The 31st of January is...
...my favorite person's birthday! Lance Edward Alleman -- also known as Lancey-Pancey (but only by Yours Truly) -- is none other than my very handsome, witty, and wonderful older brother. He has always been my #1 role-model and my vivacious partner-in-crime. Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without this guy. And guess what, ladies... He's single! (Just thought I'd throw that in there.)
Happy 27th birthday, old man!
Laughter.
A memory that makes me laugh.
This memory from a family trip to Gulf Shores in July 2009 makes me giggle every time. Luckily, I got it on camera!
Meet my boyfriend.
[18/365]
It's only the first day of class, and I already have a date with Mr. William Shakespeare himself. Things are moving pretty quickly, but I better get used to this... Billy and I are gonna be gettin' real close this semester!
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. | A Midsummer Night's Dream
Yet another reason why I love my father.
He can make friends with just about anyone. I mean, anyone. While walking down Main Street in Houston a few nights ago, a young homeless man (with a very foul mouth) approached me and my parents. He told us that he wanted some money for a beer, but instead of giving him anything, my dad asked the man his name and proceeded to make conversation. Mom and I walked quietly behind as "White Mike" -- the name that he called himself -- shared his brief but unfortunate story of cocaine addiction. He looked to be in his mid-20's, only a few years older than me. Dad continued to ask him personal questions and listened to the answers with the utmost respect. If I wouldn't have known any better, I might have thought that they were old friends. When we arrived at our chosen dinner spot, I waited for my father by the entrance as he pulled a couple dollars out of his pocket and said goodbye to his new friend, after politely suggesting that he start looking for a job. There's no doubt in my mind that the young man used the money to buy himself more alcohol. But my dad's reply to this was, "Well, at least he was honest."
Pre-selfie.
My favorite picture of myself.
Oh, jeez. I've never really had a favorite. But, if I had to choose, on the top of my head, I'd go with this one:
This photograph brings to mind some of my happiest memories in high school. It was taken October 28, 2008—my 17th birthday—and my friends had surprise-attacked me at 5:30 in the morning. (Too bad for them, I had woken up 30 minutes earlier to have coffee with my parents. Muahaha!) But even though they missed their opportunity to serve as my alarm clock, they helped me get ready in less than 15 minutes (which, I must say, is close to impossible) before driving me to Starbucks for my birthday celebration. As you can see, Shelby put a Princess crown on my head and Katie took pictures the whole way there.
I really like this one for two reasons:
1 :: At that moment, and every moment until the end of the day, I was splendidly happy. You know those days when you feel like you're on top of the world? Well, that's how I felt, like anything was possible. I'm not exaggerating when I say that everything about it was absolutely perfect.
2 :: For some reason, whenever I look at the girl in this photo, I see a teenage version of my mom. I feel like the resemblance between us is evident in a lot of our old pictures, but especially in this one. I'm not sure why that is, but I love it.
Defying gravity.
Ever since he was old enough to walk, my best friend has dreamt of being a pilot. (And if you knew Matthew, you'd know that he can accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.) He earned his license to fly a few months ago and promised to take Marissa and I up in the sky over the winter break. January 6th was the perfect day for our adventure among the clouds. 
I'm so proud of him!
A few resolutions.
In no particular order:
1. Get out more — make new friends, meet up with old friends, attend a college party, join a club, go on a date (or two), see a play, plan a shopping trip, get lost and learn my way around Austin, etc.
2. Study, study, study — aim to make higher than a 3.5 GPA this semester, get accepted into the UT Communications school, and learn for the sake of learning.
3. Limit the number of naps I take each week.
4. Get in shape — train for a 5K, and eventually a 10K.
5. Complete Project 365 — in hopes of becoming a more experienced photographer (and because it seems like fun).
6. Finish watching all ten seasons of Smallville — only five more to go!
7. Incorporate Scripture into my everyday prayer life.
8. Complain less, appreciate more — because nobody likes a whiner.
But most of all, using the words of Jason Alleman, I vow to be my true and authentic self in everything that I do.
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