A Post Almost as Good as a Four-Leaf Clover.

And, in honor of the day, I give you 5 Reasons to be Excited About Being (even a little bit) Irish.

1. You get to be super annoying on St. Patrick's Day. Not that it makes a difference, since apparently "everyone's Irish." (I don't think that's very fair...)
2. You get to wear green...yeah this is a good thing I'm pretty sure.
3. You get to get to be mean to people who forgot to wear green and viciously pinch them multiple times, even if the only reason they weren't wearing green is because they'd just gotten out of the shower and were wearing nothing but their bathrobe, which was unfortunately blue...Yes, this happened to me this morning and yes, I'm pretty bitter!
4. You get to go around saying things like "Everyone loves an Irish girl!" and "Kiss me, I'm Irish!" without sounding arrogant or scandalous. (Well...that's my take. Dad still isn't thrilled with this idea.)
5. All in all, you just get to claim awesome status for a day just because your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was born on the Emerald Isle. (His name was Patrick Finn. Awesome right?)

Someday I'm going to go visit "the homeland," even though I'm really just more American than anything else. But in this world of everyone being excited about their heritage, this is all I've got. So I'm gonna flaunt it today--with my Irish eyes a-smilin'!

PS--The story of St. Patrick is one of my favorite of all time. For a fun, informative take on it, I absolutely LOVE this video. Yes, it's from VeggieTales. Which in my book just makes it cooler. :)

Flibbertigibbet, Vol. 2

Never in my life have I met anyone who enjoys anchovy pizza. (Not to my knowledge at least...and if you do, you might want to keep it to yourself. I don't think a love of anchovies is going to get you very many dates.) Actually, for a long time I didn't know what anchovies even were. I had a vague idea that they were brown and slimy and an acceptable food to hate. And I was right. What I didn't know was this--Anchovies are actually little blue fish that only taste so salty and icky because they're put in brine. And think about it people, nothing that is soaked in brine is good. (Example given: pickles, pig's feet) So maybe we are a little too hard on anchovies...What am I saying? They're still gross.

Yesterday I took a trip to the oral surgeon. Needless to say it was hardly a pleasant visit. As it turns out (get ready to be sympathetic), on February 24th I will have 5 teeth extracted and one exposed. (Ok, that's your cue--be sympathetic!) Since I've learned this, I've taken up randomly informing people about my bad luck. So far, I've informed my family, Liz, Logan, my Spanish teacher, random people in my Spanish class, and my entire list of facebook friends. And I'm just getting started. (I figure, so long as I have to go through it, I will demand as much sympathy as possible without even a tinge of guilt.)

When I was a little girl (ok, little-er girl), I said exactly what was on my mind, without regard to public opinion. I wanted to be a ballerina-firefighter, so I said so. I liked to sing songs, so I did, loudly and off-key. I loved my teddy bear (a lot!), so I slept with him every night. And I never worried about what the rest of the world would think of me. I think little kids are brave like that. I mean sure, it's not like they do it on purpose, it never occurs to them that they should worry about what other people think. But still, I wish I could be like that. Jesus said we're supposed to be like little children, maybe part of that is being courageous about who we are. It would certainly simplify our lives a lot more. I wouldn't waste time worrying about other people's opinion or obsessing over my imperfections. Maybe I could be excited about just being alive, alive in Jesus. I'm not sure if that even makes sense, just something I've thought about.

Today I found out that before the Cookie Monster had his first cookie, he was named Sid. Really guys? Sid? Thank goodness for the cookies.

Have a groovy day everyone! :)

PS--Shout-out to Eleny for actually looking up my new favorite word! How heroic :)

Flibbertigibbet*

Chapstick has changed my life. Throughout the winter (and in Indiana/Michigan, that's about half the year), my personal Chapstick is a permanent resident of my pocket. Well, that's how it was last winter, and let me tell you it is amazing what moisturized lips can do for your self-esteem. But this year I went Chapstick-less for about two months when I lost my Chapstick, and--tragedy! My lips chapped. Fast. Don't worry too much though. I found a stick of Chapstick a few days ago and I am back on the road to soft, pain-free lips. So. Shout out to Chapstick!

It's January 31st, and I say it's about time! After possibly the longest January on record (sure, every January is 31 days, but measured length and low long something actually is are very different things, you know) February begins tomorrow! I know, I know. February? I'm excited about February? The thing is, I've developed this thing for new beginnings recently--new year, new clothes, new recipes, new month, who cares? It's new! And new things are adventures waiting to happen. So yes, February. But who knows? It might be the best February ever!

So far, I know 5 things about the state of Wisconsin:

1. You can also call it "Dubya-Eye" (as in, W-I). usually I call it by this name, because let's face it, it's just more fun.
2. They make cheese in Wisconsin. Cheese is cool. (Except not the spray-able kind, which really shouldn't be called cheese in my opinion.)
3. It is cold. But so is Michigan, so that's ok.
4. Four of my favorite people in the entire world live there! Yep, Osh Kosh (great name) has been blessed with a family that's all that and a loaf of the 'bread-of-life'. Auntie G, UJ, Wubi, Dwighterz...Dubya-Eye is a lucky state.
5. In just 12 days, the state will be twice as lucky as four more of my favorite people and I make a visit! Between Mom, Linz, Luke, Lizzy and I, I doubt Wisconsin will ever be the same.

Yep. I like it already.

All right, that's three really random thoughts for you. Enjoy your Sunday!

*look it up!

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.