No Meat November

Hello, imaginary blog readers. Today is the beginning of No Meat November. Last year at Utah State, I got bored and decided to challenge myself to not eat meat for 2 months. It was incredibly successful and I learned a lot about the way I eat. Consciously making the decision not to eat meat results in a lot more thought about what's in the food you're eating, how much of it you consume, and what the food is going to do for your body. Yes, the first couple of weeks I had a hard time finding other substantial source of protein and was tired A LOT of the time. Yes, it was hard at first to not replace the meat I had eliminated from my diet with tons of carbs and sugars. But yes, I eventually got the hang of it and ended up with a better balanced diet filled with more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products.
In 2000, Americans consumed 57 more pounds of meat per capita annually than in the 1950's according to usda.gov. Researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine calculated an increased mortality risk of 29 percent for those involved in their 9 various longitudinal studies that consumed the most red meat. Similar studies have shown the same link between red and processed meat and mortality, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
So, in attempt to rediscover a healthier me, for the month of November (and possibly longer), I will not be eating any meat. If any of the people I, for some reason, think are reading my blog would like to join me. I would love to hear from you about your experiences this month via Facebook, email, or the comments section of this blog.

Things I love.

For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share a list of all the things I love. But it's all gonna be food. Okay here it is:

Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Ice Cream
Red Velvet cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy
Mountain Berry Blast Powerade
Chicken Alfredo with angel hair pasta from Pizza Factory
BBQ Chicken pizza from Pier 49 Pizza
Hashbrowns from McDonald's
Eggo waffles with Nutella
Mozzarella sticks
Raspberry sorbet from Cold Stone
Biscuits and gravy
My step- mom's chicken enchiladas
My mom's cinnamon rolls
My dad's lemon cheesecake
#11 with no tomato from Jimmy John's
Haagen- Dazs mango sorbet

the head & the heart.

In my current (non-existent) relationship situation, I've been playing a lot of the waiting game.
My head tells me that I should move on, let go, and quit setting myself up to get let down. My head knows what it's like to feel unwanted. My head knows what it's like to be alone. My head knows what it's like to have to give up on something that I've wanted more than anything because that something gave up on me. But my heart knows what it's like to love. My heart knows that Victor Hugo got it right when he said, "To love another person is to see the face of God." My heart knows that making someone I love happy, is what makes my heart it's happiest. My heart says, "Don't you dare move those feet. Stay here because that love is coming back to find you." But how long can my heart wait until my head intervenes and says, "NO MORE!"
What determines if it's worth waiting?  How do I know this is even what should be waiting for? How can I be so certain that life doesn't have different plans in mind for me?

There's too many questions, and far too much conflict between my head and my heart, to deal with in a simple blog post. I'll keep you posted though, imaginary friends, about all the answers as I get them!

The Dilemma of Dating

Now, I understand that I'm only eighteen and still have quite a while left in the wonderful world of dating. But, recently I've had the most wonderful epiphany on the subject.  So, we all know what it's like to have that one person that our minds become totally and completely obsessed with. We love their eyes, their smile, their taste in music, the way they talk, their obsession with certain sports teams, their talents, the way they can't sing but still try, their sometimes really awkwardness, and just their overall adorable factor.  BUT, we become so infatuated with everything about this person that we scare ourselves out of ever making our feelings for them known. We're so wildly obsessed with them, yet we're scared to act at all because we might A) be shut down B) not hear what we want to C) get 'friendzoned' D) get snapped into reality where we have to recognize we don't have a shot, accept it, and quit fantasizing or E) any combination of the above. Personally, I think Option D is the most frightening option. We build the perfect picture of this person in our heads and the wrong reaction to our feelings from them can destroy that image in a matter of seconds.
BUT WHY?!
WHY do we act on how we perceive the other person to feel about us? WHY is it so freaking hard for us to act solely on how we feel about them? That option makes the least amount of sense but honestly would have the most gratifying outcome.
In today's society, we're all about self-interest and instant gratification. The same goes for relationships.  We want our significant others to please us, care for us, and love us, and we want it NOW.  Gone our the days of romance, wooing, and courtship of old.  Here now, we have a generation where dinner and a movie is a romantic date, conversations are all digital, and we spend more time with each other in front of television screens rather than getting to know the person we claim to have feelings for.
LET'S DO RELATIONSHIPS A SOLID AND BRING BACK SELFLESS LOVE! Bring back love letters! Bring back walks by the river! Bring back endless drives to nowhere! Bring back singing duets with each other and terrible dancing! Bring back kisses that show affection rather that NCMO's (Non-Committal Make Outs). But seriously imaginary people that I think I'm talking to, NONE of these things can be revisited by us until we revisit the idea of doing something solely to see a smile on another person's face rather than to earn their undying love and the physical benefits of a relationship. We need to stop doing things for our lovers because we want them to love us and tell them how awesome we are and start doing them to make that person genuinely happy! We need to learn persistence and commitment instead of moving on to the next when feelings aren't immediately reciprocated or a relationship hits a rocky road.  Instead of throwing those we truly care about away because they're far away from us, or circumstances won't allow us to be together at the moment, or because we got in a stupid fight about a girlfriend they had 3 years ago, we need to WORK. (Trust me, I know the word 'WORK' will shock the youths of America in 2012, but it's the only way!)
So next time your contemplating whether or not to tell that lovely lady or handsome hunk that you've been  blissfully twitterpated with for so many moons that you've got your eye on them, JUST DO IT. Even if it doesn't work out the way you'd hoped, I guarantee you'll make them happy (and isn't that all you really want for them anyway?) and you never know, you may just be pleasantly surprised with the end of your love story.

IM.

This, my friends, is perfection. Seeing Ingrid Michaelson live in concert on April 19th, 2012 is STILL probably one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me. I can't wait until she comes out with a new album and I get to go see her again.

Christmas Break and College Pals

The worst part about high school? The term not ending BEFORE Christmas break.  Honestly, I can't even begin to describe how much more enjoyable the Christmas break has been without the piles of homework looming over my head that are due after the break. Just good food, family, and friends this Christmas season for me!

The saddest thing about this break, though, has been leaving all my fantastic friends in Logan.  Christmas is a time to be grateful and I couldn't be more grateful for all the wonderful people I've had the pleasure to know during my first semester at Utah State.  At the beginning of the semester, I had the HARDEST time making friends. Everything is so different in college, I assumed the way people make friends would be different, too. But as soon as I realized that there were about a billion other freshies on campus that were in the EXACT same position as me, I was able to be myself and start making some quality pals.  In true "Allie Winnie" fashion, the way I made my friends up here was incredibly nerdy as well as a little unorthodox. At the Utah State vs. University of Utah football game at the Romney Stadium, my good friend from home, Makayla, and I spotted some hotties a couple rows ahead of us.

Me and Makayla before introducing ourselves to the gentlemen in the background

 Naturally, I insisted to Makayla that we find a "closer spot". That spot happened to be right behind who would soon be my BFF's.  The blonde boy was wearing a USU Science Department t-shirt so I assumed he would enjoy a good chemistry joke.  I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "I see you like science, wanna hear a joke?" He looked a little freaked out (who wouldn't be?) but said he'd like to hear the joke.  Then I said, "Neon walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'Sorry but we don't serve noble gasses here.' Neon doesn't react." I then started laughing hysterically and it became apparent that he did NOT understand the humor of my joke. Anyway, we introduced ourselves.  He told us he was Camden from Hawaii (but he's really from Idaho?) and we got to know him and his friend, Doug (not from Hawaii either), during the game.  We exchanged numbers, hung out the next weekend, and then WAH-LA! We were best friends. Well, not exactly that fast. There were a few other bonding experiences and what-not before Camden and I before we became the brother and sister duo that we are today. J. Douglas Jenkins and I became lovers, haters, and now the best of friends. I love both of them so much.

Brother-Sister Bonding

Justin Douglas Slayin' Some Zombies

 Camden later introduced me to Jessica, the best girl I've met in the Loag. She's basically just like me. We always cause a scene together in public and drive Camden crazy. In short, we live the dream... If your dream is to be the Cache County version of Snooki and J-Woww.   Hanging out in an apartment of six boys gets a little crazy if you don't have a little estrogen to keep you sane.  I'm so glad I found this gem. I'm seriously way too lucky to have friends that are so great. My first semester of freshman year would not have been what it was without them and I can't wait to spend another semester with these fools.  They could quite possibly be the most amazing people on campus.

Gettin' Weird at the Chalk Dance

small and simple things

Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley taught about the importance of the small and simple things in life. She taught that "The grand and the simple. They are equally wonderful."  She taught that "The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead."  As a girl who is a senior in high school, the grand things seem overwhelming and the simple seem irrelevant. I often find myself wishing this year away in anticipation for the days of college close ahead. (Go Aggies!) It becomes a challenge to focus on the blessings this time in my life has to offer, and the lessons that are learned in the last year of high school, both in and out of the classroom. The most difficult thing seems to be to remember to give one hundred percent to every day of this year. Often I feel stressed out, inadequate and stuck.  Then I remember the easiest way to rid myself of these feelings is to simply put my best foot forward. Some of Sister Hinckley's best advice is:

 "We each do the best we can. My best may not be as good as your best, but it's my best. The fact is that we know when we are doing our best and when we are not. If we are not doing our best, it leaves us with a gnawing hunger and frustration. But

when we do our level best, we experience a peace."

Life is about remembering that when you've been given the best, you need to give your best. I recognize that I am an incredibly blessed girl and will make it a goal to do my best daily to bless the lives of others and gain the peace Sister Hinckley refers to in her amazingly wise words.