Christmas!

Christmastime is the BEST time. Here are a few reasons why:

- The end of fall semester!
- The NBA season is finally starting!
- Scarves, coats, gloves, hats. Cute warm clothes.
- Lights EVERYWHERE.
- General increase in positivity/happiness/Christmas cheer.
- Delicious treats, mostly chocolate :)

These beauties were made with love by two of my faves, Lindsay and Brianne

Chocolate Overload Cake, the first thing I ate when I got home to California :)

- Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
- Snow. Love it.
- Christmas music all day! If you haven't yet, you should listen to Justin Bieber's Christmas album...
- Peppermint hot chocolate
- Mistletoe <3 I've never actually kissed anyone under it, but I like the idea.

This was hung in our kitchen for about 2 hours... I don't think anyone got to use it.

- Service opportunities.
- Christmas programs and lessons in church.
- Shopping.
- Doing nice things for others.
- Surprises.
- PRESENTS! Giving and receiving :)

Charley and I exchanged gifts on Friday. I found these in my room when I got home :) He's a keeper.

- Making and decorating cookies.
- Making goody plates for friends and neighbors.
- Sitting by a warm fire in your pajamas.
- Christmas crafts :)

The supplies for these crafts were bought for me by Charley's adorable mother. I worked on them with his adorable sister. They are now displayed in my adorable kitchen. I love crafts.

- Buying decorations. Ornaments, garland, lights, wreaths, all of it.

- Decorating the tree.

- Hanging and filling stockings.

- Wrapping presents and putting them under the tree.

- Being HOME.

Our family room at home in California

- Perfect California winter weather.
- Family time <3
- I get to see my FAVORITE brother Michael. You'd love him too.

He stays fresh.

- AND I get to go to Ohio with this stud :) Be jealous.

CHARLEY <3

- And of course, celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.


Merry Christmas!

Weddings

There is nothing I love celebrating more than a marriage, especially one for someone I really care about. This summer I've attended four weddings: one in Idaho, one in Utah, one in Seattle for my closest cousin Maggie, and one in San Diego for one of my best friends Amanda and my good friend Mitch. And each of them was so fun! The food, the music, the dancing, the laughing...everything. If I were a professional photographer, I would LOVE to do weddings. Everything looks beautiful and everyone is so happy.

Some bridesmaids and friends with the beautiful bride Amanda Dunn

I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in Amanda's wedding and I was able to share that experience with several other girls that we have grown up with. We all enjoyed spending time with her and each other at the bridal showers in Provo and Corona, the bachelorette party/dinner/sleepover in Newport, the actual wedding in San Diego, and the reception in Corona. Each of these events was very well-planned, incredibly fun, and hopefully everything Amanda wanted and more. I am so happy for her and Mitch and wish them the best in their life together! 

Being involved in all this wedding madness got me thinking about my own. I don't know when it will be or who it will be with, but I have a pretty good idea of how I want it to look. That's probably the least important part, but it's definitely fun to pick out colors and decorations. (Girls do that, right?) Here are a few of the sites I've been looking at that I absolutely love to get inspiration from:

http://ciaotraveler.blogspot.com/2011/05/european-shabby-chic.html

http://www.stylemepretty.com/

http://thismodernromance.com/portfolio/index2.php#/home/

http://www.1313blog.com/category/weddings/

AND another one of my best friends (Jessica Lakin) just got engaged and I can't wait to go to her wedding!

Paris

I have recently become infatuated with the iconic and romantic Paris, France. Several items on my list of things to see and do before I die are in or associated with the city, such as seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, going to the Orsay Museum and the Disneyland Resort, and learning a little bit of French. This new found passion for all things Parisian has a lot to do with movies I've seen this summer and how they portray the City of Light.

Today I reluctantly attended an afternoon showing of the latest tween rom com Monte Carlo, half of which is set in Paris. This movie had a painfully cliche love-at-first-sight story line and was unrealistic, predictable and mediocre at best, but was also incredibly cute. It even made me laugh a couple times. And if you're interested in cute guys and/or romance at all, you'd enjoy living vicariously through Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester's characters just as much as I did. But the most important thing the movie did for me was remind me of my love of Paris and reignite my burning desire to go there someday.

Another movie I saw this summer, Midnight in Paris, was what really got me excited about the idea of actually going there. Thanks to its exquisite cinematography and charming story line, this movie did a much better job than Monte Carlo of romanticizing the city and its culture. I hope that when I do finally have the chance to travel to Paris, I will find the city just as enchanting as the movies make it out to be.

And this is the next one I want to see!

Sisters

I drove up to Washington this week with my older sisters Lindsay and Chelsea. This trip and other things have made me realize that my sisters are my best friends. Some people say that's weird, but I don't care. I am not truly myself around ANYONE but them. I have some really great friends, but I don't have a connection with any of them like I do with my sisters. We grew up together so we know all the same people, we've seen all the same movies, have a ton of inside jokes, and have endless stories to talk about. We are completely comfortable around each other. We can look at each other and know what the other is thinking. One minute we'll be fighting, and the next minute one of us will say something like, "Guess what happened today," or "Let's go see a movie." And they are pretty much the only people in the world (besides my mom) that think I'm funny. I love my sisters.

Lake Umatilla, Stateline, WA

But it wasn't always this way. When we were younger, we hated each other. We were always fighting and tearing each other down. Lindsay is six years older than me and Chelsea four and a half. So when they were in junior high and high school, I was just a little elementary school kid. They may not remember it this way, but they were terrible to me. They would always tease me about being stupid and annoying and ugly. So I would go into their rooms and steal things and empty their trash cans all over their floor. It wasn't the best relationship. And when I was in high school, they were away in college and I didn't know them at all. We never talked and I had no idea what was going on in their lives. When they came home for summer, they were strangers. But when I came up for my freshman year at BYU we hung out all the time. And now we live together and we know each other better than ever. We have had our fair share of arguments and problems in the past two years, but we always come out of them stronger than before and they have led us to the relationships we have with each other today.

Madison, on the other hand, is only a year and a half younger than me. We shared a room and/or a bathroom my entire life until I came up to college. When we were really little, I remember being on top of her punching her because she made me so mad. Throughout high school, we still fought, but not physically. We fought about stealing each other's clothes, not keeping the bathroom clean, etc. But after I came out to Provo and we had some time apart, I realized how much I love her! We text each other almost every day. The other day I talked to her on the phone for a few hours and we made each other laugh like no one else can. It's not because we're particularly funny (well at least I'm not); we just understand each other. No offense to Lindsay or Chelsea, but I would say that she is my number one best friend.

Good Music

Three years ago, I was a youth leader for our stake's girls camp and I volunteered to write the camp song. The theme was super heroes, so I decided to write about how Christ is our ultimate hero. I named it "Rescue Me." The final version of the song was never recorded, but you can listen to the demo here: http://www.myspace.com/allysonanderson

I was reminded of this because my stake back home has girls camp this week and my mom let me know that people have been telling her how much they loved my song. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to write the song and that so many have been able to hear it and feel touched by it. I have continued to write since then, and my appreciation for good music and artists has greatly increased over the years. Good music makes me happy.

Camp Liahona 2008

When people ask me what my favorite type of music is, I don't have any certain genre in mind; every genre has good and bad. And I definitely don't say "pretty much everything," as many others do. I figured out a different way to describe what I classify as good music. The first indicator of a good song is that it makes me feel good. But when I hear a really good one, one that is so beautifully written and full of emotion, I say that it "feeds my soul." To me, a really fantastic song can be as satisfying as a delicious meal. These songs are true art. Here is an example: Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Another type of song I love is one that "warms my heart." These songs are happy, cute, up-beat, and evidence of good in the world. The best example I can think of is this: I Do by Colbie Caillat

When it comes to my favorite artists, I tend to choose those that consistently produce quality music. These are the artists whose entire discography can be found on my iPod and are never skipped when they come up on shuffle.  They have real talent, which includes the ability to sing well and write meaningful, original lyrics. I respect artists even more if they avoid the use of profanity. Based on these criteria, my favorite artists are probably Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, and Adele.

Portrait of Adele by my very good and talented friend Tim Nguyen
This hanging in my room above my keyboard, where I write most of my music. She is my inspiration.

I also like a lot of hip-hop, but I can rarely find one single hip-hop artist with more than a few quality tracks. Here are some good blogs devoted to underground hip-hop/rap, techno, and mash-ups:

http://www.goodmusic-blog.com/

http://www.goodmusicallday.com/

We listen to music in the car, at the gym, at dances, or just trying to relax after a long day. It can make us feel whatever a good artist wants us to feel. And we love it! But why? How does it appeal so strongly to our emotions? I read about this in a book called This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. He explains that music exploits categorization and expectation, two fundamental cognitive processes, which cause the release of dopamine when performed. He also argues that musical ability is an indicator of mental, physical, and emotional health, not just an incidental by-product of evolution. I recommend the book if you want to know more. It's a relatively easy read, and it is always interesting to learn about the science behind things we enjoy.

Chillness

After years of impatience, selfishness, and bitterness, I have found that the key to happiness (or at least a major contributing factor) is the exact opposite of these qualities. I like to call it "chillness." Someone who is chill is easy-going, does not get offended easily, is always willing to help and serve others, and finds happiness in the little things. They do not like to argue or hold grudges. They see the good in people and always give others the benefit of the doubt. They understand what is important in life and act accordingly. They are my idea of genuinely good people. I do not always fall into this category, but I strive to do so, and I tend to enjoy the company of and make friends with those who do the same. Chill people make me happy.

Finding Happiness

The ability to find joy in the little things is a talent that some people are born with and others spend a lifetime developing. I am one of the latter. As I have grown and learned from experiences and various people in my life, I know that it is always possible to be happy, no matter what the circumstance. I decided that keeping a record of things that make me happy will remind me of all that I am blessed with and help me find joy when it seems that there is not much to be found.