Obedience... Not Always Easy

Today was fairly uneventful. Aside from emailing the president of ASME about the conference in Dallas and doing a butt-load of homework, nothing really exciting happened.

My new roommate, Michaela, was sworn into the AFROTC at UNM today. Good luck, Michaela! I will be praying for you while you train to serve our amazing country.

While Michaela was gone, I did a ton of homework (2 papers and many math problems included). I finally got the majority of it done, which is a nice relief. I have never sat on a bed with a laptop on my lap for so long. It no longer feels like the laptop is just a gift, it's now a tool :( I knew this day would come. Hello day!

INTERVARSITY

InterVarsity (IV) is a Christian Fellowship that is here on campus. Tonight was the 2nd meeting (the 1st one I had to leave early) and it was awesome. We are studying the book of Jonah for 4 weeks, which is a pretty interesting study. Here is some incite:

Obey God no matter what! :) It may not be the easiest thing to do and His calling for you may be something different than what you have planned, but He knows what is ahead in your life. We are only looking at the next couple of weeks in our lives, while God is looking at our lives until the day we die. I can think of countless times when I knew I should do something because God wanted me to but didn't or when I did something that I wasn't supposed to and it was sad in the eyes of God.

It makes me sad to know that sometimes I can be viewed of as a failure, but thank goodness that God is forgiving and no matter how big we mess up, it is always possible to get back on our feet with God and walk by faith :)

 

SOCORRO COUNTY FAIR AND RODEO

Tomorrow Michaela and I are going to go hang out at the Socorro County Fair and Rodeo. :) I am so excited... It should be a blast. :) And guess what animals they are showing... PIGS!! Ok, that part does not sound interesting to me. Seeing a bunch of pigs parade around with their "owners" like they are all that is just ridiculous. I get horse shows, and sometimes dog shows, but pig shows? Who ever thought of that??

I will let y'all know how that one goes! :)

Well it's off to bed for me. Home in T-minus 2 days :) I cannot wait to see my family, Caleb, and his family. Oh and I have a date with my dear friend, Tina! :) I can't wait. 

<3 y'all. Have a good night!

Ali :)

A New Start

You don't write in a long time and look what happens, everything.

This past week has been very... eventful! :) Between drama with my ex boyfriend that went out of control and the start of classes, I have not had much time to even breathe. But overall it has been a pretty good week :)

Hmm what about the classes?

Well my MENG (Mechanical Engineering) classes are going pretty well. I had one realization that popped into my mind after my first class last Tuesday though... I have the math and science it takes to be an engineer but the hardware part is kind of missing. Welding/Materials lab, here I come! :) This should be interesting.

My Chemistry class is a joke right now. Not only does my professor get off track every 5 minutes, but we are also learning the same stuff that my THIRTEEN year old sister is learning in her EIGHTH grade chemistry class. How pathetic is that?? It will pick up soon, I'm sure of it!

Math= easy so far. Mrs. Brinker was an amazing teacher last year and I feel so blessed to have had her. I know all of the material so far in Calculus 2 so it makes it much easier to do the homework and prepare for the new material.

My history class is going well, too. The only problem is that my professor has a very strong Russian accent... We'll see how much I actually get out of her lectures. After 3 classes, I am now starting to understand her and am able to take notes while she is talking without missing anything. I am slowly getting there. Yay!! :)

And finally, English. Dr. G is amazing! :) She is going to make this English class so much fun. We have spent the past week writing the same paper, but honestly it has definitely helped me understand what my writing style is and what I need to work on.

Apart from school, not much has been going on. I did, however, get some amazing, colorful daisies in the mail from my amazing boyfriend, Caleb! :) Thank you so much. Surprising they are still alive even after a week.

 

See!! Aren't they pretty? :)

This past weekend I was able to go home to see my family and friends. I got to see some movies and spend some time with Caleb, which was great. It is nice to know that I get to go home this weekend for Labor Day weekend and spend some more time with my family, now that they don't have to be in Bernalillo :)

And finally, today was SWAPPING day! :) My old roommate moved out and one of my good friends from high school moved in. Now I no longer have to deal with jumping from random laughter and constant talking of things I don't really care about. Haha. She was really sweet but some things she did just sent me up the wall. I am so happy that Michaela moved in. It will be a great semester now! :)

Well that is all for now.

Goodnight all,

Ali :)

A Whole New World

Greetings from New Mexico Tech :)

It is definitely different being here versus being Albuquerque with my family. I am starting to like the college life though. Classes officially begin tomorrow so tonight is going to be the big night of getting everything ready! I am so excited but nervous at the same time. I have heard that the classes can be pretty tough and that I'm going to kill myself with 17 credit hours in the first semester. Hmmm... I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)

I miss many people back home though. I have been talking to Caleb, Joe, Cayce, my mom, Caleb's mom, and my sister and it is crazy that I cannot just walk out my door and see them. I'll be home soon though :) I am still debating whether or not to go home this weekend. What do y'all think? Yes or no?

My new home :)

Well I am heading off to a carnival on campus but I will try to post more now that I am moved in and ready to go :)

Love y'all!!

<3 

Ali :)

Hold On...

Today was a pretty great day. :)

#1: Mowing my aunt's "jungle" (AKA her lawn in her backyard)
The grass was so tall! It was crazy. And on top of the tall grass I could not find any scissors to cut down a giant weed growing on the corner of the yard so I decided to use the bread knife. I wish I could have seen myself sawing away at the weed with a bread knife. That would have been so humorous! :)

#2: Running around with Cayce
Honey, you are amazing! I am so glad you are in my life. Starbucks will never be the same unless you are there. And the trip to the SUB was awesome with hours of talking about crying, leaving, possible pranks, and so much more!
And thank you to the Mangum family for the amazing gift. You guys are so sweet! :)

#3: Shopping Carts!!
Never have I seen 50+ shopping carts full of school supplies until today. It was crazy but so awesome to think that all of the donated school supplies would go to kids who are less fortunate. :) It was so much fun running around APS City Center pushing a shopping cart all around to show off what had been given and collected! Good job Phill and everyone else who was involved. You guys rock! :)

#4: Saying Goodbye
Tonight was hard... I had to say goodbye to Caleb. I'll see him again soon but it was still very hard to do! I will be back in 1-2 weeks but it was still weird. He has been so amazing and so sweet, it's just hard to leave. It will be okay though :) Thank you Caleb for dealing with my emotions and being there for me. You are amazing.

Tomorrow is the final day! I am leaving early on Friday morning. I have to say my final goodbyes to my family and friends :( I will be spending the whole day doing laundry and packing the rest of my belongings that I will bring down with me. I'm excited, but I have to admit that I am a little sad and nervous as well! :( New Mexico Tech... Here I come! :)

Goodnight y'all!

<3
Ali :)

P.S.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYANT!!!! :)

What A Wonderful Night :)

Tonight was amazing! Thank you Caleb for the best date I have ever been on. You are incredible and I had so much fun! :)

Not only was a great night but to top it off, I received my very own concert of N*Sync and Backstreet Boys songs! It was so funny but the most exciting concert ever! :) Thank you again Caleb!!

Only 2 more days before I move to Socorro! I cannot believe it is coming so fast. I'm getting very excited though :)

Now to go watch one of my favorite movies... SOMETHING BORROWED!! :)

Aren't they purty?? :)

<3
Ali :)

Go Nomads!! :)

Softball is so fun to watch... Even when the team has a bad game :) It was the third game I had seen (the first time I went they had a double header) and it is so much fun to see Caleb and his family and friends play :) I got to have some fun conversations about random stuff with Cayce too, which is always a blast! :)

And, needless to say, the goodbyes are already coming and are so much harder than I ever imagined! And the sad part is... They aren't even the final goodbyes. I almost cried when my grandpa brought over the printer he bought for me this afternoon and then again when Caleb and I were talking about it after the game. I don't know why I am getting emotional already. One, it's not like I am going very far away. And two, I will see them again before I leave! This doesn't make sense! Haha.

A few years ago I wrote this poem in Creative Writing and I think it fits pretty well for what is going on :) Let me know what you think!

Goodbye to the lamppost outside my door
Goodbye to the widow who lives next door
Goodbye to my lovers who kept me alive
Goodbye to my family, I'll see you sometime

Goodbye to the laughter, how I'll miss you so
Goodbye to the choir who sings so low
Goodbye to the pencil I hold in my hand
Goodbye to the people across the land

Goodbye to the marching band who blows so loud
Goodbye to the people standing in the crowd
Goodbye to the ring upon my left hand
Goodbye to the man who wears its band

Goodbye to the birds who sit in the tree
Goodbye to the cars lined on the street
Goodbye to the mountain stretching to the sky
Goodbye to the ladder reaching up so high

Goodbye to the knowledge that I have of this land
Goodbye, Goodbye

 

<3
Ali :)

4 More Days...

And the countdown continues! I have t-minus 4 days left in Albuquerque. I am so excited but scared and sad at the same time. :)

I have so much to do in these 4 days. Packing, saying my final goodbyes, and spending time with my family and the people I love! I cannot believe this is happening... It seems like just yesterday that I was stepping onto the Eldorado campus for the first time. Now it's off to New Mexico Tech! :)

Today, my aunt, grandpa, grandpa's girlfriend, Caleb, David, my mom, sister, and sister's friend had a going away get together with pizza. It was great to hang out with the whole family but it is already hard to say goodbye. I have a feeling some tears will be shed this week :(

And the winner of the hair color is:
HIGHLIGHTS!! :)
I would love to grow my hair longer and then dye it blonde. If I dye it now I feel like I would kill it. Haha. :)

Well I must go pack more... :p

Goodnight all!

<3
Ali :)

Vote for Hair Color :)

Ok guys, so here is the deal! :) I have an appointment to get my hair redyed on Tuesday and I kind of want to try something new but I'm a little hesitant to. Please vote (in a comment) on the one you like the best and let me know what you think would look good on me :)

Choice #1 (Stay the same)
Here is the color I have now (I am on the right):
Brown with blonde highlights!

 

Choice #2
Go back to my original color or maybe a little darker brown.

 

Choice #3:
Blonde
I was watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants today and I absolutely love Blake Lively's hair!! I don't know if I could pull if off though. What do you think?

Please let me know by Monday what y'all think I should do! :)

Goodnight 

<3
Ali :)

Time to Say Goodbye

Goodbye Dion's. Goodbye Chris. Goodbye Dave. Goodbye Emily. Goodbye Tina. And goodbye to all else who are leaving this weekend.  It is sad to see y'all leave but it won't be forever!

Today was my last day at Dion's, at least til winter break :) It has been a great year and a half but I am not complaining about leaving... No more food business! Haha. I will miss all of my amazing co-workers but I will see y'all one more time when I come pick up my last pay check :)

I also had to say goodbye to some very close friends of mine who are leaving to go to college. I will miss you guys so very much but I will see you soon! :)

Tonight was incredible. Unfortunately, I only have one more week here in Albuquerque. Then it's off to Socorro (which I find REALLY funny that Socorro means "help" in Spanish... I am moving to Help, New Mexico) :) I am getting very excited but I am not going to lie that I am scared!

Goodnight all! :)

<3
Ali :)

To Infinity and Beyond... Or Something Like That

Today was amazing!! :)

It all began with a trip to the nail salon. Here is a tip: NEVER get your nails done and then close dishes at Dion's that night! The nail polish goes bye-bye very fast! Thank you Happy Nails for being so nice to me when I came in 23 hours later with terrible nails!

Next, lunch with Chris and Dave! :) I love you guys! I did have a run in with my ex, which was extremely awkward, but with the help from the guys it was all a-okay! :) I am going to miss you two! Please, please, please keep in touch!

And Dana, thank you so much for a great afternoon of girl talk and shopping for country CDs! Luke Bryan and Chris Young songs will always make me think of you :) I am going to miss our moments so much but we will always be friends, no matter how far apart we are!

Then came dinner. Another piece of advice: Don't let Joe and Caleb go play with guns while pasta and green beans are boiling on the stove, they leave them unattended and it becomes the girls' job to finish dinner. Haha. It was a blast hanging out with Joe and Priscilla at their new apartment and then having a good conversation with Priscilla while the guys studied :) Thank you guys!

CAPTAIN AMERICA! :) What a great movie with a great date! Thank you, Caleb, for making tonight so amazing. Captain America may not be the great Buzz Lightyear but it was still a great movie.

Overall, a great day with some great people. I cannot believe that many of my friends are leaving this weekend... I will miss them so much :( but with the many great memories I am sure we will never be far apart :)

Goodnight all!

<3 Ali

The Final Days

College in 9 days. Oh goodness...

I cannot decide if I am excited, nervous, scared, sad, or what. Maybe all of the above. It will be a fun experience but leaving Albuquerque will definitely be hard. The piles of boxes in my room keep staring at me and reminding me that it is all starting.  To them I say, "Bring it on!"

To my friends and family here in Albuquerque, I will miss you all dearly but I will be back :) I'm not leaving for good. This is will be a fun experience and I promise I will return every now and then :)

To the friends leaving, good luck!! You guys mean the world to me and I will always keep in touch if you will :)

Everything will be fine. :) God has a plan for my life... Put my trust in Him! "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." (Psalm 56:3)