It’s finally been a little while since I have done a post dedicated to some facts about myself. I figure since you’re reading all about my life and a lot of the time some inspiration or tips for you, it is only right you know a little bit about who is talking! You can read all the facts in my “All About Me” section, but I figured this could be a little more casual and fun! After yesterday’s semi “bleh” update post I thought links could be subbed out for your daily dose of fun facts so here are a few and a half of em!

I DON’T have a sweet tooth. Never have and who knows if my taste buds will one day change but I probably never will. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ice cream and won’t ever turn down a Reese’s but I would much prefer pretzels to chocolate or chips to a brownie. Yes family, this is my formal admittance that I am in fact the one who eats all the cheese popcorn and leaves a bag of uneven proportions of caramel kernels for everyone else.

Speaking of popcorn…it’s my favorite food, like, ever. Not kidding I could eat freshly air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of oil and sea salt for the rest of my life and be content. simple. not awful for you. perfect to pair with movie nights. what more could you ask for from a food?!?! Also yeah, ironic and funny my favorite food is popcorn and I am from Nebraska home of the cornhuskers. Actually this is the first time I am putting this together and it is kinda wild.

I am weirdly good at keeping flowers alive which works in my favor because I absolutely adore them. (peonies and hydrangeas are my personal favorites but I don’t discriminate) Maybe it is my years of receiving them from dance recitals or maybe I have an odd case of a green thumb but I seriously know all the tips and tricks to keeping them around for as long as possible! Let me know if any of you would like to see a post dedicated to that!

I am honestly awful at art. Trust me, every bone in my body wants to be able to draw and paint and sculpt things well, but quite frankly I’m pretty bad. Which stinks because I am definitely creative and have an eye for design, but my drawing skills go as far as about doodles in my notebook during geography class…

However….I am freakishly good at Pictionary. There is no explaining this one besides the fact I honestly am convinced it is like a 6th sense thing where I can read people’s minds during this game and this game only. I seriously can guess what they’re drawing .5 seconds in and one dot on the paper (okay kinda exaggerating but I did do that one time and was a little spooked of my own talent.) I don’t know. It’s a gift.

When I job shadowed my old dance teacher (love her!!!!!) who now teaches kindergarten, a little boy tied his shoes together during story time and I had just clipped my nails and the knot was very tight and I honestly doubted my teaching ability at that moment when he was staring at me terrified that his shoes would forever be tied together. Less of a fun fact and more of a funny story and just another reason kindergarteners will forever crack me up.

I have the WORST gag reflex. Dentists hate me. I just learned how to swallow a pill less than a year ago. It’s awful. Very probably my biggest weakness and mortal flaw. End of story.

I drink water like it is my JOB!!! Which, isn’t a bad thing, stay hydrated friend. But seriously, I can’t leave for anywhere without my water bottle and must drink at least 8 cups a day or I cannot function or do absolutely anything to my full ability. Seriouly, I will go through abundances of bottled waters while they’re cold in my dorm fridge while studying. I always ALWAYS make sure to drink a huge sip right before bed and right when I wake up! It is SOOOOOO good for you people! Get yourself hooked on h20 too!!

I have never ever been to the mountains! Bucket list for sure but my family has just never been! We are lake people every summer but I for sure want to try to learn to ski here soon!

I did (and was in love with) speech in high school! If your town has a big speech and debate program or you are involved yourself, you’ll know what I am talking about and how easy it can be to fall in love with it! I did it all four years (oratory was my specialty for those of you who compete but I also dabbled in duo and one OID of Mean Girls that was seriously the most fun thing ever to perform) and I will forever and always deem it my most rewarding experience of high school. Seriously get involved in the activity in any way you can if you’re ever able to! Also if you ever need to know anything on the American Dream, Helicopter Parenting, The Misuse of the Word Hate, or the Gold Star Shaming Society…I’m your gal and can give ya a not rehearsed in a while 8-10 min speech on any.

There’s a few tidbits about my life! Feel free to hit up xoxoallisonnicole@gmail.com if you have any other fun facts you wanna know or if you just wanna chat!

Until next time, xoxo, Ally

There are few things in this world that I would do anything for. Living a semester and a few weeks in college have made me solidify that statement even further. I’ve realized how little I truly need to survive, but there are for sure still a few things that I just can’t do without: (see below)

-hazelnut lattes

-chick-fil-a

-my best friend and all our banters and life chats

-my parents. oh boy my parents. + everything they’ve taught me but that is more of a novel than a bullet point.

-the Legally Blonde soundtrack

I’ve said this before on the blog, but I am the opposite of a “grey person” in terms of my feelings and what I believe in and am willing to speak my mind and stand up for. I either hate things or I love them. I believe in them or I don’t. My dad is a huge role model for me in terms of fighitng for what I believe in and doing what is right no matter what the people around me are doing or may think of my choice, and I will forever respect and love him for teaching me such a big belief and how to act on it. The things and people listed above are all things that I am highly passionate about. Okay so maybe chicken nugs, lattes, and a girl empowered jam sesh here and there aren’t NEEDED in my daily routine, but they’re things that make me happy.

I want to tell you how vital those things are to your life. The things that make you feel something in your heart you absolutely can’t even begin to put into words. Again, the nugs and coffee were for sure jokes (even though I won’t ever turn down either…) but there are a lot of things in life that aren’t. My entire life I have been told I am an insanely passionate person. Honestly I think I would have appreciated the compliment (it’s a compliment I am hoping…) a lot more if I understood what they meant. Since I have been back at school, I think I finally do. I get excited about things. I find things that I love and I do everything possible to keep them in my life. If something makes me happy, I am going to tell everyone about it and stick with it and try to get others to understand how amazing it is as well. However, I have found out this isn’t as easy as I would like it to be. There aren’t enough passionate people in this world.

Now, I am not saying by any means that everyone needs to have their thing that they’re like, totally obsessed with, however, if ya do, that’s super cool. What I want, is for everyone to understand that passion? It will benefit you in ways you have never imagined and change your life beyond belief. Find the things in your life that you aren’t grey about. Educate yourself within society. Find the beliefs, the morals, or simply the goals you have for yourself that you aren’t willing to let anyone tell you aren’t correct or aren’t going to happen. Take these ideals with you everywhere you go and constantly keep them in the back of your brain. Have something you’re willing to talk about, something you’re willing to stand up for. There are so many people in this universe who will talk about pointless matters without any passion. Be someone who does. Be someone who finds your stuff, the good stuff that you want our of your life, and gosh darn do something about it! This can be as simple as a goal you have for yourself or keeping certain people in your life.

Me? I am passionate about my people. The ones that bring me all the good energy, remind me who I am, what I am, and that I’m proud of it. I am passionate about the relationships that I hold that encourage me to be a better person and to work to better them as well. If you have these people and wanna keep them around….TELL THEM! Tell your people you love them! Appreciate them and understand that people want to be with passionate people. People don’t want to assume what you’re thinking, they want to be told. They want to hear what you have to say and what you have to stand for.

So pancakes. Where the heck you goin’ with that one Ally?

Find the things in life you would be passionate and stand up for, but also make them the things that you would talk about over pancakes with your best friend.

Your passions? Make them yours. Make them learning calligraphy. Make them running further. Make them getting better at push-ups if you have actually ZERO arm strength this is just one big stubtweet at myself. Make them finding your passions.

Thanks for listening to my little rant on all things big and powerful and fun. Quite honestly, I’m highly craving pancakes now. Go find your loves and passions, and show the world why they’re so cool.

Until next time, xoxo, Ally

P.S: you guys are one of my passions too.

 

 

 

Well hey there and welcome the first round of links of 2017!!! This week has been a whirlwind of emotions and big decisions for me and so sitting on my couch with a blanket still in my pajamas typing this post at 11:30 am was a good decision to say the least. There is a massive ice storm about to hit the exact route that takes me back to college this weekend and my parents dropped the bomb that they may be taking me back TODAY instead of MONDAY (classes start Tuesday) and thank goodness that idea somehow dissolved (I think because they want the extra weekend with me home, granted, who wouldn’t? ;)) Onto some fun:

{one} Let’s just hop right to it on the big one!! I super spur of the moment chopped 8 1/2 inches off my locks yesterday! Kinda forgot I did it when I woke up this morning tbh…! I’ve had my hair shorter before, but it has been awhile, and so many of my friends say they think it matches my personality so much more so I just went for it! (literally decided it when she asked me how much I wanted off…which is SO unlike my indecisive self, so I was pretty proud of doing something just because I wanted to!) **here’s the Pinterest image that sparked my inspo***

{two} speaking of short hair, I am so excited to try all these fun hairstyles now that I don’t have so much to work with!

{three} I got a french press for Christmas and have been in LOVE with using it in the mornings and can’t wait to make my buddies back in the dorm fresh cups! However it for sure takes a little bit of playing around in order to master the perfect brew, but this is what I have been following so far!

{four} here is simply a link to Madewell’s new arrivals page because all of the styled models are literally exact outfits that I need in my closet NOW! Also, thank goodness my hometown doesn’t have a Madewell or I would be a goner in two seconds. It’s my all time favorite guilty pleasure store when I am in KC. Plus, who doesn’t adore a place that has monogrammed leather????????

{five} But really, I think I need this shirt…

{six} Okay okay, can we discuss how my spring break wardrobe kinda wouldn’t be complete without this Lilly two-piece and then totally justify myself buying it? Awesome thanks for the support guys!

{seven} as I mentioned earlier, this week has been a whole bunch of discovery for myself, and learning that taking the scary road may take whole lot of guts and courage to begin with, but there is nothing wrong with a little 2 seconds of insane bravery and putting yourself out there in order to feel real good. Change, especially for myself, is terrifying, but sometimes change is the best thing in the world if you learn to accept it as a new adventure. check out my post from Sunday where I talked all about finding out who you are!

{eight} going off that…

{nine} and for this week’s go-to Bible quote that I’ve been hammering down with every half second of doubt: John 4:18: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”

{ten} for any of you bearing that ice storm! stay safe out there! Have a happy weekend everyone and happy back to school! Let’s rock this semester!

Until next time, xoxo, Ally