my favorite year.

when i decided to start a blog, i thought i would be writing a post every day or at least every other day.

oh, life.

how wrong was i.

god took me on a lot of unexpected journeys this year. and they've all be marvelous, don't get me wrong. those endeavors have just left me with no time to blog. 

but at the moment, i have found a window of time to write a little update of these journeys and adventures that have made this year my favorite out of the previous eighteen.

in no particular order, here is a glimpse of my mind, rather, a glimpse of my life thus far in my favorite year. 

i worked at legislative hall in dover, delaware for my state senator in the democratic caucus. there i learned that being republican or democrat means very little. little about that person's life and little about their beliefs and political actions. i found that most of the democrats were more personable than a majority of the republicans and they are not actually out to destroy the world as i was led to believe. i made some new friends. i learned even more about government. i got to dress up every day. i got a lot of free food and gifts. this experience is one of my favorites of the year. 

i staffed the teenpact one day class. i don't have words for this one. just this smiley face: :') and a photo.

i spent a week at the beach in north carolina. and went a majority of that week without makeup. 'twas refreshing. and i also died a streak of hair purple.

i personally asked u.s. senator, jim demint, a question. what an adrenaline rush. and i got to hear kirk cameron, michelle bachmann, and paul ryan speak.

i accomplished my goal of trying to dress fashionably.

callie and i recorder covers of songs and put them on youtube.

[skip to the second verse on this one.]

i was asked to join my church praise team thanks to the previous statement. ^

i was asked to speak in front of 600 people.

i made a few new best friends.

and another special friend ;)

i got new glasses. 

i got to meet heejun han, colton dixon, phillip phillips, and a few other idol contestants.

more than once. :)

i turned 19.

i ran for senate at teenpact national convention.

i spent a weekend at the beach with the best people alive.

our family got a new doggy.

i got a temporary job working where my mom works. i will miss it and the rest of my photography team. but i will not miss waking up at ungodly hours.

i got my first car. her name is katerina.

so there you have it folks, that's what i've been up to. see you in a couple months. i'm sure that's the next time i'll get around to posting.

if i had my way

I got thinking today. If I could have my ideal life, what would it be? So this is what my life would look like in the future, if I had my way.

I'd live where it's springtime weather all the time. My husband would make me laugh all day long. We would live in a quant little town somewhere southern, where everyone always smile and waves hello. I would pick up the accent slightly after a while. Our house would be big and white, with a tall porch out front. We would go on spontaneous adventures and explore the town we live in. He would be able to sing and play guitar and we would record covers of our favorite songs. We would drive with the windows down and sing at the top of our lungs while holding hands and laughing really really hard. I would own some sort of boutique downtown-like a shabby chic furniture store-and it would be decorated like the bookstore from You've Got Mail. I would wear a cute pair of hipster glasses like Lennon from the Call Your Girlfriend video. I would shoot most of my photo shoots downtown because there would be tons of good spots for pictures. My house would always smell fresh like clean laundry. I would have a huge walk-in closet almost as big as a small bedroom. I would have a "usual" at a local whimsical cafe. I would only have daughters and they would be named something cute like Jane Olivia & Julia Daniella. We would go to a big-ish church where my husband and I would be the youth pastors. I would occasionally help friends and acquaintances plan weddings and parties from ideas I see on pinterest. I would laugh every single day for a good majority of the day. I would take at least one picture a day and carry my camera with me at all times. My yard would have willow trees and a long stone driveway. My kids would have a huge tree house in the back yard-like a legit treehouse-and their friends would always be over playing in it. And when they get hungry, I would make them lunch. I would be a really good cook and make delicious desserts after family dinners. I would have really creative friends and we would take artsy pictures of each other when we're at cafes or coffee shops or on walks. My house would be really crafty-filled with stuff I've done from pinterest. My husband and I would go on dates to a nearby old fashioned theater, like the Clayton Theater. We would also go to the drive in theater a lot. When I'm bored, I would go to antique shops. In my spare time, i would run a fashion blog and it would be read by more than ten people. Every day I would be reminded of God's blessings, His love, His grace, His creation, His beauty, and His goodness. 

And if none of this ever happens at all, I would make sure that no matter what, the last sentence would be true.

Life Lessons with Allison

Gather round children. 

Allison's about to share with you some very helpful tips that could very well save you from the following:

Embarrassment

Awkward moments

Times of frustration

Blushing

Irritation

If you have previously suffered from any of the symptoms listed above, you will want to carefully read what I am about to share. If you wish to prevent the above from happening, I would also advise you to take heed. You will thank me later. Not that I've ever done any of these things...

1. When taking your brother to his homeschool co-op, follow your instincts and do not wear slippers. You may need gas and end up showing all of the people at the Seaford Royal Farms your horrid choice in footwear.

2. Never convince yourself "Oh, I won't fix myself up. I'm only going to (anyone of the following: Walmart, Dollar Tree, my brother's co-op pool party). You could end up seeing an old (guy) friend who just might be good looking, and you will want to go hide somewhere that will never be far enough away.*

3. Always remember to close the sun roof of your car before belting out "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson at the top of your lungs, whilst driving through a small town. There is a rather large chance that there are many pedestrians (who have ears) walking the streets of said town.

4. After house-sitting for your aunt and uncle, do not take their house key back home with you to your house. They will end up having to send your 5-year-old cousin through their kitchen window to unlock the house. And you will feel irresponsibly foolish.

5. While operating a motor vehicle, do not open a bottle of water by holding it between your legs. You could hold it a smidgeon too tightly and in the end, look like you wet yourself.

6. Always double check who you are sending a text message to. Otherwise, you may end up sharing a funny story about a guy you like to another guy friend and he will be confused. And you? Well you will want to go die somewhere.

7. Do not go to the dentist the day before your birthday, more importantly, your 16th birthday, despite your father reassuring you that it's "just a filling". Your dentist could end up hitting a vein in your cheek with the novocain needle, causing said cheek to be swollen for the next few days. One of those days is your birthday.

8. Always check your teeth after eating strawberries.There is a rather hefty chance of you ending up in conversation with your long lost best friend that you used to like for a good portion of your life, and your aunt will inform you mid-conversation that you have seeds in your front teeth.*

9. Check the date on a coupon before you plan on using it. Otherwise you will be filled with sheer bliss at the thought of the chocolate lava cake you are about to eat, only to have your dreams crushed when you are informed the coupon expired over a week ago.

10. Make sure that your bedroom door is shut all the way before changing your clothes. Even though you think it's locked, your dog could waltz in, pushing the door open, thus enabling your brother to see a quick glimpse of you in your underwear.*

11. When shaking a bottle of nail polish, don't forget to have a firm grip on said bottle. If you fail to do this, you can send the polish flying through the air, and then it will plummet to your bathroom floor. You will then have to clean up puddles of fuchsia nail color off of various surfaces in your bathroom.

12. When wearing a new shirt, remember to take off the size sticker. You may end up walking around a science fair for a good half hour, if not longer, before realizing that the very noticeable vertical sticker is still on your belly.

*(These lessons are the most crucial to remember and will save you from the most severe of awkward moments)

TPNC12 // The new friends.

I have a few new friends in my life. Some of them are even my best friends. 

And I just met them last week.

Since I find these dear friends to be so fabulous, I want to tell you all about them.

Let's start with Emmy.

I first met Emmy in September at Back to DC. We talked a grand total of 5 times tops. Looking back now, I don't know how I didn't spend every waking moment with this girl.

In the couple of months leading up to NC, we would text each other every once in a while about our excitement. But we were never really close friends. 

When we were finally reunited, we clicked. In the first 24 hours of us being around each other, we said the same thing at the same time at least 7 times. It was like I found my other half. It's amazing how we had had so many chances in the past to become great friends, but never even talked. 

We quickly found out that we are so similar, it's scary. 

Through the course of this past week, Emmy, or Mae Ling as I like to call her, has become my best friend. I feel like I've known her since birth. She makes me giggle in a way no one else can. I can tell her anything and I know that she won't think differently of me and she'll be honest with me. Emmy, I love you so much. Thank God for Skype.

Next up, Callie.

I met Callie the beginning of the week. I had heard of her before and that she loved One Direction, so I figured that we'd at least have a conversation or two about it. Our first real conversation was when we were both waiting for our staff interviews. From that moment on, we just hit it off. Just like Emmy and me, we both have a lot in common. We are both fangirls. We love Bieber and One Direction. And we love Target's clothes. Calz is one of the funniest girls I've ever met. She'll be straight up with you and tell it like it is. She is super stylish. She is gorgeousssss. Also, her handwriting is so pretty it makes mine look like a 9 year old's. I don't know where this girl has been my whole life. But I'm glad that we know each other now. Cause she makes life more enjoyable. Love you Cal! (You'll appreciate what I just did there.)

This is Lydia:

She's most def totes adorbs. Her and I never talked much before this past week either. I'm so glad we finally did! Lydia is Emmy's sister. So you can imagine how much I love her too. Lydia is a beautiful singer. And an even better writer and artist. Seriously, you should look at this girl's notebooks. Her doodles are extraordinary. Lydia is also one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. We all need someone like her in our lives. :) I'm so blessed to have been able to spend over a week with this beautiful woman. She's so encouraging and she radiates the love of Jesus. Love you Lydia!

Who's next?

How about Toby...

The story with Tobias (Tobias is his real name) is like the rest. I met him for the first time last week. I had heard of him a couple weeks before on facebook, but that's all. I quickly found out that Toby is a people person. Everyone loves Toby. You can't help but love being around him. Right off the bat, you feel like you've known him forever. Also, he can see into your soul. It sounds creepy but it's not, promise. :) He's just really good at giving advice and listening to you. If you need to talk to someone, he's your guy. I think he should go into counseling. After all, he invented the circle of honesty. He's also a good ballroom dancer. He taught me a couple moves and we also attempted the lift from Dirty Dancing. If I was able to plank, it would have worked. But I have no abs. Anyways... Toby is a wimp when it comes to fireballs and spicy chips. But he's such a fun driver, so it makes up for it. Toby's also an awesome man of God. I've learned a lot from him, whether he knows that or not. He's the awesome guy friend that I've always wanted but never had. And he's one of the few people that I let call me Ally. Love you broski!

Eli is up next.

This guy is Elijah. Wearing my glasses. He's super awesome cause he likes One Direction. He's also the one who convinced me it was cool to do the whole "Allison Kelly, Peanut Butter and Jelly" thing. So thanks, bud! I owe you big time. :) I didn't really start talking to him until halfway through out the week. It was during volleyball that we really started to bond. When he was making fun of me for being awful at it and then almost got poison ivy and then almost wiped his bloody elbow on me. Good times... -__- I love hearing Eli talk though because he talks very emphatically and sounds so serious. Like some of the staffers. It makes me chuckle. This guy is gonna go far in life, he's got so much potential. He's a great singer and he can freestyle rap too. I love hanging out with this kid. You just have loads of fun with him. Also, his name has many songs. "These are the days of Elijah", "come back, come back, come back to me Eli", and my personal favorite, "Eli-Eli-O" See you in August, Eli! :)

Last but not least, Ben.

Ben/Benny/Bennihanna. Whatever you call him, he's the coolest kid I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I wish I could be as witty as he is. He always, always makes me crack up. Once, I didn't wanna walk by myself over to the cabin, so he walked with me all the way over from the volleyball court. He also plays the ukulele, which makes him even cooler. I can't wait to see how awesome he is when he's older. Ladies, watch out for this stud muffin! Love you Ben!

Also, to my friends who were already my friends before this year's NC, (Evan, Habel, Giann, etc.) I don't love you any less! <3