Monday, September 24, 2012

velvet taco for your soul.

i have been a little obsessed with this taco shop as of late. going three times in two weeks? it might have happened. at first i was a little worried because of my vegetarian diet but they have some incredible choices for those who aren't so meat inclined. i got the kung pao tofu taco and a fried paneer taco. and i could not shut up about them. seriously, by the end of the night everyone there knew that i was obsessed. i hadn't found anywhere in dallas that i can't get enough of. this. is. the. place.
now who wants to visit?

Friday, September 21, 2012

pick list.

some of you may think the only thing i think about ever is the killers. you are sorely mistaken. it's like 85% killers, 15% everything else. so there. [ps get into battle born, i promise it will be worth your while].

1 - [netflix watch instantly - once upon a time] - maybe i am watching every episode again before the season premiere on september 30th. those of you who have not partaken of that which is ouat, repent, get on netflix, and soak in all the goodness that are all your favorite fairytales. [and prince charming's face].

2 - [twitter - @normaltweetguy] this twitter account cracks. me. up. they are just way average tweets that are extremely mediocre and not clever or original in the least. which is why they are fantastic and get me every time.

3 - [pinterest - star wars teacups] i can't even handle these. i need them in my life. like yesterday.

4 - [tumblr - just say amen already] a tumblr blog that shares the sometimes cynical, always hilarious real life ways of being mormon. credit to anna for the find.

5 - [timehop] get an email every morning with what you did on twitter, facebook, and or instagram on that day a year ago. they are pretty fun to read, i'm not gonna lie. it just shared this one and it made me laugh out loud for real. several times.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

kind of like stealing.

this one time i got a dresser, a desk and a nightstand for a grand total of eighty dollars. as in eight zero. as in super cheap. yay for thrift stores that are the catholic version of deseret industries. yay for best friends who let me text them and ask for their sound opinion. yay for heavenly father fulfilling silly needs like having drawers to put my things in.

i have been wanting a dresser forlikeever. and finally, after three months, after numerous debates running circles in my head of what kind of furniture to get, i was able to take my clothes out of the cardboard boxes they came in and placed them in actual drawers. decorations to come soon...
did i mention they were eighty dollars? such a steal.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

austin: the departure.

yeah. there were three parts to this austin series. who knew. [not you].

we made two food stops in round rock before continuing the journey back to dallas. hannah's mom demanded she bring back donuts from round rock donut so that was stop numero uno. and wouldn't you know it, they had the biggest donut i have ever seen. appropriately named 'the texas donut'. [everything is bigger in texas, remember?]

after we had our fill [which i didn't have due to the no sweets deal. next time!] we went to the salt lick, which was supposed to have the best bbq around. i didn't have any but the sauce was way good and may i say they had the best potatoes i have ever been privileged to put in my mouth. really. so good. i also had a nice large salad and more bread than i am willing to admit. i regret nothing.
 
a vegetarian's paradise.
also. do i even need to say it? battle born today!!!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

a stalwart example.

i have been convincing people that brandon flowers was mormon since i was fourteen. and when he came out with his mormon video i did several fist pumps and then watched it about eight billion times. and then when anna sent me this video this week, i died. i actually died.

basically brandon gives the sweetest testimony and then stands up for the church to renowned evolutionary biologist and atheist, richard dawkins. [btw the interview is just for the first twelve minutes and then there is the performance at the end].
just a couple thoughts:
  1. i love brandon.
  2. he was definitely ambushed but acted extremely appropriately and classy.
  3. although i don't agree with mr. dawkins and thought he was a little less polite than he could have been, i don't think he was aware that brandon wouldn't have a chance to speak for himself.
  4. knowing that people live without hope or faith that our father in heaven loves and looks after them makes me sad.
  5. i love brandon.
i only hope that i am able to face this kind of confrontation with the sincerity and confidence that brandon did. i think he was a great example of stalwart faith and kindly disagreeing with those with opposing views, without cowering or backing down.

Friday, September 14, 2012

austin: the city.

while in austin, we got to hang out about the town a little bit and i have got to say that i totally loved it. it is green and it never felt crowded and there is a beautiful river that runs right through it all.

saturday night we had dinner on sixth street which was a 'must' and sunday before church we checked out the capitol, which was so beautiful. did you know texas is the only state that is allowed to have the state flag alone on the top of the capitol building, without the company of the usa flag? true story.
[i cheated.]
 [davey crockett. we used to call my little brother davey crockett. we were hilarious as children.]
me. shana. hannah.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

awake is better than asleep.

i have been listening to battle born streaming through itunes [still can't own it until the eighteenth] and it is almost too good to be true. i am actually sad that i have to go to bed because that means i can't listen to them anymore and it might not be there in the morning. how have i made it all these years without this? and how will i last until tuesday to have it all for myself? i honestly don't know. i have so many feelings i don't know what to do with myself.
one of my favorite lines right now:


i saw you in a restaurant the other day
instead of walking toward you
i ran away

from here with me


why. why must they do this to me.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

austin: the conference.

i had been planning on going to austin for labor day all summer for the young single adult conference which was to be run by my good friend adam ruri. friday i was itching to get there so i left work a couple hours early and split with my friends shana and hannah [yeah, i didn't get invited to the rhyming names club]. three and a half hours of snacks, laughs and girl talk later we arrived in austin and the fun began. 

the conference consisted of night games, a few service projects, water games, a bangin' dance, and a few speakers. we met a lot of cool people, ate some great food, danced our hearts out and heard some inspiring talks that were so perfect to hear.

this was my first ysa conference [well, i would say that my entire four years at byu was a ysa conference...] and it will be hard to beat! here are a couple pics of the fun times.
it was so fun seeing my friend! and i got to meet his fiance, who is amazing of course. congrats you two!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

a second letter to the cute boy in the red toyota:

hey.

wow.

i mean, wow. i saw you again yesterday. some people call that fate. i also call it fate. 'you are my density.' [back to the future reference.] [i am on a roll with these 80's movie sci fi references.] [making a note to stop.]

anyway, what a coincidence right? out of the hundreds [thousands?] of people leaving at the five o'clock hour to hurry home from work, i end up with you. again. i mean. wow.

so you have an iowa license plate. that's cool. i am assuming you're from there. did you grow up on a farm? did you play in corn fields as a child and sleep under the stars? i am imagining you in a straw hat and shirtless with overalls on right now. that's cute.

oh geez. you're fixing your hair in the rearview mirror. could you not? it's like you know that a nicely coiffed head of dark hair is my very favorite. ok. ok now you're just taunting me.

so who are you talking to on the phone? [good job not texting btw. we're making strides.] it's probably your mom. your mom who is in iowa shucking corn as you tell her how much you miss her and her home cooking. hey, i can cook. true story. i taught myself, like, two years ago. i must say i am just keep getting better and i would love to start cooking for two. but i mean whatevs.

last time we were together, i hung around, got to know you a little bit, waited until you made your exit. but this time, i am going to tempt our density destiny and leave you first, without looking back. [this is called 'hard to get'. my sister told me about it once.] if we ever meet again [ugh, yes, that was a timbaland/katy perry reference] i just don't know what the universe would be telling us.

yes i do.

it would be saying 'hey ahlin and red toyota boy. what up. why are you being so dense and not answering when fate comes knocking - nay - crashing down your door? come guys. we're all adults here. have a little sense and talk to each other. thanks.'



until next time, cute boy in the red toyota...

Monday, September 10, 2012

insta + killers.

basically nothing new but everything great.
a bunch of mormons hanging out at yogurtland
this is what sunday school looks like.
thought i had a cookie sheet. nope. just a pie pan. #makingdo
it is definitely possible to eat entirely too many dried mangos and it still not be enough.
pretty stained glass at a favorite local mexican restaurant.

and remember that time i posted way too many killers videos?
neither do i.
their album is coming out next week and when i saw this i may have yelped and i love brandon and he talks a lot more than usual so i watched this a few times and it's fine.

you know i will be live streaming that allllll night.

Friday, September 7, 2012

pick list

even though it was a four day work week, i am so ready for the weekend and all its netflix, no pants, sleep in glory. so for your friday pleasure, i leave you with some of my favorites from the week. yay.

1 - [buzzfeed - haunted house hidden camera] oh man. i am seriously dying of laughter looking at these. beware looking at these by yourself in public and or quiet places.

2 - [mumford & sons - i will wait] i cannot get enough of this song and maybe i do a fist pump every time it comes on the radio.

3 - [pinterest - nothing is really lost until your mom can't find it] such truth.

4 - [mane 'n tail] - i've used this a couple times and it honestly does make my hair thicker. aaaand i like that it has directions for 'animal use' and 'human use'.

5 - [twitter - @everyword] a twitter account dedicated to tweeting every single word from the dictionary. now that's just cool. basically they tweet one word every half hour and they will be finished in 2013.


on my areyoukiddingmepleaselordno pick list:

1 - [buzzfeed - amy poehler and will arnett split] no. no. no no no no no nonononononono. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. #crying #trueloveisdead

Thursday, September 6, 2012

and then i bought myself a texas t shirt.

yep. still not blogging about austin yet.

but can i interest you in my brand new texas t shirt that i bought for myself from tj maxx because  maybe i am acquiring a bit of texas pride and i tried on like three different texas shirts? i mean, have i ever in my life owned a utah t shirt? nope. not even a california t shirt. [let's ignore the fact that i love and live in my five dollar new mexico sweater for a second.]

texas is known for its state pride and most people hate on it, myself included, before i decided to change my ways. but do you know why it is such a prominent attribute of this state? because it is so fun. to have something you just go crazy over, and not just you, but everyone around you. it is ridiculously fun and i have decided to revel in it while i am here.
plus it is way cute. huzzah.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

an open letter to the cute boy i shamelessly followed after work:

hey.

hey there.

so you were driving behind me and i saw you in my rearview mirror and i was like, whoa. that guy is cute. basically i kept staring. those cool shades, your kempt, unkempt hair, the white polo, and a ringless left hand, i mean, who wouldn't give you a second glance?

i see you drive a toyota. i also drive a toyota. i was too enthralled with your cool looks that i didn't see what kind it was but it was red and red is power. power is great. but only if you use it wisely. i mean, have you seen star wars? i'm sure you have, but you probably don't use star wars references in everyday conversation. i'm trying to work on that. my bad.

hey. i see you like water. i also like water. i keep a water bottle with me everywhere. i bet we would look good drinking water together.

uh oh. you are texting while you drive. i'm not sure how i feel about that. i'm just going to assume it is really important, like someone will die if you do not send that text this second. although, someone may die if you do send that text this second. hmm. we'll talk about this later. i'll forgive you for now.

by the way, it totally did not cross my mind to accidentally tap your bumper with my car so we would have to pull over and talk face to face. because that would be crazy. crazy. plus i'm not even wearing eyeliner or lipstick today. so it wouldn't do me much good anyway. but i did shower so my hair is looking extra thick and shiny which gives me a few bonus points... but yeah, hitting you with my car equals legitimate reason to be institutionalized. which is why it did not cross my mind once. or twice.

i love that you took the scenic, less direct, but faster route. where do you live? do you live in my apartment complex? will we realize that we live right next to each other as we get out of our cars and check the mail? are you going to ask me for my name and number, ask me out, ask me out again and again, until i tell you i only marry mormons and you say 'that's cool' and you take the discussions and you read the book of mormon and you believe every word and you get baptized and we get married in the temple a year later and live happy ever after for eternity?

oh wait. you're turning left.

don't mind me while i shamelessly stare at you as i drive by.




until we meet again, cute guy in the red toyota.

love,

the red hot redhead in the silver rav

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

austintown.

it was a good holiday.
more to come.
once the clothes are put away, the apartment cleaned, the fridge stocked and the sanity regained.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

i'd actually like to stay awake through the entire month of september, thanks though.

this is only the most important month of my life. september equals labor day, all my tv shows coming back, cooler weather [maybe?], mere weeks until i see my family in utah for the wedding of the season, and, lastbutnotleastmostimportantactually, the killers are coming out with their first album in four years. 

my soul has been waiting for this for a very long time and i don't really know how it will react. wait, yes i do: pure ecstatic joy, the kind where there is so much goodness to soak in you don't even know where to start. i might cry, i will scream, and there is nothing that will be running through this girl's mind besides the lyrics that i can only imagine will throw me into a state of unadulterated euphoria.

anyway.... they have been releasing 'teaser trailers' for their upcoming album so i thought i would share the finished product that came out this week on this glorious first day of september. let the countdown begin! [haha jk i've been counting down for months.]


there are probably two people on this earth who actually understand and fully accept the love i have for brandon. one of them is anna and the other is my future husband who is somewhere around here and i have yet to meet.