Whew!

Wow. December is really flying by! Craziness! Life has been so hectic! I've been keeping busy!
In fact, you remember this post? The first time I ever made cinnamon rolls! I had 2 (2!) orders for cinnamon rolls... THIS WEEK. I've been elbow deep in flour and dough!

I also found this-

Athenos Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Keep your judgy-faces to yourselves, people. I love hummus. (I think everyone I have encountered either likes it, or hates it, or won't go near it.) My friend Tara made some, Roasted Red Pepper, and I have been trying to recreate her recipe ever since! Sadly, this guy is the closest I've ever gotten! I'm so okay with that though, I seriously have been eating this nonstop. I got it yesterday. and I would say it is more that half gone. ilovethisstuff. alot.


Anywho. Life! My niece, Baylee, made her community theatre debut tonight! She did spectacular! Seriously, I am so proud of her! :) She's following in her super-talented, dramatic, fabulous aunt's footsteps. (That would be me. {Please hold your applause!}) 1 performance down, 3 more to go! Break a leg Bay! :)

So, I am also thinking of making a new blog. I won't start it until the new year (which is only 2 weeks away! YIKES!) I'll unveil it soon, so be on the look out!

Happy Holidays! :D

Keep on dreaming!
Alyssa :)

Baking!

Photo: Me with my first ever attempt at cinnamon rolls! (also, note my apron... it is awesome. and I made it!)

So, if any of you know me, you know that I don't really cook (because I didn't know how, until Tara started teaching me!).

I bake. A lot.

Especially here recently.

My latest obsession? Cinnamon Rolls. And Chocolate Lava Cakes.

But most recently cinnamon rolls.

I love them. I used to think of dough as a scary monster, you have to use flour! and a rolling pin! and your hands! oh my!

That literally terrified me. (I don't know why I think these things! I know they are silly and irrational!)

I have a whole new outlook now though...

I love dough, it is like my new favorite thing! I love kneading it and flouring it and rolling it out with a (recently acquired) rolling pin! Hooray!

Who knew baking could be so fun?!

Plus, you get to wear a cute apron... which makes baking even more awesome!

Dreaming of butter and dough and cinnamon-y deliciousness! :)

5K Training

Well... 2 weeks and 6 days away from the Miles for Missions 5K! Training is progressing! We went training on the elliptical yesterday, for a change of pace... It was nice :) I think Kinsey and I are becoming addicted!

I have also been cooking... 4 days in a row! I also attempted making brownies from scratch for the first time, except my first attempt turned out too dry, so I found a new recipe and started again. They turned out delicious! :) I have also been making pigs in a blanket... and eating them like crazy! :) Needless to say, my roommates like me :) (as well as anyone else who comes over to our house!)

5K Training

Yesterday I started training for the Miles for Missions 5K.

(I was supposed to start Monday, but I was sick)

I have found this little park that's super close to our house, and not very busy...

So yesterday I ventured out to start my training program (C25K)

I wish so much that I could lie and say it was easy... but it wasn't.

I only did a mile. And that was rough. Really rough.

I got back to my car, out of breath, my legs were numb, and my asthma started acting up.

I wasn't sure that I would be able to do this.

But...

This morning, I woke up (at 5:55 AM!, before my alarm, it was a miracle), got dressed, and strapped on my tennis shoes.

Kinsey and I went to interval train at the park. We went a mile.

And you know what?

It was easier. I wasn't so out of breath, my legs weren't numb, and I didn't almost black out!

I proved something to myself. I CAN do it. I WILL do it. I WILL NOT give up!

Dream the impossible!

Alyssa

5K

I am going to run a 5K.

I have decided I am going to train, and I am going to run (ok, probably walk alot) a 5K at the end of this month.

I haven't ran in about a year and a half.

I have actually been meaning to get back into running for a while now, and this is the perfect time!

It's for Miles for Missions.

It's a great cause.

I am recruiting my best friend, my mom, my sister and my niece.

This should be very interesting!

Baseball!!!

So, it is nearing my favorite time of year...

BASEBALL SEASON!

I love everything about baseball! I'm so excited to travel to Surprise, Arizona next week (in 3 days to be exact) for Spring Training!

Plus, we are also going to Disneyland!

Next week is going to rock.

Minus the 14+ hrs. in the car and stinking Daylight Savings Time.

But other than that, it's definitely going to rock!

May all your dreams come true! :)

Alyssa

New Zealand

New Zealand has been heavy on my heart the past few days. They have a piece of my heart that I can't explain, except God has placed a desire to visit and to be with the people of NZ. Which is why when I saw on the news last night that there was an earthquake there, my heart ached. And it still does, as people are picking up the pieces today, and the days to come.

The earthquake in Christchurch last night killed at least 65 people.

The damage is devastating. My heart goes out to all those who have been affected.

Please join me in lifting up Christchurch, NZ in prayer.

New Zealand

I love New Zealand. I think they're awesome. I dream of going there someday.

Now, you must know that I have an affinity for foreign accents.

I love them.

I love to listen to people talk. I will look up interviews and such for actors, like Gerard Butler (insert dreamy sigh here)(read: I know GB isn't a kiwi, but I just love his accent), just to listen to them talk.

But that's not relevant.

I want to befriend a kiwi (read: New Zealander), just so I can hear him talk. (read: I know NZ has girls too, but I only ever think of boys with sexy accents. Call me sexist. I don't care.)

I want to marry a kiwi, so said sexy accent can be available to me 24/7.

{coming back to reality from dreaming about said kiwi.}

Anywho, the accents, no matter how incredibly sexy they are, are not the only reason I love NZ. It's a beautiful country really. See?

This is the famous Bay of Islands.

iwanttolivetheresomeday.

How beautiful is that?

I am always in awe of God's amazing beauty in nature of New Zealand.

(read: I am not a nature-gal. But I can still appreciate this :))

In fact, some of the Chronicles of Narnia was filmed here. (well, in NZ, not the Bay of Islands)

I love C.S. Lewis.

Sigh. I love New Zealand.

So who wants to come to New Zealand with me?

Dreaming BiG! :)

Dreaming BIG!

Sooo. It has been a loooong time since I have last blogged! So, in honor of the new(ish) year, I've decided to change it up a bit! New look, new title, new stuff! I will try to blog more often, but we obviously know how good I am at this (ha!)... sooo... Here we go!

Dreaming is one of my favorite pastimes.

Seriously.

I love to dream the "impossible."

I catch myself dreaming of a glamorous life, with no worries, no homework, no problems (and occasionally this). And I think "Wouldn't life be just grand if everything was perfect?" Well yes, that would be awesome. And sometimes I just wish I could live in my dreams. Escape the stresses of school, of life in general.

But then God reminds me how awesome my real life is.

How I'm so blessed to be a part of my family.

How amazing my friends are.

How fortunate I am to live in such a wonderful country.

And I could keep going!

My point is, sometimes I get caught up in fantasy-land, and God has to bring me back down to earth. But even though I dream (BiG), it doesn't mean I should quit dreaming altogether (a dream is a wish your heart makes, after all), but instead of focusing on my dream-life, I should be living my dream.

So. Dream BiG. Live life.

Your BiG dream quote for the day:

"No dreamer is ever too small. No dream is ever to big."

Sweet Dreams! :)