New Blog

Hi everyone, since I am always changing my blog and what not, I thought I would change it to Wordpress this time...

So check out my new blog: Life with Alli at lifewithalli.wordpress.com. Forgive me for the multiple fonts, I just simply imported my Blogger blog to Wordpress. I will see how I like it.

I love Google and Blogger, but I thought it was time for a change. Who knows, maybe I will be back to Blogger. I just don't know!

It's Friday, Friday

Well, another week has gone by and I am still busy and working hard.

Last night I facilitated a meeting in a room that I didn't know existed (it's a hidden room in the Natural Resources building). I got to run back and forth between the building and the basement of the Eccles Conference Center to try and find a key that didn't exist. It was great fun.

This weekend will be spent doing homework, laundry, cleaning, going to Stake Conference, and lots of other activities. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

One of Those Days

Today has been one of those days. You know, those days that starts out rough and then you decide to change your attitude for the benefit of your own health, otherwise you'd be a grump all day? Yep. One of those days.

First, I can't seem to fall asleep before 1:00am anymore. And then my body decides on how much sleep I need to get without consulting my schedule. Silly.

Second, to go along with the first point, somehow I managed to continuously press the snooze button on my alarm which resulted in me waking up an hour later than I had planned. Gotta love alarm clocks.

Third, I may have a new job opportunity. We will see.

Fourth, I was told I have "deep blue eyes" today. Why yes, yes I do have blue eyes. I have had them since birth, thank you for noticing. And that they are "mesmerizing." I had to chuckle at that compliment.

Fifth, life is busy, but it's good.

It's Only Wednesday?

I guess it is only Wednesday according to my calendar.

Why is it that the first half of the week goes by so slow but the second half flies by? Not fair.

I am still just working, doing homework and projects like crazy, and trying to sleep and run (not at the same time, duh). I really don't know what to do with spare time. I wish I had more of it though. That'd be great.

Oh Really?

The other day I got an interesting compliment. 

I was told I have beautiful ears that don't stick out (even though they kind of do). I would have found this weird, but I have been complimented on my ears before. 

I have also been complimented on my feet and hands. I guess I have good looking appendages. Who knew? I guess I should thank my parents for the great DNA.

Silly Me

The bus I take only comes around the :15 hour after 9, and I missed it today, so I ended up walking from 400 West to Campus. It was about 2 miles. I was exhausted from speed walking because it was chilly this morning. Then I had work and school, followed by a quick run at the Fieldhouse, and now even more work. I am a weird girl. I should have just waited for the next bus instead of walking. I could have saved a lot of energy and time. Oh well. Live and learn. Here is the walking route I took today. It is basically my running route that I do sometimes for my super fast there and back runs.

Thanks Google Maps for the directions!

Moments That Matter Most

Sometimes we get wrapped up in things that we can't control and we forget the good things in our life. We need to remember what matters most to us in this world... the little moments that make our life great. Elder Neal Maxwell said, "Moments are the molecules that make up eternity." We are here to learn, grow, develop, and then return to our Heavenly Father. I know I need to remember to find joy in the simple things in my life. I love this gospel.

Busy Saturday

Today has been pretty good so far. I am just finishing up homework that's due tonight. I went to the Museum of Anthropology today and helped out. It was pretty fun. My sister and brother-in-law are visiting today which is always a great time. Then we had an early dinner and now I am working on more homework and finishing up some laundry. It's a never ending cycle. I am exhausted but life is good. I am very thankful for everything that I have, especially my family. I am glad we love each other so much. This is a photo on my immediate family, but I love my extended family too! Have a great rest of the weekend everybody!

Family Friday

Today has been a full day to say the least! Early morning homework, Religion in Life, a trip to Kaysville, and more homework. I didn't sleep last night because I have a lot of homework to get done before midnight tonight and I still will have more to do on Saturday, but I took a few hours out of my day to visit my family down in Kaysville. I got to drive a car that has way more guts than my Gutless Wonder. The canyon just flew by since I the car didn't slow down going up the hills. Amazing. It was kind of a jerky ride though since the pedals are much more sensitive than the Gutless Wonder.

We got to eat at Jason's Deli. Delicious food and great company! I think everyone had enough soft serve ice cream to last them for a while, well, except for me since I cannot ingest dairy products without having stomach issues. I got to see my favorite two nephews and favorite two sisters. It was just a family filled day and it was great. I am exhausted though. I love how my nephew was holding his ice cream cone and he would lick it and say "it's told" and then laugh. He's a hoot.

Groundhog Day

Well, it looks like we are in for six more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today. Although if the six more weeks of winter are like how the whole winter season has been this year, I will be okay.

In other news, I may be changing my blog again... we will see.

In other other news, there is a new trailer for The Hunger Games. Oh my goodness. I am so excited! Watch it below.

February Feat

Here I go again. Posting every single day in February (like I did last year). I don't know what I will post, but there will be something on my blog EVERY SINGLE DAY, so check it out!

As for today, I am just in shock that it's February. Where has the time gone?! I have been very busy lately, but it seems as though I'm getting nothing accomplished at the same time. It's a weird feeling. I wish I could just stop and organize my life for a minute. As much as I like technology and am all for online education, it's difficult to stay on task when you don't have set guidelines or direction. I guess that's what being a grad student is all about. Below is a shot of my sign for my spot at Christmas. I just found it and I wanted this post to have a photo.

I will stop rambling now. Oh, but if you didn't see my post yesterday, you should come to the USU Museum of Anthropology (Old Main Room 252) on Saturday to Experience Ancient Greece! It's FREE! Come between 10:00am and 4:00pm. I will be there in the morning (so if you are coming to see me, then come before 1:00pm).

Experience Ancient Greece

COME SUPPORT THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY!

Please come to the USU Museum of Anthropology on Saturday February 4!

You can Experience Ancient Greece from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Come learn about Greek culture, mythology, fashion, and so much more! It's an all day event, so come when you can and have fun! IT'S FREE!!! Everyone is welcome.

Check out Facebook or the USU Museum of Anthropology website for more information.

Goals for 2012

I figure if I write some goals down, I am more likely to accomplish them. I wrote this list at the beginning of January... but nonetheless here are some of my goals for 2012.

• Complete a half marathon. This one to be exact.
• Read The Book of Mormon.
• Graduate from USU for a second time and become a "Master of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences with a Museum Studies Certificate."
• Go on a vacation somewhere I haven't been yet. Maybe to northern California or the Grand Canyon. Or maybe just Southern Utah. 
• Do something out of my comfort zone.
• Intern somewhere.
• Finish my online portfolio.
• Smile and be happy.

Shredder Box

No, I am not talking about Shredder from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, I am talking about a paper shredder. Mom got a shredder for Christmas and it came in a nice box with corners that could puncture just about anything. One day while I was home, I was walking from the room where we opened our presents, and guess what I did? I hit that nice shredder box with the corners that could really injure someone or something with the outside of my leg. Let me tell you, it hurt, bad, real bad. I got a nasty bruise and it's still healing. Mom did the same thing and bruised just as bad. I am my mother's daughter. Pardon the poor picture, but I am pointing at the bruise.

Running in the Rain

Yes, it's another weather related post.


I woke this morning and noticed it was dreary and overcast. Perfect running weather. I have missed running outside and in Logan, I don't usually get to run outside during the winter months. I got dressed in my warm running gear (and a rain jacket that didn't seem to keep me very dry by the end) and headed out. It was only raining slightly when I began my run, but by the time I got to Main Street which is approximately 10 minutes by the route I take, it was raining moderately. I ran up 500 North with the rain splattering my face. I modified my run quite a bit. I shaved at least a mile or two off because of the pouring rain. By the time I got done, I was soaked to the bone and it looked like I had jumped into a pool or something. My hair was sopping wet and my clothes started to make me cold. I am glad I ran and I got to puddle jump during my run. So much fun!


The best part was the nice hot bowl of oatmeal and toasty warm shower I had post run. And no, I did not eat the oatmeal in the shower, I ate it after I changed out of my wet running clothes into some dry sweats but before I got into the shower. Happy exercising everyone!

Yep. That's me post run. The jacket is a light olive green, not a dark one like it is in the photo. And my hair was in a big knot from the wind and rain and running. It was hoot!

Strange Weather

How ironic is it that it's RAINING in Utah and SNOWING in Washington? I find that quite funny. I actually fell asleep last night to rain hitting the roof. Utah is having a strange winter. Thanks for the photos of the snow, Dad.

Logan, UT

 University Place, WA

I've always wanted a skating rink in the backyard! Yep. That's freezing rain over snow. Ice ice baby!

First Day of Spring Semester

It's the first day of a new semester. My schedule is very similar to last semester... BUSY. I am taking four courses (a mix of Museum Studies and Instructional Technology) and working two jobs. Basically, I will be on campus from 10-10 on Monday-Thursday, and then Friday will be my study/catch-up/laundry/errand/sleep day. And during the week, I will somehow begin training for a half-marathon which will be fun. On the plus side, this semester I am going to Religion in Life on Fridays for my spiritual well-being. 


I usually get extremely anxious before a new semester starts, but for some reason, I wasn't as anxious as I usually am. I haven't figured out why or if that's a good or bad thing. Perhaps it was because I was only starting new classes and not new classes PLUS two new jobs. I still get  nervous when I go to class for the first time. 


I don't know about you, but every single time we do introductions, my heart starts racing and I try to outline what I am going to say in my head. It shouldn't be scary. I am talking about MYSELF. I've known myself for over 20 years, I shouldn't get nervous about telling people my name, interests, what program I am in, etc. Getting that nervous and anxious is funny because most of the time I feel that way before I talk to anyone (especially guys and people I don't know) but once I get over the initial nervousness, it's hard to keep me quiet. Hence my one of my many nicknames, Little Miss Chatterbox. And this post was only supposed to be a few sentences...

Christmas Break

Here are some of the things I did over the break, in no particular order. It's a long post.

• Drove to Kaysville and then went to the airport to go to Washington.
• Finally got to eat Evelyn's Favorite Pasta at The Cheesecake Factory.
• Went shopping. (My mom and I did  a lot of this.)
• Slept!
• Ate yummy food.
• Went running a couple of times around Chambers Bay.

• Listened to the rain at night. 
• Had a great Christmas. 
• Spoke in church.
• Helped paint the tile backsplash of the kitchen.

• Set-up a wireless printer.
• Worked from home.
• Cleaned the office.
• Watched movies. 17 Miracles is a tear jerker, but it is a good one.
• Read books (The Hunger Games series again, The Power of Six {I Am Number Four sequel}, City of Bones, and some other random books I found at the house).
• Pretended that the forest near the house was where the first Hunger Games took place. (NERD ALERT!)
• Did laundry.
• Skyped with family.
• Enjoyed the New Year.
• Helped my mom with various projects.
• Took naps.
• Broke the same piñata for Christmas and for New Year's in the backyard instead of the garage. It took Tony and I three rounds on Christmas Eve to break it and it took Tony three swings to break it on New Year's Eve. I will post a video when I have a chance.

• Had interesting dreams.
• Enjoyed being away from real life for a while.
• Took Photo Booth pictures.

I hope everyone had a great Holiday season! Have a great 2012!