Ahhhh..... fresh air

We're out in California this week and it's been so nice to get outside and hike around Monterey and Carmel and walk along the beach. Quite a beautiful place to be!


We also made it to the Monterey aquarium - one of our favorite places to visit. I LOVE the jelly fish exihibit! It's magical yet peaceful at the same time.

I just want to Dance...

You've GOT to watch this feel-good video...

Looking forward to a fresh start

Last week was a tough week to be honest with you. In one week, the Vice President of my current team was let go from the company. In addition, my previous Vice President transferred offices. Finally, my Vice President from before that sadly passed away from a brain tumor. That last one was the toughest because she was young, talented and a friend. Ugh! It was one of those weeks where I just wanted to go back to bed and stay there until the week was over and I could start fresh again.

Anyhow, I'm off to hopefully a new start tomorrow and I hope that this week is a better one! I'm crossing my fingers and saying my prayers for a GREAT week before Christmas break begins.

I finally did it!

For awhile now I've been wanting to go to this new place that opened up in Frisco called Painting with a Twist. It's sort of like those paint-your-own-pottery places, except that you paint a real painting while a real artist talks you and your group through it. You can bring in adult beverages and it has a cool atmosphere and fun music too. Such a neat place!

I finally got to go this week and this is what I created...

My latest purchase

I just purchased a new Frito-Lay clutch/wristlet from Ecoist. I don't want to be a dork but think I'll actually carry this around - It's pretty cute and really well made!

Sweet memories from Thanks-Christmas 2010

Volunteering to sort food at the North Texas food bank


Dinner at Seasons 52 - my new favorite restaurant
Decorating a beautiful tree while listening to Christmas music from "Mitch"


Manis and Pedis at the spa - glitter nail polish and flowers for my nieces
Games at Dave and Busters - winning stuffed animals all around
Seeing Tangled - an AWESOME new Disney movie
Playing a lot of "Ticket to Ride"
Trying chocolate beer - and loving it
Attending an adorable holiday festival in historic McKinney Square and watching my nieces enjoy riding the outdoor carousel


Laughing at how unspectacular the Fushigi ball is
Cooking and eating A LOT of great food!

Time to get on board

Every year I set 10 personal goals. Well, 20 actually - 10 for myself and then Dana and I set 10 for our marriage. I've found that since I started doing this a few years ago, I have great satisfaction by seeing us make progress towards accomplishing our dreams.

This weekend, I'm successfully achieving one of these goals that is particularly important to me - joining the Board of a non-profit. I'm coming on board with Partners International, a Christian organization that is near and dear to my heart.

That means I'll be coming up to Spokane, Washington twice a year for Board meetings. It's not the easiest place in the world to get to from Dallas, but it's totally worth it. I'm truly inspired by the vision, passion and commitment that I feel when I'm here. If you're not familiar with Partners yet, check them out at: www.partnersintl.org

A Brief Taste of Paradise

We just returned from a vacation in Maui. After spending months trying to figure out where we wanted to travel this year, we finally just pulled the trigger and flew to Hawaii. I've been to Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai but this was my first trip to Maui. Dana had previously visited with his family and even stayed at the same hotel (the Westin Maui).

Although I'm partial to Mexico because it's such a short flight from Texas and it's much less expensive than Hawaii once you get there, I will say that Maui is beautiful and has a lot more to do.


We rode up to the summit of the Haleakala volcano to watch the sunrise (where it was 40 degrees!), and sped back down on mountain bikes.
We watched a luau while sipping champagne from our balcony and strolled on the beaches at sunset.
We enjoyed the famous "drive to Hana", which is basically a windy, lush drive with stops for hiking, waterfalls and watching windsurfers do amazing feats on their own beach. But most of the time, we did what the Allens do best... eat great food!
Our favorite meals were at Lahaina Grill, Hula Grill (we ate there 3x we loved it so much) and Mama's Fish House. Most importantly, we came back very relaxed. I love vacation!

Love your neighbor as yourself

Today my co-workers and I took part in a United Way volunteer day. Our department visited a Dallas retirement home and hosted indoor games for the residents as part of an Oktoberfest carnival. It was such a sweet time to see everyone just loving on people and making them feel special. The day really couldn't have gone any better. It's so nice to take time out of the "busyness" of life sometimes and just focus on relationships and caring for others.

The cheapest way to feel like a celebrity

I've had the pleasure of 3 fabulous girls night out in the past week thanks to book club and celebrations for Laura and Janelle's birthdays... and I have to say that last Friday was very cool. We went to this place called Gold Class Cinemas, and it is like no other movie watching experience you've ever had.

I've "walked a red carpet" so to speak in the past, but this place really knows how to make you feel like a celebrity. It was fantastic! It sort of feels like a classy nightclub, with all of the servers dressed up in black cocktail dresses. It has a full bar and excellent food. You sit in reserved seats - leather recliners of course, each with their own soft blanket and call button to have a waiter (who calls you by name) answer your every whim.

It was so fun. I highly recommend it for a unique date night or a girls night out! They even brought us complimentary "birthday cake" shots because they knew we were celebrating. Now that's service...