Happy Easter!

Christ is Risen! Now begins a beautiful season of feasting... the Lord is with us! I hope your Easter is filled with blessings and joy!

[The product of Mary+Emma+Allie+Good Friday Fasting+Arts and crafts bought 3 years ago]

A beautiful birthday!

This past weekend, I entered the mystical realm of my twenties. The weekend was filled with numerous blessings and wonderful people. 


In planning my weekend, I knew there were a few things I knew I wanted to accomplish: First, it was important to me to spend time with as many of my friends as possible. I've been non-stop since Spring Break, and my heart was really aching to be with my dear sisters in Christ whom I'd been neglecting. Secondly, I knew I wanted to be outdoors. The threat of tornados and thunderstorms would not deter me from making plans. And lastly (thought certainly not least), I wanted to be sure that I was emphasizing the blessings the Lord has given to me through prayer and gratitude to God. 


Friday evening, I was blessed with the opportunity to have many of my closest friends come to my home (my "home-home"-- where my parents live) to celebrate. Though the original plan of a bonfire was rained (hailed, tornado-ed, etc) out, we cozily sat in the living room, sharing life, and fun (and hysterical) stories. (My mother may or may not have recounted the story of my birth.)


It was exactly what I needed. I have no pictures, but let's just chalk that up to having too much fun to even think of it. The highlight of my evening by far-- in fact, probably one of my most favorite and special memories-- was praying Magnificat evening prayer, by candlelight, with the women still remaining (including my mother) a few minutes before midnight. There was something profound to me about being in prayer with my beautiful sisters, and hearing their incredible prayers and voices raised to the Lord, as I turned twenty.

The next day, there was no evidence of the previous day's storms. I loaded up the car and headed to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA with 3 of my close friends.

 Mary, me, Emma, and KG in front of the chapel.

 Laughter was certainly a common theme of the day. I love laughing pictures. Aren't they beautiful??

 My dream lunch. Seriously. Mary's homemade chicken salad (complete with grapes and apples... delicious!) and Emma's homemade egg salad made for the perfect picnic.  After this, we passed out on the blanket for a little nap. I wish I had taken a picture of our surroundings, because it was beautiful... lakes, trees, hills. (We drove around a great deal to find the perfect picnic spot.)

 No trip to Callaway is complete without visiting the butterflies! I love the colors in this picture, KG looks so focused!

 Upon returning home, my roommates prepared a delicious dinner. (Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, cesear salad, squash... YUM!) We enjoyed each other's company, and reminisced over this past year as roommates.

 The spread. Complete with beautiful flowers from one of my friends!

 The evening with my roommates ended with blowing out the candles on a fruit pizza. Shortly after this, I was peacefully slumbering, content after an unforgettable birthday.

But the celebrations weren't over yet... On Sunday evening, I went home for birthday dinner with my family (with my favorite... Zuchinni pie!)

My mom made me her famous cake with her homemade buttercream frosting. I am one spoiled individual. Have you ever heard of such a birthday?! My family and friends love me a whole lot... Praise the Lord for their constant support!

I would say this birthday exceeded my goals above and beyond my imagination. 20 is looking pret-tay good so far!

P.S. Be sure to check out (and follow!) my new blog, Letters From a Teepee! Thank you, beautiful blog readers, for continuing to read my ramblings! God Bless you all!

The wonders of technology!(?)

I can now blog via my cellphone. Is this really as good and necessary as it's made out to be?

I am trying to find out how easy it is. I've been wanting to do a phone dump of pictures anyways, so let's see if it works!

Precious children that I was blessed to babysit a few weeks ago. I love them! We were making burritos...

See? (Bonus question: Okay, listen... is that a good burrito?!)

"I henceforth claim this burger for the United States of America!" Patriotic bison burger from Ted's Montana Grill. Prudence and I went there this past weekend after a shopping trip to REI.

Okay, so here we run in to a phone uploading problem... while it's convenient that I can transfer pictures directly from my phone to blog without having to get a cord, move them to my computer, and upload them to the internet, I can't rotate them via blogger. Sorry about that! The recipient of this photo was my Dad, because of the label 'alphabets'. I had a teacher last semester who constantly yelled at us to not write "ambiguous alphabets"... I never understood why she couldn't just say "letters"?

Auburn sunsets. Not in focus, and probably not taken in a particularly safe manner. But what can I say, I love "this guy".

One day, I went shopping with my mom and grandma for new lamps in the living room. Naturally, we had to look at new light fixtures for every other room in the house. This was my pick for the dining room.

Speaking of my momma, here she is! I love this woman... she is beautiful in so many ways, and I want to be like her when I grow up. We had just gotten haircuts, and I was showing my sisters via picture message.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure. It was interesting, but I think I will stick to blogging on my computer for now!

Allison at Camp!

I would like to debut to you, my patient readers, my new blog, Letters From a Teepee!

It revolves around my experiences (past and future) at Camp Wojtyla (a Catholic, outdoor adventure camp in Colorado, which also happens to be the greatest place on earth).

For the Greater Glory isn't going anywhere, but Letters From a Teepee will be an outlet specifically for expressing my excitement (and other sentiments) before Camp. And while I'm there, given that I have occasional internet access, I will update with what I'm up to, prayer requests, etc.

Hope to see you there! :)

Valentine's Day!

Scrumptious cupcake made for CSO's Sweetheart Swing!

This holiday was 20 times more fun when it involved decorating a mailbox and receiving valentines and candy while eating cupcakes in 5th grade. I always looked with anticipation towards this day... a day of wearing pinks and reds, and giggling over that cute boy a few chairs down. (The ones who gave me Harry Potter valentines always stole my heart!)

I still carry a little of that excitement with me. And though I've never had (nor will I ever desire) the routine 'candy-flowers-dinner' trio that has become the norm, this day will always be a little more than a normal day.

So, because I think this day is not about being miserable, but having an excuse to be especially excited about LOVE (GOD!), I leave you to mull this over. It applies whether you are single or taken:

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,

To have a deep soul relationship with another,

To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But to a Christian, God says, "No, not until you are satisfied,

Fulfilled and content with being loved by Me alone,

With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me.

With having an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone.

Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,

Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship,

That I have planned for you.

You will never be united to another

Until you are united with Me.

Exclusive of anyone or anything else.

Exclusive of any other desires or longings.

I want you to stop planning, to stop wishing, and allow Me to give you

The most thrilling plan existing . . . one you cannot imagine.

I want you to have the best. Please allow Me to bring it to you.

You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.

Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.

Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.

Just wait, that's all. Don't be anxious, don't worry

Don't look around at things others have gotten

Or that I have given them

Don't look around at the things you think you want,

Just keep looking off and away up to Me,

Or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love

Far more wonderful than you could dream of.

You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready,

I am working even at this moment

To have both of you ready at the same time.

Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me

And the life I prepared for you,

You won't be able to experience the love that exemplified your relationship with Me.

And this is perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love,

I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me.

And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection and love that I offer you with Myself.

Know that I love you utterly. I AM God.

Believe it and be satisfied.

St. Anthony of Padua

Answering the Call.

FOCUS Conference was incredible. Any words I have to say are going to cheapen the deep and profound impact it had on my heart, but I will try anyway.

Jesus loves me so much. And He loves you. His love is so faithful. In my smallness, I can't even begin to comprehend His greatness. He is calling out to you, desperately chasing after your heart, desiring to be in your presence, desiring to be carried to others through the tabernacle of your very body.

God knew what He was doing when He created you. That struggle you're going through right now, those questions you're asking (and maybe feel guilty about), He knew you would be there... He created you for this very moment. He didn't make a mistake.

He is calling you to be the person He created you to be. He knows you are capable. Even while you stumble there, He waits-- perfectly patient-- for you to walk in to His open arms.

We spend so much time running away from those arms, as if the things we face there will hurt us.

But that is impossible.

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope.When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the LORD, and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you, says the LORD, and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you."

What a promise that is. What hope we have! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good... His love is everlasting!

Gearing Up.

iPod.... synched.

Rosary... packed.

Mind... restless.

Suitcase... (almost) ready.

In just a few hours, I'll be getting on a bus with 90(!) other Auburn students and heading to Nashville for FOCUS Conference 2011! God is going to do some big things at this conference, and I can't wait to witness it!

Also present will be my Mom, my Grandma, and my two older sisters, Amanda and CeeCee.

I am excited for the impending mini-family reunion, and all of the other awesome things that are going to happen. I think my grandmother is going to be blown away. She is a devout and practicing Catholic, but hasn't been exposed to the vibrancy and life of the Church of late. There will be hundreds of college students who not only know who Jesus is, but are madly and passionately in love with Him, and are laying down every bit of themselves to glorify and serve Him. It is beautiful.

I think getting to see that is going to encourage, enliven, and inspire my Grandma (a.k.a. G-unit). I have a feeling the Holy Spirit is going to be moving a lot in my family... Pray that it may be so!

Now if I could only get my suitcase to pack itself...