baltimore and dc: reunited and it feels so good!!

i was definiely most excited about getting to balitmore to see my twin sister heather!! she has been out there with her husband jess and their adorable little baby calvin since april, and i have missed them like crazy!
we arrived by chinatown bus (haha yes... it was definitely an adventure) to baltimore in the morning and my sister came and picked me up from shawna's boyfriends' place and we were finally reunited!! it always feels like we have never been separated when we see each other, and it was so fun getting to hang out!

this little guy is calvin!! i love him to death! he really liked me too, but it probably helps alot that i look just like his mama :)

for one day we walked around dc and met up with brittany shawna and her boyfriend brian. it was really fun looking at all the museums and riding the metro!

here are me and britt inside the natural history museum. they have some pretty sweet displays in there, like all the rare gems including the hope diamond!

here we are inside the air and space museum! we were having a pretty good time in the corner of the planet room, and i love this pic because even baby calvin is making a funny face!

all in all baltimore was a great stop, and i loved spending time with heather and calvin! i sure miss them with all my heart! thanks for everything while i was there sis, you know i love you beyond words!!

virginia is for lovers

i just recently went on a really fun vacation with two of my roommates shawna and brittany to the east coast! for the next few posts ill put up some highlights from each stop we made, starting with richmond virginia!

we landed and immediately went with shawna's family (she grew up right outside richmond) and they were so welcoming and hospitable! they grilled us some steak and shrimp, took us to busch gardens, and hung out with us at virginia beach. at night we went out with some of shawna's highschool friends, and some of our friends who are out there doin summer sales. richmond was fun, and definitely had some good moments :)

here me, shawna, britt, and ashton (shawna's niece) took a photo break at busch gardens

we got to the front of every line and got to ride twice in a row thanks for shawna's bum knee from her acl surgery! :)

bryan me and ganes! these are two of my favorite summer sales boys :)

we really enjoyed our day at virginia beach! the weather was perfect and the water was warm!

shawna showed us a great time in her home town! our next stop was baltimore!! :)

bigger dreams and bigger wings...

i have decided that i am probably one of the worst bloggers ever! i have not written anything since january... wow! i promise i will try and write more often. But who knows how many people actually read this anyway?

so alot has happened and developed over the past few months. i started working for a company that works with another company which deals with internet marketing. my particular company is the call center which calls on the leads from the online ads. i am not on the phones, i work as an assistant for the three guys who run the place. its kind of an interesing place, and there are definitely some characters who work there (if you love people watching then you would love it here!). its not my dream job at all, being someone's assistant gets pretty old. sometimes i get frustrated because besides the HR girl, i am usually the only female in upper management; its very easy to feel like people talk down to me. but i just brush things off and do my work. it is a great opportunity for now, but i cant wait until i find my dream job down the road. someday i will be writing great things ( i hope!).

besides my job, i have tried to date a few boys. lets just say i am completely frustrated with my dating life! honestly, how can i expect to find a boy who will love and respect me if he doesnt even have any for himself? i tried dating one guy (who will remain nameless) and he put up this incredible front: sunday school teacher, college grad, sweet, charming.. etc. anyway turns out he was great at lying and had many awful skeletons lining his closet.

i recently met a great guy, who came with alot of great feedback from mutual friends. turns out he sucks too. (he liked to talk trash on our mutual friends, and be judgemental about everything.) i have just come to the conclusion that maybe its going to be harder than i thought to find someone that im completely compatible with. these two guys were great for certain things, and i definitely came away from both experiences realizing things that i do and dont want in a companion.

sometimes it feels like this is such a long road that im walking on to find someone, but i need to remind myself to step back and realize that i am still very young. people in utah have this annoying idea that girls need to be married when they are 19, while to the rest of the world this seems so young. now im not bashing at all, for some people it is right to get married young. look at my sister heather for example, she found her soulmate and married him when she was 20, and that worked for her, and they are one of the happiest couples i know. but there are some girls, like me, obviously, that are not meant to get married that young. perhaps i have more to experience and learn before i am ready to be with my soulmate. or maybe im waiting around for him to get his act together, (and in that case hurry up im gettin sick of waiting around!) i had this conversation recently with two of my girlfriends, one is 27 and the other is 24; we were wondering why everyone wonders why we are not married if we are over the age of 20 and in utah. my friend who is 24 said something that really stuck with me, which is a quote that her dad had told her: "some people just have bigger wings and bigger dreams and are not meant to be tied down until they are ready to stop flying alone".

i feel like im ready to stop flying alone, but ill just have to keep riding this current until a new ones takes me. i have been having alot of fun with my friends, and i have taken several trips down to mesa arizona. i love that town, it would be so fun to live there. sometimes i think about making a change and going there, but not yet, im not ready! my sister and her husband and super-adorable baby went to baltimore for the summer (sadness...) and i am so excited to go visit them in a little over a month! besides that, i have a few california weekend trips planned to see some of my boy friends who are doing summer sales. i have a good feeling about the next few months, i feel like this could be one of the best summers of my life. i know i complain alot of dating, but honestly life. is. good. i am so blessed and i know i can overlook that sometimes.

heather me and baby calvin... i LOVE them!! (this is right when i got back from mexico for spring break, thats why i am so tan)

me kim erika and stephanie goin boatin during our most recent trip to mesa (it is 90 degrees.. soo nice! i cant wait for summer!)

brit jensen, shawna, and me at the hare krishna festival of colors in springville. its a hindu tradition that signifies the beginning of spring! it was so fun, we all threw colored powder at each other for over an hour. lets just say i had purple snot for 2 days!

this was from our most recent trip to mesa, this is some of our "family" of friends starting from top left: steph, britt, adam "pooch", james, andrea, van, kim; bottom left: erika, mike, me, jesse

The Start of a New Year

well it's been quite awhile since i have updated, so ill go over some of the major highlights of the last few weeks!

so... i graduated! i honestly was so excited to be done, and when i left my last final, i actually cried on my drive home! not that i'm really gonna miss all the work and all the classes... but it's such a big change! and i can't believe that this chapter of my life is over. people always say the best years of your life are in college, and i agree 100%. i have loved the past 5 years... ok 5 1/2... and yes it had its ups and downs but through it all i have gained so much knowledge, so many great friends, and most importantly i have found myself. what an accomplishment, i can honestly say i am so proud of myself for finishing, i wanted to give up so many times! haha

the break was wonderful, and i spent alot of time with my family and my friends. christmas i spent with my parents, and then rob and his family came through the awful snowy canyon to meet up with us :) heather and jess and baby calvin were in idaho, and i missed them so much! calvin is such a cute baby, and i love spending time with him! it is so amazing to me to watch heather and jess with their darling little baby, and i wonder when the day will come for me! haha.. not for awhile obviously, but it is so fun to watch them become parents and learn things right along with their cute little boy.

i went on a fun roadtrip with a group of my friends to california and arizona for new years and for fun.. and it was a great trip! we drove through vegas to get to cali, and decided to stop to take a stroll down the strip for a few hours.

left to right: johnny, jim, van, kim, me, sam, tonya, jared

then we spent the night in victorville, ca in a crappy hotel. we woke up bright and early to drive to santa anita to go to some horse races! i have never been, but they were really fun! i am not much of a gambler, but i tried my luck on one race (i bet 2 dollars..) and i won 4! so... yea i made a lot of money haha.

this is us girls and van waiting outside out hotel :)

me, kim, sam, and tonya watching the horse races

then we made our way down to san diego to spend the night and go to an lds singles dance for new years! it was so much fun, and i had an amazing kiss at midnight with my friend jim who i have known for 4 years! i guess you could say we are kind of dating... and our first kiss was at midnight, isn't that so romantic?? anyway ill keep you posted how things are going with that as they progress, for now we are still just hanging out and are in the beginning stages.. haha. so the next morning we woke up from our night of partying (mormon style of course) and drive to the beach to look around. i have never been to san diego, and la jolla was beautiful! here are a few pics from that afternoon:

me kim and sam enjoying the freezing water and exploring caves

the view from the bay was beautiful! me and jim were looking at the sea lions down on the rocks

this is the whole crew, lookin like a dang pac sun advertisement! haha

straight from san diego me, johnny, van, kim, and jim headed to mesa arizona while jared and sam and tonya headed back to utah. we got to mesa at about 1130 pm that night and were amazed to find our guy friends living in a huge mansion!! we stayed there with them for days, and had a great time seeing around mesa and just hanging out with some friends that we have not really seen since they moved from utah!

our last day a few of us went fourwheeling while jim and johnny went to the fiesta bowl. it was a ton of fun, and some of the views from the small mountains were incredible!

below, me and jesse. he has some sexy legs right? he is single by the way ladies.. any takers? haha

here we posed in front of the sunset, and it turned out to be a pretty cool pic! our trip was fun and i really enjoyed the 75 degree weather, and it was so depressing to come home to utah to snow! now im back to reality, and looking for a job with my fancy new college degree. wish me luck, i hope i find one soon!!!

100 things...

I did. I didn't.

1. Slept under the stars
2. Started your own blog
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (soon though!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Possibly in two weeks!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (probably never!)
12. Visited Paris (i will soon!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (and at lake powell it was amazing!)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (i have the worst luck with this!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (kinda not worth it.. haha)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (mental health days!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (unfortunately there were pics to prove it hahaha)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (no but i plan on it)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language(my roommate taught me a cool one the other day! haha)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (its the best!)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (its DISGUSTING!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (hahaha... it was so stupid!)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (my poor little pinky toe!)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Book of Mormon or Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (ugh it was not pleasant!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Dead Sea
97. Been involved in a law suit (stupid abercrombie&fitch!)
98. Owned a cell phone (well yea!)
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

change is in the wind once again

im sitting here just thinking about how many changes are ahead of me in the next few months. change... sometimes its really hard, and sometimes its so easy! but i always think change is worth it.

people change, that is for sure! looking back on the past few years, its interesting to see which relationships and friendships of mine have changed, and which ones have remained. the ones that have changed used to bother me.. i used to be so torn up about lost friends, and friends who just seemed to disappear (sometimes voluntarily) out my life. but now i understand that change is good, and it always brings something new, and for the most part, something better.
but the ones that have remained in my life are the ones that mean the most to me. it is such a comfort and a blessing to know that i will always have my family by my side, no matter how far apart we are. i would not be able to survive without the loving guidance and support of my family, especially my sister. i love you heather! and my friend are also an important and vital part of my life, as most of them eventually become like family to me.

as i get older, ive noticed that i have changed too. after my sister heather (aka my other half) got married, i kind of felt lost for awhile. imagine living for 20 years with someone always with you, and then they get married and move to idaho! dont get me wrong, i was so happy for heather and jess! but i just didnt know what to do with myself for awhile! eventually i began to realize who i really was, and i let my "aly"-ness come out for once, instead of being known as "one of the twins". so, yes that part of my life was very hard, but now i feel like i really know who i am and i feel happy with where i am going.

and where am i going? i graduate from college in december, and im going to party like a rockstar for about a month.. haha. then hopefully i will find a job! i want to find one around the provo/orem area that will help me get my foot in the door of the writing industry. what i mean is, i want to write for a magazine, or newspaper, or even do some marketing. the third week of january i plan on volunteering at the sundance film festival in parkcity, working with the journalists. i am really excited, especially for the passes i will be getting into movies and parties! :)

then i think i have figured out what i want to do this summer! i am really excited for this internship through the company del sol based out of utah. they sell these unique items that change in the sun to tourists in cruise port cities around the world. so basically me and 3 of my girlfriends want to go to the port in kauai, hi or key west, fl or myrtle beach, sc or puerto rico.. and we will live there for 3 months and run a del sol store! the company pays for : the flight to and from the location, housing and utilities, and its a paid internship! so basically you get paid to live in a beautiful port town for 3 months and you get a great job experience as well! cross your fingers i hope it works out!

so my sister had her baby calvin over a week ago.. and it gets me thinking about when im going to have kids. i guess i gotta think about getting married first though.. right? haha.. but honestly, i dont mean to complain about this all the time, but dating in provo SUCKS!!! thats because no one actually dates! so how am i supposed to find the one if i never get asked on a date?? its ridiculous.. i honestly feel like i will have a better chance of finding a decent guy if i leave utah. is that so crazy? maybe i will leave, after this summer, maybe i will find a permanent job somewhere else. not permanent, but more on the long term side... so many changes await me, and no matter how scary they seem, i know they are a necessary part of life. all i gotta say is bring it on life!

things to be thankful for

Some Things I am Especially Thankful for this Thanksgiving Season

1) The new love of my life: my nephew calvin kingston butikofer :) And the fact that he and his mom, Heather, are both doing great!

2) The fact that the Quinns, our very good friends from back home in PA, are coming to our house for thanksgiving on thursday! I am so excited to see them!

3) I will be a college graduate in less than a month.. AHHHHH! Crazy!!

4) My roommates and how awesome they are

5) How I almost got into a pretty scary car wreck today, and didn't because of my super ninja driving skills... yea that's right BE JEALOUS! haha (seriously though, I swerved off the road to avoid this stupid truck.. and I was singing the whole time because I think I was so nervous! hahaha)

6) I saw Twilight and I actually liked it! I thought I wouldn't because it wouldn't be as good as the books.. but I really enjoyed it! And honestly.. in the end I was in love with Edward!!

So excited for Thursday :) And of course I only have two days of school this week!