Happy Saturday!!

My dad is a real Mr. Fix it kind of man. For example, about two weeks ago he was told that his rental property needed a few shingles replaced. It would have only cost $200 for the roofer to take care of it, but alas the next Saturday I found myself in the roofing isle of lowes picking out shingle nails. He and I climbed to the roof of the three story town house and got to work.

This last week my father decided the deck needed to be stained. So Saturday morning I was awaken early and the Allred family got to work staining the deck. Here are some pictures of all the fun!

We aren't quite finished because my sister and her family showed up and I'd much rather spend my day with her and my hot MES! But you better believe I already have some hot plans for next saturday. It starts with "Finish" and ends with "the deck".

blue bird: FREE Photo Session Giveaway

I am planning on having her take my pictures in August....So I might as well enter the contest right? Here's the link.

blue bird: FREE Photo Session Giveaway: "Okay we all know I like giveaways.... so.... Let the contest begin!!! Heres what's up for grabs Entering is EASY Here is what you..."

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,
      I have neglected you lately and I am sorry. Why? I have a great explanation! I am tired! I have been working and loving my job. But boy does moving furniture into a house, out of a house, or from one room to another room and then back to the original room wear you out! Hanging drapes and pictures perfectly level and straight is my new specialty. (ok maybe I'm still working on the perfectly part). But what I have been learning is as you bring more into your life you have to let go of something else. I am not saying dear blog that I am letting you go.....But I do for see a little more neglect in the near future. Especially because the only things I have had to blog about lately are color swatches and carpet samples. It's not much but here's a little something to tell you that I still love you and think about you often!

 

With Love,
Deborah

Summer break? What is that?

The semester is over!!!! FINALLY! Earlier this month I took my last final and completed my first semester as a masters student. I have gotten my final grades and I have to gloat here a little bit. Yep! 4.0 baby! This is the first 4.0 I have ever gotten in my life! I have come close a few times (like 3.9 gosh dang it!) but finally, as a master's student I did it! Now, I just have to keep it up until graduation. That's the hard part. Senoir-itis always seems to get the best of me. Not this year Mr. itis.....not this year!

Before the semester ended I signed up for summer classes fully intending on getting some extra classes in before the fall so I could fill my last year of school with fun electives. Then about a week ago I saw the light. I have been going to school ever summer for a very long time. AAAAAND if I took summer classes that means I would have gone to school for ten semesters straight with no break by the time I graduate. And you know what?! I don't HAVE to go to summer classes anymore! So I promptly called the registrars office and dropped all my summer semester classes! 

I now have about three and a half months with no homework, tests, or classes. What now?! I don't know how I will handle this break but it is probably going to look a little like this: Trips to the beach, working out,visits from my sister and Nephew, lots of playing late into the warm summer nights and trips to Utah and Idaho to see people I love dearly, go to the Families supporting Adoption Conference, and see Tressa off at the MTC. (Tressa, are you sure you want to leave me?) Yeah, I am pretty sure life is going to be GREAT! Bring it on!

Lately

I feel like the last two or three weeks have been a blur that I have been constantly running through and getting to the next thing. Most of those things were very enjoyable but they were one right after another. There was the rose ball, finals, NYC trip, Southern VA trip, etc. Today I had nothing to do and it was WONDERFUL!!!! I didn't go to work, I didn't get out of my pajamas (well until FHE), and I didn't do very many productive things and I didn't care. Anyway, here are some pictures of the things I have been up to.

The Rose Ball

I was on the planning committee for the rose ball this year. It is a formal ball for all of the adults 16 and older in our stake. We get a live jazz band, great food, great decor and have good old fashioned fun. My father and I taught the dance lessons before the dance started and Tressa helped me SO much by jumping in the help me judge the dance competition during the band's intermission when the original judge got sick. The committee was busy but it was so much fun!

Bowling during the week Jana was visiting

Seriously, I love this girl!

My favorite part of this picture is that it is completely candid! Glen had just bowled a strike and we were...ehem, laughing at him. But it looks like we are his adoring fans!

 New York Trip/reunion with the girls from my Laurel class in Maryland

All of the girls from our group of friends in Young women are back on the east coast again (minus Jana). So to celebrate, we all got together and took a road trip to New York City. It was fabulous! We did a lot of eating, shopping, walking, talking, laughing, and not very much sleeping. Okay, I did a little more sleeping then the others, but it was all for their sakes. We know that I turn into a monster when I am sleep deprived.

Double dates with my favorite friends

HA I just realized this is the first date I can remember being on since I graduated from BYU-Idaho. Jana flew in for our trip to New York and came home to stay a week with me. We got together with good old glen and his friend Reggie and did a double date of making smores and chocolate covered strawberries.

Making homemade chocolate covered strawberries! Heaven on a cookie sheet!

I don't have pictures but I also took a friend down to southern VA to a modeling shoot last weekend. She had a really good time which made the quick trip so worth it. I told her on the way home that I was not doing any more road trips for a while after she suggested we do Boston next. But of course, I am already planning to go to northern VA this friday. It's only an hour away so I am not actually counting it as a road trip. I am so glad that I am done with the craziness I called life for the last two weeks. But it was all so worth it! And let's face it, when am I not running from party to party?

You're Beautiful, but You're No Beauty Queen

Last year at BYU-Idaho I took a class to make me a first class group therapist. The whole class was basically one big group therapy program. I am now a believer of group therapy. HA I think everyone needs it! Anyway, we took turns running group for that week and practiced different models and theories. We also ran our own therapy groups outside of class with BYU-Idaho students.

We were assigned homework each week to prepare us for the next therapy session. One of the assignments was to describe each chapter of our life as if it were a chapter in a book. Then we were to take one of those chapters and rewrite it in a way we wish it would have happened being prepared to share it with the class the next week. The other day I ran across my "table of contents" for this assignment and thought I'd share it with my blogging class.

The title of my Book is:

"You're Beautiful, but You're No Beauty Queen"

Chapter 1: The Second Child

Chapter 2: The top Kindergartener

Chapter 3: Training Bras and Tardy Slips

Chapter 4: Running the High School

Chapter 5: Where in the world is Virginia?

Chapter 6: Moving....again

Chapter 7: The Sales Man

Chapter 8: Big Choices for a Little Woman

Chapter 9: Moving on and growing up

Chapter 10: A Bright Future

Now, keep in mind most of the students were in the 19-21 age range and so they thought 10 chapters would be sufficient. However, to tell my story I need at least a few more. I maybe would change the name of a few of the chapters, but this is what they were at 7 am on a Wednesday morning last year. What would your chapters be? Think about it. Yay for therapy!

Have I ever mentioned I hate Laundry?

Out of all of the household chores Laundry is the one I despise the most. I don't know why it is so hard for me to like, but I hate it. At school I had the hardest time getting it done. (I still have a hard time getting it done) When I had a washer and dyer in my basement apartment it wasn't a problem. But when I was in a regular apartment complex....holy heavens! It would take me DAYS. It usually went like this.

Step 1: Sort clothes into colors (I wanted to take good care of them see, and not have the disaster of a red sock in my whites)

This step usually consisted of 4 or 5 huge mounts of dirty clothes covering my bedroom floor for at least an hour. Oh how patient my roommate was.

Step 2: Find empty washer and wash clothes.

Step 3: Since there are still dirty clothes on your floor switch laundry. Put clean clothes in dryer and dirty clothes in washer.

Step 4: Forget about them for at least a day. (usually 3)

Step 5: Find clothes half dry sitting on the counter of the laundry room smelling a little funky.

Step 6: Repeat

It was a great system I had down.

Even with my great system, I wish we didn't need clothes. Because that means we would not need laundry. Recently my disgust for laundry has become even more specific. HAND WASH!!! Curse you!

I had a run in with two hand wash fabrics that ended in my favorite cream Nordstrom cardigan transforming into a black and white tie died cardigan. Granted, there was some fault on my end but the mishap firmed up my commitment to hating hand wash clothes. Usually as soon as I see that label at the store it goes right back on the rack. Luckily I have been soaking my sweaters for over a WEEK now and the stains are almost out!

 

Before I die, I am going to have someone I pay just to do my laundry!