Aly's Corner

The Adventures of Buying a Fish

2010-04-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

Hey Bloggie Fans! So today was a day full of excitement for me. Shane and I went to Wal-mart to purchase our replacement fish

(by replacement I mean we bought some last Fri. and didn't know that the city water would kill them-therefore we were able to return them and get our refund).

I felt like a little kid again picking out which fish to buy and being super excited to take it home and put it in the fish bowl. It honosetly took me about ten minuets to pick out the right one...lol the funny thing is that since they are goldfish they pretty much all looked the same. But I guess you want to pick just the right one:)

We have bought distilled water to keep them in-hopefully they will last longer than a day. We bought a large fantail, a baby fantail and two common goldfish. I named my two Pudge and Herman and Shane named his Big A** and Bad A** ....very typical of a guy. This pretty much covers my excitement today. I hope you have a goodnight and remember tomorrow is Friday!!!

Embarrasing Moments

2010-04-14T23:48:00.001-05:00

Hey! I hope you all had a wonderful day. Today I thought I would mix it up and share an embarrasing moment with you:) So it is about 11:00 at night and my boyfriend and I are down in the library computer lab working on homework ( note that there is about 6 other people in here). Anyways I was working on a powerpoint when I felt some unexpected movement down there and well before I knew it out comes this TOOT..lol and when I say toot I mean it sounded just like a TOOT! It was incredibly embarrasing. After that my boyfriend started making little TOOT noises at me. I felt so unlady like! I just hope not everybody heard it, but I am afraid that they all did.

<3 Aly

Day 7 Building Under Construction: Love Yourself

2010-04-13T21:30:00.001-05:00

Hey! I hope everybody was able to get outside today and enjoy the b-e-a-utiful weather:) I was able to get out for about an hour and soak up some of the rays. Today I was able to get back into my routine and hit the gym. We worked out on the olyptical for about 20 min., then we did 15 mins with the bench press and about another 15 min. on abs. Overall it was a very succesful day! However, the main thing that i wanted to talk about was a piece of advice that was pointed out to me by my boyfriend. It mentioned that you shouldn't focus so much on what other people think about your appearance, but more so on what really matters, your character/personality. This advice really made me stop and think, it was a good reminder to me that being beautiful just isn't about what is on the outside but also what is on the inside! So i am going to challenge you to chose 3 characteristics that you like about yourself and focus on them. Everyday you look in the mirror remind yourself that your beautiful because of ..insert your characteristic. I would love to hear some of them:)

<3 Aly

Day 5: Building under Construciton

2010-04-12T00:30:00.001-05:00

Stress, Stress and more STRESS!!! Things seem to come out of no where and being the women that we are we let it freak us out and we worry. I have been battleing stress this weekend between working my two jobs, attending the new chapel dedecation service, writing a 5-6 page paper, making 3 trips to Walmart in connection with my fish repeatedly dying and at the same time relax and exercise. There just never seems to be enough time to do anything. PHEW! Now that I got that off my back I can breathe-lol the funny thing about stress is that backwords it is the last 6 letters of desserts. No wonder women eat when they are stressed. Oh man so this weekend has not been a good weekend to log for healthy steps towards my goal. Shane and I had our 3 month anniversary on Friday and well we went out to eat at Applebees and later bought fudge and well Sat and today were no better. However, I will regain my focus and will start working again tomorrow. Determination is the key to success..it may take a while but eventually you will get there:)

Day 2: Building Under Construction

2010-04-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

It is Day 2 of my challenge and I am feeling the burn from yesterdays ab workout. However, NO PAIN- NO GAIN! With that lovely thought in mind I will log my healthy steps for the day. This morning for breakfast I a bowl of cereal, toast, grapefruit and a glass of water. This meal was followed once again by a chicken wrap and ceasar salad for lunch. I am almost positive that salad wasn't the best choice, however, I limited the amount that I took. I also passed on desserts for lunch, but caved in at supper when I won a bag of fortune cookies for stundet appreciation night:( My supper consited of mashed potatoes, green beans, and meat. For exercising today I did 20 minuets on the olyptical and then 10 minuets on my arms and concluded with about 15 minuets of abs and legs. Overall it was a satisfactory day. I enjoyed a 30 minuet walk with one of my girlfriends later that evening. However, my huge downfall so to speak was when I weighed myself. I admit I have always been self-conscious of my weight and it tends to bother me. I was reminded that muscle weighs more than fat and that if you want to reach a goal you need to work at. Some people get so bogged down by the number and lose all motivation and self confidence. Don't forget that you can do and that it will take time, pain and even sweat, but in the end it will be totally worth it! <3 Aly

Day 1: Building under Construction

2010-04-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome! Today is the first day of my challenge. Before I get started I wanted to remind you that you are Beautiful and you have the power to do anything you set your mind to. With that said I will share in my healthy steps that I took today. I amde sure that I had a well-balanced breakfast:eggs,ham,water,fruit, and a piece of toast. For Lunch I chose to make myself a chicken wrap and pass on desserts. One of my new things is taking the stairs and avoing the elevators. Sometimes I will race my boyfriend up or down the stairs just to get my heart pumping. The last big thing that I did was I worked out for about a hour. This consisted of 20 minuets on the olyptical, 5-10 minuets on my arms and 10 minuets on my abs. I find it beneficial to have a workout buddy. This helps to keep you motivated, it also can give you some competion to push yourself. Another thing I have found helpful to keep me going is music-headphones aren't that expensive and good upbeat music really does the trick. No matter what course of action you chose just remember to stay positive and keep your eyes fixed on the overall goal. If you don't have a workout buddy I will be more then happy to be your buddy- if you share your daily workout routine or goals I will offer suppport and encouragement. Keep Pushing Forward <3 Aly

Building Under Construction

2010-04-06T15:37:00.002-05:00

Hey Bloogie Fans~

It has been an incredibly long time since I have typed a new post. However, I want you to be a part in my goal/objective. My mom and I have decided that we want to work on our overall fitness and health. This includes trimming down some of that uneccessary body weight. We have set a goal to lose 5 pounds by May 9th , which also happens to be my sisters confirmation.

We are going to work on eatting healthier and incorporating exercise into our daily rountine. This is the part where you come in- I've never been very good at motivating myself to exert physical pain on myself through exercise, however, I have now openly comminted to this challenge and I am looking to you for encouragement. I will do my best to make daily reports on my progress and the methods I take to reach my goal.

I have named my goal: Building Under Construction for the sole purpose of reminding me that my body is a temple of God. I have installed a countdown on the right side column to show the date for completion.

Remember in all things that:
God has created us in his own image,
We are fearfully and wonderfully made
Our true beauty comes from the inside, not on our outward apperance

<3 Alyssa

Friend Makin Mondays: New Years Resolution

2010-01-19T16:04:00.002-06:00

Alright so this is a day late, but I wanted to share my resolution, so here is the question:

With the new year here, and resolutions & organizational goals in full force, what are some of the projects on your list? Are you working on any specific projects around the house, such as purging, organizing, craft projects, home improvement projects? Share with us! {And hopefully you’ll be sharing the before & afters on your blogs, so we know what we can tune in for!!}

Every year I always make resolutions that involve exercising, losing weight, and reading- you know all the usuals! I hate to admit this, but I rarely every complete my resolution and after about a month or two I forget all about them:( So this year I decided to do one that was easy enough to complete and important enough to remeber. My resolution was simply to LIVE, LAUGH, and LOVE! These are very simple, but easily forgotten in our evreyday lives. We get so stressed and worry about by our jobs, work, school, kids and even money that we forget to stop and smell the flowers- LIVE our lives to the FULLEST! In the same perspective when we get stressed and worried we forget to have fun and LAUGH(when was the last time you laughed and why? How many times do you laugh in a day?) -LAUGHING is a great stress reliever and is good for you and your heart! The last one is LOVE- whether you love your spouse, job, kids,friends, or family it is essential that they know that they are special to you! These 3 simple things are what I strive to complete in my everyday life.

Make Sure you head over to Amber's for more resolutions!

Friend Makin Mondays:If you cut your hair tomorrow, what would it look like?

2010-01-11T17:15:00.001-06:00

Welcome to a New Year! I hope everybody had an awesome Christmas and a Happy New Year. As is tradition everyone either publicly or secretly makes a New Year's Resolution and I would love to hear about it:) Since, I have discovered that I generally don't stick with any of the normal resolutions I made one that seemed very simple and realistic: Live, Laugh and Love!

While we are on the topic of a New Year's Resolution I found it appropriate to share with you the Friend Making Monday Topic: If you cut your hair tomorrow, what would it look like?

I have had short hair, long hair and in-between hair. However, I have become rather fond of my shorted hair styles. I personally find it fun to style and easy to do. So here are two pictures of a preferred hair-style messy and short styled. Now, my natural hair color is brown and I love my hair color, but every now and then I get an itch to change it up. I have gone with both highlights and lowlights ranging from light blond to dark brown and even a hint of red.

Head over to Amber's for more Hair Styles!

How To Stay Fit Over Christmas

2009-12-15T16:38:00.001-06:00

Welcome back to another week, for those of you at MLC it is our last week of school for this year!!! Just last week I attended a Health Seminar. It introduced tips to stay in shape over christmas vacation or any time:) For Tasty Tip Tuesday I thought I would share some of them with you.
Tips for When You Travel Over The Holidays:

Pick up portable healthy snacks at a local market so you won't be caught hungry in front of a mini-bar.
Always drink plenty of water, especially when your flying.
Conjure up a healthy meal in your mind prior to entering a restaurant, and stick to your plan as closely as possible.
Try to eat at least three times per day to keep from feeling famished and over indulging at one time.
Go ahead and splurge on regional dishes or local cuisine, but balance your diet by choosing lower-calorie foods at other meals.
Don't just eat because your bored when driving. Always ask yourself "Why your eatting?"
If you have daily exercise routine stick to it no matter where you are- the chances you are with your family or significant other and they already know you well enough anyways:)
Make the time in your vactation to get out and move around, don't let you exercising go down the drain because you are on "Vacation"
Don't be afraid to ask one of your friends to join you in exercising
Most hotels either have a fitness center or an agreement with a local fitness center- There's No Excuse!
Have Fun!!!

I found these tips to be quite beneficial. I know that I get into vacation mode and I let my routine go down the drain. Being healthy and staying in shape is part of our everyday lives no matter where we are. If you have any more tips on how to stay in shape on vacation or healthy restaurants to go to when traveling just let me know. I hope you all have have safe travels and enjoy your vacation this holiday!!

2009-12-11T15:17:00.001-06:00

It has been awhile since we last talked, so I thought a Friday would be the best time to start up again. For most of us college students this was the last week before exams- so most of us are going to want to get out tonight and make the most of the last days together. Here in Minnesota we have quite a bit of snow, so some of my friends and I are going to go and play soccer in the snow. i hate the cold and normally don't care for the snow, but it's like they always say "If you can't beat them, you mine as well join them!" Later tonight we are going to play rock band and just hang out. For me I find this to be an ideal night with my friends- its cheap and tons of fun. However, for those of you who are big into going out I have a couple of movies that may interest you this time of year.

How the Grinch stole Christmas- either version is good
Elf
All the Santa Clause Movies
Miracle on 34th St.
It's a Wonderful Life
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Christmas With the Kranks
Christmas Carol
Home Alone
A Christmas Carol

Nothing says a cozy winter night like a cup of Hot Cocoa, friends or significant other, a blanket and a christmas movie!! No matter which form of entertainment you chose I hope you have a fabulous weekend. If you have any excting plans please share:)

Aly

Fresh Start to the Week

2009-11-30T23:47:00.000-06:00

Welcome Back, I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving Break!! My break was relaxing: I was ableto get hang with my family and boyfriend. On Saturday my mom, my sister and I went shopping in Omaha:) I was able to get some Christmas shopping done ( yay!). I would love to hear your Thnaksgiving stories and how they went. As usual we have the Pro's and Con's for the week.

Pro's:

I don't have a lot of home work
Decked my room with Christmas Decorations
Received a Christmas gift from one of my friends
There still is decent weather outside
I'm going to Mankato on Friday to use a free $10 coupon @ Kolhs
I received a package from my aunt:)

Con's:

I'm back @ school after a short break:(
Battling a little cold

It's kind of a short list for both, but not much is really going on this week. For the Photo of the Week I am going to use my our Thanksgiving shot of our family and extended family. It is a reminder of the blessings we have in our lives and the things that are important to us.

My goal of the week is to go running and continue to eat healthy.

I hope all of you had a fabulous monday and I will see you tomorrow for Tasty Tip Tuesday.

Alyssa

Entertainment Friday: New Moon

2009-11-20T15:29:00.000-06:00

Friday is Finally here and you know what that means, the scoop on the latest Entertainment! Premiring in theaters as of last night, we have the next edition to the Twilight series. Critiques do not have the most positive attitude towards the New Moon. According to Huffington Post, these are what a number of critiques are saying:

"The Twilight Saga's second installment may satisfy hardcore fans of the series, but outsiders are likely to be turned off by its slow pace, relentlessly downcast tone, and excessive length."

"Since they know it all and we know all, sitting through this experience is like driving a pickup in low gear though a sullen sea of Brylcreem."

There are some that defend the movie and their fans:

"a treat, a legitimate artistic expression on love, loss, and the obsessive qualities of initial attraction."

Overall this movie was rated 4.9 out of ten by RottenTomatoes and only 29% had a positive attitude toward the new release.

I personally have not seen the movie yet, however, from my friends that have they loved it. I would love to hear your imput about the movie and your feelings toward it or the series in general. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the nice weather!

Official New Moon Trailer HERE!

It's Just Been One of Those Weeks!

2009-11-19T12:38:00.001-06:00

Hey it has been quite some time since we last talked. My apologies it has been a long and hectic week so far. Today is generally topical thursday, howver, I think I will use today to catch up on what has been going on.

To quickly cover over mondays Pro's and Con's: It has been a week of presentations, book reviews, tests, horrible piano lesson, cell phone ubrubtly dying, and missing camera case with rechargable batteries and memory card adapters. Despite all those inconvineces I had a fun night with the girls monday night as we watched the "meteor shower"- I had more fun hanging with the girls. I also got caught up on cleaning. I was able to do my laundry, change my sheets, dust, disinfect, take out the garbage and vaccum:) I alwasy enjoy cleaning day!

I am proud to announce that I made my goal for last week and I went running, did my ab workout and leg workout faithfully last week. I have also kept up so far this week. My goal is to continue with a positive attitude, manage what I eat and be faithful to workout schedule:)

I know this is late but for Tasty Tip Tuesday I want to hear your ideal Thanksgiving dinner. Today in the cafeteria we had our Thanksgiving meal that consisted of ham/turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie with whip cream! I know this meal does not benefit my weight management,but it's Thanksgiving!!

This just about covers my wrap up- I will talk to you again tomorrow. I would love to hear about any weekend plans and your ideal Thanksgiving dinner!!!

Friday the 13th

2009-11-13T17:45:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th! I hope you all had a fairly good week, and if not it's Friday- so enjoy the weekend!! Since today is Friday the 13th, I thought I would share with you the top ten scariest movies. Let me know your favorite and if this list is accurate. I would love to hear your imput if you have other favorites that you feel should be on this list. To aviod plagerism I got this article from the following link and all the credit goes to Dave McCoy. Other than that have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your night!
Top Ten Scariest Movies

Top 10 Scariest Movies

We count down the films that still scare us silly

By Dave McCoy

MSN Movies

Read more: Cinema's Scariest Scenes
Best Monster Movies

Best Vampire Movies
Best Ghost Stories

Best Werewolves
Asian Horror 101

When Norman Bates, dressed as his mother, ripped open Janet Leigh's shower curtain and knifed her to death in "Psycho," horror movies changed. Along with Leigh's blood, classic horror style and romantic figures like Frankenstein and Dracula went right down the shower drain. The veiled sexuality and hidden violence that dominated most classic horror films suddenly were gleefully dragged into the open, for everyone to exploit. For better or worse, style often became as important as substance, and booming box-office numbers proved that horror was serious business. The shifting times created opportunities for filmmakers to innovate, finding new and terrifying ways to scare the pants off audiences.

The mark of a great horror film is whether it sustains its vision of terror through several generations of increasingly desensitized viewers. Does the movie still make you jump or squirm or sweat or scream? The following efforts do all of the above.

10. "Eraserhead" (1977)

David Lynch's cult classic is the closest thing to being stuck in a nightmare: Not much makes sense, but you get the feeling that nothing is quite right. Lynch employs dinners that walk off the plate, eerie silences that become deafening and an infant that makes Rosemary's baby seem cute and cuddly. So chilling it's damn near unwatchable.

9. "The Exorcist" (1973)

The real terror of "The Exorcist" may not involve Satan and possession, but the helplessness of a parent trying to save a child. Of course, a ton of harrowing special effects and director William Friedkin's somber respect for the supernatural subject matter doesn't hurt either. It's horror for grown-ups.

8. "Halloween" (1978)

John Carpenter's film is blamed for the rash of slasher films that destroyed the genre in the '80s, but "Halloween" possesses a style and intensity that most of its copycats lack. From the opening sequence -- when we see through the eyes of little boy Michael Myers as he stalks and murders his sister -- onward, the film relies on suspense rather than sensationalism. Our fear is caused by what might happen rather than actual events, as Carpenter spends a good amount of time in darkness, making us see things that may or may not be there.

7. "Don't Look Now" (1973)

Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie head to Venice to forget the tragic accidental death of their child. However, it's impossible to forget when the dead child keeps reappearing. Nicolas Roeg's labyrinthine film is rich in dreamlike atmosphere and works on a purely psychological level: It disorients, frustrates and builds to a horrible climax, reminding that tragedy can never be forgotten ... and neither can this film.

6. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)

A group of annoying teens make a wrong turn on a road trip through Texas and encounter the most dysfunctional family imaginable. It's a teen exploitation flick shot like a documentary. Wonderfully grim, mean and inhumane, director Tobe Hooper's debut doesn't spill much blood, instead opting to giddily, relentlessly torture and chase its audience (much like Leatherface treats his victims) for 80 minutes. It feels like days.

5. "Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)

Before dream-killer Freddy Krueger became a quipping pop-culture reference, he represented the most twisted monster unleashed on the public since Halloween's Michael Myers. Seeking vengeance by slicing and dicing the children of the parents who murdered him, Freddy scared the hell out of Cineplex audiences. His on-screen entrance remains terrifying, as does much of director Wes Craven's surreal, smart and shocking masterpiece.

4. "Suspiria" (1977)

"Suspiria" is a full-on sensory assault by Italian horror master Dario Argento, the cinematic equivalent of an anxiety attack. A poor American ballet student arrives in Europe and Argento berates her with weather, grisly murders, a possible coven of witches, his virtuosic camera, and possible the freakiest score ever conceived (by the director himself). The plot barely makes sense, so just let it terrorize you.

3. "Night of the Living Dead" (1968)

A group of kids get trapped inside a farm house by an endless stream of flesh-eating zombies. Sounds silly, but director George Romero takes his simple premise and redefines the genre with a shoestring budget. The amount of sadistic gore, the claustrophobic tension, the rising levels of hysteria and an increasingly deflated awareness that a happy ending is impossible make this a nasty classic. There is no hope here, only suffocating terror.

2. Repulsion (1965)

Director Roman Polanski did more horror afterward, with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Tenant," but this -- a menacing, nightmarish profile of one woman's descent into madness -- may be his most realized effort. Catherine Denueve embodies sexual repression as a young woman left alone in her apartment -- and to her deluded fantasies -- for the weekend. The film is nearly silent, creating a mounting mood of dread. Try watching it alone with the lights off and see how long you last.

1. "Psycho" (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock's blueprint for contemporary horror: More than just a film, "Psycho" was a cultural slap in the face. Censors wanted to ban it, while screaming audiences couldn't get enough of it. Hitch employs all of his tricks -- shifting audience sympathies, killing off the main character halfway through the film and a ton of macabre humor -- but more importantly he makes the horror internal. Norman Bates isn't a monster in the classic sense; he suggests that the greatest evil can lurk beneath the quietest, most pleasant surface.

Just missed: "The Shining" (1980); "Jaws" (1975); "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991); "Dead Ringers" (1988); "Seconds" (1966); "Audition" (1999)

Happy Veterans Day!

2009-11-11T22:09:00.003-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day! I wanted to say Thank You for all those who served our country! For those who gave there lives so that we can live. Make sure that on this day you remember all our men and women in Iraq- they need our support! May God contiue to watch over our loved ones and bring them home safe!

Below are Pictures of my:

Uncle Jason: Air Force

Aunt Janet: Air Force

Cousin Aaron: Army

A picture of a veteran off of google!

The enclosed link is a tribute to all our men and women fighting for our country: Veterans Day Tribute
God Blessed the U.S.A.
Have You Forgotten

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That!

2009-11-10T23:35:00.000-06:00

Hey!!! I have been quite busy lately- so I am going to do a quick recap of the weekend and a glance at my week. Now that I've grabbed my hot carmel apple cider I can begin. First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if you have any funny or interesting stories I would love to hear them:) I got to work both Saturday and Sunday which is a plus, however, it proved to be a very long and tiring weekend. Saturday I didn't get lunch and Sunday my boss accidently forgot to come and get me when we had our "okay" to eat the left overs from the resteraunt:( However, I did get some food from the salad bar-healthy!!! I also finished reading the Kite Runner, and it was an amazing book! I literally fell in love with it:) Moving on to Monday: I really don't have much going on to be honest. I have a test on Friday and the PPST on Saturday and I just had a test today (I think I did fairly well...). Oh! The highlight of my week: My friend Shane has been really itching to ask my friend Carina out for the longest time and well tonight he did!! Congrats Shane and Carina-one would think with the overreaction that they got enaged..lol. That is a quick glance at everything:)

I am sadened to announce I didn't reach my goal of exercising everyday last week, however, I have started a more realistic routine this week. So far so good:) My new goal for the week is to not critize my body so much, but find the positives!

Now that we are caught up I still want to share the Tasty Tip of the day. I have just realized that one of my favorite meals to eat here in the cafeteria is spagehtii. So like I mentioned last week I need to know how healthy it is. Like most foods you can always make a healthy version and an unhealthy version, but for the most part Spagehtti isn't terrible for you. It most consists of protein and and carbs and just a little bit of fat. You can never have to much italian food..mmmmm:) In connection with Spagehtti my little brother asks Will and I at supper "So, you know in Lady and Trap how they eat spagehtti, and then they have one noodle, and they meet in the middle and kiss? Have you done that yet?!" Yeah, that was an awkward question, especially in front of my Grandpa :( But for all you curious people, we have not yet mastard the famous Italian Kiss. Nutrion Guide of Spagehtti

Have a wonderful night and I hope to talk to you tomorrow!!

T.G.I.F.

2009-11-06T23:12:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Friday!!!! I hope you all have a great weekend.

For your Entertainment Friday I thought I would switch it up a little. First of all, for those of you who are in driving distance of MLC I strongly encourage you to come this weekend and watch the musical "Pirates of Penznce." It plays Sat. @ 7:30 pm and Sun. @ 2:00 pm. Don't worry you can still buy tickets the day of the play:)

Another form of entertainment I want to introduce comes in the form of a book. For some of you this may not be entertainment, but for others, like myself, it is a wonderful escape from reality! The book I want to suggest is entitled "Kite Runner." We are currently reading it in American Minority Writers and I don't remember the last time a book has captured my attention and pulled me in as this one does!

The last thing I want to add for Entertainment Friday is the 9 Most "Racist" Disney Characters~ Honostly, I think people have too much time on there hands and really look to hard.

http://www.cracked.com/article_15677_9-most-racist-disney-characters.html

Have a fun Weekend!!!

Topical Thursday: Does Speeding Actually Save You Time?!

2009-11-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

Hang in there you have one more day till it's Friday! But to speed things up I thought I would throw some trivia your way. As you already know I had recieved a huge speeding ticket and well I had the option to take a drivers improvement class. The benefit was that the insurance company never found out about the ticket and it was like it never happened. I actually found it very beneficial and there is one specific piece of information that I wanted to share with you. Did you know that if you are going 75 in a 55 mile lane, the end result is you save about 3-5 min. I always thought that by greatly exceeding the speed limit I would save anywhere between 30- 45 min. On the contrary the only thing I am saving is about 5 min. and wasting a lot more gas. now that I know that speeding really doesn't save me any time-I find it ridiculous. The only thing that you could gain is an accident and well in my case a huge ticket. In the end those 5 minutes aren't worth $163.00. So lately me and the cruise control button have become best friends and well I am staying away from tickets and saving a little more gas:) I hope this information is as beneficial to you as it was to me- until tomorrow

Super Fast Sonic

aka Aly

Whatever Wednesday: What others Think of White People

2009-11-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

Welcome! For Whatever Wednesday I wanted to share a website that was brought up in American Minority Writers Class. Our professor asks 2 people every class period to bring in an article that is dealing with race of some kind. This person decided that she wanted to know what other races thought of white people, and how we are stereotyped. The linked website is all about what is the typical personality of white people and well you need to just read some of them for yourself. I know it's late, but if you have the time and you need a good laugh I suggest you go to the linked website. I hope you all hada wonderful day and I will talk to you again tomorrow for a little trivia knowledge :)

Tasty Tip Tuesday: Green Peppers

2009-11-03T12:30:00.001-06:00

It's Tuesday and you know what that means...the healthy, yet tasty tip of the week :) So I thought I would share with you one of my favorite ways to obtain Vitamin C. To your suprise Green peppers actually contain 2 times the amount of vitamin c as oranges ( when eatten raw), and that red and yellow bell peppers contian 4 times the amount of Vitamin C as oranges. I didn't know that until one of my friends asked me why I ate green peppers and my only response was that they were good for me. After that I decided that if I was going to eat something I want to know the benefits, and the results were quite shocking. I never knew they could be so healthy and taste so good!!! Now every time I eat I always grab a bowl full of green peppers:) If you like green peppers I have attached a link for Green Pepper Recipes-

It's Monday!!!

2009-11-02T15:09:00.003-06:00

Welcome back!! It is the beginning of another week, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, and had fun trick-or-treating. Despite the Grumpy picture- my Monday is going well- "The sun is shining, the tank is clean, and we are gonna get out of... "- Finding Nemo. I love the sun and well that was a random quote that popped into my head :) As I mentioned last week I was going to have a photo of the week:

To the right is a picture of the tree outside our campus library and I absolutely loved the yellows and the browns with the deep red berries!

As usual we have the Pro's and the Con's for the week :)

The Pro's:

I only have one test!!
I am no longer worried about paying off debts- they have been paid off!!!!
I get to go to the musical this weekend- Pirates of Penzance!!
I have clean laundry, which still needs to be put away:)
I believe we have steak night tonight or tomorrow in the Cafeteria
Well, it's another week that God has given to me :)

The CON's

I have a test on Wednesday
I would love to still be at home :(

- Myspace Layouts,Graphics, and Comments!

Goal for the Week: I am happy to inform you that I did make my goal last week and this week I am going to try and exercise at least everyday and remind myself that I am a child of God and I have people that love me for me:)

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and that you are enjoying the nice weather while it lasts! May God Bless your week and remember that through the good and the bad he is there with you: )

The Closing of the Weekend :(

2009-11-01T23:09:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I'm sry I didn't keep up my blog- when I'm home I don't get on the computer much :) I had a great weekend. I was able to celebrate Colin's tenth birthday with him!!!! Will, Ethan, Colin and I carved Pumpkins...very enjoyable. Ethan and I watched the movie "Year One" - I don't kow exactly what to think of the movie, it was stupid yet funny. However, itreally made fun of the Bible, and that aspect I did not care for:(

Saturday I had my S.T.O.P Class- I found it to be educational...I know I am a nerd, but I didn't take Drivers ED. That night I got to see all the kids dress up for halloween, and help Dad hand out candy:) I dressed up as a husker football player, and Will was a farmboy! Later that night Will and I watched "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow starring Johnny Depp." This brings my weekend to a close. Today we had our area reformation service and then it was errands, football, and back to school:( I will see you tomorrow for the beginning of another week!

Whatever Wednesday: Was Coca~Cola really Green?!

2009-10-28T14:42:00.000-05:00

I came across this statement today "The drink Coca-Cola® was originally green in color." However, as I was doing some research on this topic to see if it was actually true; I discovered this to be a myth. According to http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/contactus/myths_rumors/packaging_green.html Coca~Cola has always been brown, the ingredients have changed along with the containers. Now you know the truth and a little trivia that can be used to impress your friends. For more information on it you can go to: http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/green.asp - it's actually preet interesting. I hope you have an Awesome rest of your "Hump Day!"

* Reminder tomorrow is Topical Thursday so if you have something you want talked about - just let me know :)

Ellyn's Confirmation Slideshow

2009-10-27T17:07:00.003-05:00

Click here to view this video

I created this video as a suprise for Ellyn- it will be used for her confirmation to display her pictures. I hope you like it!!!

What's Your Flavor?!

2009-10-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another day! I hope you are all have a fabulous day, I know I am with this gorgeous sunshine :) Generally for Tasty Tip Tuesday I give you some tasty, but healthy tips, however, this week is an exception. I have been craving this for about 2 weeks now, and I'm hoping to try it this weekend. To fill you in I am talkng about the Blizzard of the Month from Dairy Queen: Pumpkin Pie!! This Blizzard is no where near healthy, but you derserve a treat every now and then. If you haven't already, you can join the DQ fan club and they will send you a buy one blizzard- get one free coupon ( at least thats what they say). I'm planning on trying it, and I am interested in your opinion of the blizzard or just to hear your favorite flavors!!

Dairy Queen Fan Club

Welcome to the Beginning of Another Week!!

2009-10-26T16:14:00.000-05:00

It is the Beginning of a brand new week and I hope you all hada fabulous weekend. I had a realxing weekend hanging with friends, working and writing a religion paper (which I actually had fun doing!) I want to start a new thing- photo of the week. I will post the photo of the week in my monday blogs.

The Photo of the Week: This is a snapshot that I took today as I was leaving one of my classes. I thought it captured the fall colors of MN well! I thought it was appropriate, since as soon as Novemeber hits winter is right around the corner.

The Pro's for the week

I get to go home!!!
I am able to celebrate Colin's birthday with him
I am able to see my Grandpa
I will be home for the area Reformation service!!!
My brother will be taking the drivers improvement class with me :p
We have our fall banquet on the 29th
Pay Day is on Fri.!!!
I get to see William and carve pumpkins!!!
It's not as hectic as last week
I turned in my paper for Religion today :)
Hopefully I will have time this week to clean my room

Con's for the Week

I have to take an 8 hour driving improvement class on Sat.
I have a map test on Wed.
I have a Fine arts Test on Wed.
I have a memory work test on Fri.
I really need to do laundry...and the sad part is I have no money :(
My batteries for my camera keeping dying and eventually need to be replaced :(
I found out that until hockey season starts my hours at the Holiday Inn have been cut.
I really want Pumpkin Pie and they aren't serving it in the Cafeteria :(

My Goal for the week is to exercise at least 3 days out of the week and watch what I eat!

Whatever you do throughout your week may you do it all to the glory of God! We are truely blessed to know that God is always watching over us and he will rejoice with you in your happiest hours and he will carry you through you most troubling times! Never forget the power of God and always remember that Jesus Loves YOU!!!! Have a blessed week ~ Aly

Entertainment Friday: Good Hair

2009-10-23T15:18:00.001-05:00

It's Friday!!! So I wasn't quite sure what to do for today, but in American Minority Writers (an english class) we are required to find something that has to do with other cultures in our world today and share it with the class. One of my fellow classmates found this trailer to a new movie directed by Chris Rock. The movie is entitled: Good Hair. We found the concept of African American women wanting to make their hair like our's. They wan't that straight sleek look and some of these women will do pretty much anything. Another point that was brought up is how important your hair is to your image! I guess I never really just stopped to think about it, but it really is important how your hair looks. I spend money to get it cut and styled, I straighten it, and I wash it every morning to avoid being greasy. The way my hair looks is important and if you don't believe me you can ask my boyfriend.

I don't know if this movie is playing in theaters, my classmate said she couldn't find any theaters that were playing it, but I think you should take a look at the trailer- its very interesting. I want to know your opinions on it, I know that we looked at some comments left by other African Americans and some of them were offened by this, and others were okay with it. I hope you have a safe weekend and an awesome Friday!!!!

* If you found the trailer interesting- look on the side panel in youtube for other related links- I personally found the minteresting and enlightening on the subject. I really didn't know anything about it until now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-4qxz08So
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BChNnK8KYWg&feature=related

Topical Thursday: Interesting News Story

2009-10-22T12:32:00.002-05:00

As the week is winding down Topical Thursay has come again. I was on youtube and I stumbled across this video and it appears to be rather recent, however, I thought it was an interesting news story that is asking for our opinions and I would really like to know what you think of it. I hope that everybody has a wonderful day and I will talk to you tomorrow for Entertainment Friday!

ht tp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDc05MpfpQ4

Whatever Wednesday: My Fall Break!

2009-10-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

Happy National Hump Day!! You have successfully made it half-way through the week ( insert sigh of relief!) To start things off i want to share an email that I just got with you- it made me laugh and I hope you get the same result:

6 Truths of Life

1. You cannot touch all your top teeth with your tongue.

2. All idiots, after reading the first truth, will try it.

3. And discover that The first truth is a lie and feel superior because they can do it.

4. You're smiling now because you're an idiot.

5.You soon will forward this to another idiot.

6. There's still a stupid smile on your face.

I apologize about this. I'm an idiot and I needed company.....

This made me laugh and it was a nice email recieve :) Now for Whatever Wednesday I wanted to talk about my Fall Break. Which to quickly summarize was football, football and more football. As I mentioned last week Wed. my break didn't start off to good - with my speeding ticket- however, it turned about to be very enjoyable! The first day I was home I ws able to relax and work on some homework- later that night I was able to take Colin and two of his friends to football practice. On Friday I had a girls day with my mom. We went shopping and then out to eat at the Panda Garden- very good chinese! Then later that night we all headed to Dodge, NE to watch Ethan play football- it was a good game, but we ended up losing :( On Saturday William and I headed up to Lincoln, NE to see the huskers take on Texas Tech ( not ranked) and we thought it was goingto be a pretty awesome game- boy were we wrong! The ref's made terrible calls and well our offense didn't get the memo that there was a game today!!! After that disappointing game Will and his friends needed to head to Arbys to eat away there sorrows ( in my opinion they sounded like a bunch of girls). The rest of the night we chilled with friends and avoided the touchy subject of the game :p This brings me to Sunday- after church Will and I headed to see Colin's last football. It was neat to see him play, however, his team also lost :(

My break ended with Will making me supper ( a delicious sandwhich!!!) and a couple games on the Wii!!! Despite the disappointing football games I had a nice time with my family and boyfriend and due to my speeding ticket I get to head back to Nebraska for a S.T.O.P. class, but the positive is that I get to see my Grandpa. be there for Colin's birthday and also for the area reformation!! I guess there is always a positive side to something bad :p

I hope you all had a good weekend and I would love to hear any interesting stories- otherwise I will talk to you tomorrow for Topical Thursday!!!

Tasty Tip Tuesday: Fruit Pizza

2009-10-20T15:18:00.000-05:00

Hey! Today is a vey long day for me, but it is always nice to take a break and chat with you! For Tasty Tip Tuesday I thought I would share some recipes and alternatives. As you may have noticed from yesterdays blog, we have some specials in the cafeteria tonight for supper. One of those is Fruit Pizza! I don't know about you but i rather enjoy it:) As I was preparing to write my blog I did a little research on the ingredients and nuitrion of it. According to http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Fruit-Pizza it is about 170 calories and for a pizza that is amazing! If you remeber last week we could eat about one deep fried french toast stick and that woud equal one slice of fruit pizza! I think you are getting the better deal. As with any recipe you can have the healthy and the not quite as healthy. I always found it interesting to compare recipes and find out what makes one more healthier. I always thought of fruit and grains as being healthy but there is a drastic difference between the first recipe and this one:http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fruit-Pizza-4 .

If you are working on improving your diet and taking in less calories I would really consider adapting the first recipe into your home. It makes for a lovely hors d'oeuvres at a party, or simply as a dessert at home. I know I always enjoyed them when my mom would make them:) I hope you have a wonderful night and that you try one of these recipes and I will enjoy mine tonight- I will talk to you again tomorrow for Whatever Wednesday!

*P.S.- Make sure you check out these websites- they offer really good ideas and healthy recipes- if you scroll to the bottom of the page @ the websites they show you many ways to cook with fruit and also alternative fruit options for your pizza, however, make sure you check the calorie intake, some are much higher than others!

The Pro's and Con's for the Week

2009-10-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

Welcome back!! I haven't talked to you since last Friday, but if you have any interesting stories about your weekend or exciting events happening this week I would love to hear them!! My Weekend was awesome, however, I think I will leave that for Whatever Wednesday :) It is the begining of another week and it is time to take a look at the Pro's and Con's.

Pro # 1: The Sun is Shining and there is no Snow!!!

Pro # 2: I will be able to relax want's the week is over :)

Pro # 3: I get to work this weekend

Pro # 4: I have all my Winter Clothes @ school ( Yay!!)

Pro # 5: They are pouring new cement and getting plumbing and what not done with the new chapel!!!

Pro # 6: We have chocolate and fruit pizza specials in the cafeteria tomorrow!! (Mmmmm )

The sad thing is my Con's out way the Pro's :(

Con # 1: I'm back at school and miss Nebraska!
Con # 2: I have a Geography test on Wednesday
Con # 3: I have a huge Religion Exam Wednesday
Con # 4: I have a Intro to Fine Arts quiz Wednesday
Con # 5: I need to start writing my huge paper due next monday ( 7-10 pages for Religion)
Con # 6: I have a Journal Review Paper due Thursday ( 2-3 pages for Western Civ.)
Con # 7: Despite no snow it is rather cold:(
Con # 8: I have a bunch of other hw that just piles on top....

In summary my week is very busy with homework and tests,however, I know that God never gives us more than we can handle and is always with us every step of the way!! I hope you have a great week and remember to take God with you in whatever you do- Many Blessings Alyssa

Where The Wild Things Are!

2009-10-16T15:54:00.002-05:00

It's Finally Friday!!! For Entertainment Friday I thought we would take a look at movies. Where the Wild Things Are - one of America's most beloved books has hit the theaters today! . According to http://www.flixster.com/movie/where-the-wild-things-are-2009 , 67% out of 121 critics liked the movie and 73% out of 1,496 flixster users liked the movie. In a review of the movie Spike Jones explains the movie as,

"It’s not much like current children’s movies. There are no cutesy, funny pop-culture references a la Shrek, and it’s not about delivering an uplifting life lesson on the order of Up!. It’s also basically not an animated film — the creatures are actors in vividly expressive Jim Henson Creature Shop-designed costumes, though the facial movements are computer-generated. All I can say is that it’s a very interesting movie for adults in the way it uses childhood fantasy to explore issues of loneliness, sadness, alienation and forgiveness."

As I went through and looked at reviews, stats and even ratings I got pretty much the same result. Many people feel this PG film is more of an adult movie based on a child's anger, sorrow and forgiveness! In my opinion it looks like an awesome movie to go and see. I am interested to hear your opinions on the movie and I will share more of my opinion once I go and see it:)
I hope you have a good weekend and will talk to again tomorrow for Food for Thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM

Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?

2009-10-15T20:11:00.001-05:00

For Topical Thursday I thought I would do an opinion poll. Seeing as how we are mixing fall and winter together I thought I would see what choice of beverage do you prefer to give you those warm fuzzy feelings "Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?" In my opinion there is nothing like a warm cup of apple cider, a warm blanket , movie and a man to hold! I would love to hear from you!!! I will see you tomorrow for Entertainment Friday!

Whatever Wednesday: It's Just one of those days :(

2009-10-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

Okay I know this is kinda late, but it has been one of those days! It started off ruff when I was totally clumsy prone this morning when I had to get up for first hour and my roommate was trying to sleep:( I really hate that when i t happens, because I want to be as courteous to her as I again, however, it just wasn't one of those mornings! I quickly shrugged it off and went on with the rest of my day- it couldn't be so bad because after my classes I could head home for fall break!!! Well that's where the good stuff begins:) So the drive was going alright- I was trying to stay awake because I was up at 6:45 this morning to get ready for class- and driving when tired doesn't go well together! I recently got a hands free headset from William so that I could drive carefully, so I called him and asked him to keep me awake. Everything was going okay, I had bought SoBe energy drinks before I left New Ulm and Will did a wonderful job of entertaining. As I mentioned earlier I bought SoBe energy drinks and with being tired I drank both of them- now where do you think that all goes? Yeah! It goes right through you and generally I'm very good about holding it, but this was getting painful ( it was hard to walk- when I actually stopped at a gas station). I had just crossed the border and was back in Nebraska, and was going pretty fast- I was in desperate need of a bathroom- and well you guessed it - I got pulled over! Now he wasn't one of those nice and friendly policeman- he was very hardcore and in the end I not only got a $123 speeding ticket ( 15 over:!), but my plates were conveniently out of date and Mr. Strict took special note of that:( My only hope as a poor college student is to be eligible to take the S.T.O.P class, however since my plates were out of date as well I don't think I will be eligible, but keep your fingers crossed! After all is said and done I am glad to be home!!
Just a quick reminder it is Topical Thursday tomorrow, so if you have anything you want discussed just feel free to comment on this blog and later that afternoon I will do my blogging :) I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow and I will talk to you then- Night

*Sorry if anyone is offended by the blonde humor in the photo- I thought I would add some humor to the depressing topic :)

Tasty Tip Tuesday

2009-10-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

Goodmorning!! I haven't been to the cafeteria today yet, so for Tasty Tip Tuesday I'm actually going to bring up an interesting fact about some of the delicious food that was served yesterday. To fill you in a little bit more, last night they were serving deep fried french toast sticks. Now if you've ever had them you know how Delicious they are, but did you know how Bad they are for you?! It was brought to my attention that one of those punny sticks alone, with out being deep fried is about 100 calories. The cafeteria always fries them,so a rough estimate maybe now 170 calories. They are so little so you can never take just one, so lets say you take 4, each being 170 calories...thats a total of 680 calories!!! Normally when I see people take them they take a whole handful, so you see my point. To take this just a little bit further we need to figure in that normally people will put on syrup, powdered sugar,or even sugar itself. Just take a moment an imagine that and how many calories that will eventually add up to- Scary itsn't it?! I'm not going to just scare you and tell you to never eat french toast sticks, instead I'm going to give you a healthier alternative. I know it's not the same, but try making yourself a piece of cinammon toast- it still tastes Delicious and compared to the french toast sticks a Whole lot healthier! In our cafeteria they provide us with a wide selection of breads, and one of those choices is whole wheat..mmmm...and one piece of this bread is about 65 calories. This would be good by itself, however, you need to add in the butter and the cinnamon. Cinnamon really isn't that much- about 6 calories, according to http://www.wikianswer.com/, however the butter is a different story. It really all depends on what kind of butter you get , but this is a cafeteria and normally the healthier butter is a lot more expensive! So when I typed in "how many calories are in butter?" the result was estimated at 102 calories. This was just 1 tablespoon of plain unsalted butter , like I said there are different kinds and people use different amounts. Hopefully nobody uses that much butter on one piece of toast. in summary you can see that by eatting a piece of cinnamon toast vs. a french toast stick and condiments is a lot healthier and still very Delicious!! All this talk about breakfast food has made me hungry, so I'm actually going to head to eat breakfast- have a fabulous rest of the day and I will see you tomorrow for Whatever Wednesday!

Yays and Nays!

2009-10-12T14:50:00.003-05:00

It is the begining of another week and as promised the Pro's and Con's! Well, I am an optomistic person most of the time so we can check out the positives first;)

To Begin with since we have midterm break approaching at the end of this week- it is only a three day week!! (insert a sigh of relief or applause). The next Yay!! for this week is that we don't have Archery on Tuesday and American Minority Writers Class on Wednesday. Under normal circumstances that would be a bad thing, since I very much enjoy these classes, but on Tues. this means I can sleep in and on Wednesday I get to head home earlier than planned! In connection with the previous two yays!! I am obviously heading home for break, but this opens up a whole new section of YAYS!!! Friday afternoon I will be going out to eat with my mother-always enjoyable and well needed:) Later that night I get to see my boyfriend (insert another loud YAY), and then we will head up to see Ethan play football!! I am really anxious to see him play, since I've heard alot of good improvement from him and his team- I will fill you in next Wednesday on how the game went. This brings me to Saturday when William and I will head to Lincoln to see the Huskers play Texas Tech- it's supposed to be a good game ~ so all you Husker fans need to watch it ( insert "Go Big Red!"). Some of the other events is the traditonal carving of pumpkins, followed by me kicking Will's butt at Mario Kart on the Wii. The last yay that will wrapup this week is that it's Pay Day (insert huge sigh of relief) and if your a college student or stuck in the same money issue that I am, you know that this is a major day!!!

This brings us to the Nay section of this post. I really don't have too many considering it is a shorter week, but there are a few. The major one is the fact that there is once again snow on the ground (insert a huge grunt)! I am strongly opposed to it, due to the fact that fall is just begining and I really want to enjoy fall before the terrible Minnesota winter kicks in- I mean we already have snow from Dec. to April anyways! Why in the world do we need it an extra two months!!! The second nay is that I have an art test and a geography map test on Wednesday :(

However, the important thing to keep in mind as you go about your week is that Each Day is a Gift from God!! Through the goods and the bads God is with us every step of the way and he promises to never give us more than we can handle!! With that thought in May you have a blessed week and I will talk with you again tomorrow for Tasty Tip Tuesday :)

Housekeeping Stories

2009-10-11T18:17:00.000-05:00

It's Housekeeping Sunday! First of all it was the last day of Oktoberfest (Which is a huge thing in New Ulm)- and that means the rooms are going to be a mess and there is also going to be a ton of checkouts. Now that you have a little insight we can get into the "dirty" details;)

Our morning started out with "We're still the number one hotel in our area, but we need to do a whole lot better. Ex. measure the width of the turned over sheet- must be from your wrist to your elbow or you have to go back and fix it!

Ex. number 2 - make sure that your pens have a cap on them! These are just two examples of the strictness of this hotel- it's their German Pride!

Anyways after that little lecture on how we should improve I started out cleaning my rooms and most of them weren't too bas, however, some need to be shared.

Room # 1: Left a ton of hair and mysterious stuff in a bathtub that was still filled with water! EWE!!!

Room # 2: Had a popcorn party and left popcorn all over the floor and the sheets!! I was not pleased that I had to vacuum the room twice!

Room # 3: Left a whole box of pizza with all the toppings missing?! They also left a huge mess with beer bottles and the lovely bib that is being modeled by Zen Shorts in the above picture! However, they did leave me $4 in quarters!!!!Which is a huge blessing,because I was in desperate need of laundry money :)

Between Room # 5 and 6: I got $5 and $3 in tips- which makes for a successful day at work!

In summary it made for a long day at work from 10-5:30pm and 10 rooms to clean, but now I can relax and I actually need to get working on my homework- See you tomorrow for the pro's and con's of the week!!!