Sophomore Year = DONE! :)

Hey guys,
Well I made it through another year of college. Overall I think it went really well... but I did end up failing organic chemistry so I will have to take that again next semester. The fail was no shock to me though... O chem is ridiculously hard so I'll just have to work harder. Maybe this time around will be easier.

On another note, I did well in all my other classes and I am so excited to take the EMT Basics course next semester and finally start my journey to becoming a paramedic! :) I plan to volunteer at UNMH this summer and then maybe trying to volunteer at a local firehouse to see if I would want to be a paramedic with AFD or another fire department :)

This summer is also looking very exciting. I am going to Phoenix with my mom at the end of May to see a couple Diamondbacks games (yay!!! BASEBALL!) :) and the coolest part is that one of my mom's old students from Carlsbad now plays on the team so it will be cool for my mom to see him on the diamond! And then there is Europe... I am so excited to spend 12 days oversees and to see the amazing cities of Rome, Venice, and Paris (maybe other ones too) :D It is getting so close. I can't wait!! :)

Well I'm going to enjoy my first night of summer by relaxing and not doing anything! :) 

Goodnight y'all!
<3 
Ali :)

On the Road to Becoming a...

PARAMEDIC!

I got this email today from the main adviser of the BS EMS degree program! :) I'm officially on the path to becoming a paramedic! :) YAY! GOD IS GOOD!

<3
Ali :)

Happy Easter!! :)

HE IS RISEN! JESUS IS ALIVE! :) 

I hope everyone has a great and happy Easter! 

<3
Ali :)

Life...

Dear Friends,
It has been one crazy semester so far. It's tough. It's stressful. It's challenging. Whatever you want to call it. My classes are still kicking me in the butt and I must admit that I am scared that I will get my first C ever in Organic Chemistry :/ I feel like I'm working so hard but I just can't get it right. We'll see what happens. Please pray that these last 5 or 6 weeks wrap up nicely! :) 

I also want to say I'm sorry for not writing more. I am going to try to write at least once a week with a short update about what is going on. :) I love you guys and I'm happy that you read what I write and enjoy it (hopefully haha).

So now for the update as always...

Last weekend, my sister and I went to the PBR here in Albuquerque and it was INCREDIBLE. You know me, I love all things country and seeing a bunch of cowboys ride a bucking bull for the longest 8 seconds of your life is so amazing! I love rodeos and I just wish I could go to more... I am going to start (it's a new life goal). I love hanging out with my sister. She is such an amazing girl and talented in every area of life. I don't get to spend much time with her, even though we live in the same house, so it was nice to have the night off in order to do so. We talked for hours about cow hide lining on MissMe jeans, how bad it is to wear jeans with no back pockets that make your butt look awful, and just the drama and crazy things in our lives. (And yes, we did see those fashion no-nos at dinner on the night of the PBR) :)

I got to get a picture with one of the riders, Ryan Dirteater (appropriate last name for a bull rider, huh?)

On another note, I found a great show on Netflix that I feel is totally worth watching. It's an older show but it's awesome. One Tree Hill is the name :) I love the story, the characters, and I have even found my female celebrity crush. It is Hilarie Burton :) (Yes, I know she has the same last name as I do, which makes her that much cooler!) She also plays Sara, the Sterling Bosch insurance agent, in my other favorite show, White Collar. Side note: the star of White Collar, Matt Bomer (aka Neal Caffrey), is my male celebrity crush so I guess it is perfect. Haha :)

There they are :) haha

And it is, or was I guess, Good Friday. I went to church tonight and this day is always hard for me as a Christian. Seeing and hearing what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, went through as he died on the cross is terrifying. But...It was God's eternal plan. He did it out of love and obedience. For that I am truly thankful that I have a God that not only died for my sins but rose again and lives in heaven guiding me in life and forgiving all my mess-ups. In 2 days, we will celebrate the rising of our Savior into heaven and I am so excited to spend it with the people I love and at the church that I call home (Mars Hill Church) :)

Cool, huh?

Tomorrow, or I guess today, is going to be a fun day! I get to go on a run with Cayce to start training for Color Me Rad 5K that is coming up in a couple of weeks. I get to make the delicious Easter bread that is packed full of Italian meats and cheeses with all my friends and family :) Finally, I get to go out with my girls (YAY!!!) and celebrate Sarah's birthday. It has been so long since I have seen them that I am so giddy and excited! I get to put on a dress, do my hair, and have a blast at dinner and then baking at the end of the night! :) I love you girls and I cannot wait. 

I love these girls. They are everything to me! :)

Well goodnight y'all! :) I must hit the sack so that I can get up and study for the dreaded O Chem test coming up before I go on a run with Cayce. I love you guys and I wish you all a very Happy Easter! :)

<3
Ali :)

Proverbs 3:5-6

God is so good. I have had so many life questions answered this week and He has truly blessed me with many supportive people in my life. Thanks! :)

Here's the plan: I am going to major in EMS and become a paramedic but also continue down the pre med path so I won't lose any credit hours :) I will probably work as a paramedic when I graduate and if I ever want to go to med school or PA school I can and will have the experience as a paramedic that will help me get in, but if I love being a paramedic than I don't have to switch. The EMS adviser was so helpful and I am so thankful that I got to meet with her and get many questions answered. I'm so stocked for this now! :)

:D

Work was stressful this week. There was another theft attempt (how stupid can you get?) and we have had to deal with some really rude people but hopefully it will be better next week :)

That is my little update. I have to go get physics homework help now (I HATE CIRCUITS!!) and then it's off to one more class before another closing shift :) 

Remember that God is good and He can help you through anything; He had definitely been with me always.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." 

Proverbs 3:5-6

<3
Ali :)

Just Chuggin' Along

This week has not started out as one of the best. I had an advisement appointment with the University College and it didn't really help me decide what I want to do. Everyone keeps pushing me towards becoming a PA but I don't know if I want to do that. EMS/Paramedic is more interesting to me that PA. We'll see what happens. I have an appointment with the EMS adviser tomorrow so I'm praying that will answer some of my questions and really clarify what I am supposed to do with my life and what path God wants me to travel down! Please pray that it goes well :) 

Today was an interesting day, to say the least. Class went well; DNA can be a pretty interesting thing to study. Work, on the other hand, was kind of stressful. Starbucks sells at home espresso machines called Verismo and someone decided to come in today and steal one from the store I work at. It was crazy because I stood there as the whole thing happened, not knowing exactly what was going on until the person ran out of the store with it and jumped into a waiting car. It was really stressful for me, Eddie, and Cayce to deal with but it all ended up okay! Thank goodness no one got hurt and we were not in danger through all of this. I have to say I love my job and I love how all of my coworkers support each other and can crack jokes in times like today! :) 

Only two weeks until Spring Break and it could not come at a better time!  I am so stressed with school and I have 4 tests within the next 2 weeks that I get to look forward to :( hopefully they go well! :)

I am off to bed now. I cannot wait for this weekend and to free from stress as I get to see my best friend, Kaitlyn. :D I'm so excited 

Goodnight y'all!
<3
Ali :)

Crazy Life (but totally worth it)

Hey y'all. 
I'm back :) 2013 has started out as a crazy year but it has been a blast. I am loving my job at Starbucks and I couldn't ask for better coworkers and a better boss :) I love all my fellow baristas! :)

Lots of things have been going on. I have been so busy with school because I decided to be brave and take a ton of credit hours that consist of 3 science classes. It has been kicking me in the butt. I also have decided to change my major yet again. I don't know for sure what I want to do but I have been thinking a lot about EMS. :) I started thinking and praying about my future and realized that becoming a doctor would probably not fit with the lifestyle I want to live. I am excited to actually make myself happy and take a step back from the amounts to stress that I have been hit with in this journey. Please pray that this transition in life goes well and that I stay trusting in God through it all! :) 

On a separate note, I am no longer a teenager :) I turned 20 about 11 days ago and it was a great birthday!!! :) I went to Starbucks in the morning and my friends making the drinks wrote on my cup. I love you, Cayce and Kaylee! :) I went to class and then went to lunch with one of my best friends, Bailey! :) It was so fun. Finally, my family took me to my FAVORITE restaurant, Texas Land & Cattle, and  the food was great and the company was awesome.

Me, my mom, and my sister at dinner! :) I love them!

I also got a great gift from my family for my birthday and that was the 2013 Country Megaticket, which is 1 ticket that applies for the 4 country concerts that are coming to town this summer! :)

I'm so excited! :)

Finally, I get to get my passport this Friday and then we will be set to go to Europe this summer to visit my aunt! :) I'm so excited to go out of the US for the first time and also to see my family! :) 

<3 y'all
Ali <3