I'm Dying to Dance!!

I’ve been involved in many types of dance in the past 7 years or so.  Ballroom, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip-hop, and ballet.  For the past 2 years, I’ve been teaching dance as a part of a ministry in my church, so I was still involved in dance somewhat.  Though I enjoyed teaching dance, I would much rather take it than teach it.  I miss being in the studio, whether it be a ballroom or other type of dance studio.  Dancing is a passion of mine and it’s killing me not to be involved in it in some way.  As soon as I get settled here in Tampa, and I can manage school, church and dance at the same time, I’m getting involved in a studio again!  I can’t stand not to dance!  Even when I wasn’t in a studio, I was still able to choreograph, which I LOVE to do!  It doesn’t matter what song I’m listening to, I’m always choreographing it in my head…ALWAYS.  J

Tally for the Weekend!

I was able to take a trip to Tally this past weekend!  I really needed that trip and I’m glad I was able to come.  It allowed me to take my mind off of everything in Tampa and just have fun visiting with all my friends and family for the weekend.  It was also a good weekend to visit, because I was able to go to Judgement House at our church, which was awesome by the way.

I was able to hang out with Brittany and Alex!  We had a blast while making spider cupcakes at Alex’s house.  We made 60 of them!  They turned out to be sooo cute!  We each picked our favorite that we made.

Here's my favorite cupcake that I decorated!

Thanks girlies for a wonderful cupcake partay!! :)

My First Week

I have made it through my first week of school!  It is a new experience all around.  It’s a very cool atmosphere though!  I only have 3 classes, and each are only 1 day a week.  They’re 4 hour classes though, which I thought would draaaaaag on, but the time actually goes by really quick.  Even this first week of class, we’re so busy already.  I already have a ton of homework, which is to be expected since it’s only a 10 week course and by the amount of time we have to meet each week. 

My first day was very overwhelming… This class is called Foundations of Photography.  Our goal in this class is self-explanatory, which is to learn all of the foundations that we need to be able to succeed in the rest of the photography program.  We will be learning all about our cameras, what each setting does, what to do when you have a certain type of lighting, all about composition, etc…  Just looking at the topic list of what we will be talking about each week is enough to make me nervous.  Each hour we have a 15 minute break, for the purpose of refocusing our minds to be able to take in more information in the next hour.  I’ve taken in more information in this first week than I care to take in.  This first day helped me to be able to gauge what the next two classes were going to be like, and the workload that I was going to be taking on.  So, the next two days weren’t so bad once I had that mindset.

My second class of the week is Design Fundamentals, which focuses on visual design.  This class will be helping us to think like designers.  Even though I’ll be taking pictures, I still have to think about the design process of the picture before I shoot my subject, so I guess you could consider that designing.  The one thing I didn’t like is that we will be drawing in this class.  It’s only for the first 3 weeks, but still…  I can draw flowers, but that’s about it.  I am not an artist in that respect.  We had to sketch a drawing of our hand in 5, 10, 15, all the way up to 5 minute intervals.  The 5 minute interval wasn’t that much better than the 5 second.  Then, you have these people in my class that can whip out a sketch that I couldn’t even come close to drawing in 5 days!  The teacher would come around the room after every interval and hold up the ones that were good.  Mine never got held up, which was fine with me, cause I didn’t want anybody else to see mine.  J

My third class of the week is Imaging 101, which is the Photoshop class!!  I think this class will be my favorite by far.  I love editing and retouching pictures.  I already know a lot about Photoshop, but I haven’t even scratched the surface of all there is to know, so I’m pretty excited.  This week, the teacher pretty much went over the basics and started from scratch.  How to work on a Mac, the basics of Photoshop, how to import pictures, etc…  It was pretty boring, but good to know that I knew all of what he was teaching. 

I just keep reminding myself not to get too discouraged or overwhelmed.  I have to take it one week at a time, and just know that not everything they’re teaching is going to come easy, but I have to work hard, and I can do that.

It's Official!

I am officially in Tampa, unpacked and moved in!  So far, it’s gone very well!  I went to my new church on Sunday that I’ll be joining very soon.  It was so weird though… My whole life, every new church that we’ve joined, everyone already knew me and my family because of my dad and mom being the music pastor and pianist.  Now I’m on the other side of it.  It’ll take some getting used to that’s for sure.  My plan is to get involved in this church.  There’s so much to do and so much going on.  It’s a big change, going from a church of 300 to one of 10,000.  It’s overwhelming and a little intimidating, but also very exciting because there’s so many opportunities.

The traffic is also something that’s gonna take some getting used to.  There’s definitely more traffic in Tampa than in Tallahassee, but it takes twice as long to get somewhere.  From where I’m living right now, it will take me about 45 minutes to get to school at the time of day I’m going.  I’m starting to get the hang of it.  Just trying to remember all of the major roads and all the different routes to places is exhausting.  I’ll probably be driving like a pro in this town in a couple months, but for now I miss being in Tallahassee, getting in my car and knowing exactly where I’m going and which route to take at specific times of the day.

I start school next Monday… I’m nervous, but excited and I’ll have a lot more to blog about!!

Saying Goodbyes...

I can’t believe I’m moving in 3 days!!  The first thing everyone asks me is if I’m excited.  I am excited, but I’m not at the same time.  I’m excited about starting something new and about opportunities that I’m going to have.  I’m not so excited about leaving the place where I’m comfortable and the people that I love.  It’s bitter sweet, but it’s not like I’m never going to see these people again.  I’m only four hours away.  At least I’m not moving to California or Kansas (I have a premonition that I’m going to wind up in Kansas one day).  I’m still in the same state.

I’ve been very busy this week hanging out with all my friends for the last time before I leave.  It’s been hard saying that FINAL goodbye (until Thanksgiving anyway), but surprisingly I haven’t been emotional at any point.  Now, I realize that will come later, when I’m actually in Tampa, but for now I’m doing a lot better than I originally anticipated.  I’m nervous and excited all at the same time, but I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.  Since January, when I decided that I would be leaving in October, I’ve had a peace about this and it has never once wavered.  That’s my confirmation that I’m doing the right thing. 

So, the next post you read, I’ll be 4 hours down south and starting a new kind of life…  

My Birthday Weekend!!

My 20th birthday weekend consisted of my church college group going Whitewater Rafting, among other things.  So many things occurred over the weekend, so I thought I'd break it down to my most favorites...

1.       THE COKE FACTORY:

We were able to experience the wonderful World of Coca-Cola, which consisted of a museum of all different kinds of things relating to Coca-Cola throughout the years, a simulation of how they make and bottle the coke, a theater room that featured all of the Coca-Cola commercials that are played in movie theaters and on TV, and last but not least, a TASTE-IT room.

The Taste-It room consisted of all different tasting coke products from around the world for you to sample until your heart’s content.  I wasn’t a big fan of this, because I’m not big on trying new foods/drinks from other countries.  I tried a few things from a couple different countries, but I have to say that in my opinion, no coke product tastes as good as what we have in America, so that’s what I’m sticking to. 

 

2.      THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM:

Nothing compares to Sea World, but the Georgia Aquarium was still pretty cool.  My favorite attraction was the PENGUIN exhibit!  I think my second favorite was the sea otter exhibit.  There were some places where you were allowed to touch the animals, but I’ve never been comfortable touching sea creatures.  I’ll touch a dolphin, a seal, or even a whale, but I don’t have a real desire to touch a sea urchin or a sting ray.  I don’t know why; I’m just weird like that I guess. 

3.      WHITEWATER RAFTING:

My last experience with whitewater rafting was a not a good one.  I guess since it was my first time rafting, I was very apprehensive about what could possibly happen if I get thrown out of the raft and get pulled under the water and into the current.  However, this time was a much better experience.  I knew what I was doing and if and when I did get thrown out of the boat, I wouldn’t panic.  The water wasn’t near as cold this time, so I think that helped a lot too.

4.      ULTIMATE FRISBEE (IN THE RAIN):

My new favorite game as of about a month ago is ultimate Frisbee.  Since we were playing in the dark, we had different color glow sticks that were used as bracelets for the team colors, and a glow in the dark Frisbee.  A little ways through game, it started pouring down rain.  It rained throughout the rest of the game, but it was awesome!

I must add, at the request of Brittany Beigle, the unfortunate but rather funny incident while playing.  Since it was dark, it was very hard to see anyone and everyone that may be around you at all times.  During a part of the game, I didn't notice that Brittany happened to be going for the Frisbee at the exact same time and place that I was.  Because of this, we happened to collide, and I basically knocked her hard to the ground.  Yes, it was by accident and I realize that we weren't playing tackle football, but it did keep her from catching the Frisbee however.  So Brittany, I apologize, but in all fairness, that's how the game is played sometimes.  Love ya!! :)

That is what my birthday weekend consisted of, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it!

Packing is an Art Form

As I have been packing up all of my stuff into boxes, I’ve realized that packing to move is an art form. Not only do you have to be creative in how you pack a box, making sure that each box is packed to its capacity in neatness and accessibility, you also have to consider the items that are fragile, which need to be surrounded by other things that would cushion the particular item or ensure that they do not crack or break it. I know I know…most people would say to wrap each fragile item in newspapers or towels to ensure that they do not break, but that just takes up more space. More space = more boxes to carry up 3 flights of stairs to my new apartment home. So I say, the more space you utilize the better, because my goal is to have the least amount of boxes possible. Unless it just becomes too disorganized, where everything I could get my hands on is shoved into one box. When it comes down to it, organization trumps everything. As of right now, I know exactly where I have packed everything, because of my organizational system. I know I sound like a real dork, but if I’m disorganized and I don’t know where anything is, I feel LOST. Now most of the time I would just make a spreadsheet of where I packed everything, but I didn’t feel like I had enough stuff to pack in order to make one. I actually find packing quite fun. It’s a puzzle, and I have the task of figuring out where everything goes…

Starting Something New (a look back)



In a couple weeks I’ll be hittin’ the road to a new city, new school, new church, new home. For the past 7 years and a little more, I’ve made mistakes, had regrets, broken hearts, set goals, learned life lessons, and the list could go on and on. The most important thing I’ve learned while living in Tallahassee is that I’ve discovered who I am, who I want to be and who I don’t. I wouldn’t change the heartache I’ve had or the mistakes I’ve made for anything, because they have shaped me into who I am today.

For a couple years now, long before I knew I’d be moving to Tampa, I promised myself that if and when I got another chance to start over and I mean completely start over, I would be myself this time. I honestly don’t know why 7 years ago, I even entertained the thought that people wouldn’t like me if I was myself. I feared that they wouldn’t accept who I truly was. Therefore, I put on a mask of someone I didn’t know. I rarely had a genuine smile on my face and walked around like the world was coming to an end. This went on for four years. By the 10th grade, I had the mentality that I didn’t want to be happy. Some days, if I could help it, I would go from 1st to 7th period without talking to anyone. I couldn’t wait for lunch to come, so that I could retreat to my car and eat in solitude, where I either cried because I felt so lonely or I watched my classmates come and go with their friends.

At the end of my sophomore year my parents encouraged me to look into moving schools. At first I was opposed to the idea of starting over in a new environment, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that I didn’t really have anything to lose. I was so sick of feeling sorry for myself and I needed a new start. The summer before starting NFC, I mentally and spiritually prepared myself for this new transition. One thing I will never forget that I feel God showed me was something that changed my perspective entirely and made me see things differently.

In “Facing the Giants”, there was a story told about two farmers who desperately needed rain for their crops, and both of them prayed for rain. Only one farmer prepared his fields to receive the rain though. The question was asked, “Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?” The farmer who prepared his fields to receive it. God will send the rain when He’s ready. I need to prepare my fields to receive it…. That has stuck with me ever since I heard that.

I was going to be myself no matter what. If they didn’t like me, it was their loss. I was bound and determined that I was going to be the girl that God created me to be: Allison Nichole Morris. I prepared my fields to receive the rain and by my senior year, God had sent the rain 20 times over or more. He blessed me with many friends, happiness, and memories that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.

I’m nervous about leaving the environment that I’m comfortable in and still a little scared about putting myself out there and being Allison, but I know that Tampa is where God wants me. I can’t wait to see all that He has in store for me. Though I’m sad about leaving those that I love behind, I can’t stay in one place forever just because of that, when I know that God has other plans for me. I’m getting a chance to make a completely new start and I WILL take advantage of it. I WILL prepare my fields for the rain in hopes that God will send it in His time.

My Inspiration


I have decided to start blogging!! I’ve always had the thought that blogging was kinda cool if you want the whole world to know your business and get the inside scoop on your life. However, I’ve found that blogging is very therapeutic for me. Writing in school was always such a chore for me, but writing for fun is just….FUN!


What changed my mind?? Why the change of heart all of the sudden? My inspiration is none other than…….Alex Jette! I LOVE reading her blogs. They’re quite entertaining if I do say so myself. So, thank you Alex for giving me the inspiration and drive to start blogging!! My first post is soon to come!