Welcome to JoshandAllie.com

Pop psychology, yahoo style.

Yahoo headline: What does your ringtone say about you?
Allie thinks: My ringtone says I'm too cheap to buy a ringtone.

Dumb blond moment

Sometimes I overhear things on the tv that make no sense to me. Then, usually without much thought, I make a smartypants remark. Then someone else, usually Josh, says something and I realize how stupid I am. Like tonight, when this happened as we were watching primary coverage.

Commentator: "...and there's no doubt that it [a Clinton presidency] would have been historic. Comparable to the Adams family or the Kennedys."
Allie: The Addams family or the Kennedys? That's a weird comparison.
Josh: Not THAT Addams family, Allie. John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
Allie: Oh.

*sigh*

Ironman, or, things I laughed at tonight. *warning: spoilers*

Tonight we saw Ironman. I laughed a lot, the best laughs provided not by the movie but by the people we randomly bumped into.

Right after we got our tickets Josh disappeared in the direction of the bathroom. I was standing around awkwardly when a movie theatre employee came up to me and said, with absolutely NO preamble "You're Canadian right?!"

I think I blinked twice and then stammered out "Uh...yes. Um...how did you know that?!" since last I checked I have a Texan drawl, I didn't have a maple leaf tattooed on my forehead, I wasn't wearing a Roots shirt and I hadn't been ridiculously polite to anyone I could remember.

The next question Century-12-Jon fired at me was equally humourous: "Are you a little creeped out?" Me: "A little, yeah."

Turns out Century-12-Jon was one of Josh's junior achievement students...and he remembered stories about "my Canadian wife."

But the best laugh happened because we bumped into Alex and Chris in the theatre. Chris had already seen the movie, it was Alex's first time. In addition to being comic nerds, Alex and Chris are also GameStop friends AND WoW players. This lead to a lot of pre-movie chatter that I'm sure made us sound like nerds. However, collective nerd-dom aside: I think Chris summed up the post-credit scene perfectly.

*warning spoilers*

Chris: *awed* "Man...Samuel L. Jackson can do ANYTHING. He's a superhero. He's a Jedi. *pause* He can kill m-f'in snakes on a m-f'in plane..."

*laughter all the way home...*

It's the little things that get ya...

From my boss, via me, to the GOP....it's the little things that get ya after a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May 6, 2008

Dear Mike,

My boss received your photo and photograph confirmation receipt form. As a staunch member of the Republican party he asked me to contact you on his behalf. Additionally, he asked me to inform you that when the Republican National Committee gets the spelling of his name right, he will consider donating to the election campaign.

Sincerely

Allison Belisle

Redefining dinner...

While on a picnic, eating chicken:

Allie: Oh, watch out that grease is dripping and going to get on your shirt.
Josh: That's not grease....that's flavour.

MI Weekend Update - the pics

Pictures from the weekend are posted! Please feel free to click the photo link on the right and take a look. Love, Allie

Plane funny.

Yesterday our plane flight into ABI seemingly had one extra person on it. Which led to this:

Flight Attendant: This flight is going to Abilene, Texas. Is there anyone on this flight not wanting to go to Abilene, Texas?
*momentary silence and then the entire plane breaks out in laughter*
Lady behind me: THAT was the wrong question to ask.

Mi weekend update - pt. III

So all weekend….Josh had been raving about this restaurant he’d found in Lansing that he really wanted to go to … and he’d known it was there, but forgotten, and then remembered and it was this big big secret. Last time this happened we were in San Antonio and it was a very classy Italian place…so I was worried I was underdressed for this particularly restaurant adventure that he’d been hyping and being ridiculously secretive about all weekend.

Turns out one of the five remaining Kewpee restaurants is in Lansing. Three of the remaining Kewpee places are in Lima, and thus my husband has grown up with this, and is completely addicted to Kewpee burgers. So Dave met us there and we all ate (*again – we did a lot of eating on this trip)…and it was fantastic. Not QUITE as good as the Lima locations, I thought, but still a fantastic fantastic burger. Props J. Also, you’re nuts.

We hung out at Dave's for a bit and then headed over to Scott’s (who is Josh’s ex-roommate (Jeff)’s cousin) and I got my first stab at Rock Band. During which, I’m happy to report, I did not get booed off stage once. Not even when I took a stab at drumming which I’m absolutely awful at…and not when I sang. Yeah, I sang. In front of strangers. More than that … JOSH sang in front of strangers. Into a microphone. It was amazing. Dave tho, managed to play drums AND sing…at the same time and that was the best, tho often, when he didn’t know the words he’d resort to singing “Josh sucks”… which was equally funny.

And after that we got some dinner and played Scene It, Pillars of the Earth (too complicated for my tired brain so I watched) and then a couple rounds of Betrayal: House on the Hill, which is the CREEPIEST board game ever….and actually freaked me out somewhat. It was a good night…

Sunday was church in Lansing where I met someone from Selkirk who is somehow related to Tim and Laura Page… and that was fun….but did nothing to counteract the impression that my husband has that ALL Canadians know all other Canadians. Also church was just generally awesome. Everyone was so warm and friendly and went out of their way to meet us. We met more people there than we’ve met at Highland in the year and a half we’ve been there…it was wonderful. They were great, the lesson was decidedly applicable to where Josh and I find ourselves right now in our lives, and class was awesome and interactive and … it was just great to be back ‘up north.’

After church we finally got to meet Ross – who is a warcraft guildie – and is… actually more lovable and funny in person than he is in game. So that was fantastic. I always wonder how meeting people in real life will go when you’ve already ‘met’ them online…because sometimes it’s awkward but…it just wasn’t at all. We were probably the loudest table at Cracker Barrel but that’s just because Dave and Josh and Ross took turns at making the rest of us laugh. My sides hurt by the end of the meal.

Not much to tell after that point, took Dave home, and hung out there for a few more minutes then drove back to DET, turned in the car, caught the plane, waited around in DFW for an extra hour – because our plane was delayed… but made it home safe and sound…and tired.

Thanks to everyone for an awesome weekend. We love and miss you all so much… it was totally fantastic.

p.s. Pics will be posted tonight probably on flickr, and you can get them by clicking on the photo link in the navigation menu on the front page.

Mi weekend update - pt. II

I cry. A lot. But I was totally determined to be happy and not-teary for this wedding – after all it’s a happy thing! And I was doing good….until Holly started coming down the aisle, at which point I saw Jon hand Mark his glasses, do the manly look down put his fingers to his eyes and wipe away a few tears. Yeah, if one of my brothers cries, I’m totally done for. But it was so awesome, and so touching. The entire ceremony was beautiful and Jon and Holly looked serious, but so happy. And it was…just amazing. Just how a wedding should be. Also Holly looked absolutely gorgeous. I have the prettiest sisters-in-law….and Holly only adds to that collection of beautiful women!

So that was great, and there were hugs and talking more hugs and pictures in the lobby and then we did family pictures, which were taken by Shannon Williams and Mitson’s wife whose name escapes me at the moment.

And then there was the reception. Where my major achievement was eating a lot of mini-chocolate éclairs and actually NOT crying during our toast. Also keeping my shoes on, which were cute as all get out but absolutely KILLING my feet at this point. Jon did a touching and sometimes hysterical introduction of their bridal party which involved kissing Steve Corp for money. (Josh pointed out that that makes two family weddings where men have kissed men for money…) But for me, I think the most special moment in all that, was getting to help Hol change out of her wedding dress and into her going away dress… which was just a really special thing. I like having a sister. *grin* (Also, as a sidenote, okay, that dress was gorgeous but I don’t know how she wore it ALL day because it pretty much weighed more than she did. I don’t think I realized, until it took two of us to hold it up, how much beading was on it. My freakin’ goodness.)

We finally left the hall around midnight, after retrieving all the guy’s tuxes. It was just a happy day… a happy wedding, a wonderful wonderful event all around. (Shouts go out to Holly’s family for all the work they did to make it awesome)

The next morning Mark and I got together for breakfast, (Josh went back to Knapps – this will matter later) since we hadn’t spent much time with each other on this trip… and had a good laugh about everything from the day before. Mark said that he started to tear up when Jon did too and was thinking “If ONE tear falls off my face, I’m going to kill Jon” Also he was holding Jon’s glasses and then realized that there were fingerprints all over them, so ended up buffing the glasses against his pants to try to clean them during the prayer… in case Jon asked for them back…so he wouldn’t ask for them back, and then put them on and have fingerprints all over while trying to navigate the last run down the aisle. It’s little things like that about Mark that make me love him so much…he’s thoughtful, and hilarious, and completely overdramatic… I have the best brothers ever and I know it.

After that we said a quick goodbye to mom and dad and went and picked up Holly and Jono and took them to the airport. Josh, as previously mentioned had gone and grabbed some donuts so we all ate those while we drove. It was neat to be one of the only people to see them before they left on their honeymoon, I’m so glad they asked us to do that. It was really fun. (You guys rock.)

After dropping them at the doors, Josh had thoughtfully found the closest Tim Hortons (about five miles away) and we killed some time there hanging out and just staying close in case anything went horribly horribly wrong with Jon and Holly’s check in. But it didn’t and soon we were on our way to Lansing for two days and one sensuous night at the beautiful Dave Tate motor inn, overlooking absolutely nothing. More in the next post. (Also, if you missed that pop culture reference then that’s your bad, and you should probably know that the night wasn’t particularly sensuous – sorry Dave.)

Mi weekend update - pt. I

There were so many things that were awesome this weekend and I don’t think I can write about them in their entirety…but I’m going to give it a shot… just because otherwise I'll forget. And I think I’ll do it in pieces because otherwise this will be far too long!

Pt. 1

So despite the airline fiasco of last week, neither of our planes up were cancelled or even delayed and American Airlines did not, in the middle of the mayhem, lose our bags. For this I am very grateful as it would have been amazingly awkward to go to a wedding naked, or in my jeans and t-shirt that I wore up there. Additionally, after arriving, on time, in Detroit, we got the rental car that Josh really really really wanted to drive. By the time we were three minutes down the road, Josh also realized that the car came equipped with Microsoft Sync. A lot of “play artist, the strokes” ensued, despite the fact that Josh’s phone actually didn’t have any songs by The Strokes on it.

Directly upon turning out of the car lot onto the road we saw a semi-truck run a red light, then come to a stop at the next red light, and then a car do sort of a sideways S turn around the back end of the semi, cut across two lanes of traffic and swerve into a gas station. We just started laughing…Josh said “Yeah! That means my memory is actually accurate on the whole Michigan drivers thing!” But I like driving in MI, because yes, they drive fast, and dangerously, but they don’t drive like wimps!! If they're going to die in a car wreck it will be because they broke two traffic laws simultaneously while driving at a breakneck pace. I like that, it makes me feel like I'm home, sort of. I don't know when Rochester Hills became home, but somewhere along the line, it did. *grin*

We headed to the hotel, where my mom met us at the front doors with giant mom hugs. (She, my dad, and Grandma K had just arrived and were all just checking in as well.) They actually had the room directly above us… which led to this conversation:

Dad: *grinning* Hrm, guess we’ll have to keep the noise down.
Allie: *also grinning* Well WE’LL have to keep the noise down TOO!
Dad: Yeah, so I guess, no yelling or anything.
Allie: *shocked, then dies laughing* Woah.

After that we headed over to Chilis for their rehearsal dinner, and we got to sit with the groomsmen which was amazingly entertaining. Mike and Greg and Steve pretty much rock my world when it comes to hilarity.

After that we ducked out of the rehearsal and went and got Kruse bread…which just served to remind me how much I absolutely love the stuff and we wandered around the school eating bread, so Josh could see all the new additions and I could sneak upstairs in CC and write on a few of my favourite teacher’s doors… good times. Old habits die hard.

After that then we headed over to the rehearsal, caught them as they were walking out and then after that we all spent some time decorating, during which, I just have to say, my husband was very very helpful, and very very patient. We finally made it back to the hotel around 11 or so I think.

Saturday morning we met up with the fam for the hotel continental breakfast…which didn’t last too long for me because Mark showed up and we ducked out for a few minutes to have our ‘toast Jonny’ speech pow-wow. Got it all figured out, practiced a few times just to time it and then Mark had to go with the groomsmen to do boy stuff. Josh and I ducked out for a bit and had our second breakfast at Knapp’s donuts, which was a tradition we used to do all the time when we had just started dating. And then went back to campus and did the traditional walk around the lake.

Or started to…but came to a halt when we found… a seadoo. In. Lake. Norcentra. That’s only funny if you understand that Lake Norcentra is 1) not big, 2) not deep, and I’m pretty sure 3) is not even a real lake. And then there was much laughter which only increased when Larry Norman came walking down and I was like “Um… what’s with the..” and gestured to the seadoo. And he said: “I… don’t really know…why that’s there. I think…it was on someone’s truck a couple of days ago.” And then there was much MORE laughter. Too funny.

After a bit more wandering we headed back to the hotel and hung out with Mom and Dad and Grandma for a while and then all of us went to lunch at Max and Erma’s. While we were there Josh and I told our ‘how we met and started dating’ story and then Mom told theirs (and dad insisted that “I don’t remember…” and grinned) and then Grandma told hers and grandpas. I know this is just a me thing but I like stories, and I like family narratives and I especially love hearing them all together like that in one improvised compilation… it was just really special and really grounding at that moment, for me to have that experience. After that Mom and Josh and I headed over to the reception hall to decorate, Dad dropped off grandma and came over a few minutes later – and we got to hang out with Holly’s family, who are all really neat, and just get to know them a bit better too.

Then it was back to the hotel to have a quick chat with Janelle (which was lovely! I'm so glad she was there!) and get ready. Then…it was wedding time. I’ll put that in the next post.