I finally got to meet...

So this afternoon

I got to meet Lisa Birnbach!!!!!

I was BEYOND thrilled that she was in town.

She read for us

(it was so nice to hear her read, and she completely writes just like she speaks!)

She told us stories

We laughed

She laughed

We asked questions

She answered questions

We chatted

it was just fabulous!

Okay, so truth be told....

I tweeted a few hours prior to the event that I was going and was really excited!

I never in a million years thought Lisa would read it....

BUT SHE DID!

Right when she walked in, during the intro she asked

"Is medical prepster here? Ally?"

....

I was floored.

And flattered.

I timidly raised my hand and said hello, and Lisa told the audience how I'm a preppy and in medical school--- and how that never happens, because doctors are not preppies and preppies are not doctors, so for me to be both was quite an accomplishment.

I was so flattered (again).

Afterwards we chitchatted about medical school, Lilly (she liked my lilly!), Florida, New England, and BAH !

(BAH and Lisa met on Sunday, and they met Lilly Pulitzer herself!--click here for BAH's post)

Meeting Lisa was just lovely. She's extremely sweet, approachable, and an overall nice person.

Not to mention, funny!

It was such a pleasure!!!

Here's an upclose view on the pattern on the Lilly dress I was wearing!

If you haven't had the chance to meet Lisa yet on her book tour, make sure you do!!!

xoxo

A Day In The Life

Hello lovelies,

I've been an awful blogger the past, well, week.

We've had tons of family friends and family staying at our house,

so on top of studying I've been entertaining as well.

ie, I have been busy.

But I have missed you all SO much!

I just finished breakfast with the fam,

so I have to run,

but I promise I'll post later today with my holiday recap!

xoxo

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

(photo source)

I'm sitting down at my desk right now, inbetween checking on the turkey (the turkey is sort of a group effort this year... it's 24lbs! And let me tell you.....it's one big bird).

I think it's so important to be thankful, and to express it.

So can I just say, I'm thankful for my life?

I'd rather not make a list, for fear of leaving something out

But...I'll make a little list anyways

I'm thankful for my Mom

my family

my friends

my career

a roof over my head

good food to eat

clothes on my back

hot showers

fast internet

(this is no means everything I'm thankful for...but just a few things that come to mind)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!!

Enjoy the holiday!

xoxo

overseas thanksgiving

As I've mentioned before,

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

It's a pretty HUGE deal at my house.

Last year, so Thanksgiving '09

was my very first Thanksgiving NOT with my family.

I was pretty bummed at first,

I mean I was away at school in a foreign country

sans family.

THEN, my classmate BG and I decided to have our own makeshift Thanksgiving

We actually, believe it or not, had class on Thanksgiving last year!!

But we both skipped our last class, and went back to her place to watch

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to start cooking!

BG in the kitchen

BP cooking

Me putting marshmallows on the yams

Our little Thanksgiving spread

A few of us, helping ourselves to food, after saying grace!

We had a great time!

I know most people are traveling today, so safe journeys and a warm and happy holiday!!

xoxo

Holiday Gift App

Truth to be told,

I love Neiman Marcus

A few days ago, I got an email about their holiday gift guide!

FOR iPhone!!!!

(Not sure if they have one for Blackberry)

If you read the fine print at the bottom...

"For every download, Neiman Marcus will make a $1 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters"

How wonderful!!

Go download this App NOW!

I've already become obsessed with it!!

xoxo

Sleep and HP

So this past weekend, was suppose to be quite busy for me,

Festival of Trees Benefit Gala,

Festival of Trees,

Art in the Park,

Boat Show,

Museum Luncheon

......

And what did I do??

Yup, I stayed in bed pretty much all weekend.

Mother was sick last week, and I think unfortunately she passed it to me.

I got about 12 hours of sleep each night (much needed), and just relaxed.

Luckily, this morning, I'm feeling 100% better!

Thank goodness!

I did get out of bed to go watch Harry Potter 7

...did anyone else see it yet?

I hate to admit it... but

I was a little unimpressed.

Happy Monday y'all,

xoxo

surprise!

Yesterday, I got the biggest surprise!

(Mind you, I'm totally that person that doesn't like surprises, because I simply don't like the unknown of not knowing what to expect!)

Anyways...

I woke up yesterday morning to a message from MS

(MS was one of my roommates senior year at Bates)

(Mind you... I haven't seen MS since graduation!)

saying she was coming to see me for the night!!

I was thrilled!!!!!!

It was totally unexpected!!!

I've been having a rough week, and she was just the person I needed to cheer me up!

We went out to dinner, and hung out, laughed, cried, you name it.

Too fun!

We had the sweetest couple take our picture...they took like 6 photos, and we have the exact same pose in each one....go figure haha

Here's to starting off the weekend with a lovely surprise!!

Hope y'all have a great Friday,

xoxo

truth is...

This isn't how I planned it. This isn't how I imagined things would be. Life, yes, I'm talking about my life. This isn't meant to be a pity party, or me complaining. However, I realized last night that I have to come to term with a few things.

As much as I don't like admitting it, I'm 23.... turning 24 in about 6 weeks. Birthdays scare me in general. Why you may ask, because every year my list of things to do and see and accomplish gets longer and longer, and I don't seem to be checking off nearly enough!! It's upsetting.

I am fortunate and unfortunate to be quite Type A. I have everything always planned out in full detail, well in advance. Being in medical school, as a 20something, planning is hard...especially when it comes to my future. This frustrates me beyond belief. I've made plans my whole life, and I know by now that sometimes Life gives us better options that what we planned for... but that's still not really comforting.

I've never felt pressured about a boyfriend, or marriage, or anything of that nature. But slowly, I'm starting to feel it... from my friends. They're not doing it on purpose, of course, but I'm currently 1 of 2 (from my circle of girlfriends) that has NOT found "the one", that is NOT living with her boyfriend, that is NOT engaged, and that is NOT married. I've of course been to weddings in the past, but this summer (2011) will be my first official "Wedding Season"... as I have 3 weddings to attend. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond elated for my friends. It's just a constant in-your-face reminder that we're at very different points in our lives..... things were much simpler when we were in college. haha.

Speaking of boyfriends....I've had a long string of 20something boyfriends, who at the end of the day were confused about their own personal future, and thus confused about committing. Oh, the 20something man. I feel like I could write a novel on the 20something man.....maybe I should. A lot of my friends are trying to convince me to "casually date"... I draw the line there. Call me old school, call me whatever, but I won't simply date multiple men at once. Dating should be fun, yes, but isn't there..shouldn't there be a sense of commitment to it? Casual dating seems, to, well, uh casual for me.

For those of you that don't know, I'm currently in a complicated situation with this guy. A couple months ago, when we first got together, he said something to me.... and I was thinking about it last night.

him: "you have an edge about you"

me: "an edge??"

him: "yes, an edge, it's okay though, I understand it"

me: "have me all figured out?"

him: "not quite, but i do know that you're extremely guarded and you don't open up much very much, that's what gives you that edge. you're cautious, and when you do open up and let someone in, they become part of your circle"

And you know what?? He was 100% correct. So last night, while thinking about this...I made a bunch of lists... TO DO, PROs, CONs, WHAT I WANT, WHAT I DO NOT WANT, I even made a WHAT IF flow chart.... hahaha. I'm ridiculous at times, so please excuse me...but you know what my conclusion is??

I love coffee, I sleep in too much, I'm definitely not an open book but give me a chance and I'll show you that I wear my heart on my sleeve, I get emotional over silly things, correction: I get emotional over lots of things, I just never ever show it. I have a lot of pride, family always comes first, I always try my hardest, I sometimes fall for the guy that's not good for me.... I am a fiercely loyal friend though, and I always mean well.

I am babbling. So, please forgive me. THANK YOU, if you're still reading up to this point, haha. I just had a lot on my chest, and I needed to say it. I keep things bottled up sometimes for too long. I'm going through a point in my life, where unfortunately I don't have much control over anything (except how much I study).

Take home lesson??? Ally is TRYING to go with the flow, because at the moment, that's all I can do (support needed and much appreciate!!)

At the end of the day, the only thing that's constant about life, is that it's constantly changing,

xoxo

THE royal engagement

After 8 years,

Kate and William are engaged!!

I'm sure you all have already heard...

It was broadcast everywhere yesterday

(Clarence House even TWEETED about it!!!)

We were all expecting it to happen sooner or later, it was just a matter of time.

For those of you, uninterested in this engagement...

please read the following article a friend send to me, it should make you laugh:

Couple who met at university to marry

By James Browne

Two people who went to university together are to get married, it has emerged.

William Windsor (or possibly Wales or possibly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and Kate Middleton, both 28, met at St Andrews University eight years ago.

Mr Windsor is a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF – and also a prince.

Wall-to-wall, dewy-eyed hysterical coverage can be found in every other media outlet.

Click here for the link to the article

Happy Wednesday y'all !!

xoxo

25 questions!

Sara, from Pearls, Curls, and a Southern Girl , posted these questions, and I decided to play along!!

1. Do you see a lot of stars at night where you live?

Yes! We don't have any street lights in my neighborhood, which makes it very dark and ideal to see the stars!

2. Did you cry today?

Being that it's noon.....not yet, haha, but I guess there's still time for that!

3. What are you doing tomorrow?

Same thing I do every day....study!

4. What is the last movie you watched and what's the best thing about it?

"The Good Guy"

It's with Alexis Bledel. I cannot recommend this movie enough!!! Yes, it's sort of a romcom, chick flick, type movie....however... it's all about 20somethings dating life in NYC. My friends and I watched it over the weekend, and we related so much to it! GO RENT IT!!!

5. Are you craving any kind of food right now?

Right now, nope, just my coffee!!

6. Who slept in your bed with you last?

That's kind of personal...

7. Where were you at 9am?

At my desk, studying

8. How do you feel about your hair?

I'm usually whatever towards my hair. I get bored very easily, and sometimes make very dramatic changes (ie, cutting it all off, dying it black, etc)

9. Do you plan on having any babies and if so how many?

Currently, no plans for having babies. Ideally, I'd like to have a baby...meaning just one

Haha, i don't know, we will see. My life is at a very unpredictable point, so there's not point in me trying to plan for things at the moment. I'm just....going with the flow?

10. Do you wear makeup?

Rarely. Usually just lipgloss and mascara

11. Have you done any community service this year?

While living abroad (until August) I always helped out whenever I could!

12. What is the last concert you went to?

DMB

13. Do you have any secret wishes right now?

Secrets are secrets for a reason :)

14. Have you ever cried in front of the last person you kissed?

Haha, no. I've cried on the phone to him a few times, but not in person. I'm very weird about letting people see me cry. I think maybe only 4 people have ever seen me cry...

15. If you could be anywhere right now where would you want to be?

I believe it's who you're with.. not where you are

So as long as I'm with the people that matter to me, where we are , doesn't matter

16. How is the weather lately?

The past week it's been like high 60s - low 40s, and cloudy! Yesterday and today is super sunny, and high 80s. Go figure...

17. Where do you want to eat next?

I haven't thought that far ahead!! Maybe, Saigon?? It's this Vietnamese place here in town

18. What scares you the most about relationships?

I seem to get involved with men who have commitment issues, haha typical 20something. I get scared of letting my guard down, only for them to leave

19. What's your favorite sport to play?

Tennis and Lacrosse

20. Do you like chocolate?

Honestly, not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy chocolate... but I could live without it.

21. What are you listening to?

Secrets- OneRepublic

22. What happens to you when you get nervous?

I'm not sure actually.....I'll pay better attention next time and let you know! haha

23. Does the rain ruin your day?

If it's a weekend and I get to stay in bed all day and watch movies, then no.

24. What is your relationship status?

It's.....complicated???

25. Are you ticklish?

a bit

Okay, I'm not going to tag anyone specific, since I'd love to read more about all of y'all!!! Play along if you want!!

xoxo

Honey-Gingerbread Cookies

So I decided,

with Thanksgiving coming up so soon...

I'm going to post a recipe every day, along with my regular posts.

I'm just not in the Thanksgiving mood yet.

Everywhere I look, is fully decorated and ready for Christmas!

So hopefully these recipes will inspire me, AND you!!

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons ground ginger

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup honey

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

Royal Icing

Directions

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in honey and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Divide dough into 3 portions, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Slide dough and parchment onto a baking sheet, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and tap them firmly on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven, rotating sheets, and bake until crisp but not darkened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain round tip (such as Ateco #0 or #1). Pipe designs on cookies. Let cookies stand at room temperature until set, at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

To see this recipe and more Martha Stewart recipes, click here!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

xoxo

in just two weeks

In just two weeks.....

it'll be Thanksgiving.

I cannot even believe it.

just cannot.

I looked at my calendar this morning, and literally flipped out.

I mean, just TWO weeks away!

Thanksgiving is a huge deal at my house, and also happens to be my favorite holiday!

Mother and I haven't even begun to come up with our menu for this years' Thanksgiving...

I guess we should get on that soon!!

I cannot believe how quickly the fall is just flying by!!!

Can you?!?!

Happy Thursday,

xoxo