Wednesday, May 28, 2008

More For Sale!

That's right, I'm trying to sell some more stuff. This time, I am selling Hollister, American Eagle, and Aeropostale tees sizes M-XL. I have a whole bunch, and they're perfect for the spring and summer if you're thinking you need some more tees. I am selling them for$5 each and there are a lot to choose from. I was just going through clothes and I decided that I don't want these anymore, so let me know if you would like any of them!



























I'm also trying to sell two pair of Ms. Stomper women's clogging shoes - white. One is size 7 1/2 and fits like a shoe size 6 1/2, the other is an 8 and fits like a shoe size 7. Each pair were worn for one semester on the BYU-Idaho Kirkham Auditorium stage so they aren't that used. They were bought brand new for $60 a pair but I am looking to sell them for $25 or $30 a pair. I doubt there are too many of you looking for clogging shoes, but if you ever take a clogging class or know someone who is planning on it, they won't have to buy brand new shoes!

And of course, I'm still trying to sell my seasons 3 and 4 of "MacGyver" on DVD! I might have to head over to ebay on this one. But let me know if you are interested at all in anything you see here! Just leave me a comment and I'll get right back to you! Thanks so much!


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And seeing as how it is Thursday, I am going to add my "Thankful Thursday" on this post!
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1. I'm thankful for tithing, once again. I am a firm believer that if we faithfully pay our tithing we will be blessed. I feel like I have truly been financially blessed because I pay my tithing. Finances are horrible right now! But some how, I'm getting all my bills paid. And I know it's because of tithing.
2. I'm thankful for my friends. I have the best friends a girl could ever ask for! They are always there for me and have been so incredibly supportive, especially over the last couple of months when I have needed them the most. I have a whole weekend planned with a few different friends and I'm so excited about it. I love my friends so much!
3. I'm thankful for my almost sister-in-law, Britney. She is so amazing! And I feel like our family must have done something right for us to be blessed with her as an addition to our family circle. We love her so much, and she is such a blessing in our lives. There is no better feeling than knowing your siblings are marrying great people, and so far Amber and Aaron have both made great choices. I am so excited for her to become a part of our family in a few weeks! And I can't wait for us to be able to become closer as sisters. :)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A Tag About Me

Two Names I Go By: Allison, Alli

Two Things I Am Wearing Right Now: a pair of jeans I got from Kohl's & a super cute shirt I bought for $2 at JCPenney. $2!

Two of My Favorite Things To Do: Spend time with my family, play the piano

Two Things I Want Very Badly At This Moment: all of my homework to be finished, all of my family to be at my parents' house so we can have a bbq and play some games

Two of My Favorite Pets: I can't say that I have had favorites of all my pets, that just wouldn't be very nice to pick. :) So I will just go with my two cats that I have right now, Snoopy and Cubby.

Two People I Want to Tag Who Will Fill This Out: Amber & Britney

Two Things I Ate Today: BBQ Chicken Pizza at Carino's, strawberry cheese cake frozen yogurt - delicious

Two of the Last People You Talked To on the Phone: the girl at the front desk at Radiance Tanning Salon & Martin

Two Longest Car Rides: Boston to D.C. & Idaho Falls to Portland

Two Favorite Holidays: 4th of July & Christmas

Two Favorite Vacations: Our family vacation back east last summer beats every vacation ever! But the second best would be our trip to Nauvoo to see my grandparents when they were on a mission.

Two Favorite Drinks: diet pepsi with lemon & a nice glass of water

Two of Your Favorite Movies: "Dirty Dancing" & "Never Been Kissed"

Two of Your Favorite Things to Go Shopping For: baking supplies (pans, bowls...) & shoes

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Old Friends/Bookends

Bookends have nothing to do with this post, I just really like that Simon & Garfunkel song. But I did, however, get together with some old high school friends today and it was so much fun. We haven't been able to get any of us together since probably Thanksgiving so it was fun to see a few of them today. Shaunie, Candra, Kelsie, Angie, Kaylie, her two kids Kayson and Kenadee, and I went to lunch at Garcia's and just visited about what is going on in our lives. Kelsie, whom we haven't seen in quite a while, is pregnant and due in August. She's having a little boy. She and her husband, Nate, moved to Boise so we don't get to see her very often. I miss her! I miss the other girls as well, it was so good to see all of them. I love these girls so much! I am so grateful to have such amazing friends and that we have been able to keep in touch since graduating high school five years ago. I hope that we can continue keeping in touch and having these get-togethers. So fun!

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I just wanted to throw out there that we missed a few of our friends who couldn't make it today! So Amber Miles, Stacy Pasley, Amber Miller, Sha Nielson, Kristine Murphy, Hilary and Hailey Oswald, Lindsay and Lexie Kite, Cami Boone...you were all there in spirit and I just love you guys! We missed not seeing you today but are looking forward to the day when we can all meet up again! Love you!

Friday, May 23, 2008

A New Beginning

It's been six weeks today that I started on the road of beginning a new life. It feels like it's been forever. But I've done just that and started over. I decided to move back up to Rexburg instead of commuting back and forth to school from Mom and Dad's house. So I live at the Ridge again next to the Rexburg Temple. I love it up here. I'll be moving to a different apartment in that complex in the fall with my old roommates Julia, Sydney, and Kayla. (Katie, it won't be the same without you!) But I'm really excited to be back living with old friends. For now, I've been very happy with my current roommates and with the way things are going. I didn't think it was possible to be happy again, but here I am! Happy, healthy, and ready to take on the world.

My roommates have been a lot of fun, and constantly remind me what it's like to be fresher out of high school. I have five second-semester freshman roommates. At first I thought it was going to be horrible, but I was too quick to judge. I've really enjoyed being their roommate. I only have a couple of roommate pictures, but I will post more as I get them.

Alexa, Megan, and I at Olive Garden for Alexa's birthday

Aubrey, Alexa, and Megan on Alexa's birthday

Dalton, Adam (friends in our ward), Alexa, Megan, and I at Olive Garden
Aubrey is 19 and from Temecula, California (southern California). Aubrey is one of those people that no matter what she says you find yourself laughing hysterically. She is absolutely hilarious without even trying. She looks a lot like Molly Shannon so sometimes we make her do impressions from SNL and other Molly Shannon shows. Aubrey is a HUGE "Friends" fan just like I am so we have a lot of fun discussing the show and how much love we have for it. It's also nice to have somebody to understand the "Friends" quotes I say every now and again when Amber's not around. ("Hi, I'm Chandler. I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable.") She is incredibly outgoing and loves to dance. Aubrey has a great way of making sure everyone is included, and she's not afraid to be herself. Another thing that's awesome about Aubrey is how good she is at shopping. She has a ton of clothes and found most of them on sale or clearance. She has tons of pieces she found for under $10, it's amazing.
"You just have to go through the racks. Don't be a loser and lose patience,"
she says. Well said. She's my shopping hero! I love that girl!
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Alexa is 19 and is also from Temecula, California. She is an awesome singer and taught voice lessons while she was home. She is dating a guy named Eddie who lives in Provo and he's probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met. She's a lucky girl! Alexa is such a sweetheart and is very considerate of other people. We've recently gotten her started on watching the seasons of "Friends" from the very beginning and so far she's loved it. Alexa drives a blue Toyota Tundra, and the horn whistles like you would when you thought somebody was hot or something. It's great! She's always speaking very positively about people and has given me some great advice when I've needed it the most.
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Megan is 19 and from Mesa, Arizona. She, Alexa, and Aubrey knew each other from last summer semester when they all lived at Tuscany Place here in town. They didn't live together but they became good friends. Megan is also very fashionable and is an awesome interior decorator. Her room is absolutely adorable in black and lime green. She must get it from her mom, who decorated our entire living room and kitchen the first weekend we lived here. Thanks, Mom Nielson! Megan likes to constantly be doing something, even if it means just going outside and walking around for a while to enjoy the sunshine.
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Becca is 18 and from Des Moines, Iowa. She likes going running and eating my cookies. Don't those two complement each other? :) Becca works at Lexington Law Firm here in town, which makes she and I the only two with jobs in our apartment. One of the first things I noticed about Becca when I met her was her taste in music. The only thing I ever hear her listening to is oldies or classic rock. The best! Becca really likes the show "One Tree Hill," and you can find her at the Ridge lounge every Monday night at 8:00 watching it because we can't seem to pick up that channel on our tv. I love Becca!
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The last roommate I have is Ashley. She's 18 and from Washington state. Ashley and Becca lived together last summer in the dorms. Ashley likes to go running and shopping. When not doing homework, Ashley can be found in class or eating Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream. On the weekends she likes to travel to Boise to see her boyfriend. Ashley and I have gotten along really well from the start, it is very easy for us to carry on long conversations. Her dad was recently put into the bishopric back home so her parents flew her home for a few days to be with family. What a fun opportunity!
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So those are my roommates and a little bit about them. I love these girls, and I'm already beginning to realize why I was supposed to live up here in Rexburg this semester. It was incredibly scary moving back up to Rexburg and having to start all over with a lot of things. But I'm already seeing the blessings and understanding my purpose of being here. I love my roommates. We have so much fun together, and I'm excited for the days to come and the experiences that will make us even closer.
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And since it is Thursday, I will add my "Thankful Thursday" to this post:
1) I'm thankful for awesome roommates and the blessings that have come from being part of this apartment and part of my ward.
2) I'm thankful for the knowledge I am gaining by being in college and I'm thankful for the ability to attend college.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Escape of the Patio Umbrella

I spent Saturday the 17th with Mom and Amber. We have two cousins getting married, one the last weekend of May and the other the first weekend in June, and their bridal showers were back to back on Saturday. After the bridal showers we grabbed lunch and brought it home so we could start making invitations to Britney's bridal shower on June 7th.

It was a beautiful day outside so we decided to go in the backyard and make the invitations on the patio table. It was a little breezy, but not bad enough to go inside. It felt so much better to be outside than inside. Pretty soon, a random gust of wind came up and the invitations started going everywhere. As we started scrambling to catch them (and also make sure we didn't spill our diet pepsi's all over them) we noticed the umbrella to the table started moving. Before we could even think twice, the wind picked up the umbrella and pulled it right out of the center of the table. And over the roof it went.
The table we were sitting at when the umbrella blew away. I took this after the incident.

Amber and Mom seemed to have the invitations under control so I ran around the front of the house to save the umberella. When I reached the front yard it was on the lawn with pieces of it scattered about the grass. Pretty soon it tore off into the cul-de-sac where a couple of our neighbors were running to try and catch it.
This is where the umbrella landed on the lawn, then went flying into the cul-de-sac where the neighbors were trying to stop it. Crazy!

By the time I reached it, it was a little beat up. Pieces were broken off and the fabric was ripped in multiple areas. Our neighbors that helped me, Evelyn and Marie Bryner, were doing yard work and said they heard screams coming from our back yard. And when they looked over at our house they saw a big umbrella flying over it. I felt bad that Mom's umberella was broken. But it was definitely something we were all laughing about, considering how it happened.
Mom was sad, but it was hard for her not to laugh. :)

In the end, we were able to save the invitations. And they turned out pretty cute if you ask me. Here's the finished product:

In the end, it was a bitter sweet day. We ended up with a broken patio umbrella but some dang cute bridal shower invitations at the same time. Never a dull moment at the O'Connor's!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I was reading Britney's blog (my future sister-in-law) today and she had a post she called "Thankful Thursdays". She had a list of all of the the things she is thankful for today, and at the very end she made a suggestion for everybody to post what they're thankful for every Thursday. I thought it was so cool. So I wanted to give it a go. I think it's a great idea!
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1. Tithing. I feel so good when I pay my tithing, especially this month. I've been really worried about getting all of my bills paid for this month and getting my student loan figured out. But I was able to get everything paid and have money left over. I feel strongly that paying my tithing has helped me with all my other finances and will continue to do so.
2. My brother, Adam. Adam is 17 today and I'm very thankful for him. He's the coolest little brother ever and I'm so glad he's part of our family.
3. My job. Being a server isn't the coolest job in the world, but it is so awesome being able to work a four hour shift and walk out the door with $60 in my hand from tips. I'm thankful to have this job because of the friends I have made there and the quick money that I can bring home and immediately put toward bills.
4. My grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Murri came into Carino's for lunch with Mom today and they sat in my section. I love my grandparents (including Grandma O'Connor) and they have been such amazing examples to me and the rest of our family.
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I love Thankful Thursdays! I highly recommend it.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Meet the O'Connor Family

After all of my posts, I've realized how little I have said about my family. They are included in posts here and there, but I thought now would be a great opportunity to introduce them to everyone out there. They are all a bunch of amazing people, and they are always there when I need them.

These are my parents Mike and Rhonda. They're pretty much the greatest parents ever. They've been married for almost 28 years and were married in the Idaho Falls temple. They started our family in Salt Lake City but moved back up to Idaho Falls after 7 years when Amber and I were two. Dad owns his own cabinet business called O'Connor Fine Cabinetry where they specialize in custom cabinets for kitchens, bathrooms...you name it! The business has been around for about 4 years and doing awesome. When Dad actually has spare time he likes to watch Jazz and Utah Utes games, check in on the news, and of course hang out with his wife and kids. Mom keeps busy with all the yard work and getting Adam where he needs to with school and such. And she takes care of the rest of us, so you know that's got to be a head ache! She's also the Sun Beam teacher in her ward. Mom loves to read and spend time with her family. This picture was taken at Hard Rock Cafe' in New York City.

This is my older brother Aaron and his fiancee' Britney Clemens. They were engaged March 14th and are planning on getting married June 21st. Aaron is 25 and owns his own business called Vision Construction. It is a fairly new business but he has proven to be successful thus far. He's a huge Laker fan (which pretty much means the NBA finals are crazy for our family every year) and he also likes traveling. Britney is 21 and from Cedar Hills, Utah. She also likes sports (and is incredibly supportive while the Lakers play, especially when they lose.) :) Britney comes up to Idaho Falls every other weekend to stay with us and Aaron goes down to Utah on the other weekends to stay with her family. It's been crazy, but they make things work. We love Britney, and we're so excited for her to become a part of our family! I totally stole this picture from Britney's blog so thanks, Brit!

Amber (my twin sister) and Che' Miles were married September 22, 2007, in the Idaho Falls temple. This picture is one of their engagement photos. They met working at Carino's a few years back and were really good friends. They eventually started dating, and the rest is history. They now live in an apartment in Idaho Falls off of 17th St. and Hoopes Ave. Amber is 23 and my best friend. We've done everything together since the day we were born. Then she had to go get married on me! Just kidding. I was very happy for her on her special day. Amber likes to hang out with her mom and sisters, watch movies, "Friends", and "Grey's Anatomy", play games, go shopping, and lots of other things. She just got a job in admissions at Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls so this week will be her last week at Carino's. Che' is 24 and originally from Shelley, Idaho. His parents recently built a new home in Blackfoot, Idaho. He likes cars and pretty much anything that has to do with them. He also likes watching movies and hanging out with friends and family. Che' works at A&H Supply in Idaho Falls. And I'm so glad he's my brother-in-law, I couldn't ask for a better one!

And I'm Allison, as I'm sure most of you already know. I'm 23 and a junior/senior at BYU-Idaho majoring in communication with a minor in business management. I'm on the summer/fall track so I just started classes up again about a month ago. After some recent changes in my life I decided to move back up to Rexburg instead of commute from home for school. I live on top of the hill right next to the Rexburg Temple and it is so much fun. I have five roommates that come from all over the country, and they're so much fun. I've been working at Carino's for over 6 1/2 years and I still love it. I have so many friends at Carino's, and a lot of different job areas. And it pays for school, so you can't get any better than that. I love writing, singing, playing the piano, spending time with family, and many other things. One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is bake. Not only is it incredibly fun but it is a huge stress relief when I need it the most. I am going to have the fattest kids ever because they're going to be getting homemade chocolate chip cookies all the time. I love traveling, working out, watching movies, and I love the TV shows "Friends" and "Grey's Anatomy". This picture was taken at the temple after Amber and Che' got married last September.

This is my little sister, Amy. She just turned 19 on May 3rd. She is so much fun, I don't know what our family would do without her! She's a hoot. In the picture, she is seen with Rachael Ray at Madame Touseaud's Wax Museum in New York City. Amy is currently attending Evan's Beauty College in Rexburg and is considered as one of the top students. She does an awesome job. So for anybody who wants to get their hair or nails done over there, ask for Amy! She will be finished in January. Amy likes to spend time with her family and also hang out with friends. She also has a lot of love for her two cats, Snoopy and Cubby. She's been working at Carino's for a couple of years as a hostess and she really enjoys it. Amy has such a bubbly personality, and I can't imagine our family without her.

Adam is the youngest in our family. In the piture, he's on the Circle Line Tours boat going around Manhattan. He'll be 17 on the 15th of May. He is a junior at Lincoln High School where he has awesome grades and lots of friends. He plays drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar and is really good at all of them. He also plays in a band and they are really good as well. Adam likes to spend time with his friends watching movies, going out to eat, and having band practices or doing shows. They've been pretty successful so far with all of the invites they get to perform in the southeast Idaho area. I can't believe he's going to be a senior next year!

And of course I can't forget about our cats. Snoopy is the fluffy white one and she's 11. Cubby is the Siamese and he will be 2 on the 21st of May. So there's quite an age difference between the two of them. They've both been great additions to our family and a lot of fun. The'yre both very sweet cats and we love them.

So that's our family. I love these guys and I don't know what I'd do without any of them! It's been fun having a new brother-in-law who was a friend of mine before, and also having the excitement of gaining a sister-in-law. My family is the greatest!


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Just for fun, here are some random photos of our family from various times. Enjoy!


Mom and I in Times Square, New York City - July 2007

Aaron on the Circle Line Tours boat on the Hudson going around Manhattan - July 2007

Adam in Hard Rock Cafe', New York City - July 2007

Amy and I waiting for the Hill Cumorah Pageant to start in Palymyra, New York - July 2007

Aaron and Britney in Utah - April 2008 (another picture I stole from Britney's blog. Thanks again, Brit!)

Mom and Dad with John Wayne at Madame Touseaud's Wax Museum, New York City - July 2007

Amber and Che' coming out of the temple on their wedding day in Idaho Falls, Idaho - September 2007

Amy, Amber, and Adam in Times Square, New York City - July 2007

Amber and Aaron on the U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides") in Boston, Mass. - July 2007

Our family in Palymyra, New York, right outside the Sacred Grove - July 2007

I love my family. I feel very blessed to be a part of them. I am so lucky to be so close to my family and for us to get along so well. All of us (including Britney) were able to be together on Mother's Day and it was so much fun. We also had Grandma and Grandpa Murri over. We had a bbq and enjoyed one another's company - and it was so great! Sunday's are the only time our family is ever all together so we try to get together whenever Britney is in town.

I love my family more than I can express in words. I am grateful to have been brought up by such amazing parents and to be so close to all of my siblings. I love you guys!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Must-Have #1: O.P.I Nail Polish

You're probably chuckling right now because I am posting about nail polish. I would laugh too if I saw it so it's ok! But this right here is a big deal. And I thought I would post every now and then about something in my life that I love and is one of my favorite things. So I decided to start with my O.P.I nail polish. It is the best! You know you're a girly girl when one of your favorite things to do is keep your nails painted. I always have my nails painted, and with nothing other than O.P.I. I love it! There are so many colors to choose from and it stays on great. I have mostly reds and pinks. Sometimes, if I go a while without spending money or I think I did something great, I reward myself with a new O.P.I color. It's a great incentive to not spend my money otherwise! Amy went to a hair and beauty show in Salt Lake this weekend and she bought me a new nail polish at the O.P.I booth. How awesome is she! She said when she saw the O.P.I booth at the show she was so excited to see all the colors, and she thought of me and how much I would love to see it. She knows me well! O.P.I nail polish is definitely on my list as one of my must-haves.