Out of Touch

I promise I’m alive!

     I feel so out of touch with the world right now.  Everything has just been going a million miles an hour right now, and I’m struggling to keep up.  I won’t go so far as to say that I’m taking a hiatus from blogging, but if I were you, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t as familiar of a face for the next little bit. 
     I’ve got about six weeks left of school, and I’m doing all I can to soak up every bit of it.  I know I’ve said before that college has been sort of a mixed bag for me, but I did not realize that I was just not ready to go yet!

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Not seeing this guy every day will not be fun.

     Speaking of Keith (which we sort of were…), we are 98% sure that we have the wedding party figured out – groomsmen, bridesmaids, ushers, and attendants.  That’s all the news there is on the wedding front…except that we still don’t have a florist (not for lack of trying).  I so like to have all my ducks in a row, and having a florist would get me about twenty steps closer.  I’m not going to stress though (for another week or so). 
     Switching gears again…kind of…it’ll probably be another week or two before I can show you any engagement pictures!  I am getting so antsy!

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There’s a little preview for you!
So antsy!

That’s about it for today, but I promise I will be back soon…and I mean it this time!


Blog-Hollywood

     Y'all, I feel like I am in blog-Hollywood today!   Show of hands...who here has heard of Melissa at The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife?  Everyone...right?  Unless you've been blogging under a rock, you've probably seen her super popular blog hop.  Having been reading Melissa's blog for awhile now, I have been just itching to snag one of those coveted co-host spots.  Thinking about all of that networking and getting to meet so so so so so many new bloggers makes me giddy with anticipation!

No more anticipating!  Blog hop day is here!

If you're one of my readers, link up and get to know some wonderful ladies...if you're visiting from the hop, welcome to my slice of life!  I can't wait to meet you.

How about a little introduction?

I'm Allyson, and I love life.


I also love big hair, big smiles, and Coca-Cola.
Around here I blog about school (which is pretty much just student teaching these days), my upcoming (on June 22) wedding, and whatever else comes to me.  That ranges from my hair (and how I do battle with it) to food to what the Lord is doing in my life.

I hope you'll stick around for awhile...thanks for hopping by!
 If you're looking for more ways to connect you can find me on Pinterest, Google+, Facebook, and Bloglovin'!
It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!
When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 
One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!
If you are interested in co-hosting the next GFC Blog Hop send me an email at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com
Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?
RULES are simple:
1. Follow your host via GFC
The First link below
2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC
The Next 8 links below
3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.
4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 
and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.
5. Tweet about this blog hop

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

Post Sponsor Ad:

Ch-ch-ch-changes

     Seven weeks.  That’s how long I’ve been in school this semester. 
     Eight weeks.  That’s all I have left.  Total…not just in this semester.
     Today I’m going to a new school to spend the rest of my time as a college student in a second grade classroom.  I am so excited for this move, but I don’t know if I’m ready to start the final countdown yet!  Two months from today I’ll be graduating…how crazy is that?! 
     They told us in our seminar that the next several weeks are going to fly by, and I believe it.  The first half of this semester has been a total blur.  I am so excited for life after graduation, but it is probably going to be one of the hardest things ever.  I’ve been so fortunate to be able to spend almost every day with Keith the entire time we’ve been in college, and starting in a few weeks, that’s not going to be reality anymore. 
     I’m hoping that a job will distract me from that until June!
     In other news, the swelling in my face went away, and we spent Saturday taking engagement pictures!  I’ll tell you a little more about those later, but it was so fun!  I’ll definitely be sharing once I see them (in 3 – 4 weeks…sad). 
That’s pretty much all I’ve got going on right now…I’m sure I’ll be back in a few days to let you know how things are going with my second graders and about pictures.
No pictures this time…because I’m a lame blogger.

Small Victories

     You know what’s not cool or fun?  When anything happens to your teeth.  Now I try not to be a complainer because whiney bloggers get on my nerves, but in the interest of full disclosure…let’s get real for a minute. 

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Just in case you’ve never met me…I do not usually look like something out of Seussical.

     I may or may not have mentioned my tooth incident about a year ago.  Long story short: ear infection, faint, hardwood floor, broken tooth.  (I’ve always been proud of my teeth, so this was kind of a humongous deal.)  Well, this summer I got everything taken care of and got a permanent crown (as opposed to a filling).  For two months everything was great.  Then…this week, my tooth – totally out of the blue – decides to abscess.
     For those of you who have never experienced this (and I hope you never do), it includes some ridiculous facial swelling and a pretty disgusting blister…in my mouth.  Today is the first day I’ve even looked a little normal.  When I wake up, my whole top lip is swollen, and today I’ve had some really attractive under eye bruises.  I’ve got an antibiotic, and I am really hoping the swelling goes away by Saturday – engagement picture day!
     Like I said, I’m not telling you my sad little face story to be a Wendy Whiner, but to say that clearly I am a whole new woman.  The old Allyson would have taken to the bed and waited until this ordeal was over.  Lately, I have really felt convicted about how much I stress.  It is so sinful of me to take all of this nonsense on myself.  As believers we are called to cast our cares on Him.  I never thought this would be possible for me, but I am so happy.  Right now, I’m not even stressed that in two and half weeks I’ll be having a root canal.  I’m not even all that worried about my engagement pictures.  Today, I’m just happy that I’m not quite as swollen as I was – small victories.

In conclusion:
Try your best not to fall on your face and break a tooth…

BUT

if you do…it’s going to be okay!
I promise!

I May Not Be Hopeless!

     I’m not sure if you know this, but I am very, very, very, very bad at doing my hair.  I’m serious.  It looks the exact same every single day.  I wake up, wash it, blow dry it upside down, and maybe spray it if it’s looking out of control.  On a good day, it looks like this:

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 or this:
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     On a day when I’m feeling less than ambitious…or whenever I don’t blow dry it, this is what I get:
Review Before
I know…

     The sweethearts at Misikko must have heard of my plight because they came through for me in a big way.  A few weeks ago I was contacted asking if I would be interested in reviewing a HANA Pro 1” flat iron – um yes! 
     As far as straighteners go…I don’t even know where my old one came from.  For all I know it just appeared in my cabinet one day.  When Misikko offered to send me a professional hair straightener, I was pretty excited.  I had been kicking around the idea of getting myself a straightener, but nothing I could have picked out would have compared to this…and certainly would not have come with the same customer service.

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     My straightener arrived with a silicone pad (so that it won’t burn the surface it’s sitting on), a heat proof storage case, and a leather carrying case.  (Not to mention all the extra goodies Misikko threw in the box!)  I could tell right away that this was no run of the mill straightener.  You can get first hand info about all of the details here, but I can definitely tell you that fancy or not, this thing is so  user friendly. 
     I am almost hopeless with a straightener, but this one is so easy to use.  You just turn it on (up to 400+ if you need it), and it’s skinny, little body just zips right through your hair.  Added bonus?  The cord has a 360 degree swivel…so it won’t tangle!  The whole thing is so lightweight, which is great for me because my arms tend to get tired if I spend to much time on my hair (…I know).  After about ten minutes (heating up and all), I went from that ridiculous mess of a look up there to this:

Review After

     Because the straightener was so easy to manipulate, I was able to pull up on my hair as I straightened and keep a ton of volume!  The skinny plates were perfect for my bangs, too.  If you didn’t know, my hair is super fine, and most straighteners  either crease it or fry it.  This did neither of those things.  I can definitely see myself using this even on days when I don’t straighten all of my hair.  It will be perfect for touch ups or fixing my bangs (which tend to be totally out of control). 
     So it looks like I can add another look into my alternating schedule! My next little goal will be to figure out how to curl with it…they sent a little book telling me how, but they overestimate me.
     Couple things:  1.  If you’re looking for a straightener, I can wholeheartedly recommend this one.  2.  If you’re looking to buy anything hair related, you would be crazy not to check out Misikko!  Their customer service has been out of this world!  You should definitely click over and check them out…right now.
Thanks again, Misikko!

Hop Hop Hop

     Hey ladies!  This week has just gotten crazy busy, but I am so excited to be co-hosting the Return the Favor Hop with Chelsea today!  I love the idea of this hop…if you don’t know, it’s based on reciprocity.  Someone follows you, and you just follow them back – it’s about courtesy. 
     If you’re visiting from the hop – welcome! I’m so glad to have you here.  I hope you’ll mouse around and hang out for awhile.  If you’re one of my regular readers, feel free to link up and join in on the fun.  Also…come back tomorrow for a brand-spankin’ new post!

Welcome back this week for another round of the GFC hop!





If you would like to be a co-host in the future, please send an email to chelsea@yourstrulyblog.com and let me know what type of hop {Twitter, Facebook, GFC, Bloglovin'} you'd most like to co-host!





Follow your host & co-hosts
Share the hop with others, whether it be via Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc!
Come link up with @chelseaoliviaxo for the GFC hop to find new blog friends! http://www.yourstrulyblog.com/2012/10/return-favor-hop-week-10-gfc.html
Feel free to copy the code for the button from above and put it up on your blog.
Take a couple minutes to visit some other people who have linked up and let them know you stopped by from the Return The Favor hop - and hopefully they will return the favor!



Chelsea from Yours Truly
Jasmine from Hello, Good Morning Sunshine
Joanna from ModaMama
Alex from Living The Wifestyle
Alli from Allena Mistral
Allyson from Cupcakes & Candy Canes
Katlyn from The Dreamy Meadow
Nicholl from The Chiffon Diary
Jessah from Dreaming of Dimples