or the world, that one song says the same, just like that moment." -Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Live every moment, ladies and gents. It's slipping through our fingers all too quickly.

Again. I do not know what I am doing. My question: Why do I have two blog pages?? Maybe this blog thing isn't for me...and at the moment, I really don't have anything clever to put out into the world. Or cyberworld, anyway. How terrible is that? The title is "Something Clever", and I personally have nothing clever to say. How about this:

"If you were to say that you love Thursdays, I'd do my best to plan, I'd find a way, convince them to escape from there usual weekday clans I'd set them right, so there side by side. On a calendar for you, Throw the old one out, Keep the yellow storage house of sunny Saturdays too. Free for you to use..Tie them in a bow and send them your way, On the fastest train I know to get to you. Do I really need a reason besides 'I want to', And I've got unending debt to love you" Jillian Edwards, July and June

It's an adorable song. I admire this girl. I think that I might go through days of what music I like and want to listen to. It varies. But her music... It just makes you so happy! Listen to it and be happy.
I'm gonna see what I can do about myself and this blog. It's a little bit of a mess so far.

-alyssaleigh