15 Things You May Not Have Already Known

It seems like there is a trend going around on blogger. So, like the follower I am I will follow the trend....I guess....So, without further adieu, here is my moment of bragging: 15 things you may not have already known about Allie

15. There are two things I must have in order to sleep every night or else I will just not sleep well at all. 1- my stuffed animal dog Reginald, and 2- my fan must be on, regardless to how cold it is already.
14. Silence seriously freaks me out. I can't think when its silent and for some reason, it just scares me.
13. One of the weirdest mixtures I've ever had and actually quite enjoyed involves nacho cheese and a twix bar.
12. On my window sill is a potato with a face drawn on it. Me and Amy call him Geraldo, the window warrior.
11. It drives me crazy if a cabinet is left open or a shower curtain isn't closed all the way. Dunno why, just does.
10. I have "gone steady" with only two guys, one lasting 9 months, the other lasting 6 months. One in high school, one in college. The great thing is: I'm good friends with both of them still.
9. In high school, I was nominated for Sweethearts Queen.
8. Growing up, I was an avid dancer in a professional dance company in St. Louis. I was at the studio about 4 days a week, about 4 hours each time, except on Saturdays when I was there for about 12 hours. I competed on a national level and won many awards. I danced in The Nutcracker twice (as a Christmas Tree Angel both years) and dreamed of becoming either a famous dancer (or singer) or famous choreographer. I would make up dances in my basement with my spare time.
7. I have close relatives that have been in major movies such as Newsies, Addams Family Values, and various music videos.
6. My all-time favorite food (and my all-time favorite thing to cook ) is a family dish called Pollo del Sol. And my favorite drink is chocolate milk. But I do not like the two together :D
5. I secretly LOVE history. I took AP European History in high school because I loved it so much.
4. If I could marry a cartoon character, it would be Winnie the Pooh, hands down.
3. Aside from young womens, my first calling in the church was a gospel doctrine teacher in my college singles ward. I was only 17 and was terrified to be teaching to a bunch of returned missionaries.
2. I absolutely love to travel! I love planes, trains, road trips, you name it! I have been to 17 states, but never out of the country. One of my goals in life is to travel to Europe.
1. My dream job is to be a motivational speaker, specifically to females.

So, there you have it! Tell me something about you that I don't already know!

Emma Hale Smith: Strong, Determined, Heroic

You know, there have been SO many people I have met in my life. There are so many different types of people, so many opinions and characteristics. I genuinely believe that everyone on this earth has something about them that makes them amazing.

With that being said, I'd like you all to know that I do not use the word hero lightly. I'm very conservative when it comes to putting that title on people because although I feel like everyone has some heroic tale they can tell, it takes a heck of a lot for me to consider someone my hero. And that, friends, is exactly why I only have a handful of them. One of said heroes that I wish to talk about today is Emma Hale Smith and why I consider her one of the most amazing women to ever walk this planet.

I recently attended a fireside featuring Katherine Nelson, the lady who played the role of Emma in "Joseph: Prophet of the Restoration" and "Emma: My Story". I can honestly say that this was the most amazing fireside I have ever been to. Katherine spoke a lot about Emma and helped to increase my understanding and respect for Emma. Emma endured so much during her time here on earth. She dealt with persecution, discrimination,death, hate, disownment, and so much more. Yet, through it all, she remained strong and focused more on helping those around her rather than dwelling on her own trials. Her main focus in life was to better the environment for those around her and to be the one to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and comfort the downtrodden. How She gave her life to Christ, regardless of the consequences and actively strived to be the best person she could be. she lived! I can only hope to follow her example and to be more like her.

Crooked Teeth

The SotW is "Crooked Teeth" by Death Cab for Cutie. This was my all time favorite song in high school. I haven't listened to it for several years and forgot about it until it came on my iPod this morning while walking to class. I seriously love the line "I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start. You can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along". It's a nice reminder to me that if you don't have a good foundation, you cannot build your way up, at all. In pretty much every situation. But yeah, I think this song has some beautiful lyrics and is just an overall easy listener….even though I haven't the slightest idea what it actually means. Oh well.