“And if strength was born from heartbreak...

 then mountains I could move."

 [grandma Allen & me circa 1989.]

dearest grandma Allen,
i think of you everyday. i miss you everyday. i send my Love to you everyday. 
but you already know that, right?  because most days, i know that you are checking in on me... watching over us one by one.  last week i caught a whiff of your perfume... it took me back to every hug i have ever given you & they replayed in my head all at once.  i closed my eyes & felt so loved.

i always see you in my dreams.  you always let me know that you are ok & that you love me.  they are the best dreams, vivid & so real.  i think it's our way of communicating.

i try & make you proud, grandma.  i think you would be.  i have started standing up for myself, grandma.  sometimes i feel like you & Jesus are high-fiving whenever i stick up for what i believe in & not being a doormat.  you are such an inspiration, grandma. you were such a smart, sassy, confident woman & your life was focused on Love. your Love has impacted our lives more than you could ever imagine.  our family is truly built on a foundation of Love, one you laid for us.

we miss you like crazy, but we send Love to you & one another every single day.
  
nothing is the same since the day you had to leave. all of our hearts feel pangs of missing you each day- but our hearts are filled with your Love & the wonderful memories you left with us.
its hard without you, grandma. but, i know you are here.
you would have Loved Christopher's wedding.  it was just like a good ole fashioned Allen wedding.  eating, dancing, Loving the night away.

you'd be thrilled, grandma, we are all loving & living. because we know we will see you again & it will be better than any Allen event in the past...(though that is totally hard to believe.) ; )

I miss & Love you so much,
your Annie.

thankful for you.

{via: flickr.}

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

with lots of love,
Happy Thanksgiving.
xo-

a little update.

{via: here.}

hello loves!

i just wanted to let you know that i am featured on the wonderful blog yes and yes today! i am so very excited that the brilliant sarah von invited me to post for her! & next week she is going to post here! hooray!

also, i started an internship with amazing company buttoned up! they are absolutely the nicest people in the world to work with & i'm so very thankful for the opportunity!

oh, & i just got an email from my bank letting me know that the raffle i entered in August for a free laptop...yeah, i WON!

oh my goodness! so exciting!
xo-

how wonderful!

{via: tumblr.}

i have officially started my thanksgiving break.

no work.
no school.
until next monday!

i am so very happy about this.

as for the moment, i am off to enjoy some 30Rock without worrying about any assignments, meetings, or major tasks!
xo-

Oh, happy [fri]day !

{via: flickr.}

fewf, t.g.i.f.!

have a splendid day!
xo-

p.s. guaranteed to make you smile.

the hostess with the mostess.

my sister katie threw an awesome party for her two girls' birthdays last weekend.
it was a book theme & we dressed up as characters from our favorite books.
it was pretty much amazing.

see more here & here.

xo-

A weekend in... Lawrence, KS.

i am so excited to share with you all one of my very first published articles!
a huge thanks to my brother-in-law brandon for photographing some of Lawrence for my piece-- His work is absolutely amazing!

& a ginormous thank you to the sweet Jessie for letting me contribute to their amazing magazine-- she is the editor-in-chief, how awesome is that?!

xo-

for they are the true heros.

To our Veterans:
Thank You for all that you do.
you are heros.

we love you!
[my brother-in-law chris & baby natalie. 2006]

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -Joseph Campbell.

in our hearts you'll always be.

{playing hoosker-do circa 1994(?) at gma & gpa allen's.}

dearest gma allen,
a year has passed since we lost you, but you have remained firmly in our hearts.
we feel you with us, gently encouraging us when we are discouraged, filling us with happiness when we feel sad, and forever loving us, as we love you.

we miss you grandma, but you are always in our hearts. always.
& one day, grandma, we'll be with you, again.
...playing games, eating gardettos & drinking fresca, together in heaven.
& how sweet it will be.

i love you so much,
always, & forever.
your Annie.

Freiheit.

9. November 1989.

"The wall was an edifice of fear. On Nov. 9, 20 years ago, it became a place of joy. For 28 years, East Germans could not even approach it. On Nov. 9, 1989, people danced on it — and the world looked different afterward."— German President Horst Koehler.

a short storyline about the berlin wall.

mit liebe-
Anna.

from My Sister, to You.

darlings,
my sister made this awesome list of gift ideas for the holidays that are for good causes! well isn't she mighty clever?! : )
i love her. a lot.
1. To Write Love on Her Arms t-shirt. TWLOHA is a group dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. A majority of their financial support comes from the sale of their t-shirts. Read about their vision, see the store, buy the t-shirt. $17.00
x
2. Two Futures Project t-shirt. 2FP is a movement of American Christians for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The t-shirt reads 'disarm' and is sure to spark lots of conversation. Read about their vision, buy the t-shirt. $20.00
x
3. 350.org t-shirt. 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis. Read about their vision, see the store, buy the t-shirt. $18.99
x
4. Made by Survivors bracelet. Made by Survivors is an international organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and modern day slavery. Items sold in the store are made by survivors of slavery with the hope of eventually establishing a sustainable income. Read about their vision, buy the bracelet. $28.00
x
5. Charity:Water water bottle. Charity:Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. One in six people on the planet do not have access to safe drinking water, many women and children. 100% of the cost of the water bottle goes to fund freshwater wells. Read about their vision (watch the video while you're there), see the store. $40.00
x
6. FEED bear and bag. FEED works to create good products that FEED the world. Because hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, malaria and TB combined, and tonight 400 million children around the world will go to bed hungry. Purchase of the bag will keep a child fed in school for a year. Purchase of the teddy bear will provide three nutritional supplements to hungry children. Read about their vision, see the store, buy the bag, buy the bear. $35 / $35
x
7. Heifer International animal. Heifer works to end world hunger and poverty as well as care for the earth through a set of global initiatives in the areas of agroecology, animal well-being, gender equity, HIV-AIDS, microenterprise, urban agriculture and young people's initiatives. Heifer's online gift catalog offers a variety of animals you can gift to a family in a developing country. Read about their vision, see the online catalog, buy the heifer. $500.00
x
8. Project Concern animal. Project Concern is a non-profit health and humanitarian aid organization dedicated to preventing disease, improving community health, and promoting sustainable development. Read about their vision, see the online catalog, buy the flock of hens. $50.00
x
9. TOMS Shoes. TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Read about their vision, see the store, buy the shoes. $54.00

xo-

being sick with Liz Lemon.

my dears,
i am sorry to have let you down this week. i couldn't finish any sunday sweets due to the illness i have been fighting all weekend. i tried to pass it off as merely allergies until i almost passed out from exhaustion only 8 minutes into the first halloween party i attended.

needless to say, i have been in bed since about 10p.m. saturday night. i am bummed out. especially since i had to miss halloween, along with three tests i was supposed to have today! now i have to catch up one tons of homework & find time to makeup three tests... eek. i'm worried about catching up, yet have no energy to hardly even hold a pencil. silly immune system, where have you been?! i have been sick far too often this semester. oy.

well, here is a funny quote from last week's 30 Rock... which i have recently been addicted to. i am stoked to have rented the seasons to keep me company whilst fighting this bugger of an illness.

Liz: *tirelessly hurt and sick* Do you even care that I am not feeling well??
Jack: Of course I do! *grabs a broom and comforts Liz with it* There, there, there.
Liz: *soothed* Thank you. That’s nice.

Hopefully the medicine the doctor gave me today will help me get back to normal & get these tests knocked out of the way... & most importantly, back to my regular blogging!!

xo-