Tweet tweet.

I've had a twitter for about two years now. When I first got it, it was well known but people that I actually knew or interacted with didn't have one. My dad was one of my only followers at the time. I didn't tweet much but when I did it was like funny inside jokes between friends or just random quotes. After having it for a year, people started to jump on the bandwagon and got a twitter. I used to only have about 11 followers, but now I currently have 108 followers! Yay, I moved up in the world... Anyways, I love twitter because you can follow your friends, celebrities, television shows, news, etc. It's a good way to know what's going on and communicate with others using only 140 characters. You can post things from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest etc. to Twitter to show others what you are looking at. I honestly love reading subtweets, which is where people will tweet about someone else without actually saying who they are because it's hilarious! Twitter is SO entertaining and I enjoy it so much! I swear it is also a self esteem booster because I get all excited when people favorite or retweet my stuff. Anyways, I'm all about the Twitter. Follow me; @allisontee 

WINNING.

BYUSA had social media week last week. They were giving away sundance tickets, JDawgs vouchers, iPods, and Jazz tickets. There were different contests that you had to enter in order to win anything. There was a time where they posted questions onto their BYUSA page on facebook where people had to come up with the best answers. There was another contest that lasted all week where you had to post a picture on instagram to represent what your BYU is. There was another contest on instagram where they took random pictures of students from BYU and people had to come up with the best caption. Another thing they did was see who was the fastest texter. Also they had a competition on twitter to see who has the most creative answers. Well, the whole point of me talking about this was that I actually won something!! I really wanted to win some Jazz tickets because I thought it would be fun to attend a Jazz game as a part of my Utah experience. I added BYUSA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. So I started to do all of the contests to try and win something. Well I found out today that I won 2 Jazz Tickets because of a caption I made on one of the pictures on Instagram. They haven't told me yet what picture but I was SO excited to hear that I actually won because I don't win things often in contests. I get to pick them up tomorrow in the Wilke at the BYUSA office. I am sort of hoping that it will be the game against Portland Trail Blazers, but if not, it's okay I will still have fun with my best friend!

I don't like it.

I really don't like it when I'm right about things that I call out. I'm very honest with my friends because I would rather them know the truth than a lie. You know? Well, recently my friend (I shall not name names) was going out with this girl from home, who isn't a member. They started dating each other toward the end of senior year and decided to try out the whole long distance thing since he attends BYU while she attends University of Washington. Well, I told him that it wasn't healthy for him to date her because he was always so sad that she was never here and that she hung out with guys all the time. He also would always complain about how he puts more into the relationship than she does. It just made me sad to see him suffer because I know he deserves more. He has been considering not going on a mission because of his future with her and all this stuff. Well, just recently, she broke up with him. I was SO sad for him and I didn't know what to do. I felt really bad because he was like, 'well you called it.' I didn't know how to respond and I felt super bad. I just hate being right about these situations and it makes me so sad. I don't like it when guys cry or when they are super upset because it affects them so much through a heartbreak. Anyways, those are just my thoughts for the evening... I hope I didn't bore you.

The mission announcement

In the October 2012 General Conference, the prophet announced the new mission ages, 19 years old for girls and 18 years old for boys. When I heard about that announcement, I was with some of my real close friends here at BYU and I had such an amazing feeling come upon me. We were all freaking out and super excited for the new age! Everyone was talking about it - it was all over Facebook, twitter, etc. It was such a big deal and it was super awesome. At first, it got me thinking about actually serving a mission and it never crossed my mind since we weren't able to go on one until we were 21. Then, I prayed about it hard each day and became spiritually in tune to figure out if it's the right thing to do. Well, I haven't felt anything strong enough to where I need to serve a mission right now. It's not in my plan right now but you never know what will happen, it's still an open option. 

It's been about 3 months now since they've announced it. I find it so amazing how many people have turned in their papers to go on a mission and how many girls have the desire to go on a mission now. It's so exciting because I love to hear about my friends or other people tell me that they have turned in their papers. Lately, many people from my singles ward have opened their calls and it has makes me so happy to find out where people are going and how they will be serving the Lord. I'm so grateful for those who put their lives on hold to go serve the Lord for 2 years. It's dear to  my heart because my grandparents were converted into the church and I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the missionaries that taught them. 

Kanye and Kim?!

When I found out that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were dating, I thought it was such a joke. First of all, Kanye West is super full of himself. I mean, I understand that he is very talented and has made lots of money but that has given him so much pride which is disgusting. Kim thinks a lot of herself in the context of her beauty. She is seriously famous for nothing and isn't even all that. I guess it totally makes sense that they are together but I though it was hilarious. Then I found out a month ago that she is pregnant with his child and her divorce isn't even finalized! Oh man, I don't think that two people like that should bring a child into the world... The baby is going to be one hot mess. Kim can barely hold onto a marriage and Kanye is very narcissistic, which doesn't make for a good combination to raise a child. I know that the baby will be very well taken care of since both the biological parents are wealthy but in my opinion they are still immature at heart. I probably shouldn't judge but I think that if you are going to bring a child into this world, you should be committed in the relationship, as in being married, and then decide that you are ready to have a child. Anyways, that has just been a thought on my mind lately because the society today, especially in the entertainment business, is so messed up that it makes me sad to watch all of this happen.

Snapchat.

Seriously though... Snapchat was one of the best apps ever created. Yes, I am guilty for taking a bunch of selfies of myself and that's probably why I love it so much. Well, if you haven't heard of it... It's an app where you can take pictures of whatever you want and you can type in a caption or draw all over it. Then you can set it between a time of 1 to 10 seconds and send them to any of your friends in which they can only access them for that amount of time you set it to and then it's gone FOREVER (unless your a pro and screenshot it).  Plus, they just added a new feature where you can take videos now! It's a pretty fun and entertaining app to connect with friends. It's basically texting except for with pictures. This app gives you a whole lot of reasons to take random photos of yourself and of other people and things. I get super entertained. OH and you can also save the photos that you take!!! All in all, I think anyone who owns a smartphone or ipod touch, should download it and get their friends hooked to it! I'm not a big person on apps for my phone but I have found this one to be entertaining and enjoyable for everyone.

80's Night!

YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING COOL? There is a club named Area 51 in Salt Lake City, Utah that has an 80's night. It is every Thursday at 9 pm. Girls get in free before 10, otherwise it is $10 a person. Trust me that sounds like a lot of money for a college student just to go out to dance, but I promise you, if you enjoy the 80's as much as I do, you'll enjoy it very much! If you get a group of friends to go, it's so much fun. They (obviously) play 80's music all night and you just get to have a good time with your friends. The cool thing is that you can dress up like they did in the 80's to make it an even better experience. I'm sorry if you're reading this and don't find this fun at all but I'm just so crazy about it! My parents grew up in the 80's and growing up they have always played 80's music. When my friend told me about this, we got a group together and we had the 'time of our life' (quoting 80's song by Whitney Houston). I personally love attending dance parties with friends and just having a good time. I have only attended 80's night two times now because we don't want to go each week because then we wouldn't enjoy it as much. It's just fun to go every once in a while and you don't have to be all ratchet when you dance. You can just be yourself and have a crazy good time, even if you can't dance (which is in my case). Anyways, if you are an 80's lover, I recommend you go and experience it at least once, but if not, you can completely ignore anything I just said.

Homesick.

          "There's no place like home." That statement is so true! I miss being at home so much. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life and being here for college is such a change. Utah weather is completely different from Washington. Snow versus rain - actually having all seasons here whereas it almost rains about 300 out of the 365 days a year in the Pacific Northwest. Snow is a lot to get used to, especially the temperature that goes below 20 degrees... So much to handle.. Anyways, I have been quite homesick these past couple of weeks especially since those three weeks of break made me want to stay home. I'm very close with my family and friends which made me so afraid to leave them behind to start this new life. I've never actually been away from home for such a long period of time and I don't have any relatives that live around here to visit. My life is back in Washington. It's so hard for me because majority of my friends stayed in state for college while I was one of the few that actually went out of state to this wonderful university. I'm so grateful to be able to attend such a great school and able to get a spiritual experience through my education. I'm the first one in my family to go to college and this was a big deal to me. I just miss being at home because I am unable to experience this time with any of my friends from home or with my family, but I know that coming here was the best decision I've made so far in my life. It's just been one of those days where I wish I could be at home to get away from the stress and drama. I have found that if I distract myself with my close friends here and that I focus on my school work, I don't think about home too much in the sense of me wishing I was there. Whenever I write these blog posts, I tend to rant on and on about random things... Well anyways, I would like to end with a quote that one of my counselors from high school said to me: "This isn't a goodbye, it's a see you later." That has stuck with me ever since he said it, and I know this statement to be true because I know that I will be home sooner than I think. I know that everything I'm doing here is for a good reason and that I will be back home in no time. As hard as it is to be away from home, I know that we are all experiencing the same emotions of missing each other.

BYU Men's Volleyball

          In high school, we never had a boy's volleyball team, just girls. So when I found out we had a men's volleyball team, I thought that was really cool and exciting! Plus last semester I met a couple of guys that play on the team and now I'm friends with them. 

         Last Friday night, my friends and I decided to go to the volleyball game to support BYU. The team that they played was the Lewis Flyers, which they are from Illinois. I was super excited because I love attending sports events and showing school spirit! We arrived just as the first game started, so our seats were up at the top but that's okay, we were still able to see and have fun. In volleyball, you must win 3 out of 5 games. As we watched, it was super intense! We learned cheers to go with the volleyball game and just yelled like crazy! The first two games BYU won, and after two games there is a half time. During half time, they play music and give out tshirts and such. My friends and I were dancing to the music, and found out later that we were on BYUtv for it!! Looking back it's kind of embarrassing but it was all good. As half time was over, the third game started. All of a sudden, the other team was dominating and started to fight back. Lewis ended up winning the next two games, which meant that they both had to fight to the end to win the 5th game. It was SUPER intense, but BYU just didn't have their head in the game, and we lost. It was a sad moment, but it's okay because that was our first game to lose.

          I found out that we are the 2nd in the nation for men's volleyball and the team that we played, Lewis, was the 13th in the nation. We played them again the next day, Saturday, and defeated them with just three games in a row. So all in all, both teams got to win a match. I encourage those who have an all sports pass or even those who don't, should at least attend one game. Also, I encourage those to attend other BYU sports games as well.

Dear Students: Don't let college unplug your future.

You know... I'm not a huge fan of any kind of reading that I have to do for classes but this was actually very interesting and it could possibly be because it relates to me and my future. I found it really interesting that a professor wrote this to students/people of this generation about how college is slow to date and that you shouldn't attend college because more people are concerned about your online reputation rather than your resume itself. I was very confused on why a professor would even write this in the first place, especially since he mentioned that this could be alarming to tuition offices at universities or colleges. Anyways... I thought he did really well with his style of writing because it caught my attention and didn't make me bored while reading it -- and by that I mean that he was writing to a specific audience (my generation) which made me interested in reading it. I also thought that his tone of voice for this article made it more appealing because he was serious but also fun about it which made me connect with what he had to say. Here's the thing though... Although he did keep me interested, the article wasn't all that great. He was just very vague about this topic. He certainly knew his stuff about how people should be connected into the realm of the internet and if they are not, it will make them less appealing to jobs but that just wasn't enough because he didn't really back up with what universities and graduate students are doing wrong opposed to those who have an 'online status.' I'm not really sure if that makes sense but I'm trying to word it out... Well, he didn't do enough research because he didn't even give examples of how people will be more connected through their online reputation compared to those who have degrees. Although it was a very interesting article and I enjoyed reading it, it wasn't as professional or great when it came to what his actual point was. He just wanted to show everyone how important technology is to this generation and how much we rely on using the internet as a source and tool than to his actual point in getting a job. That's all.

About Me

          My name is Allison Thompson. I was born in Portland, Oregon on October 23, 1993, which would make me 19 years old today. I lived there for the first 10 years of my life and then moved to Vancouver, Washington (which is right across the border) and have lived there ever since. I am, in fact, the middle child of three. I have an older brother named Joshua, who is 22, and a younger sister named Careese, who is 16. My parents aren't together anymore, as of my sophomore year of high school. Thus, my sister and I are currently living with my father. My family is the most important thing to me. I am so grateful to have them in my life and would do anything for them. Especially through all the hard times we've had in the past 3 almost 4 years. I must say that I've lived pretty much an easy life, but there has always been setbacks due to the trials I've gone through.

          My grandparents, on my fathers side, joined the church when my dad was two years old. It's been such a blessing in my life to be a member of this church and I'm so grateful for whoever converted my grandparents. When I was young, my grandparents were always the ones taking my siblings and I to church because my parents were always working, which made them inactive, plus my grandparents lived next door. When my family moved to Vancouver, we never went to church because that's just how it was with my parents and that never motivated us younger children to go. Once I hit middle school, girls from church would invite me to mutual and just other church activities but I still wouldn't let myself attend church on Sundays. Once I hit high school, one of my friends from church invited me to attend seminary. I started to go to early morning seminary every day and decided that I should start attending church on Sundays. I started to get a ride from my friend and her family every day and then encouraged my sister to come with. Since that day, I've been active in the church and have learned to love the gospel so much. Although, my father and brother are still pretty inactive in the church, I still love them and hope to be that great example in their lives to eventually get them to come back.

          It's been a rough few years because I have lived in a single parent household and it's been a struggle to go through. There were times where we were barely making it through the week because of my dad's paycheck. My mother left our family my sophomore year and doesn't help out that often. My sister and I see here once in a while, but it's only for a short time. We live with our dad, who has taken very good care of us since we were born. He is very important to me and has been such a hero in my life. It was very hard for me to go to college because I didn't want to leave my sister and dad. We have grown so close together and it was such a struggle for me to move on with my life but I know it's in the plan God has set for me.

           I know I started off with some very heartfelt and deep stuff, but now I shall tell you more about me. I have been told by people that I have a contagious smile, a very good listener, very honest and trustworthy, a good friend, a sense of humor, etc. I am quiet when you first meet me but once you get to know me, I am crazy fun! My whole life I have always put others before myself because that's just how I am. I love to serve others and make people happy, even when I'm not. I know that I should be putting myself first, but I just have such a big heart for others and love to see people smile. I would, in all honesty, do anything for anybody that needs help, comfort, and love. I just want people to know that someone cares and loves them.

          I don't have a 'special talent.' Well, at least I haven't found that one special talent yet. I am not artistic, athletic, musically talented, etc. I once tried to be good in those categories, but they never worked out. I am still looking for that one thing I'm good at, in which I haven't found what major I want to do yet. I wanted to be a psychologist or a journalist at one point, but I don't think I'm all that interested in either. I am undecided and hope to find that one thing that I am passionate about. I must say though, I love music because of the talent that is put into it, which is why I love to go see people perform live at concerts because it just makes me happy. I am very open to music and not just stuck on one category. I love listening to new bands or finding out about new songs. Music is just one of those things that brings joy to me.

          I'm very good at wasting time -- watching movies, playing games, sitting around, taking naps, avoiding homework, social media, etc. I must say, I just love media, which is why I'm so glad that our emphasis in this class is media. I'm sure we can all agree that we love to waste time... It's just more fun than doing school work. I have tons and tons of movies but I left them at home because I knew it would be such a bad distraction for me. I have an iPhone 5, which is already a big distraction to my life, but it's such a useful tool and I love how advanced technology is these days. I love Facebook and Twitter -- the amount of entertainment, and always knowing what's going on is so awesome. I think social media is just super fun and very useful especially when you're off to college and want to know what's going on back at home.

          Anyways, I feel like I'm just ranting on because I know I can talk for days about myself because I like when people get to know me. Well, this is my life in a nutshell, (or maybe more?). I just love life and that we were given the opportunity to come to this Earth. I know it's a hard time to live in now, especially with our morals and standards, but it's our trust in the Lord which will help is get through. I would like to end with one of my favorite quotes: "Life is about laughing and living in good and bad times, getting through whatever comes our way, and looking back with a smile." - Anonymous. I strongly believe in every word of that quote because we must live our lives to the best of our abilities and nothing is hard for us in this life, because God wouldn't give us trials or let us go through anything if it was too hard. If we are optimistic and do what is right, we should live happy and successful lives.