just alyssa

Sometimes I feel like a mime, trapped in some invisible box that I can’t seem to get out of. I try to scream for help, but there is no sound. The only sound that comes is the sound of a tree falling in an empty forest with no people around to hear it. Does it make a sound? Am I really asking for someone to hear me or did I say anything at all? Some days I’m plagued by the blunt truth and the nature of a harsh reality. Life isn’t always easy and things don’t just fall into place. I have never given much thought to how hard I have to work to achieve things. I’ve always just done them and then admired my accomplishments later with a brief smile before moving on to the next thing. But the truth is, I work hard. I work REALLY hard. Life is different for everyone and the experiences we have while we’re young can teach us to appreciate everything we have along the way. I am far beyond appreciation. My parents are wonderful, hardworking, and loving people who have never strived for a...

Most girls grow up dreaming of a fairytale wedding with their perfect prince charming and my childhood was no different. My dad always looked out for my sister and I and taught my brother to be very protective. I learned the right guys from the wrong just by the things my dad would say. Once I hit Junior High the boy idea started to roll in and I had various "guy friends" who were happy to be "more than a friend". For me, a boyfriend was the guy who carried your books home from school and called you at night. That was the typical Junior High boyfriend and I was happy with that. I pretty much dated the same guy off and on throughout Junior High. He walked me to and from school everyday. That was all him and I needed and we were perfectly happy with that. When we reached High School I decided it was time to end our little charade. I wasn't ready for a mature "High School" relationship so to speak. It seemed like a wise decision.  I grew up in an ...

Well the time has come. For some reason I thought I had more time than this, but apparently life comes faster than you think. I guess I should stop eluding the point and let you know what the heck I am referring to......OR....I could just keep rattling on about nothing just to see how far you will go, desperately seeking the point (IF I even have one). The topic is: The Wedding, or rather the Marriage of my one and only sister. I'm sitting here trying to write a speech that will blow everyone away. A speech that will be funny, charming, and romantic. A speech that briefly describes the last 20 years with my sister. How do you put into words the love and admiration that you have for someone? How does one say, "I love you and I'm happy for you" creatively? Typically, writing is not a struggle for me (obviously). I'm a speech writer, it's what I do. I don't discuss a lot of emotions face to face, but I'm great at putting them to paper. Only this time, the...

I may not date, but I that doesn't mean I don't have stalkers. Alright, so I may throw the word "stalker" around a lot and I admit I do use the term rather loosely. So let's define it.  Criminology would classify stalking as someone harassing you by phone or email or following you on numerous occasions all of which lasts a duration a minimum of 2 weeks or longer. However, MY definition is less wordy and far more clear stated if you ask me. It goes as follows: Stalker: one who creeps you out on more than one occasion; one who stands too close for comfort every time you enter the room; one who repeatedly enters your personal space while your face is signifying that you are uncomfortable, or one that repeatedly follows you around trying to strike up a conversation while you're clearing doing your best to avoid them. Pretty clear, right? I thought so. Now back to my story. In my life I have had numerous "stalkers". I'm not saying that to...

Soo I finally decided to quit procrastinating and renew my driver's license today, since it expires tomorrow. Nothing like a little procrastination. =) I got up at the bright hour of 9 am (we all know after the week I had, I could have slept until noon). I took a shower, did my hair, picked out a cute outfit, fixed my makeup, and made my way to the DMV. I was NOT going to have a picture like the last one. You know the, "eh I'll wear sweatpants and a t-shirt-, barely touch my hair, and slap on a little makeup" look that seems to happen to everyone when they're 16, excited about getting a license, and don't think about the fact that they're going to be carrying this hideous picture in their wallet for the next 5 years. Anyway, that was NOT going to be me....again. I arrived at the DMV and much to my surprise, I did not have to wait in a huge line. I jumped right up there, filled out the proper paperwork, and made my way to the camera. Now this is the...

What if you could travel anywhere you wanted? Like you could grab a map, pick a country, and just go.... Being from a small town, I've always dreamed of moving away and traveling, even living somewhere over seas. For most people from little old Albion, they just dream of going off to school and most of them end up coming back eventually. "Traveling" is a different meaning for them. Traveling means moving a state away and going to school, maybe getting a job a few hours from home. However, I am the opposite.  Every time I see a movie and people travel, I get excited. It makes my heart race. When I watch Under the Tuscan Sun I get the urge to pack a bag and run off to Italy. I want so badly to live in a foreign country for at least a few years. I don't care if I have to learn a different language or if I have to sacrifice what I would call a more "hygienic" living. I would do it. Most of all if I were to travel, the main thing on my mind is Greece. Ever sin...

I LOVE DORKS! Enough said. I've loved to dance since forever. Whether I was dancing around in gymnastics, doing a routine as a cheerleader, doing formal moves in dinner theater, or popping it on the gym floor with the dance team I've always loved it. My theory is that you don't have to be a good dancer, you just have to be entertaining. In high school we went to the UDA dance camp in Charleston  and we learned that it was all about the face . It didn't matter how bad you messed up or if you forgot the moves because your face made the show. If you smiled and had fun, people didn't care if you looked like a fool. I always thought being a dancing fool was kinda fun. I never enjoyed the more "riskay" kind of dancing that took place at school, I was more likely to bust out the "chicken wing" or some other ridiculous and embarrassing maneuver. The point wasn't to follow the crowd or to look good, it was to have fun. That's F-U-N ! Now back...

 I may have written this over 2 years ago, but it all still holds true today. I love you Jessica. January 8th, 2010 The first night without you was the hardest. It felt wrong. Everything felt fake. As if that didn't really happen. I clung to my cell phone staring at that text message. The text message that told me what happened to you. I clung to it wishing it was wrong. Praying for it to be some stupid prank. I yelled at God. I screamed a lot. I didn't want a hug I didn't want touched. I wanted you. I was so mad at you. Mad at you for going to a stupid party. Mad at you for getting in that car. You have no idea how royally ticked off I was. That first night I had a dream about you. We were in the mall having all sorts of fun. We even got in trouble for doing things we shouldn't. We spent the day having fun and then you took my hand and told me it was time to go. You took me to this big room and all of your family and friends were there. They were st...

March 25th, 2010 So I decided that despite all of this horrible rain and strong winds I was going to go see my friend, Jaimi. She went into the hospital today to be induced and although she still had a while to go before she had her baby boy, I wanted to see her even if the baby wasn't ready. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. The rain was pretty awful and the winds were pretty rough, but I just popped a cd in, turned up my radio, and headed out of town. Things were going pretty smooth for a while and then I started hydroplaning so I decided to slow it down. A little while later I hydroplaned again. Great, awesome, love my life. I slow down AGAIN! After about 20 minutes of driving and some very heavy rain my left windshield wiper decides to take a suicide mission off of my windshield. Great. This is just fantastic. Who doesn't love not being able to see and having to pull over in the pouring rain? So I pull over and fix it and try to wedge it down ...

May 11th, 2010 "I stand there crying - broken, in roughed up flip flops, a sweat soaked shirt, and scratched legs, praying hard I will find him." So we have two inside dogs and we have cables set up for them outside so they can use the bathroom. Well the dogs kept barking because they needed to go out, but I knew the mailman would be here soon. The boys don't like the mailman so I went out with them so I could take them in before he arrived at our house. Well I saw him coming and tried to take the boys inside, but it was too late. They had already spotted him. Before I knew it they were barking and trying to break free of their leashes and chase him. I pulled them as tight as I could only leaving about a foot of slack to run. The mailman handed me the mail and went on his way, but somehow Chip loosened his collar and broke free. He sniffed the mailman for a second, licked him, and ran away. Now generally, when we're chasing Chip, it takes about 10 o...

While going through a bunch of old writings and songs, I found this old blog about high school graduation. It's actually kind of inspiring. I'm a little bit impressed with myself. lol. Be mindful that I wrote this a loooong time ago. Change of Age: A Graduate Unveils By: Alyssa Cline February 21st, 2009 Change. It's the most simple, chaotic, terrifying, exciting, and momentous word. So many things can change and are attributed to change. People change. Times change. People grow older and times become more modernized. Everything happens for a reason, even and especially change. It's funny to say, but I actually remember being of the age of 3 or 4 and standing on a stage in a crowded room. There were people everywhere and I was wearing a white graduation cap and one of those frilly little dresses that are only cute on little girls. I had one task. All I had to do was say my name into a microphone. It seems like such an easy thing now, but th...

So according to my parents, I am a great story teller and this was a story worth telling. Now being that they're MY parents, I'm guessing that we have a little situational bias going on [because I AM the favorite of course] (; Well anyway, here it is.I babysat all day on Saturday and I had not been home. I was anxious to get home and relax so to achieve my full relaxation of being home alone (as Sydney was gone for the weekend) I decided that would be the perfect time for dinner and a movie with myself! First step, FAMILY VIDEO!Now those of you that know me know that I am OBSESSED , I mean OBSESSED with movies. And even more so, I'm obsessed with HORROR movies! I'm always dying to see a new one. In that, I've really enjoyed the paranormal activity movies and I had yet to see the third. And even better, Sydney would be gone. Now normally I'd wait and watch it with her, but Sydney has a need to freak me out whenever we watch movies or shows abou...

When I think of a happy ending, I think of the usual fairytale ending most girls dream of since they’re little. I dream of having a wonderful husband and family and of course, the beautiful house with the white picket fence. Yes, the good ‘ole American dream. But behind all of those extra people I dream of a life. A life filled with happiness. Happiness that stems from many aspects of life. I was born into a normal run-of-the-mill family; mom, dad, older sister, younger brother. We moved to a small town when I was still very young and we’ve been here ever since. Growing up in a small town, you develop small town dreams. It’s hard not to get caught up in the craze that surrounds you. You almost lose yourself….or maybe you didn’t know yourself. You get to college and you start to discover the dreams you’d had for yourself and you start to fight to make them a reality. In high school, I would have NEVER dated. It wasn’t my thing. In my mind, high school was not for relatio...