10 Years

While I was frantically stressing out about my huge to do list, I did something I don't usually do when I'm stressed out. I turned on some music, closed my eyes, and thought. I thought about a lot of things, but I'm only going to tell you about two.

First of all, how much I've changed. This is me when I was six...

 

And this is me almost exactly 10 years later...

Ten years really isn't all that long if you think about it, but look how much can change in just that short amount of time. I look completely different. My challenges are completely different. My dreams are completely different. My thoughts are completely different. My goals are completely different. How I spend my time is completely different. My level of understanding is completely different. You get the picture. Things change. I am not the same person I was ten years ago. This brings me to my second thought.

What am I going to be like ten years from now? Am I going to see a change as big as I did from 10 years ago when I was six? Or is it going to be more subtle? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. What I can tell you is I'm really excited to find out what the next 10 years will bring: be it the trials, the blessings, the changes...All of it.

Stress with a Capitol S

People always tell me "You know Allie, I've figured it out! You are never happy unless you're stressed," like it's some big epiphany or something. Don't worry guys, I know that. I've known it since forever. As strange as it is, I thrive on stress. Stress keeps me going. It motivates me. I never get anything done unless I'm stressed out about it. I'm not happy unless I'm working hard on something I'm passionate about. It's not some kind of big secret I haven't figured out on my own yet. I need to be busy. It's part of who I am. Getting stressed out easily is also a part of who I am. Sometimes it can be a real gift, but sometimes, it's really, really hard. Stress is such a hard balancing act for me. I don't like being anxious. I don't like worrying about everything all the time. I don't like the sick feeling I get whenever a really hard test is announced in class. I don't like bursting into tears at random times because I feel like the weight is just too much at the moment and I need to get rid of some. I don't like the feeling of inadequacy I get because I am the only person so stressed out when others have even more on their plates. I don't like realizing I'm only human and can't do everything on my own. I hate piling my burdens on other people. Asking for help is so hard for me. Even though I don't like these things, it's still a part of who I am, and how I work. I'm a perfectionist, and I always will be. Even though it can be really hard, it is also a huge blessing. I love the feeling I get when I finish a really hard test in school and I know I've done well. I love getting my report card and looking at my grades knowing how hard I've had to work to get them that way. I love seeing a friend smile when I'm able to help them lift a burden. I love finishing a project I was so stressed out about and noticing all the small details that took forever, but made it so good. I love winning and thinking back about how hard I've had to work. Honestly, the results of something aren't what makes me so happy. It's the feeling of going from completely stressed out, to being on cloud nine. It's looking back on my sacrifice and realizing it was all worth it in the end. I love to work hard. It's just who I am.

I just want to be me.

My name is Allie Shumway. I love my family more than anything else on this earth. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I am so grateful that I can say that. I love the gospel so much! I am the oldest granddaughter on both sides of my family. I really love to read, and I really don't love doing my math homework. Chemistry confuses me, but I like to write essays on a topic I'm passionate about. The Salt Lake temple is my very favorite temple, and one day I'm going to get married there. I like to run. My perfect day is a perfect summers day water skiing out on the lake. My favorite scripture is 2Nephi 4:19. I'm a romantic at heart. My favorite painting is called "The Bride" by James Christensen. I like to act. I only like milk in the chocolate assortment. My favorite day of the week is the day I get a letter from Braiden, followed by Friday. Winning isn't everything, but boy do I like it when I do! I have a lot of random phrases I say a lot, like "You're a peach," "Go, fight, win!" "Good form," "Way to be!"...the list goes on. I love to play my violin, but I don't really like to play in an orchestra. My older brother is my very best friend. I sing in the shower, and sometimes I talk to myself. My favorite number is the number 11. I really, really want to be Tinkerbell in Disneyland for a summer. I love music, and I love it loud. I want to serve a mission. I like to color, but I can't draw. I love to smile. I love to see other people smiling even more. I have a weird little nose twitch that drives me, and most likely everyone around me nuts. I love to laugh until I squeak and can't breath. Most of the time my laugh is funnier than the actual joke. Listening to others laugh makes me laugh. I love being happy. I love being me.

I Enjoy Being a Girl

Ask any girl, and almost all of them will tell you being a girl stinks. I beg to differ. I think being a girl is great. I am a girly girl to the core. I paint my nails weekly. I love boys who sing and dance. I have a Yorkie named Izzie who wears bows in her hair. I have over nineteen pairs of shoes, and six of those pairs give me an extra height boost. I love glitter. I love doing hair and makeup. I love cheesy romantic novels. I love movies that make me cry. I love girls camp. I love Young Women's. I love being able to say "I am a daughter of God." I love hair curlers. I love the feeling you get when you know you look cute. I love the color pink. I love Disney princesses. I love jewelry. I love cheesy quotes. I love pretty dresses. I love lace. I love porcelain dolls. I love weddings. I love sister dates. I love to shop. I love girls night outs. Yes, there are some disadvantages to being a girl, but who would want to give up all the things I absolutely love that only come with being a girl? Not me! When you are a girl, no one looks at you like your crazy when you are up at 5:00am in a fuzzy purple bathrobe with pink curlers in your hair, painting your nails and belting Broadway so loud your neighbors are now probably awake. Being a girl definitely has more perks than disadvantages.

No Guilt!

I hate the dentist.... a lot. I hate shots.... a lot. When my dentist is giving me shots, well, lets just say it doesn't go so well. :) My mouth has been really numb since 4:30pm and I have hated it! My mom made a really, really yummy dinner, and was I able to eat it? NO! Then I bit my tongue. It doesn't hurt.... yet, but don't you worry, it will tomorrow morning! My jaw hurts like crazy though! When was the last time you held your mouth wide open for two hours straight!? My bottom half of my left side is just starting to tingle. I have the top half completely numb, and the bottom half tingling and hurting like no other! Yet, I still like to look at the bright side of things. You know that feeling when you eat three bowls of ice cream? You know, the guilty, slightly sick one? Well this is my third bowl of ice cream, and it is as soothing as ever! I know its gross, and it will hit me in the morning, but why not enjoy it while I can? :)

I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish, I wish tonight

I am a little girl at heart. The night sky is beautiful and enchanting. I feel almost like a princess as I look up into the never ending night sky. I could look at the stars for hours and never get bored. Tonight was my lucky night! There was a real meteor shower tonight and I was lucky enough to get to watch it with my family. This was a particularly special meteor shower because tonight happened to be my very first one! I gazed into the stars and made wish after wish as the beautiful meteors flashed through the night sky. I will be forever grateful for the gorgeous night sky.

SYTYCD!!!

Ah, how I love So You Think You Can Dance! Braiden and I like it.... a lot.... ok, so its a small obsession, but that's ok, right? I don't know why it always works this way, but we tend to watch it every Thursday night around midnight. It just works that way. It has become somewhat of a habit. Every Thursday night I lay on the couch with my fuzzy green blanket and become a dance expert. I watch for the extension of legs, how high the jumps are, the way they carry themselves and of course how well they dance the style they are thrown into. I do really watch for that stuff, but I also secretly squeal every time Kent Boyd comes on stage. Ok, not always secretly, sometimes one comes out, but Braiden likes to sigh when Lauren comes on so its ok. I was completely ecstatic when I learned Kent made it to the finals. There was in fact quite a bit of squealing. For all you sytycd watchers out there, we know the finale is a big deal. You can count on this Thursday night, Braiden and I will be downstairs watching and I will be practically screaming when Kent wins. Good luck to you Kent!

Just being Me!

I have been inspired! My best friend started a blog and she is an incredible writer! I decided I would like to pick up the talent so what is a better way to do it than to start a blog? As Maddie's traditional first post, here are 100 fun facts about me!
1. I have the bestest best friend in this whole wide world!
2. When Maddie and I are together, we speak in gibberish.
3. I love lotion.
4. I have a different lotion scent for every day of the week.
5. I won't drink milk unless its the chocolate kind.
6. I love the outdoors.
7. I love to water ski.
8. I love the summer.
9. Smiling is my hobby!
10. I am the 8th grade president at Lehi Jr. high.
11. I think being a pioneer is pretty great. Go pioneers!
12. Purple is my favorite color, and not because it is my school color.
13. I LOVE to laugh.
14. I love the smell of sunscreen.
15. Boating is my favorite thing to do.
16. You would never guess how great cheesy movie night is!
17. Big Bang theory is my favorite TV show!
18. Big Bang theory is the story of my life.
19. I love Taylor Swift!
20. I listen to Oldies quite frequently!
21. I have been in four plays.
22. Acting is my life!
23. I love to sing (that doesn't make me good at it.)
24. I sit in my sink when I do my make-up. Its not that weird, Maddie does it too!
25. I love soap.
26. I floss my teeth twice a day.
27. My name is Allison Elizabeth. (Not really, Maddie gave me my middle name because she thinks its pathetic that I don't have one.)
28. I love to dance!
29. I love ballroom dance!
30. I was an Edward fan until I saw Taylor Lautner in New Moon.
31. My closet is color coded.
32. I watch cheesy wedding shows when I am home alone and scared.
33. Say yes to the dress is my favorite cheesy wedding show.
34. Food Network is also great!
35. My biggest fear is getting kidnapped.
36. I forget what I'm talking about in the middle of sentences quite frequently.
37. I am absolutely terrible at grammar.
38. I could not spell to save my life!
39. I am in love with my bed.
40. Sleeping is what I do best.
41. I am terrible at directions. Braiden tells me I am like half a person when giving directions, Maddie is like half a person, and when you put us together, you get 1/8 of a person :) We have gotten him lost on more than one occasion....
42. A Midsummer Nights Dream is the best play I have ever been in!
43. I love fairies.
44. I love glitter!
45. I love sparkles.
46. I love clothes.
47. I love shoes.
48. I love princesses.
49. I love make-up.
50. I pretty much love being a girl.
51. If you lit a match in my bathroom, it would probably explode.
52. I love vanilla candles.
53. I have slept in until 1:00pm before.
54. I thought I would die when I was told I would have to wake up at 5:20am for ballroom practice every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
55. Disney is a brilliant man!
56. Ariel from The Little Mermaid was my childhood hero.
57. I did gymnastics for a really long, long, long, time.
58. I was a level 8 in gymnastics when I was 11.
59. When I did gymnastics I hated grips and I hated chalk.
60. I have run into screen glass doors before.
61. I am afraid of the fish in Utah lake.
62. My dad drives me over the dead fish in Utah lake when I am skiing, tubing, wake boarding, knee boarding, etc.
63. I am a die heart Utah fan! Go Utes!
64. I am more specifically a die heart red rocks fan! Go Utah gymnastics!
65. I am moving to Cancun with Maddie and we are going to be neighbors.
66. I am going to have a pond with a giant turtle named Stan in my backyard.
67. My pond is going to have a waterfall.
68. You will be able to swim in said pond.
69. "My friend," "My dear," "So you see," "Your a peach," and " Your my favorite!" are my favorite sayings.
70. I have the best parents in the entire universe!
71. My best friends name is Madison Amelia if you hadn't already figured that one out.
72. When Maddie and I go to the Utah gymnastics meets, we meet a lot of really cool old people.
73. Doughnut flippers are so stinkin' cool!
74. Maddie is probably laughing hysterically and no one else probably understands anything I have said.
75. I am extremely sarcastic.
76. Don't take anything I say personally, it was probably sarcasm.
77. I love the smell of burnt popcorn, but I don't like the taste.
78. I love fish.
79. I love crab.
80. My family has crab for Christmas dinner every year.
81. I am extremely ticklish!
82. I am 4' 11" and 1/4. I have to tack on the 1/4 because every 1/4 counts!
83. When I was little I wanted to wear glasses- not anymore.

84. I love hugs!

85. Chocolate is my favorite!

86. I am an honors student and its not nerdy so don't start talking!

87. My friends tell me I am paranoid about getting to class on time, its true but that's not a bad thing, is it?

88. When I am bored I do some really random things.

89. I love dogs, and cats, and I love puppies and kitties even more!

90. I didn't know there was this many things to tell about me.

91. I despise vacuuming!

92. I have only ever been to one haunted house and I will never go back!

93. I can't sleep with my closet door open.

94. I could be nocturnal.

95. I love sunglasses!

96. I am the queen of braking sunglasses!

97. I love little kids.

98. I have awful issues with vomit. I have stories if you ever want to hear them...

99. I could never be a doctor because of these issues.

100. I have the best family and friends and I love them all!

So there you have it! Me in a nutshell. I can't believe I made it clear to 100! I had no idea there were that many weird quirks about me. Oh well, I guess everyone else already knew I was really weird, so now you have it all laid out on paper!