Alison's blog

The Lion King- The Musical

2012-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Cavalia, an exciting show under magnificent white circus tents, is so much more than a circus, so different than a horse show at a fair, and somewhat reminiscent of a Cirque du Soleil show. After watching Cavalia during its tour in Minneapolis last week, I wanted to share a few thoughts about it with all of you. And, if you ever have a chance to see Cavalia live, go see it!

Stories my Dad Told- the April Fool's Day Lunch

2011-03-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

My dad would tell stories. I have so many memories of sitting around the dining room table, with our family and guests, as he would tell stories and entertain everyone. Stories about traveling, hunting, living in Montana, teaching school, visiting or working in hospitals, meeting interesting people, and many more stories about his life. I’d like to share with all of you some of his stories,

Alison's Brazil Photos

2011-03-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

A Taste of Brazil: A Week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2011-03-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's hard to picture a place until you really go there and experience it. I didn't know what to expect in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, beside what I'd seen in the pictures in books and online, and the information I'd read in guidebooks. So I had a vague sense that Rio was a huge city with a tropical climate, miles and miles of beaches, mountains, rainforests and more. I'd read several areas of the

Barcelona- Walking Around The City

2010-08-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

For a couple days in Barcelona, I was in search of the Catalan Music Hall when I was walking around during the day, because I heard it had amazing architecture. I kept looking at my map (and usually I'm good with maps and directions!) and following the roads I thought would take me to it. And I couldn't find it! On my last day, I looked at my map, located my hotel, and realized if I went in a

Barcelona- A Beautiful City on the Sea

2010-08-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Barcelona. I knew as I watched the city go by from the windows of the bus coming from the airport that I was going to like it. Beautiful architecture, many people bustling about, shops everywhere, warm sunny weather. By the end of the first evening, I loved the city. I soon realized my hotel was just a short walk from Placa de Catalunya, the main plaza in Barcelona and a main central area of the

Driving About Germany

2010-08-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

We got up early one day to drive up to St. Peter-Ordling, a seaside town on the North Sea where many people go for vacation or to relax. On the autobahn, I noticed many Mercedes, BMWs, and Volkswagon- I definitely felt like I was in Germany! Once at St. Peter-Ordling, we walked along the sea a bit but it soon started to pour rain really hard, again, so we hurried up to a restaurant along the sea

Arriving in Hamburg, Germany

2010-08-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

After the long flight over to Germany, and the months of looking forward to this trip, I waited for my luggage at the baggage claim in the Hamburg airport, while watching a BMW commercial on the TV. I thought my four friends were probably waiting for me just on the other side of the doors, and I was excited to leave the airport. I was visiting friends I'd met years ago, some who I hadn't seen in

To Join the Circus

2009-08-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of an adventuresome wanderlust spirit in me, along with a love of the arts and performing... I think some interests and talents and things are passed down through ancestors in a way...Well, one of my ancestors really did run away and join the circus and traveled around the U.S. in his teens and twenties, doing a ventriloquist act. Seriously! I've been involved in theatre for many

The Masque Theatre's Final Curtain Closes- A Past Student's View

2009-06-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

"Welcome to the final showing of Alphabet Soup," Sylvia Langworthy said, standing in the middle of the stage in the black box theatre at the Masque Youth Theatre and School, Inc. in Rochester, Minn. Sylvia was retiring after being the artistic director for the past 23 years. The Masque was closing its doors after being unable to raise enough funds to pay for all necessary annual expenses. This

A busy spring

2009-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I just realized I haven't posted on here in ages... So let me sum up this spring... I'm still enjoying my job and am so glad to have the opportunity to write for a living...I'm still dreaming of my next travels, which may include Romania and Sweden in the near future... Well Missouri may be the next place actually! I was reminscing with my brother about past road trips to Montana to visit our

February Birthdays

2009-02-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how so many of my family members and some of my friends have birthdays in January and February.I always get people cards and/or little gifts for I had a card-shopping day at Target the other day, where I spent a good half hour picking out cards that were "just right" for the friend or family member. It's so hard to decide whether to get a musical card or a serious card or a funny

The Classic Cold After the Holidays

2009-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy the past few weeks, going to so many get-togethers. It was all fun but tiring! So I got the classic cold a few days after Christmas. But, thankfully, my cold hasn't been as bad as my colds normally are. I'm just really tired!I enjoyed times with family and friends- some of the highlights were my birthday celebrations with friends and family. I think they were some of my favorite

Almost Christmas

2008-12-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

I like Christmas. I like the Christmas lights, Christmas trees with ornaments, snow (except for the shoveling), cookies, treats, parties, etc. It is all fun, but it goes by so quickly and can be so exhausting sometimes!I had a little Christmas gathering this weekend, making my Swedish rice pudding, BBQ meatballs, Christmas cookies, and having mini-cheesecakes, veggies, fruit, and more out to eat.

It's Almost Christmas - Shopping, Cookies, and Fun!

2008-12-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

As we rapidly approach Christmas, I am purposefully trying to focus on each day and the fun Christmas season, while avoiding the craziness and stress that seems all too easy to fall into at this time of year. Instead, I'm busy planning my shopping, making cookies, and planning on fun events!I drove past the mall on Friday (Black Friday), took one look at the 3-block line to turn into the insanely

To Read, To Write and To Learn Something New

2008-11-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking I should use my time this winter, when it's freezing or snowing outside and I don't want to go anywhere, to work on accomplishing the things on the list below.So, stay warm, have a hot cocoa, grab a blanket, and maybe you'll come up with some of your own winter-time ideas as you read mine!Learn something new (to be determined what this will be- there's so many options!)To read

It's Election Day! Kids Vote Too!

2008-11-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight I volunteered for an organization that lets kids do mock ballots and vote, to get in the practice of voting and understanding the process. The ballots had photos of each of the candidates next to their name. I heard some adults say why don't they have those on the adult ballots? Kids loved being able to vote- I think they felt "grown up." I know my niece "voted" this morning at their city

My Entertaining Pets- And More!

2008-11-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Life of a HomeownerDo you ever have one of those weekends where you do so much, you feel like you accomplished something, but you just wish you had a couple more days to the weekend to do some more? Or at least wish one of the days was several hours longer? That's how I feel today. I worked my second job for about 10 hours this weekend, I thoroughly cleaned my house, I walked my dog for about

Back to the Fall in Minnesota- And Snow??

2008-10-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's snowing outside, with winds up to 50 mph! This is October!Even though I've been home for a couple weeks, I'm still remembering the warm weather I enjoyed in Greece. I even still have a tan from the warm sun there!But, the wind is howling outside my house, and the flurries are falling. It's gray and cold. I think winter is on its way. Leaves are blowing everywhere today, as

Traveling to Greece- Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Santorini and Other Islands

2008-10-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Alison at the Acropolis in AthensA short overview of my trip to Greece: Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Santorini, Mykonos. Awesome trip and so many interesting experiences! Read on to hear more!ATHENS, GREECE First Impressions... Sept. 21- I have been traveling for more than a day, more than 24 hours. I spent 3 hours on my first flight, 4 1/2 hours in an Atlanta airport, and 10 HOURS on a flight to

Ancient Greece

2008-10-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Peloponnese and Our Historical Tour Sept. 25-It's pouring rain in Athens at the moment but has been nice overall. We have visited Olympia, Delphi, and other areas of western Greece. Olympia was of course the site of the original Olympics. We saw the first stadium, which could seat 40,000 people. A couple guys from another tour group decided to race to the end and back, just like they would

Santorini (Thira) and Mykonos

2008-10-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Perissa Beach, Santorini SANTORINI or ThiraSept. 28- I'm enjoying my time staying in a lovely Greek hotel in a small beach town called Perissa, in Santorini (or Thira). It has a large rocky mountain and a long beach of black volcanic sand. The water (Aegean Sea in the Mediterranean) is very blue and warm. The weather has been mostly good. Yesterday we sat in the lounge chairs for a little while

Paris, France

2008-10-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

PARISOct. 4- Well, I am in Paris now and seeing the sights. I have been there a few times, but Paris is always fun to see. I have had a cafe creme (coffee with steamed milk), a crepe at a street stand filled with nutella and a banana, pain au chocolate (chocolate croissant), and more. I have been taking lots of photos.The weather is much colder here than the Mediterranean. Its cold and windy and

And It's Almost Time to Go...

2008-09-18T17:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I have about a hundred things on my to-do list and my to-pack list, but I'm nearly ready to go to Greece. Visit Athens, Santorini, etc. Ah, it will be fun! I just have the feeling I'll forget something important and remember it when I'm crossing the Atlantic... I am so excited to go, and am just hoping everything goes well, and that my friend and I have good health and energy the entire