Thanks for tagging me, Lori! I will actually fill this one out!

Where were you born? At the hospital at Hill Air Force Base, Utah
Middle name: Nil. That is to say, I don't have one.
How old will you be this year? I just realized that I will be 27 YEARS OLD soon!
Nicknames: Alli, Al, Als, Oxen, Alpo (I can't believe I'm revealing that one on my blog).
Are you taller than your mother or father? Nah, my mom's got me beat by a whopping half of an inch and my dad has at least four inches on me.
Do you cry often during movies? Surprisingly, not that often.
What is your biggest pet peeve? My biggest pet peeve is when people are not straightforward with me.
Favorite color: Yellows, purples, and deep deep orangey reds.
Favorite foods: Chicken and pasta, curries of all colors, spicy soups, broccoli, mashed potatoes, cheese of all flavors (mostly all flavors).
Favorite restaurants: The Pie Pizzeria, Kneaders, Thai Orchid, Gourmandise.
Favorite beverage: Hmmm. Difficult one to pin down. I adore freshly squeezed lemonade.
Favorite cold cereal: Marshmellow Maties, Honey Nut Cheerios, Rice Chex, Honey Bunches of Oats, granola of all kinds.
Favorite smells: Apples, cinnamon spice, pine.
Favorite time of day: Evening, when things have slowed down and I have moments to read and relax.
What brand of shampoo/conditioner do you use? Dove.
Favorite make-up products? Flavored lip glosses!
How many pillows do you sleep with? Two.
Do you play an instrument? Yes, sometimes I play the piano.
Have you ever been skinny dipping? Nope. Will I? Who knows?
Did you do any sports in High School? Sadly, no I didn't.
What was the last movie you saw in the theater? The Bee Movie
What is your favorite article of clothing? My hoodie. I only own one, and it is like a comfort blanket to a little kid.
What is your dream vacation? Well, that would be GOING TO NEW ZEALAND next winter because by the time it is winter here, it will be beautiful summer there. Oh yeah, I'm planning on hiking to Mount Doom.
What was your first impression of your spouse? I can't answer that question at the moment. Give me a few years to get married and then I'll gladly reply.
If you were an animal what would you be? I would like to be anything that can fly.
What is your favorite “me- time” activity? Reading, being outdoors, seeing incredible sights, having good conversations, hanging out with friends, baking, sewing.
Favorite TV shows: The Colbert Report, Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Heroes.
What is your dream car? Toyota Prius Hybrid
What is one of your weaknesses? I sometimes give up too easily.
What do you fix for dinner when there’s nothing to fix? Cold cereal all the way!
If you could live in a different decade/era which one would it be? I have thought about this one a lot, actually. I used to think that I should have been born in the Jane Austen era. Now I know that I was destined to exist in a time when indoor plumbing and central heating are available. Still, maybe living during the turn of the 20th Century might have been intriguing.
Do you consider yourself outgoing? It comes and goes, depending on the situation and who I'm with.
What is something you are constantly working on? I am always trying to work on being more self-confident.
Any hidden talents? I'm the kind of person whose talents are mostly the hidden kind, if that makes sense.
What is a word or phrase you overuse? Fun! BAH! Nice. Thanks, friend!
What is the worst thing that happened to you this past year? The heater in my car broke. Now I'm used to it, though!
What is the best thing that happened to you this past year? Three things: 1. I spent two glorious months in Europe. 2. I finally got my BA! 3. I now have another adorable niece and a cute nephew to have lots of fun with.
What is one thing you hope to accomplish this year? Run a half-marathon for the first, but not last, time in my life.
The best piece of advice you learned this past year? Frugality brings peace of mind.
Who are the 7 people you are going to tag to do this survey? Sherry, Martha, Elisa, Wendy, Somer, Heather, Holly.
At the end of the survey post a picture of you that was taken within the last week! Ummmmm, sorry guys! No pic this week.

Call me Ryan the Intern

A few months ago, someone informed me that I was involved in one of their most embarrassing moments, the kind that you share when asked to tell.....one of your most embarrassing moments. That surprised me a lot, first because I couldn't remember the particular instance and second because usually it's the other way around. Most of the time, I manage to do embarrassing things in front of other people on a weekly basis, if not more often. I don't mean to, but the more I try NOT to do these things, the more I DO them. I didn't write "do embarrassing things regularly" on my list of New Year's resolutions, but I seem to be keeping that non-exsistent goal more consistently than the ones I actually made. Me thinks there lieth a trend here.

In fact, the last time someone asked me what my most embarrassing moment was, I couldn't come up with just one. It's true. I am convinced that one of the lessons I need to learn as a human is how to gracefully get out of scrapes once I've gotten myself into them. This is a difficult task at times. Sometimes it is best to laugh about the silly things that happen. For example, I pulled an awesome "Ryan the Intern" move a couple of weeks ago when I put my Hot Pocket in the microwave at work. For some reason, my eyes didn't catch the fact that I punched in "21:00" instead of "2:10" on the microwave. As usual, I left the snack area and did other things, waiting to hear the beep of the microwave. Alas, it did not come and I became involved in a task that took my attention completely away from everything else, including my lunch. Luckily, eight minutes later one of my co-workers happened to notice smoke mysteriously wafting out of the microwave. The rest is history. Lets just say folks, don't try that experiment at home. Hot Pockets cook amazingly fast. Eight minutes later, there was no trace of the chicken, artichoke, and spinach filling, just a crackling mass of black carbon that was devoid of all liquid. It looked more like a long charcoal briquette used to cook a food item rather than a food item that was edible a mere six minutes before that. And it stunk. And the hallway stunk. For two days. At least no one evacuated the building!

Is he a singer?

A couple of years back, I went to a very entertaining ward activity in my student ward at BYU. This particular event involved the men of my singles ward, their best ideas for fun dates, index cards containing their brainstorms, and the women of the ward bidding for the dates. There were many creative and thoughtful dates presented to the audience, and I hope that at least some of them came to fruition. One, however, stood out to me because of the reaction it received from the crowd. A guy in the ward who worked for the Utah Republican Party offered dinner at a fundraiser for none other than Senator John McCain as he began his campaign for the presidency. When the date was announced, the "auctioneer" did not mention McCain as "Senator." There was a bit of silence as the members of the ward racked their study-filled brains in an attempt to remember just who this guy was. Some asked the question "is he a singer?" Nope. I can understand why only a few of us really knew who McCain was at the time. The first time he ran for president, most of us were more wrapped up in who would be voted Student Body President than who would become the President of the United States.

Now, however, the tables have turned on us. I wonder if anyone in the crowd that night could now honestly say that they don't know exactly who John McCain is, whether they agree with his policies or not. This presidential election has certainly kept me on my toes and I bite my fingers now, especially because it is still not clear which Democrat will be running against McCain. The future of our country is unfolding before our eyes and who knows what will happen?