First off anyone who knows me knows I love spending time on my computer. I really love my laptop and the things I get to do on it. My computer gives me the ability to keep in touch with family and friends via email, chat, blogging and Facebook. It allows me to do webdesign and html coding. I search news articles and pictures. I don’t even have a phone book because I use dexonline.com and whitepages.com to do my searching.

Well last night I had a major upset. I spilled an entire glass of cranberry juice next to my laptop which landed all over the keyboard. It wouldn’t turn on and I was afraid it was completely ruined. I did some major praying for help. This might seem a silly thing to pray for but my computer is very important to me and I knew that I didn’t have the money to buy a new one if it wasn’t fixable and even to pay someone to fix it would be hard. This morning when I woke up the first thing I did was check my laptop which I had let dry out all night. It still wouldn’t boot up. I was devastated! So I drove it over to my mom’s house and gave it to her to take to a repair shop after work. Well my mom being the kind woman that she is spent part of her day today on the phone with Dell’s technical support trying to get it fixed. They walked her through some things and after hours of waiting for news she called to tell me that it is working … the only damage right now is that the keys for the #5, D & J are not working. I figure I can deal with that for the time being and if they are still not working as of this weekend I will call a repair place to see about getting them fixed.

Now back to my three loves … I love my computer (see paragraph #2 if you want to know why)

I love my mother … I love that she took the time out of her busy day and last night to come help me with my problem. She is that kind of person. I didn’t mention this before but when she found out what had happened she drove the 30 minutes to my house bringing with her carpet cleaner (oh yeah … I have a nice pink spot on my living room carpet now) to help me get the stain out. She took me this morning to Starbucks (I love that place) to give me a boost to the beginning on my day and then spent today helping get my computer fixed. She is too awesome!

And third I love my Heavenly Father. He heard my pleas as I prayed to Him last night and this morning. My computer was not really all that important in the grand scheme of things but I think he knew how important it was to me. I know that He helped me in this situation and that He helps us in these small insignificant things because they are important to each one of us. I see His love around me all the time and even when I do not always recognize it or show my appreciation He is still there reminding me in so many different ways.

In vain have I struggled, it will not do. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

Giraffes. I love giraffes. For example I have this particular picture combining two of my loves as the wallpaper on my cell phone.

(pic of Kaylee in giraffe costume)

I am not entirely sure where my love for giraffes started but I now have a giraffe collection in the corner of my bedroom and every giraffe is special. They have been gifts and things I have bought for myself; they are wooden, ceramic, wax and come in the form of figurines, carvings, picture frames and stuffed animals; they come from New York City, Iowa, Utah & Jamaica.

Giraffes make me so very happy. I went with my mom and a friend to the zoo a year ago and took way too many pictures of the giraffes on my mom’s camera. My mom thought I was nuts!

“I hate the giraffeless new of this situation!”

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? NO!

3. Do you own a gun? Nope.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I usually just get the Cherry Limeaide which has it’s own flavor! Yummy!

5. Do you get nervous before doctor Appointments? Depends on what it is for. My last appointment I was … it was a follow up for my surgery.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I really enjoy them … especially wrapped in a crescent roll.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Chipmunk’s Christmas or Mr. Krueger’s Christmas

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Lately it is a big mug of Mt. Dew

9. Can you do push-ups? Very embarrassing ones … so I probably should say no.

10. Age? This year I celebrated the 6th anniversary of my 25th birthday

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My aquamarine ring

12. Favorite hobby? Photography

13. Favorite Actor: Tom Hanks

14. Do you have A.D.D.? Not diagnosed but wouldn’t be surprised

15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I talk too much.

16. Middle name? Mae

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1. I want to flush D’s head in a toilet. 2. Please don’t cry 3. I wish I was anywhere but here – well maybe not prison

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today? How about Saturday … Pork Chops, Cranberry Sauce, The Office Season Four DVD

19. 3 drinks you regularly drink? Mt. Dew, Water, Crystal Lite

20. 3 Current worries? Life, Life, Life

21. Current hate right now? D, Presidential Campaigns, Laundry

22. Favorite place to be? Home, with my munchkins, curled up in bed with a book

23. How did you bring in the New Year? I have no idea … did I stay home this year? Hmmm …

24. Where would you like to go? Athens or the Carribean

25. Tag three people. Brenda, Emily, Katie

26. Do you own slippers? Pink Fuzzy ones from Victoria’s Secret

27. What shirt are you wearing? A white long sleeved t-shirt with a red corduroy shirt

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don’t have any but I don’t think I would

29. Can you whistle? Yep

30. Favorite color? Orange

31. Would you be a pirate? Sure

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Faith Hill’s It Matters to Me and lots of Christmas & Primary Songs

33. Favorite girl's name? Emma or Grace

34. Favorite boy's name? Colin or Andrew

35. What is in your pocket? Nothing at the moment

36. Last thing that made you laugh? The discussion at work about Lube, Oil & Filters

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Hmm … don’t remember what I had … probably Strawberry Shortcake since pretty much everything I had was

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Probably getting like 10 layers of skin sliced off my leg by an idiot in grade school

39. Do you love where you live? I like it but wish it was a bit bigger

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1

41. Who is your loudest friend? Hmmm …

42. How many dogs do you have? Two but they live with my mom … I miss them a lot

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I doubt it.

44. What is your favorite book(S)? Pride & Prejudice, Twilight, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Anne of Green Gables Series, Chronicles of Narnia

45. Where were you born? Aurora, Colorado

46. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears or Twix

47. Favorite Sports Team? The US Swimming Teams

48. What songs do you want played at your funeral? Love Me

49. What are you doing at 12 A.M.? Hopefully sleeping

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Do I have to go to work?

My nieces and nephews bring me great joy and every time I am with them I think to myself what a blessing we are to have them here with us. Kaylee turns one year old in about two and a half weeks and it amazes me to think she wasn’t here this time last year and what a sad world it would be to not have her here. The same goes for the other six. My life wouldn’t be as good if I didn’t have their little spirits around me. There is nothing like having them put their arms around your neck and give you a hug and have them tell you that they love you. This weekend I spent part of Saturday with Betsy and afterwards hung out with her children. Clark and I got into a tickle torture fight which Bethany decided to join. Elinor then joined in and the girls had me tackled to the floor. Clark told them, “Don’t kill her. I like Allison.” In a way I found the situation humorous but then again I felt loved.

On Friday I went to lunch with one of my co-workers and we stopped in at the book store and as I was waiting for her to come through the door a little boy came up to me grabbed my leg and said, “Hi. Hi.” At first I thought maybe I knew him but as I looked down I realized I didn’t. I asked how he was doing and he smiled and went about his way. His dad just smiled at me.

Yesterday I took the time to visit with a good college friend of mine that I haven’t seen in a few years. Not long after I had arrived and we were sitting in her front room we heard her youngest daughter wake up. Her older brother opened up her door to let her out of her room and she came out crying. She looked at her mom and then walked straight over to me. She let me pick her up and then sat in my lap. Her mother looked surprised. My friend then told me that she never does that. It felt nice to hold her.

I love children. They have a beauty and innocence that always touches my heart. We are so blessed to have these special spirits walking with us in this life. They see past the social barriers that we often put up and look at the heart of an individual. They find joy in the simple things that life offers such as animals and fall leaves. They love you unconditionally and enjoy each moment spent with you. May each of you experience the love of a child.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (ha ha ... not in an emergency but
for a parade)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (they won't let me anymore ...
dumb mad cow disease!)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

We had lunch at Zuppa's where we enjoyed a delicious meal (the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup was awesome!) Then we hit up Ikea, Old Navy, Target and Barnes & Noble to do some Christmas shopping.

After our excursion we went back to Betsy's home where Abe was watching the BYU football game and the kids were watching Robin Hood. I ended up playing with the kids for a while. Clark and I wrestled and then Bethany jumped in and tried to save Clark from my tickle torture. Elinor borrowed my camera to take some pictures and Faith had fun making silly faces so we could take her picture.

It was a great day!

That one little word has been on my mind a lot the past few days. Hope is defined as to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.

I have been thinking a lot about President Uchtdorf’s words at Conference this past Saturday:

The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet, it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.

Faith and hope go hand in hand. Hope helps us develop faith and strengthen our testimonies in our Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel. As we say our prayers and study the scriptures our hope grows, our faith becomes strengthened, our anchor becomes more sure. These actions bring joy and peace to our lives. I have seen this come true in my life as I have spent more time lately reading the words of the prophets in the scriptures. Areas in which I struggle seem to gain more perspective. My desire to have more faith is strengthened as I develop a hope in our Father in Heaven.

President James E. Faust said:

Peace in this life is based upon faith and testimony. We can all find hope from our personal prayers and gain comfort from the scriptures. Priesthood blessings lift us and sustain us. Hope also comes from direct personal revelation, to which we are entitled if we are worthy. We also have the security of living in a time when a prophet who holds and exercises all of the keys of God’s kingdom is on the earth.

I pray that each of us may gain the hope that we need. That we appreciate this gift of the spirit that has been given to us; for we all need this.

Hope is the anchor of our souls. I know of no one who is not in need of hope—young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor.

On Wednesday I wanted to take my lunch to go down and meet one of my favorite performers who would be at the Deseret Book next door. Well nothing went according to plans being that it was not only payment day but a very crazy payment day. I left for lunch about 45 minutes later than planned and was positive that there was no way that I would be able to see him and get my cd signed. Yet I decided it was worth the effort to go at least see. When I arrived the table he had sat at was still there but it was empty. I asked one of the employees if he was gone and she smiled and said that he was still there. They took my cd over to have him sign it. He signed it and gave it back to his publicist. I said thank you and he turned around and asked, "Are you Allison?" I said that I was. And then he came over and gave me a hug and thanked me for coming. We spoke for a few minutes and I told him how he is the reason why I started listening to country music. He thanked me for telling him and gave me another hug. Collin Raye is not only a talented singer but a good man. It was a very special experience for me.

Yes, I am alive. No, I haven’t forgotten about the site. I just haven’t had much to say. My life is boring and stereotypical. Work is work. My apartment and I are about the same, even though this weekend I did go buy a few fall/Halloween decorations at Cracker Barrel.

Oh also, for those of you that don’t have access to sign in to my account. I was having spam problems with the comments section. Just email me and tell me what user name and password you want and then I can give you access to comment on the site. I hate having to do that, but I was sick of going in and deleting 50 comments each day.

"No matter how hard you fight it, you fall. And it's scary as hell. Except if there is an upside to free falling it's the chance you give your friends to catch you."