Birthday Lovin'

IMPORTANT NOTE: Today's post is all Miss Katelyn Warin and involves several pictures…and all of my sappy comments about why she's so great! Happy Birthday, Kate! XOXO

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I met this girl i'm happy to call one of my best friends.  And actually, it wasn't all that long ago.  It was a little over a year ago.  And it wasn't in a galaxy far, far away.  It was here in Ames, IA.  

So let me start over.

Katelyn is indeed one of my best friends.  The best thing about her?  I can't give you an answer because she's just that great. 

Last night we celebrated Katelyn's birthday a day early.  It was your typical meat and potatoes type of meal.  AND we had cake! Now i'm not talking just any kind of cake.  This was a peanut butter ice cream cake from Cold Stone!  

Jealous? I would be too.  

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the cake itself.  The reason for that being it would be cruel to show you all a picture of this cake.  It actually has the power to overtake your jealousy to a point that you would have to drop whatever activity  you are currently doing and drive to Cold Stone.  

I'm saving you all a lot of trouble.  You can thank me later.

Anyways, I'd just like to say thanks Kate.

Thanks for being there through thick and thin.

For sharing my love of peanut butter.

For being my running buddy even if we do get winded because we talk too much.

For sharing your closet.  

Most importantly, for being YOU!

In honor of your Birthday i've carefully selected twenty pictures, one for each year of your life.

Note: it was either twenty pictures or twenty spankins' and a pinch to grown an inch.  I figured you'd appreciate the photos.  

Also note: I did indeed do some hard core Facebook creeping for some of these photos.  I have no shame.     

  

My personal favorite! You age well.  

Love you girl.

Forever and ever, amen. XOXO 

The Last Hurrah

I don't know what to say except the following: GoodGollyMissMolly celebrating Megan's bachelorette party a couple Saturday nights ago was a blasty blast!

Meet Megan my beautiful future sister-in-law…

Want to know why she's perfect for my brother?

1. She stands her ground.  Megan doesn't ever let Logan's smart comments get to her.  She's always got a witty comeback. Girl's got game.  

2. Logan's sisters (including myself) absolutely love Megan.  Now I'm not saying we're judgmental people… okay who am I kidding? We have always picked apart every girl Logan ever dated.  The good news is that Megan passed the test with flying colors.  It was love at sister-in-law first sight.  

3. Megan is a bargain shopper.  She makes extreme couponers look bad.  I'm guessing that's part of the reason Logan fell in love with her.  The kid loves a good bargain.  Like I'm talking definition of bargain shopper. Sadly, I did not develop that quality.  

4. Most importantly Megan loves my brother....even when he tells her the cake she baked for his Birthday tastes a bit dry....even though it took him a LONG time to finally propose...AND she loves him even after the time he backed his truck into her brand new vehicle (He never looks in his rearview mirror).  

Back to the Blasty Blast...Please note the height of my shoes above.

When deciding what to wear for a night on the town with the girls I oh so wisely decided on an adorable pair of high heeled wedges.  They were a must.  

Why you may ask?

Tall, fancy, and fabulous were the words flashing through my mind.  

Wrong, wrong, WRONG.  They were not a must. 

No matter what your mind tells you do not, I repeat do NOT wear heels for a night on the town.

I must say though, I did receive some compliments on my fabulous shoes...which made the pain fade a little bit.

I even had a guy ask me what I was going to school for.  I oh so proudly replied, "I'm studying agronomy!" To which he responded," You're an agronomist? You don't look like your typical agronomist to me." 

Way to stereotype mister.  

I'm a proponent of the saying anything boys can do girls can do better.  (Sorry boys. I'm all for strong independent women!)  

Anddddd back to the pain of my shoes...    

Let me paint you a picture of how I looked at he end of the night:

(Note: i'm basically crawling back to the hotel because I can't even walk.) 

I was saying things like "I'm never wearing heels again. I don't care if they're cute. I'm throwing them away when I get home."

I was looking like a hot mess all while walking barefoot through the streets of Des Moines.

I was following suit to my mother who was also on the struggle bus.   

I was in pain.  

I thought I might even cry.  And for those of you who don't know me I'm like Cameron Diaz in the Holiday; my tear ducts are dried up or something.  I just don't cry. (Okay, I'm not heartless and I do cry sometimes, but you get what I'm saying.  It's a rare occasion)   

Lesson learned: Comfort always overtakes fashion.  (Stacey and Clinton on What Not To Wear would 100% disagree with me.)  

   

Meet Mama Carrie: She's a gem.

Today, in keeping with that there-is-no-cohesive-theme-to-this-godforsaken-blog approach, here's a bit of info about my mom, Carrie. Carrie, my mom, is a Risk Manager at Musco Sports Lighting. Musco designs sports lighting systems of all different types.  From little league fields to professional sports stadiums all around the globe.

They even light the Olympics! 

My mother is and always has been a very strong role model for me.  Growing up I was taught the importance of education, the importance of setting goals and working hard, and most importantly the importance of giving grace to all (hence why she named me Alexandra Grace Ferguson, the longest known name to human mankind, which I absolutely love, even though it takes up every single space on test bubble sheets).  My mother has always been able to do both what she loves doing (and is very good at) as well as raise 4 successful children.  I'm inspired by my mom, a woman who has been able to have it all-- Family, Career, Strong Faith, etc. 

If I were to write a book about my mom it would be titled, Carrie Ferguson: The Pioneer of all Moms.

Why?

The name speaks to me.

Actually, I think it has a nice ring to it.

Actually, I think my Mom's better than your mom! Sorry! Not Sorry!

Okay… that was mean.  All moms are amazing, so don't forget to thank them for being so great! 

Speaking of great check out these pictures…

Tangent Time: 

1. I was a tank of a baby.

2. Can you believe that my dad actually had black hair at one point in time? (Gabby must have caused him to grey)

3. Speaking of hair, I must have caused my mom to pull her hair out because note it's long when I'm a baby but by the time I'm a toddler she cut it.    

anndddd back to my mom...

Reason I think my mom is great:

Did you know that my Mom has always forgiven me even when I make mistakes?

It's true.

And sometimes I am crabby to her on the phone when she is just trying to help.  And in those moments it reminds me of how ungrateful I can be at times with not just my mom, but God.

Whew. Glad I got that off my chest!

Reasons my mom is amazing? 

She always sends me encouraging messages.

She always knows what to say to make me feel better.

AND she reminds me that God has a plan.

Ladies: The following prayers are words my mother shared she is praying for me daily.  I'm sharing them with you in hopes that they are gentle reminders to 1. Never settle for less than what you deserve. 2. Realize your self worth. 3. Believe in God's plan.

Without further adieu or ado or whatever that word is… 

1. Let her learn early in life that to obey You, God, is the best way to the life her heart truly desires (1 Samuel15:22).

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2. May she find comfort in Your ability, God, to reach her, hold her and rescue her (2 Samuel 22:17-18).

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3. Let her find confidence in You, God, even when hard times come and she doesn't know what to do, by keeping her eyes fixed on You (2 Chronicles 20:12).

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4. May she keep herself under control and not give full vent to people and situations that anger her (Proverbs 29:11).

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5. Let her walk in the security of Your assigned worth to her. Give her a strong work ethic and health to accomplish all her tasks. Give her a heart that desires to extend her hand to those in need. Protect her for the right husband, a man of respect and godly honor. And let her be a woman of joy and laughter whose Christ-centered character is what makes her most beautiful (Proverbs 31).

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P.S. Love you, mom! Sorry I haven't answered your text messages today. Don't be hatin'.

  

              

    

Monday Morning Confession.

This morning I perfected the art of making the bed.

I'm not proud of my tactics...but sometimes you gotta' do what you gotta' do.

So here's the deal. Your landlords are coming to show your apartment today and you don't have time to pick up your clothes. 

You can't put the clothes under the bed because you already utilize that space for storage.

Hide your clothes in the closet?  Not an option.  Your closet is a walk-in so they are sure to show it to the potential renters. 

You contemplate throwing the clothes in the hamper to make them "appear" dirty, but it was already overflowing.

What are you going to do??

Hide the clothes under the covers.

You heard me. Do it. It feels so good. 

Oh yes! You're a clothes hiding bed making rebel. 

There's something about that rebellious feeling that just starts your Monday off right.

As you can see, it really works...

Side note: If you don't have enough pillows to camouflage the large bulge under your covers alert your roommates.

You don't want them to think you're hiding a dead body.

Happy Monday Everyone!

    

Five Things. Okay, Six.

1.Bump & Grind dominated the intramural volleyball league last night.

Warning: if you are not interested in listening to me complain, whine, or hate on the boys for not giving the girls enough credit... please stop reading now. 

"We have Logan "the finisher" Lanz who made a kid cry and Josh "the heater" Earll hitting serves at 80 mph" said Jeremy. "We also have Jeremy "BOOM" Maass who absolutely destroys the ball!" added Logan.   

"Logan and Jeremy," I replied.  "I think you're forgetting to mention some of the key players! (hint: Bay & Katelyn)"  I didn't add my own name to the list of forgotten players.  But I figured it was implied.  Clearly I was seeking attention.    

"You guys are great key players," Jeremy said. "But Logan and Josh are the finishers.  They put games away," he continued.

Say whhaattttt? Of course I realize he called us key players.  It's the idea that we didn't get cool names like Bay "the stupendous setter" Boysen or Katelyn "the game changer" Warin that upset me.  

I think I should be named Allie "the fergalicious" Ferguson.  It has a nice ring to it.  Don't you think?  No? Okay, you're probably right.  But the songs catchy.  You can't deny that.  

Somewhere in the middle of my sulking Logan came to the rescue, "I must say that we wouldn't be able to pound the ball without you girls diving for the ball or putting up key sets so we can spike the ball." 

Logan always knows what to say.  I'm happy he dates one of my best friends.  

Note: I like Jeremy too. I'm also happy he dates one of my other best friends.    

And that's the end of my story.

And just so we're all clear I LOVE the entire Bump & Grind team.

And we're in it to win it...anything else is just ridiculous.

2. I have a brother, brother-in-law, two sisters, and a sister-in-law on the way. Here's a picture of my sisters:

They're both beautiful.  I just thought I'd share. 

3. Speaking of sisters, Joslin came to town on Tuesday.  

There is just something about older sisters that makes everything better. 

They've been where you've been and know you better than anyone else.  

They love you even when you accidentally run their car into the closed garage door.   

OR...

Back your Moms new truck into their company vehicle.

OR...

My personal favorite.  Decide that you don't like your fruit rollup so you set it down, it melts to their jeans, and they proceed to walk all the way through Target without noticing. (Lesson Learned: ALWAYS eat your fruit rollups. Even if it kills you.) 

Sisters listen, give the best advice, make you laugh by telling funny happenings of their first year of marriage, and can almost always turn your frown upside down.  

Like I said, there's just something about them em'. 

4. Gabriella Gayle: A beautiful, carefree, loving 15 year old.

Gabriella is my little sister whom I love love love! 

She keeps me updated with the happenings on the Ferguson Farm by sharing beautiful pictures like these:

Yep- she's talented. 

5. I can't wait for June so I can celebrate Logan and Megan's wedding!

My personal invite came in the mail today, and i'm just going to say that I was beyond excited. 

Weddings: Love, Family, and Fun!

P.S. I forgot one more thing.

6. GO CYCLONES!

Two words: Cyclone Nation.

  

    

  

newbie.

Hi! I'm {Allie}

{Full name: Alexandra Grace Ferguson}

I grew up in the cornfields of Southern Iowa, but you can now find me in Ames, sporting Cyclone apparel + a smile.    

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This blog blossomed after I discovered what can best be described as a creativity spark. Well- it could have also been inspired by the book The Antelope in the Living Room... It's a must read.

Trust me you should read it sometime, you'll like it.  

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Grace In The Middle.  Random name?

1.My middle name is Grace.  

2.My Dad calls my Mother Gracie.{Don't ask me why, but its cute and they're in LOVE}

3.I'm the middle child, which means i'm the coolest. 

Note: My amazing siblings Logan, Joslin, and Gabriella are in a tie for 2nd coolest Ferguson child.

4.Grace, in Christian theology, is defined as the unmerited gift of divine favour, which brings about the salvation of a sinner.

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Please note: I don't have perfect grammar, I'm horrible at spelling, and I may say things that make absolutely no sense.  

That being said, I want this blog to be written in my own voice.

I may write a 15 paragraph essay about my love for running, a one-paragraph debate questioning why one needs to make their bed, or a simple photo capturing the beauty of a morning sunrise.

            I hope you all enjoy!            

  

I LOVE

{In no particular order}

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J.Crew                 Dogs 

  Pigs+Cattle            Social Media 

     Costa Rica            Reese Witherspoon

     My Mother,  Father,  Family,  +  Friends 

  Planting + Harvest + Calving Season 

 Fall in Southern Iowa 

College Basketball

Peanut Butter 

Running

Travel

God