Whirlwind!

Just a quick update--a LOT has been happening in my life!

• I'm now a proud resident of Clarkston, MI! After a long, long wait, God has given us a home. And guys--it's a great one!:)
• I have a new church family! And I am so proud to call them my family. I get to go to church twice a week with some truly amazing people. They've opened up their hearts to us and already I feel so at home. :)
• I started school at Oakland Christian on August 23rd. Let me just say--being the new girl is definitely scary. But so long as I have to be the new girl, I can't think of a better place to be than OCS. I'm taking some great classes (Honors British Literature, anyone?:) ) and making some great friends. Even though the transition is, well, a transition, I am so so excited to be making it. (here's the school website for any interested--oaklandchristian.com)
• Thank you Jesus--we bought a house!! It's absolutely beautiful, in a great location...and it has a pool:) It was sugh an act of God thing I just can't stop praising Him about it! We move in around the end of October--I can't wait!:)

In other words...I've been busy busy busy!! Between a new town, new church, new school, new living space, and of course new friends, I've hardly had time to catch my breath! Things are crazy--and I'm thriving! Thanking Jesus all the time for the great things He's doing. How encouraging it's been to know God's grace is sufficient! Even though I'm weak, He is strong!

I'd love to share about it all sometime too--give me a call, shoot me a text, facebook me. :)

Hoping your Saturday is absolutely great!

Allie :)

Kleenex, anyone?

Hello darling people--I'm calling you darling for reading the blog, though I'm sure you are darling for other reasons too. :)

Well. It's already been a week since The Big Trip. And still I am in shock of how wonderful it was. I think I'll end up telling a few different stories during other posts, but here's one of my favorites for tonight:

Last Sunday we had an experience that will go down in history among "The Cousins" (and company!). But let me start with this:
For a long time, I have had a dream of consuming an entire pew/row of seats with my "church posse." That's right. I want the whole thing to myself. I think I feel that as a veteran PK, I have the right. So on Sunday, I thought with eleven people in my posse I had a pretty decent shot at attaining this dream. But alas! Auntie G's church is one of those 227-wide rows...so my dream was dashed again.
As it turned out, our seating was even more unfortunate than I thought! Behind us sat a small coalition of South Korean exchange students, all little boys. I didn't notice it right away. But about 10 minutes into the sermon--I heard it.
A sniff.
And then another.
And another.
Lizzy, sitting next to me, noticed it about a minute and a half before I did. But once I had noticed it--oh boy, had I noticed it! At 11:14, I began to count. By the time the clock had reached 11:15...
TWENTY-FOUR SNIFFLES!
Do you realize that that is over one sniff every three seconds? Doesn't sound like a lot? Have someone stand right behind you and sniff every three seconds. If you don't go crazy by minute 3...you have more stamina than I did.
One by one, the rest of the family seated in front of the little boys noticed it too. We stole glances, we smothered our laughter, we bit our lips--all while the pastor expounded on covenant theology. I'm sure it was a great message...but my "take-away" had more to do with sniffles than sacrifices.
The best part to me was the fact that boy #4 held an orange the entire service. Apparently vitamin C did not heal his cold.
Anyway. Shout-out to the snifflers--one more memory we won't forget!

Love to you all. More ramblings later...have a dazzling next 24 hours!

On the Road Again...

The time has come--I am a week away from 16, and the proud possessor of a Level 1 learner's license! So far, after 3 weeks of driver's ed successfully completed and about 8 hours behind the wheel, I have learned many valuable lessons. So, without further ado, I give you Allie (or Alex, if you're my driving instructor--long story) Wood's Do's & Don'ts of Novice Driving.

• Do consider the fact that Mom & Dad will never be as laid-back as your crazy driving instructor. Plan your braking distance accordingly.
• Don't say "I know" when your mom tries to supply you with important information. Just don't.
• Do remember that this is the only time in your life where you have a legitimate excuse for driving badly. Also, do remember to mention this fact loudly and often.
• Don't sing while on the road, unless you want to get...instructed...on why that's not a good idea at this stage of your driving.
• Do try to retain as much as possible of the pointless trivia tidbits you pick up in driver's ed. This information can make for great on-road conversation when you're in the passenger's seat. In my opinion at least--my mother does not agree.
• Don't forget that as soon as you let someone drive with you, you are giving them implied consent to comment on your driving--every rolling stop, every pothole, and every traffic cone you've hit in the past.
• Do keep in mind that little siblings find the entire situation incredibly entertaining, and will perform spontaneous karaoke in the backseat. (Today, the lineup included Shut Up and Drive, Thriller, and Jesus, Take the Wheel.)

Above all, don't get discouraged if you have a few less-than-NASCAR-quality moments. It doesn't come naturally to everyone--in fact, there will be moments when you're pretty sure it's not going to come at all, naturally or otherwise. I'm just holding out hope that I'm a late bloomer.

Of Wise Women &...Wipstick

To save my self-esteem, I will not mention (again!) that I'm an undisciplined blogger. Thank you for accomodating me:)

In my world, it's officially the Christmas season. And for those of you who I can hear grumbling about how it's "not even Thanksgiving!", I would just like to state that the commercial world agrees with me. Christmas music and decorations are out out out! So I feel my early spirit is justified. Anyway, in honor of the approaching season...


Hello, my name is Allie, and I'm a professional Christmas pageant performer. I had my first role a little less than sixteen years ago, when I played Baby Jesus at just 6 days old.
But as it turned out, this was only the beginning of my Nativity career. Eight years later I would finally get the role every little girl dreams of playing--Mary, mother of Jesus. (Who doesn't want to be someone so important people think they see her in their toast?) It just so happend I was also the director of this particular presentation. I had a cast of three--my sister Lindsay, cousin Rebecca, and myself. As the director, I was also in charge of the giving the roles. The only stipulation was that there was to be no cross-gender casting. So, in the end, our list of characters ended up looking something like this:

Mary, mother of Jesus--Portrayed as a girl with a passion for very red lipstick, eyes watching the ceiling the entire play. No lines, but many whispered directions to the rest of the cast. Costumed in a toga-like garment made of a blanket with another blanket draped over her head. She should wear a very affected and pious expression, except when giving last minute direction to the other performers.

Angel--Portrayed as a slightly flustered girl who frequently asks Mary what's going on. Also has a deep love for very red lipstick, sometimes has a ring of tinsel around her head. Costumed in the Samantha nightgown she got last Christmas.

Wise Woman--Portrayed as the third member to the very red lipstick trio, performance slightly echoes angel's. Has an even smaller role than anticipated, very confused about her entrances and exits. Costumed in Angel's last Halloween costume, a gothic princess outfit. (The outfit was the main incentive for the role.) [I happen to be with the actress who originated this role. She would like me to mention her remarkably believable performance and her fabulous line delivery--"I am the Wise Woman!!!!!"]

(Note: This particular Nativity does NOT contain: God, Joseph, a real baby, shepherds, more than one "wise person", an inkeeper, or any animals.)

To put on a replica performance, you will also need:
-A scribbled over refrigerator box, for the stable
-An old "bouncy horse", for Mary's donkey
-A mini trampoline, for the Angel to stand on
-A selection of yellow plastic bowling pins, for the star
-One extra bowling pin, wrapped in a blanket, for the baby
-A decorative box full of "frankincense", for the Wise Woman
-A "supportive" audience
-Very red lipstick. Lots of it.


Of course, you will also need a very small cast of very good performers. And a good director, of course--with lots of nativity experience.